Page:A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis (1910).djvu/641

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12, 13. The account of the actual burial (from P).—It is significant that here the Egyptians take no part in the obsequies: the final redactor may have assumed that they were left behind at the mourning place E of the Jordan.—See further on 4929ff..—14 (J). The return to Egypt.

15-21. Joseph removes his brethren's fears.—The vv. contain a variation of the theme of 455ff. (Gu.), as if to emphasize the lesson of the whole story, that out of a base intent God brought good to His people.—15. saw] i.e. 'realised,'—took in the full significance of the fact (cf. 301). If it were meant that they 'learned' for the first time that their father was dead, the inference would surely be not merely that the brethren had not been present at the funeral (Gu.), but that E had not recorded it at all.—16, 17. They send a message to Joseph, recalling a dying request of their father (not elsewhere mentioned).—the servants of the God of thy father] Religion is a stronger plea than even kinship (Gu.).—18. Cf. 4416. The v. may have been inserted from J (v.i.).—19. am I in God's stead?] (302): to judge and punish at my pleasure.—20. Cf. 455. 7. 8.—21. The continuance of the famine seems presupposed, in opposition to the chronology of P (4728).

22-26. Joseph's old age and death.—22. a hundred and ten years] Cf. Jos. 2429. It is hardly a mere coincidence, but


  • tuted for (Symbol missingHebrew characters) (so VTJ, Gu.).—12. (Symbol missingHebrew characters)] The suff. find no suitable

antecedents nearer than 4933, the last excerpt from P.—(Symbol missingHebrew characters)] GB, al. (Symbol missingGreek characters).—13. (Symbol missingHebrew characters)] G (Symbol missingGreek characters), and so again for (Symbol missingHebrew characters).—14. (Symbol missingHebrew characters)] G om.

15. (Symbol missingHebrew characters)] Cond. sent. with suppressed apodosis, G-K. § 159 y.—16. (Symbol missingHebrew characters)] G (Symbol missingGreek characters), and S (Symbol missingSyriac characters), seem to have read (Symbol missingHebrew characters), which if correct would make the excision of v.18 from E almost imperative (see on the v.). But the sense of (Symbol missingHebrew characters), 'to commission,' is justified by Ex. 613, Jer. 274, Est. 312 etc.; and (Symbol missingHebrew characters) would not properly be followed by (Symbol missingHebrew characters).—17. (Symbol missingHebrew characters)] a strong particle of entreaty; in Pent. only Ex. 3231.—18. (Symbol missingHebrew characters)] G om.—For (Symbol missingHebrew characters), Ba. (after Vatke) reads (Symbol missingHebrew characters), which would give point to the following (Symbol missingHebrew characters). But the change is not necessary: (Symbol missingHebrew characters) would mean 'they went away' only if they had previously been present. That certainly seems implied in 17b (apart from the reading of GS in 16); and hence there is much to be said for assigning v.18 to J (Di. Ho. Pro.).—19b. G reads (Symbol missingGreek characters).—20. (Symbol missingHebrew characters)] [E] (Symbol missingHebrew characters): GSV also have the copula.—21. (Symbol missingHebrew characters)] G (Symbol missingGreek characters).—-22. (Symbol missingHebrew characters)] G (Symbol missingGreek characters)