MARRIAGE AMONG THE ANCIENT ISRAELITES. 333 



It is Simeon and Levi, uterine brothers of Dinah, who revenge 

 the affront offered her, and when reproved by Jacob they say, 

 " Should he deal with our sister as with a harlot ? " The other 

 sons of Jacob took no part in the act of treachery (Genesis, xxix, 

 33, 34; xxx, 21 ; xxxiv, 25, 31). Notice, too, the love which Joseph 

 has for Benjamin, "his mother's son" (Genesis, xliii, 29, 30), and 

 how cold by comparison is his regard for his brothers-german. 

 The rape of Tamar is revenged by her uterine brother Absalom, 

 who causes Amnon to be murdered (II Samuel, xiii, 28). It is 

 interesting to note the language used in this case (II Samuel, 

 xiii, 1) : " And it came to pass after this that Absalom, the son of 

 David, had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar ; and Amnon, the 

 son of David, loved her " ; and (verse 4), " And Amnon said unto 

 him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister." The relation- 

 ship between Tamar and Absalom is evidently regarded as some- 

 thing very different from that between her and Amnon. Indeed, 

 in our view, Tamar and Amnon were not regarded as related at 

 all. In verses 2, 5, 6, etc., Tamar is spoken of as Amnon's sister ; 

 but then it must be remembered that the term sister was used in 

 a very comprehensive sense, and included female cousin, and in 

 fact women generally of about the same age as the speaker. In 

 Tobit, v, 20; vii, 1G ; and xviii, 14, are examples of a husband ad- 

 dressing his wife as sister. 



Another indication is found in the numerous cases in which 

 men are described as the sons of their mothers, as if the maternal 

 descent were of more moment than the paternal. Bethuel is de- 

 scribed as " son of Melcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother " 

 (Genesis, xxiv, 15). Joab is generally styled " the son of Zeruiah " 

 — that is, after his mother (II Samuel, xxiii, 18 ; I Kings, i, 7 ; 

 I Chronicles, xxvi, 28). Abishai, Joab's brother, is also called the 

 son of Zeruiah (II Samuel, xiv, 21 ; xviii, 2). David calls them 

 both "ye sons of Zeruiah" (II Samuel, xix, 22). 



Much more important, however, than these, are the cases in 

 which the son is clearly regarded as being of the kin and nation 

 of the mother rather than of the father. Abimelech was son of 

 Gideon by a Shechemite woman, and, if descent were in the male 

 line, he could not have been considered a Shechemite ; but the 

 story, as narrated in Judges, ix, shows clearly that he was con- 

 sidered one. His mother's brethren say, " He is our brother," and 

 support his cause. Amasa was the son of Abigail, David's sister, 

 by Jether the Ishmaelite (I Chronicles, ii, 17). If descent were in 

 the male line, Amasa would have been reckoned an Ishmaelite, 

 and not one of the Beni-Israel at all. Biit what are the facts ? 

 David sends to him, saying, " Art thou not of my bone, and my 

 flesh ? " and makes him captain over the host of Judah, his moth- 

 er's tribe. Again, Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to his 



