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 $2$ than of $3a$.—4. With great rhetorical effect, the reason for all these preparations—the coming of the Flood—is reserved to the end. J knows no other physical cause of the Deluge than the 40 days' rain (cf. v.$12$).—5. Comp. 6$22$ (P).

7-10, 12, 16b, 17b, 22, 23.—Entrance into the ark and description of the Flood.—J's narrative has here been taken to pieces by the Redactor, who has fitted the fragments into a new connexion supplied by the combined accounts of J and P. The operation has been performed with such care and skill that it is still possible to restore the original order and recover a succinct and consecutive narrative, of which little if anything appears to be lost. The sequence of events is as follows: At the end of the seven days, the Flood comes (v.$10$); Noah enters the ark ($7$) and Yahwe shuts him in ($16b$). Forty days' rain ensues ($12$), and the waters rise and float the ark ($17b$). All life on the earth's surface is extinguished; only Noah and those in the ark survive ($22f.$).

The rearrangement here adopted ($10. 7. 16b. 12. 17b. 22. 23$) is due mainly to the acute criticism of Bu. (Urg. 258 ff.), who has probably added the last refinements to a protracted process of literary investigation. Some points (e.g. the transposition of vv.$7$ and $10$) are, of course, more or less doubtful; others (e.g. $16b$) are seen to be necessary as soon as the components of J have been isolated. The most difficult thing is to clear the text of the glosses which inevitably accompanied the work of redaction; but this also has been accomplished with a considerable degree of certainty and agreement amongst recent comm. The most extensive interpolations are part of v.$7$, the whole of vv.$8$ and $9$, and part of $23$. For details see the footnote.

10. At the end of the 7 days (cf. v.$4$)] The interval (we may suppose) was occupied in assembling the animals and provisioning the ark.—the waters of the Flood], a technical name for the Deluge, common to both sources (v.i.).—7. Noah enters the ark on account of the Flood:

Hiph. (6$19f.$).—] as Jer. 31$27$.—4. ] On as denoting the close of a term (cf. v.$10$), see BDB, s.v. 6b.—] a rare word (only 7$23$, Dt. 11$6$), meaning 'that which subsists' ([root] ). G (other exx. in Field, ), V substantia, S. On the form see Barth, Nom.-bild. 181; Kön. ii. 146; G-K. § 85 d.

7. —-] The enumeration is in the manner of P (obs. also );