What does the Bible say about Leah?

Leah was the first wife of Jacob and the older sister of Rachel. While Rachel was favored for her beauty, Leah was overlooked, yet greatly used by God. Genesis 29:17 describes her as having “weak eyes,” but what she lacked in outward beauty, she was given in spiritual legacy.

Laban, their father, deceived Jacob by giving Leah to him on the wedding night instead of Rachel. Jacob only realized the switch in the morning, and he confronted Laban, who justified it by saying the older must be married before the younger (Genesis 29:23-26). Though unloved, Leah was not forgotten by God.

Genesis 29:31 says, “When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.” Leah bore Jacob six sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun and a daughter, Dinah. Her fourth son, Judah, became the ancestor of David and ultimately the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

As Leah bore each child, she expressed her heart. With Reuben, she said, “The Lord has surely looked on my affliction” (Genesis 29:32). With Simeon, “Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved” (Genesis 29:33). By the time she bore Judah, she said, “Now I will praise the Lord” (Genesis 29:35), showing her growing trust in God over her desire for Jacob’s affection.

Though Leah was less favored in Jacob’s eyes, God honored her with fruitfulness and a lasting spiritual heritage. She was buried in the family tomb at Machpelah, alongside Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Jacob himself (Genesis 49:31), a place of great honor.

Leah’s life reminds us that God sees the overlooked, hears the brokenhearted, and uses the humble for His eternal purposes.

Help Support The Ministry:

________________

 

MORE ANSWERS TO BIBLE QUESTIONS:

________________

________________

 

BIBLE STUDIES YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN:

________________