Genesis 30:17-21·~1 min
Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah
God listens to Leah, and she bears a fifth son to Jacob. Leah names him Issachar, seeing the child as a reward connected to what she had given up.
A17nd God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore a fifth son to Jacob. 18Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.
Leah bears a sixth son and names him Zebulun, hoping her husband will now honor her. After him, she bears a daughter and names her Dinah.
19Again Leah conceived and bore a sixth son to Jacob. 20“God has given me a good gift,” she said. “This time my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” And she named him Zebulun. 21After that, Leah gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
Section summaryLeah conceives again after that night with Jacob, and two more sons are born, each named with her own reading of reward and honor. The section closes more quietly with the birth of Dinah, Jacob's daughter.
Role in the chapterThis movement carries Leah's story to its fullest point in the chapter. It gathers the results of the mandrake episode and completes this phase of the household's growth before Rachel's turn comes.