^MWOfPRINC^ 
 
 v^OGICAL SE»^^ 
 
 1:13,5 
 
THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
THE 
 
 BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 EDITED 
 
 WITH INTRODUCTION, CRITICAL ANALYSIS 
 
 AND NOTES 
 
 G. WOOSUNG WADE. M.A. 
 
 PROFESSOR OF LATIN AND LECTURER IN HEBREW AT 
 ST. DAVID'S COLLEGE, LAMPETER 
 
 WITH TWO MAPS " 
 
 LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 
 
 LONDON, NEW YORK, AND BOMBAY 
 1896 
 
 All rights reserved 
 
PREFACE 
 
 In this edition of Genesis an attempt has been made, within 
 the limits of a small text-book, to take account of some of 
 the conclusions of recent literary and historical criticism, and 
 to face a few of the questions suggested by such criticism in 
 connection with Christian Theology. 
 
 The translation is based upon the Authorised Version, which 
 has been adhered to as closely as the plan of the book would 
 allow. Of the alterations made, most have been introduced 
 with a view to illustrating the stylistic features upon which 
 the critical analysis in part depends ; but in a few cases what 
 has appeared to be a more accurate rendering of the orioiual 
 has been adopted. In regard to these latter, considerable 
 help has been obtained from the Eevised Version. It is, 
 moreover, to the Eevised Version that all references are made. 
 In certain places, where the Hebrew text appears to be im- 
 perfect, marks of omission have been inserted ; but the order 
 of the verses has been preserved so far as is compatible 
 with an endeavour to distinguish the sources from which it 
 is believed Genesis has been compiled, and no conjectural 
 emendations have been admitted. 
 
 As the book is intended chiefly for English readers, 
 Hebrew characters have not been used, and the discussion 
 of matters of pure scholarship has been purposely avoided. 
 Genesis raises a number of questions which appeal to others 
 besides professed scholars, and it is to these that attention 
 has been principally directed. But an exhaustive treatment 
 
vi PREFACE 
 
 of such questions would not be possible even in a commen- 
 tary of much greater compass than this ; and in the present 
 work only those points have received notice which inevitably 
 force themselves upon the reader, and only such information 
 has been given as is needed for the adequate comprehension 
 of the narrative. The book has no pretensions to learning : 
 if it contributes a little to the candid, but at the same time 
 reverent, study of the Bible, its object will have beeu fully 
 accomplished. 
 
 As it has been thought unnecessary, in a work of this 
 character, to introduce many references to authorities, it 
 is the more incumbent upon me to express here my deep 
 obligations to the writings of Delitzsch, Dillmann, Kuenen, 
 Schrader, Wellhausen, Driver, Kyle, Robertson, Sayce, San- 
 day, Eobertson Smith, Montefiore, Watson, and Westphal. Of 
 these, special acknowledgments are due to Professor Driver 
 and Professor Kuenen, Dr. Dillmann and Dr. Delitzsch. I 
 have also used Mr. Spurrell's Notes on the Hebrew Text of 
 Genesis; the SjJeaJcers Commentary, vol. i., and the volume of 
 Essays entitled Lex Mosaica. Mr. Addis' Documents of the 
 Hexateuch, and Mr. Fripp's Composition of the Book of Genesis, 
 came into my hands after the plan of my own book was 
 formed ; but I owe something to both. In additiou, much 
 help has been obtained from articles in the Encyclopcedia 
 Britannica, the Expositor and the Dictionary of the Bible. 
 But though my indebtedness to others is very great, I have 
 endeavoured to use my own judgment, and from the mass 
 of materials collected have drawn my own conclusions. 
 
 Finally, I have to thank my friend and colleague, the 
 Rev. E. Tyrrell Green, for having most generously placed 
 both his scholarship and his time at my disposal. 
 
 G. W. W. 
 
A D DE N DA 
 
 47, line 26, after "chapter" add: "The name of Chedor- 
 laomer himself has since been discovered, 
 together with that of his ally Tidal (Tudghal). 
 See Sayce, Cont. Rev. for Oct. 1895, p. 482." 
 
 53, „ 23, after "as well as P" add: "Quite recently 
 
 further confirmatory evidence of the early 
 connection of the Hebrews with Babylonia 
 has been furnished by the discovery of con- 
 tract-tablets of the date of Arioch of EUasar 
 (see p. 47), containing such Hebrew names 
 as Abram (Abu-ramu), Jacob-el (Jaqubu-ilu), 
 and Joseph-el (Yasupu-ilu). See Sayce, Cont. 
 Rev. for Oct. 1895, p. 482." 
 
 54, ,, 32, after " century " add : " The inscription, engraved 
 
 on the walls of Karnak, contains a list of 
 places in Palestine captured by Thothmes III. 
 It seems not improbable that the localities 
 referred to got their appellations from having 
 been associated with some historic personages 
 called Jacob and Joseph, though there is, of 
 course, nothing beyond the similarity of the 
 names to connect them with the two patriarchs 
 of the Bible narrative. See Sayce, The Higher 
 Criticism, p. 337.", 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE.i 
 
 B.C. 
 
 The Exodus . . before 1300 
 
 David 1055 
 
 Buildingof Solomon's Temple 1012 
 
 Jeroboam II., king of Israel 786 
 
 Uzziah, king of Judah . . 772 
 
 Amos prophesied . . . 747 
 
 Hosea prophesied . . . 745 
 
 Isaiah began to prophesy . 740 
 
 Ahaz, king of Judah . . 734 
 Micah prophesied . . about 730 
 
 Hezekiah, king of Judah . 727 
 
 Capture of Samaria . . 722 
 Sennacherib's attack on 
 
 Judah .... 701 
 
 Josiah, king of Judah . . 639 
 
 Jeremiah began to prophesy 626 
 
 Kef ormation of Josiah . . 621 
 
 Ezekiel began to prophesy . 592 
 
 Capture of Jerusalem . . 586 
 
 Capture of Babylon . . 538 
 
 Keturn of the Jews . . 536 
 
 Haggai prophesied . . 520 
 Zechariah prophesied . about 520 
 Completion of the Second 
 
 Temple .... 516 
 
 Mission of Ezra . . . 458 
 
 Nehemiah's first 
 Jerusalem . 
 
 visit to 
 
 Homer ?95o 
 
 Legislation of Lycurgus . 884 
 First Olympiad . . .776 
 Foundation of Eome . . 753 
 
 Solon 594 
 
 Pre-Socratic philosophers, after 580 
 
 Herodotus born , 
 Socrates born 
 Laws of XII. Tables 
 
 484 
 468 
 451 
 
 444 
 
 Many of the earlier dates given in this table are uncertain. 
 
THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 CHAPTEE I 
 
 THE LITERARY ANALYSIS 
 
 The book of Genesis is so called from the term 'yeveaa 
 (literally "begetting"), used by the LXX, in ii. 4, s. i, &c., 
 in the sense of "descendants," "posterity." The book is 
 the first part of an historical scheme, comprising Genesis, 
 Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, which 
 relates God's selection of the Israelites as a people to do 
 Him service, and His establishment of them in the land 
 of Canaan (see Josh. xxiv.). As forming an integral por- 
 tion of this more extended whole, Genesis exhibits, in its 
 structure, a definite plan, the earlier part setting forth, by 
 means of a sketch of the first beginnings of things, the place 
 of Israel's ancestry in the early history of the earth, and 
 the latter part describing minutely that ancestry and its 
 fortunes. To the first section belong i.-xi. ; to the second 
 xii.-l. 
 
 But notwithstanding the unity which is observable in 
 Genesis, there are numerous indications in it of its having 
 been constructed, by transcription and compilation, out of 
 other and earlier materials. 
 
 An examination of the book reveals the fact that it abounds, 
 especially in the earlier part, with repetitions. 
 
 I. In some cases the same fact is related twice over, in 
 
4 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 very similar language, in passages whicli are in close 
 proximity to one another — e.g., the following: — 
 
 Genesis v. 3-6. 
 
 And Adam lived a hundred and 
 thirty years, and begat a son . . . 
 and called his name Seth. . . . And 
 Seth lived a hundred and five 
 years, and begat Enosh. 
 
 Genesis iv. 25-26. 
 And Adam knew his wife again, 
 and she bare a son, and called his 
 name Seth. . . . And to Seth, to 
 him also, there was born a son ; 
 and he called his name Enosh. 
 
 And the earth was corrupt before 
 God, and the earth was filled with 
 violence. And God saw the earth, 
 and behold it was corrupt ; for all 
 flesh had corrupted its way upon 
 the earth. And God said unto Noah, 
 The end of all flesh is come before 
 me ; for the earth is filled with 
 violence through them ; and behold, 
 I will destroy them with the earth. 
 
 VI. 5-7. 
 And Jehovah saw that the wicked- 
 ness of man was great in the earth, 
 and that every imagination of the 
 thoughts of his heart was only evil 
 continually. And it repented Je- 
 hovah that he had made man on 
 the earth, and it pained him at his 
 heart. And Jehovah said, I will 
 blot out man whom I have created 
 from the face of the ground. 
 
 vii. 13. 
 
 In the self-same day entered 
 Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and 
 Japheth, the sons of Noah, and 
 Noah's wife, and the three wives 
 of his sons with them, into the ark. 
 
 vii. 7. 
 
 And Noah went in, and his sons 
 and his wife, and his sons' wives 
 with him, into the ark. 
 
 And all flesh expired that creepeth 
 upon the earth, both fowl, and 
 cattle, and beast, and every swarm- 
 ing thing that swarmeth upon the 
 earth, and every man. 
 
 All in whose nostrils was the 
 breath of the spirit of life, of all 
 that was in the dry land, died. 
 
 2. In other instances two accounts are given of the same 
 event which are inconsistent with one another. Such are the 
 following : — 
 
 1. I -11. 4«. 
 
 (The order of creation is (i) vege- 
 tation ; (2) animals ; (3) mankind.) 
 
 ii. 4^-25. 
 
 (The order of creation is (i) a 
 man ; (2) vegetation ; (3) animals ;. 
 (4) a woman.) 
 
THE LITERARY ANALYSIS S 
 
 vi. 18-22. vii. 1-5. 
 
 (The animals preserved consist of (The animals preserved consist of 
 
 one pair of every kind.) seven pairs of clean, and one pair of 
 
 unclean.) 
 
 vii. II and viii. 14. 
 
 (The flood covers the earth for 
 twelve months and ten days. ) 
 
 vii. 12, viii. 10, 12. 
 
 (The flood prevails for sixty-one ^ 
 days.) 
 
 sxvii. 46-xxviii. 2. 
 (Rebekah sends away Jacob to 
 get a wife.) 
 
 XXXV. 10, 15. 
 
 (Jacob's name is changed to 
 Israel at Bethel, and no mention is 
 made of an angel wrestling with 
 him.) 
 
 xxvii. 43-45. 
 
 (Rebekah sends away Jacob to 
 preserve him from the revenge of 
 Esau.) 
 
 xxxii. 28, 30. 
 
 (An angel wrestles with Jacob, 
 and changes his name at Penuel.) 
 
 xxxvi. 6-8. 
 
 (Esau goes to Seir because the 
 land is not sufficient for him and 
 Jacob together.) 
 
 XXXV. 24-26. 
 
 (Benjamin is born in Paddan 
 Aram.) 
 
 xxxu. 3. 
 (Esau is in Seir lefore Jacob meets 
 him.) 
 
 XXXV. 16. 
 
 (Benjamin is born after Jacob 
 leaves Paddan Aram.) 
 
 XXXV. 29. 
 
 (Isaac dies after Jacob has had 
 many sons born to him.) 
 
 xxvii. I foil, (espec. 41). 
 
 (Isaac's death is contemplated 
 before Jacob leaves for Paddan 
 Aram.) 
 
 Further investigation exhibits the additional fact that 
 certain portions of the book are characterised by clearly- 
 marked peculiarities in vocabulary and 'phraseology. The 
 same words repeatedly occur in combination in particular 
 sections which are not found in others, the sections in which 
 they are present often containing a narrative at variance 
 
 ^ The words in viii. 10, "he stayed yet other seven days," imply that a 
 previous period of seven days (subsequent to the forty of verse 6) had 
 elapsed already. 
 
6 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 with that of the sections from which they are absent. Thus 
 the section i.-ii, 4a has the words he fruitful and multiply ; 
 shall he for food for you ; swarm with swarms ; heast of the 
 earth, all of which occur in ix. 1-17. Other characteristic 
 
 phrases of i.-ii. 4a, like these are the generations of , after 
 
 their kind, male and female, recur together in vi. 9-22. In 
 xlvii, 7-1 1 the words sojournings and possession (both rather 
 rare words) are found in close combination, just as they are 
 in xxxvi. 40-xxxvii. i. The word expire is found in vi. 17, 
 vii. 21, XXXV. 29, xlix. 33/ in the neighbourhood of passages, 
 some of which, as has been shown, contain accounts of what 
 is likewise given in other parts of the book. A feature 
 like this, even if it stood by itself, cannot be adequately 
 explained as due to differences in the subject-matter, for 
 many of the words in question do not occur where they 
 might otherwise be expected ; for instance, the phrase 
 after its kind, so common in i., i.-ii. 4a, and vi. 18-22, is 
 absent from ii. 18 foil, (contrast especially ii. 19 and i. 25), 
 and vii. I -5. But appearing, as it does, in connection 
 with a fact equally remarkable, it can only be accounted 
 for on the hypothesis that the book has been compiled from 
 at least two sources. Such a supposition alone sn\\\ explain 
 satisfactorily the existence, side by side, of double records 
 (often mutually incompatible) of the same event, written in 
 styles appreciably distinct. Repetitions and inconsistencies, 
 no doubt, may readily be found in works of which the 
 authorship is confessedly not composite ; '' and the cumbrous 
 nature of the writing materials in use in early times must 
 
 ^ Elsewhere in Genesis, only in xxv. 8, 17, which likewise have points 
 of contact with the other sections quoted. 
 
 - A curious instance of inconsistency occurs in Livy v. iS. Puhlmm 
 Lieinium Calvum trihuniim milltwm creant . . . omnesque deinccps ex collegio 
 eiusdemanni [OfOi B.C.) refici apparebat, L. Titinium, P. Mccnium, Q. Manlium, 
 Gn. Genucium, L. AtiUum. From c. xiii. it appears that L. Titinius was the 
 only one who was a colleague of Licinius in 401. 
 
THE LITERARY ANALYSIS 7 
 
 have rendered the detection and removal of such infinitely 
 more difficult than it is at present. Moreover, for one 
 or two of the alleged discrepancies explanations can be 
 offered, which, if nothing else required to be explained? 
 would be satisfactory enough. But many of the discre- 
 pancies in question baffle attempts at reconciliation ; and 
 the appearance of them, for the most part, simultaneously 
 with a change in the diction, makes it impossible to attri- 
 bute them, as a whole, to carelessness and inaccuracy. 
 It is owing to the association of striking dissimilarities in 
 matter and substance with a number of linguistic peculi- 
 arities that it is so difficult to believe that the duplicate 
 passages in which they occur can be due to the same hand. 
 The characteristic distinctions of the one or other of the sup- 
 posed sources are not, it must be allowed, traceable to the 
 same extent in all the sections which are thought to be 
 derived from them. But a review of those divisions which, 
 both by substance and style, are most easily distinguished 
 from the context supplies a number of criteria, the presence 
 of one or two of which can, in view of the conclusions to 
 which the rest of the narrative points, be reasonably held to 
 indicate the probable origin of the passages where they are 
 found. In certain cases, however, decisive evidence is want- 
 ing, and the distribution of particular verses between the 
 component documents is, in consequence, precarious. 
 
 The sections, which are thus homogeneous amongst them- 
 selves, but easily distinguishable from the rest of the book, 
 have their counterparts in the succeeding books as far as 
 Joshua ;^ and, from the fact that the corresponding passages 
 in Exodus-Numbers contain the Priestly legislation of the 
 first six books of the Bible (sometimes styled the Hexa- 
 teuch), are usually known as the Priestly narrative, and in- 
 dicated by the symbol P. Among the words and phrases 
 ^ See Appendix A. 
 
8 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 whicli are either generally characteristic of P, or, in the case 
 of certain parallel narratives, are distinctive of P's version, 
 are create, after its {their) kind, living creatures, siuarrii 
 {swarms), for food, least of the earth, creeping thing, male and 
 female, heget, expire, all flesh, establish a covenant, make a 
 covenant, he fruitful and multiply, substance, land {days) of 
 thy sojournings, a possessio7i of . . ., gettings, &c} It is also 
 marked by the absence of the Divine name Jehovah {God 
 being exclusively employed), by the repetition of substan- 
 tives in place of pronouns (i. 3, 4, vi. 9), by a legal fulness 
 and precision of statement (instances of which may be seen 
 in X. 20, 31, xvii. 7, 8, 23, 27), and by a careful regard for 
 all statistical and chronological data (see especially xxxvi. 
 and xlvi.). In the arrangement of the matter a clearly 
 defined plan may be detected, the narrative being divided 
 into sections by the recurring formula, These are the genera- 
 tions of . . . (ii. 4 (see note ad loc.), v. i, vi. 9, x. i, 
 xi. 10, xi. 27, XXV. 12, XXV. 19, xxxvi. i, xxxvii. 2). But in 
 Genesis the contents of P consist of little but genealogies 
 and enumerations, except for the accounts of the Creation, 
 the Flood, the institution of circumcision, the purchase by 
 Abraham of the burying-place at Machpelah,. the nego- 
 tiations between Jacob's family and the Shechemites, and 
 the interview between Jacob and Pharaoh. In keeping 
 with the prominence given to circumcision (xvii.) is the 
 mention of other religious observances, like the sabbatical 
 rest (ii. 2-3), and the prohibition of the eating of blood 
 (ix. 4). The writer likewise records the covenants made by 
 God successively with Noah, Abraham, and Jacob ; and a 
 comparison of Exod. vi. 3 with Gen. xvii. i seems to show 
 
 ^ Isolated instances of these words may be found outside the limits 
 assigned to P ; it is the occurrence of these in combination that gives 
 to the passages to which they belong that uniformity of style which 
 suggests a common origin. 
 
THE LITERARY ANALYSIS 9 
 
 that lie intended to exhibit the progress of a Diviae revela- 
 tion marked by the three names God (UloJiim), (the most 
 general word, and hence used in the accounts of ante- 
 diluvian times), God Almighty {El Shaddai), and Jelwvah. 
 
 The portions of the book that remain after the passages 
 which have been assigned to P, either on the score of con- 
 tents or of form, or of both, have been detached, are in 
 point of style very similar. Favourite expressions occurring 
 in them are — to form (for which P has to create), least of the 
 field (P, least of the earth), plant of the field, engender (P, 
 heget), ground or soil (P, usually earth), Mot out (P, destroy, 
 of the Flood), each luith its mate (P, male and female), find 
 grace (contrast the repetition of it in xxxiii. 1-17 with its 
 absence from xxiii.), conceive and bear (P, usually lear alone), 
 shew mercy and truth, enter into (P, establish or make) a 
 covenant, &c. For P's Paddan Aram^ there appears the 
 equivalent Aram Naharaim, and for daughter of Canaan, 
 daughter of the Canaanites. Among other characteristics of 
 the narrative is the mention of altars and acts of worship, 
 and the explanation of the meanings of proper names. 
 
 But when a careful scrutiny of the contents of these 
 sections is made, differences reveal themselves parallel to, 
 though less striking than, those already detected between P 
 and the body of the work. For instance, in xxi. 31 the 
 name Beersheba is connected with the covenant made between 
 Abraham and Abimelech,^ but in xxvi. 33 with the oath 
 taken by Isaac and Abimelech. In xxxv. 18 mention is 
 made of Rachel's death, whereas in xxxvii. 10 she is alluded 
 to as still living. In the narrative of xlii.-xliv., xliii. 21 
 (where the money of each of the brethren is said to have 
 been discovered at the lodging-place, in accordance with 
 the facts of xlii. 27) is inconsistent with xlii. 35 (where the 
 
 ^ Except for the words sware (Heb. shaba) buth of them, the name would 
 naturally be explained by tlie seven (Heb. ,<heba) ewe lambs. 
 
lo THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 money is found at the end of the journey, agreeably with 
 xlii. 25, which states that they were supplied with pro- 
 visions for the way). Inconsistencies such as these point 
 to a diverse authorship, but the resemblance in style is so 
 close that, in the absence of awkward repetitions or glaring 
 discrepancies, it would be impossible to attempt the separa- 
 tion if it were not for one fact. It has already been noticed 
 that P is marked by the absence of the name Jcliovah, but 
 in the section here under consideration the names Jehovah 
 and God are both employed.^ The use of one or other of 
 the two names might in some instances, no doubt, be 
 accounted for by the original distinction between them ; 
 for Jehovah is the proper name for Israel's God, and so 
 would be in place only in narratives specially concerned 
 with the chosen race, or in the mouth of Israel's ancestors 
 in converse with one another; whereas in the intercourse 
 between Israelites and heathens, the more general designa- 
 tion God {Elohim) would naturally be employed (see xxxix. 
 9, xl. 8, xli. 39). The interchange might, in other cases, 
 be plausibly attributed to the desire for variety.^ But it 
 will be seen that these considerations will not explain all 
 the facts.^ In particular sections, beginning with xx., one 
 of the names appears to be uniformly used to the exclusion 
 of the other ; compare especially xviii. and xxiv. with xxi. 
 6-3 la. In only a few cases, indeed, is the use of the two 
 
 1 It must be understood that it is the absolute u.^e of God, unqualified 
 by a genitive or a possessive pronoun, that is referred to. 
 
 '-* E.g., Gen. xxvii. 27, 28. 
 
 •* Thus it might be urged that the name God is appropriate in the dis- 
 cussion between Abraham and the king of Gerar (xx.), and in the inter- 
 course between Joseph and various Egyptians (xxxix. 9, xl. 8, xli. 39); 
 and that the same Divine name is in place in the narrative of Hagar and 
 Ishmael (xxi.), the use of Jehovah being resumed when the historian pro- 
 ceeds with the history of Isaac {e.(j., xxiv.). But in chap. xxvi. Jehovah is 
 employed in connection with foreigners ; whilst in xvii. (except v. i) and 
 xlvi., where, if the names were used significantly, Jehovah might have 
 been expected, God appears throughout. 
 
THE LITERARY ANALYSIS ii 
 
 terms accompanied by a difference in the subject-matter ; 
 but the fact that in the parts which are outside P the word 
 God occurs rarely and irregularly before xx., whilst after 
 that chapter whole sections are characterised by it, seems 
 best accounted for by the assumption that they proceed 
 from different hands. In consequence of this feature, the 
 divisions thus distinguished are indicated respectively by 
 E (for Eloliim) and J (for Jehovah). As, however, the de- 
 marcation between them is often obscure, it is convenient 
 to treat them in conjunction, and the combined sections 
 are usually known as JE.^ 
 
 To the portions of Genesis and the following books which 
 are thus designated, the term Prophetic narrative has been 
 applied by way of contrast to the Priestly narrative sym- 
 bolised by P. The reason for this is the reference which, 
 as will be seen, is made to it by certain of the pre-exile 
 prophets. Abraham is styled a prophet (xx, 7), and special 
 prominence is given in the record to Divine appearances 
 and revelations (xii. i, 7, xv. i foil, xvi. 7 foil., &c.). 
 Predictions by men are described in xxvii. 27, 39, xlix. i, 
 1. 24 ; and the erection of altars and the performance of 
 acts of worship are repeatedly mentioned (xii. 7, 8, xiii. 18, 
 xxii. 9, &c.). In contrast to P, the representation of the 
 Deity is extremely anthropomorphic (see ii. 8, 15, 21, iii. 
 8, xi. 5, 7), bat, in spite of the crudeness of much of 
 the language used, the conceptions which it embodies are 
 elevated and dignified. 
 
 In the Pentateuch and Joshua, taken as a whole, another 
 element appears besides JE and P, viz., the contribution of 
 the Deuteronomist (usually denoted by the symbol D). Like 
 P, D has a very distinctive style ; but as it is almost entirely 
 confined to the books of Deuteronomy and Joshua, it does 
 
 1 It may be noted that E uses maid-servant and sack where J prefers 
 hand-maiden and ixmnier. 
 
12 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 not come within the scope of the present work to do more 
 than mention it. 
 
 That Genesis, and the five books that follow it, should thus 
 be made ujj of extracts taken from different sources, without 
 any explicit indication that such is the case, is not out of 
 harmony with Hebrew usage. In several of the subsequent 
 books there are many passages common to two writers which 
 must either havfe been borrowed by one from the other, or 
 incorporated by both from a third author. Thus, to adduce 
 a few examples only : — 
 
 2 Sam. xxii. is identical with Ps. xviii. 
 
 2 Kings xviii. 13-xx. 19 is identical with Isa. xxxvi.-xxxix. (except 
 
 xxxix. 9-22). 
 Isa. ii. 1-4 is identical with Mic. iv. 1-3. 
 Jer. lii. 1-27 is identical with 2 Kings xxiv. i8-xxv. 21. 
 
 The transcription and incorporation of passages belonging 
 to other compositions has been practised on a still larger 
 scale in the construction of the books of Chronicles, as 
 may be observed from a comparison of the following : — 
 
 1 Sam. xxxi. is identical with i Chron. x. 1-12. 
 
 2 Sam. V. 1-3 ,, „ I Chron. xi. 1-3. 
 
 2 Sam. vii., viii. ,, „ i Chron. xvii., xviii. 
 
 2 Sam. X. ,, ,, I Chron. xix. 
 
 The method which has been employed can be most easily 
 seen from the following parallels, where the common element 
 is indicated by italics : — 
 
 2 Sam. xi. I. i Chron. xx. 1-3. 
 
 And it came to pass, at the return Aoid it came to pass, at the time of 
 
 of the year, at the time when kings go the return of the year, at the time 
 
 out to battle, that David sent Joab, ivhcn kings go out to hattic, that Joab 
 
 and his servants with him, and all led forth the power of the army, 
 
 Israel : and they destroyed the chil- and destroyed the country of the 
 
 dren of Ammon, and laid siege SLgainst children of Amman, and came and 
 
 Rahbah. But David tarried at Jeru- laid siege to Rabbah. But David 
 
 salem. tarried at Jerusalem. And Joed) 
 
 (xi. 2-xii. 25 omitted.) smote Rabbah, and overthrew it. 
 
THE LITERARY ANALYSIS 
 
 2 Sam. xii. 26-31. 
 
 And Joah fought against Rahhah 
 of the children of Ammon, and took 
 the royal city. And Joab sent mes- 
 sengers to David, and said, I have 
 fought against Kabbah, yea, I have 
 taken the city of waters. Now 
 therefore gather the rest of the 
 people together, and encamp against 
 the city, and take it ; lest I take 
 the city, and it be called after my 
 name. And David gathered all the 
 people together, and went to Eab- 
 bah, and fought against it, and took 
 it. And he took the vroicn of their 
 Tcingfrom off his head : and the weight 
 thereof ivas a talent of gold, and in 
 it were precious stones; and it was 
 set on David's head. And he brought 
 forth the spoil of the citi/, exceeding 
 much. And he brought forth the, 
 people that were therein, and put 
 them under saius, and under harrows 
 of iron, and under axes of iron ; and 
 made them pass through the brick- 
 kiln : and thus did he unto all the 
 cities of the children of Ammon. And 
 David and all the people returned to 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 And David took the crown of their 
 king from off' his head, and found it 
 in iveight a talent of gold, and there 
 were precious stones in it ; and it was 
 set upon David's head : and he brought 
 forth the spoil of the city, exceeding 
 much. And he brought forth the 
 people that were therein, and cut 
 them with saws, and with harrows of 
 iron, and with axes. And thus did 
 David unto all the cities of the chil- 
 dren of Amman' And David and al 
 the 'peoptle returned to Jerusalem. 
 
 I Kings xiv. 25-28. 
 
 And it came to pass in the fifth year 
 of King Rehohoam, that Shishak, king 
 of Egypt, came up against Jerusalem : 
 and he took away the treasures of the 
 house of Jehovah, and the treasures of 
 the king's house; he even took aioay 
 all: and he took away all the shields 
 of gold ivhich Solomon had made. 
 And King Rehoboam made in their 
 stead shields of brass, and committed 
 them to the haiuls of the captains of 
 the guard which kept the door of the 
 king's house. And it xvas so, that as 
 oft as the king went into the house of 
 Jehovah, the guard bare them, and 
 brought them back into the guard- 
 chamber. 
 
 2 Chkon. xii. 2-1 1. 
 
 And it came to pass in the fifth year 
 of King Rehoboam that Shishak, king 
 of Egypt, came up against Jerusalem, 
 because they had trespassed against 
 Jehovah, with twelve hundred 
 chariots and threescore thousand 
 horsemen : and the people were 
 without number that came with 
 him out of Egypt ; the Lubim, the 
 Sukkiim, and the Ethiopians. And 
 he took the fenced cities which 
 pertained to Judah, and came unto 
 Jerusalem. Now Shemaiah the pro- 
 phet came to Rehoboam, and to the 
 princes of Judah, thatwere gathered 
 together to Jerusalem because of 
 Shishak, and said unto them, Thus 
 saith Jehovah, Ye have forsaken 
 
14 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 me, therefore have I also left you 
 in the hand of Shishak. Then the 
 princes of Israel and the king 
 humbled themselves ; and they 
 said, Jehovah is righteous. And 
 when Jehovah saw that they 
 humbled themselves, the word of 
 Jehovah came to Shemaiah saying, 
 They have humbled themselves ; I 
 will not destroy them : but I will 
 grant them some deliverance, and 
 my wrath shall not be poured out 
 upon Jerusalem by the hand of 
 Shishak. Nevertheless, they shall 
 be his servants ; that they may 
 know my service, and the service 
 of the kingdoms of the countries. 
 So ShishaJc, ling of Egypt, came up 
 against JerusaJeyii, and took away the 
 treasures of the house of Jehovah, and 
 the treasures of the king's house ; he 
 took all aivay : he took away also the 
 shields of gold which Solomon had 
 made. And King Mekohoam made in 
 their stead shields of brass, and com- 
 mitted them to the hands of the cap- 
 tains of the guard, that kept the door 
 of the king's house. And it was so, 
 that as oft as the king loent into the 
 house of Jehovah, the guard came 
 and iare them, and brought them 
 back into the guard-chamber. 
 
 From these examples it is clear that the chronicler ex- 
 tracted verbatim from the books of Samuel and Kings such 
 passages as suited his purpose, making at the same time 
 some omissions, and incorporating additional material. The 
 sources from which the latter was taken can only be conjec- 
 tured; but it seems probable that in many cases it was 
 derived from the writings of the prophets, to whom he 
 makes repeated reference, e.g., Jehu, Iddo, Shemaiah, &c., 
 the history of the last named being perhaps the origin of the 
 passage interpolated between the 25th and 26th verses of 
 I Kings xiv., as quoted above. In many places the language 
 
THE LITERARY ANALYSIS 15 
 
 used bears the stamp of the chronicler's own age,^ but it is 
 possible that in some instances he has literally copied his 
 prophetic authorities. If so, the books of Chronicles will 
 then have been pieced together from more than a single 
 source.^ Be this as it may, it is manifest that they have in 
 part been compiled by the transcription of isolated sections 
 of at least one earlier work, which is still extant. The pro- 
 cess of composition which the writer of Genesis is thought to 
 have adopted is thus known to have been actually followed 
 by a Jewish historian: the argument only fails of being 
 demonstrative from the fact that the original sources from 
 which it is implied that the narrative was composed cannot 
 be produced. 
 
 The previous condition and history of the constituent 
 parts may, in some degree, be inferred from the resultant 
 combination. If JE is rightly regarded as composite, it is 
 probable, from the fact that a closer connection prevails 
 between its component elements than between the two 
 together and P, that it existed in a separate form before P 
 was united with it. That P was also a separate work, in- 
 corporated with JE by a subsequent writer, aud not merely 
 a supplementary addition made to the latter by the historian 
 himself who transcribed it, is rendered likely by the character 
 of some of the discrepancies. It has already been noticed 
 that in the sections ascribed to P there appears to be repre- 
 sented a progressive revelation of God under the three names 
 Elohim, El Shaddai, and Jehovah. But in the Pentateuch 
 as it stands this is altogether obscured and contradicted by 
 
 ^ See Driver, "The Speeches in Chronicles," in the Expositor for April 
 
 1895. 
 
