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An Ancient Concept of Heredity

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An Ancient Concept of Heredity
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Old Testament Cultural Insights

Avram Shannon

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Contents

An Ancient Concept of Heredity
Angels
Authorship
Babylon
Beth-el
The Book of Leviticus
Camels
Categories of Animals
Cherubim
Child Sacrifice in the Old Testament
Circumcision
Deferential Speech
Esau and Edom
Firmament
Giants
Glory of the Lord
Gopher Wood
Hebrew
Hospitality
Introduction to Genesis
The Mark and Curse of Cain
Matzebot
Meaning of the Name Isaac
Melchizedek
Moab
Moses 1
Names and Covenants: Abraham and Sarah
Names of God
Polygamy
Pottage
Satan
Shekel
Shinar
Slavery
Sons of God
Soul
Symbolic Meaning of the Name Adam
Symbolic Meaning of the Name Eve
Symbolic Meaning of the Name Noah
Tree of Life
Tribe of Asher
Tribe of Benjamin
Tribe of Dan
Tribe of Gad
Tribe of Issachar
Tribe of Naphtali
Twelve Tribes of Israel
Urim and Thummim
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Contents

An Ancient Concept of Heredity
Angels
Authorship
Babylon
Beth-el
The Book of Leviticus
1 2 … 8 Next »

Avram Shannon, “An Ancient Concept of Heredity,” in Old Testament Cultural Insights, ed. Taylor Halverson (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2022).

Although today we know that the shared DNA from an organism’s parents determines biological characteristics such as appearance, the ancient Israelites had no such conceptions, nor any way to know that. Because of this, we find that the Israelites of the Old Testament believed that the appearance of the offspring was based on what the mother was looking at when she conceived.

When Jacob and Laban were involved in their dispute over Jacob’s wages, Laban agreed to give Jacob all the livestock that had unusual markings, such as stripes and spots. He then gave any livestock with those unusual markings to his sons so that they would not be passed on to Jacob. Jacob was responsible for the breeding of the livestock, so he placed them in pens where the livestock would see mottled patterns and so would breed babies with those patterns. He did this with the strongest of the livestock so that only the healthiest livestock would inherit the patterns of those that were to be Jacob’s.

Although this is not our scientific view of inheritance, it makes sense in the confines of the ancient worldview and helps explain an otherwise unusual story in Genesis.

Related Verses

Genesis 30:37–44

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