Were Rachel and Leah half-sisters?

Diagram of Genesis 11:16-27

Alice C. Linsley

Analysis of the Genesis king lists reveals that the Horite ruler-priest lines intermarried according to a distinctive marriage and ascendancy pattern. This is the case for the lines of Cain and Seth, the lines of Ham and Shem, and the lines of Nahor and Abraham.

In the diagram above there is at least a 4 generation gap between Dedan and Abraham that can be reconstructed when we take into consideration that Abraham's cousin wife, Keturah, was the daughter of a Horite ruler named Joktan. This is confirmed by the fact that she named her first born son Joktan, after her father (the cousin bride's naming prerogative). Keturah represents the Arabian Horites. Sarah, Abraham's half-sister wife, came with him to Canaan from Harran. She represents the Aramean Horites. Jacob's two wives appear to follow the pattern of Abraham's two wives, suggesting that they were not sisters.

Rachel and Leah represent two lines that share a common Horite ancestry: the Aramean and the Dedanite (Arabian) lines. Rachel's son's name, Benjamin, suggests that she is of the Dedanite line. Ben-jamin means "son of the south" (or "son of the right hand" as one faced the rising sun). The name of Leah's first born son is derived from the name Reu, one of the founders of the Aramean kingdom (Gen. 11:16-27).

Leah was the mother of six sons and at least one daughter. Her first born son was Reuben. Genesis identifies her as Rachel's "sister" and yet her name and the name of her first born son suggest that her lineage was not the same as Rachel's. The term "sisters" may mean that they were of the same Horite caste, or if their father had two wives, Rachel and Leah would have been half-sisters.

It is often repeated that "Rachel" means female sheep (ewe) in Hebrew. However, the Hebrew word for ewe is kivsah and sometimes talia (the "Even-Shoshan" dictionary). Instead the name Rachel/Rahel is derived from Ra-heli. This is evident in the spelling of the name in other languages: Ráhel (Magyar/Hungarian); Raheli (Swahili); Rahil (Arabic). Ra-hel is likely a reference to the Horite name for the Creator - Ra.

The name Heli appears in the ancestry of Jesus Christ. These names are found in the lineage of Joseph: Melchi, Levi, Matthat, and Heli. Matthat and Heli are names pertaining to the Horite ruler-priest caste. The royal hat is found in the names of Egyptian rulers such as Amen-em-hat, Hat-shep-sut, Merytre-Hat-shep-sut and in the name of one of Isreal’s great rulers, Yeho-shep-hat/Jehoshephat (Matt. 1:8). One of Yehoshephat’s sons was Shep-hat/Shephatiah (II Chron. 21:2).


Leah's Edomite Ancestry

There is speculation that the name Leah is related to the Hebrew le'd, meaning "cow." However, it is more likely that the name is linked to the "Letushim" and "Leummim" who are descendants of Dedan, the son of Joktan (diagram above). Dedan is associated with Uz in the hill country of Edom. Uz was the homeland of Job. One of Job's inquisitors, Elihu, was a descendent of Nahor by Buz. Buz and Uz were Nahor's sons by Milcah (Gen. 22:20). Uz the Elder's grandson (by his daughter) was Uz the son of Dishan (I Chron. 1:42). Uz the Younger was Seir's grandson. Here is Seir's Horite family:

When there are two names that are very close, there is usually a third. The third is Huz, so that Uz, Buz and Huz represent another 3 clan confederation. I Chronicles 5:14 mentions that the son of Buz was Jahdo and Jahdo's son was Yeshishai, the Aramaic form of Yeshua/Jesus. This connects the name of Jesus with the devotees of Horus who are called "Horites."

Buz is related to Uz and is grouped with the peoples of Dedan and Tema in Jeremiah 25. This is probably why this Horite confederation is not identified as Uz, Huz and Buz, but rather as Dedan, Tema and Buz. The oldest Arabic script emanated from the Afro-Arabian oases of Tema and Dedan in the Hijaz.

Did Isaac follow the marriage pattern of is ancestors?