 - Besides the account of Jehoshaphat's reign, incorporated in 2 Chron. 
 XX. 31-33 from I Kings, a duplicate narrative is given in xvii. 1-6, which, 
 in V. 6, contradicts the statement respecting the high places contained in 
 the other version. The discrepancies between the supposed sources of 
 Genesis thus find a parallel in Chronicles (c/. also 2 Chron. xiv. 5 with xv. 
 17 (from I Kings sv. 14)). 
 
i6 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 the occurrence before Exod. vi. 3 of a passage like Gen. xv. 7 
 [cf. also iv. 26). The inference is, therefore, unavoidable 
 that P once had an independent existence, and was combined 
 with JE by a compiler or redactor, whose general purjDose 
 did not include within its scope this particular object aimed 
 at in one of the writings he used. That E, J, and P, as they 
 are embodied in the Pentateuch, are not comjalete documents 
 will be obvious from a cursory inspection. Prior to xx., as 
 has been said, the name God (EloTiini) is rarely found outside 
 the limits of P ; ^ so that those portions of i.-xix. which do not 
 belong to P seem to be derived almost entirely from J. 
 E's narrative consequently appears without any proper 
 beginning, and has been preserved only in detached frag- 
 ments. The commencement of J's account of the patriarchs 
 is found in xii., to which the previous chapters serve as an 
 introduction, and place the origin of Israel in connection 
 with that of the human race in general. Gaps in the 
 narrative (if the analysis has been correctly effected) are 
 visible between iv. 26 and v. 29 ; vi. 8 and vii. I ; ix. 27 and 
 X. 8 ; xi. 9 and xi. 28 ; xxxiii. 20 and xxxiv. 2&, and else- 
 where. It is likewise easily apparent that P, as it is 
 incorporated in Genesis, is not a complete whole. In the 
 account of the Flood it will be seen that the description of 
 the world as corrupt (vi. 12), following upon the satisfaction 
 with which it is implied (in ii. 3) that God contemplated 
 His creation, involves, as it stands, a most violent transition. 
 The passage xix. 29 refers to an event which demands an 
 explanation, but does not obtain it within the limits of P ; 
 whilst similarly the history of Jacob's acquisitions in Paddan 
 Aram has to be sought for in JE, whose account separates 
 the isolated sections of P given in xxviii. 1-5 and xxxi. 18. 
 Especially towards the close of the book is the history 
 supplied by this source meagre and fragmentary, nothing 
 ' Only in iii. i, 3, 5 ; iv. 25 ; vii. 9 ; ix. 27 {<■/. Grit. Notes). 
 
THE LITERARY ANALYSIS 17 
 
 being said, for instance, of the way in which Joseph was 
 brought into Egypt, or why Jacob and his other sons joined 
 him there. It is clear, therefore, that all three documents 
 were originally more extensive, and that only certain portions 
 of each have been j^reserved, and dovetailed together so 
 as to construct a continuous and evenly-flowing narrative. 
 But the fact that isolated sections of different writings have 
 produced so harmonious a result indicates that the original 
 sources, in spite of discrepancies, must have contained a 
 good deal in common. 
 
 That the compiler, in the selection and rejection of his 
 materials, followed a definite plan is evident from the 
 structure of the so-called Hexateuch (see p. 3). Traces of 
 purpose, too, are observable in the combination of the 
 two names Jehovah and God in Gen. ii. and iii. It would 
 appear, however, that in general the process of uniting 
 the passages excerpted from the sources used has been 
 effected with the minimum of alteration and modifi- 
 cation, though in some cases inconsistencies of statement 
 seem to have been smoothed over by the insertion of 
 connecting links and explanatory notes {e.g., ix. i85, 22). 
 To the work of compilation is probably due the confusion 
 of characteristics which is visible in certain sections, which, 
 though unmistakably belonging, by their general colour, to 
 one document, contain words and phrases distinctive of 
 another (see vi. 7, vii. 7-10, xvii. i, xxi. it). To the same 
 may be assigned the glosses which are found here and there 
 throughout the book {e.g., xiv. 2, 3, &c., xxxi. 53, xxxv. 
 19, xlviii. 7), whilst the resemblance to the style of Deut- 
 eronomy, noticeable in xxvi. 5, is probably likewise to be 
 attributed to it. But whilst the compiler's hand is thus 
 clearly discernible in numerous passages, it is quite possible, 
 if not probable, that the compiler may so successfully have 
 caught the style of his materials that his handiwork cannot 
 
i8 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 now be detected. In certain passages the only criteria 
 which are available for assigning them to their respective 
 sources are so slight that the accidental substitution, by 
 the compiler or a copyist, of one word for another might 
 materially affect the division. Such considerations are not 
 sufficient to throw doubt upon the general results arrived 
 at, especially with regard to the detachment of P, between 
 which and the rest of the book the difference in vocabulary, 
 literary style, and contents is so pronounced that it is 
 impossible not to recognise that they must have had a 
 separate origin, and that their limits are clearly traceable. 
 But they cannot but impair the confidence with which 
 the conclusions of critics are entertained in respect of sec- 
 tions where the data are few and of one kind. More parti- 
 cularly between J and E are the dividing lines difficult 
 to draw with any precision; and consequently in the text 
 the two are left in combination, though in the critical notes 
 attempts have been made to distinguish between them, where 
 the materials for so doing appear adequate. 
 
 The question of the authorship of Genesis is involved in 
 that of the authorship of the Pentateuch as a whole. Tradi- 
 tion has generally assigned it to Moses, though the work, as 
 it stands, confessedly cannot proceed from him, since it con- 
 tains the account of his death (Deut. xxxiv.) ; ^ whilst the 
 expression unto this day (Deut. ii. 22, iii. 14), attached to 
 certain statements, could only have been used when the facts 
 described had long become a matter of history. The short 
 explanations added to local names (Deut. iv. 48 and else- 
 where) also indicate that the earlier appellations put into the 
 mouth of Moses had been forgotten by lapse of time ; whilst 
 there are certain passages which imply the settlement of 
 Canaan and the establishment of the monarchy : e.g.. The 
 
 1 According to Jewish tradition, tl:e last eight verses of Deuteronomy 
 were added by Joshua. 
 
THE LITERARY ANALYSIS 19 
 
 Canaanite was then in the land (Geu. xii. 6, xiii, 7 ; cf. Deut. 
 ii. 10-12); These are the kings that reigned in the land of 
 Udom before there reigned any king over the children of Israel 
 (Gen. xxxvi. 31). Most of these passages, indeed, can easily 
 be detached from the context and explained as the insertions 
 of revisers or copyists. But when all such are excluded, 
 there remain others which are scarcely in keeping with 
 Mosaic authorship, and yet are too closely interwoven with 
 the texture of the narrative to be readily separated. That 
 Moses is always spoken of in the third person certainly 
 proves nothing in view of the parallel furnished by Csesar's 
 Commentaries ; but certain phrases employed seem very 
 inappropriate if used by Moses himself : e.g., Tlic man Moses 
 was very great in the land of Egypt (Exod. xi. 3) ; The man 
 Moses was very meek, above all the men that ivere ujjon the face 
 of the earth (Num. xii. 3). What look like references to 
 later history are also observable in Exod. xv. 1 3 ; Deut. xxxiii. 
 4, 5 (R.Y. margin), 7, 2yh. But with the analysis of the Penta- 
 teuch into the sources described, the question whether, in its 
 existing shape (with all allowances made for possible addi- 
 tions and glosses), it can be the work of Moses, seems more 
 decisively settled. If the fact is established that it is com- 
 piled from at least three different documents, distinct in 
 style and vocabulary, the belief that Moses was its author 
 must be abandoned, for the documents in question each 
 contain portions of the legislation attributed to him. If the 
 divergent phraseology, upon which the theory of component 
 documents in part depends, was confined to Genesis, the view 
 that Moses himself was the compiler of them might be enter- 
 tained. But the fact, previously noticed, that it extends 
 throughout the Pentateuch, puts it out of the question ; for 
 it is incredible that Moses should have written different 
 sections of his own memoirs in such strikingly dissimilar styles 
 as those of JE and P, where there is no sufficient variety in 
 
20 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 their subject-matter to account for such a marked change in 
 the language. And when the book of Joshua is likewise 
 found to be constructed from the same three sources, and 
 to constitute (with the Pentateuch) one single work, it is 
 clear that the compiler must have lived after the settlement 
 in Canaan and the death of Joshua (which he records), and 
 a fortiori considerably after the time of Moses. 
 
 A more exact determination of his date, however, is a 
 difficult question. The compilation must obviously be later 
 than the three sources used, but the times when these were 
 severally written can only be conjectured. Such indications 
 as are obtainable in regard to the point are furnished by (i) 
 the internal evidence afforded by each ; (2) the relations 
 observed to exist between them when comjDared with one 
 another; (3) the references made to their contents in the 
 subsequent history, and the resemblance in style found 
 to prevail between them and other writers whose dates are 
 approximately known. 
 
 I. Mention has already been made of passages which 
 imply a knowledge of Israelite kings. If it appears that the 
 books in which these occur are certainly later than Moses' 
 time, there is no reason for regarding them as tke additions 
 of a reviser; and they may therefore be considered to 
 indicate that the documents in which they are found are, 
 in their present form, subsequent to the institution of the 
 kingdom. This, it is needless to say, does not imply that all 
 their contents were unknown previously. On the contrary, 
 that a large part of what is included in Exodus-Deutero- 
 nomy is of Mosaic origin is clear from (a) the universal 
 belief of later times that Moses was the founder of the 
 Jewish legal system ;i (b) the mention of records drawn up 
 
 ^ It has been observed that in the earlier of the subsequent books of the 
 Old Testament Moses appears as the giver, but not as the writer, of the 
 law (Judges iii. 4 ; 2 Kings xxi. 8, xxiii. 25). A written law of Moses, 
 
THE LITERARY ANALYSIS 21 
 
 by Moses in connection with the legislation of JE (Exod. 
 xxiv. 4, 7) and Deuteronomy (xxxi. 9),^ and with the 
 itinerary contained in Num. xxxiii. (P) ; (c) the witness of 
 the historical books to the existence, from the times of the 
 Judges onwards, of many of the distinctive institutions and 
 usages of each of the three documents.^ 
 
 2. A comparison of the laws contained in JE, D, and P 
 shows that whilst they have many elements in common, 
 these are nevertheless accompanied by several striking diver- 
 gences.2 Some of these might be explained, no doubt, as 
 due to corrections and modifications suggested by experience 
 within Moses' lifetime ; and it is noteworthy that inconsis- 
 tent laws occur within P itself.* But the differences are 
 of too serious a character to be explained altogether in this 
 way, especially as all the enactments between Exod. xx. and 
 Num. X. 10 are compressed within a space of less than a 
 year (see Exod. xix. i ; Num. x. 1 1, 12) ; and they suggest, of 
 themselves, that the laws are not all Mosaic, but are the out- 
 come of a legislative activity extending over a much longer 
 period than that covered by a single life. If the work of 
 Moses lay at the root of Jewish legislation, it is intelli- 
 gible that oi'dinances subsequently laid down should have 
 been amalgamated with previous provisions, without any dis- 
 tinction being drawn between what proceeded from Moses 
 
 indeed, is mentioned more than once (i Kings ii. 3 ; 2 Kings xiv. 6), the 
 reference being to Deuteronomy ; but it is not until 2 Chiron, xxv. 4 that 
 the expression " the law, the book of Moses," occurs, the allusion again 
 being to Deuteronomy. On the other hand, the whole of the Pentateuch 
 is nowhere ascribed to Moses in the Old Testament. 
 
 ^ That much of D's substance is of early date is further shown by its 
 containing provisions which could only apply to the times of Moses and 
 Joshua; e.g., the injunctions to give no quarter to the Canaanites (vii. 
 1-5, XX. 16-18), and the reference to Amalek (xxv. 17). Cf. also the 
 allusions to Egypt in vii. 15, xvii. 16; and to Egyptian usages in xi. 10, 
 xxv. 4. 
 
 2 See Appendix B. ' See Appendix C. 
 
 •* Cf. Num. viii. 24 beside Num. iv. 3 ; Exod. xxxviii. 25-31 beside Exod. 
 XXX. 12-16 ; Lev. xvi. 18 beside Exod. xxx. 10. 
 
2 2 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 himself and what was a later development of his principles. 
 Deuteronomy (which purports to be an account of the address 
 given by Moses at the close of the forty years' wandering in 
 the wilderness, see i. 1-3) repeats the greater part of the 
 regulations of JE, most of the modifications observable being 
 explicable in view of the approaching entrance into Canaan, 
 whilst the historical review it contains is likewise mainly 
 based upon the narrative of the latter. But between D and 
 P the relations are more complex. On the one hand, 
 Deut. xiv. 4-20 is almost identical with Lev. xi. 2-20, the 
 style showing that the latter is the original; whilst there 
 seem to be several allusions to facts which P alone mentions.^ 
 On the other hand, the discrepancies between the laws of D 
 and P in general are numerous and considerable, the impres- 
 sion they produce being that P has been elaborated from D 
 rather than that D has been simplified from P. This points 
 to the conclusion that whilst JE is earlier than D, parts of P 
 are later. The actual date of D, however, has not been satis- 
 factorily determined ; for though it cannot be subsequent to 
 the time of Josiali, in whose reign a copy of it was found in 
 the Temple, and whose reforms in 621 B.C. were based upon 
 it,- it is difiicult to decide how much earlier it may have been 
 
 ^ E.g., i. 23 {twelve men, cf. Num. xiii. 2), i. 37 (Num. xx. 12), i. 38 
 (Num. xxvii. 12-23), ^- 3 («" «''^' of acacia wood, Exod. xxv. 10), x. 5 (Exod. 
 xl. 20), X. 22 (Gen. xlvi. 27), xxiv. 8 (Lev. xiii. and xiv.). With regard to 
 these, it will be seen that to many of the passages referred to parallels 
 existed in JE ; and it is therefore possible that the allusions are really 
 to statements made by JE, which the compiler has omitted in favour of 
 the narrative of P. 
 
 ^ Its identity with the book found in Josiah's reign in the Temple is 
 clear from (a) the correspondence between 2 Kings xxiii. 2 and Deut. 
 xxix. I ; 2 Kings xxiii. 3 and Deut. vi. 17 ; 2 Kings xxiii. 21 and Deut. 
 xvi. I ; ih) the fact that Josiah's reforms were on the lines of Deuteronomy, 
 e.g., the destruction of pillars and Asherim [cf. Deut. xii. 3, xvi. 21), and of 
 the houses of the sodomites {cf. Deut. xxiii. 17), the abolition of the high 
 places and other unauthorised seats of worship {cf. Deut. xii. 2, 13), the 
 putting down of the priests who burnt incense to Baal, and to the sun, 
 moon, and planets, and host of heaven {cf. Deut. xvii. 2-5), and the defile- 
 ment of Topheth (Deut. sviii. 10). 
 
THE LITERARY ANALYSIS 23 
 
 composed. Comparison of the documents consequently only- 
 helps to settle the order of their succession, and does not 
 furnish a clue to anything more precise.^ 
 
 3. In the succeeding historical books allusions occur to 
 customs and institutions described in all parts of the Pen- 
 tateuch indiscriminately. But in many cases, where the 
 laws of P are inconsistent with those contained in the other 
 documents, it will be found that the practice of the times of 
 the Judges and Kings agrees with the latter, the regulations 
 of P being ignored under circumstances which seem to pre- 
 clude the supposition that such neglect was due to wilful 
 or accidental disobedience. ^ This confirms the conclusion 
 already reached that P, as a whole, is of late origin, whilst 
 JE is relatively early. But precise allusions, such as indicate 
 a knowledge of the documents themselves, are not found 
 even in the case of JE until the eighth century. The 
 writings of the prophets Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, and Micah 
 are the first which display acquaintance with the actual 
 narrative of JE.^ From this it appears that the document 
 in question cannot be later than 750 B.C., and between this 
 date and the beginning of the monarchy (in the eleventh 
 century B.C.) its composition may reasonably be placed. 
 
 D only comes under notice here so far as it affects the 
 date of JE and P. It has already been stated that it was 
 certainly composed before 621 B.C., and probably much 
 earlier. Whether it was used by the prophets of the eighth 
 
 1 The denunciation of planet-worship has been held to point to the 
 reign of Manasseh, who was the first of Judsean monarchs who is recorded 
 to have practised it (2 Kings xxi. 3). But the worship is mentioned in 
 connection with Israel considerably earlier (2 Kings xvii. 16), so that it 
 must have been a danger to Judah before the reign of Hezekiah. The 
 restriction of the worship of Jehovah to a central sanctuary (upon which 
 Deuteronomy insists so strongly, see xii. 5 foil.) was enforced by Hezekiah, 
 according to 2 Kings xviii. 4, 22, so that there seems reason for thinking 
 that the book was in existence at least as early as his time. 
 
 * See Appendix D, ^ See Appendix E. 
 
24 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 century is perhaps doubtful. The passages which most 
 nearly reflect its language are given in Appendix E. 
 
 In regard to P, Amos and his contemporaries show here 
 and there some resemblance to its phraseology, and still 
 nearer parallels occur in Jeremiah, who began to prophesy 
 at the end of the seventh century.^ But Ezekiel, whose 
 proi:)hetic work began in 592 B.C., and whose writings are 
 later than 570, is the first who exhibits a close acquaintance 
 not with P's contents only, but also with its actual wording. 
 As will be seen from Appendix E., much of the distinctive 
 vocabulary of P is met with in Ezekiel. This similarity of 
 style between P and the post-exilic prophet may be ex- 
 plained in more than one way ; but, on the v/hole, there is 
 some plausibility in the view that it was during the Captivity 
 that P assumed its final shape, and parts have been thought 
 to be even later than Ezekiel's time. A post-exilic date is 
 also favoured by the points of contact with it found in the 
 latter half of the book of Isaiah, and in Haggai and Zech- 
 ariah ; and the only actual quotation from it in the historical 
 books is made by the writer of the books of Kings (i Kings 
 xviii. 31). 2 The references to it in pre-exilic writings (if 
 they may be regarded as certain) are best accounted for by 
 supposing that portions of it existed in writing at -an earlier 
 period.3 It has been suggested that Ezra was the final 
 editor of the Pentateuch, and united together the various 
 documents of which it is composed. Such a conjecture 
 seems not improbable in view of the description of him in 
 Ezra vii. 6 as "a ready scribe in the law of Moses," and of 
 the story in the Apocryphal 2 Esdras (xiv. 21, 22) that he 
 
 1 See Appendix E. 
 
 * Since 2 Kings describes the end of the Jewish kingdom, it must have 
 been written subsequently to its overthrow. 
 
 3 Many critics, liowever, hold that P was virtually completed before the 
 Exile, though perhaps not widely circulated, or regarded as authoritative 
 {rf. Driver, IntrocL, p. 134). 
 
THE LITERARY ANALYSIS 25 
 
 re-wrote the law which had been destroyed ; ^ but there 
 exists no trustworthy evidence bearing upon the point. 
 
 Of the conclusions reached in this chapter respecting the 
 composition and date of Genesis, the uniform reference by 
 the writers of the New Testament to statements in the 
 Pentateuch as proceeding from Moses {e.g., Rom. x. 5 = Lev. 
 xviil 5) cannot be regarded as a disproof. There seems to 
 be no reason for sujaposing that more authority attaches to 
 their views respecting the authorship and date of the Jewish 
 Scriptures than to those of their contemporaries. In the 
 case of our Lord the question is more serious ; but our 
 ignorance of the manner in which the union of the divine 
 and human natures in Him was adjusted seems to warrant 
 a refusal to consider His adoption of the current language 
 of His time as decisive of its accuracy. In certain cases, 
 at any rate, the countenance He gave to popular views was 
 clearly nothing more than the accommodation necessary to 
 render Him intelligible to his hearers. ^ His ascription to 
 Moses of passages taken alike from JE (Mark vii. io = Exod. 
 XX. 12, xxi. 17), P (Matt. viii. 4 = Lev. xiv. 3, 4, ic), and D 
 (Matt. xix. 8 = Deut. xxiv. i), seems to be of this kind, and 
 does not appear to preclude the inferences drawn in the 
 preceding pages. 
 
 ^ The passage goes on to ascribe to Ezra the writing, in addition, of 
 all the canonical books, and of seventy others besides. The number 204 
 in ver. 44 seems to be an error for 94 (given by many of the versions), 
 which is made up of the twenty-four canonical books, and the seventy 
 mentioned in ver. 46 (see Driver, Introd., p. xxx.). 
 
 ^ K(/., in His address to the Canaanitish woman, "It is not meet to 
 take the children's bread, and cast it to the dogs" (Matt. xv. 26), "the 
 dogs " being a term of contempt applied by the Jews to the Gentiles at 
 large. See Sanday, Inspiration, p. 419. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 THE MYTHS 
 
 The book of Genesis, by the break between chaps, xi. and xii., 
 is divided, as has been said, into two halves, which, though 
 they have certain features in common, are yet broadly dis- 
 tinguished from one another. The section from chap. xii. 
 onwards, though it contains much that is marvellous, never- 
 theless describes personalities which are sufficiently lifelike, 
 and experiences which are for the most part sufficiently 
 consistent with general probability, to make the question 
 of its historic value deserving of serious consideration. On 
 the other hand, the first eleven chapters, though they con- 
 tain a certain amount of circumstantial detail, and allude 
 to certain well-known localities, are obviously of a different 
 character, their contents bearing a strong resemblance to 
 the myths of other nations. Such myths are the conjectural 
 explanations with which primitive races satisfy their curio- 
 sity about such of their surroundings and experiences as 
 excite their wonder, interest, or awe. They profess especially 
 to account for the existence of the world and its inhabitants, 
 for the occurrence of fortunate and calamitous events, for 
 the development of the arts, and for the observance of rites, 
 customs, and usages. They are stories, produced in good 
 faith, to answer the questions about things in general which 
 the earliest exercise of reflection cannot fail to suggest. To 
 this class of mental creations the early narratives of Genesis 
 appear to belong. They represent the ideas prevalent among 
 the Hebrew race concerning the beginnings of the earth and 
 
THE MYTHS 
 
 27 
 
 man, of sin and sorrow, and of the diffusion of mankind. 
 Of some of them the full significance is obscure, not more 
 perhaps from our ignorance of the precise occasions which 
 suggested them than from our inability to enter into the 
 state of mind which gave them form and shape. But, in 
 general, the problems of which they attempt to supply a 
 solution are familiar enough, and show, as might be ex- 
 pected, that Jewish history begins, like that of most other 
 nations, with cosmogonical and racial legends. 
 
 Into a discussion of such legends it would be unnecessary 
 to enter, if it were not, on the one hand, for the resemblance 
 which, in some cases, exists between them and the results 
 of modern scientific inquiry, and, on the other hand, for the 
 influence they have had in moulding theological theories. 
 Under such circumstances it is perhaps desirable to treat 
 somewhat at length the three principal narratives of (i) the 
 Creation, (2) Paradise and the Tall, (3) the Flood. 
 
 I. The Creation Story. 
 
 In Genesis two descriptions of the Creation occur, one in 
 i.-ii. 4«, derived from P, the other (into which the account 
 of Paradise enters) in ii. 4^-25, taken from JE. In the 
 former, the most prominent features of the universe (the 
 light, the sun, moon, and planets, the earth, the sea, the 
 sky), and the chief occupants of the earth (fishes, reptiles, 
 birds, beasts, and man, together with vegetation), are divided 
 into groups, and their creation is represented as taking place 
 in chronological succession. The arrangement adopted is a 
 natural and luminous one, though in no sense scientific. 
 The earth is the centre round which the action revolves, and 
 the other parts of the universe are viewed in relation to it. 
 The various stages of the Creator's work are marked by the 
 simplest, commonest, and most strongly marked division of 
 
28 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 time employed in connection with human labour, viz., the 
 day. The process through which the earth came into its 
 present condition is represented as being a gradual one, and 
 the order observed in it approaches (it has been said) more 
 nearly to that recognised by geologists and biologists than 
 that of any other cosmogony. The production of both animal 
 life and vegetation is ascribed to the earth and waters, 
 in virtue of the command of God. There is nothing to 
 imply that only a single pair of each kind was conceived 
 as created ; the phrase of i. 20 points the other way. At 
 the end of the series of creative acts, as the climax to 
 which the process of the world's making leads, man is in- 
 troduced. As it is mainly in their bearing upon the needs 
 of earth that the sun and moon are regarded, so the earth 
 itself with its creatures is made subservient to man, whilst 
 the vegetable world is assigned to him for meat. In the re- 
 striction both of man and of the lower animals to a vegetable 
 diet, an element of idealism is introduced into a description 
 the details of which do not otherwise go beyond what a 
 superficial review of Nature might suggest. 
 
 The alternative version from JE is much less comprehen- 
 sive in character. It is not marked by any division of time, 
 and is concerned chiefly with the creation of iiian, birds 
 and animals, and woman. It deals more minutely with the 
 creative process than the other document, attributing the 
 fertilisation of the earth to the rain, and regarding man as 
 formed from the dust, and woman from one of man's ribs. 
 The lowly origin thus ascribed to man is a striking contrast 
 to the dignified account in i. 27; and the passage in iii. 5 
 (also from J) seems likewise to be inconsistent with P's 
 narrative in c. i. It is further implied that only a single 
 pair of human beings was made, from whom the whole 
 human race descended. This account also differs from the 
 preceding (i) in the order of creation, or at least in the 
 
THE MYTHS 
 
 29 
 
 different position assigned to man, who is here the centre 
 rather than the climax of creation ; (2) in the incomplete 
 specification of the animals, water animals and reptiles 
 being omitted. 
 
 The foreign myths to which the stories at the beginning 
 of Genesis are most nearly allied are those of the Babylonians, 
 part of whose legend of the Creation, as deciphered from 
 the clay tablets^ found at Kouyunjik, the site of the ruined 
 city of Nineveh, is given below : - — 
 
 " When on high the heavens proclaimed not, and earth 
 beneath recorded not, a name, then the abyss of waters was 
 in the beginning their generator, the chaos of the deep 
 (Tiamat) was she who bore them all. Their waters were 
 embosomed together, and the plant was ungathered, the 
 herb (of the field) ungrown. When the gods had not 
 appeared, any one (of them), by no name were they recorded ; 
 no destiny (had they fixed). Then were the (great) gods 
 created, Lakhmu and Lakhamu issued forth (the first), 
 until they grew up (and waxed old), when the gods Sar and 
 Kisar were created. Long were the days (until) the gods 
 Anu (Bel and Ea were created), Sar (and Kisar created 
 them). . . . 
 
 "He (i.e., the god Merodach) prepared the mansion of 
 the great gods ; he fixed the stars that corresponded with 
 them, even the twin-stars. He ordained the year, appoint- 
 ing the stars of the Zodiac over it : for each of the twelve 
 months he fixed three stars, from the day when the year 
 issues forth to (its) close. He founded the mansion of the 
 Sun-god who passes along the ecliptic, that they might 
 know their bounds, that they might not err, that they might 
 not go astray in any way. . . . 
 
 1 The tablets date from the seventh century B.C., but the substance of 
 what is recorded on them is believed to be very much older. 
 ^ See Sayce, The Higher Criticism and the Monuments, p. 63 foil. 
 
30 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 "He illuminated the Moon-god that he might be watch- 
 man of the night, and ordained for him the ending of the 
 night that the day may be known. . . . 
 
 " At that time the gods in their assembly created (the 
 beasts). They made perfect the mighty (monsters). They 
 caused the living creatures (of the field) to come forth, the 
 cattle of the field, (the wild beasts) of the field, and the 
 creeping things (of the field). (They fixed their habitations) 
 for the living creatures of the field. They distributed (in 
 their dwelling-places) the cattle and the creeping things 
 of the city. They made strong the multitude of creeping 
 things, all the offspring (of the ground)." 
 
 The points of resemblance between the two accounts which 
 are specially noticeable are (i) the existence, before the 
 creation of heaven and earth, of a surging chaos, to which 
 similar names are applied (Bab. tiamat, Heb. tcJiom) ; (2) the 
 absence of vegetation (Gen. ii. 5) ; (3) the creation of the 
 stars, their connection with the years and months, and the 
 appointment of the moon to preside over the night (c/. Gen. 
 i. 14-16) ; (4) the subsequent creation of the living creatures, 
 subdivided into living creatures of the field, cattle of the 
 field, and creeping things (Gen. i. 24). A term answering 
 to the Hebrew " Sabbath " is also found in the inscriptions, 
 and, like the Hebrew word, designates the seventh day as a 
 day of rest.^ 
 
 But in spite of these many common features, the reli- 
 gious conceptions which pervade the Chaldasan and Biblical 
 narratives are very different, (i.) The Chaldtean record is 
 polytheistic, and the first passage quoted above is followed 
 in the inscriptions by the account of a conflict between the 
 gods and Tiamat ; whereas the Bible recognises only one 
 
 1 Some authorities explain it to mean a day of jiropitiat'wn. In the 
 Assyrian calendar, the 7th, 14th, 19th, 21st, and 28tli days of the month 
 had a sacred character, and were regarded as inauspicious for the per- 
 formance of certain acts. (See Davis, Genesis and Semitic Tradition, p. 25.) 
 
THE MYTHS 31 
 
 God. In place of the belief in a number of contending and 
 antagonistic powers presiding ov^er the world, there is sub- 
 stituted that of a single sovereign will, creating and con- 
 trolling it. The plural form of the Hebrew word God may, 
 indeed, preserve a trace of earlier polytheistic conceptions 
 {cf. also i. 26), but the almost uniform use of it with a 
 singular verb indicates that the idea of the unity of God 
 was firmly grasped.^ Such a conception obviously makes 
 for the intelligent comprehension of the universe, and gives 
 coherence and purpose to the diversity pervading it. (2.) 
 In the Chaldaean legend, though the gods are represented 
 as creating the planets and the inhabitants of the earth, yet 
 they themselves emerge from the primeval chaos ; and the 
 terms in which the latter is spoken of are suggestive of a 
 dualism against which the constant repetition in the Bible 
 of the Divine fiat before each stage of the creative process 
 seems to be a protest. From the beginning of Genesis 
 onwards the pre- existence of God is assumed ; and though, 
 it is true, no explanation is given of how chaos came into 
 being, yet it is throughout represented as wholly inert 
 and passive, possessed of none of the spontaneous powers of 
 generation attributed to it in the Babylonian inscriptions. 
 It is only in consequence of the utterance of the Divine 
 will that the earth puts forth vegetation and the waters 
 swarm with living creatures. The distinction which is 
 thus drawn between God and the matter upon which He 
 works further shows that the Biblical account is free from 
 the pantheism which merges God in Nature. The spirit of 
 G od, whilst operating through, first, chaos, and, subsequently, 
 the ordered universe, is nowhere confused with the material 
 substratum which subserves His purposes. 
 
 1 The same plural form, however, is also used of the individual heathen 
 deities Chemosh, Dagou, Ashtoreth, &c. (Judges xi. 24 ; i Sam. v. 7 ; i 
 Kings xi. 5). See Robertson, Early Religion of Israel, p. 503. Similarly, 
 the plural Teraphim is used of a single image in i Sam. xix. 13. 
 
32 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 Valuable, however, as the general conception of creation, 
 contained in Gen. i., is from a philosophical and religious 
 standpoint, the account given is not free from errors of detail. 
 That its statements are inconsistent with the scientific theory 
 of the earth's origin which is at present generally accepted 
 will be clear from a brief comparison. According to this 
 view (which is associated with the name of Laplace), the 
 solar system, of which the earth forms part, was evolved 
 in the course of ages from an intensely heated and lumi- 
 nous mass of gaseous matter, rotating on its own axis, and at 
 the same time gradually contracting. In the process of 
 contraction some of the outlying portions of this nebulous 
 vapour became detached, whilst retaining the rotary motion 
 of the original aggregate. These slowly cooled and con- 
 solidated, forming the planets and their satellites ; whilst 
 the central mass, still incandescent, concentrated and be- 
 came the sun. The earth, like the other planets, was thus 
 at first a fiery cloud ; subsequently, the denser parts of this 
 passed into a liquid condition ; whilst, still later, a solid crust 
 was developed on the surface, the whole being enveloped in 
 a humid atmosphere which poured torrents of water upon 
 the newly-formed earth. The deposition of sediment in the 
 primeval seas produced the layers of rock which He above 
 the lowest igneous formations ; life made its appearance ; 
 and in successive geological periods (so far as they can be 
 separated) molluscs and crustaceans, fishes, reptiles, mar- 
 supial mammals, birds, and finally the mammalia in general, 
 followed each other. At all the life-epochs vegetation 
 existed ; though it was comparatively late before the humbler 
 species, such as mosses and ferns, were replaced by more 
 complex varieties, trees appearing contemporaneously with 
 the larger reptiles and birds. From this it will be seen that 
 the general resemblance which (as already noticed) exists 
 between the account given in Gen. i. and the conclusions 
 
THE MYTHS 33 
 
 of physical science, is accompanied by the following dis- 
 crepancies : — 
 
 (l.) Light is created on the first day, whereas the sun is 
 created on the fourth ; and though it is possible that light 
 existed before the nebulous matter, from which the solar 
 system has been evolved, underwent condensation, and 
 though it is certain that the earth has cooled faster than 
 the sun, yet it is improbable that the earth made such pro- 
 gress in its cooling as to support vegetation (created, accord- 
 ing to Genesis, on the third day) before the luminous matter 
 inside its orbit could be collected into a definite sun. It 
 may be noticed, also, that the interchange of day and night 
 is mentioned before the creation of the sun. 
 
 (2.) If the term day be taken figuratively to mean a con- 
 siderable period of time, and the animals created on succes- 
 sive days be compared with those which existed at successive 
 geological epochs, it will be found that aquatic animals and 
 birds are represented as created on the same day, whereas, 
 according to the record of the rocks, fishes, small reptiles, 
 insects, and marsupial mammals all appear before birds. 
 
