Page:A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis (1910).djvu/498

and our children's] E never mentions sons of Laban; and apparently looks on Leah and Rachel as the sole heiresses.

17-25. The flight and pursuit.—18. and drove away all his cattle] Hence the slowness of his march as compared with Laban's (33^13b).—The rest of the v. is from P (cf. 12⁵ 36⁶ 46⁶).—to Isaac his father] 35²⁷.—19. Now Laban had gone to shear his flock] Sheep-shearing was the occasion of an important festival in ancient Israel (38^12ff., 1 Sa. 25^2ff., 2 Sa. 13²³).—With Rachel's theft of the tĕrāphîm (the household idol: v.i.), cf. Virg. Aen. ii. 293 f., iii. 148 f.—20. stole the heart] (²⁶, 2 Sa. 15^6† ) 'deceived'; the heart being the seat of intelligence (Ho. 4¹¹): cf. (Greek characters), Il. xiv. 217.—the Aramæan (only here and ²⁴)] The emphasising of Laban's nationality at this point is hard to explain. That it is the correction (by E²) of an older version (E¹), in which Laban was not an Aramæan (Mey. INS, 236), is not probable. Bu. (Urg. 422¹) regards it as a gloss, inserted with a view to v.⁴⁷—21. crossed the River (J)] the Euphrates (Ex. 23³¹, Jos. 24² etc.).—23. his brethren] his fellow-clansmen. In the sequel Jacob also is surrounded by his clansmen (^{37. 46. 54}),—a proof that tribal relations are clothed in the guise of individual biography.—seven days' journey] The distance of Gilead from Ḥarran

(Hebrew characters)) is obviously P.—17. sons and wives] [E]G 'wives and sons.'—18. G om. the cl. (Hebrew characters)—(Hebrew characters) (so S); and adds after (Hebrew characters), (Greek characters).—19. (Hebrew characters)] A pl. of eminence, like (Hebrew characters), etc.; hence it is doubtful whether one image or several is here referred to. The teraphim was a god (³⁰), its form and size were those of a man (1 Sa. 19^{13. 16}), it was used in private houses as well as in temples (Ju. 17⁵ 18^14ff., Ho. 3⁴), and was an implement of divination (Ezk. 21²⁶, Zec. 10²). The indications point to its being an emblem of ancestor-worship which survived in Israel as a private superstition, condemned by the enlightened conscience of the nation (35², 1 Sa. 15²³, 2 Ki. 23²⁴). It seems implied by the present narrative that the cult was borrowed from the Aramæans, or perhaps rather that it had existed before the separation of Hebrews and Aramæans. (See Moore, Jud. 379 ff.)—20. (Hebrew characters)] (Greek characters), is difficult. (Hebrew characters) for (Hebrew characters) is rare and poet. (Ps. 119¹³⁶: BDB, 758 a); (Hebrew characters) (poet. for (Hebrew characters)) is also rare with fin. vb. (ib. 115 b). Since the following clause is a specification of the preceding, 'wegen Mangels davon dass' (Di.) is not a suitable rendering. We should expect (Hebrew characters), 'in not telling him that,' etc.: [E] has (Hebrew characters).—22. (Hebrew characters)] G + (Greek characters).