A couple of people have dropped me e-mail to ask about the names in yesterday's poem, Leah names her sons. The names of Leah's sons are
Reuben (compare r'u ben = see, a son)
Simeon (compare sham'a = has heard) "The Lord has heard that I was despised" Leah says. I make this "prayer answered."
Levi (compare yilaveh = will join) "This time at last my husband will join me, for I have born him three sons."
Judah (compare 'odeh = sing praise)
Issachar (compare sakhar = wages, reward)
Zebulun (compare zabal = exalt) "This time my husband will exalt me, for I have given him six sons."
Obviously this is all thanks to Robert Alter, translator and scholar -- who I've incorrectly named "Richard" below. His Genesis really is a great book.
Gotta love the New American Bible, New Catholic Translation. It told me all that in the foot notes.
Remember the old days when "learned men" knew five or six languages, and would actually put them into poetry? This is much nicer than that, as it allows the learned and the not learned to enjoy, but those who know the language can enjoy the puns.