 (3.) According to Genesis, vegetation is created on the 
 third day, preceding by tivo days the appearance of animals 
 on the earth, whilst the evidence of geology shows that 
 throughout they existed together ; though, at the same time, 
 it may be argued that some kinds of plants must have pre- 
 ceded the earliest animals, as being necessary for their 
 subsistence, and that the geological evidence is incomplete. 
 But the principal obstacle in the way of reconciling Gen. i. 
 with the conclusions of physical science is not so much 
 the difficulties connected with particular statements, insur- 
 mountable as these seem to be, as the general character of 
 its language, which, when interpreted naturally, gives a sense 
 remote from that which it is attempted to extract from it.i 
 
 ^ Cf. Driver, The Cosmogony of Genesis (in the Expositor for January 1886). 
 
 C 
 
34 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 II. The Story of Paradise and the Fall. 
 
 The narrative of Paradise and the Fall is derived entirely 
 from JE. Its position between those of the Creation and 
 the Flood, both of which have counterparts in the stories 
 recorded on the Babylonian monuments, would, by itself, 
 suggest that it belongs to the same group of legends ; and 
 considerable confirmatory evidence has been adduced by 
 Assyriologists. The name Eden was, by the Hebrew writers 
 who used it, naturally associated with a word in their own 
 language signifying delight ; ^ but there seems reason to sup- 
 pose that it is really identical with a word occurring on the 
 inscriptions which means field or plain. Names of rivers 
 corresponding to three (the Hiddekel, Gihon, and Euphrates) 
 out of the four described as "going out of Eden to water the 
 garden" (ii. lo), and a term which seems to answer to the 
 word translated onyx-stone in ii. 12, are also found on the 
 monuments. The cherubim which are placed as sentinels 
 to keep the way of the tree of life resemble in their function 
 the winged bulls and lions with human faces found among 
 the ruins of Nineveh, which guarded the gateways of the 
 city's palaces and temples (cf. note on iii. 24). Sacred trees 
 are likewise depicted ; and there has been found the repre- 
 sentation of a man and woman seated upon either side of 
 a fruit-tree, to which they are stretching out their hands, 
 whilst a serpent is coiling upwards behind the woman.^ In 
 addition to this, the fragment of a legend has recently been 
 deciphered, which runs as follows : ^ " The great gods, all of 
 them determiners of fate, they entered, and, death-like, the 
 god Sar filled. In sin one with the other in compact joins. 
 
 ■* Cf. the LXX. of iii. 23 ; 6 Trapctoetcros rris Tpvipijs. 
 2 Figured in Davis, Genesis and Semitic Tradition. 
 ^ Sayce, The Mir/her Criticism, p. 104. 
 
THE MYTHS 
 
 35 
 
 The command was established in the garden of the god. 
 The fruit they ate, they broke in two, its stalk they de- 
 stroyed ; the sweet juice which injures the body. Great is 
 their sin. Themselves they exalted. To Merodach their 
 Redeemer he appointed their fate." 
 
 But the obscurity in which the meaning of the Biblical 
 narrative is involved is only partially removed by these com- 
 parisons. In particular, what has been discovered throws 
 little light upon the conception of the tree of the knowledge 
 of good and evil, and the tree of life, the idea symbolised by 
 the serpent, and the relation of the serpent to the Deity. 
 
 The surroundings of the Garden of Eden are, as maybe 
 inferred from what has been said, Babylonian, though the 
 mention of the fig-tree (which is not common in Babylonia ^) 
 indicates that the legend has been Hebraised ; and the 
 description is such that it is impossible to point out any site 
 corresponding to it. No actual state of things can be shown 
 to answer to the picture of the river, which, at its exit from 
 the garden, became divided into four branches, among which 
 the Euphrates and Tigris (Hiddekel) are included ; for these 
 certainly do not spring from the same source or separate ofi 
 from one parent stream. What streams are meant by the 
 Pishon and Gihon is not known ; some of the attemjDted 
 identifications are mentioned in the note on ii. lo, but none 
 of them can be regarded as free from difficulty. 
 
 Viewed as it stands, the conception of Paradise seems to 
 fall into line with the fables prevalent among other nations 
 of a Golden Age.^ In speculating upon the past history of 
 the human race, it was not unnatural for an ancient people 
 to think that man, as the creation of God, should have 
 enjoyed at first a measure of divine happiness; and the 
 
 ^ Cf. Hdt. i. 193 : rot 7a/) 5r; 6XKa oivopea ov5e TreipdraL dpxvv <pipeiv oCre 
 ■<TVKeT)v, ovre dfiireXop, oijre eXai-qv. 
 
 - See Hesiod, Works and Days, 108 foil. 
 
36 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 account of the Fall appears to be an attempt at explaining 
 the transition from such an age of happiness to the hard 
 conditions of present experience.^ It is, however, the en- 
 trance into the world, not of death, but of pain and sorrow, 
 which the narrative, to all appearance, endeavours to account 
 for ; for that the man and woman, when in the garden, 
 are not regarded as altogether exempt from death, is clear 
 from iii. 22, where "living for ever" is represented as being 
 secured only by the eating of the tree of life ; nor is this 
 irreconcilable with ii. 17, where the threat of death plainly 
 means an end which is untimely and not in the course of 
 nature. The penalty which is conceived as inflicted upon 
 the guilty pair is the suffering without which neither the 
 fruit of the body nor the fruit of the soil can be obtained. 
 The sin which was punished by the cursing of the ground 
 and the expulsion from Eden is, it is clear, regarded as 
 something more than an act of simple disobedience to the 
 command of God : it is viewed as an act of rebellion and an 
 encroachment upon the jDrerogatives of Deity. According 
 to the representations of the tempter, the effect of eating 
 the forbidden fruit upon the man and woman is that they 
 will become as God [cf. iii. 22) ; and the pair, after eating, 
 are no longer on a level with the beasts, naked and not 
 ashamed. 
 
 That the tempter should be the serpent is not out of 
 keeping with the place animals in general, and the serpent 
 in particular, occupy in the mythology of other races. 
 Mysterious powers, alike for good and for evil, were asso- 
 ciated with it both in legend and symbolism among the 
 peoples of early times, a belief to which its peculiar shape 
 
 ^ In Hesiod the transition is effected by stages of degeneration. The 
 Golden age is succeeded by the less perfect, but still ruoderately happy, 
 age of Silver ; and that, in turn, by the Brazen age, by the age of Heroes, 
 and lastly, by the Iron one of toil and privation and shortened days. 
 (Hesiod, Works and Days, 127-201.) 
 
THE MYTHS 37 
 
 and habits may have, in the first place, given rise. In 
 Greece it was the emblem of -<3Esculapius, the god of healing ; 
 and a figure of it appears in a similar connection in the book 
 of Numbers (xxi. 8 foil.). In Genesis, however, the serpent 
 appears as a malevolent creature, antagonistic and hostile to 
 the Deity. Parallels to such a conception are found among 
 the ancient Persians, who associated the serpent with Ahri- 
 man, the principle of evil;-^ and are also said to exist among 
 the Hindoos. The express identification of it with the 
 Spirit of evil does not appear in the Bible until the Apocry- 
 phal book of Wisdom (ii. 24), from which it is repeated in 
 Eev. xii. 9, xx. 2 {cf, also Rom. xvi. 20). 
 
 The divergence between the account of primitive man 
 given in chap. ii. foil, and the established positions of science, 
 together with the resemblance that so many parts of these 
 chapters bear to the myths of other nations, make it im- 
 possible to treat their contents as trustworthy history. The 
 evidence of geology, philology, and archaeology points to 
 the conclusion that man has existed upon the earth for a 
 period which (it seems probable) must be reckoned by tens 
 of thousands of years, and has slowly emerged from a state 
 of utter savagery. The age of iron implements has been 
 preceded by one of copper and bronze, and that, in turn, by 
 one of flint and stone ; whilst, prior to the last, man may 
 have been, in his habits, but little removed from the wild 
 animals by which he was surrounded. Quite apart from 
 speculations as to his still earlier history, it seems clear 
 that man's primitive condition was not one of harmony and 
 happiness, but of fierce conflict against opposing forces. 
 That the several races, in spite of the many differences 
 between them, have been developed from one stock is a 
 theory which the general similarity between them renders 
 probable ; but there is nothing to show that they have all 
 1 Delitzsch, Ncxo Commentary on Genesis, i. p. 151. 
 
38 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 descended from a single pair. The belief, however, that all 
 men are the offspring of Adam and Eve, that by the trans- 
 gression of the latter, sin, with death as its consequence, 
 entered the world, and that from the initial corruption of 
 human nature in them there has been transmitted to the 
 succeeding generations a proneness to evil which may or 
 may not result in actual sin in the case of individual men, 
 colours the theological teaching of St. Paul, and is worked 
 by him into his doctrine of the Atonement (see Kom. v.). 
 Consequently, if such a belief is inadequately supported, 
 the Apostle's presentment of the truth in question requires 
 in some respects to be modified. Instead of the definite 
 act of disobedience ascribed to Adam and his wife, the 
 first violation, on the part of primitive man, of his incipient 
 sense of right must be regarded as the source of whatever 
 of moral evil may be considered as inherited. By such a 
 substitution, the parallelism drawn between the heritage of 
 evil entailed by the earliest members of the human race 
 upon their posterity, and the divine grace infused by 
 Christ into all who will receive it through the appointed 
 channels, is not destroyed, though the symmetry of the 
 comparison between the one " through whose disobedience 
 the many were made sinners " and the One " throKgh whose 
 obedience the many shall be made righteous" (Eom. v. 19) 
 is somewhat marred. The reality of sin, the consequent 
 estrangement between God and man, the necessity of 
 redemption, and the method of its accomplishment, are 
 subjects which are not affected by modern views respect- 
 ing the historical trustworthiness of what is recorded in 
 Genesis. That record, if not true to history, nevertheless 
 embodies ideas which are true to moral experience. Though 
 there is much in the world that makes for evil, though 
 man is surrounded by influences which appeal strongly to 
 his lower nature, and sometimes render temptation over- 
 
THE MYTHS 39 
 
 whelming, yet sin, after all, is not a matter of necessity. 
 The story of the Fall insists upon the truth of human 
 responsibility. It offers, further, a true explanation of, at 
 least, a large part of physical evil. Much of it, as there 
 depicted, is traceable to sin, either directly or indirectly. 
 The moral, mental, and physical sides of man's nature are 
 so closely intertwined together, that defect in one pro- 
 duces defect in the others ; and the consequences are per- 
 petuated by inheritance. 
 
 The words in which it is foretold that enmity is to exist 
 between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman 
 seem to express primarily the antipathy with which the 
 serpent is, for the most part, regarded by the human race. 
 The expressions used — "it shall bruise thy head, and thou 
 shalt bruise his heel" — are specially fitted to describe the 
 methods of attack pursued by the two foes. But since the 
 serpent is something more than a mere serpent, since it is 
 the instigator of disobedience to the commands of God, the 
 words of the text seem to indicate a prolonged struggle 
 between the tempter and the tempted, and to hint at a 
 hardly-won triumph of the latter. Thus there comes, at 
 the close of the history of sin, a gleam of hope. The 
 world it contemplates and endeavours to explain is not 
 looked upon as utterly forlorn and miserable. Divine 
 mercy, in dealing justice to the offenders, still holds out 
 a prospect of eventual mastery. If, indeed, the words 
 alluded to stood alone, the construction thus put upon them 
 might seem questionable. But in reality they are not 
 isolated words; they enter into, and form part of, a series 
 in which anticipation of a distant triumph over the powers 
 of evil grows clearer and more confident. The narrative 
 in Genesis, as the creation of an early and simple age, 
 does, no doubt, present a view of things in many resjjects 
 out of date ; but the subsequent history of the Jewish 
 
40 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 race invests it with an interest which otherwise perhaps 
 would not attach to it ; and, in the light of events, it is 
 not unnatural to identify the seed of the woman with Christ, 
 the Son of Mary. 
 
 The narrative at the end of Genesis ii. which describes 
 how, at the first, only a single pair of human beings was 
 created, and which asserts emphatically the closeness of 
 the bond existing between husband and wife, has largely 
 influenced the views taken of marriage in subsequent times. 
 With the recognition of the true value of the early chapters 
 of Genesis as evidence for the circumstances under which 
 mankind first appeared upon the earth, the worth of this 
 account as a record of actual events falls to the ground. In 
 the rude and wild state in which primitive man must have 
 lived, polygamy rather than monogamy probably prevailed ; 
 and the existence of it among the ancestors of the Hebrews 
 themselves finds a place in the patriarchal history (Gen. 
 XXV. 6, xxix. 23, 28) as well as in the narrative of Lamech 
 (iv. 19). The true basis, however, upon which the practice 
 of monogamy and the maintenance of the marriaga tie as 
 indissoluble (except for the most urgent reason) repose, is 
 independent of early historic usage. It consists mainly in 
 (l) the equality of the rights which, as persons, husband and 
 wife have over each other in the contract into which they 
 enter ; (2) the practical evils which attend lax relations 
 between the sexes. In view of these considerations, the 
 conception of marriage presented in Gen. ii., if abstracted 
 from the historical narrative in which it is embodied, appears 
 the true one, namely, that it is an abiding union until death 
 between one man and one woman ; and the view thus ex- 
 pressed has for Christians been ratified by the authority of 
 Christ (Matt. xix. 4-6 = Mark x. 6-8). 
 
THE MYTHS 
 
 III. The Flood Story. 
 
 Of the Flood two accounts are preserved in the Bible by 
 JE and P respectively. The two narratives are at one in 
 representing it as a punishment for sin (vi. 5-7, 13), in the 
 command given to Noah to preserve, by means of an ark, 
 himself, his house, and a few of every kind of living creature, 
 and in the total destruction of the rest, both of man and 
 beast. But they difEer in (i) the number of animals pre- 
 served, JE making it, in the case of the clean animals, seven 
 pairs, and, in the case of the unclean, one pair ; whilst P, 
 ignoring the distinction of clean and unclean, speaks only of 
 "two of every sort ;" (2) the duration of the Flood, which 
 according to JE lasted sixty-one days, but according to P a 
 year and ten days. A minor variation is observable in the 
 fact that JE attributes the catastrophe solely to a downfall 
 of rain, whilst P mentions "the breaking up of the fountains 
 of the great deep," as well as " the opening of the windows 
 of heaven." 
 
 An account of a Flood, in miany respects parallel to the 
 Biblical record, occurs in the Cuneiform inscriptions. The 
 chief actor in it is called Hasisadra, and he is represented as 
 telling the story of his wondrous deliverance to the hero 
 Izdubar. The following is an abstract of his narrative : ^ — 
 
 In the city of Surippak, on the Euphrates, the gods Ann, 
 Bel, and others assembled, and (seemingly at the instigation 
 of Bel) resolved to bring about a flood ; and their determina- 
 tion was communicated to Hasisadra by one of them. The 
 god bade him build a ship of certain dimensions, and take 
 refuge in it, together with his family and slaves. What was 
 necessary for subsistence was to be stored within the ship, 
 whilst cattle and wild beasts of the earth were likewise to be 
 
 ^ Sayce, I. c. p. 107. 
 
42 
 
 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 gathered into it to preserve the seed of life. Hasisadra 
 built the ship as commanded, making divisions inside it, and 
 pitching it within and without ; and then entering in with 
 all his possessions, including his silver and gold, he closed the 
 door, and intrusted the vessel to the helmsman. Then the 
 .storm-god Eimmon thundered ; his violence reached the 
 heaven, and the light was turned to darkness. All life 
 perished : men knew not one another ; brother no longer 
 looked ujoon brother ; and the gods in heaven were fright- 
 ened and wept. The flood lasted six days and nights, and 
 Hasisadra watched the corpses floating upon it like the 
 trunks of trees ; but on the seventh it began to subside, 
 until after another seven days the ship rested on the moun- 
 tains of Nizir. On the seventh day Hasisadra sent forth, 
 first, a dove, which, finding no resting-place, returned ; next, 
 a swallow, which likewise returned ; and, lastly, a raven, 
 which went to and fro, devouring the dead bodies, and did 
 not return. Then Hasisadra sent forth the animals in all 
 directions, and offered a sacrifice on an altar built on the 
 peak of the mountain. The gods inhaled the savour, and 
 gathered to it like flies. Thereupon the great goddess 
 (Istar), at his approach, lighted up the rainbow which Ann 
 had created. Bel, still retaining his anger, cried, "'Let none 
 come forth alive ; " but was appeased by the other gods, who 
 urged that the sinner, and not the righteous, should suffer 
 the penalty of his sin, and men should be diminished by 
 wild beasts or by famine, and not by a flood. Bel then 
 came to the ark and blessed Hasisadra, and he and his 
 family were removed to a distant spot at the mouth of the 
 rivers to dwell as gods. 
 
 When the above is compared with the accounts of JE 
 and P, it will be seen to agree, in matters of detail and 
 graphic touches, with the former rather than the latter. 
 Among the points of contact with JE are (i) the purpose 
 
THE MYTHS 43 
 
 of the ark's building — viz., " to keep seed alive " (vii. 3) ; 
 (2) the closing of the door of the ark (vii. 16); (3) the 
 sending forth of the birds (viii. 6- 1 2); (4) the offering of 
 the sacrifice (viii. 20). The agreement with P (as distinct 
 from JE) is limited to the description of the building of the 
 ark (vi. 14-16). There are, however, several discrepancies 
 between the Chalda3an account and that of Genesis. (i) 
 The duration of the Flood is not in accord with either JE or 
 P, and is limited to fourteen days. (2) The vessel used to 
 preserve life is so far a ship (and not an ark) that it is in 
 charge of a steersman. (3) The slaves, as well as the family, 
 are preserved. (4) Three birds are sent forth, and no long- 
 intervals separate their despatch. (5) The landing-place of 
 the vessel is not " the mountains of Ararat " (which over- 
 looked the plain of the Araxes), but Nizir, which lay beyond 
 the Tigris. (6) The religious colouring of the story is 
 different. The Cuneiform account is steeped in polytheism ; 
 and the conception of the Flood as a punishment for sin 
 appears only at the close, whereas in the story of the Bible 
 the utmost prominence is given to it. 
 
 The Biblical and Chaldsean Flood stories, if considered by 
 themselves, might with some probability be regarded as 
 having been suggested by the occurrence of one of the 
 inundations to which the locality to which they belong — the 
 Euphrates valley — is exposed. Both the Euphrates and the 
 Tigris frequently overflow their banks in consequence of 
 the melting of the snow in the highlands of Armenia and 
 Kurdistan, and the effects of the flood are liable to be 
 greatly intensified by the coincidence of a hurricane from 
 the Persian Gulf. The event of a local inundation of a 
 more than usually destructive character might easily give 
 rise to a tradition of the total submergence of the world (in 
 the sense which that word bore to a primitive people) ; and 
 this might be regarded as an adequate account of the matter, 
 
44 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 if it were not for the existence of deluge stories in other 
 places, notably in Greece and Phrygia, China, India, North 
 America, and some of the Pacific islands. ^ They agree 
 generally in representing the world as destroyed by water, 
 and mankind as propagated afresh from a few individuals 
 saved from destruction, either by escaping to a mountain 
 or island which remained uncovered, or by taking refuge in 
 a boat or raft ; and the close resemblance between this and 
 the Biblical account, extending in some instances to the 
 number of persons saved, and the prominence given to a 
 dove,^ has led to its being questioned whether they are not 
 all independent traditions of some world-wide catastrophe. 
 The occurrence, however, of a universal deluge since the 
 time when the large terrestrial animals, and such marine 
 creatures as can only live in shallow waters, came into 
 existence, seems precluded by the evidence of geology ; and 
 the true relation between the Flood stories of different 
 nations to one another awaits, as it seems, a complete 
 explanation. 
 
 The swift and overwhelming ruin which the Flood is 
 represented as having brought upon a guilty people was 
 adduced by our Lord to illustrate the suddenness of "the 
 coming of the Son of Man " (Matt. xxiv. 37 = Luke' xvii. 26). 
 The parallelism drawn between the two events loses nothing 
 of its effectiveness if the flood was in reality a catastrophe 
 far less extensive than it was popularly imagined to be ; 
 for the point of the comparison lies in the unexpectedness, 
 and not in the universality, of the destruction involved. 
 There can, however, be little doubt that by the Jews who 
 heard Him Christ must have been understood to think of 
 the Flood in the same way as themselves; and it seems 
 
 ^ Egypt seems to be a noteworthy exception. 
 
 - See Kawlinson, Historical Illustrations of the Old 2'cstament, p. 
 18 foil. 
 
THE MYTHS 45 
 
 quite possible that our Lord, as man, really shared the 
 popular belief. Ignorance of the truth in regard to such 
 matters may have been part of the humiliation and self- 
 emptying which was inseparable from the Incarnation. As 
 it has been phrased, He may have condescended not to 
 know.i 
 
 ^ Quoted from Dr. Gregory Smith in Sanday's Oracles of God, p. iii. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 THE PATRIARCHAL HISTORY 
 
 Of the several sources from which Genesis is compiled, 
 reasons have been shown for believing that P did not arrive 
 at its present condition until after the time of the Exile 
 (B.C. 586) ; whilst the compound document JE, though much 
 earlier than this, contains indications of having been written 
 after the establishment of the monarchy (pp. 23-24). The 
 last event to which allusion is made in Genesis is the death 
 of Joseph, and consequently the date of the earliest docu- 
 ment of which it is composed must be separated from the 
 history which it professes to chronicle by an interval long 
 enough to allow of the growth of the Israelitish settlement 
 in Egypt into a body able to effect its escape from the 
 bondage to which it had been reduced, as well as to cover 
 the conquest and occupation of Canaan and the period of 
 the Judges. If the tenth century be the earliest in which 
 JE can be assumed to have been written, and the" date of 
 the Exodus be placed in the fourteenth century B.C. under 
 Menephthes, some six centuries must be reckoned to have 
 elapsed between the occurrence of what is related in the 
 last chapter of Genesis and the dra-wing up of the record, 
 even- if the sojourn in Egypt be estimated at the 215 years 
 implied by the LXX. of Exod. xii. 40, and not the 430 of 
 the Hebrew text. In what degree an account which is so 
 far from being contemporary may be relied upon must be 
 decided by the probability or otherwise of its writers having 
 possessed and used earlier materials of trustworthy char- 
 acter. That authorities existed for the later part of the 
 
THE PATRIARCHAL HISTORY 47 
 
 narrative (Exodus-Joshua) is clear from the express re- 
 ference made to writings drawn up by Moses (Exod. xvii. 
 14, xxiv. 4, 7 ; Num. xxxiii. 2 ; Deut, xxxi. 9), to the 
 "Book of the Wars of Jehovah" (Num. xxi. 14), and to 
 the "Book of Jashar" (Josh. x. 13). In connection with 
 what is related in Genesis no citation of authorities occurs, 
 so that with regard to the sources from which the bulk of 
 the book is derived no direct testimony is available. The 
 trustworthiness of the history it contains has, consequently, 
 to be estimated from the evidence which exists for the early 
 use of writing, and from a review of the character of the 
 record itself. 
 
 Proof of the practice of writing at a very early period is 
 forthcoming from various quarters. That it was in use in 
 Egypt before the time of Moses is shown by the existence 
 of hieroglyphics of a date prior to the Exodus; and a 
 number of clay tablets recently found at Tel-el-Amarna, 
 upon which are inscribed, in Cuneiform characters, letters 
 from Babylonian kings to Egyptian governors in Syria and 
 Palestine, testify to a considerable literary culture in the 
 East during the fifteenth century B.C. Further, an Assyrian 
 inscription has been discovered which contains names, one 
 of which, Eriaku of Larsa, has been identified with the 
 Arioch of Ellasar mentioned in chap, xiv., whilst another, 
 Kudurmabug, has its analogue in the Chedorlaomer (Kudur- 
 lagamar) that finds a place in the same chapter. , feiaku 
 was a Babylonian prince, who was overthrown by a king 
 Khammurabi, who, according to native chronologists, reigned 
 from B.C. 2356 to 2301. Kudurmabug was an Elamite, who 
 made himself master of Babylonia, and extended his con- 
 quests to the Mediterranean. It seems likely, therefore, 
 that the substance of the chapter was actually taken from 
 some early written source, belonging to a time when Baby- 
 lonian kings held sway over Palestine, its antiquity being 
 
48 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 evidenced by the numerous glosses wliich it was found 
 necessary to insert in it.^ Certain other passages relating 
 to Babylonia also reflect a condition of things remote from 
 that which existed at the time of the Israelitish monarchy. 
 Thus, whereas in xi. 28 Ur is described as belonging to 
 the Chaldees (Hebrew Chasdim, a name for the Babylonians 
 common in the age of the prophets ; see Jer. xxi. 4, xxv. 
 12), in x. 8 Nimrod, "the beginning of whose kingdom 
 was Babel," is represented as the son of Cush ; which 
 implies that he belonged to the Kassi, who held sway 
 over Babylonia from 1806- 12 30 B.C.^ (c/. also ii. 13), The 
 antiquity which thus appertains to the description of 
 Nimrod probably attaches also to the narrative respecting 
 the building of Babel in xi. 1-9, and the account of Eden 
 in chap. ii. The conclusion that some of the materials of 
 the Biblical history have thus been derived from Cunei- 
 form sources finds a curious confirmation in the fact 
 that an explanation is thus obtained of the way in which 
 the people, who in Gen. xiv. 5 are associated with the 
 Rephaim and called Zuzim, having their dwellings in Ham, 
 are, in Deut. ii. 20, termed Zamzummim and placed in 
 the territory of Ammon. Certain Cuneiform characters 
 severally admit of two values ; and if the statements in 
 Genesis and Deuteronomy are taken from a Cuneiform 
 original, a slight error in transliteration would account for 
 the difference in the names both of the peoples and the 
 places.^ The existence of written memorials in Canaan at 
 the time of the Israelite conquest seems to be implied in 
 the appellation Kiriath Sepher, "city of books," the earlier 
 name of Debir (Judges i. 11). In Arabia inscriptions have 
 been found belonging to the Mineeans and Sabteans, the 
 latter of whom have been traced back to the eighth century, 
 
 1 Sayce, I. c. p. 164 foil. - Ibid., p. 148. 
 
 ^ Ibid., p. 160. 
 
THE PATRIARCHAL HISTORY 49 
 
 whilst the former were probably earlier; and it has been 
 conjectured that the list of Edomite kings (in chap, ssxvi.) 
 may have been derived from a parallel source.^ On the 
 other hand, none of the inscriptions that have been dis- 
 covered contain any allusion to the people of the Hebrews 
 or to the events recorded in Genesis. All, therefore, that 
 can be regarded as established is that there is no intrinsic 
 improbability in the belief that for the events of the 
 patriarchal age written authorities existed. It remains to 
 consider how far the narrative itself presents throughout 
 the aspect of authentic history. 
 
 The most striking feature observable in Genesis is that 
 it purports to be the history of a family, not of a nation ; 
 whereas it is only when a family has developed into a 
 nation that historical records come into existence. The 
 habit of drawing up narratives of past and present occur- 
 rences grows with the increasing greatness of the com- 
 munity ; but the commencement of it implies the previous 
 attainment of a certain degree of importance, such as a 
 single household could lay no claim to. In ancient times, 
 states and kings might have their scribes and recorders 
 to relate their doings ; but family life, such as that of the 
 patriarchs is, for the most part, represented as being, would 
 scarcely find contemporary chroniclers. Of the insignifi- 
 cant beginnings from which tribes and nations have sprung 
 we usually find nothing but uncertain reminiscences, handed 
 down originally by word of mouth, and only receiving a 
 fixed and definite form when the developed community is 
 sufficiently conscious of its greatness to demand a history 
 of itself. Consequently, such a precise account of the 
 origin of the Israelites as that preserved in Genesis is 
 likely, by reason of its very precision, to be the product 
 of a later age than that to which it relates. 
 ^ Sayce, I. c. p. 46. 
 
50 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 In the next place, the prevailing genealogical cast of the 
 history is suspicious. The identification of the chief peoples 
 of the ancient world with the descendants of the sons of Noah 
 which is made in chap, x., and which has been recognised 
 as parallel to the practice observable in Greek and other 
 legends of referring various races to eponymous heroes, is 
 suggestive of the principle which has been followed in draw- 
 ing up the narrative that succeeds. The same idea — that 
 every nation is descended from an individual ancestor — 
 dominates the history of the Edomites, Ishmaelites, Midian- 
 ites,^ Moabites, and Ammonites. This gives an artificial 
 character to the narrative, which prevents it from being 
 accepted as wholly trustworthy. Nations result usually 
 from the aggregation of smaller bodies, and the gradual 
 blending together of different stocks, rather than from the 
 natural increase of one individual household ; and though, 
 in parts of the relation, the patriarchs are credited with a 
 retinue of servants and bondsmen large enough to form the 
 nucleus of a tribe, yet these heterogeneous elements do not 
 come under the historian's consideration when tracing the 
 development of the people of Israel from the family of 
 Jacob. Another indication of unnaturalness is to be found 
 in the repetition of the number twelve in connection with 
 the families of the patriarchs, Nahor (xxii. 20-24), Ishmael 
 (xxv. 13 foil.), and Jacob (xxxv. 22) all having twelve sons. 
 Such traces of a systematic arrangement in the genealogical 
 tables throws doubt upon the details which are intermingled 
 with them ; and render it probable that, whatever may be 
 the historic traditions which have been embodied in the 
 narrative, they have been to some extent manipulated and 
 made symmetrical. As has been already observed, genea- 
 
 ^ It is noteworthy that whilst Medan and Midian are represented as 
 sons of Abraham (xxv. 2), Midianities (or Medanites) appear as a tribe 
 engaged in traffic in the time of his grandson Jacob (xxxvii. 28, 36). 
 
THE PATRIARCHAL HISTORY 51 
 
 logical particulars come principally from P, though they are 
 not wholly absent from JE. 
 
 A further difficulty is furnished by the chronology. In 
 xvii. 17 Sarah is represented as being ninety years of age, 
 yet in xx. 2 she is sought in marriage by Abimelech, the 
 king of Gerar. According to xxv. 26, Isaac was sixty when 
 Jacob and Esau were born, and according to xxvi. 34 must 
 have been a hundred when Esau married, Jacob, according 
 to the natural sense of xxvii. 46, being sent to Paddan Aram 
 immediately afterwards lest he should follow his brother's 
 ■example. But this was subsequent to the deathbed scene 
 described in chap, xxvii., when Isaac, according to xxxv. 28, 
 was not a hundred, but a hundred and eighty. Again, Jacob 
 was a hundred and thirty (xlvii. 9) when presented to Pharaoh, 
 at which time Joseph, as appears from a comparison of xli. 46 
 with xlv. 6, was thirty-nine, so that Jacob at Joseph's birth 
 (xxx. 24) must have been ninety-one, an age which it is 
 difficult to bring into agreement with the time at which he is 
 elsewhere described as having gone to Paddan Aram. Many 
 of these difficulties are due to the fact that the conflicting dates 
 are derived from different documents ; but the discrepancies 
 show that in details the record as it stands cannot be trusted. 
 
 There are, moreover, features in the patriarchal narratives 
 which suggest that before being committed to writing they 
 passed through the stage of oral tradition, in which fluc- 
 tuating versions of one original occurrence used to prevail. 
 There is a strong resemblance, though accompanied, it is true, 
 by considerable divergence, between certain incidents which 
 are related both of Abraham, at different times of his life, 
 and also of his son Isaac. Thus Abraham is twice repre- 
 sented as fearing lest his wife's beauty should expose him to 
 danger, and employing the same artifice to protect himself 
 {xii. 10-20 and xx. 1-18), and a similar experience is 
 attributed to Isaac (xxvi. 7-1 1). A persecution of Hagar 
 
52 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 by Sarah is described in xvi. 4-14, and is followed by 
 another in xxi. 8-2 1 . The covenant made between Abraham 
 and Abimelech in xxi. 22-34 is effected between Isaac and 
 Abimelech in xxvi. 26-33.^ No doubt real history often 
 repeats itself; but, in the light of what has been said, it 
 seems not improbable that these incidents are severally 
 duplicate renderings of a single tradition. 
 
 But whilst this view of the origin and character of the 
 ultimate sources of early Israelitish history prevents us from 
 considering the narratives of Genesis, as a whole, to be a 
 faithful picture of events, it is obvious that all the occur- 
 rences in it are not on the same level of credibility. Whilst 
 some, to win acceptance, ought to be attested by written 
 contemporary evidence, others are of such a sort that the 
 memory of them might be securely handed down by oral 
 transmission. A poem like the Blessing of Jacob (c. xlix.) 
 could easily be circulated thus, and the allusions in it wit- 
 ness to the currency of numerous stories respecting the 
 personages it mentions.^ The references to the patriarchs in 
 the early Prophets and the books of Kings (see Micah vii. 
 20; Isa. xxix. 22; I Kings xviii. 36; cf. 2 Kings xiii, 23 
 and Jer. xxxiii. 26) are sufficient to show that to the national 
 consciousness Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were conspicuous 
 figures in the past history of Israel, and their names familiar 
 to the peojole at large ; and though it has been acknowledged 
 that the personification of nations and tribes, noticeable in 
 the first eleven chapters, does not cease with c. xii., yet the 
 difference is appreciable between the narratives which begin 
 in the later chapter and those in the earlier part of the book. 
 
