taken place early in what is known as the Judges' period;
and is apparently presupposed here and in Ju. 517.—19.
Strictly: 'A marauding band shall attack him, but he shall
attack their heel' (rdg. (
Hebrew characters), v.i.); i.e., press upon them in
their flight. The marauders are the warlike peoples to the
E, specially the Ammonites (1 Ch. 518ff., Ju. 10 f.), who at a
later time dispossessed the tribe (Jer. 491). As yet, however,
Gad maintains its martial character (cf. 1 Ch. 128-15), and
more than holds its own.—20. Asher settled in the fertile
strip along the coast, N of Carmel. The name occurs as a
designation of Western Galilee in Eg. inscrs. of the time of
Seti and Ramses II. (see Müller, AE, 236 ff.).—fat] Probably
an allusion to the oil (Dt. 3324) for which the region was,
and still is, famous.—royal dainties] fit for the tables of
Phœnician kings (cf. Ezk. 2717).—21. The verse on Naphtali
is ambiguous. Instead of (Hebrew characters), 'hind,' many moderns read
(Hebrew characters) ('a spreading terebinth'). The following cl.: 'giving
fair speeches,' suits neither image; on the one view it is
proposed to read 'yielding goodly lambs' ((Hebrew characters)), on the other
'producing goodly shoots' ((Hebrew characters)). No certain conclusion
can be arrived at.
19. (Hebrew characters)] The name is here (otherwise than 3011) connected with (Hebrew characters),
'band' (1 Sa. 308. 15. 23, 1 Ki. 1124, 2 Ki. 52 623 etc.), and with [root] (Hebrew characters),
'assail' (Hab. 316, Ps. 9421† ).—(Hebrew characters)] Rd. (Hebrew characters), taking the (Hebrew characters) from the
beginning of v.20.—20. (Hebrew characters)] Read with GSV (Hebrew characters).—(Hebrew characters)] [E] (Hebrew characters).—21.
(Hebrew characters)] So Aq. V (Jer. Qu.). S and TJ probably had the same
text, but render 'a swift messenger.' On Jerome's ager irriguus (Qu.)
and its Rabbinical parallels, see Rahmer, Die hebr. Traditionen in den Werken des Hier. p. 55. G (Greek characters) seems to imply (Hebrew characters); but Ba.
dissents.—(Hebrew characters)] After either (Hebrew characters) or (Hebrew characters), (Hebrew characters) would be better.—(Hebrew characters)]
'words,' is unsuitable, and caused S and TJ to change the metaphor
to that of a messenger. An allusion to the eloquence of the tribe is
out of place in the connexion. The reading (Hebrew characters), 'topmost boughs,'
has but doubtful support in Is. 176 (see the comm.). (Hebrew characters), 'lamb,' is
not Heb., but is found in Ass. Phœn. Aram. and Ar. G (Greek characters)
is traced by Ba. to (Hebrew characters); but?—(Hebrew characters)] (Greek characters).—Ba. argues ingeniously,
but unconvincingly, that (Hebrew characters) belongs to v.22, and that the (Hebrew characters) of that v.
stood originally in 21. His amended text reads:
(Hebrew characters) Naphtali is a branching vine,
(Hebrew characters) That yieldeth comely fruit.
