Page:A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis (1910).djvu/462

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Edom (see on v.30); similarly, all over like a mantle of hair ((Symbol missingHebrew characters)) is a play on Sē'îr, the country of the Edomites (368). It is singular that the name 'Ēsāw itself (on which v.i.) finds no express etymology.—26a. with his hand holding Esau's heel] (Ho. 124) a last effort (v.22) to secure the advantage of being born first. There are no solid grounds for thinking (with Gu. Luther [INS, 128], Nowack, al.) that Hos. 124a ((Symbol missingHebrew characters)) presupposes a different version of the legend, in which Jacob actually wrested the priority from his brother (cf. 3828f.). The clause is meant as an explanation of the name 'Jacob.'

27, 28. Their manner of life.27. Esau becomes a man skilled in hunting, a man of the field] It is hardly necessary to suppose that the phrases are variants from


(also 'stupid'), though that would require as strict Heb. equivalent (Symbol missingHebrew characters) (Dri.). A connexion with the Phœn. (Symbol missingGreek characters), brother of Šamêmrûm, and a hero of the chase, is probable, though not certain. There is also a goddess 'Asît, figured on Eg. monuments, who has been thought to be a female form of Esau (Müller, AE, 316 f.).—(Symbol missingHebrew characters)] GS (Symbol missingHebrew characters), as v.26; but [E] has pl. both times. In any case the subj. is indef.—26. (Symbol missingHebrew characters) is a contraction of (Symbol missingHebrew characters) (cf. (Symbol missingHebrew characters), Jos. 1543), Ju. 111ff. with (Symbol missingHebrew characters), Jos. 1914. 27; (Symbol missingHebrew characters), 2 Ch. 266 with (Symbol missingHebrew characters), Jos. 1511) which occurs (a) as a place name in central Palestine on the list of Thothmes III. (No 102: Y'ḳb'r);[1] and (b) as a personal name (Ya'ḳub-ilu)[2] in a Bab. contract tablet of the age of Ḫammurabi. The most obvious interpretation of names of this type is to take them as verbal sentt., with 'Ēl as subj.: 'God overreaches,' or 'follows,' or 'rewards,' according to the sense given to the [root] (Symbol missingHebrew characters) (see Gray, HPN, 218).[3] They may, however, be nominal sentt.: 'Ya'ḳōb is God' (see Mey. 282); in which case the meaning of the name (Symbol missingHebrew characters) is pushed a step farther back. The question whether Jacob was originally a tribe, a deity, or an individual man, thus remains unsettled by etymology.—At end of v., G adds (Symbol missingGreek characters),—an improvement in style.

  1. Mey. ZATW, vi. 8; INS, 251 f., 281 f.; Müller, AE, 162 f.; Luther, ZATW, xxi. 60 ff.—The name has since been read by Müller in a list of Ramses II., and (defectively written) in one of Ramses III.: see MVAG, 1907, i. 27.—Questioned by Langdon, ET, xxi. (1909), p. 90.
  2. Homm. AHT, 96, 112. According to H., the contracted form Yaḳubu also occurs in the Tablets (ib. 2031).
  3. In Heb. the vb. (a denom. from (Symbol missingHebrew characters), 'heel') is only used with allusion to the story or character of Jacob (2736, Ho. 124, Jer. 93† : in Jb. 374 the text is doubtful), and expresses the idea of insidiousness or treachery. So (Symbol missingHebrew characters) (Ps. 496† ), (Symbol missingHebrew characters) (Jer. 179), (Symbol missingHebrew characters) (2 Ki. 1019† ). The meanings 'follow' and 'reward' are found in Arab. (BDB, 784 a).]