 ^ The inscription of Ps. xxxiv., compared with i Sam. xxi. 10-15, ren- 
 ders it possible that Abimelech was a title common to Philistine kings 
 in general ; but the mention of Phicol in both narratives (xxi. 32, xxvi. 26) 
 makes the view taken in the text the more probable. 
 
 2 The value of songs as a medium for transmitting the memory of 
 important facts is recognised in Deut. xxxi. 21. Songs and metrical com- 
 positions are quoted in Num. xxi. 14, 17, 27. 
 
THE PATRIARCHAL HISTORY 53 
 
 The very fact that a long account is given of the three suc- 
 cessive lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and not of Israel 
 only, from whom the name of the nation was derived, is a 
 serious obstacle in the way of our regarding the latter as 
 nothing but their eponymous ancestor. Nor with respect to 
 certain of the events recorded in connection with them is it 
 possible for any reasonable doubt to be entertained. The 
 original derivation of the Hebrews from Babylonia, which is 
 indicated in the narrative of Abraham's dejDarture from Ur, 
 is confirmed by their appellation (which means " people from 
 across " the river Euphrates), and by the character of the 
 Creation and Flood stories. The resemblance between these 
 last and the parallel accounts preserved in the Cuneiform 
 inscriptions has already been pointed out (pp. 29, 41), and 
 can only be accounted for by the supposition that the two 
 peoples at an early date were in contact with one another 
 either in Babylonia itself or in Canaan at a time when the 
 latter country was under Babylonian influence (as depicted 
 in Gen. xiv.). That they are post-exilic in origin can scarcely 
 be maintained, for not only is it a priori improbable that the 
 captive Jews should have appropriated the myths of their 
 captors in the time of the Exile, but such a view seems pre- 
 cluded by the occurrence of the legends in JE as well as P.^iv^ ^irLdw^axc 
 The circumstances of Joseph's promotion in Egypt,^ and the 
 kind reception accorded to his father and brethren, is quite 
 in keeping with the date to which, on chronological grounds, 
 
 ^ Cf. Schrader, Cuneiform Inscriptions of the Old Testament, i. p. 54 ; 
 Watson, The Booh Genesis ; a True History, p. 65 foil. 
 
 2 In the books which relate to the times immediately succeeding the 
 Exodus there are allusions to customs observed in Egypt, e.g., the raising 
 of water by means of a machine worked by the feet (Deut. xi. 10), and the 
 use of oxen in treading out the corn (Deut. xxv. 4). The distinction 
 between clean and unclean animals, and the use of linen for priestly gar- 
 ments, have their parallels in Egyptian practice (Hdt. ii. 47, 37). That 
 Israel had once dwelt in Egypt was a fixed belief in later times. See 
 Amos ii. 10, ix. 7 ; Hosea xi. i. 
 
54 
 
 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 the events in question have been assigned.^ Under the rule 
 of the Arabian Hyksos, the prejudice with which the strangers 
 must otherwise have been regarded would not have made 
 itself felt. Nor can the fact that the Egyptian monarch is 
 designated by his title alone be held sufficient to prove that 
 the information has not been taken from contemporary 
 sources, on the ground that in native chronicles the personal 
 name is always added; for a parallel is found in Isa. xix. ii. 
 The conclusion to which the foregoing considerations 
 point is that the patriarchal narrative is, in its broad 
 features, historical, but that from the lateness of the docu- 
 ments in which it is contained it may be suspected of 
 including an ideal element. The consciousness which the 
 Jews had in later times of their separateness from other 
 nations, and of being the chosen people of God, would 
 naturally lead them to trace their election as far back as 
 possible; and at an age when the methods of historical 
 inquiry were very ill understood, the ideas which animated 
 them could scarcely fail to colour their conceptions of the 
 past. There would then be a tendency to place the patri- 
 archs in isolation, and to marshal genealogical details so as 
 to exhibit the purity of their descent, and to present their 
 history as that of a family rather than of a tribe.^ It is, 
 at any rate, noteworthy that in chap, xiv., which seems to 
 have more claims than most of the rest to be regarded as 
 based on written memorials, Abraham is represented as 
 having at his command a body of armed men, and being in 
 a position to engage and rout a confederacy of victorious 
 kings. But though there is reason for thinking that the 
 history of Israel's ancestors has been touched by fancy, there 
 
 ^ The names Jacob-el and Josepk-d, as appellations of cities, have been 
 found in an inscription belonging to the fifteenth century B.C. 
 
 2 An incidental indication of a condition of things differing from the 
 prevailing representation is to be found in the expression the land of the 
 Hebrews (xl. 15 ; cf. xiv. 13). 
 
THE PATRIARCHAL HISTORY 55 
 
 seem to be no good grounds for charging the writers with 
 wholesale invention. If the records of the patriarchal age 
 were altogether the outcome of a tendency on the part of an 
 ancient people to fill in the blank which their past pre- 
 sented by the creation of fictitious ancestors, it is strange 
 that actions should be attributed to them which in their 
 descendants would have received severe reprobation,^ To 
 the true Israelite of later days the conduct of the patriarchs 
 in many instances could scarcely have been considered ideal. 
 The action twice ascribed to Abraham, in regard to Pharaoh 
 (xii. 13) and to Abimelech (xx. 2), does not redound greatly 
 to his honour (cf. Isa. xliii. 27), even though the common 
 experience in the East of lawlessness on the part of rulers 
 may have served to make his fears not unreasonable. 
 Again, the covetousness and duplicity displayed by Jacob 
 are scarcely traits which would find a place in stories of 
 recent origin ; and his marriage with two sisters at once is 
 in flagrant contradiction to the Levitical law (Lev. xviii. 18). 
 Judah, one of the ancestors of the twelve tribes, is repre- 
 sented as sinning with the Canaanitess Tamar (xxxviii. 15), 
 and owning that, of the two, his was the greater blame 
 (ver. 26). Simeon and Levi are guilty of a combination of 
 craft and cruelty which their father himself condemned 
 (xxxiv. ; cf. xlix. 5-6) ; whilst Reuben commits incest with his 
 father's concubine (xxxv. 22', cf. xlix. 4). Of such accounts 
 national vanity can hardly be considered the originator. 
 Nor, again, has it been successfully shown that many of the 
 stories merely reflect the circumstances of later history, and 
 were inspired by the feelings and sentiments which animated 
 the Israelites at the time of the monarchy. Thus the inces- 
 tuous origin attributed to Moab and Ammon (xix. 30 foil.) 
 has been referred to the bitterness felt in historic times 
 towards those nations, such as marks Deut. xxiii. 3-4 ; but 
 
 ^ Cf. Watson, The Booh Genesis, c. vii. and viii. 
 
56 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 it has been pointed out in reply that in Deut. ii. 9 and 19 their 
 descent from Lot gives them a claim to consideration. The 
 " blessing " of Esau (xxvii. 30-40) has been regarded as the 
 creation of one who knew of the conquest of Edom by David 
 (2 Sam. viii. 14), the rising against Solomon (i Kings 
 xi. 14), and the more successful revolt against Joram 
 (2 Kings viii. 20) ; but the generous conduct displayed by 
 Esau towards Jacob (xxxiii.) scarcely resembles what national 
 hatred would attribute to the founder of a hostile people. 
 There is even less to be said for the view that the trans- 
 actions represented as taking place between Jacob and Laban 
 (xxix.-xxxi.) — their early friendship, their quarrel, and their 
 subsequent reconciliation — were suggested by the frontier 
 wars between Judah and Syria in the time of David (2 Sam. 
 X. 6-19), and the league made between Asa and Ben-hadad 
 (i Kings XV. 18 foil.). The distribution of Jacob's twelve 
 sons between his wives and their handmaids does not answer 
 at all closely either to the geographical or the political 
 arrangement of the tribes in Canaan, for the territory of 
 Issachar and Zebulun, the two younger sons of Leah, was not 
 contiguous to that of the elder sons, Eeuben, Simeon, and 
 Judah; whilst Benjamin, the youngest son of Rachel, was, 
 on the disruption of the kingdom, associated, not with the 
 tribes that descended from Joseph, but with Judah. It is, 
 moreover, noteworthy that none of the stories related of the 
 patriarchs are brought into connection with Jerusalem (after 
 the time of David, the royal city) with the exception of the 
 narrative in chap, xiv.^ In short, however little credit the 
 particular stories in question may be thought to deserve, the 
 impression produced is that they were not at any rate of 
 very recent origin. The retention of so many awkward facts, 
 and the manifest freedom from undue bias in favour of their 
 own countrymen, seem sufficient to acquit the historians of 
 ^ Watson, I. c. p. 165 foil. 
 
THE PATRIARCHAL HISTORY 57 
 
 wilful and serious dishonesty. In tlie absence of adequate 
 means for accurately reproducing the past, they may indeed 
 have given vividness and life to their accounts by drawing 
 in some measure upon their own experiences or their own 
 fancies. More especially in connection with the speeches it 
 seems likely that much that is recorded represents their 
 notions of what was probable under the circumstances. In 
 this they did no more than was common among the historians 
 of other nations ; ^ and it has been observed that in the case of 
 Hebrew the idiom of the language favours the use of direct 
 rather than indirect speech.^ But though the complete trust- 
 worthiness of the materials employed is open to question, 
 and though the writers in drawing up their history may 
 have been animated in certain directions by preconceived 
 ideas, yet that the narrative produced is mainly fiction seems 
 highly improbable. 
 
 Something remains to be said about the religious aspect 
 and interest of the patriarchal histories. 
 
 The central conviction of the religious beliefs of the 
 Hebrews in historic times was that the Deity whom they 
 worshipped as Jehovah was identical with the Creator of the 
 universe and the Dispenser of the destinies of nations (Amos 
 V. 8, ix. 2-4, vi. 14, ix. 7; Isa. x. 12-15). Between God 
 and themselves there existed exceptional relations, so that 
 though His power and influence extended to the whole 
 world, yet to them He specially revealed His will, and made 
 their interests His peculiar care (Amos iii. 2 ; cf. Hosea 
 xiii. 4). Of the history of such relations the patriarchal 
 
 ^ Cf. Thuc. i. 22, § I : koX 8aa fih Xdytf eZiroi' eKacrroi . . . x^^^^'o" '''V" 
 dKpi^€iav avT7)v tCjv \exOivTwv Siaixv-qfiovevaaL 9jv ifioi re u>v aiiros iJKOvffa Kal 
 ro'is &\\o6fv TTodev i/j.ol dwayyiWovaiv. us S'clp iSoKovp ifJ.ol eKaaroi vepl ruv del 
 irapbvTwv to. oiovra /xaXiffTa dirdv, exo/xeV<^ on eyyvrara rrjs ^vfj.vdaT;s yvwfjLT]S 
 tQv dXrjdws \e-xdivTU)v, oCrws etpi)TaL. 
 
 ^ Robertson, Early Religion of Israel, p. 422-423. 
 
58 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 narratives in Genesis form part. The patriarchs are repre- 
 sented as being under the special protection and tutelage 
 of the deity, as holding frequent converse with Him, and 
 as receiving from Him promises of a peculiarly exalted 
 character (see xii. 1-3, xvii. 1-8, xxvi. 2-5, xxviii. 12-15). 
 But little is said explicitly and in detail about the nature 
 of these rehgious beliefs, and nothing about the process 
 whereby a knowledge of the true God was reached. At 
 some earlier period, indeed, it is stated that the ancestors 
 of the Israelites were idolaters. When they lived on the 
 east of the Euphrates "they served other gods" than 
 Jehovah (Josh. xxiv. 2). But polytheism was abandoned 
 before Abraham migrated from Ur. It is possible that this 
 migration from Chaldea was itself the outcome of a religious 
 movement, and that Abraham was the leader of a section 
 of his countrymen who had broken with their ancestral 
 religion. In the apocryphal book of Judith (v. 5 foil.), at 
 any rate, the removal of Abraham and his people to Meso- 
 potamia is attributed to their refusal to follow the gods 
 of their fathers, and their consequent expulsion from the 
 country. Jewish legends endeavour to explain how the 
 patriarch gradually arrived at purer views of God than 
 those about him,^ but nothing of this is found in Genesis. 
 The theological ideas which the book contains have to be 
 extracted from the narrative of events. They are not made 
 the subject of argument, but are implicit in the history. 
 
 As depicted in Genesis, the religion of the patriarchs 
 exhibits a strange blending of elevated and crude ideas. 
 On the one hand, Abraham speaks of Jehovah as "the 
 God of heaven and the God of the earth " (xxiv. 3), and 
 appeals to " the Judge of all the earth " to do right (xviii. 
 25). He identifies Jehovah with "the Possessor of heaven 
 and earth," worshipped by Melchizedek under the title of 
 
 ^ See Deane, Life and Times of A hraham. 
 
 I 
 
THE PATRIARCHAL HISTORY 59 
 
 El Elyon (siy. 18-22). No idol-worship is mentioned in 
 Genesis, the only images named being the Teraphira belonging 
 to Laban (xxxi. 19, 30), which are presumably "the strange 
 gods " referred to in sxxv. 2. On the other hand, Abrahatn's 
 offering of Isaac resembles the action of the king of Moab 
 described in 2 Kings iii. 27, and the practice of making 
 children pass through the fire to Molech (Lev, xviii. 21); 
 and whilst it witnesses to the fervour of devotion which 
 could be enlisted in the service of Jehovah, it also indicates 
 that there was, as yet, no deep sense of incongruity between 
 the idea of such a sacrifice and the God to whom it was 
 offered. It is in keeping, too, with primitive notions that 
 the consent of Isaac to the disposal of his life does not 
 come under consideration. In early times, a man's wife 
 and children were nearly on a level with his other posses- 
 sions, enjoying few or no independent rights ; and Abraham, 
 in offering his son to God, offered what was held to be 
 altogether his own. These inconsistencies look rather un- 
 historic ; and, in view of the date and character of the 
 record, it is perhaps questionable whether, at the age which 
 Genesis purports to depict, the ancestors of the Hebrew 
 race had really reached the higher and purer conceptions 
 indicated above. As has been already seen, the evidence 
 available is open to the suspicion of being coloured, to some 
 extent, by the imagination of a subsequent age. Moreover, 
 an inference unfavourable to the belief that a very advanced 
 stage of religious thought was attained in the patriarchal 
 times may be drawn from the beliefs and usages which 
 prevailed at a later date. In the period of the Judges, 
 Jephthah appears to have regarded Jehovah and the Moabite 
 god Chemosh as co-ordinate powers (Judges xi. 24) ; and even 
 in the time of David, Jehovah seems to have been popularly 
 associated with the territory of Israel only, outside of which 
 worship was due to other deities (i Sam. xxvi. 19). A 
 
6o THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 proneness to image-worship never ceased to show itself 
 throughout Jewish history up to the return from the Exile 
 and was not confined merely to the imported cults of other 
 gods, but appeared even in connection with Jehovah (Exod. 
 xxxii. 4 ; i Kings xii. 28). A tendency which, in spite of all 
 the efforts of reformers, exhibited such continued strength 
 and vitality, must have had (it seems fair to conclude) a 
 long past behind it. No doubt the institutions and customs 
 of the surrounding nations impelled many of the Israelites 
 towards superstition even when there were teachers among 
 them of a nobler faith. But what has been said falls into 
 line with the conclusions which, on more general grounds, 
 appear probable, and gives reason for considering that the 
 spiritual idea of God, which is so clearly apprehended and 
 so vigorously asserted by the prophets, was evolved more 
 slowly and matured at a later date than might from the 
 book of Genesis be supposed. 
 
 But though the religion of the patriarchal period was 
 probably of a somewhat ruder nature than is implied in 
 the narrative which describes it, it was, nevertheless, the 
 seed-bed of all that followed. That in the time of Moses 
 both the exclusive claims of Jehovah, and the moral require- 
 ments of His service were recognised, is apparent from the 
 Ten Commandments {cf. also Exod. xxxiii. 16, JE). And 
 that Moses was not the first to introduce the worship of 
 Jehovah, but professed to come in the name of their father's 
 God, is both stated in Exod. iii. 13, and probable in itself 
 There must have been in the existing belief and practice 
 of the nation in his time a germ of pure religion which 
 admitted of being cultivated and developed by the legis- 
 lation he introduced. And it is not at all unlikely that 
 the religious sense of the people had suffered during their 
 bondage in Egypt {cf. Josh. xxiv. 14), and that the belief 
 of their ancestors respecting the nature of God, and His 
 
THE PATRIARCHAL HISTORY 6i 
 
 dealings with those who faithfully served Him, had been 
 more elevated than their own. And if it was the faith of 
 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob which formed the basis upon 
 which Moses worked, it was the same faith which his 
 successors believed themselves to be defending. It was as 
 the mouthpiece of the God " who redeemed Abraham " that 
 Isaiah spoke (sxix. 22). It was "the mercy promised to 
 Abraham " which Micah was confident that God would 
 perform (vii. 20). There is descent and derivation in the 
 field of ideas as well as in that of physical life ; and it can 
 scarcely be doubted that Abraham, however simple in some 
 respects his religious notions may have been, was neverthe- 
 less the spiritual father of all the great Hebrew prophets. 
 
 Two questions suggest themselves in connection with the 
 foregoing : — 
 
 1. Was the belief entertained by Israel about its special 
 relation to God well grounded ? 
 
 2. In what sense are the communications stated to have 
 taken place between God and man to be understood ? 
 
 I. It is obvious that the fact of the Israelites holding such 
 a belief is not of itself sufiicient justification ; for many of 
 the surrounding peoples, it is clear, claimed to have relations 
 with some particular deity or deities similar to those which 
 existed between Israel and Jehovah. The Moabites, for 
 instance, paid adoration to Chemosh, the Amorites to 
 Molech or Milcom, the Zidonians to Ashtoreth (i Kings 
 xi. 5, 7 ; Judges si. 23-24). Nor was such a belief peculiar 
 to Semitic peoples. In Asia Minor, in Greece, in Italy, 
 and elsewhere, different states and cities imagined them- 
 selves to be the peculiar care of certain gods. Viewed thus 
 from the outside, the Israelites are seen to share this 
 particular conviction with several other nations of the 
 ancient world. Nor, indeed, does a complete cleavage 
 between one nation and another as objects of divine 
 
62 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 favour or disfavour seem consonant with God's relation to 
 humanity as a whole. If, nevertheless, a distinction can be 
 drawn between the belief of the Hebrews and the similar 
 notions of other races, it must be based on the ethical 
 character of their religious ideas, and the place they have 
 occupied in the intellectual and spiritual progress of the 
 world. And regarded thus, the Jews will be found to have 
 influenced mankind as no race beside them has done. In 
 the region of faith and morals they have shown that pre- 
 eminence which, in art and science and philosophy, has 
 been displayed by others. 
 
 This superiority will appear when a comparison is made 
 between the religious views of the Hebrews and those of 
 their neighbours. The conception which was entertained 
 by the kindred peoples of Moab and Ammon of their gods 
 was very different from that which the Jewish prophets 
 had of Israel's God. There was not the same sense of 
 unapproachable supremacy attaching to such deities as 
 entered into the prophets' idea of Jehovah. To the mascu- 
 line Baal there corresponded a feminine Ashtoreth, so that 
 the prevailing religion was at least ditheistic, if not poly- 
 theistic. Images and idolatrous emblems were erected in 
 consecrated spots, particularly on the tops of hills and 
 under the shade of forest trees. And these sensuous notions 
 were accompanied by sensual and savage forms of worship. 
 The rites of Ashtoreth were licentious and impure, and in 
 honour of her women bound themselves by vows to surrender 
 their chastity (cf. Hosea iv. 14 ; Deut. xxiii. 17). To Molech 
 human sacrifices were sometimes made {cf. Lev. xviii. 21, 
 XX. 2), and it was probably to that deity that the king of 
 Moab, when pressed by his enemies, offered up his first- 
 born son (2 Kings iii. 26-27). Cuttings and mutilations, 
 again, are named as features of the worship of Baal in i 
 Kings xviii. 28. On the other hand, the prophets repre- 
 
THE PATRIARCHAL HISTORY 63 
 
 sented the nature of Jehovah as spiritual (Isa. xxxi, 3), 
 and material representations of Him were to be abhorred. 
 His character was righteous, merciful, and holy (Amos iv. 
 2; Hos. ii. 19; Isa. vi. 3), and as such He enjoined the 
 duties of justice, compassion, and purity upon His people 
 (Amos V. 14, 15 ; Hosea xii. 6; Micah vi. 8). The holding 
 of festivals and the offering of sacrifice, if accompanied by 
 moral wrong-doing, was an abomination that could not be 
 tolerated (Hosea vi. 6; Isa. i. 11-17). Thus the contrast 
 between the religion of Israel, as interpreted by the pro- 
 phets in the time of the monarchy, and that of their neigh- 
 bours was a most conspicuous one, the former being as 
 elevated and pure as the latter was rude and coarse (c/. 
 Deut. iv, 8). And even by the side of the intellectual 
 races of Greece and Italy, the pre-eminence of the Jews in 
 the sphere of religion is still marked. The exceptional 
 endowment alike of certain individuals and certain peoples 
 is a fact too obvious to be disputed. A survey of history 
 shows that a few nations stand out above the rest as 
 pioneers of progress, and Athens and Rome have confessedly 
 been the foremost in enlarging the world's knowledge of 
 nature and in developing art and literature. Nor can any 
 distinction, it may be granted, be drawn between the origin 
 of the special aptitudes involved {cf. Gen. xli. 38 ; Exod. 
 xxxi. 3, 6; James i. 17). But neither of the two nations 
 mentioned, in spite of these great gifts, moulded the 
 world's religious thought as did the Jews. The modern 
 world uses no literature as it does the Hebrew Scri^Dtures. 
 This striking superiority, in virtue of which these writings 
 are still the vehicle of moral and religious instruction among 
 the most civilised peoples, is, on any theory of the universe 
 in which Divine providence finds a place, sufficient justifica- 
 tion for holding that the Jews have been special instru- 
 ments in the hands of God for enlightening and purifying 
 
64 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 mankind ; and so far as religion and conduct are of more 
 vital concern than intellectual and artistic culture, the 
 Jewish nation, as judged by their most representative 
 men, may be regarded as filling a unique place in history, 
 and discharging a unique function in God's scheme of 
 purposes. 
 
 Finally, a peculiar eminence is given to the Jewish race 
 and the Jewish religion by the position in regard to them 
 occupied by our Lord. Christ was, after the flesh, a Jew ; 
 those whom He chose to declare His name and His work 
 to the world were Jews likewise ; it was to the Jewish 
 Scriptures that He appealed for witness to His claims. 
 Upon the national religion of Israel was built the uni- 
 versal religion which He proclaimed, and it was upon the 
 Jewish law that He fitted His more perfect teaching. 
 Though His allusions to the historical books are few (to 
 Genesis only in Matt. x. 15 ( = Luke x, 12), xi. 23 ( = Luke 
 xvii. 28-32), xxii. 32 ( = Mark xii. 26 = Luke xx. 37), John 
 viii. 56), yet the general tenor of His utterances implies 
 that Jewish history stood in a peculiar relation to His own 
 advent. To those, therefore, who accept the doctrine of 
 the Incarnation, the testimony of Christ to the Jewish 
 patriarchs and prophets is a conclusive confirmation of the 
 belief that the Jews were, in a pre-eminent degree, the 
 elect people of God. 
 
 2, With regard to the way in which Biblical expressions 
 relating to the intercourse between God and man are to 
 be understood, the sense to be given to the passages in 
 Genesis will be covered by the interpretation put upon 
 similar statements in more recent books. The earliest first- 
 hand evidence bearing upon the subject is found in the 
 declarations of the prophets of the eighth century. The 
 most impressive feature in their writings is the constant 
 ascription of their utterances to God Himself, the usual 
 
THE PATRIARCHAL HISTORY 65 
 
 preface to their addresses being "Thus saith Jehovah."^ 
 But that similar language was used by the surrounding 
 nations of their national gods is clear from the evidence of 
 the Moabite Stone, where King Mesha declares : " Chemosh 
 said to me, ' Go, take Nebo ' . . . and I took it. And the 
 king of Israel fortified Jahaz . . . and Chemosh drove him 
 out before me." In some instances the announcements 
 stated to have been made to the prophets are accompanied 
 by dreams, visions, and angelic appearances (Amos vii. 7 ; 
 Isa. vi.). That there was a certain subjective element in 
 some of their visions seems evident from the fact that the 
 imagery, in many instances, shows traces of the actual cir- 
 cumstances and surroundings of those who witnessed them.^ 
 That the communications which they professed to receive 
 were likewise to some extent an externalising of their own 
 inward sense of the truth and importance of what they 
 believed may reasonably be suspected. But whatever was 
 the process whereby the prophets became possessed of the 
 convictions to which they gave expression, the convictions 
 themselves may justly be held to be of divine origin, if 
 such an origin can be claimed for anything. The best 
 warrant for the prophets' language about their teaching 
 is the character of that teaching. Their persuasion that 
 the Spirit of Jehovah inspired them, and that they were 
 commissioned by God to declare His will, can, in the light 
 of moral and historic facts, scarcely be considered erroneous. 
 Their words bear witness to them, and justify the authori- 
 tative tone in which they spoke. 
 
 In Genesis, as in the later and better attested records. 
 
 1 Other expressions conveying the same belief that what they said was 
 not their own are found in Jer. xv.' 16 ; Num. xxlii. 5 ; Zech. vii. 12 ; Isa. 
 viii. II. 
 
 ^ E.rj., Amos, who was "a herdsman and dresser of sycamore trees" 
 (see viii. 1,2,; and cf. ii. 13, iii. 4) ; and Ezekiel, who was one of the 
 captives in Babylonia (see chap. i. ; and cf. note on Gen. iii. 24). 
 
 E 
 
66 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 mention is made of dreams and angels as being among the 
 means whereby divine communications were conveyed to 
 the patriarchs and others.^ In one instance a mysterious 
 flame accompanied the intercourse between God and man 
 (xv. 17). But in many cases nothing is stated except 
 the fact of such converse, and its tenor. On some occasions 
 the communication related to some temporary emergency 
 (xviii. 23 foil., XX. 3 foil.) or imparted some special direc- 
 tion (xxxv. i). But in the majority of instances, what 
 the divine word conveyed was the assurance of an extensive 
 posterity, of its happy destiny, and of its ultimate occupa- 
 tion of the land of Canaan. The historical evidence for 
 the details of the patriarchal age being what it is, it seems 
 scarcely necessary to discuss the precise facts that under- 
 lie the description of the writers. But in general, if, in 
 harmony with what has already been suggested, external 
 communications, for the most part, be explained as internal 
 convictions, the divine promises related to have been given 
 to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will represent the patriarchs' 
 faith in the God whose true nature they apprehended better 
 than their contemporaries. But such fuller knowledge 
 would, of itself, carry their thoughts beyond themselves. 
 They would be dimly sensible that God, in the long-run, 
 cannot be arbitrary ; that privilege carries with it a mission, 
 and that they and their race, in some unforeseen way, would 
 be a blessing to the world at large. In this sense it is 
 possible to understand our Lord's words, "Abraham rejoiced 
 to see My day ; he saw it and was glad " (John viii. 56). 
 Some of the circumstances recorded in connection with the 
 divine promises made to the patriarchs {e.g., the substitution 
 of a ram when Abraham was about to sacrifice his son to 
 his God), may really have marked a critical moment in 
 
 ^ See XV. I, xxvi. 24, xvi. 7 (c/. ver. 13), xxii. 11, &c. In chap. xxv. 22 
 it seems to be implied that Rebekah consulted an oracle. 
 
THE PATRIARCHAL HISTORY 67 
 
 religious and spiritual development. And even if in such 
 matters complete reliance upon the narrative seems scarcely- 
 possible, this qualification does not materially detract from 
 the instructiveness of the history. If the patriarchs were 
 real personages, and if their faith was, in the main, what 
 it is represented as being, the truth of particular incidents 
 is comparatively unimportant. 
 
 What is regarded as constituting the inspiration of 
 Genesis and the other historical books of the Bible will 
 have been gathered from the observations already made, 
 and little need be added here. The historians of Israel 
 adopted, it is plain, the methods of writing history current 
 in their country and time. They used, as has been seen, 
 such materials as lay at their disposal, and were doubtless 
 liable to misinterpret their meaning or misjudge their value. 
 And just as they followed the literary usages, so they shared 
 many of the views of their countrymen. Their knowledge, 
 as estimated by the standard of modern times, was defective, 
 and their ideas, in many ways, crude and imperfect. Hence 
 it is, for instance, that myths relating to the early history 
 of mankind find a place in their writings. The grosser 
 features in such primitive fancies disappeared, as has been 
 shown, in the purer atmosphere of Hebrew thought, but 
 the fancies themselves lingered, as offering some account 
 of an age of which no records survived. Again, in their 
 reconstruction of the patriarchal age, they seem to have 
 exercised their historical imagination beyond the limits 
 which modern writers would consider legitimate. What, 
 in spite of such shortcomings, gives to the Biblical writings 
 a claim to be called inspired is the exceptional standpoint 
 from which they regard the events they record, and the 
 peculiar insight they display into their significance. The 
 view of the past taken by the writers is dominated by their 
 
68 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 religious belief; and in the fortunes of their race they trace 
 the guidance of God's hand and the fulfilment of His will. 
 Their interpretation of human history in general and Jewish 
 history in particular must be judged in the light of the 
 subsequent issues, and the truth that is seen to underlie 
 their construction of the facts will be the measure of their 
 inspiration. 
 
 I 
 
TEXT 
 
I 
 
 I 
 
TEXT 
 
 Sections placed side by side are duplicate accounts of the same subject. 
 
 The words in leaded type are characteristic of P, with the exception of 
 God, which is common to both P and E. 
 
 The words in italics are characteristic of JE together, with the exception 
 of Jehovah, which is peculiar to J. 
 
 1 In the beginning God created 
 
 2 the heaven and the earth. And 
 the earth was without form, and 
 void ; and darkness was upon 
 the face of the deep. And the 
 spirit of God brooded upon the 
 
 3 face of the waters. And God 
 said, Let there be light : and 
 
 4 there was light. And God saw 
 the light, that it was good ; and 
 God divided the light from the 
 
 5 darkness. And God called the 
 light Day, and the darkness he 
 called Night. And there was 
 evening and there was morning, 
 
 6 one day. And God said, Let 
 there be a firmament in the 
 midst of the waters, and let it 
 divide the waters from the 
 
 7 waters. And God made the 
 firmament, and divided the 
 waters which were under the 
 firmament from the waters 
 which were above the firma- 
 
 8 ment : and it was so. And God 
 called the firmament Heaven. 
 And there was evening and 
 there was morning, a second day. 
 
 2 46 In the day that Jehovah 
 God made earth and heaven, 
 
 5 no flant of the field was yet in 
 the earth, and no herb of the field 
 had yet grown : for Jehovah God 
 had not caused it to rain upon 
 the earth, and there was not 
 
 6 a man to till the ground. But 
 there used to go up a mist from 
 the earth, and watered the whole 
 
 7 face of the fj7-ound. And Jehovah 
 God formed man of the dust of 
 the rjround, and breathed into 
 his nostrils the breath of life; 
 and man became a living 
 
 8 creature. And Jehovah God 
 planted a garden eastward in 
 Eden ; and there he put the 
 
 9 man whom he had formed. And 
 out of the ground made Jehovah 
 God to grow every tree that is 
 pleasant to the sight, and good 
 for eating ; the tree of life also 
 in the midst of the garden, 
 and the tree of knowledge of 
 
 10 good and evil. And a river went 
 out of Eden to water the garden ; 
 and from thence it was parted, 
 
 1. 1-ii. 4a and ii. 46-25 contain two accounts of the Creation, which 
 differ in (i.) style and phraseology, (ii.) contents, (iii.) the names of the 
 Creator, the first using God {Elohim), the second Jehovah God [Jehovah 
 Elohim). The former may be assigned to P, the latter to J. The combina- 
 tion Jehovah God is perhaps due to the compiler, to show the equivalence 
 of the two names. 
 
 71 
 
72 
 
 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 9 And God said, Let the waters 
 under the heaven be gathered 
 together unto one place, and let 
 the dry land appear : and it was 
 
 10 so. And God called the dry 
 land Earth ; and the gathering 
 together of the waters called he 
 Seas : and God saw that it was 
 
 11 good. And God said, Let the 
 earth put forth vegetation, herb 
 yielding seed, and fruit tree 
 yielding fruit after its kind, 
 whose seed is in it, upon the 
 
 12 earth : and it was so. And the 
 earth brought forth vegetation, 
 herb yielding seed after its 
 kind, and tree yielding fruit, 
 whose seed is in it, after its 
 kind : and God saw that it was 
 
 13 good. And there was evening 
 and there was morning, a third 
 
 14 day. And God said, Let there 
 be lights in the firmament of the 
 heaven to divide the day from 
 the night ; and let them be for 
 signs, and for seasons, and for 
 
 15 days, and years. And let them 
 be for lights in the firmament 
 of the heaven to give light upon 
 
 16 the earth : and it was so. And 
 God made the two great lights ; 
 (the greater light to rule the 
 day, and the lesser light to rule 
 
 17 the night), and stars also. And 
 God set them in the firmament 
 of the heaven to give light upon 
 
 18 the earth, and to rule over the 
 day and over the night, and to 
 divide the light from the dark- 
 ness : and God saw that it was 
 
 19 good. And there was evening 
 and there was morning, a fourth 
 
 20 day. And God said. Let the 
 waters swarm with swarms of 
 living creatures, and let fowl 
 fiy above the earth in the open 
 
 21 firmament of heaven. And God 
 created the great monsters, 
 and every living creature that 
 
 11 and became four heads. The 
 name of the first is Pishon: 
 that is it which compasseth the 
 whole land of Havilah, where 
 
 12 there is gold ; and the gold of 
 that land is good : there is 
 bdellium and the onyx stone. 
 
