The Untold Truth Of Reuben From The Bible

In Genesis, it is related how Reuben, as a child, went into the wheat fields during harvest and collected mandrakes (pictured, left) for his mother Leah. The mandrake, according to "Exploring Genesis," is a common type of plant with red and white flowers. More importantly, it was reputedly an aphrodisiac. When Rachel saw Reuben with the mandrakes, she wanted some, thinking it might help her bear children. She made a deal with Leah: Rachel would get some mandrakes, and in exchange, Leah would get to spend a couple of nights with Jacob. (Leah, by this time, was no longer sleeping with Jacob.) The plan backfired. Leah gave birth to two more sons plus a daughter.

Rachel finally gave birth to two sons, Joseph and later Benjamin. This finally rounded out Jacob's dysfunctional family to include Jacob, two wives, two concubines, twelve sons, and one daughter (though there were probably more of these).

There are speculations about the mandrake story. One is offered by "Construction of Gender and Identity in Genesis," which analyzes scholar Seth Kunin's theory that Reuben's mandrake offering is implied incest, since the plant was considered an aphrodisiac. However, because of the cultural taboos that would have been broken by such an act, Kunin's argument is purely speculative. In any case, according to "Essential Figures in the Bible," the mandrake would become the symbol of the Tribe of Reuben.