Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/171

 Hagar and Iskmael

153

but loving duty of laying the body of their father in its eternal resting-place (XXV, 9). In view of all this, the good teacher will know

how to present this story in the spirit in which it was written. And should some thoughtful child question A1)raham's conduct, she will understand how to answer. For the general understanding of the story it should l^e borne in mind that in the Orient, and also in the true Jewish household, A childless couple is children are considered the supreme blessing. regarded as unfortunate and unhappy indeed. Hence the longing of It seems to have been a not Rachel and of Hannah for a child. uncommon practice for a childless woman to give one of her maids to her husband as a second wife, and to regard the children of this union as her own. The story of Jacob and Leah and Rachel furThe maid, in such case, nishes another instance of this practice. continued subject to her mistress, even though she had actually born

A

children.

and

among

similar practice existed

today obtains

still

among

certain

Arab

the ancient Babylonians, tribes



Musil, Arabia

cf,

Pctraca, III, 225.

XVI,

7.

Shur

is

the district at the Isthmus of Suez on the border

of Egypt.

nomad

V. 12 pictures the wild, tribal state of the

Arabian Desert. XXI, 6. Another attempt to XVIII, 12.

name

to account for the

tribes

Isaac;

the

in

note

cf.

V. vS. In the Orient children are weaned generally at about the This is usually an occasion for rejoicing and age of three years. feasting,

V.

9.

just

The

as

is

described

here.

mocking Isaac

rabbis told that Sarah beheld Ishmael

as he wept; hence her sudden hatred of the boy.

Vv. 13 and 14 are very

meaning

is

altogether

exact translation, and their picture the most primitive

of

difficult

They

uncertain.

conception of the deity in ancient Israel, that of a god who Hves in one fixed place, and whose power extends only over the immediate vicinity

Such a god was ordinarily conceived of

of his abode.

extraordinary

size.

a

name of The story

the god of the well; hence the peculiar

of the Living

One who

seeth me".

implied that not only did that she

Hagar not

had no intimation

revealed himself to her. the original

as

rock of unusual appearance, or a tree of Here the deity is represented as being actually

dwelling in a spring,

A

that

a

the latter, in

its

see the well at

god dwelt

strikingly

in

this

similar idea

form of the story of Jacob

at

Bethel,

is

"The

original ifirst,

well

form

but also

spot until he

contained in

XXVIII,

10-22.