It is likely that Isaac also had two wives, following the pattern of the Horite rulers. Rebecca would have been his second wife, taken shortly before he ascended to the throne of his father. Isaac's first wife would have been a half-sister living in the area of Beersheba, where Keturah resided. Isaac's second marriage took place in Beersheba because as the heir to Abraham's territory, Isaac was not permitted to leave his territory. Note the contrast between Isaac’s admonition to Jacob to leave and not marry a local girl (Genesis 28:1-4) and Abraham’s admonition to his servant never to take Isaac from his territory, but instead to fetch a wife for him from his own Horite people in Padan-Aram (Genesis 24:4-8).

Related reading: Why Rachel Didn't Trust Laban; Peleg:  Time of Division; Abraham's Complaint

Jacob's Ninth Son

With the name Issachar we find layers of meaning.

Alice C. Linsley


God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. Then Leah said,“God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar. (Gen. 30:17,18)

There is a mystery here surrounding the meaning of Jacob's ninth son. Leah's handmaid was Zilpah. When Leah ceased to have children, she gave Zilpah to Jacob. Zilpah conceived and bore a son.  Leah then conceived and bore another son. She regarded this son as a reward for having given Zilpah to Jacob.

Issachar is Leah's fifth son and Jacob's ninth son. The mystery of Jacob's ninth son involves the meaning of his name. Here are three theories:

1. Ish sacar means "man of hire" and may be a reference to Leah's mandrake plant which she gave to Rachel in exchange for Jacob's sexual attention.

The Mandrake (shown right), with parts resembling ovaries or testicles male, was regarded as a stimulate to sexual desire and fertility. This is why the infertile Rachel desired it.

The Mandrake usually grows in wheat fields. It was here that Reuben, Jacob's first born son, found the plants at the time of harvest and brought them to his mother Leah (Gen. 30:14). Anxious to conceive, Rachel bargained with Leah, saying that Jacob would sleep with Leah in exchange for the plant.
  
The Mandrake consists of several large dark green leaves that lie flat upon the ground forming a rosette. In winter, a cluster of purple flowers appears in the center of this rosette. The root of the mandrake can be several feet long and weigh several pounds. The ovary or testicle-shaped fruits, mentioned in Song of Songs, are produced in the early summer and have a fragrance like ripe cantaloupe. The fruits are green when they first appear and turn a deep gold color when mature.

2. Yesh sakar means "there is a reward/recompense" and refers to Leah's belief that Issachar's birth was a divine reward for giving her handmaid Zilpah to Jacob as a concubine. According to Genesis 46:18, Laban gave Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid when she was married to Jacob.

Perhaps Leah's reward comes from the service that Zilpah's sons Asher and Gad would render to Issachar. Issachar ranks higher than Asher and Gad in the socio-political structure.

Those to camp on the east side toward the sunrise shall be of the standard of the camp of Judah by their companies, the chief of the people of Judah being Nahshon the son of Amminadab, his company as listed being 74,600. Those to camp next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar, the chief of the people of Issachar being Nethanel the son of Zuar, his company as listed being 54,400. (Num. 2:3-6)

Leah's insecurity is recompensed through the elevation of her son.

This also sheds light on the relationship between Jacob's sons and the apportionment of land and settlements to their descendants. This is the situation described in Genesis 35:11 which speaks of "kings" among Jacob's posterity.

3. Ish Sokar means "man of Sokar" and Sokar is a reference to Horus. His totem is the falcon and he wear the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. In other words, Sokar/Horus unites the peoples.

Since Jacob was a Horite, this last meaning of the name Issachar is certainly possible. It would mean that Jacob's ninth son was dedicated to Horus or Sokar. Sokar refers to the work of Horus in bringing resurrection from the dead.

This theory is consistent with the number nine as a sacred number among the Horites, especially those associated with On (Heliopolis). The name On appears in Proto-Dravidian words for the number nine - tondu and onpadu. Du is a suffix in these words.

There is evidence that the ninth son, the ninth generation, and the ninth part was dedicated to the Deity so that words like Horus/Sokar, Asa/Asha/Azu, Yahu/Jah, or El/Al appear in their names. Ish Sokar or Issachar was Jacob's ninth son.

Joktan's ninth son according to Genesis 10:28 was Abima-el.

Five of David's "nine other sons" have names for God: Elishua, Elpelet, Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet. (I Chronicles 3:6-8)

The ninth toledoth of Genesis introduces the Horite rulers of Edom: "These were the sons of Seir the Horite, who were living in the region: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These sons of Seir in Edom were Horite chiefs." (Gen. 36: 20-21)

Scholars agree that this phrase: "These are the generations [toledoth] of..." introduces colophons or king lists. The formula is used eleven times throughout the Book of Genesis. "Genesis" is the Greek version of the Hebrew toledoth, meaning generations.

