Genesis 29:33 - Printer Friendly

ESV: She conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also." And she called his name Simeon.

NIV: She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too." So she named him Simeon.

NASB: Then she conceived again and gave birth to 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.

CSB: She conceived again, gave birth to a son, and said, "The Lord heard that I am unloved and has given me this son also." So she named him Simeon.

NLT: She soon became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She named him Simeon, for she said, 'The Lord heard that I was unloved and has given me another son.'

KJV: And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the Lord hath heard that I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also: and she called his name Simeon.

NKJV: 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.” And she called his name Simeon.

Leah is unloved by her husband, Jacob (Genesis 29:21–28). This is unsurprising, since Jacob never intended to marry her in the first place. It was only by an act of trickery that Jacob woke up the morning after his wedding to find Leah, instead of her younger sister, Rachel, in his bed. God saw Leah's pain at being an unwanted, unloved wife, and has blessed her with a son; the favored Rachel, meanwhile is childless (Genesis 29:31).

After giving birth to Jacob's firstborn son Reuben, Leah expressed her faith that God had seen her pain. She also believed that bearing Jacob a son would cause him to love her (Genesis 29:32).

Here we find that even at the birth of their second son that Jacob continued to "hate" Leah, especially in comparison to Rachel. In giving this second boy the name Simeon, Leah again shows her faith that God did this for her in response to her pain. Shim'own more or less literally means "heard." This time, though, the name also reflects the fact that she is hated. She seems to have given up hope, for the moment, that the birth of sons will turn Jacob's heart to her. God has seen (Reuben) and heard (Simeon) her pain, but Jacob does not love her.

Genesis 29:31–35 describes Leah's joy and heartbreak. Tricked into marrying Leah, Jacob's heart is never with her. He loves Rachel more; in fact, it would be fair to say he never loved Leah at all. The Lord, who is ever with Jacob, notices Leah's heartbreak and allows her to begin bearing children while Rachel remains childless. Leah's four sons are named in celebration of the Lord and His noticing her, as well as for her hope, or lack of it, that Jacob will come to love her.

Jacob's journey from his home brings him to his uncle's household in Haran. He falls in love with Laban's younger daughter Rachel and agrees to work for Laban for seven years to marry her. When the time comes, Laban switches out Rachel for her older, less attractive sister Leah. Jacob is surprised to find he has consummated the marriage with the wrong sister. Manipulative Laban assures Jacob he can still marry Rachel the next week, as long as he will work another seven years. Jacob loves Rachel more than Leah, but with the Lord's help, unloved Leah bears Jacob his first four sons.

The previous chapter described Jacob fleeing from home to seek his uncle in Mesopotamia. This was both to escape the rage of his brother, Esau, and to look for a suitable wife. Now Jacob arrives and falls in love with his uncle's daughter Rachel. After working seven years to marry her, Jacob is tricked by his uncle into marrying the older daughter, Leah, instead. Laban allows Jacob to marry Rachel, as well, in exchange for another seven years' work. Though she is unloved by Jacob, the Lord notices Leah's heartbreak and allows her to bear four sons. In the next chapter, Rachel's jealousy sets off something of a birth war, as she and Leah compete to obtain children.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.