(Ba. Gu.).—'13. The name Āšēr naturally suggested to Heb.
writers a word for happiness; hence the two etymologies:
(
Hebrew characters) 'In my happiness,' and (Hebrew characters) '(women) count me happy.' It is possible that the name is historically related to
the Canaanite goddess 'Ašērāh (Ba. Ho.), as Gad is to the
Aramæan deity. Aser appears in Eg. monuments as the
name of a district in NW Palestine as early as Seti and
Ramses II. (Müller, AE, 236 ff.).
14-24. The later children.—14-16. The incident of the
love-apples is a piece of folklore, adopted with reserve by
the writer (J), and so curtailed as to be shorn of its original
significance. The story must have gone on to tell how
Rachel partook of the fruit and in consequence became
pregnant, while Leah also conceived through the restoration
of her marriage rights (see We. Comp.2 38 f.). How much
of this stood in J and has been suppressed in the history of
the text we cannot say; we here read just what is necessary
to explain the name of Leah's child.—14. (Hebrew characters) (v.i.) is the
round, greenish-yellow, plum-like fruit of mandragora vernalis,
which in Syria ripens in May—the days of wheat harvest—and
is still eagerly sought in the East to promote conception (see
Tuch's note, 385 ff.). Reuben is named, probably as the
only child old enough to follow the reapers in the field (cf.
2 Ki. 418). The agricultural background shows that the
episode is out of place in its present nomadic setting.—15.
he shall lie with thee to-night] Jacob, therefore, had wrongly
withheld from Leah her conjugal rights ((Hebrew characters), Ex. 2110).—16.
I have hired thee ((Hebrew characters))] Obviously an anticipation of
13. (Hebrew characters) is (Greek characters).—(Hebrew characters)] pf. of confidence (G-K. § 106 n). It is
to be noted that pfs. greatly preponderate in E's etymologies, and impfs.
in those of J; the two exceptions (2932f.) may be only apparent, and due
to the absence of definite stylistic criteria.
14. (Hebrew characters) (Ca. 714† )] G (Greek characters), S (Syriac characters), TOJ (Hebrew characters)
(= Ar. yabrūh, explained to be the root of the plant). The sing. is
(Hebrew characters), from the same [root] as (Hebrew characters), 'lover,' and (Hebrew characters) 'love'; and very probably
associated with the love-god (Hebrew characters) (Meša, l. 12). Cheyne plausibly
suggests (379) that this deity was worshipped by the Reubenites; hence
Reuben is the finder of the apples.—15. (Hebrew characters)] G (Hebrew characters), S (Hebrew characters).—(Hebrew characters)
(inf.)] Dri. T. § 204; but (Hebrew characters) (pf. f.) would be easier.—16. (Hebrew characters)] [E]G
+ (Hebrew characters).—(Hebrew characters)] see on 1933.—17a is from E; but 17b probably from
