Whatever superstitious, nonsensical ideas were behind Jacob’s placement of the branches in the troughs, it was God who caused the increase in the speckled sheep and goats. Jacob was a master shepherd, and had probably observed animal husbandry in nature. Taking the text at face value, it appeared to be a recessive trait compared to the number of pure-color coated flocks, which dominated the flocks.We find out later in the extended narrative that Jacob benefitted due to visions from God. Even the lower poplar treatment increased actual lambing percentage by 20%, relative to the control group. תרפים terāpı̂ym, Teraphim. The benefits of herbal remedies compared to some antibiotics, which bacteria and parasites are becoming resistant to, is being looked into by many at in the animal husbandry industry as a welcome addition to veterinary practice. With the available use of progestins, Jacob can cause his sheep to begin their oestrus cycle. The whole context can be found in Genesis 31:7–18, but the basics can be found in Genesis 31:10–12.Jacob was given advance knowledge of which animals would be born due to which animals were breeding. Does it offer any health or reproductive value? They seem to have been busts (προτομαί protomai, Aquila) of the human form, sometimes as large as life 47. But recognizing that God has blessed him because of Jacob’s presence, Laban asks Jacob to stay and continue to manage his flocks—and Laban promises to let Jacob name his wages. Jacob Prospers … 38 Then he set the peeled branches in the watering troughs in front of the flocks coming in to drink. Jacob has many reasons for preferring the latter course.and of the hazel and chestnut tree; the former some take to be the almond tree, as Saadiah Gaon, and others; and the latter to be the plantain or plane tree, so Ainsworth, and others: and pilled white strakes in them; took off the bark of them in some places, and left it on in others, which made white strakes: and made the white appear which was in the rods; that part of the rods which was stripped of the bark appeared white; and it appeared the whiter for the bark that was left on in other parts; and both made the rods to appear to have various colours, which was the design of Jacob in pilling them. This section (Genesis 30:37–43) is the one which is most heavily criticized as being superstitious folklore and “snake oil” medicine, “proving” that the Bible is full of fairy tales and that the writer (Moses) was ignorant of any real medical knowledge. Would the methodology of Jacob work without the aid of divine providence? 40 Jacob set apart the young, but made the rest face the streaked dark-colored sheep in Laban’s flocks. But wait, how could there be any spotted/striped animals to breed when they had already been removed by Laban? The female sheep would select mates based on instinct for survival of her lambs. But when recognizing that divine providence was at work, coupled with astute botanical knowledge, the picture rapidly changes. Laban started to see that God was blessing Jacob’s flocks and so he changed the terms of the bargain indiscriminately and repeatedly.
This would be done in order to breed out of season and increase the number of lambs born. Starting in Genesis 30:25 we see that Jacob is wanting to leave the service of Laban and return to his homeland. Jacob proposes a solution in which he would stay and tend Laban’s flocks for what seems like a paltry fee, and one which is impossible to cheat on.It is evident from the text and Laban’s reaction that this proposal appeared to be lopsided in favor of Laban: most likely the majority of Laban’s flocks were pure white sheep and pure white or black goats, with very few spotted, speckled, or striped animals. In order to secure the stronger cattle, Jacob added the second device of employing the party-colored rods only when the strong cattle conceived.
And Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban; and he put his own herds apart, and did not put them with Laban’s flock. Peeling the branches and setting them out in front of the flocks was really a lack of faith on his part. The teraphim were symbols or representatives of the Deity, as Laban calls them his gods. Many of the most common internal remedies were made by steeping the bark of poplars, planes, or almonds in water, which is exactly what Jacob did. The story of Jacob producing flocks of striped goats and black sheep starting from flocks in which these characteristics had been removed is considered from a Mendelian genetic viewpoint.