15-24. Pharaoh's recital of his dreams.—15. thou canst hear a dream to interpret it] i.e., 'thou canst interpret
a dream when thou hearest it': Heb. subordinates the emphatic
clause where we would subordinate the condition.—16.
Comp. 408.—The answer (on the form, v.i.) exhibits a
fine combination of religious sincerity and courtly deference.—17-21.
The first dream.—The king gives a vivid subjective
colouring to the recital by expressing the feelings which the
dream excited. This is natural, and creates no presumption
that a parallel narrative is drawn upon. Similarly, the slight
differences in phraseology ((Hebrew characters) for (
Hebrew characters), etc.) are due to
the literary instinct for variety.—22-24. The second dream.
25-32. The interpretation.—25-27a. The general outline
of the interpretation: the dream is one; it is a presage
of what is to happen; the number seven refers to years.
The methodical exposition is meant to be impressive.—27b
brings the climax: There shall be seven years of famine (so
Pro. v.i.).—28. It is uncertain whether (Hebrew characters) refers back to 25b
'This is what [I meant when] I said to Pharaoh'), or to 27b
15. (Hebrew characters)] Oratio obliqua after (
Hebrew characters) (without (
Hebrew characters)), G-K. § 157 a; Dav.
§ 146, R. 1.—16. (
Hebrew characters)] lit. 'Apart from me' (TO (
Hebrew characters)), used as
1424. [E]G read (
Hebrew characters) = 'Apart from God, one will not be
answered,' etc.; cf. S (
Syriac characters) ('Dost
thou expect that apart from God one will answer?' etc.). V Absque me Deus respondebit, shifting the accent. There seems a double entendre in
the use of (
Hebrew characters): 'answer' and 'correspond': 'God will give an answer
corresponding to the welfare,' etc.—19. (
Hebrew characters)] 'flaccid'; G om.—21. (
Hebrew characters)]
On the suff. cf. G-K. § 91 f.—(
Hebrew characters)] Sing. (ib. § 93 ss).—23. (
Hebrew characters)] Aram.
= 'dried,' 'hardened.' The word is (
Greek characters) in OT, and is omitted by
GVS.—(
Hebrew characters)] MSS and [E] (
Hebrew characters)—. The irregular gender of MT only
here in this chapter.
26. (Hebrew characters)] Om. of art. may be justified on the ground that the numeral
is equivalent to a determinant (G-K. § 126 x); but [E] (
Hebrew characters) is much to be
preferred.—27. (
Hebrew characters)] 'empty.' The pointing is suggested partly by the
contrast to (
Hebrew characters) (22 etc.), partly by the fact that (in MT) (
Hebrew characters) has not been
used of the ears. We ought undoubtedly to read (
Hebrew characters) ([E]S).—(
Hebrew characters)]
The translation above is not free from difficulty; it omits a prediction
of unusual plenty preceding the famine, which is, nevertheless, presupposed
by what follows. But the ordinary rendering is also weak:
why should the seven thin ears alone be fully interpreted? Besides,
(
Hebrew characters) is fem.—28-32. The critical difficulties of the ch. commence in
this section. Pro. assigns 29-31 to J ( 27f. [E]), instancing (
Hebrew characters) (cf. 1833 2415. 19