Mandrakes
VEGETABLE
Plant food — the dietary laws of Leviticus 11 concern animals
Would you eat it?
Mentioned in 4 verses (KJV)
Vegetable
Description
Mandrakes were a fragrant root long believed in the ancient world to aid conception, which is why Rachel — desperate for a child — traded a night with Jacob to her sister Leah in exchange for a handful found in a field. The plant’s reputation mattered more to the story than its taste.
Key verses
“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
Fun fact
Rachel and Leah’s bargain over a handful of mandrakes actually changed whose turn it was to spend the night with Jacob (Genesis 30:15-16).
All 4 referencesshow
- Genesis 30:14
- Genesis 30:15
- Genesis 30:16
- Song of Solomon 7:13