 13 And the name of the second 
 river is Gihon : the same is it 
 that compasseth the whole land 
 
 14 of Cush. And the name of the 
 third river is Hiddekel : that 
 is it which goeth toward the 
 east of Assyria. And the fourth 
 
 15 river is Euphrates. And Jehovah 
 God took the man, and put him 
 into the garden of Eden to 
 
 16 dress it and to keep it. And 
 Jehovah God commanded the 
 man, saying, Of every tree of 
 the garden thou mayst freely 
 
 17 eat : but of the tree of the 
 knowledge of good and evil, 
 thou shalt not eat of it: for 
 in the day that thou eatest 
 thereof thou shalt surely die. 
 
 18 And Jehovah God said, It is not 
 good that the man should be 
 alone ; I will make him a help 
 
 19 meet for him. And out of the 
 ground Jehovah God formed every 
 beast of the field, and iivery fowl 
 of the air ; and brought them 
 unto the man to see what he 
 would call them : and what- 
 soever the man called the living 
 creature, that was the name 
 
 20 thereof. And the man gave 
 names to all cattle, and to the 
 fowl of the air, and to every J)cast 
 of the field ; but for Adam there 
 was not found a help meet for 
 
 21 him. And Jehovah God caused 
 a deep sleep to fall upon the man, 
 and he slept : and he took one of 
 his ribs, and closed up the flesh 
 
 22 instead thereof ; and of the rib, 
 which Jehovah God had taken 
 from the man, he constructed 
 
TEXT 
 
 73 
 
 creepeth, wherewith the waters 
 swarmed, after their kinds, and 
 every winged fowl after its 
 kind : and God saw that it was 
 
 22 good. And God blessed them, 
 saying, Be fruitful, and multi- 
 ply, and fill the waters in the 
 seas, and let fowl multiply in 
 
 23 the earth. And there was even- 
 ing and there was morning, a 
 
 24 fifth day. And God said, Let 
 the earth bring forth the living 
 creature after its kind, cattle, 
 and creeping thing, and beast 
 of the earth after its kind : and 
 
 25 it was so. And God made the 
 beast of the earth after its 
 kind, and cattle after their 
 kind, and every creeping thing 
 of the ground after its kind: 
 and God saw that it was good. 
 
 26 And God said. Let us make 
 man in our image, after our 
 likeness : and let them have 
 dominion over the fish of the 
 sea, and over the fowl of the 
 air, and over the cattle, and 
 over all the earth, and over 
 every creeping thing that 
 
 27 creepeth upon the earth. So 
 God created man in his own 
 image, in the image of God 
 created he him ; male and 
 
 28 female created he them. And 
 God blessed them, and God 
 said unto them. Be fruitful, and 
 multiply, and replenish the 
 earth, and subdue it : and have 
 dominion over the fish of the 
 sea, and over the fowl of the 
 air, and over every beast that 
 
 29 creepeth upon the earth. And 
 God said, Behold, I have given 
 you every herb bearing seed, 
 which is upon the face of all 
 the earth, and every tree, in the 
 which is the fruit of a tree 
 yielding seed ; to you it shall 
 
 30 be for food. And to every 
 
 a woman, and brought her unto 
 
 23 the man. And the man said, 
 This is now bone of my bones, 
 and flesh of my flesh : she shall 
 be called Woman, because she 
 
 24 was taken out of Man. There- 
 fore shall a man leave his father 
 and his mother, and shall cleave 
 unto his wife : and they shall 
 
 25 be one flesh. And they were 
 both naked, the man and his 
 wife, and were not ashamed. 
 
74 
 
 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 beast of the earth, and to 
 
 every fowl of the air, and to 
 every thing that creepeth upon 
 the earth, which is a living 
 creature, I have given every 
 green herb for food : and it 
 31 was so. And God saw every- 
 thing that he had made, and, 
 behold, it was very good. And 
 there was evening and there was 
 morning, the sixth day. 
 
 2 Thus the heavens and the 
 earth were finished, and all the 
 
 2 host of them. And on the 
 seventh day God ended his work 
 which he had made ; and he 
 rested on the seventh day from 
 all his work which he had made. 
 
 3 And God blessed the seventh 
 day, and sanctified it : because 
 in it he rested from all his 
 work which God created and 
 
 4 made. These are the genera- 
 tions of the heavens and of the 
 earth when they were created. 
 
 3 Now the serpent was more 
 subtle than any hcast of the field 
 which Jehovah God had made. 
 And he said unto the woman, 
 Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not 
 eat of any tree of the garden ? 
 
 2 And the woman said unto the 
 serpent, We may eat of the fruit 
 
 3 of the trees of the garden : but 
 of the fruit of the tree which is 
 in the midst of the garden, God 
 hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, 
 neither shall ye touch it, lest ye 
 
 4 die. And the serpent said unto 
 the woman, Ye shall not surely 
 
 5 die: for God doth know that 
 in the day ye eat thereof, then 
 your eyes shall be opened, and 
 
 iii. 1-2-1 is marked by the phraseology of ii. \a--2f), and by the use of 
 Jehovah God ; and therefore belongs to J. The occurrence of God alone in 
 vers. 1, 3, 5 (in the converse between Eve and the Serpent) scarcely warrants 
 the assumption that a second document has been employed. 
 
TEXT 75 
 
 ye shall be as God, knowing 
 
 6 good and evil. And when the 
 woman saw that the tree was 
 good for eating, and that it was 
 pleasant to the eyes, and a tree 
 to be desired to make one wise, 
 she took of the fruit thereof, and 
 did eat, and gave also unto her 
 husband with her ; and he did 
 
 7 eat. And the eyes of them both 
 were opened, and they knew that 
 they were naked ; audthey sewed 
 fig leaves together, and made 
 
 8 themselves aprons. And they 
 heard the sound of Jehovah God 
 walking in the garden in the cool 
 of the day : and the man and 
 his wife hid themselves from the 
 presence of Jehovah God amongst 
 
 9 the trees of the garden. And 
 Jehovah God called unto the man, 
 and said unto him, Where art 
 
 10 thou 1 And he said, I heard the 
 sound of thee in the garden, and 
 I was afraid, because I was naked ; 
 
 11 and I hid myself. And he said, 
 Who told thee that thou wast 
 naked 1 Hast thou eaten of the 
 tree, whereof I commanded thee 
 that thou shouldest not eat 1 
 
 12 And the man said, The woman 
 whom thou gavest to be with me, 
 she gave me of the tree, and I 
 
 13 did eat. And Jehovah God said 
 unto the woman. What is this 
 that thou hast done ? And the 
 woman said, The serpent be- 
 
 14 guiled me, and I did eat. And 
 Jehovah God said unto the ser- 
 pent. Because thou hast done 
 this, thou art cursed among all 
 cattle, and among every beast of 
 the field; upon thy belly shalt 
 thou go, and dust shalt thou eat 
 
 15 all the days of thy life : and I 
 will put enmity between thee 
 and the woman, and between thy 
 seed and her seed ; it shall bruise 
 thy bead, and thou shalt bruise 
 
76 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 P J 
 
 16 hisheel. Unto the woman lie said, 
 I will greatly multiply thy pain 
 and thy conception ; in sorrow 
 thou shalt bring forth children ; 
 and thy desire shall be to thy 
 husband, and he shall rule over 
 
 17 thee. And unto Adam he said, 
 Because thou hast hearkened 
 unto the voice of thy wife, and 
 hast eaten of the tree, of which 
 I commanded thee, saying, Thou 
 shalt not eat of it : cursed is the 
 ground for thy sake ; in pain 
 shalt thou eat of it all the days 
 
 18 of thy life ; thorns also and 
 thistles shall it bring forth to 
 thee ; and thou shalt eat the herh 
 
 19 of the field ; in the sweat of thy 
 face shalt thou eat bread, till 
 thou return unto the ground; 
 for out of it wast thou taken : 
 for dust thou art, and unto dust 
 
 20 shalt thou return. And the man 
 called his wife's name Eve ; be- 
 cause she was the mother of all 
 
 21 living. And for Adam and for his 
 wife did Jehovah God make gar- 
 ments of skins, and clothed them. 
 
 22 And Jehovah God said. Behold, 
 the man is become as one of us, 
 to know good and evil : and now, 
 lest he put forth his hand, and 
 take also of the tree of life, and 
 
 23 eat, and live for ever : there- 
 fore Jehovah God sent him forth 
 from the garden of Eden, to till 
 the ground from whence he was 
 
 24 taken. So he drove out the 
 man ; and he placed at the east 
 of the garden of Eden the 
 Cherubim, and a flaming sword 
 which turned about, to keep the 
 way of the tree of life. 
 
 5 This is the book of the gene- 4 And the man knew Eve his 
 rations of Adam. In the day wife ; and she conceived and bare 
 
 V. 1-28, 30-32, and iv. 1-26, 29 are shown to be parallel by the similarity 
 of the names, the latter section containing two genealogies (see note). The 
 
TEXT 
 
 77 
 
 that God created man, in the 
 likeness of God made he him : 
 
 2 male and female created he 
 them ; and blessed them, and 
 called their name Adam, in the 
 day when they were created. 
 
 3 And Adam lived a hundred and 
 thirty years, and begat a son in 
 his own likeness, after his image ; 
 
 4 and called his name Seth : and 
 the days of Adam after he 
 begat Seth were eight hun- 
 dred years : and he begat sons 
 
 5 and daughters : and all the 
 days that Adam lived were nine 
 hundred and thirty years : and 
 
 6 he died. And Seth lived a 
 hundred and five years, and 
 
 7 begat Enosh : and Seth lived 
 after he begat Enosh eight hun- 
 dred and seven years, and begat 
 
 8 sons and daughters : and all the 
 days of Seth were nine hundred 
 and twelve years : and he died. 
 
 9 And Enosh lived ninety years, 
 
 10 and begat Kenan : and Enosh 
 lived after he begat Kenan eight 
 hundred and fifteen years, and 
 
 11 begat sons and daughters: and 
 all the days of Enosh were nine 
 hundred and five years : and he 
 
 12 died. And Kenan lived seventy 
 years, and begat Mahalalel: 
 
 13 and Kenan lived after he begat 
 Mahalalel eight hundred and 
 forty years, and begat sons and 
 
 14 daughters : and all the days of 
 Kenan were nine hundred and 
 
 15 ten years: and he died. And 
 Mahalalel lived sixty and five 
 
 1 6 years, and begat Jared : and 
 Mahalalel lived after he begat 
 Jared eight hundred and thirty 
 years, and begat sons and 
 
 17 daughters : and all the days of 
 
 Kain, and said, I have gotten a 
 man with the help of Jehovah, 
 
 2 And again she bare his brother 
 Abel. And Abel was a keeper 
 of sheep, but Kain was a tiller 
 
 3 of the ground. And in process 
 of time it came to pass, that 
 Kain brought of the fruit of the 
 fjround an offering unto Jehovah. 
 
 4 And Abel, he also brought of the 
 firstlings of his flock and of the 
 fat thereof. And Jehovah had 
 respect unto Abel and to his 
 
 5 offering : but unto Kain and to 
 his offering he had not respect. 
 And Kain was very angry, and 
 
 6 his countenance fell. And Je- 
 hovah said unto Kain, Why art 
 thou angry ? and why is thy 
 
 7 countenance fallen ? If thou 
 doest well, shall it not be lifted 
 up 'I and if thou doest not well, 
 sin coucheth at the door. And 
 unto thee shall be its desire, but 
 
 8 thou shouldst rule over it. And 
 Kain said to Abel his brother 
 . . . : and it came to pass, when 
 they were in the field, that Kain 
 rose up against Abel his brother, 
 
 9 and slew him. And Jehovah said 
 unto Kain, Where is Abel thy 
 brother ? And he said, I know 
 not : am I my brother's keeper? 
 
 10 And he said. What hast thou 
 done ? Hark ! thy brother's 
 blood crieth unto me from the 
 
 11 ground. And now art thou cursed 
 away from the ground, which 
 hath opened its mouth to receive 
 thy brother's blood from thy 
 
 12 hand; when thou tillest the 
 ground, it shall not henceforth 
 yield unto thee its strength ; a 
 fugitive and a wanderer shaft 
 
 13 thou be in the earth. And Kain 
 
 two accounts are severally marked by the characteristic phraseology of P 
 and J, the name Jehovah appearing in the latter without the addition of 
 God. There is an exceptional occurrence of God in ver. 25. 
 
78 
 
 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 Mahalalel were eight hundred 
 ninety and five years : and he 
 
 18 died. And Jared lived a hun- 
 dred sixty and two years, and 
 
 19 he begat Enoch : and Jared 
 lived after he begat Enoch eight 
 hundred years, and begat sons 
 
 20 and daughters : and all the 
 days of Jared were nine hundred 
 sixty and two years : and he 
 
 21 died. And Enoch lived sixty 
 and five years, and begat Methu- 
 
 22 selah : and Enoch walked with 
 God after he begat Methuselah 
 three hundred years, and begat 
 
 23 sons and daughters : and all 
 the days of Enoch were three 
 hundred sixty and five years : 
 
 24 and Enoch walked with God: 
 and he was not ; for God took 
 
 25 him. And Methuselah lived a 
 hundred eighty and seven years, 
 
 26 and begat Lamech : and Methu- 
 selah lived after he begat Lamech 
 seven hundred eighty and two 
 years, and begat sons and 
 
 27 daughters : and all the days of 
 Methuselah were nine hundred 
 sixty and nine years : and he 
 
 28 died. And Lamech lived a hun- 
 dred eighty and two years, and 
 begat a son. 
 
 said unto Jehovah, My punish- 
 ment is greater than I can bear. 
 
 14 Behold, thou hast driven me out 
 this day from the face of the 
 ground ; and from thy face shall 
 I be hid ; and I shall be a fugitive 
 and a wanderer in the earth ; and 
 it shall come to pass, that whoso- 
 ever findeth me shall slay me. 
 
 15 And Jehovah said unto him, 
 Therefore whosoever slayeth 
 Kain, vengeance shall be taken 
 on him sevenfold. And Jehovah 
 set a mark upon Kain, lest whoso 
 
 16 found him should kill him. And 
 Kain went out from the jDresence 
 of Jehovah, and dwelt in the land 
 of Nod, on the east of Eden. 
 
 17 And Kain knew his wife ; and 
 she conceived, and hare Enoch : 
 and he builded a city, and called 
 the name of the city, after the 
 
 18 name of his son, Enoch. And 
 unto Enoch was born Irad : and 
 Irad enrjendered Mehujael : and 
 Mehujael engendered Methushael: 
 and Methushael engendered La- 
 
 19 mech. And Lamech took unto 
 him two wives : the name of the 
 one was Adah, and the name 
 
 20 of the other Zillah._ And Adah 
 bare Jabal : he was the father of 
 such as dwell in tents, and have 
 
 21 cattle. And his brother's name 
 was Jubal : he was the father of 
 all such as handle the harp and 
 
 22 pipe. And Zillah, she also bare 
 Tubalkain, a forger of every 
 instrument in brass and iron : 
 and the sister of Tubalkain was 
 
 23 Naamah. And Lamech said unto 
 his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear 
 my voice ; ye wives of Lamech, 
 hearken unto my speech : for I 
 have slain a man for my wound, 
 and a j'Ouug man for my hurb. 
 
 24 If Kain shall be avenged seven- 
 fold, truly Lamech seventy and 
 
 25 sevenfold. And Adam knew his 
 
TEXT 
 
 79 
 
 5 30 And Lamech lived after he 
 begat Noah five hundred ninety 
 and five j'ears, and begat sons 
 
 31 and daughters : and all the days 
 of Lamech were seven hundred 
 seventy and seven years : and he 
 
 32 died. And Noah was five hun- 
 dred years old : and Noah begat 
 Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 
 
 wife again ; and she bare a son, 
 and called his name Seth : for 
 God, said she, hath appointed me 
 another seed instead of Abel, 
 26 whom Kain slew. And to Seth, 
 to him also there was born a son ; 
 and he called his name Enosh : 
 then began men to call upon the 
 name of Jehovah. 
 
 5 29 And he called his name 
 Noah, saying, This same shall 
 comfort us concerning our work 
 and the pain of our hands, 
 because of the ground which 
 Jehovah hath cursed. 
 
 6 And it came to pass, when 
 men began to multiply on the 
 face of the ground, and daughters 
 
 2 were born unto them, that 
 the sons of God saw the 
 daughters of men that they 
 were fair ; and they took them 
 
 vi.-ix. contain two accounts of the Deluge story, as appears from (i.) in- 
 consistencies of detail (especially in connection with the number of animals 
 to be taken into the Ark, and the duration of the Flood) ; (ii.) differences 
 of expression. The points of resemblance between the two accounts and 
 the preceding narratives of P and J are indicated in the text or in the 
 notes below ; but the characteristics of the one have, in places, entered 
 into the other, probably in the process of editing. Thus created, creeping 
 things, male and female, are elsewhere peculiar to P ; but they also occur 
 In J in vi. 7 (repeated in vii. 8 23), and vii. 3 (repeated in vii. 9) 
 respectively. In vii. 7-9, which is a duplicate of vii. 13-16, not only is 
 part of the phraseology that of P (including the use of God in place of 
 Jehovah), but the statement respecting the clean and unclean animals is 
 inconsistent with what is said by J in vii. 2, In vii. 22, P's phrase the 
 spirit of life (vi. 17, vii. 15) is united with the expression breath of life used 
 by J in ii. 7. 
 
8o 
 
 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 wives of all that they chose. 
 
 3 And Jehovah said, My spirit 
 shall not always rule in man, 
 because he also is flesh : so his 
 days shall be a hundred and 
 
 4 twenty years. The Nephilim 
 were in the earth in those 
 days ; and also afterwards when 
 the sons of God came in unto 
 the daughters of men, and they 
 bare children to them, the same 
 were the mighty men which 
 were of old, the men of renown. 
 
 6 9 These are the generations of 
 
 Noah: Noah was a righteous man 
 and perfect in his generation, 
 and Noah walked with God. 
 
 10 And Noah begat three sons, 
 
 11 Sbem, Ham, and Japheth. And 
 the earth was corrupt before 
 God, and the earth was filled 
 
 12 with violence. And God saw 
 the earth, and, behold, it 
 was corrupt ; for all flesh had 
 corrupted its way upon the 
 
 13 earth. And God said unto 
 Noah, The end of all flesh is 
 come before me ; for the earth 
 is filled with violence through 
 them ; and, behold, I will 
 destroy them with the earth. 
 
 14 Make thee an ark of gopher 
 wood ; rooms shalt thou make 
 in the ark, and shalt pitch it 
 within and without with pitch. 
 
 15 And this is how thou shalt 
 make it. The length of the 
 ark shall be three hundred 
 cubits, the breadth of it fifty 
 cubits, and the height of it 
 
 16 thirty cubits. A light shalt 
 thou make to the ark, and to 
 the measure of a cubit shalt 
 thou finish it above ; and the 
 door of the ark shalt thou set 
 in the side thereof ; with lower, 
 second, and third stories shalt 
 
 17 thou make it. And, behold, I, 
 
 And Jehovah saw that the 
 wickedness of man was great 
 in the earth, and that every 
 imar/ination of the thoughts of 
 his heart was only evil con- 
 tinually. And it repented 
 Jehovah that he had made man 
 on the earth, and it pained 
 him at his heart. And Jehovah 
 said, I will blot out man whom 
 I have created from the face 
 of the ground; both man and 
 cattle and creeping thing, and 
 the fowls of the air ; for it 
 repenteth me that I have made 
 them. But Noah found grace 
 in the eyes of Jehovah. 
 
TEXT 
 
 8i 
 
 even I, do bring a flood of 
 waters upon the earth, to 
 destroy all flesh, wherein is 
 the spirit of life, from under 
 heaven ; and every thing that 
 is in the earth shall expire. 
 
 18 But with thee will I establish 
 my covenant ; and thou shalt 
 come into the ark, thou, and 
 thy sons, and thy wife, and 
 
 19 thy sons' wives with thee. And 
 of every living thing of all 
 flesh, two of every sort shalt 
 thou bring into the ark, to 
 keep them alive with thee ; 
 they shall be male and female. 
 
 20 Of fowls after their kind, and 
 of cattle after their kind, of 
 every creeping thing of the 
 ground after its kind, two of 
 every sort shall come unto thee, 
 
 21 to keep them alive. And take 
 thou unto thee of all meat 
 that is eaten, and thou shalt 
 gather it to thee ; and it shall 
 be for food, for thee, and for 
 
 22 them. Thus did Noah ; accord- 
 ing to all that God commanded 
 him, so did he. 
 
 7 And Jehovah said unto Noah, 
 Come thou and all thy house in- 
 to the ark ; for thee have I seen 
 righteous before me in this gene- 
 
 2 ration. Of all clean cattle thou 
 shalt take to thee by sevens, 
 each with its mate : and of beasts 
 that are not clean by two, each 
 
 3 with its mate. Of the fowl of 
 the air also by sevens, male 
 and female ; to keep seed alive 
 upon the face of all the earth. 
 
 4 For yet seven days, and I will 
 cause it to rain upon the earth 
 forty days and forty nights ; 
 and every existing thing that I 
 have made will I blot out from 
 
 5 off the face of the ground. And 
 Noah did according unto all that 
 Jehovah commanded him. 
 
 7 6 And Noah was six hundred 
 years old when the flood of 
 waters was upon the earth. 
 11 In the six hundredth year of 
 Noah's life, in the second month, 
 the seventeenth day of the 
 month, the same day were all 
 the fountains of the great deep 
 broken up, and the windows of 
 heaven were opened. 
 
 13 In the selfsame day entered 
 Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and 
 Japheth, the sons of Noah, and 
 Noah's wife, and the three wives 
 of his sons with them, into the 
 
 14 ark ; they, and every beast 
 after its kind, and all the cattle 
 after their kind, and every creep- 
 ing thing that creepeth upon 
 
 7 And Noah went in, and his sons, 
 and his wife, and his sons' wives 
 with him, into the ark, because 
 
 8 of the waters of the flood. Of 
 clean cattle and of cattle that 
 are not clean, and of fowls, 
 and of every creeping thing of 
 
 9 the ground, there went in two 
 and two unto Noah into the ark, 
 
 F 
 
82 
 
 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 the earth after its kind, and 
 every fowl after its kind, every 
 
 15 bird of every sort. And they 
 went in unto Noah into the ark, 
 two and two of all flesh, wherein 
 
 16 is the spirit of life. And they 
 that went in, went in male and 
 female of all flesh, as God had 
 commanded him. 
 
 18 And the waters prevailed, and 
 were increased greatly upon the 
 earth ; and the ark went upon 
 
 19 the face of the waters. And 
 the waters prevailed exceedingly 
 upon the earth; and all the 
 high mountains, that were under 
 the whole heaven, were covered. 
 
 20 Fifteen cubits upward did the 
 waters prevail ; and the moun- 
 
 21 tains were covered. And all 
 flesh expired that creepeth upon 
 the earth, both of fowl, and of 
 cattle, and of beast, and of every 
 swarming thing that swarmeth 
 upon the earth, and every man. 
 
 24 And the waters prevailed upon the 
 earth a hundred and fifty days. 
 
 male and female, as God had 
 10 commanded Noah. And it came 
 
 to pass after the seven days, 
 
 that the waters of the flood were 
 
 upon the earth. 
 12 And the rain was upon the earth 
 
 forty days and forty nights. 
 
 17 And Jehovah shut him in. And 
 the flood was forty days upon 
 the earth ; and the waters in- 
 creased, and bare up the ark, 
 and it was lifted up above the 
 earth. 
 
 22 All in whose nostrils was the 
 breath of the spirit of life, of all 
 that was in the dry land, died. 
 
 23 And he Uottcd out every existing 
 thing which was upon the face 
 of the ground, both man, and 
 cattle, and the creeping things, 
 and the fowl of the heaven ; and 
 they were blotted out from the 
 earth : and Noah only remained, 
 and they that were with him in 
 the ark. 
 
 8 And God remembered Noah, 
 and every beast, and all the 
 cattle that were with him in the 
 ark ; and God made a wind to pass 
 over the earth, and the waters 
 
 2 assuaged ; the fountains also 
 of the deep and the windows 
 
 36 of heaven were stopped. And 
 after the end of a hundred 
 and fifty days the waters de- 
 
 8 26 And the rain from heaven 
 3 was restrained ; and tlie waters 
 returned from off the earth con- 
 tinually. 
 
 viii. 1, 2<i, 36-5 are all marked by the characteristic language and 
 chronological precision of P. 
 
 viii. 26-3« is assigned to J, partly because it is a duplicate of viii. l-2a, 
 and partly owing to its correspondence in phraseology with vii. 12, 
 
TEXT 
 
 83 
 
 4 creased. And the ark rested in 
 the seventh month, on the seven- 
 teenth day of the month, upon 
 
 5 the mountains of Ararat. And 
 the waters decreased continually 
 until the tenth month : in the 
 tenth month, on the first day of 
 the month, were the tops of the 
 mountains seen. 
 
 13 And it came to pass in the six 
 hundredth and first year, in the 
 first month, the first day of the 
 month, the waters were dried 
 
 14 up from off the earth : and in 
 the second month, on the seven 
 and twentieth day of the month, 
 
 6 And it came to pass at the end 
 of forty days, that Noah opened 
 the lattice of the ark which he 
 
 7 had made : and he sent forth 
 the raven, which went forth to 
 and fro, until the waters were 
 dried up from off the earth. 
 
 8 Also he sent forth the dove from 
 him, to see if the waters were 
 abated from off the face of the 
 
 9 ground; but the dove found no 
 rest for the sole of her foot, and 
 she returned unto him into the 
 ark, for the waters were on the 
 face of the whole earth : then 
 he put forth his hand, and took 
 her, and pulled her in unto him 
 
 10 into the ark. And he stayed 
 yet other seven days ; and again 
 he sent forth the dove out of the 
 
 11 ark; and the dove came in to 
 him in the evening ; and, lo, in 
 her mouth was an olive leaf 
 plucked off : so Noah knew that 
 the waters were abated from 
 
 12 off the earth. And he stayed 
 yet other seven days ; and sent 
 forth the dove ; which returned 
 not again unto him any more. 
 
 ISSAnd Noah removed the cover- 
 ing of the ark, and looked, and, 
 behold, the face of the ground 
 was dry. 
 
 viii. 13a, 14r-19 have the features of P. 
 
 viii. 6-12 is assigned to J, since viii. 6 is obviously connected with 
 vii. 17 ; and 136 naturally goes with vers. 6-12. 
 
84 
 
 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 15 was the earth dried. And God 
 
 16 spake unto Noah, saying, Go 
 forth of the ark, thou, and thy 
 wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' 
 
 17 wives with thee. Bring forth 
 with thee every beast that is 
 with thee, of all flesh, both of 
 fowl, and of cattle, and of every 
 creeping thing that creepeth 
 upon the earth ; that they may 
 swarm in the earth, and be fruit- 
 ful, and multiply upon the earth. 
 
 18 And Noah went forth, and his 
 sons, and his wife, and his sons' 
 
 19 wives with him : every beast, 
 every creeping thing, and every 
 fowl, and whatsoever creepeth 
 upon the earth, after their 
 families, went forth out of the ark. 
 
 20 And Noah builded an altar un- 
 to Jehovah; and took of every 
 clean beast, and of every clean 
 fowl, and offered burnt offerings 
 
 21 on the altar. And Jehovah 
 smelled a sweet savour ; and 
 Jehovah said in his heart, I will 
 not again curse the ground any 
 more for man's sake ; for the 
 imaghmtion of man's heart is 
 evil from his youth ; neither 
 will I again smite^ any more 
 every thing living, as I have 
 
 22 done. While the earth re- 
 maineth, seed-time and harvest, 
 and cold and heat, and summer 
 and winter, and day and night 
 shall not cease. 
 
 And God blessed Noah and 
 
 his sons, and said unto them, Be 
 
 fruitful, and multiply, and re- 
 2 plenish the earth. And the fear 
 
 of you and the dread of you shall 
 
 be upon every beast of the earth, 
 
 and upon every fowl of the air, 
 
 with all wherewith the ground 
 
 viii. 20-22 has the divine name characteristic of J, and, in addition, ver. 
 21 refers back to vi. 5. 
 
 ix. 1-17 is marked off as belonging to P by the usual expressions. 
 
TEXT 85 
 
 P 
 creepeth, and all the fishes of 
 the sea ; into your hand are they 
 
 3 delivered. Every creeping thing 
 that liveth shall be for food for 
 you ; even as the green herb 
 
 4 have I given you all. But flesh 
 with the life thereof, even the 
 blood thereof, shall ye not eat. 
 
 5 And surely your blood of your 
 lives will I require ; at the hand of 
 every beast will I require it, and 
 at the hand of man ; at the hand 
 of every man's brother will I re- 
 
 6 quire the life of man. Whoso 
 sheddeth man's blood, by man 
 shall his blood be shed : for in 
 the image of God made he man. 
 
 7 And you, be ye fruitful, and 
 multiply; swarm in the earth, 
 
 8 and multiply therein. And God 
 spake unto Noah, and to his 
 
 9 sons with him, saying, And I, 
 behold, I establish my covenant 
 with you, and with your seed 
 
 10 after you ; and with every living 
 creature that is with you, of the 
 fowl, of the cattle, and of every 
 beast of the earth with you ; 
 whatsoever goeth out of the ark, 
 even every beast of the earth. 
 
 11 And I will establish my cove- 
 nant with you ; neither shall all 
 flesh be cut off any more by the 
 waters of a flood ; neither shall 
 there any more be a flood to 
 
 12 destroy the earth. And God 
 said. This is the sign of the 
 covenant which I make between 
 me and you and every living 
 creature that is with you, for 
 
 13 perpetual generations : I do set 
 my bow in the cloud, and it 
 shall be for a sign of a covenant 
 
 1 4 between me and the earth. And 
 it shall come to pass, when I 
 bring a cloud over the earth, 
 that the bow shall be seen in 
 
 15 the cloud : and I will remember 
 my covenant, which is between 
 
86 
 
 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 me and you and every living 
 creature of all flesh; and the 
 waters shall no more become a 
 
 16 flood to destroy all flesh. And 
 the bow shall be in the cloud ; 
 and I will look upon it, that I 
 may remember the everlasting 
 covenant between God and every 
 living creature of all flesh that 
 
 17 is upon the earth. And God 
 said unto Noah, This is the sign 
 of the covenant which I have 
 established between me and all 
 flesh that is upon the earth. 
 
 9 18 And the sons of Noah, that 
 went forth of the ark, were 
 Shem, and Ham, and Japheth : 
 and Ham is the father of Canaan, 
 
 19 These were the three sons of 
 Noah : and of them was the 
 
 20 whole earth overspread. And 
 Noah, the husbandman, began 
 
 21 and planted a vineyard : and 
 he drank of the wine, and was 
 drunken ; and he was uncovered 
 
 22 within his tent. And Ham, the 
 father of Canaan, saw the naked- 
 ness of his father, and told his 
 
 23 two brethren without. And 
 Shem and Japheth took a gar- 
 ment, and laid it upon both 
 their shoulders, and went back- 
 ward, and covered the naked- 
 ness of their father; and their 
 faces were backward, and they 
 saw not their father's nakedness. 
 
 24 And Noah awoke from his wine, 
 and knew what his younger son 
 
 25 had done unto him. And he 
 said. Cursed be Canaan ; a ser- 
 vant of servants shall he be un- 
 
 26 to his brethren. And he said, 
 Blessed be Jehovah, the God of 
 
 ix. 18-27 resembles, in its tone, previous sections of J [e.g., those which 
 record the Fall,- and the murder of Abel). The characteristic Jehovah 
 occurs in ver. 26, but Ood in ver. 27 (c/. iii. 1, 3, 5). 186 is perhaps due to 
 the editor (c/. note ad loc). 
 
TEXT 
 
 87 
 
 And Noah lived after the flood 
 three hundred and fifty years. 
 29 And all the days of Noah were 
 nine hundred and fifty years : 
 and he died. 
 
 Shem ; and let Canaan be his 
 27 servant. God enlarge Japheth, 
 and let him dwell in the tents 
 of Shem ; and let Canaan be his 
 servant. 
 
