ANIMADVERSIONES The Oak of Weeping * Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse died and was buried under the oak below Bethel and it was named twkb –wla (Gen 35,8); this name was interpreted to mean “the oak of weeping”. The JPS transliterate here, while LXX has “ The Oak of Mourning” (balanov penuoyv). Judges 4,5 refers to a ¥ ¥ different Deborah, the prophetess, who sat beneath the palm ‘tree of Deborah’ between Ramah and Bethel. Some identify these trees as the same, but there is no proof of this. In Genesis, we read about an oak tree, while in Judges, about a palm tree, in addition, they are not close geographically. There are some biblical traditions about a place name μybb (Weepers) in Judges 2,5; 20,23.26. It is possibly the same “oak of weeping ” mentioned in Genesis, located near Beth El. Indeed the LXX in its translation of Judges 2, 1 added Beth el next to μykb “ place of weeping, and to Bethel”. Thus, it might be that all those traditions refer to the same place 1. If indeed μykb (weepers) and twkb –wla (oak of weeping) in Genesis are the same, it is important to note that the passage in Judges says that the Israelites cried and made sacrifices there. Scholars pointed out that it is possible that what we have here is a connection with mourning rites for the dead vegetation deity, Baal-Hadad (Zech 12, 11); and Tammuz (Ezek 8, 14) 2. Providing food to the dead or honoring them with a meal was a common practice in the ancient world. People believed that the dead could influence the world of the living; they could help the living if the latter attended to their needs, or harm them if they neglected them. The Bible * I dedicate this article in loving memory of Anna E. Chernak a religious true believer. Amit, identified μykb with Beth-el. According to her this identification 1 was a polemic against the ancient northern shrine on the part of the pre-Deuteronomistic Judean writer. See: Y. AMIT, “Bochim, Bethel and Hidden Polemic (Judg 2, 1-5)”, Studies in Historical Geography and Biblical Historiography, Presented to Zecharia Kallai (eds. G. GALIL – M. WEINFELD) (VTS 81; Leiden 2000) 121-131. J . G R AY , J o s h u a , Judges and Ruth ( L o n d o n 1967) 253-254 ; 2 J.A. SOGGIN, Judges. A Commentary (Philadelphia, PA 1981) 30-31; in contrast Butler quotes P. Miller and E. Merrill who say that the offering was celebratory. However, this is unlikely since weeping and fasting are also mentioned. See: T.C. BUTLER, Judges (Nashville, TN 2009) 446-447.