Genesis 30:18

18 Leah said, "God has given me my reward, because I gave my slave to my husband"; so she named her son Issachar.

Genesis 30:18 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 30:18

And Leah said, God hath given me my hire
Of the mandrakes with which she had hired of Rachel a night's lodging with Jacob, and for which she had a sufficient recompense, by the son that God had given her: and she added another reason, and a very preposterous one, and shows she put a wrong construction on the blessing she received: because I have given my maiden to my husband;
which, she judged, was so well pleasing to God, that he had rewarded her with another son; and she called his name Issachar,
which signifies "hire" or "reward"; or, there is a reward, or a man of reward.

Genesis 30:18 In-Context

16 When Jacob came in from the fields in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, "You are going to sleep with me tonight, because I have paid for you with my son's mandrakes." So he had intercourse with her that night.

17 God answered Leah's prayer, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son.

18 Leah said, "God has given me my reward, because I gave my slave to my husband"; so she named her son Issachar.

19 Leah became pregnant again and bore Jacob a sixth son.

20 She said, "God has given me a fine gift. Now my husband will accept me, because I have borne him six sons"; so she named him Zebulun.

Footnotes

• [a] issachar: [This name sounds like the Hebrew for "a man is hired" and "there is reward."]