Note 42 — Chapter X

In support of such astral motifs evidence of direct worship of Ishtar is traced in unexpected quarters. Thus the men of Gilead are explained to have chosen the word shibboleth, "ear of grain," as a password for the Ephraemites, not because it was a common word containing the required sibilant, but in honour of the goddess Ishtar, the heavenly Virgin with the ears of corn. And, though the veil was part of the ordinary attire of Hebrew women, a natural act such as that told of Rebecca, who is said to have veiled herself at the approach of Isaac, is held to reflect the Ishtar cult.