Page:A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis (1910).djvu/617

 for various suggestions, v.i. Gu.'s trans. 'Then I profaned the couch which he ascended,' at least softens the harsh change from 2nd pers. to 3rd.

The 'birthright' of Reuben must rest on some early ascendancy or prowess of the tribe which has left no traces in history. Its choice of a settlement E of the Jordan (Nu. 32, etc.), shows an attachment to nomadic habits, and perhaps an unfitness for the advance to civilised life which the majority of the tribes had to make. In the Song of Deborah, Reuben is still an important tribe, but one that had lost enthusiasm for the national cause (Ju. 5$15f.$). In the Blessing of Moses it still survives, but is apparently on the verge of extinction (Dt. 33$6$). It was doubtless exhausted by struggles like those with the Hagarenes (1 Ch. 5$10. 18ff.$), but especially with the Moabites, who eventually occupied most of its territory (cf. Nu 32$37$, Jos. 13$16ff.$ with Is. 15, Jer. 48 pass., and Moabite Stone).—The incident to which the downfall of Reuben is here traced (4a_b}) is connected with the fragmentary notice of 35$22$, and is variously interpreted: (1) According to Rob. Sm. KM$2$, 109$2$, Steuer. Einw. 16, Ho., it records the fact that Reuben had misused its power as the leading tribe to assail the independence of a weaker member of the confederation (Bilhah, or one of the Bilhah-tribes),—a rather hazardous speculation. (2) Another theory, not necessarily inconsistent with the former (see Rob. Sm. l.c.), finds a reference to the persistence in Reuben of an old Semitic custom of marriage with the wives or concubines of a (deceased!) father (Di., Sta. GVI, i. 151 f.), which the general moral sense of Israel had outgrown. In this case we must suppose that 49$4$ contains the germ of the legend of which 35$22$, with its particular mention of Bilhah, is a later phase. (3) It is probable that the form of the legend has been partly determined by a mythological motive, to which a striking parallel is found in the story of Phœnix and Amyntor (Il. ix. 447 ff.: quoted above, p. 427).—Metrical Structure. The oracle is better divided as above into three distichs, than (with MT) into two tristichs (so Land, who assigns each to a separate author). The trimeter measure is easily traced throughout (except l. 3) by following the Heb. accents, supplying Maqqeph after and  in v.$4$. Line 3 may be scanned uu'|u'|u' (Siev.).

perhaps 'uncontrollableness' (ut s.).—] For the pausal a, see G-K. § 53 n, and cf. Ru. 2$14$.—4b. No very acceptable rendering of this difficult clause has been proposed. If we follow the accentuation, is obj. of, and a detached sentence: 'Then thou actedst profanely. He went up to my bed'; but apart from the harsh change of person, this is inadmissible, because is never used intransitively. To read with G is perhaps a too facile emendation; and to omit with V is forbidden by rhythm. On the whole it is best (with Gu.) to point, and take as a rel. cl. (v.s.). Other suggestions are: (Land); (Geig. Kit.);  (Ba.); but all these are, for one reason or another, objectionable.