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 taken place early in what is known as the Judges' period; and is apparently presupposed here and in Ju. 5$17$.—19. Strictly: 'A marauding band shall attack him, but he shall attack their heel' (rdg., v.i.); i.e., press upon them in their flight. The marauders are the warlike peoples to the E, specially the Ammonites (1 Ch. 5$18ff.$, Ju. 10 f.), who at a later time dispossessed the tribe (Jer. 49$1$). As yet, however, Gad maintains its martial character (cf. 1 Ch. 12$8-15$), and more than holds its own.—20. Asher settled in the fertile strip along the coast, N of Carmel. The name occurs as a designation of Western Galilee in Eg. inscrs. of the time of Seti and Ramses (see Müller, AE, 236 ff.).—fat] Probably an allusion to the oil (Dt. 33$24$) for which the region was, and still is, famous.—royal dainties] fit for the tables of Phœnician kings (cf. Ezk. 27$17$).—21. The verse on Naphtali is ambiguous. Instead of, 'hind,' many moderns read ('a spreading terebinth'). The following cl.: 'giving fair speeches,' suits neither image; on the one view it is proposed to read 'yielding goodly lambs', on the other 'producing goodly shoots'. No certain conclusion can be arrived at.

19. ] The name is here (otherwise than 30$11$) connected with , 'band' (1 Sa. 30$8. 15. 23$, 1 Ki. 11$24$, 2 Ki. 5$2$ 6$23$ etc.), and with [root] , 'assail' (Hab. 3$16$, Ps. 94$21$† ).—] Rd., taking the from the beginning of v.$20$.—20. ] Read with GSV .—] [E] .—21. ] So Aq. V (Jer. Qu.). S and T$J$ probably had the same text, but render 'a swift messenger.' On Jerome's ager irriguus (Qu.) and its Rabbinical parallels, see Rahmer, ''Die hebr. Traditionen in den Werken des Hier.'' p. 55. G seems to imply ; but Ba. dissents.—] After either  or,  would be better.—] 'words,' is unsuitable, and caused S and T$J$ to change the metaphor to that of a messenger. An allusion to the eloquence of the tribe is out of place in the connexion. The reading, 'topmost boughs,' has but doubtful support in Is. 17$6$ (see the comm.). , 'lamb,' is not Heb., but is found in Ass. Phœn. Aram. and Ar. G is traced by Ba. to ; but?—] .—Ba. argues ingeniously, but unconvincingly, that belongs to v.$22$, and that the  of that v. stood originally in $21$. His amended text reads:

Naphtali is a branching vine, That yieldeth comely fruit.