Page:A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis (1910).djvu/128

(Ex. 25⁶ etc.); and to speak of it as expressing a markedly prosaic view of the subject (Gu.) is misleading.—in the firmament, etc.] moving in prescribed paths on its lower surface. This, however, does not justify the interpretation of (Hebrew characters) as the Zodiac (above, p. 22).—to separate between the day, etc.]. Day and night are independent entities; but they are now put under the rule of the heavenly bodies, as their respective spheres of influence (Ps. 121⁶).—for signs and for seasons, etc.] (Hebrew characters) (seasons) appears never (certainly not in P) to be used of the natural seasons of the year (Ho. 2¹¹, Jer. 8⁷ are figurative), but always of a time conventionally agreed upon (see Ex. 9⁵), or fixed by some circumstance. The commonest application is to the sacred seasons of the ecclesiastical year, which are fixed by the moon (cf. Ps. 104¹⁹). If the natural seasons are excluded, this seems the only possible sense here; and P's predilection for matters of cultus makes the explanation plausible.—(Hebrew characters) (signs) is more difficult, and none of the explanations given is entirely satisfactory (v.i.).—16. for dominion over the day . . . night] in the sense explained above; and so v.¹⁸.—and the stars] Since the writer seems to avoid on principle the everyday names of the objects, and to describe them by their nature and the functions they serve, the clause is probably a gloss (but v.i.). On the other hand, it would be too bold an expedient to supply an express naming of the planets after the analogy of the first three works (Tu.).

The laboured explanation of the purposes of the heavenly bodies is confused, and suggests overworking (Ho.). The clauses which most excite suspicion are the two beginning with (Hebrew characters) (the difficult ^14b and ^15aœ);—note in particular the awkward repetition of (Hebrew characters). The

violent to render the first (Hebrew characters) und zwar (videlicet): "as signs, and that for seasons," etc.; see BDB, s. (Hebrew characters) 1. b, where some of the examples come, at any rate, very near the sense proposed. Olshausen arrives at the same sense by reading (Hebrew characters) simply (MBA, 1870, 380).—16. (Hebrew characters)] Dri. (Hebr. ii. 33) renders "and the lesser light, as also the stars, to rule," etc. The construction is not abnormal; but would the writer have said that the stars rule the night?—18. (Hebrew characters)] On the comp. sheva see Kön. i. § 10, 6 e.