LEAH. The elder daughter of Laban, married to Jacob by stratagem ( Genesis 29:21 ff.). Jacob’s love for her was less than for Rachel ( Genesis 29:30 ); sometimes she is said to be hated ( Genesis 29:31; Genesis 29:33 ). She was the mother of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and a daughter Dinah ( Genesis 29:31-35 , Genesis 30:18; Genesis 30:20-21 ). She was buried in the cave of Machpelah before Jacob went to Egypt ( Genesis 49:31 ). She is mentioned in Ruth 4:11 . Her name probably means ‘mistress,’ equivalent to Assyrian li’at (Haupt, GGN [Note: GN Nachrichten der konigl. Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen.] , 1883, p. 100, and others). This is preferable to the view that it means ‘wild cow,’ from the Arabic, chiefly because the correspondence in form of the words is more exact.
George R. Berry.