teraphim
ancient Middle Eastern custom single tradition · 1
According to Genesis 31, Rachel takes the teraphim belonging to her father Laban and hides them on a camel's saddle when her husband Jacob escapes. Some argue that Rachel either wanted to prevent Laban from divining the location of Jacob and herself as they fled, or she wanted to perform divination of her own. In ancient Middle Eastern custom, the possession of familial idols was an indicator of authority and property rights within a family.
When
- First attested
- 1800 BCE
- Attested period
- -1800 – -1500
- Historical notes
- Genesis is traditionally dated to the Late Bronze Age.
Sources
wikipedia (1)
Source passages
“Micah's usage of the teraphim as an idol, and Laban's regard of them as representing "his gods", are thought to indicate that teraphim were images of deities. Calling teraphim "elohim" is connected by some to Egyptian epigraphs which make a parallel construction of the phrase "our gods and dead".”
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