Page:A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis (1910).djvu/406

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formerly Kefr Barîk, from which the Sea is seen through gaps in the mountains (see Robinson, BR, i. 490 f.; Buhl, GP, 158 f.).—17. But Yahwe had said] sc. 'to Himself'; the construction marking the introduction of a circumstance.—18. Seeing Abraham, etc.] Yahwe reflects, as it were, on the religious importance of the individual beside Him.—and all nations, etc.] See the notes on 123. (Symbol missingHebrew characters) possibly refers not to Abraham but to (Symbol missingHebrew characters); cf. 2218 (We.).—19. Comp. Dt. 61-3.—For I have known (i.e. 'entered into personal relations with': as Am. 32, Hos. 135) him in order that, etc.] There is a certain incongruity between the two parts of the v.: here the establishment of the true religion is the purpose of Abraham's election; in 19b the end of the religion is the fulfilment of the promises made to Abraham.—20. Resuming v.16. An earlier form of the story no doubt read (Symbol missingHebrew characters) instead of (Symbol missingHebrew characters)].—On the peculiar construction, v.i.—21. Restoring the pl. as before, the v. reads as a disjunctive question: We will go down that we may see whether . . . or not: we would know.


22b-33. Abraham's intercession.


The secondary character of 22b-33a (see p. 298) appears from the following considerations: (a) In 22a 'the men' (i.e. all three) have moved away to Sodom; in 22b Yahwe remains behind with Abraham. That


17. After (Symbol missingHebrew characters) GS read (Symbol missingHebrew characters).—19. (Symbol missingHebrew characters)] [E]GV omit the suffix, while GVS treat what follows as an obj. cl. (quod, etc.), through a misunderstanding of the sense of (Symbol missingHebrew characters). 20—(Symbol missingHebrew characters)] [E] (Symbol missingHebrew characters) as v.21.—(Symbol missingHebrew characters) (bis)] TO (Symbol missingHebrew characters). The particle is ignored by G V; also by S, which supplies (Symbol missingSyriac characters) and omits (Symbol missingHebrew characters). If the text be retained the (Symbol missingHebrew characters) is either corroborative (G-K. §§ 148 d, 159 ee), or causal (BDB, 473 b); but neither construction is natural. Moreover, the parallelism of clauses is itself objectionable; for whether the 'sin' actually corresponds to the 'cry' is the very point to be investigated (v.21). This material difficulty is not removed by the addition of (Symbol missingHebrew characters) (Ols.) or (Symbol missingHebrew characters) (Kit.). Its removal is the sole recommendation of We.'s proposal to omit [H] before (Symbol missingHebrew characters) and render, 'There is a rumour about S. and G. that their sin is great, that it is very grievous.'—21. Read with GTO (Symbol missingHebrew characters).—On (Symbol missingHebrew characters) for (Symbol missingHebrew characters), see G-K. § 138 k.—(Symbol missingHebrew characters) is difficult: cf. Ex. 111, another doubtful pass. We. here suggests (Symbol missingHebrew characters), Ols. (Symbol missingHebrew characters).

22b contains one of the 18 (Symbol missingHebrew characters) (corrections of the scribes). The original reading (Symbol missingHebrew characters) is said to have been changed