Friday, January 19, 2024

The name Leah is of Hebrew origin, but its original meaning is disputed. It appears in Hebrew as לאה (Leah) in Genesis 29–30, where she is the wife of the Hebrew patriarch Jacob. However, the Hebrew verb לאה (leah) also means "to be weary, tired," similar to earlier languages like Ugaritic and Akkadian. While this may not be the most flattering definition, when you consider that the biblical Leah bore Jacob 7 children—Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulon, and a daughter named Dinah—one can understand how the biblical matriarch might be a little "tired."