They gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.
ExplanationCommentary
Verse 4. And the ear-rings. Hebrew, hanezamim; such as had been consecrated to some idol, and adorned the ears of those false but gaudy deities. Menochius.—Men and women used them likewise, as phylacteries or talismans, to which many superstitious virtues were attributed. Saint Augustine ep. 73, ad Posid. 9. iii. in Gen. Ezekiel 16:12. Proverbs 25. Exodus 35. Judith 8. Calmet.—The turpentine tree; or “an oak tree,” as the Hebrew haela means also. Septuagint adds, “and he destroyed them till this present day;” which seems intended to refute the story of their being found and adored by the Samaritans, or employed by Solomon when he built the temple. Jacob buried them privately. Calmet. See Deuteronomy 7:5.