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LEAH.—The elder daughter of Laban, married to Jacob by stratagem (Gen_29:21 ff.). Jacob’s love for her was less than for Rachel (Gen_29:30); sometimes she is said to be hated (Gen_29:31; Gen_29:33). She was the mother of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and a daughter Dinah (Gen_29:31-35, Gen_30:18; Gen_30:20-21). She was buried in the cave of Machpelah before Jacob went to Egypt (Gen_49:31). She is mentioned in Rth_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.