Page:A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis (1910).djvu/398

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of Israel (19).—19a. Comp. the language with 1611, and observe that the naming of the child is assigned to the father.—20. (Symbol missingHebrew characters)] a remote allusion to the popular explanation of (Symbol missingHebrew characters), 'May God hear' (cf. 1611 2117). Ishmael is to be endowed for Abraham's sake with every kind of blessing, except the religious privileges of the covenant.—twelve princes] (cf. 2516) as contrasted with the 'kings' of 6. 16.—22. The close of the theophany.—(Symbol missingHebrew characters)(Symbol missingHebrew characters) as 3513.

23-27. Circumcision of Abraham's household.23. on that very day (cf. 713)] repeated in v.26. Throughout the section, P excels himself in pedantic and redundant circumstantiality of narration. The circumcision of Ishmael, however, is inconsistent with the theory that the rite is a sign of the covenant, from which Ishmael is excluded (Ho. Gu.).—25. thirteen years old] This was the age of circumcision among the ancient Arabs, according to Jos. Ant. i. 214. Origen (Eus. Præp. Ev. vi. 11:[1] cf. We. Heid.2 1753); and Ambrose (de Abrah. ii. 348) give a similar age (14 years) for the Egyptians. It is possible that the notice here is based on a knowledge of this custom. Among the modern Arabs there is no fixed rule, the age varying from three to fifteen years: see Di. 264; Dri. in DB, ii. 504b.


Circumcision is a widely diffused rite of primitive religion, of whose introduction among the Hebrews there is no authentic tradition. One account (Ex. 424f.) suggests a Midianite origin, another (Jos. 52ff.) an Egyptian: the mention of flint knives in both these passages is a proof of the extreme antiquity of the custom (the Stone Age).[2] The anthro-


19. (Symbol missingHebrew characters)] 'Nay, but,'—a rare asseverative (4221, 2 Sa. 145, 2 Ki. 414, 1 Ki. 143) and adversative (Dn. 107. 21, Ezr. 1013, 2 Ch. 14 193 3317) particle. See the interesting note in Burney, Notes on Kings, p. 11; and cf. König, ii. 265.—(Symbol missingHebrew characters)] G (Symbol missingGreek characters) appears to imply a preceding clause (Symbol missingGreek characters), which is found in many cursives. This is probably the correct reading.—20. (Symbol missingHebrew characters)] G (Symbol missingGreek characters).—24. (Symbol missingHebrew characters)] [E] (Symbol missingHebrew characters).—(Symbol missingHebrew characters)] The Niph. is here either refl. or pass.; in 25 it is pass.—26 (Symbol missingHebrew characters)] irreg. pf. Niph.; G-K. § 72 ee. S takes it as act. ([root] (Symbol missingHebrew characters)?) with Ishmael as obj.; and so G in v.27 ((Symbol missingGreek characters)).

  1. Ed. Heinichen, p. 310 f.
  2. In a tomb of the Old Empire at Sakkara there are wall-pictures of the operation, where the surgeon uses a flint knife: see G. Elliot Smith in British Medical Journal, 1908, 732 (quoted by Matthes); and the illustration in Texte u. Bilder, ii. p. 126.