of the Flood, which is carried through to the end: see
below, p. 167 f. V.6, though consistent with 11, is certainly
rendered superfluous by it; and it is not improbable that
we have here to do with a fusion of authorities within the
Priestly tradition (p. 168).—the fountains of the Great Deep] ((
Hebrew characters): see on 12). Outbursts of subterranean water are a frequent accompaniment of seismic disturbances in the alluvial districts of great rivers (Suess, 31-33); and a knowledge of this physical fact must have suggested the feature here expressed. In accordance with ancient ideas, however, it is conceived as an eruption of the subterranean ocean on which the earth was believed to rest (see p. 17). At the same time the windows of heaven were opened] allowing the waters of the heavenly ocean to mingle with the lower. The Flood is thus a partial undoing of the work of creation; although we cannot be certain that the Heb. writer looked on it from that point of view. Contrast this grandiose cosmological conception with the simple representation of J, who sees nothing in the Flood but the result of excessive rain. Gunkel was the first to point out the poetic character and structure of 11b: note the phrase (Hebrew characters) (Am. 74, Is. 5110, Ps. 367), and the parallelismus membrorum. He considers the words a fragment of an older version of the legend which (like the Babylonian) was written in poetry. A similar fragment is found in 82. 13. On that very day] continuing v.11. The idea that all the animals entered the ark on one day (J allows a week) has been instanced as an example of P's love of the marvellous (Ho. Gu.).—14-16. See on 619f..—17a. the Flood
word (Hebrew characters) is rare, and denotes a latticed opening, Hos. 133, Is. 608,
Ec. 123. Here it can only mean 'sluices'; the καταράκται of G "unites
the senses of waterfalls, trap-doors, and sluices" (De.).—13. (Hebrew characters)]
1723. 26, Ex. 1217. 41. 51, Lv. 2314. 21. 28. 29. 30, Dt 3248, Jos. 511 (all P).
Ho. Einl. 346.—(Hebrew characters)] irregular gender: G-K. § 97 c.—(Hebrew characters)] Better as
GS (Hebrew characters) (816. 18).—14. (Hebrew characters)] distinguishing wild beasts from domestic
(cf. v.21); see on 619.—(Hebrew characters)] G om. Cf. Ezk. 1723 394.—17a. (Hebrew characters)]
Bu. (264) ingeniously suggests that the last three consonants of
the gloss ((Hebrew characters)[(Hebrew characters)]) represent the genuine (Hebrew characters) of P (617 76). G adds
(Hebrew characters). The half-verse cannot be assigned to J, because it would
be a mere repetition of v.12.
