Leah
Pronounced LEE-uh
- Meaning
- "Weary; Tender-eyed"
- Origin
- Hebrew
Leah means "weary" or is associated with "tender-eyed" in Hebrew. She was Jacob's first wife — married to him through her father Laban's deception — and despite being unloved compared to her sister Rachel, Leah became the mother of six of the twelve tribes of Israel. Leah's story is one of finding identity and worth in God despite human rejection. Scripture says, "When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb" (Genesis 29:31). God saw her pain and blessed her abundantly. She named her sons with declarations of hope: Reuben ("see, a son"), Judah ("praise"). Through Judah, Leah's son, came the royal line of David and ultimately Jesus Christ. The woman who was "unloved" became an ancestor of the Savior — a profound demonstration of how God exalts the humble and overlooked.
Spiritual meaning
Leah's story transforms her name's meaning from 'weary' to 'triumphant.' God sees the overlooked and unloved, and through them accomplishes His most glorious purposes. Worth comes from God, not human approval.
Related verses (KJV)
"And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren."
Genesis 29:31 (KJV) →"And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah."
Genesis 29:35 (KJV) →