Page:A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis (1910).djvu/622

 'prescriber [of laws]' (GVT$OJ$ al.); but is never so used, and parallelism requires that  should be understood of the commander's staff (Nu. 21$18$, Ps. 60$9$ = 108$9$).—from between his feet] The chieftain is conceived as seated with his wand of office held upright in front of him. The Bedouin sheikhs and headmen of villages are said still to carry such insignia of authority.

The question arises whether the emblems denote (a) kingly authority, or (b) military leadership of the other tribes, or merely (c) tribal autonomy. Dri. (JPh. xiv. 26) decides for (a), because (1), without qualification, suggests a royal sceptre; (2) the last phrase presents the picture of a king seated on a throne; (3) the word in $8b$ most naturally expresses the homage due to a king (cf. 37$7$). But in favour of (c) it might be urged (1) that never has this meaning, and (2) that is the word for 'tribe' (e.g. vv.$16. 28$), and, if the passage be early, is likely to be used as the symbol of tribal independence. The idea of military hegemony (b) is in no way suggested, apart from the connexion with v.$8$, which is dubious. The point has an important bearing on the exegesis of the next cl. If (a) be right, the Davidic monarchy is presupposed, and $10b$ assigns a term to its continuance; whereas, if (c) be right, $10b$ is possibly (not necessarily) a prophecy of David and his dynasty. See, further, the note at the end of this verse.

10b. The logical relation of the two halves of the v. is clear: the state of things described by $10a$ shall endure until

thighs'; and hence T$O$ 'from his sons' sons,' T$J$ 'from his seed.'—10b. —] GΘ. [vars. , etc.]; S ; V donec veniat qui mittendus est (reading : cf. , Jn. 9$7$); T$O$ ; T$J$. This last curious rendering ('the youngest of his sons') is followed by Kimchi and others; and apparently rests on a misunderstanding of ('afterbirth') in Dt. 28$57$ (T$O$ ).—] Only here with impf. With pf. (26$18$ 41$49$, 2 Sa. 23$10$) it always marks a limit in the past ('until'); but alone sometimes means 'while,' both with pf. and impf. (1 Sa. 14$19$, Ps. 141$10$), and so (Ca. 1$12$),  (Pr. 8$26$), and  (Ec. 12$1. 2. 6$): see BDB, p. 725 a. The transl. 'as long as' is thus perhaps not altogether impossible, though very improbable.—] MSS and [E], probably the original text. The scriptio plena may have no better foundation than the common Jewish interpretation , 'his son,'—an impossible etymology, since there is no such word as in Heb., and the two forms which appear to have suggested it (viz., NH = 'fœtus' and = 'afterbirth' [Dt. 28$57$† ]) are obviously superficial and fallacious analogies. The Mass. vocalisation is therefore