Page:A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis (1910).djvu/504

 uncouth continuation of $48b$, with which in the primary documents it had nothing to do; see further inf.—May God (read so with G) watch] Miẓpāh means 'watch-post.' On its situation, see p. 403.—50. The purport of the covenant, according to E. Jacob swears ($53b$) that he will not maltreat Laban's daughters, nor even marry other wives besides them. The latter stipulation has a parallel in a late Babylonian marriage contract (KIB, iv. 187, No. XI.).—God is witness] The idea is less primitive than that of J, where the witness is an inanimate object.—We observe how the religious sanction is invoked where human protection fails (cf. 20$11$ 42$18$, both E).—51-53a. The terms of the covenant in J: neither party (people) is to pass the cairn with hostile intent. All the reff. to the maẓẓebāh ($51b. 52a. b$) are to be deleted as glosses.—The God of Abraham [Nāḥôr] Whether a polytheistic differentiation of two gods is attributed to Laban can hardly be determined. The pl. vb. would not necessarily imply this in E (see 20$13$), though in J it might.—53b, 54. The covenant oath and feast in E.—The Fear of Isaac] See on v.$42$.—54. his brethren] not Laban and his companions, but his own fellow-clansmen (v.$37$).—spent the night, etc.] Is this part of the religious ceremony? (Gu.).

The Scene of the Treaty.—The name Gil'ād (often with art.) in OT is sometimes applied to the whole region E of the Jordan (Jos. 22$9$ etc.), but more properly denotes the mountain range extending from

[ has met with the approval of several scholars (Ho. Str.); but as the sequence to $45$ we should rather expect. G has , following MT.—] G must be adopted if the v. is rightly ascribed to E.—51. ] G +  (so v.$52$).—] 'which I have thrown up.', 'throw,' is most commonly used of shooting arrows, and only here of piling up stones. Once it means to lay (jacere) a foundation (Jb. 38$6$), but it could hardly be applied to the erection of a pillar. It is an advantage of the analysis given above that it avoids the necessity of retaining the maẓẓebāh as obj. of and rejecting the cairn.—52. — (bis)] The double negative is contrary to the usage of asseverative sentt. (cf. $50$), but may be explained by an anakolouthon (G-K. § 167 b).—] G om.—53. ] [E]GVS .—] G and Heb. MSS om., [E], S. Probably a marg. gloss to $53a$.—XXXII. 1. ] G.