Page:A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis (1910).djvu/410

 12-16. The deliverance of Lot.—12. On the construction, v.i.—13. Yahwe has sent us] i.e. the 'three' are agents of Yahwe, who is therefore not present in person.—14. Lot warns his (prospective) sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters: so Jos. Ant. i. 202, V, Tu. Di. Dri. al. Others (GT$J$, IEz. De. al.) take as referring to the past, which is possible (cf. 27$46$).—as one that jested] see on 21$9$.—15. as the dawn appeared] The judgement must be accomplished by sunrise ($23f.$); hence the urgency of the summons.—the angels] 'the men,' as v.$1$.—] who are at hand (1 Sa. 21$4$).—16. he hesitated] reluctant, and only half-convinced.—through Yahwe's compassion on him].—left him without the city] rather suggests, as Gu. (186) holds, that there he is in safety.

17-22. The sparing of Zoar.—17. the mountain] the elevated Moabite plateau, which rises steeply to heights of 2500-3000 ft. from the E side of the Sea.—look not behind thee] Such prohibitions are frequent in legends and incantations; comp. the story of Orpheus and Eurydice (Ovid, Met. X. 51; Virg. Ge. iv. 491); cf. also Virg. Ecl. viii. 102; Ov. Fasti, v. 439.—20. is near enough to flee to].—] a trifle: repeated with a view to the etymology of $22b$.

common oriental euphemism (Kön. ii. p. 404), or dazzling from excess of light (Ac. 9$3$): cf. Hoffmann, ZATW, ii. 68$1$. T$O$ means both 'brightness' and 'blindness'; and in the Talmud Shabriri is a demon of blindness (JE, iv. 517 a). S [Syrian: **], 'hallucinations.'

12. ] The stiff construction has led to various operations on the text. GV seem to have read ; S has. Di. suggests that the letters have been accidentally thrust into the word ; Ho. and Gu. omit [H] in (so [E]) and commence a new sentence there; Ba. Kit. delete [H]. The text may be retained if we take the first cl. as indirect qn.: 'Whomsoever thou hast here as a son-in-law, and thy sons bring forth,' etc.—At end add with [E]G.—15. ] "rare and poetic" (Di.). Here used as conj. (= ).—] G ; V quas habes.—16. ] f. inf. const.—16b is omitted by G$A, al.$, but is found in many cursives.

17. ] GVS have pl., which is supported by the previous and the following, though the sing. is maintained in the rest of the section.—] for ; G-K. § 107 p.—] five times repeated in the six vv. is thought by Ba. to be a play on the name .—20. ] G +, a slavish imitation of 12$13$.3. Yahwe has sent us] i.e. the 'three' are agents of Yahwe, who is therefore not present in person.—14. Lot warns his (prospective) sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters: so Jos. Ant. i. 202, V, Tu. Di. Dri. al. Others (GT$J$, IEz. De. al.) take as referring to the past, which is possible (cf. 27$46$).—as one that jested] see on 21$9$.—15. as the dawn appeared] The judgement must be accomplished by sunrise ($23f.$); hence the urgency of the summons.—the angels] 'the men,' as v.$1$.—] who are at hand (1 Sa. 21$4$).—16. he hesitated] reluctant, and only half-convinced.—through Yahwe's compassion on him].—left him without the city] rather suggests, as Gu. (186) holds, that there he is in safety.

17-22. The sparing of Zoar.—17. the mountain] the elevated Moabite plateau, which rises steeply to heights of 2500-3000 ft. from the E side of the Sea.—look not behind thee] Such prohibitions are frequent in legends and incantations; comp. the story of Orpheus and Eurydice (Ovid, Met. X. 51; Virg. Ge. iv. 491); cf. also Virg. Ecl. viii. 102; Ov. Fasti, v. 439.—20. is near enough to flee to].—] a trifle: repeated with a view to the etymology of $22b$.

common oriental euphemism (Kön. ii. p. 404), or dazzling from excess of light (Ac. 9$3$): cf. Hoffmann, ZATW, ii. 68$1$. T$O$ means both 'brightness' and 'blindness'; and in the Talmud Shabriri is a demon of blindness (JE, iv. 517 a). S [Syrian: **], 'hallucinations.'

12. ] The stiff construction has led to various operations on the text. GV seem to have read ; S has. Di. suggests that the letters have been accidentally thrust into the word ; Ho. and Gu. omit in  (so [E]) and commence a new sentence there; Ba. Kit. delete. The text may be retained if we take the first cl. as indirect qn.: 'Whomsoever thou hast here as a son-in-law, and thy sons bring forth,' etc.—At end add with [E]G.—15. ] "rare and poetic" (Di.). Here used as conj. (= ).—] G ; V quas habes.—16. ] f. inf. const.—16b is omitted by G$A, al.$, but is found in many cursives.

17. ] GVS have pl., which is supported by the previous and the following, though the sing. is maintained in the rest of the section.—] for ; G-K. § 107 p.—] five times repeated in the six vv. is thought by Ba. to be a play on the name .—20. ] G +, a slavish imitation of 12$13$.