Why Did God Bless Leah?

Why Did God Bless Leah?

Firstly, let us review this story. Jacob sees Rachel and falls in love (Genesis 29:10-11). Laban seems to be happy with this fact, and Jacob works 7 years for Rachel, only to be given Leah instead (Genesis 29:13-25).

Laban’s reasoning was that the firstborn must be married off first, and to achieve Rachel would be another 7 years (Genesis 29:26-30).

Jacob had little to no love for his wife Leah, but loved Rachel deeply (Genesis 29:30-31). God noticed Jacob did not love his wife, Leah, so he blessed her greatly with four sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. By contrast, Rachel bore no sons until later in Genesis 30 (Genesis 29:31-35).

The question then comes, why did he not bless Rachel with children as well at this time? The Bible does not specifically say why Rachel was not able to bear besides from Leah’s neglect, so what is possible is that due to this neglect, the Lord blessed her so as not to feel forsaken. 

Another perspective concluded by one scholar is: “The fruitfulness of Leah and the sterility of Rachel were designed not so much to equalize the conditions of the sisters, the one having beauty and the other children (Lange), or to punish Jacob for his partiality (Keil), or to discourage the admiration of mere beauty (Kalisch), but to prove that "the origin of Israel was to be a work not of nature, but of grace" (The Pulpit Commentary). That is to say, the origins of the nation of Israel should operate on grace rather than the nature of the person, their looks, or their stature.

Another perspective is it was a punishment for polygamy. His first wife, Leah, was blessed, but the one who followed was not so greatly blessed. 

Whatever the answer may be, it is hard to say, but these perspectives give us a fair answer to this question.

Works Cited:
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

The Pulpit Commentary, Volume 8. United States, Delmarva Publications, Inc., 2015.