Genesis 30:14

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Genesis 30:14 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “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.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

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.
Genesis 30:14 — American Standard Version

Context — Genesis 30

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
14And 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.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, etc.] Leah’s eldest son, who is supposed to be at this time about four or five years of age f1492, who went out from the tent to the field, to play there perhaps; and this was at the time of wheat harvest, in the month Sivan, as the Targum of Jonathan, which answers to part of our May; a time of the year when the earth is covered with flowers: and found mandrakes in the field; the flowers or fruit of mandrakes, mandrake apples, as the Septuagint. This plant is said to excite love, provoke lust, dispose for, and help conception; for which reasons it is thought Rachel was so desirous of these “mandrakes”, which seem to have their name “dudaim” from…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“30:14-17 Mandrakes were considered an aphrodisiac and aid to procreation (see Song 7:13). Rachel thought they would help her get pregnant, so she traded Jacob for a night to get them. In the process, Leah got pregnant, not Rachel.”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification