04_Biblica_AN_Bar_Layout 1 16/12/13 12:27 Pagina 569 WHAT DID THE SERVANT GIVE TO REBECCA’S BROTHER AND MOTHER? 569 III. The meaning of ~ydgm ~ydgm the masculine plural of the root dgm appears in the Canticle three times: ~ydgm yrp (4,13); wydgm yrp (4,16); ~ydgm (7,14). In two instances ~ydgm is juxtaposed with the Hebrew word which means fruit. ~ydgm is translated in various ways: “delicious fruits”, (HALOT); “excellent fruit”, (BDB); “fruit of excellence” (4,13); “of its excellence” (4,16); “all choice of fruits” (7,14), (DCH) 14. The JPS translates it as “luscious fruits,” sim- ilarly KJV as “pleasant fruits”. Examination of the Hebrew Bible shows that the word yrp is juxta- posed with other words which indicate the nature of the fruit. Therefore, we find #[ yrp fruit tree (Gen 1,29; Exod 10,15; Lev 27,30; Ezek 36,30); rhcyw Xwryt #[ lk yrpw and of the fruit of every tree, wine and oil (Neh 10,38). hmdah yrp fruit of the soil (Deut 26,2.10; 28,33; Jer 7,20, etc.); hawbt yrp fruitful harvest (Ps 107,37). The same is the case with ~ydgm yrp. The word ~ydgm refers to a specific fruit, even though we cannot tell with certainty what specific kind of fruit it was. Interestingly, the word ~ydgm is mentioned for the third time in Cant 7,14 but without the Hebrew word for fruit. Nevertheless, the several dic- tionaries and translations mentioned above understand it as referring to fruit. The JPS translates as a term modifying fruits: “At our doors all choice fruits”. The preposition ‘al is taken to mean “over” or “above”; in other words the phrase would have the sense of putting good luck and fertility charms over doors. Pope suggests that it refers to hanging fruit at the wedding tent, which is mentioned already in the Talmud 15. However, we should point out that, although fruits are mentioned, the word ~ydgm does not appear there. Nevertheless, in b.Shab 127b we read of ~ydgm ynym which seems to refer to all sorts of delicacies 16. It is possible that the Tal- mudic phrase refers to fruits that were left to dry and so stored on shelves or above doorways. IV. Fruits as a present The Hebrew Bible reveals that food was an integral part of a gift. It is mentioned already in the story of Cain and Abel. Accordingly, Cain brought offerings (hxnm gift) to God which included the fruit of the soil (Gen 4,3). When Jacob sends his sons to Egypt, he tells them: “take some 14 HALOT, 2,543 BDB, 550; DCH, 130. 15 M.H. POPE, Song of Songs (AB 7C; New York 1977) 650. 16 M. JASTROW, A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (New York 1950) 2,726.