Page:A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis (1910).djvu/632

the image is that of a young thriving vine planted by a fountain and thus well supplied with water, whose tendrils extend over the wall.—a fruitful bough] Or 'A young fruit-*tree': lit. 'son of a fruitful [tree' or 'vine']. There is probably an etymological allusion to Ephraim ((Hebrew characters) = (Hebrew characters): We.).—23, 24. The figure is abruptly changed: Joseph is now represented as beset by troops of archers, whose attack he repels.—dealt bitterly . . .] The following word (Hebrew characters) requires some amendment of text (v.i.).—24. abode unmoved] or 'constant.' Taken with the next line, this suggests a fine picture: the bow held steadily in position, while the hand that discharges the arrows in quick succession moves nimbly to and fro (Gu.). The expressions, however, are peculiar, and a different reading of the second line given in

'fruitful' (Is. 17⁶ 32¹², Ezk. 19¹⁰, Ps. 128³), or (Hebrew characters), with archaic fem. termination. (Hebrew characters), 'bough' (Ezk. 17⁶ 31^{5. 6}), might be thought of, but would be hardly suitable as gen. after (Hebrew characters).—Down to (Hebrew characters) the Vns. have substantially the same text.—(Hebrew characters)] defies explanation. Lit. filiæ discurrerunt super murum (V). But (Hebrew characters) = 'tendrils,' has no analogy; (Hebrew characters) means 'march' or 'stride,' but not 'extend'; and the discord of number is harsh (notwithstanding G-K. § 145 k). The Vns. reveal early corruption of the text, without suggesting anything better. G (Greek characters) (= [E] (Hebrew characters)) (Greek characters) (= (Hebrew characters)). S (Syriac characters) (? (Hebrew characters)).—Zimmern's zodiacal theory, which identifies Joseph with the sign Taurus, finds two tempting points of contact in the consonantal text: reading (Hebrew characters) = (Hebrew characters), 'juvenca,' at the beginning, and (Hebrew characters), 'ox,' at the end. But the reconstruction of the text on these lines, with the help of Dt. 33¹⁷ (see ZA, vii. 164 ff.; ATLO², 399), has no title to respect: against it see Ba. p. 116.—23. (Hebrew characters)] From [root] (Hebrew characters), a by-form of (Hebrew characters),^[1] 'shoot,' with intrans, pf. (G-K. § 67 m). The simple pf. between two consec. impfs. being suspicious, the least change demanded is (Hebrew characters). [E]G ((Greek characters)) and V (jurgati sunt) read (Hebrew characters), 'strove with him.' Parallelism suggests a noun as subj. to (Hebrew characters); we might read (Hebrew characters), 'bowmen' (Jer. 50²⁹), or (since the line is too short) (Hebrew characters) (21²⁰)—24a. G (Greek characters) [= (Hebrew characters).—(Hebrew characters)] S (Syriac characters) = (Hebrew characters). The sense 'abide' for (Hebrew characters) is justified by Lv. 12⁴, 1 Ki. 22¹, Ps. 125¹, and nothing is gained by departing from MT.—(Hebrew characters)] Lit. 'as a permanent one' ((Hebrew characters) essentiæ).—(Hebrew characters)] 2 Sa. 6¹⁶† . G (Greek characters), S (Syriac characters) may represent (Hebrew characters) (see Ba.).—[G (Hebrew characters)] (Hebrew characters)] is a hard

1. But see above on 21²⁰.