Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/278

Rh The Book of Genesis

260

The Mandrake Y. 27. "I have observed the signs", Hebrew, niljashti, i. have ascertained by the practice of ceremonies of divination". 'v.

32fif.

The customar_v wage

of a shepherd in the Orient

certain percentage of the newliorn lambs or kids.

e.

is

Generally this

"I

a is

half male and half female; cf. Musil. Arabia Pctraca, and Dalman. Palaestinischcr Dkvan, 33f. In this case Jacob asked for what would prove under normal conditions less than the customary wage, and Laban, suspecting nothing, was only too pleased to accept the preferred terms. As XXX, 38f. implies, the shepherd was e.xpected to feed himself from his own share of the Hock, and ten

percent,

JII, 284,

to restore all losses incurred by theft or wild beasts.

. 35-42. The account of Jacob's trick seems to us obscure. But we must remember that a considerable portion of the people of ancient Israel, particularly in the southern kingdom, were shejDherds, who would both understand and appreciate the cleverness of this trick. Apparently something of homeopathic magic, l)ased upon the idea that like invariably causes like, lies at the bottom of this practice.

XXXI, 7 implies that during these last six years LaVan, seeing Jacob growing wealthy by the terms of their iiargain, had delilierately and faithlessly repudiated these terms and offered others, seemingly more advantageous to himself, which, however, Jacob knew how to turn to his

own

benebt.

He

represents

this,

lialf-deceitfull}' at least,

as being the result of God's favor. 10-12. ^v. These verses are apparentl- based upon a slightly varying version of Jacob's trick, which must have been current in ancient Israel along with the version recorded in XXX, 35-42. V. 15. Cf. note to XXIX, 18. \n