Quote:
Originally Posted by nightflight
Genesis 30:37-39
37 Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches. 38 Then he placed the peeled branches in all the watering troughs, so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat and came to drink, 39 they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted.
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It's ashame the reason for the post is to point out and make fun of some fatal flaw as usual. The truth of the matter is that it is an interesting subject in genetics. There is much more to the matter than the specific tiny bit you've quoted. There is indeed the context before and after to consider. The above mentioned account was a superstious belief of those ancient times of which Jacob may have wanted to believe. But obviously science can never duplicate such a thing. But it was diliberately and honestly recorded for the benefit of an honest and open record as was the usually case of bible writers. It is a common practice of the writers to mention the failings of even God's people.
In the end, Jacob did'nt give his scheme the credit for the success, but rather his Hebrew God Jehovah. Had you gone a little further in the scriptural text, you would have seen this, but we do understand why you did'nt.
The entire account itself is
Jacob wanting to separate from his Father-In-Law
Laban. There is a larger read of the account at
Genesis 30:25-43.
Here is where
Jacob actually gives the credit for the successful outcome to God rather than his own superstitious scheme. A tradition that believed in paternal & maternal physical observation and sight of something and how it could effect an outcome.
Genesis 31:9-12 - "Amplified Bible"
BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Genesis 31:9-12; Here's the comment on this method
Jacob used or employed and the explanation from
"JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis" by Nahum M Sarna
Quote:
Another explanation is given in 31:8-12. Here the preffered characteristics are obtained through controlled propagation and transmitted fromparent to progeny. Scientifically, the required results could be achieved by the successive interbreeding of the monochrome (meaning one colour) heterozygotes (an organism having two different alleles of a particular gene and so giving rise to varying offspring), or the single coloured animals that carried recessive genes for spottedness. Such animals are detectable by the characteristic known as heterosis or hybred vigor.
It should be noted here that Jacob claims to have received the idea in a dream. The entire action is thus attributed to divine intervention, not to Jacob's ingenuity.
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The commentary makes mention of the sheep of the near east region are of an interbred hybred of the same colour. This was the desired colour standard looked for even today. I have a friend up in Anza , California who raises goats , as an example, and at the Southern California auction where he takes his goats for sale, the prodominently middle eastern buyers of goats do not want any dark or spotted goats, only white or pure light tan or biege coloured types. Interesting to say the least.
It was apparently this single light coloured hybred which were in Laban's flocks. Laban was'nt actually the best of Father-In-Laws to have. He had tried to trick his son-in.law many ties. So
Jacob's idea backfired on Laban. The desired coloured flock were not the best. Taking note of the results, Laban tried to alter the contract about which animals were his and those of his nephew - striped, spotty, clour patched or speckled. Laban's only concern was his own personal profit. No matter what Laban did,
Jacob's hebrew God Jehovah saw to it that
Jacob always prospered.
But back to the dream that
Jacob received, it would seem his God Jehovah was here giving
Jacob instruction on the modern science of genetics, although
Jacob would'ne have come close to having a clue about this or even a fraction of understanding of what we know today. There were no spotted goats in the flocks of the animals Jacob attended for his Father-In-Law. Most were the single coloured hybreds and a few with spots and dark patches. It is apparent that these spots and other colours were always there in those goats, though not visible to the eye. But there presence was revealed to
Jacob in that supernatural dream from the angel and made doublely more impressive as the angel pointed them out. We can understand today that the hybred single coloured goats do have the characteristics of the spotted, striped and patches because the germ cells of hereditary factors for spotting and speckling are ever present. Especially since this was revealed long ago by
Gregor Mendel Gregor Mendel (1822-1884) as you can see back in the 19th century and made even more clear through the 20th century to the present.
Of course I realize this was not the desired out come you hoped to hear, but it's still interesting. There are actually several links posted here by the opposers crew in those myhtology threads that are actully good material, but I have'nt commented on them because the ones they are debating with I refuse to support or have any association with.
Still some good stuff.
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Shall it be "made love" then?
