And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the LORD hath heard that I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also: and she called his name Simeon.

GENESIS 29:33KJV
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Genesis 29:33 (KJV)

What does Genesis 29:33 mean?

Genesis 29:33 describes Leah, Jacob’s wife, having a second son and naming him Simeon because she believed the LORD had heard that she was unloved. Leah saw the birth of this son as a sign that God was aware of her difficult situation and was responding to her pain.

In this verse, Leah is speaking after giving birth to her second son. She feels neglected by her husband Jacob, who loves her sister Rachel more. Leah interprets the birth of Simeon as God’s response to her being "hated" or unloved, and she names him Simeon, which is related to the idea of hearing, to mark that God has listened to her distress.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 29:33

  • LORD (יְהוָה, Yahweh): Leah specifically credits the personal, covenant name of God for hearing her situation, highlighting her faith that God is personally involved in her life.
  • heard (שָׁמַע, shamaʿ): This word means to hear or listen. Leah connects the name Simeon (שִׁמְעוֹן, Shimʿon) to this word, showing that the child’s name is a memorial to God’s attention to her suffering.
  • hated (שָׂנֵא, sane): This word can mean unloved or less loved, not just active hatred. It clarifies that Leah feels rejected or overlooked, not necessarily that Jacob despises her.
  • Simeon (שִׁמְעוֹן, Shimʿon): The name is closely tied to the word for "hearing," reinforcing Leah’s belief that God has listened to her troubles.

Why Genesis 29:33 matters

  • This verse helps clear up that Leah’s sense of being "hated" is about being unloved or less favored, not outright hostility, which shapes how we understand her emotional state.
  • The connection between Simeon’s name and God "hearing" Leah’s pain shows how names in Genesis often carry deep personal and spiritual meaning.
  • Genesis 29:33 fits into the larger story of Jacob’s family, showing how God’s attention and care are present even in complicated and painful family situations.

Where else these words appear

“Simeon” Hebrew H8095 · used in 39 verses

  • Genesis 34:25 And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.
  • Numbers 1:22 Of the children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those that were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
  • Judges 1:3 And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.

“conceived” Hebrew H2029 · used in 42 verses

  • Genesis 4:1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
  • Genesis 30:19 And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son.
  • 1 Chronicles 7:23 And when he went in to his wife, she conceived, and bare a son, and he called his name Beriah, because it went evil with his house.

“hated” Hebrew H8130 · used in 139 verses

  • Genesis 24:60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.
  • Esther 9:5 Thus the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction, and did what they would unto those that hated them.
  • Proverbs 1:29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: