Why was there strife between Leah and Rachel?

The story of Leah and Rachel, the two wives of Jacob encompasses themes of love, jealousy, rivalry, and divine intervention. This essay explores the underlying reasons for the strife between Leah and Rachel, providing a detailed analysis supported by references from the Bible.

Background

Jacob, a key patriarch in the Bible, fled to his uncle Laban’s house to escape his brother Esau’s wrath. There, he fell in love with Rachel, Laban’s younger daughter, and agreed to work seven years to marry her.

• Genesis 29:18 NKJV: “Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, ‘I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.'”

However, on the wedding night, Laban deceived Jacob by giving him Leah, his older daughter, instead of Rachel.

• Genesis 29:25 NKJV: “So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, ‘What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?'”

Laban justified his action by citing the custom of the younger daughter not marrying before the older. He then offered Rachel to Jacob in return for another seven years of service.

• Genesis 29:27 NKJV: “Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years.”

This set the stage for a household fraught with tension and rivalry between Leah and Rachel.

Jacob’s Love and Favoritism

A fundamental cause of strife between Leah and Rachel was Jacob’s favoritism. Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, which created a deep sense of insecurity and rejection in Leah.

• Genesis 29:30 NKJV: “Then Jacob also went in to Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban still another seven years.”

Leah’s awareness of her lesser status in Jacob’s eyes is evident and becomes a source of her sorrow and jealousy.

• Genesis 29:31 NKJV: “When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.”

Childbearing and Jealousy

Childbearing was a significant aspect of women’s status and worth in ancient cultures, including the Biblical context. God made up for the lack of love to Leah by giving her children (Genesis 29:31). Leah bore Jacob several sons, while Rachel initially remained barren, intensifying Rachel’s feelings of envy and desperation.

• Genesis 29:32-34 NKJV: “So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, ‘The Lord has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me.’ Then she conceived again and bore a son, and said, ‘Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.’ And she called his name Simeon. She conceived again and bore a son, and said, ‘Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.’ Therefore his name was called Levi.”

Leah hoped that bearing sons would secure Jacob’s affection, but the continued favoritism towards Rachel deepened the strife. Rachel’s frustration and jealousy reached a peak when she confronted Jacob.

• Genesis 30:1 NKJV: “Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, ‘Give me children, or else I die!'”

Jacob’s response underscores the tension and his recognition of God’s role in granting children.

• Genesis 30:2 NKJV: “And Jacob’s anger was aroused against Rachel, and he said, ‘Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?'”

Use of Concubine Mothers

To address her barrenness, Rachel gave her maid Bilhah to Jacob as a concubine, a common practice at the time to bear children on her behalf. This further complicated the family dynamics.

• Genesis 30:3 NKJV: “So she said, ‘Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, and she will bear a child on my knees, that I also may have children by her.'”

Bilhah bore two sons, Dan and Naphtali, which Rachel claimed as her own, expressing her struggle and perceived victory over Leah.

• Genesis 30:6-8 NKJV: “Then Rachel said, ‘God has judged my case; and He has also heard my voice and given me a son.’ Therefore she called his name Dan. And Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. Then Rachel said, ‘With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed.’ So she called his name Naphtali.”

In response, Leah also gave her maid Zilpah to Jacob, resulting in two more sons, Gad and Asher.

• Genesis 30:9-10 NKJV: “When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as wife. And Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.”

This escalation in the competition for children highlighted the intense rivalry and further strained their relationship.

Mandrakes Incident

Another notable incident that reveals the strife between Leah and Rachel involves mandrakes, believed to enhance fertility. Leah’s son Reuben found mandrakes, and Rachel requested some from Leah, indicating her desperation for children.

• Genesis 30:14 NKJV: “Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, ‘Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.'”

Leah’s response reflects the ongoing tension and her feeling of being wronged by Rachel.

• Genesis 30:15 NKJV: “But she said to her, ‘Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?'”

Rachel agreed to let Leah spend the night with Jacob in exchange for the mandrakes, a poignant example of how their rivalry influenced even personal and intimate aspects of their lives.

• Genesis 30:16 NKJV: “When Jacob came out of the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, ‘You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.’ And he lay with her that night.”

Following this incident, Leah bore more children, while God eventually remembered Rachel and opened her womb.

• Genesis 30:22 NKJV: “Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.”

Rachel gave birth to Joseph, further adding to the complex emotional dynamics between the sisters.

• Genesis 30:23-24 NKJV: “And she conceived and bore a son, and said, ‘God has taken away my reproach.’ So she called his name Joseph, and said, ‘The Lord shall add to me another son.'”

The strife between Leah and Rachel was an example to why the Levitical law that specified that a man should not marry two sisters was given: “Nor shall you take a woman as a rival to her sister, to uncover her nakedness while the other is alive” (Leviticus 18:18). The bigamy that had been carried out by Laban’s deception and Jacob’s affection brought strife and regret to the homes of both men.

The Death of Rachel

The rivalry and strife continued until Rachel’s death during the birth of her second son, Benjamin. Her death brought a tragic end to her struggle for status and acceptance.

• Genesis 35:16-18 NKJV: “Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labor. Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, ‘Do not fear; you will have this son also.’ And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin.”

Conclusion

The strife between Leah and Rachel was rooted in several factors: Jacob’s overt favoritism towards Rachel, the cultural significance of childbearing, and the ensuing jealousy and rivalry. Leah’s desperate attempts to gain Jacob’s love through bearing children and Rachel’s intense longing for children exacerbated their conflict. Incidents like the use of surrogate mothers and the mandrakes episode further illustrate the deep-seated rivalry.

These narratives not only highlight the personal struggles and emotional complexities of Leah and Rachel but also reflect broader themes of human longing, divine intervention, and the intricate dynamics within family relationships. Despite the intense rivalry and strife, both Leah and Rachel played crucial roles in the formation of the twelve tribes of Israel, leaving a lasting legacy in biblical history.

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In His service,
BibleAsk Team