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Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Genesis 30:14

mandrakes R.V. marg. love-apples. The mandrake (mandragora vernalis) is a tuberous plant, with yellow plumlike fruit. It was supposed to act as a love-charm. It ripens in May, which suits the mention (Genesis 30:14) of wheat harvest. It has an odour of musk; cf. Song of Solomon 7:13, "the mandrakes give forth fragrance." It has been conjectured that the word duda'imis connected with the name of Dudah, the love-god mentioned on the inscription of Mesha (line 12); that Reubenites, adjoining the Moabites, were worshippers of Dudah; and that, on this account, Reuben is spoken of as the finder of the love-apples. The mandrake is called by the native inhabitants of Palestine baid el-jinn, "the eggs of the jinn."

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See also Genesis 30:14 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Genesis 30:14. _REUBEN - FOUND MANDRAKES_] דודאים _dudaim_. What these were is utterly unknown, and learned men have wasted much time and pains in endeavouring to guess out a probable meaning....

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    - Jacob’s Family and Wealth 6. דן _dān_, Dan, “judge, lord.” 8. נפתלי _naptālı̂y_, Naphtali, “wrestling.” 11. גד _gād_, Gad, “overcoming, victory.” בגד _bāgād_, “in victory or” =גד...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 30 JACOB WITH LABAN _ 1. The sons of Bilhah: Dan and Naphtali (Genesis 30:1)_ 2. The sons of Zilpah: Gad and Asher (Genesis 30:9) 3. The children of Leah: Issachar, Zebulon and Dinah (Genes...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    GENESIS 29:31 TO GENESIS 30:24. THE BIRTH OF JACOB'S CHILDREN. This section is from JE, with slight touches from P. Roughly Genesis 29:31; Gene

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    MANDRAKES. Septuagint _mandragora,_ the root easily formed, by pinching it, into the shape of. man. Hence its name; also supposed to be and used as. "love-philtre". Arabic. "apples of Satan"....

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    FOUND MANDRAKES— Many eminent Naturalists, ancient and modern, have written largely concerning the nature and properties of these _dudaim_ or _mandrakes._ But as it is by no means necessary to enter m...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    3. _Jacob's Family_ (Genesis 29:31 to Genesis 30:24). _Basic Facts:_ (1) Jacob became the father of twelve sons and one daughter. The inferior value set on a daughter is displayed in the bare announce...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _AND REUBEN WENT IN THE DAYS OF WHEAT HARVEST, AND FOUND MANDRAKES IN THE FIELD, AND BROUGHT THEM UNTO HIS MOTHER LEAH. THEN RACHEL SAID TO LEAH, GIVE ME, I PRAY THEE, OF THY SON'S MANDRAKES._ Reuben...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    JACOB'S CHILDREN. HIS STRATAGEM TO INCREASE HIS PROPERTY 1. Rachel envied her sister] To be childless was regarded as a great reproach: cp. Luke 1:25. Fruitfulness meant an addition of strength and p...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    MANDRAKE] or 'love apple.' A dwarf plant with large grey leaves and whitish-green blossoms. It yields in the spring a yellow fruit like a small tomato, and was believed to produce fruitfulness. 18-24...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    A mandrake is a yellow fruit. Women who had no children would eat the mandrakes. They believed that they were then more likely to become *pregnant. Rachel probably believed that. She wanted to eat the...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    GOD’S ANCIENT PEOPLE GENESIS _ALUN OWEN_ CHAPTER 30 JACOB HAS 6 MORE SONS V1 Rachel saw that she produced no children for Jacob. And she was angry with her sister because her sister was successf...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    THE TÔLDÔTH ISAAC (Genesis 25:19 to Genesis 35:29). THE BIRTH OF ISAAC’S SONS. Abraham begat Isaac — The _Tôldôth_ in its original form gave probably a complete genealogy of Isaac, tracing up his des...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    REUBEN WENT... — When Leah ceased from bearing, there would be a considerable interval before she and Jacob gave up all expectation of further seed by her. Slowly and unwillingly she would substitute...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    וַ יֵּ֨לֶךְ רְאוּבֵ֜ן בִּ ימֵ֣י קְצִיר ־חִטִּ

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    SONS BORN TO JACOB Genesis 30:1 The details of this paragraph are given with great minuteness, because they concern the twelve sons of Jacob, the forefathers of Israel. After all, history is made in...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    In reading these stories we must never forget that we are looking at things as they were in that far-gone time and must make all necessary allowances for the imperfect light in which these people live...

