“Bury me with my fathers in the cave which is in the field of Ephron the Hittite. Abraham and his wife Sarah, Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried there; I also buried Leah there.” – Jacob (Genesis 49:29-31)
I always felt sorry for Leah — the wife not chosen, always losing in a rivalry with her sister over the affections of her husband.
Then there’s this verse.
The cave where Jacob wanted to be buried was significant because it was the first place in “promised land” his people actually owned — a stake in the ground, so to speak, of things to come. There the faithful were buried as a statement that they belonged and as a place of honor.
We notice it wasn’t Rachel but Leah so honored by Jacob. It points to a loving relationship prior to her passing. There, beside his first wife, Jacob chose to await the change.
Relationships heal and just because they go through rocky times, faith, forgiveness, perseverance make a difference.
– fritz
Patrikin - Kinship through The Father 