Genesis 29:35 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she ceased bearing.

NIV: She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, 'This time I will praise the LORD.' So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.

NASB: And she conceived again and gave birth to a son, and said, 'This time I will praise the Lord.' Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.

CSB: And she conceived again, gave birth to a son, and said, "This time I will praise the Lord." Therefore she named him Judah. Then Leah stopped having children.

NLT: Once again Leah became pregnant and gave birth to another son. She named him Judah, for she said, 'Now I will praise the Lord!' And then she stopped having children.

KJV: And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing.

NKJV: And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

Leah has married Jacob, but only because her father brutally deceived him, using Jacob's love for her younger sister, Rachel (Genesis 29:16–30). As one might expect, Jacob's attitude towards Leah has not been warm, and the Bible actually says that Jacob "hated" Leah (Genesis 29:31). Seeing and hearing her pain, God granted Leah her first two sons, who she named accordingly: Reuben (Genesis 29:32) and Simeon (Genesis 29:33). Her third son, Levi, was named to express a hope that Jacob would finally become attached to her (Genesis 29:34).

Now, Leah bears Jacob a fourth son. This time, she does not name the boy according to a hope that her husband will begin to love her. Perhaps Leah has given up on winning Jacob's affection. The name she gives to Judah does, however, continue to reflect Leah's faith in God. Yahuwdah means "praise," or more specifically, "may God be praised." Leah had an active faith in the Lord, who continued to be with her husband.

After this fourth son, however, Leah seems to have stopped bearing children. Scripture does not always mention every single child a particular person has, but this verse specifically says Leah did not continue to conceive after Judah. Either she became infertile for a time, or Jacob stopped sleeping with her. This second option is not impossible, given the jealousy expressed by her sister Rachel, as described in the next chapter.

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.