Leah
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Leah is the daughter of Laban (who is the brother of Jacob's mother Rebekah), and older sister of Rachel. In the Genesis account, Jacob marries Leah after being deceived by her father Laban. Jacob having worked seven years for the right to marry his preferred wife Rachel, Laban subsitutes Leah at the wedding ceremony, claiming it to be uncustomary to give the younger daughter away in marriage before the older (Genesis 29:16-30).
Offspring
Leah has a total of six sons by Jacob - when the Lord sees that Leah is "not loved", she gives birth to Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah (Genesis 29:31-35). After an interlude of not having children, Leah trades mandrakes (thought to induce pregnancy when eaten) with her sister Rachel for the privilege of sleeping with their shared husband Jacob. Following this she has a further two sons - Issachar and Zebulun (Genesis 30:14-20).The Bible also mentions Leah having a daughter Dinah (Genesis 30:21).
Biblical Role
Leah has a sad and bitter life, due to being seen less favourably by her husband Jacob than her younger sister Rachel. However, despite Jacob's preferences, the Lord fulfils his covenant to Abraham through Leah's descendents. Her son Judah becomes the effective leader among the sons of Jacob and the father of the pre-eminent tribe in the nation of Israel, the most notable descendents being King David and Jesus Christ.Leah is traditionally thought to be buried in the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, also the traditional resting place of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, as well as Jacob.
