In the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The discovery of mandrakes by Reuben, the son of Leah, during the wheat harvest isn't just a simple botanical find. This moment highlights the deep-seated longing for children and the lengths to which these women would go, even resorting to folk remedies and superstition, in their desperation for fruitfulness. It underscores the profound emotional and spiritual struggles underlying their competition for Jacob's favor and offspring.
In the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
In the midst of a fierce competition for Jacob's favor and offspring, Leah and Rachel resort to increasingly desperate measures. This particular moment unfolds during the wheat harvest, a time when Reuben, Leah's son, finds mandrakes in a field. Rachel, still struggling with barrenness and intensely envious of Leah's growing family, sees an opportunity and asks her sister for the mandrakes, setting the stage for a significant bargain.
In a culture where lineage was everything, barrenness was a profound crisis. This verse reveals the depth of that longing and the unusual measures taken.
In Genesis, the desire for children, especially sons, was more than just a personal wish. It was tied to family legacy, inheritance, and a sense of fulfillment.
What exactly were these 'mandrake apples' that Reuben found? And could they really deliver on Rachel's hopes?
The mandrakes mentioned in this verse were likely the fruit of the mandragora plant. While their exact nature is debated, historical and biblical context suggests they were believed to have aphrodisiac or fertility-enhancing properties.
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The scholars note that the mandrake's effectiveness is questionable, as Rachel did not conceive immediately upon receiving them.
Understand the original words
duda'im · Hebrew Noun
A plant historically associated with fertility and sexual potency in ancient Near Eastern culture. It was believed to possess aphrodisiac qualities, representing the longing for fruitfulness and reproductive success.
c. 1700 BC
Jacob arrives in Haran
Jacob flees his brother Esau and arrives in Haran, where he will eventually marry Leah and Rachel.
c. 1683 BC
Jacob marries Leah and Rachel
After serving his uncle Laban for seven years for Rachel, Jacob is tricked into marrying Leah first. He then serves another seven years for Rachel.
c. 1683-1670 BC— this verse
Birth of Jacob's first eleven children
The narrative of Leah, Rachel, and their handmaids bearing children unfolds. Leah bears Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. Zilpah bears Gad and Asher. Rachel's handmaid Bilhah bears Dan and Naphtali. Leah's handmaid Zilpah bears Issachar and Zebulun. Leah then bears her sixth son, and finally, Rachel bears Joseph.
c. 1670 BC
Jacob seeks to leave Laban
After fulfilling his service for Rachel and fathering many children, Jacob asks to return to his homeland, but Laban persuades him to stay by proposing a new wage agreement.
c. 1663 BC
Jacob departs Haran
After a further six years of service, during which his flocks prospered immensely through divine intervention and his own shrewdness, Jacob flees from Laban with his family and possessions.
This passage mentions mandrakes and their fragrance, highlighting their desirability and connection to love and fertility, which directly explains Rachel's and Leah's interest in them.
Hosea 1:2This verse shows how God uses the names of children to convey prophetic messages, similar to how Leah and Rachel named their children to express their desires and their understanding of God's intervention.
Psalm 127:3This psalm directly states that children are a gift from the Lord, providing a theological backdrop to the intense longing for children expressed by Leah and Rachel in this narrative.
1 Samuel 1:10Hannah's desperate prayer for a child in this passage parallels Rachel's deep anguish and longing for children, showing a recurring theme of barrenness and fervent petition in the Old Testament.
calvinGenesis 30:1-43: "And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die."
Et dixit Rachel, Iudicavit me Deus, et etiam audivit vocem meam, et dedit mihi filium. Idcirco vocavit nomen ejus Daniel
And Bilhah Rachel's maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son.
Et concepit adhuc, et peperit Bilhah ancilla Rachel filium secundum ipsi Iahacob
And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with…
pulpitGenesis 30:14: "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."
Verse 14. - And Reuben (at this time four or five years old) went (probably accompanying the reapers) in the days of wheat harvest (in the beginning of May), and found mandrakes - דּוּדָאים, μῆλα μαδραγορῶν, (LXX., Josephus), apples of the mandragora, an herb resembling belladonna, with a r…
The discovery of mandrakes by Reuben, the son of Leah, during the wheat harvest isn't just a simple botanical find. This moment highlights the deep-seated longing for children and the lengths to which these women would go, even resorting to folk remedies and superstition, in their desperation for fruitfulness. It underscores the profound emotional and spiritual struggles underlying their competition for Jacob's favor and offspring.
In the midst of a fierce competition for Jacob's favor and offspring, Leah and Rachel resort to increasingly desperate measures. This particular moment unfolds during the wheat harvest, a time when Reuben, Leah's son, finds mandrakes in a field. Rachel, still struggling with barrenness and intensely envious of Leah's growing family, sees an opportunity and asks her sister for the mandrakes, setting the stage for a significant bargain.
In the midst of a fierce competition for Jacob's favor and offspring, Leah and Rachel resort to increasingly desperate measures. This particular moment unfolds during the wheat harvest, a time when Reuben, Leah's son, finds mandrakes in a field. Rachel, still struggling with barrenness and intensely envious of Leah's growing family, sees an opportunity and asks her sister for the mandrakes, setting the stage for a significant bargain.
"In the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”" — The discovery of mandrakes by Reuben, the son of Leah, during the wheat harvest isn't just a simple botanical find. This moment highlights the deep-seated longing for children and the lengths to whic…
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Last reviewed October 2026