In the listing of kings in Genesis 4 and 5 we find the name Lamech. Lamech the Elder had a daughter Naamah who married her patrilineal cousin Methusaleh and named their first born son Lamech after her father. Lamech the Younger, the son of Methuselah and the father of Noah, was the ninth of the pre-flood rulers listed in Genesis 5.

The Son/Seed of God died at the ninth hour.

Issachar's standing

The leaders of Issachar were "men who understood the times, and knew what Israel ought to do." (1 Chronicles 12:32)

The blessing of Jacob upon his ninth son is descriptive: "Issachar is a strong ass lying down between two burdens: and he saw that settled life was good, and the land was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute." (Gen. 49:14,15)

Jacob likens his ninth son to the hearty wild donkey which is well adapted to survival in difficult terrain. The territory of Issachar (red region on map) was between Manasseh and Manasseh. These much larger territories to the east and the west were Issachar's burdens.

Related reading: Grasping at Mandrakes; Two Named Esau, Lamech Segment Analysis; The Genesis King Lists

Jacob Leaves Beersheba

Genesis 28:10-17

Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the LORD stood beside him and said, "I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; , and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place-- and I did not know it!" And he was afraid, and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."

Alice C. Linsley

Beersheba was the southern boundary of Abraham's territory and the territory that Isaac received as his birthright.

When Abraham was approaching his death he arranged for Isaac to take a second wife from among Nahor's clan. Nahor was Abraham's older brother. Nahor ascended to the throne of their father Terah and ruled a territory between Ur and Haran. Abraham, as the younger son, was sent away. Sent away sons receive their territories through conquest or marriage. This is a feature of the Kushite marriage and ascendancy pattern and is reflected in the Zulu word Kushwa, which means one expelled from home, cast out, or sent away.

Isaac was Abraham's first born son by his half-sister wife Sarah. As the firstborn son of the sister wife, Isaac was to rule over the territory of his father Abraham. Abraham's territory extended from Beersheba in the south to Hebron in the north. Hebron is where Sarah lived. Beersheba is where Keturah lived. Keturah was Abraham's patrilineal cousin. Her firstborn son was Joktan (Yaqtan) who ruled over holdings in the territory of his maternal grandfather in southern Arabia.  Josephus calls the descendants of Abraham by Keturah "Horites" and, quoting an ancient historian, speaks of them as "conquerors of Egypt and founders of the Assyrian Empire."

Isaac was living in Beersheba when Jacob was sent away.  Jacob was heading to the land of His mother's kin in Mesopotamia, to the "padan" of Aram in Haran. This story is laced with irony because we are told that Jacob was a "hogareño" who enjoyed staying home. He was not one who enjoyed hunting trips or other activities that took him away from his mother's settlement. We can imagine how insecure he must have felt as he crossed the Jabok into unfamiliar territory and an uncertain future.


Behold the pattern!

Jacob was returning to the homeland of his mother's people and was uncertain as to his reception. This also happened to his grandfather Abraham. Abraham left his father's territory to journey to the homeland of his mother in Canaan. Abraham’s mother was a daughter of Terah the Elder and likely the sister of Keturah’s mother. It appears that Terah the Elder and Joktan the Elder (Keturah's father) married sisters. This marriage pattern is typical of the Horite rulers. It is seen as early as Genesis 4 and 5 where we find that Cain and his brother Seth married sisters. They were the noble daughters of an African chief Nok.

The Babylonian Talmud names Abraham's maternal grandfather as Karnevo, an Akkadian form of Karnak. Karnak was a Horite temple along the Nile. Horite ruler-priests maintained shrines along all the major water systems in East Africa, Arabia, Canaan and Mesopotamia. Most of the women in Genesis are Horite wives and daughters. The Jews acknowledge their Horim or Horite ancestors.

In Haran Jacob found a cousin wife, Leah. Among the Horites, the cousin wife is the second wife, suggesting that Jacob may already have had a wife. Was Rachel is half-sister bride? In Canaan, Abraham found a second wife, Keturah, his cousin. Abraham's first wife Sarah came with him to Canaan. The manner in which Jacob came by his two wives appears to be unusual. It is blamed upon Laban's deception, but this is problematic since no kingdom is gained by deception.

