Who Lost an Earring?

Genesis 35:4 Reconsidered

VICTOR AVICDOR HUROWITZ

Ben Gurion Gniversity
SccrSheba
\ ٓ‫ ﻻ‬٢ ٓ‫\ ﻫﻼ‬

AFTER FLEEING SHECHEM Jacob prepares for a return visit to tethel. As

part of the arrangements he gives these instructions to the members of his
family: nyrhnw is١bnni nnuni 0‫دت‬٢‫ ع‬M ،‫ ا;ﻟﺘﺎ‬,nbK JIM ‘،remove the
.
foreign gods which are amongst you , purify yourselves, and change your
clothes’ (Gen ‫ة‬5:‫ (ة‬In compliance with this order, as the narrator reports,
‫ا‬

nnn? on*!١٢٥٥ Q^T«3 1 " o٥١nn nsi 0^ ٦HTK ‫د‬

١n K ‫ ?ا‬TXH :py ) x 1١٦
^
MP ‫ ﻻ‬1٦ rki , “they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which wre in their
possession and the cartings which were in their ears, and Jacob buried them
under the terebinth near Shwhem" ( 35:4 ) , Much has teen written atout this ,

incident, and archaeological evidence has been adduced to illustrate and

explain the burial of divine statues in holy places.! It seems that a small
grammatical problem essential to understanding Gen 35:4 has been over
looked , however: What is the antecedent of the possessive pronoun “ their ' .-
( on-) suffixed to “ears" ([DJi )? In other words whose earrings are buried?
)

From earliest times, nearly all exegetes have taken the pronoun to
refer to the memters of Jacob 's family,‫ ؛‬The earrings to be buried were those
they wore in their own eart . This grammatical analysis has resulted in two
-،
explanations for the burial of the cartings ( ) The author of Targum Pseudo
Jonathan and othere have suggested that the earings bore idolatrous pirtures
-

‫ء‬1‫ﻻٓﻤﺎﺎ ؛‬ »
١‫ه‬%٢‫ه‬١
. 12
%‫ا‬٦‫\ ب‬١‫ ﻻ؛ل‬dxttioiu Genesis -36 tH ١ntap٥Vvv. ١٩‫ﻠﻣﺪل‬٩‫ا‬
‫اءءق‬١\
١

٠‫ا\ﻫﻬﻪءﻤﺴﺎﺎ‬٥‫اا‬٠ ‫ ؛‬٥ ،،
٠
H ; tierman rtg n l COmp] [ d in 1981{ 546 ‫ ﻛﺘﻢ‬especially by 0 . Keel, “ Da‫ ؛؛‬Vcr atwn der
raw V V'TIHYm
* .
1١^ ٠ ^
، In addition to untying commentaries I have asked many colleague and acquaintances
‫؛‬
with a knowledge of Biblical Hebrew. I have found that most Inlt rel the terse m this way,
28
^
 .
or shapes and were themselves objects of worship .٦ (2) Some more recent
scholars consider the jewelry to be amulets. The first interpretation is diffi-
cult because in practice there is nothing to distinguish earring graphically or
glyptically representing deities from idols in general so why single such eamng

-
out‫ ؟‬It is also difficult to imagine items as small as eanings actually used as
cult statues , even though real cult statues need not be life-sized . Moreover,
as Othmar Keel points out, it seems that there are no archaeologically attested
examples of ngs shaped like idols.‫ ؛‬The second possibility can be rejected
because, as Keel has demonstrated , there is no evidence that OTi ever means
amulet .* Also , sine amulets could be Yahwistic (examples are phylacteries
and the famous silver strips from Ketef Hinnom on which the Priestly Bitesing
is inscribed ), they would not necessarily have been found objectionable in se.
Although these explanations cannot be refuted conclusirely, another
possible interrelation is so simple, obvious, ‫ ﺳﮫ‬likely that one must consider
it, wondering all the while why it has barely entered modern discussion. This
interpretation, suggested long ago by the medical commentator Hizzeqiv
and more raxntly by A. B. thrlich ,* is that the earrings were in the ears of
the ‫؛‬dots. Jn other words , the eareings proscribed for eradication - are not

