formerly Kefr Barîk, from which the Sea is seen through gaps in the mountains (see Robinson, BR, i. 490 f.; Buhl, GP, 158 f.).—17. But Yahwe had said] sc. 'to Himself'; the construction marking the introduction of a circumstance.—18. Seeing Abraham, etc.] Yahwe reflects, as it were, on the religious importance of the individual beside Him.—and all nations, etc.] See the notes on 123. (Hebrew characters) possibly refers not to Abraham but to (
Hebrew characters); cf. 2218 (We.).—19. Comp. Dt. 61-3.—For I have known (i.e. 'entered into personal relations with': as Am. 32, Hos. 135) him in order that, etc.] There is a certain incongruity between the two parts of the v.: here the establishment of the true religion is the purpose of Abraham's election; in 19b the end of the religion is the fulfilment of the promises made to Abraham.—20. Resuming v.16. An earlier form of the story no doubt read (
Hebrew characters) instead of (
Hebrew characters)].—On the peculiar construction, v.i.—21. Restoring the pl. as before, the v. reads as a disjunctive question: We will go down that we may see whether . . . or not: we would know.
22b-33. Abraham's intercession.
The secondary character of 22b-33a (see p. 298) appears from the
following considerations: (a) In 22a 'the men' (i.e. all three) have moved
away to Sodom; in 22b Yahwe remains behind with Abraham. That
17. After (Hebrew characters) GS read (
Hebrew characters).—19. (
Hebrew characters)] [E]GV omit the suffix,
while GVS treat what follows as an obj. cl. (quod, etc.), through a
misunderstanding of the sense of (
Hebrew characters). 20—(
Hebrew characters)] [E] (
Hebrew characters) as v.21.—(
Hebrew characters) (bis)]
TO (
Hebrew characters). The particle is ignored by G V; also by S, which supplies
(
Syriac characters) and omits (
Hebrew characters). If the text be retained the (
Hebrew characters) is
either corroborative (G-K. §§ 148 d, 159 ee), or causal (BDB, 473 b); but
neither construction is natural. Moreover, the parallelism of clauses is
itself objectionable; for whether the 'sin' actually corresponds to the
'cry' is the very point to be investigated (v.21). This material difficulty
is not removed by the addition of (
Hebrew characters) (Ols.) or (
Hebrew characters) (Kit.).
Its removal is the sole recommendation of We.'s proposal to omit [H] before
(
Hebrew characters) and render, 'There is a rumour about S. and G. that their sin
is great, that it is very grievous.'—21. Read with GTO (
Hebrew characters).—On
(
Hebrew characters) for (
Hebrew characters), see G-K. § 138 k.—(
Hebrew characters) is difficult: cf. Ex. 111, another
doubtful pass. We. here suggests (
Hebrew characters), Ols. (
Hebrew characters).
22b contains one of the 18 (Hebrew characters) (corrections of the scribes).
The original reading (
Hebrew characters) is said to have been changed