(e.g. Jer. Virago; Luther, Männin). Whether even in Heb. it is more than an assonance is doubtful (v.i.).—24. An ætiological observation of the narrator: This is why a man leaves . . . and cleaves . . . and they become, etc.] It is not a prophecy from the standpoint of the narrative; nor a recommendation of monogamic marriage (as applied in Mt. 194ff., Mk. 106ff., 1 Co. 616, Eph. 531); it is an answer to the question, What is the meaning of that universal instinct which impels a man to separate from his parents and cling to his wife? It is strange that the man's attachment to the woman is explained here, and the woman's to the man only in 316.
It has been imagined that the v. presupposes the primitive custom
called beena marriage, or that modification of it in which the husband
parts from his own kindred for good, and goes to live with his wife's
kin (so Gu.: cf. KM2, 87, 207); and other instances are alleged in the
patriarchal history. But this would imply an almost incredible antiquity
for the present form of the narrative; and, moreover, the dominion of the
man over the wife assumed in 316b is inconsistent with the conditions of
beena marriage. Cf. Benz. EB, 2675: "The phrase . . . may be an
old saying dating from remote times when the husband went to the
house (tent) of the wife and joined her clan. Still the passage may be
merely the narrator's remark; and even if it should be an old proverb
we cannot be sure that it really carries us so far back in antiquity."—See,
however, Gressmann, ARW, x. 3531; van Doorninck, ThT, xxxix.
238 (who assigns 224 and 316 to different recensions).
one flesh] If the view just mentioned could be maintained,
this phrase might be equivalent to 'one clan' (Lv. 2549);
for "both in Hebrew and Arabic 'flesh' is synonymous
with 'clan' or kindred group" (RS2, 274). More probably
it refers simply to the connubium.—25. naked . . . not ashamed] The remark is not merely an anticipation of the
the quotation from Origen given in Field, p. 1532.—For (
Hebrew characters), [E]GT0 read
(Hebrew characters), which is by no means an improvement.—(Hebrew characters)] See G-K. §§ 10 h,
20 c.—24. (Hebrew characters)] Add (Hebrew characters) with GVSTJ and NT citations. [E] has
(Hebrew characters), referring to the offspring.—25. (Hebrew characters)] (Hebrew characters) 'naked,' to be carefully
distinguished from (Hebrew characters) ([root] (Hebrew characters)) 'crafty,' in 31, is either a by-form
of (Hebrew characters) ([root] (Hebrew characters) ='be bare') in 310f., or (more probably) a different formation
from [root] (Hebrew characters) ('be bare'). See BDB, s.vv.—(Hebrew characters)] The Hithpal.
(only here) probably expresses reciprocity ('ashamed before one
another'); the impf. is frequentative.