On the way to his mother's people, Jacob had an encounter with God in a dream. On the way to his mother's people, Abraham had an encounter with God. Both received divine promises. God's promise to Abraham is "I shall give this country to your progeny" (Gen. 12:7) and God's promise to Jacob is "the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth."  The promise received by Jacob is essentially the same as that received by Abraham.  Abraham had 8 or 9 sons and an unknown number of daughters. His offspring became too numerous to count.  Jacob had even more sons and at least one daughter.  The offspring of both Patriarchs spread throughout the land.

At the time that Jacob received the promises in Genesis 28:10-17, he was in great need of a word from the Lord about his future. When his grandfather Abraham had been at a loss about his future, he consulted the moreh (prophet) at the great Oak between Bethel on the west and Ai on the east (Gen. 12:6). Notice that the west has priority in this list.  This cardinal direction represents the future. The promise made to Abraham is to be fulfilled in the future, west being listed first. Jacob had no prophet to consult, but instead was visited in a dream. He beheld a great ladder reaching to heaven. Above the ladder stood the Lord who said to him, "Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth and shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south." Again we note that priority is given to the west in the list of cardinal points.  Despite his attempt to deceive and usurp the birthright of his older brother Esau, Jacob would see the divine promise fulfilled in the future.

Your kingdom, O Lord, is an eternal kingdom. Your dominion endures through all the ages. Faithful is the Lord to his word and gracious in all His works. (Psalm 145:13)

Related reading: Genesis on the Ancient Kingdom Builders; Jacob's Journeys; Some Cousin Brides Were Nieces; Sent-Away Sons; Ishmael Was Not Abraham's First Born Son; Abraham's Nephews and Niece; The Cousin Bride's Naming Prerogative; The Genesis Record of Horite Rule; Terah's Territory and Legacy; Reality is Cross Shaped

Grasping at Mandrakes

Alice C. Linsley

The idea that the physical properties of a plant indicate its uses is very ancient. In the Middle Ages this was called the "Doctrine of Signatures" or the "Doctrine of Similitudes."

According to the Doctrine of Signatures or Similitudes “like cures like”  so that the physical appearance of a stone or a plant was perceived by archaic man to indicate the uses of the stone or plant. An orphic poem contains allusions to the virtues of gem-stones. The blood-red color of a jasper suggested the stone's use in treating haemorrhage; a green jasper brought fertility to the soil; and the purple wine-colour of amethyst pointed to its use in preventing intoxication. (Both animals and gemstones served as totems for clans and tribes. This is the significance of the 12 gemstones on the priestly breastplate of Aaron.)

The Mandrake plant (shown right), with parts resembling male and female organs, was believed to stimulate fertility. This is why both Rachel and Leah desired it in their baby-making competition.  

The Mandrake usually grows as a weed in wheat fields. Reuben found the plants at the time of harvest and brought them to his mother Leah (Gen. 30:14).  Anxious to conceive, Rachel bargained with Leah, saying that Jacob would sleep with Leah in exchange for the plants.
 
The Mandrake consists of several large dark green leaves that lie flat upon the ground forming a rosette. In winter, a cluster of purple flowers appears in the center of this rosette. The root of the mandrake can be several feet long and weigh several pounds. The ovary or testicle-shaped fruits, mentioned in Song of Songs, are produced in the early summer and have a pleasant fragrance like ripe cantaloupe.  The fruits are green when they first appear and turn a deep gold color when mature.

A traditional cure for female sterility was to place a date from the date palm (tamar) in the vagina of the barren women. The date nut exterior husk (shown above) resembles the vagina and the womb. From Pre-Dynastic times the tamar was associated with females and was a symbol of fertility. Deborah judged from her tamar between Bethel and Ramah.

How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!
This thy stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes.
I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof...

-Song of Solomon, Chapter 7:6-8

The Doctrine of Signatures exerted considerable influence in Europe until late in the 17th century, but the idea is found much earlier in Africa and was developed by ancient Greek herbalists. Jakob Böhme (1575–1624) claimed to have had a mystical vision in which he saw the relationship between God and man signaled in all created things. In 1621, he wrote Signatura Rerum (The Signature of All Things) in which he applied the doctrine to the medicinal uses suggested by the form of plants.