١
According to Targum Pseudo - Jonathanr the ca ngs *were in the ears of the inhabitants
'

^
of the city of Shechem gpoii which were drawn an image of his idol (Tb‫؛‬j"٥ men pit]Ti mm)"
، ،
\ y‫؛‬t Y . 0 . Cit ١ Targum Pseudoktthon ‫ ' ]>؛‬the f‫ ؛‬ni٥teuch; Ife« and Concordance \١lk\١
NJ : Ktav, llj 43; M . Maher‫ ؛‬Targum Psiudo- Jonathan, Genesis [ Aranc Bible IB; College-
ville, MN: liturgical Press, 1 ‫ ﺑﻮ‬2[ ‫ ل‬I ‫ )؟‬. For other expressions of tire opinion that the earring‫؛‬
bore ‫؟اع\ وﺣﺎ‬0 \( ٓ‫ ﻻ‬vr‫ \؛‬f >٠ vwi kkr . Ibrqh Shetemah. Tnhnud- Mishk Encyclopedia on
< -‫ه‬
ihe Penimeuch 5 : Genesis ( Jerusalem : Azriel, 1 ‫ةو‬6 ‫ ل‬339 4 ( Hebrew)
* Wcsmnn { Genesis 12 -36 , SSI ) ogres with the majority ia holding that "it is most
likely a matter of amulets,’" but he knows that Keel ("" Vergrabender 'fremden Goiter,’"17)
.
rejects this explanation . More recent commentator‫؛؛‬till prefer it either by itself or in combina-
،
\iw YX١vaml ٢ expkilki / NlkwtVrheIPS Torah Commentary, Gene 5 rro١ra\W\\u-
^ ‫؛‬
delphio) New York: Jewish Publication Society, 1989] ‫ھﺔ‬0), for example, writes that the earrings
"are oo urdina plKcs of jeuS but talisman ‫ھﻤﻊ‬med with pagan symbol‫؛‬," and M، Weinfeld
- ^ ^
( Qlam ha Tanakh kSit [Tel Aviv; Davidson - Iti , 1993] 97) obsenes that “as ia the care of
*
other pieces of jewelry, earrings , , were often made in the shape of small figurines which also
‫د‬

se^ed as amulets ." G . D. Wenham ( Genesis ‫ءذ‬-‫ [ ھﻞ‬WBC 2 , Dallas, TX: Word, 1994] ‫ةد‬4)
comparts the destruction of Mjdianite booty in Num 31:50 and concludes that in Gen 34:4 “ the
rings removed by Jacob’s sons may well hart been part of the booty captured by them from the
Shtctemiles."
. -
Keel "Vergratren der 'fremden Goiter’" 306 7 n . 4.
* Ibid .
HSHequniS opinion may actually be based on the lalmudic and halakic discussions of
the question whether accoutrements of idols were to he destroyed along with the idols them
.
-
^
selws , for such discussions were center oa this periope ; see the souras cited by Kasher Torah
Sheiemak 5. 1339.40,
‫؛‬ ،
A . Vi . lieYt , Rondglossen I«r hebaischen Bib ?! ‫ ذل‬Genesis und Exod ‫ﻏﻼ‬ vU ١v ‫ ؟‬v ‫;؟‬
.
Hinnchs ‫ رال‬178.
 30 THE CATHOLIC BIBLICAL QUARTERLY I ‫ > ةة‬ax»
piece‫ ؛‬of human jewelry but elements of divine regalia . Evidence for them is
adduced by w، w Hallo in his article about cult statues.‫؟‬
On linguistic grounds, the explanation proposed here, that :in Gen 35:4
**their ears" means the ears of ( the idols of ) the “foreign gods, ’ is just as ‫ا‬

