The Meaning of Genesis 30:14 Explained

Genesis 30:14

KJV: 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.

YLT: And Reuben goeth in the days of wheat-harvest, and findeth love-apples in the field, and bringeth them in unto Leah, his mother, and Rachel saith unto Leah, 'Give to me, I pray thee, of the love-apples of thy son.'

Darby: And Reuben went out in the days of wheat-harvest, and found mandrakes in the fields; and he brought them to his mother Leah. And Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes.

ASV: 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.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Genesis 30:14 Mean?

Context Summary

Genesis 30:1-24 - Sons Born To Jacob
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 the nursery, and we are very much what our mothers have made us in the formative years. An old Spanish proverb says, "An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy." Leah's influence on her boys, as judged by their subsequent life, was anything but healthy; yet with Jacob being the man he was, there was poor chance for them to realize the highest ideals. Rachel's anguish of heart led her to earnest prayer. Compare Genesis 30:1; Genesis 30:22. Wait on God, oh, anguished ones: ye shall surely have reason to praise him. Was it not worth waiting for, to bear a Joseph, whose branches were to run over the wall in blessing? There are more compensations in life than we think for. If Rachel had her husband's love, Leah had a large family of boys. In the saddest lives there are glints of sunshine. [source]

Chapter Summary: Genesis 30

1  Rachel, in grief for her barrenness, gives Bilhah her maid unto Jacob
5  Bilhah bears Dan and Naphtali
9  Leah gives Zilpah her maid, who bears Gad and Asher
14  Reuben finds mandrakes,
15  with which Leah buys her husband's company of Rachel
17  Leah bears Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah
22  Rachel bears Joseph
25  Jacob desires to depart
27  Laban detains him on a new agreement
37  Jacob's policy, whereby he becomes rich

What do the individual words in Genesis 30:14 mean?

And went Reuben in the days of harvest wheat and he found mandrakes in the field and brought them to Leah his mother And said Rachel Leah give [some] please to me of mandrakes of your son
וַיֵּ֨לֶךְ רְאוּבֵ֜ן בִּימֵ֣י קְצִיר־ חִטִּ֗ים וַיִּמְצָ֤א דֽוּדָאִים֙ בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה וַיָּבֵ֣א אֹתָ֔ם אֶל־ לֵאָ֖ה אִמּ֑וֹ וַתֹּ֤אמֶר רָחֵל֙ לֵאָ֔ה תְּנִי־ נָ֣א לִ֔י מִדּוּדָאֵ֖י בְּנֵֽךְ

וַיֵּ֨לֶךְ  And  went 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
רְאוּבֵ֜ן  Reuben 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: רְאוּבֵן  
Sense: the eldest son of Jacob by Leah.
בִּימֵ֣י  in  the  days 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
קְצִיר־  of  harvest 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: קָצִיר 
Sense: harvest, harvesting.
חִטִּ֗ים  wheat 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: חִטָּה  
Sense: wheat.
וַיִּמְצָ֤א  and  he  found 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מָצָא  
Sense: to find, attain to.
דֽוּדָאִים֙  mandrakes 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: דּוּדָאִים 
Sense: mandrake, love-apple.
בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה  in  the  field 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׂדֶה 
Sense: field, land.
וַיָּבֵ֣א  and  brought 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
לֵאָ֖ה  Leah 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: לֵאָה  
Sense: daughter of Laban, first wife of Jacob, and mother of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah.
אִמּ֑וֹ  his  mother 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אֵם  
Sense: mother.
וַתֹּ֤אמֶר  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
רָחֵל֙  Rachel 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: רָחֵל  
Sense: daughter of Laban, wife of Jacob, and mother of Joseph and Benjamin.
לֵאָ֔ה  Leah 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: לֵאָה  
Sense: daughter of Laban, first wife of Jacob, and mother of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah.
תְּנִי־  give  [some] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
נָ֣א  please 
Parse: Interjection
Root: נָא  
Sense: I (we) pray, now, please.
לִ֔י  to  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
מִדּוּדָאֵ֖י  of  mandrakes 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: דּוּדָאִים 
Sense: mandrake, love-apple.
בְּנֵֽךְ  of  your  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.

What are the major concepts related to Genesis 30:14?

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