לֵאָה
𐤋𐤀𐤄
Leah
H3812 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A personal name, Leah; most notably the first wife of Jacob and mother to several Israelite tribes. The primary lexical reference is to an individual rather than a common noun, though the root connection suggests the meaning 'weary' or 'wearied.' The semantic range is largely proper-nominal, referring almost exclusively to the biblical matriarch.
Semantic Range
Leah (personal name), first wife of Jacob; possibly, by etymology, 'weary' or 'tired one'
Root / Etymology
From the root לָאָה (l-ʼ-h), meaning 'to be weary, faint, or exhausted.' The name לֵאָה draws on this root, possibly indicating a meaning such as 'weary' or 'tired one,' though as a personal name the original verbal sense is not always active. Some have proposed alternative etymologies outside Hebrew, including links to Akkadian/West Semitic terms for 'cow' or 'wild cow,' but these are debated.
Historical & Contextual Notes
לֵאָה appears almost exclusively as a proper name for one of the wives of Jacob, mother of six Israelite tribal ancestors and Dinah. While Hebrew narrative connects the name with the root ל-א-ה ('to be weary'), it functions in context as a personal name rather than a descriptive term. The etymology is debated: some traditions and scholarly suggestions relate her name to Akkadian/West Semitic words for 'cow' (lā’ātu), reflected in certain ancient Near Eastern naming conventions. However, the Hebrew narrative appears to reinterpret the name through the verb 'to be weary.' In later Jewish and Christian tradition, 'Leah' is preserved as a proper name, but English translations universally use the personal name 'Leah' rather than a rendering of its lexical meaning. The connotations of 'weary' do not generally influence narrative interpretation except in midrashic or allegorical expansions. Leah's role and identity are defined in the patriarchal narratives and do not reflect later religious or geographical terminology.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from לָאָה; weary; Leah, a wife of Jacob; Leah.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
לָאָה (Leah) — to be weary, to tire, to exhaust
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H8513 | תְּלָאָה | the wearying hardship |
Word Forms
6 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3812-01 |
לֵאָ֔ה | leah | HNp |
Leah | Weary One | Leah | 28 |
H3812-02 |
לְ/לֵאָ֥ה | leleah | HR/Np |
to Leah | to Leah | to Leah | 2 |
H3812-03 |
מִ/לֵּאָ֑ה | mileah | HR/Np |
more than Leah | from Weary-one | from Leah | 1 |
H3812-04 |
וּ/כְ/לֵאָה֙ | ukheleah | HC/R/Np |
and like Leah | and like Weary-One | and like Leah | 1 |
H3812-05 |
וּ/לְ/לֵאָ֑ה | uleleah | HC/R/Np |
and Leah | and to Weary-one | and to Leah | 1 |
H3812-06 |
וְ/לֵאָ֔ה | veleah | HC/Np |
and Leah | and Weary-One | and Leah | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
34 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3812-01 |
Genesis 29:16 | לֵאָ֔ה | leah | HNp |
was Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 29:17 | לֵאָ֖ה | leah | HNp |
Leah's | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 29:23 | לֵאָ֣ה | leah | HNp |
Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-02 |
Genesis 29:24 | לְ/לֵאָ֥ה | leleah | HR/Np |
to Leah | to Leah | to Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 29:25 | לֵאָ֑ה | leah | HNp |
Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-03 |
Genesis 29:30 | מִ/לֵּאָ֑ה | mileah | HR/Np |
more than Leah | from Weary-one | from Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 29:31 | לֵאָ֔ה | leah | HNp |
Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 29:32 | לֵאָה֙ | leah | HNp |
Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 30:9 | לֵאָ֔ה | leah | HNp |
Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 30:10 | לֵאָ֖ה | leah | HNp |
Leah's | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 30:11 | לֵאָ֖ה | leah | HNp |
Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 30:12 | לֵאָ֔ה | leah | HNp |
Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 30:13 | לֵאָ֔ה | leah | HNp |
Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 30:14 | לֵאָ֖ה | leah | HNp |
Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 30:14 | לֵאָ֔ה | leah-2 | HNp |
Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 30:16 | לֵאָ֜ה | leah | HNp |
Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 30:17 | לֵאָ֑ה | leah | HNp |
Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 30:18 | לֵאָ֗ה | leah | HNp |
Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 30:19 | לֵאָ֔ה | leah | HNp |
Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 30:20 | לֵאָ֗ה | leah | HNp |
Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-05 |
Genesis 31:4 | וּ/לְ/לֵאָ֑ה | uleleah | HC/R/Np |
and Leah | and to Weary-one | and to Leah |
H3812-06 |
Genesis 31:14 | וְ/לֵאָ֔ה | veleah | HC/Np |
and Leah | and Weary-One | and Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 31:33 | לֵאָ֗ה | leah | HNp |
of Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 31:33 | לֵאָ֔ה | leah-2 | HNp |
of Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 33:1 | לֵאָה֙ | leah | HNp |
Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 33:2 | לֵאָ֤ה | leah | HNp |
Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 33:7 | לֵאָ֛ה | leah | HNp |
Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 34:1 | לֵאָ֔ה | leah | HNp |
of Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 35:23 | לֵאָ֔ה | leah | HNp |
Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 35:26 | לֵאָ֖ה | leah | HNp |
Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 46:15 | לֵאָ֗ה | leah | HNp |
Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-02 |
Genesis 46:18 | לְ/לֵאָ֣ה | leleah | HR/Np |
to Leah | to Leah | to Leah |
H3812-01 |
Genesis 49:31 | לֵאָֽה | leah | HNp |
Leah | Weary One | Leah |
H3812-04 |
Ruth 4:11 | וּ/כְ/לֵאָה֙ | ukheleah | HC/R/Np |
and like Leah | and like Weary-One | and like Leah |