probable as the generally accepted explanation that the ears are those of the
memters of Jacobs family. » Moreover, the placment of earring on divine
'
statues is a well attested practirc in the ancient Near East . II Textual evidence
is providd by cuneifonn sources. Catalogues of divine jewelry such as the
inventory of Ishtar of Lagaba*‫ ؛‬regalia and the cultic inventory from Qatna
include earring* and an actual carting bearing an inscription dedicating it to
a goddess has teen found . ‫ ذا‬Literary texts contain allusions to divine ear -
.
rings. According to a prayer of Shalmaneser 111 ansabtuhurasi sariri iikttnu
uznikj **they plawd cartings of fine gold on its ( the imagd eare" ٧ In the
potXYC ‫؟‬I\ pi‫؟‬ >i\.!‫؟‬tar ’s descent to the Netherworld* w\Y ١d YXY&N ً‫ا‬١‫ة ﺳﻼٓث‬
cultic procession with a divine statue, we read that as Ishtar entered one of
the seven gates of the netherworld she was deprived of her earrings: Sana
baba liblxa umtassi ittabal insabate ‫ ﻫﺔ‬um١‫؟‬Q، \ \‫ \؛‬0‫ﺣﺠﻊ‬
\
the second gate and be stripped off and cartied away the rings in her ears." M

.
IwlksHaWtd Love Lyrics of Nabu and Taint* ١NV \C\V aXsokvesoi
sort of cultic background , the goddess says to her spouse , I ansabtum
ymnim qereb kiri hiiia Nabu beh an abtu ‫؟‬tiknannima qereb Edubbo
^
hihadia* "My husband , place an earring upon me and in the orchard I will

w. w. Hallo,٢ult Statue and Divinelmage: A Freiimina Study, in Scripture in Context

"

More Essays on the Uiparuhv‫ ؟‬Method \‫ﻋﺎ‬4. ١‫ﻳﺐ‬، ١‫\\ ﻳﺐ‬1, ^3 . C- ‫ﻻ‬١‫ ﺑﻰ ا»ﻻﻩ‬1 0 Vttk . ،

Winona Lake, IN: Eiscnbrauns, 1983) 1 - 17 . Halla mentions and interprets Gen 34 : 5 ( esp . on
PP - 1517 ) , but hfdflBWl seem to realize that he Is actually providing essential data in support
of a nearly unknown explanation of it .
10 ' ‫هءﯨﺐ‬
1 ‫ة‬ ‫؛ه‬ ،
‫ا‬١‫ م‬. ١‫ءة‬٢ ‫ ةﻫﻞء‬ersie Buch d T Toro. Genesis yikik -. ‫؛؟‬cYiodto‫ ؛‬٥t \ i -
62 ) , “ Das Suffix von rriTK auf
m
‫اع‬1 bczichcn , . . ist uriStaithaft , " but h offer rtO grounds
* ‫؛‬
for his rejection of this grammatical analysis .
11
٥
Hallo (“Cult Statue . ” ] ) tell‫ ؛‬US that earrings were “among the typical accoutrement‫؛‬
of Cult statues by Neo-Sumerian times at the tod of the [ third ] millennium [ B.C.E.|.”
1‫؛‬
Not all god‫ ؛‬and goddesses were provided with earrings. Inventories of jewelry and
clothing for the sun god Shamash and his spouse Aia do not list any anjobtu (see F. Joanni‫؛‬,
a
Les temples de Sippar et leurs trisore ICpoqne nCo- hahylonicnnc , " RA 8( [ l ‫ ؛‬W 2] 159-84).
،
“

\‫ل‬
I . IbeYutg , K ١Uch١٢ fii Xtc oas Assur rehgidwn Jnhahs VT v‫>؟‬k ', ١‫ﺑﺐ‬١‫ \ي‬0‫؟‬ < ‫ \ ا‬١٦‫ﻠﻪ ة‬
‫ء‬
‫ !ﻤﻣﺎ‬prig Hinrichs, 191523) I . text 98 r, 17 line‫ ؟‬45- . quoted herefi CAD, A2, 145 s,v. anfabtu -
w
' * See R , Sladek , fnannas Descent to the Nether l4d ( Ph. D. diss. , Johns Hopkins
‫ت‬
University, 1974; available from University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Ml ) 44. On the proposed
relationshiptatwwen the myth and a ritual pTO‫؛؛؛‬ion with a divine statue , SMG . Buccellati , Thi

