Biblical Meaning of the Name Leah: What We Really Know
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Where the name comes from
Leah is Hebrew, and honestly, its meaning is not settled. The traditional reading is "weary". Many scholars today prefer "wild cow", a pairing with her sister Rachel, whose name means "ewe", or a related old word for "strength". Pages that say Leah means "delicate" have taken a word about her eyes and given it to her name.
Leah in the Bible
Leah was the elder daughter of Laban and Jacob's first wife. Jacob loved her sister Rachel more, and the Bible says the LORD saw it. Leah became the mother of six sons, among them Judah, the ancestor of King David, and Levi, the ancestor of Israel's priests. Generations later, the people of Bethlehem blessed a new bride by naming Rachel and Leah, "which two did build the house of Israel".
And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.
And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem:
A blessing for Leah
Leah, may you always know that God sees you, even on the days you feel unseen, as he saw Leah. May your life build something good that lasts for generations, and may you have strength for every season.