Page:A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis (1910).djvu/388

 be built up—or obtain children (v.i.)—from, her] by adopting Hagar's son as her own; cf. 30$3$.—3 is P's parallel to $2b. 4a$.—4. and went in, etc. (see on 6$4$)] the immediate continuation of $2b$ in J.—was despised] a natural feeling, enhanced in antiquity by the universal conviction that the mysteries of conception and birth are peculiarly a sphere of divine action.—5. My wrong be upon thee] i.e. 'May my grievance be avenged on thee!'—her injured self-respect finding vent in a passionate and most unjust imprecation.—6. Thy maid is in thy hand] Is this a statement of fact, or does it mean that Abram now hands Hagar back to her mistress's authority? The latter is Gu.'s view, who thinks that as a concubine Hagar was no longer under the complete control of Sarai.—treated her harshly] The word suggests excessive severity; Hagar's flight is justified by the indignities to which she was subjected (v.$11$).

7-14. The theophany at the well.—7. the Angel of Yahwe] (see below) is here introduced for the first time as the medium of the theophany. The scene is a fountain of water (as yet nameless: v.$14$) in the desert on the way to Shûr. Shûr is an unknown locality on the NE frontier of Egypt (see Dri. DB, iv. 510$b$), which gave its name to the adjacent desert: 20$1$ 25$18$, Ex. 15$22$, 1 Sa. 15$7$ 27$8$ (v.i.).

The (or ) is "Yahwe Himself in self-manifestation," or, in other words, a personification of the theophany. This somewhat subtle definition is founded on the fact that in very many instances the Angel is at once identified with God and differentiated from Him; cp. e.g. vv.$10. 13$ with $11$. The ultimate explanation of the ambiguity is no doubt to be sought in the advance of religious thought to a more

whether the purpose of presenting a newly-married woman with a may not have been to provide for the event of the marriage proving childless. In usage it is largely coextensive with, and is characteristic of J against E, though not against P.—] The motive of Hagar's 'flight' may have been suggested by a supposed connexion with Ar. haǧara, 'flee.' For another etymology, see Nö. EB, 1933$2$.—2. ] (so only 30$8$) may be either a denom. from (so apparently GVΣ), or a metaphor from the family as a house (Ex. 1$21$, 1 Sa. 2$85$, Ru. 4$11$ etc.).—5. ] gen. of obj., G-K, § 128 h (cf. Ob. $10$). G .—] The point over [H] indicates a clerical error: rd. (with [E]).

7b seems to be a duplicate of $14b$, and one or other may be a gloss. The words — are omitted by G$L$ entirely, and partly in several