Free Bible Commentary
“Genesis 29:31-35”
Categories: Genesis“Now the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. Leah conceived and bore a son and named him Reuben, for she said, 'Because the Lord has seen my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.' Then she conceived again and bore a son and said, 'Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.' So she named him Simeon. She conceived again and bore a son and said, 'Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.' Therefore he was named Levi. And she conceived again and bore a son and said, 'This time I will praise the Lord.' Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.'”
---End of Scripture verses---
“Now the Lord saw that Leah was unloved...” (verse 31) It is not hard to understand why Leah was legitimately unloved. Jacob didn't love her before he was tricked into marrying her, had no desire to marry her, and may not have stayed married to her if not for the supposed “custom” of marrying off the older daughter first. Having said that, marital love is something that God expects and demands his children to intentionally choose (Genesis 2:23-24; Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 5:22-31). We can and must choose and learn to love our spouses, even if we have “fallen out” of romantic love with them, or never truly “fell in” to it. Marriage is far too sacred a divinely ordained institution and covenant to treat it with indifference or disdain just because our feelings are not as strong as we would like for them to be. Let's work on showing love to our marriage partners, no matter how we may be feeling at any given time.
Fortunately for Leah, “the Lord saw” her loneliness and longing for love. Even though she had wittingly participated in her father's deceitful plot to pull one over on Jacob, the Lord still valued her, had sympathy for her pitiable condition, and wanted what was best for her. The Lord knows and sees when we are hurting and He is kind and compassionate toward our grief. God “opened her womb” so that Leah could experience the depth and fullness of genuine love. The love of and for a child is unparalleled in its sweetness, innocence and purity, and God blessed Leah with four children to carry within her womb and close to her heart to comfort her because of her husband's alienation. Of course, Leah still held out hope that bearing children for her husband would bind his heart to hers. But with the birth of the fourth son, Judah, she focused her love and appreciation upon the Lord and gave Him all the praise and glory.
“Leah conceived and bore a son and named him Reuben...” (verse 32) “The true origin of the name is disputed. The simplest explanation makes it a compound of re'u ben, 'See, a son!' a joyous exclamation by parents at the time of birth. Another suggestion connects it with South Arabic ra'ban, 'a chief,' a name befitting a first-born. The present story gives a folk etymology, rooted in the subjective circumstances, that by assonantal word play echoes ra'ah be-'onyi, 'He (God) has seen my affliction.'” (Nahum Sarna) “Surely now my husband will love me.” In Leah's thinking (or hoping), since she had bore children for Jacob and Rachel could not (“but Rachel was barren”), she would take the place of preference over her sister and when the attention and affection of her husband.
“Then she conceived again and bore a son and...she named him Simeon.” (verse 33) “This name may originally have derived from the Arabic sim', the hybrid offspring of the hyena and female wolf. The midrash here connects it with the stem sh-m, 'to hear.' The names of Leah's first two sons replicate a pair of verbs that expresses God's providential concern and care for the unfortunate.” (Nahum Sarna) The Lord has seen (Reuben). The Lord has heard (Simeon). God Almighty sees all things, hears all things, knows all things. He is not an absentee Father sitting idly by in heaven unconnected and unconcerned about the troubles that befall His beloved children. He sees, knows, cares, loves and assists in times of distress, and at all times.
“She conceived again and bore a son and...he was named Levi.” (verse 34) “From the root lavah, 'to join.' In Numbers 18:2; Numbers 18:4, this word lavah is especially used of the attachment of the sons of Levi to the service of Jehovah, as the priestly tribe. According to many scholars, the name denotes the tribe par excellence of the Leah group; which, owing to some great disaster, was broken up, and the name survived only in the guild of Priests and their assistants.” (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges)
“And she conceived again and bore a son and said, 'This time I will praise the Lord.' Therefore she named him Judah.” (verse 35) “She had praised him before for looking on her affliction, and hearing her cries, and giving her one son after another; but now she determines to praise him more than ever, having a fresh instance of his goodness to her: the Targum of Jonathan adds this as a reason, 'because from this my son shall come forth kings, and from him shall come forth David the king, who shall praise the Lord.' And why may it not be as well supposed that she had knowledge of the Messiah springing from him, which would greatly heighten and increase her joy and praise? And therefore she called his name Judah; which signifies 'praise'.” (Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible)
“Then she stopped bearing.” But not permanently. The incident with Reuben's mandrakes beginning in Genesis 30:14 may indicate that, far from her fertility drawing her husband's heart closer to hers, Jacob actually broke off intimacy with her for quite some time after the birth if Judah. But Leah eventually bore to Jacob more children than Rachel and the two maid servants of Leah and Rachel combined.
Please read Genesis 30:1-8 for tomorrow.
Have a blessed day!
-Louie Taylor