 10 Now these are the genera- 
 tions of the sons of Noah, Shem, 
 Ham, and Japheth : and unto 
 them were sons born after the 
 
 2 flood. The sons of Japheth ; 
 G-omer, and Magog, and Madai, 
 and Javan, and Tubal, and 
 
 3 Meshech, and Tiras. And the 
 sons of Gomer ; Ashkenaz, and 
 
 4 Riphath, and Togarmah. And 
 the sons of Javan ; Elishah, and 
 Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. 
 
 5 By these were the isles of the 
 nations divided in their lands ; 
 every one after his tongue, after 
 their families, in their nations. 
 
 6 And the sons of Ham ; Cush, 
 and Mizraim, and Phut, and 
 
 7 Canaan. And the sons of Cush ; 
 Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, 
 and Raamah, and Sabtecha : 
 and the sons of Raamah ; Sheba, 
 
 20 and Dedan. These are the sons 
 of Ham, after their families, 
 after their tongues, in their 
 lands, and in their nations. 
 
 10 8 ANDCushe?i^e?icfcre£/Nimrod: 
 he began to be a mighty one in 
 9 the earth. He was a mighty 
 hunter before Jehovah: where- 
 fore it is said. Even as Nimrod 
 a mighty hunter before Jehovah. 
 
 10 And the beginning of his king- 
 dom was Babel, and Erech, and 
 Accad, and Calneh, in the land of 
 
 11 Shinar. Out of that land he went 
 forth into Assyria, and builded 
 Nineveh, and Rehoboth-Ir, and 
 
 ix. 28, 29, X. 1-7, 20, 22-23, 31-32, xi. 10-27 go together, and are marked 
 by common features which connect them with P. 
 
 X. 8-19, 21, 2i-30 resemble in phraseology iv. 18 foil., and belong to J. 
 These sections appear to be part of an account of the descendants of Ham 
 and Shem, but begin abruptly. The mention of Cush and Mizraim in vers. 
 8, 13 presuppose a lost passage, the tenor of which corresponded to vers. 
 6, 7 (P). 
 
THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 22 The children of Shem ; Elam, 
 and Asshur, and Arpachshad, and 
 
 23 Lud, and Aram. And the chil- 
 dren of Aram ; Uz, and Hul, 
 
 31 and Gether, and Mash. These 
 are the sons of Shem, after their 
 families, after their tongues, in 
 their lands, after their nations. 
 
 32 These are the families of the 
 sons of Noah, after their genera- 
 tions, in their nations : and by 
 these were the nations divided 
 in the earth after the flood. 
 
 12 Calah, and Resen between Nine- 
 veh and Calah (the same is the 
 
 13 great city). And Mizraim eng-en- 
 dcrcd Ludim, and Anamim, and 
 
 14 Lehabim, and Naphtuhim, and 
 Pathrusim, and Casluhim (out 
 of whom came the Philistines), 
 
 15 and Caphtorim. And Canaan 
 engendered Sidon his first born, 
 
 16 and Heth, and the Jebusite, 
 and the Amorite, and the Gir- 
 
 17 gashite, and the Hivite, and 
 the Arkite, and the Sinite, 
 
 18 a d the Arvadite, and the 
 Zemarite, and the Hamathite : 
 and afterward were the families 
 of the Canaanite spread abroad, 
 
 19 And the border of the Canaan- 
 ite was from Sidon, as thou 
 rjoest toward Gerar, unto Gaza ; 
 as thou goest toward Sodom, and 
 Gomorrah, and Admah, and 
 
 21 Zeboiim, even unto Lasha, Unto 
 Shem also, the father of all 
 the children of Eber, the elder 
 brother of Japheth, even to him 
 were children born. 
 
 11 10 These are the generations 
 of Shem : Shem was a hundred 
 years old, and begat Ai-pachshad 
 
 11 two years after the flood : and 
 Shem lived after he begat Ar- 
 pachshad five hundred years, 
 and begat sons and daughters. 
 
 12 And Arpachshad lived five and 
 thirty years, and begat Shelah : 
 
 13 and Arpachshad lived after he 
 begat Shelah four hundred and 
 three years, and begat sons and 
 
 14 daughters. And Shelah lived 
 
 24 And Arpachshad engendered She- 
 lah ; and Shelah engendered Eber. 
 
 25 And unto Eber were born two 
 sons : the name of one was 
 Peleg ; for in his days was the 
 
TEXT 
 
 thirty years, and begat Eber : 
 
 15 and Shelah lived after he begat 
 Eber four hundred and three 
 years, and begat sons and 
 
 16 daughters. And Eber lived four 
 and thirty years, and begat 
 
 17 Peleg: and Eber lived after 
 he begat Peleg four hundred 
 and thirty years, and begat 
 
 18 sons and daughters. And Peleg 
 lived thirty years, and begat 
 
 19 Reu : and Peleg lived after 
 he begat Reu two hundred and 
 nine years, and begat sons and 
 
 20 daughters. And Reu lived two 
 and thirty years, and begat 
 
 21 Serug : and Reu lived after 
 he begat Serug two hundred 
 and seven years, and begat 
 
 22 sons and daughters. And Se- 
 rug lived thirty years, and 
 
 23 begat Nahor': and Serug lived 
 after he begat Nahor two 
 hundred years, and begat sons 
 
 24 and daughters. And Nahor 
 lived nine and twenty years, 
 
 25 and begat Terah : and Nahor 
 lived after he begat Terah a 
 hundred and nineteen years, 
 and begat sons and daughters. 
 
 26 And Terah lived seventy years, 
 and begat Abram, Nahor, and 
 
 27 Haran. Now these are the 
 generations of Terah : Terah 
 begat Abram, Nahor, and 
 Haran ; and Haran begat Lot. 
 
 earth divided ; and his brother's 
 
 26 name was Joktan. And Joktan 
 engendered Almodad, and She- 
 leph, and Hazarmaveth, and 
 
 27 Jerah, and Hadoram, and Uzal, 
 
 28 and Diklah, and Obal, and 
 
 29 Abimael, and Sheba, and Op- 
 hir, and Havilah, and Jobab : 
 all these were the sons of 
 
 30 Joktan. And their dwelling 
 was from Mesha, as thou rjoest 
 unto Sephar, the mountain of 
 the east. 
 
 11 And the whole earth was of 
 one language, and of one speech. 
 
 2 And it came to pass, as they 
 journeyed eastward, that they 
 found a plain in the land of 
 Shinar ; and they dwelt there. 
 
 3 And they said one to another, 
 
 xi. 1-9 is an isolated section resembling, in style and point of view, iii. 
 1-24 {cf. especially xi. 6 with iii. 22). Besides exhibiting the use of the 
 Divine name Jehovah, it contains a play upon the word Bahel similar to 
 those noticed in ii. 23, iii. 20, and v. 29. 
 
90 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 Come, let us make brick, and 
 burn them thoroughly. And they 
 had brick for stone, and bitumen 
 
 4 had they for mortar. And they 
 said, Come, let us build us a city 
 and a tower, whose top may 
 reach unto heaven ; and let us 
 make us a name, lest we be scat- 
 tered abroad upon the face of the 
 
 5 whole earth. And Jehovah came 
 down to see the city and the 
 tower, which the children of men 
 
 6 builded. And Jehovah said. Be- 
 hold, the people is one, and they 
 have all one language ; and this 
 is the beginning of their doings : 
 and now nothing will be with- 
 holden from them, which they 
 
 7 purpose to do. Come, let us go 
 down, and there confound their 
 language, that they may not un- 
 derstand one another's language. 
 
 8 So Jehovah scattered them abroad 
 from thence upon the face of all 
 the earth : and they left off to 
 
 9 build the city. Therefore is the 
 name of it called Babel ; because 
 Jehovah did there confound the 
 language of all the earth : and 
 from thence did Jehovah scatter 
 them abroad upon the face of all 
 the earth. 
 
 28 And Haran died in the presence 
 of his father Terah in the land of 
 his nativity, in Ur of the Chal- 
 
 29 dees. And Abram and Nahor 
 took them wives : the name of 
 Abram's wife was Sarai ; and 
 the name of Nahor's wife, Mil- 
 cah, the daughter of Haran, the 
 father of Milcah, and the father 
 
 30 of Iscah. But Sarai was barren ; 
 she had no child. 
 
 xi. 28-30 may be assigned to J on the ground of its resemblance, by the 
 mention of the wives, to iv, 19, and by the reference to it in xxii. 20 and 
 xxiv, 15. But as it stands, it is a fragment, its connection with the 
 genealogy of x. 24-30 having been lost. 
 
TEXT 
 
 31 And Terah took Abram his son, 
 and Lot the son of Haran his 
 son's son, and Sarai his daughter 
 in law, his son Abram's wife ; 
 and they went forth with them 
 from Ur of the Chaldees, to go 
 into the land of Canaan ; and 
 they came unto Haran, and 
 
 32 dwelt there. And the days of 
 Terah were two hundred and five 
 years : and Terah died in Haran. 
 
 12 
 
 ib Akd Abram was seventy and 
 five years old when he departed 
 out of Haran. And Abram took 
 Sarai his wife, and Lot his 
 brother's son, and all their sub- 
 stance that they had gathered, 
 and the persons that they had 
 gotten in Haran ; and they went 
 forth to go into the land of 
 Canaan; and into the land of 
 Canaan they came. 
 
 12 Now Jehovah said unto 
 Abram, Get thee out of thy 
 country, and from thy kindred, 
 and from thy father's house, unto 
 a land that I will show thee : 
 
 2 and I will make of thee a great 
 nation, and I will bless thee, and 
 make thy name great ; and be- 
 
 3 come thou a blessing : and I will 
 bless them that bless thee, and 
 curse him that curseth thee : 
 and by thee shall all families of 
 
 4 the soil bless themselves. So 
 Abram departed, as Jehovah had 
 spoken unto him ; and Lot went 
 with him. 
 
 6 And Abram passed through the 
 land unto the place of Shechem, 
 unto the terebinth of Moreh. 
 And the Canaanite was then in 
 
 xi. 31-32 is marked by the chronological detail and catalogue-like pre- 
 cision of other sections attributed to P, 
 
 xii. l-4a, 6-20 are characterised by the use of the name Jehovah through- 
 out ; whilst ver. 8 is a point of contact with iv. 26, &c. 
 
 xii. 4&-5 has all the style of P. 
 
92 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 J 
 
 7 the land. And /cAora^ appeared 
 unto Abram, and said, Unto thy 
 seed will I give this land : and 
 there builded he an altar unto 
 Jehovah, who appeared unto him. 
 
 8 And he removed from thence 
 unto a mountain on the east of 
 Beth-el, and pitched his tent, 
 having Beth-el on the west, and 
 Ai on the east : and there he 
 builded an altar unto Jehovah, 
 and called upon the name of 
 
 9 Jehovah. And Abram journeyed, 
 going on still towards the South. 
 
 10 And there was a famine in the 
 laud : and Abram went down 
 unto Egypt to sojourn there ; 
 for the famine was grievous in 
 
 11 the land. And it came to pass, 
 when he was come near to enter 
 into Egypt, that he said unto 
 Sarai his wife. Behold now, I 
 know that thou art a fair woman 
 
 12 to look upon. Therefore it 
 shall come to pass, when the 
 Egyptians shall see thee, that 
 they shall say, This is his wife : 
 and they will kill me, but they 
 
 13 will save thee alive. Say, I pray 
 thee, thou art my sister ; that it 
 may be well with me for thy sake, 
 and my soul may live because 
 
 14 of thee. And it came to pass, 
 that when Abram was come 
 into Egypt, the Egyptians be- 
 held the woman that she was 
 
 15 very fair. And the princes of 
 Pharaoh saw her, and com- 
 mended her before Pharaoh : 
 and the woman was taken into 
 
 16 Pharaoh's house. And he en- 
 treated Abram well for her sake ; 
 and he had sheep, and oxen, and 
 he-asses, and menservants, and 
 hand-maidens, and she-asses, and 
 
 17 camels. And Jehovah plagued 
 Pharaoh and his house with 
 great plagues because of Sarai 
 
 18 Abram's wife. And Pharaoh 
 
TEXT 
 
 93 
 
 called Abram, and said, What is 
 this that thou hast done unto 
 me ? why didst thou not tell me 
 
 19 that she was thy wife ? Why 
 saidst thou, She is my sister? 
 so that I took her to me 
 to wife : now therefore behold 
 thy wife, take her, and go thy 
 
 20 way. And Pharaoh gave charge 
 to men concerning him : and 
 they sent him away, and his 
 wife, and all that he had. 
 
 13 6 And the land was not able 
 to bear them, that they might 
 dwell together : for their sub- 
 stance was great, so that they 
 could not dwell together. 
 
 13 And Abram went up out of 
 Egypt, he, and his wife, and all 
 that he had, and Lot with him, 
 
 2 to the South. And Abram was 
 very rich in cattle, in silver, and 
 
 3 in gold. And he went on his 
 journeys from the South even to 
 Beth-el, unto the place where 
 his tent had been at the begin- 
 ning, between Beth-el and Ai, 
 
 4 unto the place of the altar, 
 which he had made there at the 
 first : and there Abram called on 
 
 5 the name of Jehovati. And Lot 
 also, which went with Abram, 
 had flocks, and herds, and tents. 
 
 7 And there was a strife between 
 the herdmen of Abram's cattle 
 and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: 
 and the Canaanite and the Periz- 
 zite dwelled then in the land 
 
 xiii. 1-5, 7-ll«, 12&-18 resemble the bulk of chap, xii., and, like it, 
 belong to J. With ver. 4 compare iv. 26. The way in which Lot is 
 mentioned implies that his name occurred in the passage omitted before 
 xi. 28. 
 
 xiii. 6 and xiii. llh-V2a are not necessary to the contexts in which they 
 are placed, but together form an epitome of what is told at greater length 
 in the rest of chap. xiii. The former contains a phrase found in other 
 sections of P (xii. 5 ; cf. also xxxvi. 7), and they may both be assigned to 
 that document. 
 
94 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 P J 
 
 8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let 
 there be no strife, I pray thee, 
 between me and thee, and be- 
 tween my herdmen and thy 
 herdmen ; for we be brethren. 
 
 9 Is not the whole land before 
 thee ? separate thyself, I pray 
 thee, from me : if thou wilt 
 take the left hand, then I will 
 
 . go to the right ; or if thou de- 
 
 part to the right hand, then I 
 10 will go to the left. And Lot 
 lifted up his eyes, and beheld 
 all the Plain of Jordan, that it 
 was well watered every where, 
 before Jehovah destroyed Sodom 
 and Gomorrah, even as the gar- 
 den of Jehovah, like the land of 
 Egypt, as thou goest unto Zoar. 
 116 And they separated themselves 11 Then Lot chose him all the 
 12 the one from the other. Abram Plain of Jordan ; and Lot jour- 
 
 dwelled in the land of Canaan, 126neyed east: and moved his 
 and Lot dwelled in the cities of 13 tent as far as Sodom. But the 
 the Plain. men of Sodom were wicked and 
 
 sinners before Jehovah exceed- 
 
 14 ingly. And Jehovah said unto 
 Abram, after that Lot was sepa- 
 rated him, Lift up now thine 
 eyes, and look from the place 
 where thou art northward, and 
 southward, and eastwffrd, and 
 
 15 westward : for all the land 
 which thou seest, to thee will I 
 give it, and to thy seed for ever. 
 
 16 And I will make thy seed as the 
 dust of the earth : so that if a 
 man can number the dust of 
 the earth, then shall thy seed 
 
 17 also be numbered. Arise, walk 
 through the land in the length 
 of it and in the breadth of it ; 
 for I will give it unto thee. 
 
 18 Then Abram moved his tent, 
 and came and dwelt by the 
 terebinths of Mamre, which are 
 in Hebron, and built there an 
 altar unto Jehovah. 
 
TEXT 95 
 
 P J(?) 
 
 14 And it came to pass in the 
 days of Amraphel king of Shinar, 
 Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedor- 
 laomer king of Elam, and Tidal 
 
 2 king of Goyim, that these 
 made war with Bera king of 
 Sodom, and with Birsha king 
 of Gomorrah, Shinab king of 
 Admah, and Shemeber king of 
 Zeboiim, and the king of Bela 
 
 3 (which is Zoar). All these were 
 joined together in the vale of 
 Siddim (which is the Salt Sea). 
 
 4 Twelve years they served Che- 
 dorlaomer, and in the thirteenth 
 
 5 year they rebelled. And in the 
 fourteenth year came Chedor- 
 laomer, and the kings that were 
 with him, and smote the Reph- 
 aim in Ashteroth Karnaim, and 
 the Zuzim in Ham, and the 
 Emim in the plain of Kiriathaim, 
 
 6 and the Horites in their mount 
 Seir, unto El-paran, which is by 
 
 7 the wilderness. And they re- 
 turned, and came to En-mishpat 
 (which is Kadesh), and smote 
 all the country of the Amalek- 
 ites, and also the Amorites, that 
 
 8 dwelt in Hazezon-tamar. And 
 there went out the king of 
 Sodom, and the king of Gomor- 
 rah, and the king of Admah 
 and the king of Zeboiim, and 
 the king of Bela (the same is 
 Zoar) ; and they joined battle 
 with them in the vale of Siddim; 
 
 Chap, xiv., by the dating of the events related in it by reference to the 
 reigns of Babylonian kings, would seem to be derived from Babylonian 
 records. Into which of the two documents, P and J, it was originally 
 incorporated is uncertain, as there is a confusion of characteristics. The 
 references in vers. 12 and 13 connect it with the preceding section of J; 
 and it contains the divine name distinctive of that source (ver. 22) ; but the 
 word substance is otherwise peculiar to P (c/. xii. 5, xxxvi. 7), as are also 
 the expressions home-born slaves (xvii. 12, 13), and the use of the word 
 person {cf. xii. 5, xvii. 14). The compiler's hand is visible in the numerous 
 explanations of ancient names (vers. 2, 7, 8, 17), and perhaps in the paren- 
 thesis in ver. 13. 
 
96 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 J(?) 
 9 with Chedorlaomer king of 
 Elam, and with Tidal, king of 
 Goyim, and Amraphel king of 
 Shinar, and Arioch king of El- 
 lasar ; four kings with the five. 
 
 10 And the vale of Siddim was full 
 of bitumen pits ; and the kings 
 of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, 
 and fell there ; and they that 
 remained fled to the mountains. 
 
 11 And they took all the substance 
 of Sodom and Gomorrah, and 
 all their victuals, and went 
 
 12 their way. And they took Lot, 
 Abram's brother's son, who 
 dwelt in Sodom, and his sub- 
 
 13 stance, and departed. And there 
 came one that had escaped, and 
 told Abram the Hebrew (for he 
 dwelt by the terebinths of Mamre 
 the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, 
 and brother of Aner : and these 
 were confederate with Abram). 
 
 14 And when Abram heard that his 
 brother was taken captive, he 
 led forth his trained men, home- 
 born slaves, three hundred and 
 eighteen, and pursued them un- 
 
 15 to Dan. And he divided him- 
 self against them, he and his 
 servants, by night, -and smote 
 them, and pursued them unto 
 Hobah, which is on the left 
 
 16 hand of Damascus. And he 
 brought back all the substance, 
 and also brought again his 
 brother Lot, and his substance, 
 and the women also, and the 
 
 17 people. And the king of Sodom 
 went out to meet him after his 
 return from the slaughter of 
 Chedorlaomer, and of the kings 
 that were with him, at the 
 valley of Shaveh (which is the 
 
 18 Kirc;'s Vale). And Melchizedek 
 king of Salem brought forth 
 bread and wine ; and he was 
 the priest of God Most High. 
 
 19 And he blessed him, and said 
 
TEXT 97 
 
 Blessed be Abram of God Most 
 High, possessor of heaven and 
 
 20 earth : and blessed be God 
 Most High, which hath de- 
 livered thine enemies into thy 
 hand. And he gave him a tithe 
 
 21 of all. And the king of Sodom 
 said unto Abram, Give me the 
 persons, and take the substance 
 
 22 to thyself. And Abram said to 
 the king of Sodom, I have lifted 
 up mine hand unto Jehovah, 
 God Most High, the possessor 
 
 23 of heaven and earth, that I 
 will not take from a thread 
 even to a shoelatchet — I will 
 not take any thing that is 
 thine, lest thou shouldest say, 
 
 24 I have made Abram rich : let 
 there be nothing for me ; only 
 that which the young men have 
 eaten, and the portion of the 
 men which went with me, Aner, 
 Eshcol, and Mamre — let them 
 take their portion. 
 
 15 After these things the word 
 of Jehovah came unto Abram 
 in a vision, saying, Fear not, 
 Abram : I am thy shield ; ex- 
 ceeding great shall be thy re- 
 
 2 ward. And Abram said. Lord 
 Jehovah, what wilt thou give 
 me, seeing I go childless, and 
 the steward of my house is 
 
 3 Damascus of Eliezer? And 
 Abram said. Behold, to me thou 
 hast given no seed : and, lo, one 
 born in my house is mine heir, 
 
 4 And, behold, the word of Jeho- 
 vah came unto him, saying. This 
 
 c. XV. belongs, at least in part, to J : the expression substance, though 
 most common in P, is found, as has been seen, in conjunction with 
 peculiarities of J in chap. xiv. But there are certain inconsistencies in 
 the narrative (see note) which suggest that, if E is found before c. xx. (see 
 crit. note there), it is probably in this section. The resemblance to Deut- 
 eronomy observable in ver. 7 (c/. Deut. v. 31, xix. 2) and 20-21 (c/. Deut. 
 vii. 1), may be due to the compiler (c/. xxvi. 5). 
 
98 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 J 
 
 shall not be thine heir ; but he 
 that shall come forth out of 
 thine own bowels shall be thine 
 
 5 heir. And he brought him forth 
 abroad, and said, Look now 
 toward heaven, and number the 
 stars, if thou be able to number 
 them : and he said unto him, 
 
 6 So shall thy seed be. And he 
 believed in Jehovah; and he 
 counted it to him for righteous- 
 
 7 ness. And he said unto him, 
 I am Jehovah that brought thee 
 out of Ur of the Chafdees, to 
 give thee this land to inherit it, 
 
 8 And he said. Lord Jehovah, 
 whereby shall I know that I 
 
 9 shall inherit it? And he said 
 unto him, Take me a heifer of 
 three years old, and a she-goat 
 of three years old, and a ram of 
 three years old, and a turtle- 
 
 10 dove, and a young pigeon. And 
 he took unto him all these, and 
 divided them in the midst, and 
 laid each piece one against 
 another : but the birds divided 
 
 11 he not. And when the birds of 
 prey came down upon the car- 
 cases, Abram drove t^em away. 
 
 12 And when the sun was going 
 down, a deep sleep fell upon 
 Abram ; and, lo, a horror of 
 great darkness fell upon him. 
 
 13 And he said unto Abram, Know 
 of a surety that thy seed shall 
 be a stranger in a land that is 
 not theirs, and shall serve them ; 
 and they shall afflict them four 
 
 14 hundred years; and also that 
 nation, whom they shall serve, 
 will I judge: and afterward 
 shall they come out with great 
 
 15 substance. But thou shalt go 
 to thy fathers in peace ; thou 
 shalt be buried in a good old 
 
 16 age. And in the fourth genera- 
 tion they shall come hither 
 again : for the iniquity of the 
 
TEXT 
 
 99 
 
 17 Amorites is not yet full. And 
 it came to pass, that, when the 
 sun went down, and it was dark, 
 behold a smoking furnace, and 
 a flamuig torch that passed 
 
 18 between those pieces. In the 
 same day Jehovah entered into 
 a covenant with Abram, saying, 
 Unto thy seed have I given this 
 land, from the river of Egypt 
 unto the great river, the river 
 
 19 Euphrates: the Kenite, and the 
 Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite, 
 
 20 and the Hittite, and the Periz- 
 
 21 zite, and the Rephaim, and 
 the Amorite, and the Canaanite, 
 and the Girgashite, and the Je- 
 busite. 
 
 16 Now Sarai Abram's wife bare 
 him no children : and she had a 
 handmaid, an Egyptian, whose 
 name was Hagar. 
 3 And Sarai Abram's wife took 
 Hagar her handmaid the Egyp- 
 tian, after Abram had dwelt ten 
 years in the land of Canaan, 
 and gave her to her husband 
 Abram to be his wife. 
 
 16 2 And Sarai said unto Abram, 
 Behold now, Jehovah hath re- 
 strained me from bearing : I 
 pray thee, go in unto my hand- 
 maid ; it may be that I may 
 obtain children by her. And 
 Abram hearkened to the voice 
 of Sarai. 
 
 4 And he went in unto Hagar, 
 and she conceived : and when 
 she saw that she had conceived, 
 her mistress was despised in her 
 
 5 eyes. And Sarai said unto 
 Abram, My wrong be upon thee : 
 I have given my handmaid into 
 thy bosom ; and when she saw 
 that she had conceived, I was 
 despised in her eyes : Jehovah 
 judge between me and thee. 
 
 6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Be- 
 hold, thy handmaid is in thy 
 hand ; do to her as it pleaseth 
 thee. And when Sarai dealt 
 hardly with her, she fled from 
 
 xvi. 1, 3, are parallel to xvi. 2, with the former of which passages vers. 
 15 and 16 harmonise, these last containing the chronological details 
 characteristic of P. J.'s mention of Sarah's barrenness occurs in xi. 30. 
 
 xvi. 2, 4-14 uniformly exhibit the name Jehovah; whilst the etymology 
 in ver. 11 is in the style of ii. 23, iii. 20, v. 29. 
 
THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 15 And Hagar bare Abram a son : 
 and Abram called the name of his 
 son which Hagar bare, Ishmael. 
 
 16 And Abram was fourscore and 
 six years old, when Hagar bare 
 Ishmael to Abram. 
 
 7 her face. And the angel of Je- 
 hovah found her by a fountain 
 of water in the wilderness, by 
 the fountain in the way to Shur. 
 
 8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai's hand- 
 maid, whence camest thou ? and 
 whither goest thou ? And she 
 said, I flee from the face of my 
 
 9 mistress Sarai. And the angel 
 of Jehovah said unto her, Keturn 
 to thy mistress, and submit thy- 
 
 10 self under her hands. And the 
 angel of Jehovah said unto her, 
 I will multiply thy seed exceed- 
 ingly, that it shail not be num- 
 
 11 bered for multitude. And the 
 angel of Jehovah said unto her, 
 Behold, thou art with child, and 
 shalt bear a son, and shalt call 
 his name Ishmael ; because 
 Jehovah hath heard thy afflic- 
 
 12 tion. And he will be a wild 
 man ; his hand will be against 
 every man, and every man's 
 hand against him ; and he shall 
 dwell in the presence of all his 
 
 13 brethren. And she called the 
 name of Jehovah that spake unto 
 her. Thou art a God of seeing : 
 for she said. Have I even here 
 looked after him that seeth me ? 
 
 14 Wherefore the well was called 
 Beer-lahai-roi ; behold, it is 
 between Kadesh and Bered. 
 
 17 And when Abram was ninety 
 years old and nine, Jehovah ap- 
 peared to Abram, and said unto 
 
 xvii. 1-27 has the characteristic language of P (in spite of the excep- 
 tional use of Jehovah in ver. 1) ; cf. especially ix. 9 foil. In ver. 16-19 a 
 different explanation of the name Isaac is implied from those given in 
 xviii. 10 foil. (J), and xxi. 6 (E). 
 
TEXT 
 
 P 
 
 him, I am God Almighty ; walk 
 before me, and be thou perfect. 
 
 2 And I will make my covenant 
 between me and thee, and will 
 
 3 multiply thee exceedingly. And 
 Abram fell on his face : and 
 God talked with him, saying, 
 
 4 Behold, mycovenant is with thee, 
 and thou shalt be a father of a 
 
 5 multitude of nations. Neither 
 shall thy name anymore be called 
 Abram, but thy name shall be 
 Abraham ; for a father of a mul- 
 titude of nations have I made 
 
 6 thee. And I will make thee 
 exceeding fruitful, and I will 
 make nations of thee, and kings 
 
 7 shall come out of thee. And I 
 will establish my covenant be- 
 tween me and thee and thy 
 seed after thee in their genera- 
 tions for an everlasting cove- 
 nant, to be a God unto thee, 
 and to thy seed after thee. 
 
 8 And I will give unto thee, and 
 to thy seed after thee, the land 
 of thy sojournings, all the land 
 of Canaan, for an everlasting 
 possession ; and I will be their 
 
 9 God. And God said unto 
 Abraham, Thou shalt keep my 
 covenant, thou and thy seed 
 after thee in their generations. 
 
 10 This is my covenant, which ye 
 shall keep, between me and 
 you and thy seed after thee ; 
 Every male among you shall be 
 
 11 circumcised. And ye shall cir- 
 cumcise the flesh of your fore- 
 skin ; and it shall be a token of 
 the covenant betwixt me and 
 
 12 you. And he that is eight 
 days old shall be circumcised 
 among you, every male in your 
 generations, he that is home- 
 born, or purchased with money 
 from any alien, which is not of 
 
 13 thy seed. He that is home-born, 
 and he that is purchased with 
 
THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 thy money, must needs be 
 circumcised -. and my covenant 
 shall be in your flesh for an 
 
 14 everlasting covenant. And the 
 uncircumcised male whose flesh 
 of his foreskin is not circum- 
 cised, that person shall be cut 
 off from his people ; he hath 
 
 15 broken my covenant. And God 
 said unto Abraham, As for Sarai 
 thy wife, thou shalt not call her 
 name Sarai, but Sarah shall her 
 
 1(5 name be. And I will bless her, 
 and also give thee a son of her : 
 yea, I will bless her, and she 
 shall become nations ; kings of 
 
 17 peoples shall be of her. Then 
 Abraham fell upon his face, and 
 laughed, and said in his heart, 
 Shall a child be born unto him 
 that is a hundred years old ? 
 and shall Sarah, that is ninety 
 
 18 years old, bear ? And Abraham 
 said unto God, Oh that Ishmael 
 
 19 might live before thee! And 
 God said, Sarah thy wife shall 
 bear thee a son indeed ; and 
 thou shalt call his name Isaac ; 
 and I will establish my cove- 
 nant with him for an everlast- 
 ing covenant, for his seed 
 
 20 after him. And as for Ishmael, 
 I have heard thee : Behold, I 
 have blessed him, and will make 
 him fruitful, and will multiply 
 him exceedingly ; twelve princes 
 shall he beget, and I will make 
 
 21 him a great nation. But my 
 covenant will I establish with 
 Isaac, which Sarah shall bear 
 unto thee at this set time in 
 
 22 the next year. And he left ofif 
 talking with him, and God went 
 
 23 up from Abraham. And Abra- 
 ham took Ishmael his son, and 
 all that were home -born, and 
 all that were purchased with 
 his money, every male among 
 the men of Abraham's house; 
 
TEXT 
 
 103 
 
 and circumcised the flesh of 
 their foreskin in the self-same 
 day, as God had said unto him. 
 
 24 And Abraham was ninety years 
 old and nine, when he was 
 circumcised in the flesh of his 
 
 25 foreskin. And Ishmael his son 
 was thirteen years old, when he 
 was circumcised in the flesh of 
 
 26 his foreskin. In the selfsame 
 day was Abraham circumcised, 
 
 27 and Ishmael his son. And all 
 the men of his house, those 
 that were home-born, and pur- 
 chased with money from the 
 alien, were circumcised with 
 him. 
 
 18 And Jehovah appeared unto 
 him by the terebinths of Mamre : 
 and he sat in the entrance of the 
 
 2 tent in the heat of the day ; and 
 he lifted up his eyes and looked, 
 and, lo, three men stood by him : 
 and when he saw them, he ran to 
 meet them from the entrance of 
 the tent, and bowed himself to the 
 
 3 earth, and said. My lord, if now 
 I have found grace in thy sight, 
 pass not away, I pray thee, from 
 
 4 thy servant: let a little water, 
 I pray you, be fetched, and wash 
 your feet, and rest yourselves 
 
 5 under the tree : and I will fetch 
 a morsel of bread, and comfort 
 ye your hearts ; afterward ye 
 shall pass on : because ye are 
 come to your servant. And they 
 said, So do, as thou hast said. 
 
 6 And Abraham hastened into 
 the tent unto Sarah, and said, 
 Make ready quickly three mea- 
 sures of fine meal, knead it, 
 
 7 and make cakes. And Abraham 
 ran unto the herd, and fetched 
 
 Chap, xviii. and chap. xix. (except ver. 29) are of a piece, and are dis- 
 tinguished by the Divine name Jehovah : they may accordingly be assigned 
 to J. 
 
