Page:A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis (1910).djvu/380

 anxiety on the part of Abram, following on some meritorious action performed by him. It is not certain that any definite set of circumstances was present to the mind of the writer, though the conditions are fairly well satisfied by Abram's defenceless position amongst the Canaanites immediately after his heroic obedience to the divine call (Gu.). The attempts to establish a connexion with the events of ch. 14 (Jewish Comm. and a few moderns) are far-fetched and misleading.—the word of Yahwe came] On the formula v.i. The conception of Abram as a prophet has no parallel in J; and even E, though he speaks vaguely of Abram as a (20$7$, q.v.), does not describe his intercourse with God in technical prophetic phraseology. The representation is not likely to have arisen before the age of written prophecy.—in a vision] probably a night-vision (see v.$5$), in which case the expression must be attributed to E. The mediate character of revelation, as contrasted with the directness of the older theophanies (e.g. ch. 18), is at all events characteristic of E.—thy shield] a figure for protection common in later writings: Dt. 33$29$, Ps. 3$4$ 7$11$ oft., Pr. 2$7$ 30$5$.—thy reward [will be] very great] a new sentence (GS), not (as V, EV) a second predicate to —2. seeing I go hence childless]

found occasionally in the older writings (1 Sa. 15$10$, 2 Sa. 24$11$), but chiefly in later prophets and superscriptions: specially common in Jer. and Ezk.—] Only Nu. 24$4. 16$, Ezk. 13$7$. The word is thus not at all characteristic of E, though the idea of revelation through dreams and visions (, Nu. 12$6$;, Gn. 46$2$) undoubtedly is. Considering the many traces of late editing in the chapter, it is highly precarious to divide the phrases of v.$1$ between J and E.— (inf. abs.) as pred. is unusual and late (Ps. 130$7$, Ec. 11$8$). [E], 'I will multiply,' is perhaps preferable.—2. ] (cf. $8$) is common in the elevated style of prophecy (esp. Ezk.), but rare in the Pss. In the historical books it occurs only as a vocative (exc. 1 Ki. 2$26$): Jos. 7$7$, Ju. 6$22$ 16$28$,—Dt. 3$24$ 9$26$, 2 Sa. 7$18. 19. 20. 28. 29$, 1 Ki. 8$53$. Of these the first three are possibly J; the rest are Deuteronomic.—] G has ,—a meaningless sentence in the connexion, unless supplemented by, as in some MSS of Philo (before ). S paraphrases:. is a, which appears not to have been understood by any of the Vns. G treats it as the name of Eliezer's mother, Aq. as = ; ΘVT$OJ$ give it the sense