،
Descent of Inanna OS o Ritual Journey to Kutho?
^ to -١A«sopo١.atn\a.w ‫؟‬Auk
CA: U ndena , 982 ) 3-7. On the significance of undressing Ishtar. s« D, Kat Inanna's Descent
'

and the Undressing of the Dead as a Divine Law,” ZA 85 ( 19933 ‫ (؛‬221 * , ^ "
، ‫اﻩ‬V, Nik ,
 GENESIS 35:4 ]\

give you pleasure; Nabu, My husband , place an earring upon me, and in the
Tablet Hou« I will make you happy " ! *
Most important , from the land of Israel and neighboring areas here is
archaeological evidence of divine jewelry , including earrings . A god with an
،
earring still in place is in o. Ncghi ’s exhaustive catalogue with comments \ 6
This seated god , from Megiddo, has pierced ears and a gold ring in his left
ear. Another, from Til Judeideh , has bronze wire earring in pie earlotes ?
^
]
.

A female figurine from Luristan, has a gold wire in its ear. ' * There are also
figuring of gods whose pienred ears indicate eareings which have teen lost. ‫وا‬
Paradoxically, the statues divested of their earrings are of particular impor-
tance , for they may suggest why the children of Jaob removed the earrings
from the statues. One may assume that some of the statues found without
their original eareings were stripped of their valuable jewelry already in
antiquity, the less valuable metal composing (he hody then being discarded .
It remains problematic why the idols and divine earring were buried
under the sacred tree in Shwhem (cf . Jos 24 : 231 but it is clear that this is part
of Jacobs “removing ” (he foreign gods and purifying his clan
As for the reason for ridding the camp of the divine earrings and not
only of the idols themseles, we may find a clue in Deut 7 : 25-26 ; ،*Their
divine statues you shall burn in fire . You shall not covet silver or gold upon
them and take it for yourself , lest you be ensnad by it , for it is an abomi-
.

nation to Yhwh your God . Nor shall you bring an abomination into your
house, for you will be proscribe like it . You shall te utterly disgustd with
it and abominate it because it is proscribed ." This is a prohibition of idols
covered with silver and gold , but it would certainly apply to clothing and
jewelry as well . The idols, which would be made of wood , are to be burnt.
The gold and silver accoutrements remain dangerous , probably tecause they
can be made into new idols (cf. Exod 32:2-3‫ ؛‬Judg 8 : 25-27). Accordingly, they
are to te treated as disgusting abominations and eliminated in any way
possible . So in the case of Jacob’s family, Jacob buries the earring, lest his
sons , recognizing that aseartings of idols they are already holy, appropriate
them for recycling into fresh statues. We need not infer that the narrator of

‫ح‬٢٠‫؟‬،١١‫؛ا ا‬٠ ٓ‫ ﻻ‬ot

\‫د‬
-‫ اح‬IvvvfVnte، Court Poetry and literary Murettanca
Helsinki: Helsinki University Press, 989( 36 text 14 : 13 -16
‫ل‬ ( ).
\' ٦ ‫ا‬

16
01‫ةﻩ‬١ 0«‫ﻠﻌﻌﺎ‬١‫اا‬، Gods in M،‫؛‬a‫ ؟‬An Arcliftlogteal Stud of Ancient Nyro PukvUm
‫ا‬
')' -
Figurines ( Publications oflht Institute of Archaeology 5; Tel Aviv: Tel Aviv University Institute
of Archaeology, 1976 } no. ] 453.
‫ أا‬Ibid. no .

.
, 1384.

^rAnalOanJ 1397 ،446

'
8
Ibid., no. 15 . «
٠' [bid, ,
nos 43 (a Lebanese group), 1311 , 1372-73, l 37 & (
, , ,
) 454 ( from Hazor ) , 1492, ) «7. 1632 .
 THE CATHOLIC BIBLICAL QUARTERLY 1 ‫ة‬2‫ص‬
*2
،
the Legend in Genesis has portrayed he patriarchal period in terns of Deuter*
onomistic legislation, but we may learn that the legislator and the narrator
shared the belief that the undesirable qualities of idols were those of their
accoutrements as well.‫د‬

‫دان‬
Ihis article was written while I was on sabbatical leave at the Center for Judaic bodies
"

،
of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia . [ am rateful to the center for its hospitality
and its generous support of my scholarly research. [ also wish to thank Professor Mark Smith
of St. Joseph‫؛‬University in Philadelphia for reading a manuscript of this article and offering
some valuable comments .