Genesis 30:18-20
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Leah sees her son Issachar's birth as a divine reward, not for her actions, but for her "sacrifice" of giving her servant to Jacob. This highlights how she frames her difficult situation as a transaction with God, seeking payment for her perceived giving.
Leah said, “God has given me my wages because I gave my servant to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar. And Leah conceived again, and she bore Jacob a sixth son. Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name Zebulun.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage unfolds within a heated family rivalry where Leah and Rachel, Jacob's wives, desperately seek to bear him more children. Following an incident involving mandrakes and a night with Jacob that Leah "hired," she gives birth to her fifth son. The name she gives him, Issachar, reflects her belief that this child is a divine reward for "hiring" Jacob through her servant, Zilpah, and thereby fulfilling her perceived role.
Leah names her fifth son Issachar, and her words reveal a complex mix of human action and divine recognition. What exactly is she celebrating?
Leah's declaration, "God has given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband," is layered. The name Issachar itself, meaning "hire" or "reward," plays on this.
The birth of Issachar isn't just about Leah's sacrifice; it's also a subtle pivot from the earlier, almost desperate bargaining over mandrakes.
The narrative surrounding Issachar's birth contrasts sharply with the episode involving the mandrakes (Genesis 30:14-16).
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Understand the original words
sakar · Hebrew Noun
Payment or compensation for service rendered. In a theological sense, it reflects the ancient perspective that children were a reward from God for faithfulness or effort, though here it reflects Leah's personal belief regarding her domestic sacrifices.
shiphchah · Hebrew Noun
A female slave or servant held in household possession. In the patriarchal context of Genesis, concubinage involving servants was a complex social reality often driven by the struggle for fertility and heirship.
Yissaschar · Hebrew Proper Noun
Literally meaning "there is a reward" or "man of hire," this name reflects Leah’s belief that her son was a direct recompense from God for her role in the family dynamics.
zabad · Hebrew Verb
To gift, bestow, or furnish with a dowry. It implies a gracious provision or a valuable inheritance given to someone.
zebed · Hebrew Noun
A significant gift, inheritance, or "good dowry." It emphasizes the idea of a meaningful contribution to one's security and status.
zabad · Hebrew Verb
To show respect, esteem, or value. In the context of marriage, it relates to the desire for a husband to acknowledge his wife’s worth and importance within the family.
Zebulun · Hebrew Proper Noun
A name interpreted by Leah to mean "dwelling" or "exaltation," reflecting her hope that having six sons would secure her permanent and honored place in Jacob's household.
The intense competition between Leah and Rachel to bear children for Jacob, driven by their society's value of fertility and the patriarchal structure, leads to complex and even ethically questionable arrangements, like the use of handmaids. Leah’s naming of Issachar reflects her belief that God is rewarding her sacrifices, even though the context involves the trading of maidservants and the use of mandrakes for fertility.
c. 1800 BC
Jacob's Service for Leah and Rachel
Jacob agrees to serve Laban for seven years for Rachel, but Laban tricks him into marrying Leah first. Jacob then serves another seven years for Rachel.
c. 1788 BC
Leah's First Four Sons Born
Leah bears four sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, while Rachel remains barren. This fuels intense rivalry between the sisters.
c. 1787 BC
Rachel Gives Bilhah to Jacob
In her desperation for children, Rachel gives her servant Bilhah to Jacob, who then bears Dan and Naphtali for Rachel.
c. 1786 BC
Leah Gives Zilpah to Jacob
Leah, seeing she had stopped bearing, gives her servant Zilpah to Jacob, who bears Gad and Asher for Leah.
c. 1785 BC— this verse
Leah Bears Issachar
Leah bears her fifth son, Issachar, after receiving mandrakes from Reuben and giving Zilpah to Jacob in a seemingly transactional arrangement.
c. 1784 BC
Leah Bears Zebulun and Dinah
Leah bears her sixth son, Zebulun, and her only daughter, Dinah.
c. 1783 BC
Rachel Bears Joseph
After years of barrenness, Rachel finally bears her first son, Joseph, marking a turning point in Jacob's desire to return home.
This verse describes Leah's naming of her first son, Reuben, and her acknowledgment that God looked on her affliction, showing a pattern of naming children based on perceived divine intervention or circumstance.
Genesis 30:20Leah's naming of Zebulun as 'God has endowed me with a good dowry' echoes the theme of seeing children as a divine provision or reward, similar to her naming of Issachar.
1 Samuel 1:20Hannah names her son Samuel, meaning 'God has heard him,' directly linking the child's birth to God's answer to prayer, a concept paralleled in Leah's attribution of Issachar's birth to divine hire.
Luke 1:57-58The birth of John the Baptist to Elizabeth is met with praise to God and a recognition of His mercy, reflecting the joyful, albeit perhaps misconstrued, gratitude Leah expresses for Issachar.
calvinGenesis 30:1-43: "And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die."
Et dixit Rachel, Iudicavit me Deus, et etiam audivit vocem meam, et dedit mihi filium. Idcirco vocavit nomen ejus Daniel
And Bilhah Rachel's maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son.
Et concepit adhuc, et peperit Bilhah ancilla Rachel filium secundum ipsi Iahacob
And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with…
pooleGenesis 30:18: "And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar."
Thus she mistakes the answer of her prayers for a recompence of her error.
Leah sees her son Issachar's birth as a divine reward, not for her actions, but for her "sacrifice" of giving her servant to Jacob. This highlights how she frames her difficult situation as a transaction with God, seeking payment for her perceived giving.
This passage unfolds within a heated family rivalry where Leah and Rachel, Jacob's wives, desperately seek to bear him more children. Following an incident involving mandrakes and a night with Jacob that Leah "hired," she gives birth to her fifth son. The name she gives him, Issachar, reflects her belief that this child is a divine reward for "hiring" Jacob through her servant, Zilpah, and thereby fulfilling her perceived role.
This passage unfolds within a heated family rivalry where Leah and Rachel, Jacob's wives, desperately seek to bear him more children. Following an incident involving mandrakes and a night with Jacob that Leah "hired," she gives birth to her fifth son. The name she gives him, Issachar, reflects her belief that this child is a divine reward for "hiring" Jacob through her servant, Zilpah, and thereby fulfilling her perceived role.
"Leah said, “God has given me my wages because I gave my servant to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar. And Leah conceived again, and she bore Jacob a sixth son. Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my hu…" — Leah sees her son Issachar's birth as a divine reward, not for her actions, but for her "sacrifice" of giving her servant to Jacob. This highlights how she frames her difficult situation as a transac…
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Last reviewed October 2026
