Mandrake

Biblical Text

The mandrake first appears in Genesis 30:14-16. During the wheat harvest, Reuben found mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother, Leah. When Rachel saw them and asked for the mandrakes, Leah retorted, "Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband?" In exchange for the mandrakes, Rachel offered to let Jacob spend that night with Leah. Leah went out to meet Jacob as he came in from the field and said, "Surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes." In the verses that follow (30:17-18), God hearkened unto Leah, and she bore her fifth son, Issachar. The name Issachar is understood to be related to words meaning "price" or "wages."

In Song of Solomon 7:13, the phrase "The mandrakes give a smell" helps portray a scene of two lovers together. In the verse numbering of the Hebrew Bible, this is 7:14.

Terminology and Background

The Hebrew term is dudaim, commonly understood to be related to dod, meaning "love" or "beloved." The Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament) rendered it as the fruit of the mandrake (Mandragora). For this reason, most scholars and translations today identify the plant with the mandrake that grows along the Mediterranean coast and in Palestine. The mandrake bears strongly fragrant yellow fruit in spring, and its forked root sometimes resembles a human figure. In the ancient Near East, the plant was reportedly believed to arouse love and to aid conception. The Korean term hapwanchae (合歡菜), meaning "an herb that brings joy shared by husband and wife," is a rendering that reflects this ancient understanding. It is used in the New Korean Revised Version and the Korean Revised Version.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

In the Genesis account, Rachel, who obtained the mandrakes, did not conceive right away; instead, Leah, who gave them up, bore a son first. Only later, in 30:22, introduced with the words "And God remembered Rachel," did Rachel bear Joseph. Many interpreters therefore read the story as revealing not the power that people of the time attributed to the plant but the sovereignty of God, who opens the womb. The theme of God opening the womb runs through the stories of Sarah, Rebekah, and Hannah and continues into the New Testament account of Elizabeth. The word mandrake does not appear in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Issues

• Identity of the plant: Identification with the mandrake is the prevailing view, but it is difficult to match ancient plant names precisely with modern species. As a result, translations may render the term differently.
• Emphasis of the text: Most interpretations focus on the conflict between Rachel and Leah and on God's intervention. The text, however, says nothing about whether the mandrakes actually had any effect.
• Later accretions: Stories that the mandrake screams when pulled up or that its root holds magical power come from later European folk tradition and popular culture and have no connection with the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, this passage is frequently cited in sermons on Jacob's family life, the rivalry between Leah and Rachel, and the prayers of families waiting for children. In such sermons it is often interpreted as teaching that "life depends on God."