Page:02.BCOT.KD.HistoricalBooks.A.vol.2.EarlyProphets.djvu/420

 once more to the woman when she was sitting alone in the field without her husband.

Verses 10-12
Then she hastened to fetch her husband, who first of all inquired of the person who had appeared, “Art thou the man who said to the woman” (sc., what has been related in Jdg 13:3-5)? And when this was answered in the affirmative, he said still further (Jdg 13:12), “Should thy word then come to pass, what will be the manner of the boy, and his doing?” The plural דּבריך is construed ad sensum with the singular verb, because the words form one promise, so that the expression is not to be taken distributively, as Rosenmüller supposes. This also applies to Jdg 13:17, Mishpat, the right belonging to a boy, i.e., the proper treatment of him.

Verses 13-14
The angel of the Lord then repeated the instructions which he had already given to the woman in Jdg 13:4, simply adding to the prohibition of wine and strong drink the caution not to eat of anything that came from the vine, in accordance with Num 6:3.

Verse 15
As Manoah had not yet recognised in the man the angel of the Lord, as is observed by way of explanation in Jdg 13:16, he wished, like Gideon (Jdg 6:18), to give a hospitable entertainment to the man who had brought him such joyful tidings, and therefore said to him, “Let us detain thee, and prepare a kid for thee.” The construction לפניך נעשׂה is a pregnant one: “prepare and set before thee.” On the fact itself, see Jdg 6:19.

Verse 16
The angel of the Lord replied, “If thou wilt detain me (sc., that I may eat), I will not eat of thy food (אכל with בּ, to eat thereat, i.e., thereof, as in Exo 12:43; Lev 22:11); but if thou wilt prepare a burnt-offering for Jehovah, then offer it.”

Verse 17
Manoah then asked his name: שׁמך מי, lit., “Who is thy name?” מי inquires after the person; מה, the nature of quality (see Ewald, §325, a.). “For if thy word come to pass, we will do thee honour.” This was the reason why he asked after his name. כּבּד, to honour by presents, so as to show one's self grateful (see Num 22:17, Num 22:37; Num 24:11).

Verse 18
The angel replied, “''Why askest thou then after my name? truly it is wonderful.” The Kethibh פלאי is the adjectival form פּלאי from פּלא, for which the Keri'' has פּלי, the pausal form of פּלי (from the radical פּלה = פּלא). The word therefore is not the proper name of the angel of the Lord, but expresses the character of his name; and as the name simply denotes the nature, it expresses the peculiarity of his nature also. It is to be understood in an absolute sense, - “absolutely and supremely wonderful” (Seb. Schmidt), - as a predicate belonging to God alone (compare the term “Wonderful” in Isa 9:6), and not to be toned down as it is by Bertheau,