[04 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 J 
 
 a calf tender and good, and 
 gave it unto the servant; and 
 
 8 he hasted to dress it. And 
 he took butter, and milk, and 
 the calf which he had dressed, 
 and set it before them ; and he 
 stood by them under the tree, 
 
 9 andthoy did eat. And they said 
 unto him, Where is Sarah thy 
 wife ? And he said, Behold, in 
 
 10 the tent. And he said, I will 
 surely return unto thee when the 
 season revives ; and, lo, Sarah 
 thy wife shall have a son. And 
 Sarah heard it in the entrance of 
 the tent, which was behind him. 
 
 n Now Abraham and Sarah were 
 old and well stricken in age ; and 
 it ceased to be with Sarah after 
 
 12 the manner of women. There- 
 fore Sarah laughed within her- 
 self, saying. After I am waxed 
 old shall I have pleasure, my 
 
 13 lord being old also ? And Je- 
 hoiah said unto Abraham, Where- 
 fore did Sarah laugh, saying. 
 Shall I of a surety bear a child, 
 
 14 which am old ? Is anything too 
 hard for Jehovah? At the set 
 time I will return mito thee, 
 when the season revives, and 
 
 15 Sarah shall have a son. Then 
 Sarah denied, saying, I laughed 
 not ; for she was afraid. And 
 he said. Nay ; but thou didst 
 
 16 laugh. And the men rose up 
 from thence, and looked toward 
 Sodom : and Abraham went with 
 them to bring them on the way. 
 
 17 And Jehovah^ said, Shall I hide 
 from Abraham that thing which 
 
 18 I do ; seeing that Abraham shall 
 surely become a greatand mighty 
 nation, and all the nations of the 
 earth shall bless themselves by 
 
 19 him ? For I have known him, in 
 order that he may command his 
 children and his household after 
 him, that they may keep the way 
 
TEXT 105 
 
 J 
 
 of Jehovah, to do justice and 
 judgment ; that Jehovah may 
 bring upon Abraham that which 
 
 20 he hath spoken of him. And Je- 
 hovah said, Because the cry of 
 Sodom and Gomorrah is great, 
 and because their sin is very 
 
 21 grievous; I will go down now, 
 and see whether they have done 
 altogether according to the cry 
 of it, which is come unto me ; 
 
 22 and if not, I will know. And 
 the men turned from thence, and 
 went toward Sodom : but Abra- 
 ham stood yet before Jehovah. 
 
 23 And Abraham drew near, and 
 said, Wilt thou consume the 
 
 2i righteous with the wicked? Per- 
 adventure there be fifty right- 
 eous within the city : wilt thou 
 consume and not spare the place 
 for the fifty righteous that are 
 
 25 therein ? Be it far from thee to 
 do after this manner, to slay the 
 righteous with the wicked, so 
 that the righteous should be as 
 the wicked ; that be far from 
 thee : shall not the Judge of all 
 
 26 the earth do right? And Je- 
 hovah said. If I find in Sodom 
 fifty righteous within the city, 
 then I will spare all the place 
 
 27 for their sakes. And Abraham 
 answered and said. Behold, now 
 I have taken upon me to speak 
 unto my Lord, which am but 
 
 28 dust and ashes : peradventure 
 there shall lack five of the fifty 
 righteous : wilt thou destroy all 
 the city for lack of five 1 And 
 he said. If I find there forty and 
 
 29 five, I will not destroy it. And 
 he spake unto him yet again, 
 and said, Peradventure there 
 shall be forty found there. 
 And he said, I will not do it 
 
 30 for forty's sake. And he said 
 unto him, Oh let not my Lord 
 be angry, and I will speak : 
 
[o6 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 J 
 
 peradventure there shall thirty- 
 be found there. And he said 
 I will not do it, if I find thirty 
 
 31 there. And he said, Behold 
 now, I have taken upon me to 
 speak unto my Lord : perad- 
 venture there shall be twenty 
 found there. And he said, I 
 will not destroy it for twenty's 
 
 32 sake. And he said, Oh let not 
 my Lord be angry, and I will 
 speak yet but this once : per- 
 adventure ten shall be found 
 there. And he said, I will not 
 
 33 destroy it for ten's sake. And 
 Jehovah went his way, as soon 
 as he had left communing 
 with Abraham : and Abraham 
 returned unto his place. 
 
 19 And the two angels came to 
 Sodom at even ; and Lot sat in 
 the gate of Sodom : and Lot 
 seeing them, rose up to meet 
 them ; and he bowed himself 
 
 2 with his face to the earth. And 
 he said. Behold now, my lords, 
 turn in, I pray you, into your 
 servant's house, and tarry all 
 night, and wash yout feet, and 
 ye shall rise up early, and go 
 on your way. And they said, 
 Nay ; but we will abide in the 
 
 3 street all night. And he pressed 
 them greatly ; and they turned 
 in unto him, and entered into 
 his house; and he made them 
 a feast, and did bake unleavened 
 
 4 bread, and they did eat. But 
 before they lay down, the men 
 of the city, even the men of 
 Sodom, compassed the house 
 round, both old and young, all 
 the people from every quarter : 
 
 5 and they called unto Lot, and 
 said unto him. Where are the 
 men which came in to thee this 
 night ? bring them out unto us, 
 
 6 that we may know them. And 
 
TEXT 107 
 
 J 
 
 Lot went out to the entrance to 
 them, and shut the door after 
 
 7 him, and said, I pray you, 
 brethren, do not so wickedly. 
 
 8 Behold now, I have two daugh- 
 ters, which have not known 
 man ; let me, I pray you, bring 
 them out unto you, and do ye 
 to them as is good in your 
 eyes : only unto these men do 
 nothing ; because they are come 
 under the shadow of my roof. 
 
 9 And they said. Stand back. 
 And they said again. This one 
 fellow came in to sojourn, and 
 he will needs be a judge ; now 
 will we deal worse with thee, 
 than with them. And they 
 pressed sore upon the man, 
 even Lot, and came near to 
 
 10 break the door. But the men 
 put forth their hand, and pulled 
 Lot into the house to them, and 
 
 11 shut to the door. And they 
 smote the men that were at the 
 entrance of the house with blind- 
 ness, both small and great ; so 
 that they wearied themselves to 
 
 12 find the entrance. And the men 
 said unto Lot, Hast thou here 
 any besides ? son in law, and 
 thy sons, and thy daughters, 
 and whomsoever thou hast in 
 the city, bring them out of this 
 
 13 place : for we will destroy this 
 place, because the cry of them 
 is waxen great before the face 
 of Jehovah; and Jehovah hath 
 
 14 sent us to destroy it. And Lot 
 went out, and spake unto his 
 sons in law, which had married 
 his daughters, and said. Up, get 
 you out of this place ; for 
 Jehovah will destroy this city. 
 But he seemed unto his sons 
 in law as one that mocked. 
 
 15 And when the morning arose, 
 then the angels hastened Lot, 
 saying. Arise, take thy wife, and 
 
io8 
 
 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 19 29 And it came to pass, when 
 God destroj-ed the cities of the 
 Plain, that God remembered 
 Abraham, and sent Lot out of 
 the midst of the overthrow, 
 when lie overthrew the cities in 
 the which Lot dwelt. 
 
 thy two daughters, which are 
 here ; lest thou be consumed in 
 
 16 the iniquity of the city. And 
 while he lingered, the men laid 
 hold upon his hand, and upon 
 the hand of his wife, and upon 
 the hand of his two daughters ; 
 /c^omA being merciful unto him : 
 and they brought him forth, and 
 
 17 set him without the city. And 
 it came to pass, when they had 
 brought them forth abroad, that 
 he said, Escape for thy life ; 
 look not behind thee, neither 
 stay thou in all the Plain ; 
 escape to the mountain, lest 
 
 18 thou be consumed. And Lot 
 said unto them, Oh, not so, my 
 
 1 lord : behold now, thy servant 
 hath found grace in thy sight, 
 and thou hast magnified thy 
 mercy, which thou hast showed 
 unto me in saving my life ; and 
 I cannot escape to the mountain, 
 lest the evil take me, and I 
 
 20 die : behold now, this city is 
 near to flee unto, and it is a 
 little one : Oh, let me escape 
 thither, (is it not a little one ?) 
 
 21 and my soul shall li^e. And he 
 said unto him, See, I have 
 accepted thee concerning this 
 thing also, that I will not over- 
 throw this city, for the which 
 
 22 thou hast spoken. Haste thee, 
 escape thither ; for I cannot 
 do any thing till thou be come 
 thither. Therefore the name 
 of the city was called Zoar. 
 
 23 The sun was risen upon the 
 earth when Lot entered into 
 
 24 Zoar. Then Jehovah rained upon 
 
 xix. 29 is distinguished from its context by the use of the word Gud ; and 
 though the word Plain is found more than once in the JE part of this 
 chapter, the particular combination cities of the Plain only occurs in xiii. 
 12 (P). The phrase remembered Abraham is also more common in P than 
 in JE [cf. viii. 1, ix. 15, 16) ; so that the verse may preferably be assigned 
 to the Priestly source, in which it may have followed xiii. 12((. 
 
TEXT 
 
 109 
 
 Sodom and upon Gomorrah 
 brimstone and fire from Jehovah 
 
 25 out of tieaven ; and he over- 
 threw those cities, and all the 
 Plain, and all the inhabitants of 
 the cities, and that which grew 
 
 2G upon the (/round. But his wife 
 looked back from behind him, 
 and she became a pillar of salt. 
 
 27 And Abraham got up early in 
 the morning to the place where 
 
 28 he stood before Jehovah: and 
 he looked toward Sodom and 
 Gomorrah, and toward all the 
 land of the Plain, and beheld, 
 and, lo, the smoke of the land 
 went up as the smoke of a 
 
 30 furnace. And Lot went up out 
 of Zoar, and dwelt in the moun- 
 tain, and his two daughters with 
 him ; for he feared to dwell in 
 Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, 
 
 31 he and his two daughters. And 
 the firstborn said unto the 
 younger, Our father is old, and 
 there is not a man in the earth 
 to come in unto us after the 
 
 32 manner of all the earth : come, 
 let us make our father drink 
 wine, and we will lie with him, 
 that we may preserve seed of 
 
 33 our father. And they made 
 their father drink wine that 
 night : and the first-born went 
 in, and lay with her father ; 
 and he perceived not when she 
 lay down, nor when she arose. 
 
 34 And it came to pass on the 
 morrow, that the firstborn said 
 unto the younger, Behold, I 
 lay yesternight with my father : 
 let us make him drink wine 
 this night also ; and go thou in, 
 and lie with him, that we may 
 preserve seed of our father. 
 
 35 And they made their father 
 drink wine that night also : 
 and the younger arose, and 
 lay with him ; and he perceived 
 
no THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 P JE 
 
 not when she lay down, nor 
 
 36 when she arose. Thus were 
 both the daughters of Lot with 
 
 37 child by their father. And the 
 firstborn bare a son, and called 
 his name Moab ; the same is the 
 father of the Moabites unto this 
 
 38 day. And the younger, she also 
 bare a son, and called his name 
 Ben-ammi : the same is the father 
 of the children of Ammon unto 
 this day. 
 
 20 And Abraham journeyed 
 from thence toward the South 
 country, and dwelled between 
 Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned 
 
 2 in Gerar. And Abraham said of 
 Sarah his wife, She is my sister : 
 and Abimelech king of Gerar 
 
 3 sent, and took Sarah. But God 
 came to Abimelech in a dream 
 by night, and said to him. Be- 
 hold, thou art but a dead man, 
 for the woman which thou hast 
 taken ; for she is a man's wife. 
 
 4 But Abimelech had not come 
 near her : and he said. Lord, 
 wilt thou slay even a righteous 
 
 5 nation ? Said he net unto me, 
 She is my sister '? and she, even 
 she herself said. He is my 
 brother : in the integrity of my 
 heart and innocency of my hands 
 
 6 have I done this. And God said 
 unto him in a dream, Yea, I 
 know that thou didst this in 
 the integrity of thy heart ; and I 
 also withheld thee from sinning 
 against me : therefore suffered I 
 
 From chap. xx. onward there appear a number of passages which, like 
 those of P, regularly have the name God in place of Jehovah, but do not 
 exhibit the other characteristics of P. Hence these are usually assigned 
 to a different writer (symbolised by E) from the author of J ; and the 
 companion document of P is henceforward composite, though the analysis 
 is too uncertain for the component elements to be indicated with exactness. 
 
 XX. 1-17 may with some confidence be attributed to E ; ver. 18 presum- 
 ably comes from J. 
 
TEXT 
 
 JE 
 
 7 theenot to touch her. Nowthere- 
 fore restore the man his wife ; for 
 he is a prophet, and he shall 
 pray for thee, and thou shalt 
 live : and if thou restore her not, 
 know thou that thou shalt surely 
 die, thou, and all that are thine. 
 
 8 Therefore Abimelech rose early 
 in the morning, and called all 
 his servants, and told all these 
 things in their ears : and the 
 
 9 men were sore afraid. Then 
 Abimelech called Abraham, and 
 said unto him, What hast thou 
 done unto us ? and in what have 
 I offended thee, that thou hast 
 brought on me and on my king- 
 dom a great sin ? thou hast done 
 deeds unto me that ought not 
 
 10 to be done. And Abimelech said 
 unto Abraham, What sawest 
 thou, that thou hast done this 
 
 11 thing? And Abraham said. Be- 
 cause I thought. Surely the fear 
 of God is not in this place ; and 
 they will slay me for my wife's 
 
 12 sake. And yet indeed she is my 
 sister ; she is the daughter of 
 my father, but not the daughter 
 of my mother ; and she became 
 
 13 my wife. And it came to pass, 
 when God caused me to wander 
 from my father's house, that I 
 said unto her, This is thy kind- 
 ness which thou shalt show unto 
 me ; at every place whither we 
 shall come, say of me, He is my 
 
 14 brother. And Abimelech took 
 sheep, and oxen, and menser- 
 vants, and hand-maidens, and 
 gave them unto Abraham, and 
 restored him Sarah his wife. 
 
 15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my 
 land is before thee : dwell where 
 
 16 it pleaseth thee. And unto Sarah 
 he said, Behold, I have given thy 
 brother a thousand pieces of 
 silver: behold, let this be for 
 thee a covering of the eyes 
 
THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 JE 
 
 of all that are with thee ; and 
 in the presence of all thou art 
 righted. So Abraham prayed 
 unto God : and God healed 
 Abimelech, and his wife, and his 
 maidservants ; and they bare 
 children. For Jehovah had fast 
 closed up all the wombs of the 
 house of Abimelech, because of 
 Sarah Abraham's wife. 
 
 21 1& And Jehovah did unto Sarah 
 
 26as he had spoken, at the set 
 
 time of which God had spoken 
 
 3 to him. And Abraham called 
 the name of his son that was 
 born unto him, whom Sarah 
 
 4 bare to him, Isaac. And Abra- 
 ham circumcised Isaac his son, 
 being eight clays old, as God had 
 
 5 commanded him. And Abraham 
 was a hundred years old, when 
 his son Isaac, was born unto 
 him. 
 
 21 And Jehovah visited Sarah as 
 2 he had said. And Sarah con- 
 ceived and hare Abraham a son 
 in his old asre. 
 
 t) And Sarah said, God hath 
 made me to laugh, every one 
 that heareth will laugh with me. 
 
 7 And she said, Who would have 
 said unto Abraham, that Sarah 
 should give children suck? for 
 I have borne him a son in his 
 
 8 old age. And the child grew, 
 and was weaned : and Abraham 
 made a great feast on the day 
 
 9 that Isaac was weaned. And 
 Sarah saw the son of Hagar the 
 Egyptian, which she had borne 
 
 10 unto Abraham, mocking. Where- 
 fore she said unto Abraham, 
 Cast out this maidservant and 
 her son : for the son of this 
 
 xxi. la, 2't belong to J, from the characteristic Jehovah. 
 
 xxi. 16, 2/^-5 form a section which is, in part, parallel to other portions 
 of the chapter ; and except for the use of Jehovah in 16 has the chrono- 
 logical precision of P. 
 
 xxi. 6-32 presumably belongs to E. The name Beersheba, derived in ver. 
 31 from the oath between Abimelech and Abraham is, in xxvi. .33 (J), 
 derived from the oath between Abimelech and Isaac. 
 
TEXT 113. 
 
 maidservant shall not be heir 
 with my son, even with Isaac, 
 
 11 And the thing was very grievous 
 in Abraham's sight because of 
 
 12 his son. And God said unto 
 Abraham, Let it not be grievous 
 in thy sight because of the lad, 
 and because of thy maidservant ; 
 in all that Sarah hath said unto 
 thee, hearken unto her voice ; 
 for in Isaac shall thy seed be 
 
 13 called. And also of the son of 
 the maidservant will I make a 
 nation, because he is thy seed. 
 
 14 And Abraham rose up early in 
 the morning, and took bread, 
 and a skin of water, and gave it 
 unto Hagar, putting it on her 
 shoulder, and the child, and sent 
 her away : and she departed, 
 and wandered in the wilderness 
 
 15 of Beer-sheba. And the water 
 in the skin was spent, and she 
 cast the child under one of the 
 
 16 shrubs. And she went, and sat 
 her down over against him a 
 good way off, as it were a bow- 
 shot : for she said. Let me not 
 see the death of the child. And 
 she sat over against him, and 
 lifted up her voice, and wept. 
 
 17 And God heard the voice of the 
 lad ; and the angel of God called 
 to Hagar out of heaven, and 
 said unto her, What aileth thee, 
 Hagar ? fear not ; for God hath 
 heard the voice of the lad where 
 
 18 he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and 
 hold him in thine hand ; for I 
 will make him a great nation. 
 
 19 And God opened her eyes, and 
 she saw a well of water; and 
 she went, and filled the skin 
 with water, and gave the lad 
 
 20 drink. And God was with the 
 lad ; and he grew, and dwelt in 
 the wilderness, and became an 
 
 21 archer. And he dwelt in the 
 wilderness of Paran : and his 
 
 H 
 
114 THE book: of GENESIS 
 
 P JE 
 
 mother took him a wife out of 
 
 22 the land of Egypt. And it came 
 to pass at that time, that Abime- 
 lech and Phichol the chief cap- 
 tain of his host spake unto 
 Abraham, saying, God is with 
 
 23 thee in all that thou doest : now 
 therefore swear unto me here 
 by God that thou wilt not deal 
 falsely with me, nor with my 
 son, nor with my son's son : but 
 according to the kindness that 
 I have shown unto thee, thou 
 shalt show unto me, and to the 
 land wherein thou hast so- 
 
 24 journed. And Abraham said, I 
 
 25 will swear. And Abraliam had 
 reproved Abimelech because of a 
 well of water, which Abimelech's 
 servants had violently taken 
 
 26 away. And Abimelech said, I 
 wot not who hath done this 
 thing: neither didst thou tell 
 me, neither yet heard I of it, 
 
 27 but to-day. And Abraham took 
 sheep and oxen, and gave them 
 unto Abimelech ; and both of 
 them entered into a covenant, 
 
 28 And Abraham set seven ewe 
 lambs of the flock .by them- 
 
 29 selves. And Abimelech said 
 unto Abraham, What mean these 
 seven ewe lambs which thou 
 
 oO hast set by themselves ? And 
 he said, These seven ewe lambs 
 shalt thou take of my hand, that 
 they may be a witness unto me, 
 that I have digged this well. 
 
 31 Wherefore he called that place 
 Beer-sheba ; because there they 
 
 32 sware both of them. Thus they 
 entered into a covenant at Beer- 
 sheba : and Abimelech rose up, 
 and Phichol the chief captain of 
 his host, and they returned into 
 
 33 the land of the Philistines. And 
 
 xxi. 33 has the marks of J. (cf. iv. 26) : 3-1 is inconsistent with 32, which 
 places the meeting of Abraham and Abimelech outside of Philistia. 
 
TEXT 115 
 
 p JE 
 
 Abraham planted a tamarisk in 
 Beer-sheba, and called there on 
 the name of Jehovah, the Ever- 
 34 lasting God. And Abraham so- 
 journed in the Philistines' land 
 many days. 
 
 22 And it came to pass after 
 these things, that God did test 
 Abraham, and said unto him, 
 Abraham : and he said, Behold, 
 
 2 here I am. And he said. Take 
 now thy son, thine only son Isaac, 
 whom thou lovest, and get thee 
 into the land of Moriah ; and 
 offer him there for a burnt offer- 
 ing upon one of the mountains 
 
 3 which I will tell thee of. And 
 Abraham rose up early in the 
 morning, and saddled his ass, 
 and took two of his young men 
 with him, and Isaac his son, and 
 clave the wood for the burnt 
 offering, and rose up, and went 
 unto the place of which God had 
 
 4 told him. Then on the third 
 day Abraham lifted up his eyes, 
 
 5 and saw the place afar off. And 
 Abraham said unto his young 
 men, Abide ye here with the 
 ass ; and I and the lad will go 
 yonder and worship, and come 
 
 6 again to you. And Abraham 
 took the wood of the burnt 
 oflfering, and laid it upon Isaac 
 his son ; and he took the fire in 
 his hand, and the knife ; and 
 they went both of them together. 
 
 7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham 
 his father, and said, My father : 
 and he said. Here am I, my son. 
 And he said. Behold the fire and 
 the wood : but where is the 
 
 8 lamb for a burnt oflfering 1 And 
 Abraham said, My son, God will 
 provide himself the lamb for a 
 
 xxii. 1-24 belong partly to E, partly to J ; vers. 1-13, 19 possibly being 
 ■derived from the former, the rest from the latter. 
 
n6 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 JE 
 
 burnt offering : so they went 
 9 both of them together. And 
 they came to the place which 
 God had told him of ; and Abra- 
 ham built the altar there, and 
 laid the wood in order, and 
 bound Isaac his son, and laid 
 him on the altar upon the wood. 
 
 10 And Abraham stretched forth 
 his hand, and took the knife 
 
 11 to slay his son. And the angel 
 of Jehovah called unto him out 
 of heaven, and said, Abraham, 
 Abraham : and he said, Here 
 
 12 am I, And he said. Lay not 
 thine hand upon the lad, neither 
 do thou any thing unto him : 
 for now I know that thou f earest 
 God, seeing thou hast not with- 
 held thy son, thine only son 
 
 13 from me. And Abraham lifted 
 up his eyes, and looked, and be- 
 hold behind him a ram caught 
 in a thicket by its horns : and 
 Abraham went and took the 
 ram, and offered it up for a 
 burnt offering in the stead of his 
 
 14 son. And Abraham called the 
 name of that place Jehovah- 
 jireh : so that it is saia to this 
 day, In the mount of Jehovah 
 
 15 He manifests Himself. And 
 the angel of Jehovah called unto 
 Abraham out of heaven the 
 
 16 second time, and said, By 
 myself have I sworn, saith 
 Jehovah, because thou hast done 
 this thing, and hast not with- 
 held thy son, thine only son : 
 
 17 that in blessing I will bless 
 thee, and in multiplying I 
 will multiply thy seed as the 
 stars of the heaven, and as the 
 sand which is upon the sea 
 shore ; and thy seed shall pos- 
 sess the gate of his enemies ; 
 
 18 and by thy seed shall all the 
 nations of the earth bless them- 
 selves ; because thou hast obeyed 
 
TEXT 
 
 23 And Sarah was a hundred 
 and seven and twenty years 
 old : these were the years of 
 
 2 the life of Sarah. And Sarah 
 died in Kiriath-arba (the same is 
 Hebron) in the land of Canaan: 
 and Abraham came to mourn 
 for Sarah, and to weep for her. 
 
 3 And Abraham stood up from 
 before his dead, and spake unto 
 the children of Heth, saying, 
 
 4 I am a stranger and a sojourner 
 with you : give me a possession 
 of a buryingplace with you, that 
 I may bury my dead out of my 
 
 5 sight. And the children of Heth 
 answered Abraham, saying unto 
 
 6 him. Hear us, my lord : thou 
 art a mighty prince among us : 
 in the choice of our sepulchres 
 bury thy dead ; none of us shall 
 withhold from thee his sepul- 
 
 JE 
 
 19 my voice. So Abraham returned 
 unto his young men, and they 
 rose up and went together to 
 Beer-sheba ; and Abraham dwelt 
 
 20 at Beer-sheba. And it came to 
 pass after these things, that it 
 was told Abraham, saying, Be- 
 hold, Milcah, she also hath borne 
 children unto thy brother Na- 
 
 21 hor ; Uz his firstborn, and Buz 
 his brother, and Kemuel the 
 
 22 father of Aram, and Chesed, 
 and Hazo, and Pildash, and 
 
 23 Jidlaph, and Bethuel. And Be- 
 thnel engeiider-cdHehehah : these 
 eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, 
 
 24 Abraham's brother. And his 
 concubine, whose name was 
 Reumah, she bare also Tebah, 
 and Gaham, and Thahash, and 
 Maachah. 
 
 Chap, xxiii. has the characteristics of certain sections of P. P regards 
 Mamrc (ver. 17) as a locality [cf. xxv. 9, xlix. 30, 1. 13), whereas J speaks of 
 the terehinths of Mainre, Mamre apparently being the name of a person (see 
 xiii. 18, xiv. 13, xviii. 1). 
 
THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 JE 
 
 chre, but that thou mayest bury 
 
 7 thy dead. And Abraham stood 
 up and bowed himself to the 
 people of the land, even to the 
 
 8 children of Heth. And he com- 
 muned with them, saying, If it 
 be your mind that I should bury 
 my dead out of my sight ; hear 
 me, and entreat for me to 
 
 9 Ephron the son of Zohar, that 
 he may give me the cave of 
 Machpelah, which he hath, 
 which is in the end of his field ; 
 for as much money as it is worth 
 he shall give it me amongst 
 you for a possession of a bury- 
 
 10 ingplace. And Ephron was 
 seated among the children of 
 Heth : and Ephron the Hittite 
 answered Abraham in the audi- 
 ence of the children of Heth, 
 even of all that went in at the 
 
 11 gate of his city, saying, Nay, 
 my lord, hear me : the field 
 give I thee, and the cave that 
 is therein, I give it thee ; in 
 the presence of the sons of my 
 people give I it thee : bury thy 
 
 12 dead. And Abraham bowed 
 down himself before the people 
 
 13 of the land. And he spake unto 
 Ephron in the audience of the 
 people of the land, saying, But 
 if thou — ; I pray thee, hear 
 me : I will give thee the money 
 for the field ; take it of me, 
 and I will bury my dead there. 
 
 14 And Ephron answered Abra- 
 
 15 ham, saying unto him, My 
 lord, hearken unto me: land 
 worth four hundred shekels of 
 silver, what is that betwixt me 
 and thee ? bury therefore thy 
 
 16 dead. And Abraham hearkened 
 unto Ephron ; and Abraham 
 weighed to Ephron the silver, 
 which he had named in the 
 audience of the children of 
 Heth, four hundred shekels of 
 
TEXT 
 
 119 
 
 silver, current money with the 
 
 17 merchant. And the field of 
 Ephron, which was in Mach- 
 pelah, which was before Mamre, 
 the field, and the cave which 
 was therein, and all the trees 
 that were in the field, that 
 were in all the border round 
 
 18 about, were made sure unto 
 Abraham for a purchase in the 
 presence of the children of Heth, 
 before all that went in at the 
 
 19 gate of his city. And after 
 this, Abraham buried Sarah his 
 wife in the cave of the field of 
 Machpelah before Mamre (the 
 same is Hebron) in the land of 
 
 20 Canaan. And the field, and the 
 cave that is therein, were made 
 sure unto Abraham for a pos- 
 session of a buryingplace by 
 the children of Heth. 
 
 24 And Abraham was old, and 
 well stricken in age : and Jehovah 
 had blessed Abraham in all 
 
 2 things. And Abraham said un- 
 to his servant, the elder of his 
 house, that ruled over all that he 
 had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand 
 
 3 under my thigh : and I will 
 make thee swear by Jehovah, 
 the God of heaven, and the 
 God of the earth, that thou 
 shalt not take a wife unto 
 my son of the daughters of the 
 Canaanites, among whom I dwell: 
 
 4 but thou shalt go unto my 
 country, and to my kindred, 
 and take a wife unto my son 
 
 5 Isaac. And the servant said 
 unto him, Peradventure the 
 woman will not be willing to 
 follow me unto this land : must 
 
 xxiv. 1-xxv. 6 belongs to J, since it has Jehovah throughout ; whilst 
 xxiv. 7 refers to xii. 7, and xxiv. 15 to xi. 29. The descent of Shcba and 
 Bedan from JoJcshan the son of Abraham (xxv. 3) is inconsistent with the 
 genealogy given in x. 7 (?) ; and even with J's own account in x. 28. 
 
THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 J 
 
 I needs bring thy son again 
 unto the land from whence thou 
 
 6 earnest? And Abraham said 
 unto him, Beware that thou 
 bring not my son thither again. 
 
 7 Jehovah the God of heaven, 
 that took me from my father's 
 house, and from the land of my 
 kindred, and that spake unto 
 me, and that sware unto me, 
 saying. Unto thy seed will I 
 give this land ; he shall send 
 his angel before thee, and thou 
 shalt take a wife unto my son 
 
 8 from thence. And if the woman 
 will not be willing to follow 
 thee, then thou shalt be clear 
 from this my oath : only bring 
 
 9 not my son thither again. And 
 the servant put his hand under 
 the thigh of Abraham his master, 
 and sware to him concerning 
 
 10 that matter. And the servant 
 took ten camels of the camels 
 of his master, and departed ; 
 for all kinds of good things 
 of his master's were in his 
 hand : and he arose, and went 
 to Aram Naharaim, flnto the 
 
 11 city of Nahor. And he made 
 his camels to kneel down with- 
 out the city by the well of water 
 at the time of the evening, even 
 the time that women go out 
 
 12 to draw water. And he said, 
 Jehovah, the God of my master 
 Abraham, I pray thee, send me 
 good speed this day, and show 
 kindness unto my master Abra- 
 
 13 ham. Behold, I stand here by 
 the fountain of water ; and the 
 daughters of the men of the 
 city come out to draw water : 
 
 14 and let it come to pass, that 
 the damsel to whom I shall say, 
 Let down thy pitcher, I pray 
 thee, that I may drink ; and she 
 shall saj% Drink, and I will give 
 thy camels drink also ; let the 
 
TEXT 
 
 same be she that thou hast ap- 
 pointed for thy servant Isaac ; 
 and thereby shall I know that 
 thou hast showed kindness unto 
 
 15 my master. And it came to 
 pass, before he had done speak- 
 ing, that, behold, Rebekah came 
 out, who was born to Bethuel, 
 son of Milcah, the wife of 
 Nahor, Abraham's brother, with 
 her pitcher upon her shoulder. 
 
 16 And the damsel was very fair to 
 look upon, a virgin, neither had 
 any man known her : and she 
 went down to the fountain, and 
 filled her pitcher, and came up. 
 
 17 And the servant ran to meet 
 her, and said. Let me, I pray 
 thee, drink a little water of thy 
 
 18 pitcher. And she said. Drink, 
 my lord : and she hasted, and 
 let down her pitcher upon her 
 
 19 hand, and gave him drink. And 
 when she had done giving him 
 drink, she said, I will draw 
 water for thy camels also, until 
 
 20 they have done drinking. And 
 she hasted, and emptied her 
 pitcher into the trough, and ran 
 again unto the well to draw 
 water, and drew for all his 
 
 21 camels. And the man gazed 
 at her, holding his peace, to 
 know whether Jehovah had made 
 his journey prosperous or not. 
 
 22 And it came to pass, as the 
 camels had done drinking, that 
 the man took a golden nose-ring 
 of half a shekel weight, and two 
 bracelets for her hands of ten 
 
 23 shekels weight of gold ; and 
 said, Whose daughter art thou ? 
 tell me, I pray thee : is there 
 room in thy father's house 
 
 24 for us to lodge in ? And she 
 said unto him, I am the 
 daughter of Bethuel the son of 
 Milcah, which she bare unto 
 
 25 Nahor. She said moreover unto 
 
THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 J 
 
 him, We have both straw and 
 provender enough, and room to 
 
 26 lodge in. And the man bowed 
 down his head, and worshipped 
 
 27 Jehovah. And he said, Blessed 
 be Jehovah, the God of my 
 master Abraham, who hath not 
 bereft my master of his mercy 
 and his truth : as for me, 
 Jehovah led me in the way to 
 the house of my master's breth- 
 
 28 ren. And the damsel ran, and 
 told them of her mother's house 
 
 29 these things. And Kebekah had 
 a brother, and his name was 
 Laban : and Labau ran out unto 
 
 30 the man, unto the fountain. And 
 it came to pass, when he saw the 
 nose-ring, and the bracelets upon 
 his sister's hands, and when he 
 heard the words of Rebekah his 
 sister, saying. Thus spake the 
 man unto me ; that he came 
 unto the man ; and, behold, he 
 stood by the camels at the 
 
 31 fountain. And he said, Come 
 in, thou blessed of Jehovah; 
 wherefore standest thou with- 
 out ? for I have prepared the 
 house, and room for the camels. 
 
 32 And the man came into the 
 house : and he ungirded his 
 camels, and gave straw and 
 provender for the camels, and 
 water to wash his feet, and the 
 men's feet that were with him. 
 
 33 And there was set meat before 
 him to eat: but he said, I will 
 not eat, until I have told mine 
 errand. And he s-aid. Speak on. 
 
