Page:A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis (1910).djvu/411

 The city of Ẓō'ar (G ) was well known, not only in OT times (13$10$ 14$2. 8$, Dt. 34$3$, Is. 15$5$, Jer. 48$34$), but also in the time of the Crusades, and to the Ar. geographers, who call the Dead Sea the Sea of Zuġar. That this mediæval Zoar was at the S end of the lake is undisputed; and there is no good reason to question its identity with the biblical city (see Jos. BJ, iv. 482; OS$1$, 261$37$). Since Wetzstein, it is usually located at Ghōr eṣ-Ṣāfiyeh, about 5 m. SE from the present shore of the Sea (cf. Di. 273; Buhl, GP, 271; Smith, HG, 505 ff.; and esp. Dri. DB, iv. 985b ff.). The situation of the city naturally gave birth to the secondary legend that it had been saved from the fate of the adjacent cities on account of the intercession of Lot; while the name in Heb. readily suggested the etymology of $22b$.

23-28. The catastrophe.—Brevity in the description of physical phenomena is in accord with the spirit of the Hebrew legend, whose main interest is the dramatic presentation of human character and action.—23, 24. The clause when Lot entered Zoar, presupposes $17-22$, and, if the latter be from a separate source, must be deleted as an interpolation (Gu.). The connexion is improved by the excision: just as the sun rose the catastrophe took place (G-K. § 164 b).—sulphur and fire (Ezk. 38$22$, Ps. 11$6$)] a feature suggested by permanent physical phenomena of the region (see below).—Yahwe rained from Yahwe] A distinction between Yahwe as present in the angels and Yahwe as seated in heaven (Di.) is improbable. We must either suppose that the original subject was 'the men' (so Gu.: cf. v.$13$), or that is a doublet to to be a gloss (Ols. KS. Ho. Gu. Kit.).—25. ] see on $29$.—26. Lot's wife transgresses the prohibition of $17$, and is turned into a pillar of salt.
 * the latter phrase, however, is generally considered

The literal interpretation of this notice, though still maintained by Strack, is clearly inadmissible. The pillar is mentioned as still existing in WS 10$7$, Jos. Ant. i. 203; the reference obviously being to some curious resemblance to a female figure, round which the popular

21. ] 'have accepted thee' (lit. 'lifted up thy face': opp. )—here in a good sense (as 32$21$, 2 Ki. 3$14$, Mal. 1$8f.$), more frequent in the bad sense of partiality in judgement (Lv. 19$15$, Dt. 10$17$, Mal. 2$9$, Jb. 13$10$ etc.).

23. ] [E] ; cf. 15$17$.—25. (v.$8$)] G +, as v.$29$.—26. The v. stands out of its proper position (note the [H] consec., and the suffs.), and belongs to $17-22$ rather than to the main narrative (Gu.).—*