MEYENS:WHENEll-n:GI~1.SARE 47Thiswouldleadustobelievethathouseholdritualslinkedwithreproduc-
tionwere likewise present. Securing fertility, for example,occasioned
prayers no doubt accompanied by rituals. Hannah (l Sam 1-2) and
Salll~UIl'.s muther UuLlg 13;3) are uuLh plau~iLJle exalllple~ uf Lhi~.
Moroever,the practiceofusingmedicinal subswnces-mandrakeroots
(Gen30;14-17}-canbeconsideredahouseholdmagicalactintendedto
promotefertility,asistheuseofcertainplantsubstancesspecifiedinBaby·
Ioniantexts.37
Theritualsofchildbirtharetypicallycarriedoutbymidwivesandthe
otherwomeninatlendanceala birth.Studentsmaybefamiliarwiththe
factthatIsraelitesusedmidwives,asintheexodusstory(Exod1; 1 5-21)or
inthestoriesofBenjamin'sbirth(Cen30:17)andprobablythatofIchabod
(1 Sam4:20).However,theymaynotbeawarethatthosewomenwere
rimalaswellasmedicalexpertsandthatmedicineandreligionwereinex-
tricablyrelatedinthebiblicalworld.Theredthreadusedbythemidwifeat
thebirthofTamar'stwinssons(Cen38:28-30)maybeanexample;both
theaporropaiccolorredandthefactthatitisboundontheinfant'shand
contribute to magical protective powers of such threads, as both
MesopotamianandHittitetextsindicate.
Ethnographicevidencefrom theMiddle Eastcontributes tosucha
functionforredthreads,withitsexamplesofredcapsplacedoninfants,
redthreadstiedaroundthehandsofnewborns,andredveilsorkerchiefs
wornbywomen in childbirth. Alsorelevant,althoughrarely examined
becausei(isembeddedinthehorrifictextdepictingIsraelandJudahas
adulteressestobepunished,a verseinEzekiel06:4)referstothreeproce-
dures(washing thenewborn, rubbing it with salt, and swaddling it)
performedonababyatbirth,Alloftheseprocedurescanbetermedmed-
ical-magicalacts.Again,ethnographicdataarerepletewithexamplesof
thesethreeproceduresasapotropaicactionstopreventharmtothenew-
bornbykeepingevilspiritsatbay.
NeitherthemidwifetextsnortheEzekielversecanbetieddirectlyto
archaeological data, althoughthe ceramicvessels thatare partofthe
assemblagesImentionedabovearelikelytohavebeenusedinbirthing
rituals.However,(hereisoneartifactthatdoesappearina biblicaltextas
wellasinethnographicdata.Iamreferringtothelampsthatarepartof
thesehouseholdreligiousassemblages.InPrav31:18,the"strongwoman"
Cesetpayi/:NRSV,"capablewife")keepsa lightburningcontinuously,even
thoughsheherselfisnotawakeallnight<31;15).Ifthelamphadnoprag-
matic,light-givingvalueduringnighttime,itmaywellhavebeennecessary
37 Mancn5tol,BinhillBabyfotliaalldtheBible'ItsMcdilerrnl/(xII/Setting(Cuneifonn
Monographs14:Groningcn:STYX.2000),52-59.