Page:A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis (1910).djvu/518

 taken place at the ford ed-Dāmiyeh, a little S of the Jabboḳ, on the road from es-Salṭ to Shechem.—in safety ] after his escape from Esau, E not having recorded the lengthened stay at Succoth. On the rendering of as a proper name, v.i.—encamped in front of the city] in the vale to the E of it, where Jacob's well is still shown (Jn. 4$6. 12$.—19. The purchase of the ground is referred to in Jos. 24$32$ in the account of Joseph's burial. It is significant that Israel's claim to the grave of Joseph is based on purchase, just as its right to that of Abraham (ch. 23).—The Bnê Ḥămôr were the dominant clan in Shechem (ch. 34, Ju. 9$28$).—a hundred ḳĕsîṭāhs] an unknown sum (v.i.).—20. he set up there an altar] or more probably (since is never used of an altar) a maẓẓebāh.—called it 'Ēl, God of Israel] the stone being identified with the deity; cf. 28$22$ 35$7$, Ex. 17$15$, Ju. 6$24$. For heathen parallels, see Mey. INS, 295.

Israel is here the name of the nation: cf. Jos. 8$30$, where Joshua builds an altar on Ebal (E of Shechem) to Yahwe, God of Israel. The stone and its name are undoubtedly historical, and go back to an early time when Shechem (or Ebal?) was the sacred centre of the confederacy of Israelitish tribes (cf. 1 Ki. 12$1$). We cannot therefore conclude with Di. that the v. refers back to 32$29$, and comes from the same document.

with usage; there being no case of a village described as a 'city' of the neighbouring town (De.). We. (Comp.$2$ 316$1$) emends : 'Shechem the city of (the man) Shechem.' Procksch accepts the emendation, but regards the words as a conflation of variants from two sources (p. 34). G distinguishes the name of the city (, see on 12$6$) from that of the man. (, v.$19$ 34$2ff.$).—] as 26$17$.—19. (Jos. 24$32$, Jb. 42$11$ † )] apparently a coin or weight; but the etymology is obscure. GVT$O$ render 'lamb'; and it was thought that light had been thrown on this traditional explanation by the Aramaic Assuan papyri, where (lamb) is used of a coin (of the value of 10 shekels?) (so Sayce-Cowley, Aram. Pap. disc. at Assouan, p. 23). But Lidzbarski (Deutsche Lzg., 1906, 3210 ff.) holds that the word there should be read (found on a Persian weight: PSBA, 1888, 464 ff.).—20. Read  for , and consequently for  (We. al.).—] G .—Except the clause in v.$18$, which is evidently from P, the whole section $18-20$ may safely be assigned to E.