  • Gary Hampton Commentaries

    JOSEPH, RACHEL'S FIRSTBORN There are two possible reasons Rachel wanted the mandrakes, a poisonous plant of the potato family. She may have thought they produced fertility, since many in that region s...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found (e) mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes. (e)...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    Ruben, now perhaps about four years old, playing in the fields, in the latter harvest time, (Exodus ix. 32) found mandrakes of an extraordinary beauty and flavour, (Canticle of Canticles vii. 13.) whe...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    Mandrakes, dudaim in the original; probably a rare kind of fruit, supposed to possess prolific virtues....

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    Having already shown the position of Isaac, I resume briefly with the remark that he stands before us clearly as the representative of the Son, and this too as dead, risen, and in heaven. All will und...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    14._And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest_. This narration of the fact that a boy brought home I know not what kind of fruit out of the fields, and presented it to his mother, by which she purc...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 29 THROUGH 35. I have no doubt that in the two wives, as I have said, we have the Gentiles and Israel: Rachel first loved on the earth, but not possessed; but...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    AND REUBEN WENT IN THE DAYS OF WHEAT HARVEST,.... Leah's eldest son, who is supposed to be at this time about four or five years of age e, who went out from the tent to the field, to play there perhap...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes. Ver. 14....

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _Found mandrakes_ The word דודאים, thus rendered, is only found here and Song of Solomon 7:13; and it is not agreed among interpreters whether it signifies a fruit or a flower. It is thought, however,...

  • KJV Original Language Details

    1 Rachel in griefe for her barrennesse, giueth Bilhah her mayd vnto Iacob. 5 She beareth Dan and Naphtali. 9 Leah giueth Zilpah her mayd, who beareth Gad and Asher. 14 Reuben findeth Mandrakes, wit...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    The Last Children of Leah...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Little Reuben, at that time about four or five years old, found the berries of th...

  • Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures

    SECOND SECTION _Jacob’s wives and children. Jacob and Rachel, Laban’s youngest daughter. First and second treaty with Laban. His involuntary consummation of marriage with Leah. The double marriage. L...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN RACHEL AND LEAH The fruitfulness of Leah moved Rachel to jealousy, then her demand to Jacob for children moves him to anger (vs.1-2). We may see a serious lesson in Rachel's word...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    14-24 The desire, good in itself, but often too great and irregular, of being the mother of the promised Seed, with the honour of having many children, and the reproach of being barren, were causes of...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    _ CIR. 1748_ MANDRAKES: the word is only found here and SONG OF SOLOMON 7:13, whence it appears that it is a plant or fruit of pleasant smell, such as the mandrake is said to be by Dioscorides and Lev...

  • Notes on the Pentateuch by Charles Henry Mackintosh

    These Chapter s present to us the history of Jacob at least, the principal scenes in that history. The Spirit of God here sets before us the deepest instruction, first, as to God's purpose of infinite...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Genesis 30:14 Reuben H7205 in H3212 (H8799) days H3117 wheat H2406 harvest H7105 found H4672 (H8799) mandrakes...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    ‘And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said, “Give me, I beg you, of your son's mandrakes.” “THE DAYS OF WHEAT...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Jacob's posterity in Padan-aram. Another bargain between Jacob and Laban. CHARACTERS: Rachael, Jacob, Laban, Leah, Joseph. CONCLUSION: The toiling and scheming of men is the result of igno...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Genesis 30:2. _Am I in God's stead._ Rachel's impatience provoked Jacob's anger, because she asked of man whist was the prerogative of God to give. The rabbins remark here, that God keeps in his own h...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    GENESIS—NOTE ON GENESIS 30:14 Leah buys from Rachel the right to lie with Jacob. Having agreed to this with her sister, she says to Jacob, I HAVE HIRED YOU WITH MY SON’S MANDRAKES. The context suggest...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    CRITICAL NOTES.— Genesis 30:14. Mandrakes.] “The mandrake is universally distributed in all parts of Palestine, and its fruit is much valued by the natives, who still hold to the belief, as old as the...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION GENESIS 30:14 AND REUBEN (at this time four or five years old) WENT (probably accompanying the reapers) IN THE DAYS OF WHEAT HARVEST, AND FOUND MANDRAKES—דּוּדָאים, μῆλα μαδραγορῶν,_ _(L...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Now when Rachel saw that she could not bare Jacob children, Rachel envied her sister; and she said to Jacob, Give me children, or else I'm going to die. And Jacob was angry with her: and he said, Am I...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    A.M. 2256. B.C. 1748. mandrakes. Song of Solomon 7:13 Give me. Genesis 25:30...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    Reuben, a little lad of five or six years old, playing in the field, found mandrakes. It is uncertain what they were; the critics are not agreed about them: we are sure they were some rarities, either...

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