SEV Biblia, Chapter 30:14
¶ Y fue Rubén en tiempo de la siega de los trigos, y halló mandrágoras en el campo, y las trajo a Lea su madre; y dijo Raquel a Lea: Te ruego que me des de las mandrágoras de tu hijo.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Genesis 30:14
Verse 14. Reuben-found mandrakes] µyadwd dudaim. What these were is utterly unknown, and learned men have wasted much time and pains in endeavouring to guess out a probable meaning. Some translate the word lilies, others jessamine, others citrons, others mushrooms, others figs, and some think the word means flowers, or fine flowers in general. Hasselquist, the intimate friend and pupil of Linne, who traveled into the Holy Land to make discoveries in natural history, imagines that the plant commonly called mandrake is intended; speaking of Nazareth in Galilee he says: ""What I found most remarkable at this village was a great number of mandrakes which grew in a vale below it. I had not the pleasure to see this plant in blossom, the fruit now (May 5th, O. S.) hanging ripe to the stem, which lay withered on the ground. From the season in which this mandrake blossoms and ripens fruit, one might form a conjecture that it was Rachel's dudaim. These were brought her in the wheat harvest, which in Galilee is in the month of May, about this time, and the mandrake was now in fruit."" Both among the Greeks and orientals this plant was held in high repute, as being of a prolific virtue, and helping conception; and from it philtres were made, and this is favoured by the meaning of the original, loves, i.e., incentives to matrimonial connections: and it was probably on this account that Rachel desired them. The whole account however is very obscure.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 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 man children, and the reproach of being barren, were causes of thi unbecoming contest between the sisters. The truth appears to be, tha they were influenced by the promises of God to Abraham; whose posterit were promised the richest blessings, and from whom the Messiah was to descend.
Original Hebrew
וילך 1980 ראובן 7205 בימי 3117 קציר 7105 חטים 2406 וימצא 4672 דודאים 1736 בשׂדה 7704 ויבא 935 אתם 853 אל 413 לאה 3812 אמו 517 ותאמר 559 רחל 7354 אל 413 לאה 3812 תני 5414 נא 4994 לי מדודאי 1736 בנך׃ 1121
