Page:A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis (1910).djvu/181

 logical representations the serpent often appears in the upright position (Ben.). The idea probably is that this was its original posture: how it was maintained was perhaps not reflected upon.—dust shalt thou eat] Cf. Mic. 7$17$, Is. 65$25$. It is a prosaic explanation to say that the serpent, crawling on the ground, inadvertently swallows a good deal of dust (Boch. Hieroz. iii. 245; Di. al.); and a mere metaphor for humiliation (like Ass. ti-ka-lu ip-ra; KIB, v. 232 f.) is too weak a sense for this passage. Probably it is a piece of ancient superstition, like the Arabian notion that the ǧinn eat dirt (We. Heid. 150).—all the days of thy life] i.e. each serpent as long as it lives, and the race of serpents as long as it lasts. It is not so certain as most comm. seem to think that these words exclude the demonic character of the serpent. It is true that the punishment of a morally irresponsible agent was recognised in Hebrew jurisprudence (9$5$, Ex. 21$28f.$, Lv. 20$15f.$). But it is quite possible that here (as in v.$15$) the archetypal serpent is conceived as re-embodied in all his progeny, as acting and suffering in each member of the species.—15. The serpent's attempt to establish unholy fellowship with the woman is punished by implacable and undying enmity between them. —thy seed and her seed] The whole brood of

and .—15. ] in the sense of 'offspring,' is nearly always collective. In a few cases where it is used of an individual child (4$25?$ 21$13$, 1 Sa. 1$11$) it denotes the immediate offspring as the pledge of posterity, never a remote descendant (see Nö. ARW, viii. 164 ff.). The Messianic application therefore is not justified in grammar.—] the rendering ipsa (V) is said not to be found in the Fathers before Ambrose and Augustine (Zapletal, ATliches, 19). Jer. at all events knew that ipse should be read.— ] The form  recurs only Jb. 9$17$, Ps. 139$11$, and, in both, text and meaning are doubtful. In Aram. and NH the [root] ( or ) has the primary sense of 'rub,' hence 'wear down by rubbing' = 'crush'; in Syr. it also means to crawl. There are a few exx. of a tendency of vbs. to strengthen themselves by insertion of (Kön. i. 439), and it is often supposed that in certain pass.