Page:A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis (1910).djvu/564

 it to Pharaoh,—a mixture of the 'realistic' and the 'fantastic' which belongs to the psychology of the dream (Gu.). It is disputed whether the drinking of the fresh juice is realism or phantasy. "The ordinary interpretation is that the king drank the fresh grape-juice; but as the butler sees the natural process of the growth of the grapes take place with dream-like swiftness, so probably it is taken for granted that the juice became wine in similar fashion" (Ben.; so Gu.). On the other hand, Ebers (Durch Gosen z. Sinai$2$, 492) cites two texts in which a beverage prepared by squeezing grapes into water is mentioned.—12, 13. The interpretation: the butler will be restored to his office within three days.—lift up thy head] Commonly understood of restoration to honour. But in view of the fact that the phrase is used of the baker also, it may be doubted if it be not a technical phrase for release from prison (as it is in 2 Ki. 25$27$, Jer. 52$31$).—14, 15. Joseph's petition.—remember me] On the difficult construction, v.i.—from this house] Not the prison (as Vns., below), but Potiphar's house, where he was kept as a slave.—15a. I was stolen] cf. 37$28a$ (E).—the land of the Hebrews] The ex-

Ball emends (after G ) (cf. Jb. 14$9$, Ps. 92$14$); Kit. .—] The masc. does not occur (in this sense) in bib. Heb., and a contraction of to  is doubtful (G-K. § 91 e); hence it is better to read  as acc.: 'it (the vine) went up in blossom.' It is possible that here and Is. 18$5$ means 'berry-cluster'; see Derenbourg, ZATW, v. 301 f.—] lit. 'cooked'; Hiph. only here.—Note the asyndetous construction, expressing the rapidity of the process.—13. —] G  ; similarly VST$O$.—] lit. 'pedestal,' used metaphorically as here in 41$13$, Dn. 11$7. 20. 21. 38$ † .—14. ] G, V tantum memento mei; similarly S and T$OJ$. Something like this must be the meaning; the difficulty is (since a precative pf. is generally disallowed in Heb.) to fit the sense to any known use of the bare pf. (a) If it be pf. of certitude, the nearest analogy seems to me to be Ju. 15$7$, where has strong affirmative force, perhaps with a suppressed adjuration, as 2 Ki. 5$20$ : 'thou wilt surely remember me.' To supply a negative sent. like 'I desire nothing [except that thou remember me]' (G-K. § 163 d; De. Str.), destroys the idea of pf. of certainty, and is a doubtful expedient for the additional reason that may mean 'except,' but hardly 'except that.' (b) It may be fut. pf., in which case the must have its separate conditional sense; and then it is better (with We.) to change to : 'only, if thou remember me.' The objection (De. Di.) that the remembrance is too