Related reading:  The Mandrake in Folk Medicine

Why Rachel Didn't Trust Laban

Alice C. Linsley

Rachel had the misfortune of having a father who few people trusted. Even Leah, Laban's other daughter, didn't trust him.  When Jacob proposed a plan to escape from servitude to Laban, his two wives were quick to support him, saying: "Are we still likely to inherit anything form our father's estate?  Does he not think of us as outsiders now? For not only has he sold us, but he has completely swallowed up the money he got for us." (Gen. 31:14,15, NJB)

Rachel and Leah had seen how Laban treated Jacob. As Jacob explained, "You yourselves know that I have worked for your father with all my might, and that your father has tricked me, changing my wages ten times over..." (31:6, NJB)

As Rachel and Leah were Jacob's cousin brides, one of them should have named their first born son after Laban.  The fact that neither did this suggests the possibility that neither son was in line to inherit Laban's territory. It is also possible that they declined their prerogative of naming their first-born sons after their father because by doing so they designated the sons as Laban's possession.[1]

Jacob and his wives were aware that Laban didn't plan to honor any agreements that might strengthen Jacob's position as a ruler.  Laban had other sons and they were jealous of Jacob's successes. These sons were saying, "Jacob has taken everything that belonging to our father; it is at our father's expense that he has acquired all this wealth." (31:1, NJB)  Rachel and Leah's brothers were watching for the right moment to deal with Jacob, for Jacob had to make plans with his wives out in the fields where he kept his flocks (31:4).  That way they wouldn't be overheard.

The plan involved leaving Paddan-Aram while Laban was away shearing sheep. Laban formed a war party with his brothers and went after Jacob.  When he located him, Laban pitched his tents on Mount Gilead from which he has a view of Jacob's tents on the hills below.  Laban was extremely angry because he felt that Jacob had stolen his daughters and the ancestor figurines which he had inherited from Terah, called Teraphim.  His thoughts were murderous, but the Lord cautioned Laban in a dream not to cause trouble with Jacob (31:24). For all his faults, Laban apparently feared God enough to seek a non-violent resolution.

According to Hurrian records, ancestor figurines [2] were passed to the son who would be heir to the father's territory. Laban intended that the Teraphim would go to one of his first-born sons. [3]  Jacob would never rule over Laban's territory, but there was still the threat of Leah's first-born who was named for the great Afro-Asiatic ruler Reu, son of Peleg in whose time the tribes became geographically separated.  At some point after Peleg, the Arameans became jealous of their control in the north while their brother Horites controlled the southern territories. The time of division began about 5 generations before Abraham, and involved a geographical separation, not a change in the marriage pattern of these ruling houses.

By taking the ancestor figurines, Rachel hoped to gain legal leverage for her first-born son in the southern territories. Rachel's first-born son was Joseph. Might this have given Joseph's brothers greater motivation to get rid of him?

This explains why Jacob named Rachel's second son Ben-Jamin, which means "son of the south." It was in the south, in Judah, that the promise of Genesis 3:15 would be fulfilled [4]. See diagram below.

This also explains why, according to Judges 1:21, the men of Benjamin did not force out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem.  The Jebusites and the Dedanites were southern kin to Benjamin.

NOTES

1. The famed Cultural Anthropologist Claude Levi-Stauss observed in 1949 that mother and son do not belong to the same clan in a patrilineal system of descent. The bride belongs to the house of her husband, but the first-born son of the couin or niece bride belongs to the house of the bride's father.  Example from the Genesis 4 and 5 King Lists: While Lamech's daughter belonged to the house of her husband, Methuselah, her first-born son belonged to her father's house. That was indicated by naming the son Lamech after his maternal grandfather.

2. The ancient Sao culture of Chad and Cameroon produced elaborate human figure sculptures, representing deified ancestors. Carbon-14 dates for the Sao figurines range from the 5th century BC to the 18th century AD. The Sao are the ancestors of the Sara who make up to 30% of Chad's population. About a sixth of them are Christians.  The Sara (meaning to laugh) have a 3-tribe confederation like that of Abraham's African ancestors.

3.  Afro-Asiatic chiefs had two wives and therefore almost always had two first-born sons.

4. Gen. 3:15 is the first divine promise made in the Bible. It involves the promise made to "the Woman' that she would bring forth a Son who would crush the head of the Serpent.