“She conceived again and bore a son and said, ‘This time I will thank/praise the LORD.’ So she named him Judah; then she ceased bearing.” – Genesis 29:35
Leah had been naming sons out of longing-Reuben, Simeon, Levi-each a hope that Jacob would finally see, hear, and hold her. With the fourth child, she pivots: “This time I will thank the LORD.”
The Hebrew verb is yādāh-to thank, praise, confess-pictured as open hands.
Genesis 29:35 is the first time this word is used in the Bible. It reminds us that gratitude in Scripture is not clenched-fist striving; it is open-handed acknowledgment of God’s faithful love right in the middle of heartache.
Leah’s circumstances haven’t changed. Jacob’s affection hasn’t suddenly arrived. What changes is Leah’s direction: from chasing human approval to resting in divine care. She names the child Judah (“thanks/praise”)-and through Judah, God will one day bring Jesus. Thanksgiving is not cosmetic; it is covenant-deep, and woven into redemption.
This is where biblical thankfulness first steps onto the page: not in a feast, but in a fracture; not after everything is fixed, but while the heart is still tender. “This time” becomes a holy refrain-today’s deliberate choice to thank God in the middle of things.
Open hands. A new name. A new direction. Let Leah’s words become ours: This time, I will thank the LORD.
Let’s pray:
Lord, teach me yādāh- to be thankful, I open my hands to You today. In the places I’ve been grasping, give me Leah’s courage to say, “This time, I will thank the LORD.” Let gratitude reorient my heart and anchor me in Your faithful love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
