The Biblical Narrative about Leah, Jacob’s Wife (Genesis 29:16–30:21; 31:4–16; 33:1–3)

Abstract

The research problem of this article is the question of how Leah is presented in the biblical narrative. The narrator of the Book of Genesis presents Leah in five social roles as a woman, daughter, wife, sister and mother. Each of them expresses Leah’s drama when she is compared to her younger sister Rachel. The culmination of the tension between the sisters is Leah’s desire to be a beloved wife and Rachel’s wish to become a mother as, in reality, Leah is a mother, and Rachel a beloved wife. God interferes in the story of the two sisters and His action allows the reader to properly interpret the presented narrative.