Genesis 38:21 has a most curious reference. The verse, which refers to Yehudah's pursuit of the "harlot" Tamar, reads: "Where is the harlot who was be eynayim by the wayside?"
Some translators treat Eynayim as meaning "openly", from Ayin (עין) = "an eye". Others read it as "by the two fountains", from Ayin (עין) = "a fountain" (the source of the two words is indeed the same: and what a fascinating insight into epistemology developments like these provide!).
Given that Tamar is a hierodule, and not a "harlot", offering her body in sacred prostitution as a kadeshah, a water shrine is the more logical translation, especially as Tamar, being the date-palm goddess (an aspect of the fertility goddess) is invariably and specifically associated with the wells and springs and fountains upon which oases are established.
Joshua 15:34 refers to a place named Eynam (עינם) in the tribe of Yehudah, which from its spelling could (at a pinch) be Eynayim.
Joshua 15:34 refers to a place named Eynam (עינם) in the tribe of Yehudah, which from its spelling could (at a pinch) be Eynayim.
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