Anyone who has waited for a child will understand its desperation. The recorded exchange illustrates both these sisters’ longing for children and the lengths they would go to. However, the text is clear that “ God opened Rachel’s womb,” and it occurred at least three pregnancies for Leah later than the original exchange of mandrakes. The Bible says, “Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb” ( Genesis 30:22 ESV).Ī quick reading of Genesis 30 may lead one to imagine the fertility capabilities of mandrakes. However, while mandrakes were fabled to have qualities that enhance fertility, this conception had nothing to do with mandrakes. Leah then had another son (and finally a daughter) before Rachel, at last, conceived Joseph. The language of Song of Solomon is ripe with references to the natural world and is wonderful to read and study. The flowers are purple and reportedly give off a strong scent reminiscent of red apple. Her reference alludes to the aphrodisiac qualities of the flowering mandrake plants.
She responds, “The mandrakes give forth fragrance, and beside our doors are all choice fruits, new as well as old, which I have laid up for you, O my beloved” (ESV). In Song of Solomon 7:13, the groom calls to his bride and invites her into romance, and she returns his invitation. The Song of Solomon is a beautiful, poetic book of the Old Testament, on one level an allegory of God’s love for His bride, the church.
Who would not be fascinated at how mandrakes are mentioned in God’s Word? Where Does the Bible Mention Mandrakes? “So early waking, what with loathsome smells, And shrieks like mandrakes’ torn out of the earth, That living mortals, hearing them, run mad.” Here is a quote from Romeo and Juliet, Act 4, Scene 3: Rowling, have utilized this mythical phenomenon. When pulled from the ground, the mandrake sometimes resembled pulling a tiny person up by their hair, and ancient myths developed about mandrakes screaming when harvested. Hence, it’s a root that can be useful for medicinal and nefarious purposes, and it’s natural for many legends to spring up around it. Evidence exists that ancient societies used this root as an anesthetic and possibly a sedative for hysterics. Most plants in this genus have some elements in their design that can be poisonous, hallucinogenic, or narcotic. Mandrakes are flowering plants with a long taproot usually forked at the bottom, giving them an oddly human shape. Mandrakes are plants found in the nightshades family (others in that category include potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants). Mandrakes were prevalent in the Mediterranean and had as much lore and allure as they had usefulness (although they were not without risk). They are only mentioned twice, but their references are as intoxicating as the plant was purported to be in the ancient world. Mandrakes in the Bible are mentioned related to fertility and marital romance.
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