Page:A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis (1910).djvu/327

 sion suggests that in A mankind is already spread far and wide over the earth, though forming one great nation (, v.$6$), united by a common language. In B, on the other hand, it is still a body of nomads, moving all together in search of a habitation (v.$2$; cf., v.$5$).—broke up from the East] v.i.—a plain] the Euphrates-Tigris valley; where Babylon (Her. i. 178).—the land of Shin'ar] see on 10$10$.—3a. With great naïveté, the (city-) legend describes first the invention of bricks, and then (v.$4$) as an afterthought the project of building with them. The bilingual Babylonian account of creation (see p. 47 above) speaks of a time when "no brick was laid, no brick-mould (nalbantu) formed": see KIB, vi. 1, 38 f., 360.—3b shows that the legend has taken shape amongst a people familiar with stone-masonry. Comp. the construction of the walls of Babylon as described by Her. (i. 179). The accuracy

pronunciation and the latter to the vocabulary (Di.), or (Gu.) [H] to language as a whole, and [H] to its individual elements.—] 'a single set of vocables'; G (+  =, as v.$6$). Elsewhere (27$44$ 29$20$ [with ) means 'single' in the sense of 'few'; in Ezk. 37$17$ the text is uncertain (see Co.).—On the juxtaposition of subj. and pred. in the nom. sent., see Dav. § 29 (e).—2. ] rendered as above by GVST$J$. Nearly all moderns prefer 'as they wandered in the east' or 'eastward'; justifying the translation by 13$11$, which is the only place where means 'eastward' with a vb. of motion. That never means 'from the east' is at least a hazardous assertion in view of Is. 2$6$ 9$11$. (cf. Ass. nisû, 'remove,' 'depart,' etc.) is a nomadic term, meaning 'pluck up [tent-pegs]' (Is. 33$20$); hence 'break up the camp' or 'start on a journey' (Gn. 33$12$ 35$5. 16. 21$ 37$17$ etc.); and, with the possible exception of Jer. 31$23$ (but not Gn. 12$9$), there is no case where this primary idea is lost sight of. Being essentially a vb. of departure, it is more naturally followed by a determination of the starting-point than of the direction or the goal (but see 33$17$); and there is no difficulty whatever in the assumption that the cradle of the race was further E than Babylonia (see 2$8$; and

cf. Sta. Ak. Red. 246, and n. 43).—] (Syr. , Ar. baḳ'at) in usage, a wide, open valley, or plain (Dt. 34$3$, Zech. 12$11$, Is. 40$4$, etc.). The derivation from [root], 'split,' is questioned by Barth (ES, 2), but is probable nevertheless.—3. ] impve. of [root] , used interjectionally (G-K. § 69 o), as in vv.$4. 7.$ 38$16$, Ex. 1$10$ (all J), is given by Gu. as a stylistic mark of the recension A (J$e$?). Contr. the