 34 And he said, I am Abraham's 
 
 35 servant. And Jchomh hath 
 blessed my master greatly ; and 
 he is become great : and he hath 
 given him liocks, and herds, and 
 silver, and gold, and menservants, 
 and handmaidens, and camels, 
 
 36 and asses. And Sarah my mas- 
 ter's wife bare a son to my 
 
TEXT 
 
 J 
 
 master when she was old : and 
 unto him hath he given all that 
 
 37 he hath. And my master made 
 me swear, saying, Thou shalt 
 not take a wife to my son of 
 the daughters of the Canaanites, 
 
 38 in whose land I dwell : but 
 thou shalt go unto my father's 
 house, and to my kindred, and 
 
 39 take a wife unto my son. And 
 I said unto my master, Per- 
 adventure the woman will not 
 
 40 follow me. And he said unto 
 me, Jehovah, before whom I walk, 
 will send his angel with thee, 
 and prosper thy way : and thou 
 shalt take a wife for my son of 
 my kindred, and of my father's 
 
 41 house : then shalt thou be clear 
 from this my oath, when thou 
 comest to my kindred ; and if 
 they give her not to thee, thou 
 shalt be clear from my oath. 
 
 4-J And I came this day unto the 
 fountain, and said, Jehovah, 
 the God of my master Abraham, 
 if now thou dost prosper my 
 
 43 way which I go : behold, I 
 stand by the fountain of water ; 
 and let it come to pass that 
 the virgin who cometh forth 
 to draw water, to whom I say, 
 Give me, I pray thee, a little 
 water of thy pitcher to drink ; 
 
 44 and she say to me. Both drink 
 thou, and I will also draw for 
 thy camels ; let the same be 
 the woman whom Jehovah hath 
 appointed for my master's son. 
 
 45 And before I had done speak- 
 ing in mine heart, behold, Re- 
 bekah came forth with her 
 pitcher on her shoulder ; and 
 she went down unto the foun- 
 tain, and drew : and I said unto 
 her, Let me drink, I pray thee. 
 
 46 And she made haste, and let 
 down her pitcher from her 
 shoulder, and said. Drink, and 
 
24 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 I will give thy camels drink 
 also : so I drank, and she made 
 
 47 the camels drink also. And I 
 asked her, and said, Whose 
 daughter art thou ? And she 
 said, The daughter of Bethuel, 
 Nahor's son, whom Milcah bare 
 unto him : and I put the nose- 
 ring upon her, and the bracelets 
 
 48 upon her hands. And I bowed 
 down my head, and worshipped 
 Jehovah, and blessed Jehovah, the 
 God of my master Abraham, 
 which had led me in tjie right 
 way to take my master's brother's 
 
 49 daughter unto his son. And 
 now if ye will shoiv mercy and 
 truth unto my master, tell me : 
 and if not, tell me ; that I may 
 turn to the right hand, or to the 
 
 50 left. Then Laban and Bethuel an- 
 swered and said, The thing pro- 
 ceedeth from Jehovah : we can- 
 not speak unto thee bad or good. 
 
 51 Behold, Rebekah is before thee, 
 take her, and go, and let her be 
 thy master's son's wife, as Jeho- 
 
 52 vah hath spoken. And it came 
 to pass, that, when Abraham's 
 servant heard their words, he 
 worshipped Jehovah, bowing him- 
 
 53 self to the earth. And the ser- 
 vant brought forth jewels of 
 silver, and jewels of gold, and 
 raiment, and gave them to Re- 
 bekah : he gave also to her 
 brother and to her mother pre- 
 
 54 cious things. And they did eat 
 and drink, he and the men that 
 were with him, and tarried all 
 night ; and they rose up in the 
 morning, and he said. Send me 
 
 55 away unto my master. And her 
 brother and her mother said, 
 Let the damsel abide with us a 
 few days, at the least ten ; after 
 
 5G that she shall go. And he said 
 unto them, Hinder me not, 
 seeing Jehovah hath prospered 
 
TEXT 
 
 125 
 
 my way ; send me away that I 
 
 57 may go to my master. And 
 they said, We will call the 
 damsel, and inquire at her 
 
 58 mouth. And they called Re- 
 bekah, and said unto her. Wilt 
 thou go with this man ? And 
 
 59 she said, I will go. And they 
 sent away Eebekah their sister, 
 and her nurse, and Abraham's 
 
 60 servant, and his men. And they 
 blessed Eebekah, and said unto 
 her, Thou art our sister, become 
 thou thousands of ten thou- 
 sands, and let thy seed possess 
 the gate of those which hate 
 
 61 them. And Rebekah arose, and 
 her damsels, and they rode upon 
 the camels, and followed the 
 man : and the servant took Re- 
 
 62 bekah, and went his way. And 
 Isaac came from the way of 
 Beer-lahai-roi ; for he dwelt in 
 
 63 the land of the South. And 
 Isaac went out to meditate in 
 the field at the eventide : and 
 he lifted up his eyes, and saw, 
 and, behold, camels were com- 
 
 64 ing. And Rebekah lifted up 
 her eyes, and when she saw 
 Isaac, she lighted oif the camel, 
 
 65 And she said unto the servant, 
 What man is this that walketh 
 in the field to meet us? And 
 the servant said. It is my mas- 
 ter : therefore she took a veil, 
 
 66 and covered herself. And the 
 servant told Isaac all the things 
 
 67 that he had done. And Isaac 
 brought her into his mother 
 Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, 
 and she became his wife ; and 
 he loved her : and Isaac was 
 comforted after his mother's 
 death. 
 
 25 And Abraham took another 
 
 wife, and her name was Keturah. 
 
 2 And she bare him Zimran, and 
 
[26 
 
 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 25 7 And these are the days of the 
 years of Abraham's life which he 
 lived, a hundred threescore and 
 
 8 fifteen years. And Abraham ex- 
 pired, and died in a good old 
 age, an old man, and full of 
 years ; and was gathered to his 
 
 9 people. And his sons Isaac and 
 Ishmael buried him in the cave 
 of Machpelah, in the field of 
 Ephron the son of Zohar the 
 Hittite, which is before Mamre; 
 
 10 the field which Abraham bought 
 of the children of Heth : there 
 was Abraham buried, and Sarah 
 
 11 his wife. And it came to pass 
 after the death of Abraham, that 
 God blessed his son Isaac ; and 
 Isaac dwelt by Beer-lahai-roi. 
 
 12 Now these are the generations 
 of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom 
 Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's 
 handmaid, bare unto Abraham : 
 
 13 and these are the names of the 
 sons of Ishmael, by their names, 
 after their generations: the first- 
 
 Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, 
 
 3 and Ishbak, and Shuah. And 
 Jokshan enrjendered Sheba, and 
 Dedan. And the sons of Dedan 
 were Asshurim, and Letushim, 
 
 4 and Leummim. And the sons 
 of Midian ; Ephah, and Epher, 
 and Hanoch, and Abida, and 
 Eldaah. All these were the 
 
 5 children of Keturah. And Abra- 
 ham gave all that he had unto 
 
 t) Isaac. But unto the sons of the 
 concubines, which Abraham had, 
 Abraham gave gifts, and sent 
 them away from Isaac his son, 
 while he yet lived, eastward, 
 unto the east country. 
 
 XXV. 7-17, 19-20, 26?> have the characteristic style of P (cf. 8 with vii. 21 ; 
 13 with X. 32 ; 19 with xi. 27), though 11/j may have been introduced from 
 JE (cf. xxii. 19, xxiv. C2). In ver. 20 Paddan Aram corresponds to the 
 Aram Naharaim of J (xxiv. 10). 
 
TEXT 
 
 127 
 
 born of Ishmael, Nebaioth ; and 
 Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, 
 
 14 and Mishma, and Dumah, and 
 
 15 Massa, Hadad, and Tema, Jetur, 
 
 16 Naphish, and Kedemah : these 
 are the sons of Ishmael, and 
 these are their names, by their 
 villages, and by their camps ; 
 twelve princes according to their 
 
 17 tribes. And these are the years 
 of the life of Ishmael, a hun- 
 dred and thirty and seven years : 
 and he expired and died ; and 
 was gathered unto his people. 
 
 And these are the generations 
 of Isaac, Abraham's son : Abra- 
 ham begat Isaac : and Isaac 
 was forty years old when he took 
 Kebekah to wife, the daughter 
 of Bethnel the Aramean of 
 Paddan-aram, the sister to Laban 
 the Aramean. 
 
 18 And they dwelt from Havilah 
 unto Shur, that is before Egypt, 
 (IS thou goest toivard Assyria : he 
 settled in the presence of all 
 his brethren. 
 
 21 And Isaac intreated Jehovah for 
 his wife, because she was barren 
 and Jehovah was intreated of him 
 and Eebekah his wife conceived, 
 
 22 And the children struggled to 
 gether within her ; and she said 
 If it be so, what do I live for ' 
 And she went to inquire of Jc 
 
 23 hovah. And Jehovah said unto 
 her. Two nations are in thy womb, 
 and two peoples shall be separ- 
 ated from thy bowels ; and the 
 one people shall be stronger than 
 the other people ; and the elder 
 
 24 shall serve the younger. And 
 when her days to be delivered 
 were completed, behold, there 
 
 25 were twins in her womb. And 
 
 XXV. 18 is assigned to J on the ground of its affinity with x. 19 and 
 xvi. 12. 
 
 XXV. 21-34 (except 266, see above) belongs mainly to J (see text). 
 
128 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 J 
 
 the first came out ruddy, all over 
 like a hairy garment ; and they 
 26 called his name Esau. And 
 after that came his brother out, 
 and his hand took hold on Esau's 
 heel; and his name was called 
 Jacob. 
 
 266 And Isaac was threescore years 
 old when she bare them. 
 
 27 And the boys grew : and Esau 
 was a skilful hunter, a man of 
 the field ; and Jacob was a quiet 
 
 28 man, dwelling in tents. And 
 Isaac loved Esau because he did 
 eat of his venison : but Kebekah 
 
 29 loved Jacob. And Jacob sod 
 pottage : and Esau came from 
 the field, and he was faint : 
 
 30 and Esau said to Jacob, Feed 
 me, I pray thee, with that red 
 stuff ; for I am faint : therefore 
 
 31 was his name called Edom. And 
 Jacob said, Sell me first thy birth- 
 
 32 right. And Esau said, Behold, 
 I am at the point to die : and 
 what profit shall the birthright 
 
 33 do to me ? And Jacob said, 
 Swear to me first ; and he 
 sware unto him : and he sold his 
 
 34 birthright unto Jacob, Then 
 Jacob gave Esau bread and pot- 
 tage of lentils ; and he did eat 
 and drink, and rose up, and went 
 his way : thus Esau despised his 
 birthright. 
 
 26 And there was a famine in 
 the land, beside the first famine 
 that was in the days of Abra- 
 ham. And Isaac went unto 
 Abimelech king of the Philis- 
 2 tines unto Gerar. And Jehovah 
 appeared unto him, and said, Go 
 not down into Egypt ; dwell in 
 
 xxvi. 1-33 appears to belong chiefly to J, though the inconsistency 
 between vers. 2 and 3, and the resemblance between ver. 26 and xxi. 22 
 suggests that E has also been used. In ver. 5 there is considerable likeness 
 to the style of Deuteronomy [cf. Deut. vi. 1, xi. 1). 
 
TEXT 
 
 JE 
 
 the land which I shall tell thee 
 
 3 of : sojourn in this land, and I 
 will be with thee, and will bless 
 thee ; for unto thee, and unto 
 thy seed, I will give all these 
 countries, and I will perform 
 the oath which I sware unto 
 
 4 Abraham thy father; and I 
 will make thy seed to multiply 
 as the stars of heaven, and will 
 give unto thy seed all these 
 countries ; and by thy seed shall 
 all the nations of the earth bless 
 
 5 themselves ; because Abraham 
 obeyed my voice, and kept my 
 charge, my commandments, my 
 
 6 statutes, and my laws. And 
 
 7 Isaac dwelt in Gerar : and the 
 men of the place asked him of 
 his wife; and he said. She is 
 my sister : for he feared to say, 
 She is my wife ; lest, said he, 
 the men of the place should kill 
 me for Rebekah ; because she 
 
 8 was fair to look upon. And it 
 came to pass, when he had been 
 there a long time, that Abime- 
 lech king of the Philistines 
 looked out at a lattice, and 
 saw, and, behold, Isaac was 
 playing with Rebekah his wife. 
 
 9 And Abimelech called Isaac, 
 and said. Behold, of a surety 
 she is thy wife : and how saidst 
 thou. She is my sister ? And 
 Isaac said unto him, Because I 
 
 10 said, Lest I die for her. And 
 Abimelech said. What is this 
 thou hast done unto us ? one of 
 the people might easily have 
 lain with thy wife, and thou 
 wouldest have brought guilti- 
 
 11 riess upon us. And Abimelech 
 charged all his people, saying. 
 He that toucheth this man or 
 his wife shall surely be put to 
 
 12 death. Then Isaac sowed in 
 that land, and received in the 
 same year a hundredfold : and 
 
 I 
 
I30 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 JE 
 
 13 Jehovah blessed him. And the 
 man waxed great, and went 
 on increasing, until he became 
 
 14 very great : for he had stock 
 of flocks, and stock of herds, 
 and great store of servants : 
 and the Philistines envied him. 
 
 15 And all the wells which his 
 father's servants had digged in 
 the daj'S of Abraham his father, 
 the Philistines had stopped 
 them, and filled them with 
 
 16 earth. And Abimelech said 
 unto Isaac, Go from us ; for 
 thou art much mightier than 
 
 17 we. And Isaac departed thence, 
 and pitched his tent in the val- 
 ley of Gerar, and dwelt there. 
 
 18 And Isaac digged again the 
 wells of water, which they had 
 digged in the days of Abraham 
 his father; for the Philistines 
 had stopped them after the 
 death of Abraham : and he 
 called their names after the 
 names by which his father had 
 
 19 called them. And Isaac's ser- 
 vants digged in the valley, and 
 found there a well "^of spring- 
 
 20 ing water. And the herdmen 
 of Gerar strove with Isaac's 
 herdmen, saying, The water 
 is ours ; and he called the 
 name of the well Esek ; because 
 
 •21 they strove with him. And they 
 digged another well, and strove 
 for that also : and he called the 
 
 •2i name of it Sitnah. And he re- 
 moved from thence, and digged 
 another well ; and for that they 
 strove not : and he called the 
 name of it Eehoboth ; and he 
 said, For now Jehovnh hath made 
 room for us, and we shall be 
 
 23 fruitful in the land. And he 
 went up from thence to Beer- 
 
 24 sheba. And Jehovah appeared 
 unto him the same night, and 
 said, I am the God of Abr£ 
 
TEXT 131 
 
 P JE 
 
 thy father : fear not, for I am 
 with thee, and will bless thee, 
 and multiply thy seed for my 
 
 25 servant Abraham's sake. And 
 he builded an altar there, and 
 called upon the name of Jehovah, 
 and pitched his tent there : and 
 there Isaac's servants digged a 
 
 26 well. Then Abimelech went to 
 him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath 
 one of his friends, and Phichol 
 the chief captain of his host. 
 
 27 And Isaac said unto them, Where- 
 fore come ye to me, seeing ye 
 hate me, and have sent me away 
 
 28 from you 1 And they said, We 
 saw certainly that Jehovah was 
 with thee : and we said, Let 
 there be now an oath betwixt 
 us, even betwixt us and thee, 
 and let us enter into a covenant 
 
 29 with thee ; that thou wilt do 
 us no hurt, as we have not 
 touched thee, and as we have 
 done unto thee nothing but 
 good, and have sent thee away 
 in peace : thou art now the 
 
 30 blessed of Jehovah. And he 
 made them a feast, and they did 
 
 31 eat and drink. And they rose 
 up betimes in the morning, and 
 sware one to another : and Isaac 
 sent them away, and they de- 
 
 32 parted from him in peace. And 
 it came to pass the same day, 
 that Isaac's servants came, and 
 told him concerning the well 
 which they had digged, and 
 said unto him, We have found 
 
 33 water. And he called it Shibah : 
 therefore the name of the city 
 is Beer-sheba unto this day. 
 
 26 34 And Esau was forty years 
 old when he took to wife Judith 
 thedaughterof BeeritheHittite, 
 
 xxvi. 34-35 may be allotted to P from the resemblance in the style of 
 ver. 34 to xxv. 20, and the allusion to it in xxviii. 9 (P). 
 
13' 
 
 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 and Basemath the daughter of 
 35 Elon the Hittite : who were a 
 bitterness of spirit unto Isaac 
 and to Rebekah. 
 
 JE 
 
 27 And it came to pass, that 
 when Isaac was old, and his 
 eyes were dim, so that he could 
 not see, he called Esau his elder 
 son, and said unto him. My son : 
 and he said unto him. Behold, 
 
 2 here am I. And he said, Behold 
 now, I am old, I know not the 
 
 3 day of my death : now there- 
 fore take, I pray thee, thy 
 weapons, thy quiver and thy 
 bow, and go out to the field, 
 and take me some venison ; 
 
 4 and make me savoury meat, 
 such as I love, and bring it to 
 me, that I may eat ; that my 
 soul may bless thee before I 
 
 5 die. And Rebekah heard when 
 Isaac spake to Esau his son. 
 And Esau went to the field to 
 hunt for venison, to bring it. 
 
 6 And Rebekah spake unto Jacob 
 her son, saying, Behold, I heard 
 thy father speak unto Esau thy 
 
 7 brother, saying, Bring me veni- 
 son, and make me savoury meat, 
 that I may eat, and bless thee 
 before Jehovah before my death. 
 
 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my 
 voice according to that which I 
 
 9 command thee. Go now to the 
 flock, and fetch me from thence 
 two good kids of the goats ; and 
 I will make them savoury meat 
 for thy father, such as he lovetb : 
 
 10 and thou shalt bring it to thy 
 father, that he may eat, and that 
 he may bless thee before his 
 
 11 death. And Jacob said to Re- 
 
 xxvii. 1-45 is composed of extracts from two sources ; for there is a two- 
 fold blessing (ver. 23 and 27) a twofold outburst on the part of Esau (34 and 
 386), and a twofold warning to Jacob regarding his brother's anger (446 
 and 45«). The principal source is clearly J (see text) ; the other is pre- 
 sumably E. There is an "overlapping " of the two accounts in ver. 30. 
 
TEXT 133 
 
 JE 
 
 bekah his mother, Behold, Esau 
 my brother is a hairy man, and I 
 
 12 am a smooth man : my father 
 peradventure will feel me, and I • 
 shall seem to him as a deceiver; 
 and I shall bring a curse upon 
 
 13 me, and not a blessing. And his 
 mother said unto him, Upon me 
 be thy curse, my son : only obey 
 my voice, and go fetch me them. 
 
 14 And he went, and fetched, and 
 brought them to his mother: 
 and his mother made savoury 
 meat, such as his father loved. 
 
 15 AndEebekahtookgoodlyraiment 
 of her elder son Esau, which 
 were with her in the house, and 
 put them upon Jacob her younger 
 
 16 son : and she put the skins of 
 the kids of the goats upon his 
 hands, and upon the smooth of 
 
 17 his neck: and she gave the 
 savoury meat and the bread, 
 which she had prepared, into the 
 
 18 hand of her son Jacob. And he 
 came unto his father, and said, 
 My father: and he said. Here 
 am I ; who art thou, my son ? 
 
 19 And Jacob said unto his father, 
 I am Esau thy firstborn ; I have 
 done according as thou badest 
 me : arise, I pray thee, sit and 
 eat of my venison, that thy soul 
 
 20 may bless me. And Isaac said 
 unto his son, How is it that thou 
 hast found it so quickly, my 
 son ? And he said, Because Je- 
 hovah thy God brought it to me. 
 
 21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come 
 near, I pray thee, that I may feel 
 thee, my son, whether thou be 
 
 22 my very son Esau or not. And 
 Jacob went near unto Isaac his 
 father ; and he felt him, and 
 said, The voice is Jacob's voice, 
 but the hands are the hands of 
 
 23 Esau. And he discerned him 
 not, because his hands were 
 hairy, as his brother Esau's 
 
'34 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 JE 
 
 24 hands : so he blessed him. And 
 he said, Art thou my very son 
 
 25 Esau ? And he said, I am. And 
 he said. Bring it near to me, and 
 I will eat of my son's venison, 
 that my soul may bless thee. 
 And he brought it near to him, 
 and he did eat : and he brought 
 
 26 him wine, and he drank. And 
 his father Isaac said unto him, 
 Come near now, and kiss me, my 
 
 27 son. And he came near, and 
 kissed him : and he smelled the 
 smell of his raiment, and blessed 
 him, and said. See, the smell of 
 my son is as the smell of a field 
 which JcJiovah hath blessed : 
 
 28 therefore God give thee of the 
 dew of lieaven, and the fatness 
 of the earth, and plenty of corn 
 
 29 and wine : let peoples serve 
 thee, and nations bow down to 
 thee : be lord over thy brethren, 
 and let thy mother's sons bow 
 down to thee : cursed be every 
 one that curseth thee, and bles- 
 sed be he that blesseth thee. 
 
 30 And it came to pass, as soon as 
 Isaac had made an end of bless- 
 ing Jacob, and it came to pass 
 that Jacob was yet scarce gone 
 out from the presence of Isaac 
 his father, that Esau his brother 
 
 31 came in from his hunting. And 
 he also made savoury meat, and 
 brought it unto his father, and 
 said unto his father. Let my 
 father arise, and eat of his son's 
 venison, that thy soul may bless 
 
 32 me. And Isaac his father said 
 unto him. Who art thou? And 
 he said, I am thy son, thy first- 
 
 33 bom Esau. And Isaac trembled 
 very exceedingly, and said. Who ? 
 where is he that hath taken 
 venison, and brought it me, and 
 I have eaten of all before thou 
 camest, and have blessed him ? 
 
 34 yea,and he shallbe blessed. And 
 
TEXT 
 
 135 
 
 P JE 
 
 when Esau heard the words of his 
 father, he cried with a great and 
 exceeding bitter cry, and said 
 unto his father, Bless me, even 
 
 35 me also, my father. And he 
 said, Thy brother came with 
 subtlety, and hath taken away 
 
 36 thy blessing. And he said. Is 
 it because he is named Jacob 
 that he hath over-reached me 
 these two times : he took away 
 my birthright ; and, behold, 
 now he hath taken away my 
 blessing. And he said. Hast 
 thou not reserved a blessing for 
 
 37 me ? And Isaac answered and 
 said unto Esau, Behold, I have 
 made him thy lord, and all his 
 brethren have I given to him for 
 servants ; and with corn and 
 wine have I sustained him : and 
 what shall I do now for thee, 
 
 38 my son ? And Esau said unto 
 his father, Hast thcu but one 
 blessing, my father? bless me, 
 even me also, my father. And 
 Esau lifted up his voice and 
 
 39 wept. And Isaac his father 
 answered and said unto him, 
 Behold, thy dwelling shall be 
 far from the fatness of the earth, 
 and the dew of heaven from 
 
 40 above : and by thy sword sbalt 
 thou live, and shalt serve thy 
 brother ; and it shall come to 
 pass when thou shalt break 
 loose, that tJiou shalt shake 
 his yoke from oflt thy neck. 
 
 27 ifi And Eebekah said to Isaac, 41 And Esau hated Jacob because 
 I am weary of my life because of of the blessing wherewith his 
 
 the daughters of Heth : if Jacob father blessed him : and Esau 
 
 take a wife of the daughters said in his heart, The days of 
 
 of Heth, such as these, of the mourning for my father are at 
 
 daughters of the land, what hand ; then will I slay my bro- 
 
 good shall my life do me ? 42 ther Jacob. And the words 
 xxvii. 46-xxviii. 9 belongs to P. xxvii. 46 refers to xxvi. 34-35, and 
 
 gives a different motive for the departure of Jacob from his home from 
 
 that presented in xxvii. 41-45. For the phraseology of xxviii. 3 and 4 cf 
 
 chap, xvii., and for that of ver. 5 cf. xxv. 20. 
 
136 
 
 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 28 And Isaac called Jacob, and 
 blessed him, and charged him, 
 and said unto him, Thou shalt 
 not take a wife of the daughters 
 '2 of Canaan. Arise, go to Paddan- 
 aram, to the house of Betbuel 
 thy mother's father ; and take 
 thee a wife from thence of the 
 daughters of Laban thy mother's 
 
 3 brother. And God Almighty 
 bless thee, and make thee fruit- 
 ful, and multiply thee, that 
 thou mayest be an rssembly 
 
 4 of peoples : and give thee the 
 blessing of Abraham, to thee, 
 and to thy seed with thee ; that 
 thou mayest inherit the land of 
 thy sojournings, which God gave 
 
 5 unto Abraham. And Isaac sent 
 away Jacob : and he went to 
 Paddan-aram unto Laban, son 
 cjf Bethuel, the Aramean, the 
 brother of Eebekah, Jacob's 
 
 <5 and Esau's mother. When Esau 
 saw that Isaac had blessed 
 Jacob, and sent him away to 
 Paddan-aram, to take him a wife 
 from thence ; and that as he 
 blessed him he gave him a 
 charge, saying. Thou shalt not 
 take a wife of the daughters of 
 
 7 Canaan ; and that Jacob obeyed 
 his father and his mother, and. 
 
 8 was gone to Paddan-aram ; and 
 Esau saw that the daughters 
 of Canaan pleased not Isaac his 
 
 father ; then went Esau unto 
 Ishmael, and took unto the 
 wives which he had Mahalath 
 the daughter of Ishmael Abra- 
 ham's son, the sister of Neba- 
 ioth, to be his wife. 
 
 JE 
 
 of Esau her elder son were told 
 to Rebekah : and she sent and 
 called Jacob her younger son, 
 and said unto him. Behold, thy 
 brother Esau will get himself 
 satisfaction upon thee, by kill- 
 
 43 ing thee. Now therefore, my 
 son, obey my voice ; and arise, 
 flee thou to Laban my brother 
 
 44 to Haran ; and tarry with him 
 a few days, until thy brother's 
 
 45 fury turn away ; until thy bro- 
 ther's anger turn away from 
 thee, and he forget that which 
 thou hast done to him : then I 
 will send, and fetch thee from 
 thence : why should I be be- 
 reaved of you both in one day ? 
 
 28 10 And Jacob went out from 
 Beersheba, and went toward 
 
 xxviii. 10-22 exhibits both God and Jehovah ; and this, together with 
 the fact that 176 [this is the (jate of heaven) is the natural sequel to ver. 12, 
 points to the passage being a combination of two narratives, the first 
 
TEXT 137 
 
 JE 
 
 11 Haran. And he lighted upon 
 a certain place, and tarried 
 there all night, because the sun 
 was set ; and he took of the 
 stones of that place, and put 
 one for his pillow, and lay 
 down in that place to sleep. 
 
 12 And he dreamed, and behold 
 a ladder set up on the earth, 
 and the top of it reached to 
 heaven : and behold the angels 
 of God ascending and descend- 
 
 13 ing on it. And, behold, Jehovah 
 stood by him, and said, I am 
 Jehovah, the God of Abraham 
 thy father, and the God of 
 Isaac : the land whereon thou 
 liest, to thee will I give it, and 
 
 1 4 to thy seed : and thy seed 
 shall be as the dust of the 
 earth, and thou shalt spread 
 abroad to the west, and to the 
 east, and to the north, and to 
 the south : and by thee and by 
 thy seed shall all the families 
 of the soU bless themselves. 
 
 15 And, behold, I am with thee, 
 and will keep thee in all places 
 whither thou goest, and will 
 bring thee again unto this soil ; 
 for I will not leave thee, until 
 I have done that which I have 
 
 16 spoken to thee of. And Jacob 
 awaked out of his sleep, and he 
 said. Surely Jehovah is in this 
 
 17 place ; and I knew it not. And 
 he was afraid, and said, How 
 dreadful is this place ! this is 
 none other but the house of God, 
 and this is the gate of heaven. 
 
 18 And Jacob rose up early in the 
 morning, and took the stone 
 that he had put for his pillow, 
 and set it up for a pillar, and 
 
 (Elohistic) describing the vision of the ladder, the second (Jehovistic) 
 being an account of Jehovah's appearing to Jacob. From E may come 
 11, 12 and the bulk of 17-22 ; from J, 13-16, and the words and Jehovah 
 will he my God in ver. 21. 
 
THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 poured oil upon the top of it. 
 
 19 And he called the name of that 
 place Beth-el : but the name 
 of that city was called Luz 
 
 20 at the first. And Jacob vowed 
 a vow, saying, If God will be 
 with me, and will keep me in 
 this way that I go, and will 
 give me bread to eat, and 
 
 21 raiment to put on, so that I 
 come again to my father's house 
 in peace, and JeJiovah will 
 
 22 be my God : then this stone, 
 which I have set up for a pillar, 
 shall be God's house : and of 
 all that thou shalt give me I 
 will surely give the tenth unto 
 thee. 
 
 29 Then Jacob went on his 
 journey, and came into the land 
 2 of the children of the east. And 
 he looked, and behold a well 
 in the field, and, lo, there were 
 three flocks of sheep couching 
 by it ; for out of that well they 
 watered the flocks : and the stone 
 upon the well's mouth was great. 
 •3 And thither were all the flocks 
 gathered : and they rolled the 
 stone from the well's mouth, 
 and watered the sheep, and put 
 the stone again upon the well's 
 
 4 mouth in its place. And Jacob 
 said unto them. My brethren, 
 whence are ye ? And they said, 
 
 5 Of Haran are we. And he said 
 unto them, Know ye Laban the 
 son of Nahor ? And they said, 
 
 6 We know him. And he said 
 unto them, Is he well 1 And 
 they said, He is well : and, be- 
 hold, Rachel his daughter cometh 
 
 7 with the sheep. And he said, 
 Lo, the day is still high, neither 
 
 Chap. xxix. appears from the mention of Jehovah towards its close (31 
 foil.) to belong to J ; but vers. 24 and 29, which interrupt passages which 
 should be closely connected, seem to be insertions — possibly from P. 
 
TEXT 139 
 
 J 
 
 is it time that the cattle should 
 be gathered together : water ye 
 the sheep, and go and feed 
 
 8 them. And they said, We can- 
 not, until all the flocks be 
 gathered together, and till they 
 roll the stone from the well's 
 mouth ; then we water the 
 
 9 sheep. And while he yet spake . 
 with them, Rachel came with 
 her father's sheep : for she kept 
 
 10 them. And it came to pass, 
 when Jacob saw Rachel the 
 daughter of Laban his mother's 
 brother, and the sheep of Laban 
 bis mother's brother, that Jacob 
 went near, and rolled the stone 
 from the well's mouth, and 
 watered the flock of Laban his 
 
 11 mother's brother. And Jacob 
 kissed Rachel, and lifted up his 
 
 12 voice, and wept. And Jacob 
 told Rachel that he was her 
 father's brother, and that he 
 was Rebekah's son : and she 
 
 13 ran and told her father. And 
 it came to pass, when Laban 
 heard the tidings of Jacob his 
 sister's son, that he ran to meet 
 him, and embraced him, and 
 kissed him, and brought him to 
 his house. And he told Laban 
 
 14 all these things. And Laban 
 said to him. Surely thou art my 
 bone and my flesh. And he 
 abode with him the space of 
 
 15 a full month. And Laban said 
 unto Jacob, Because thou art 
 my brother, shouldest thou 
 therefore serve me for nought ? 
 tell me, what shall thy wages 
 
 16 be? And Laban had two 
 daughters : the name of the 
 elder was Leah, and the name 
 of the younger was Rachel. 
 
 17 Leah was weak-eyed ; but Ra- 
 chel was beautiful and well 
 
 IS favoured. And Jacob loved 
 Rachel; and said, I will serve 
 
I40 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 thee seven years for Rachel thy 
 
 19 younger daughter. And Laban 
 said, It is better that I give her 
 to thee, than that I should give 
 her to another man : abide with 
 
 20 me. And Jacob served seven 
 years for Rachel ; and they 
 seemed unto him but a few 
 days, for the love he had to 
 
 21 her. And Jacob said unto 
 Laban, Give me my wife, for 
 my days are completed, that I 
 
 22 may go in unto her. And La- 
 ban gathered together all the 
 men of the place, and made a 
 
 23 feast. And it came to pass in 
 the evening, that he took Leah 
 his daughter, and brought her 
 to him : and he went in unto 
 
 24 her. And Laban gave unto his 
 daughter Leah Zilpah his hand- 
 
 25 maid for a handmaid. And it 
 came to pass, that in the morn- 
 ing, behold, it was Leah : and he 
 said to Laban, What is this thou 
 hast done unto nie ? did not I 
 serve with thee for Rachel ? 
 wherefore then hast thou be- 
 
 26 guiled me ? And Laban said. It 
 must not be so done in our 
 country, to give the younger be- 
 
 27 fore the firstborn. Complete her 
 week, and we will give thee this 
 one also for the service which 
 thou shalt serve with me yet seven 
 
 28 other years. And Jacob did so, 
 and completed her week : and he 
 gave him Rachel his daughter 
 
 29 to wife also. And Laban gave 
 to Rachel his daughter Bilhah 
 his handmaid to be her hand- 
 
 30 maid. And he went in also un- 
 to Rachel, and he loved also 
 Rachel more than Leah, and 
 served with him yet seven other 
 
 31 years. And when Jihov<th saw 
 that Leah was hated, he opened 
 her womb : but Rachel was 
 
 32 barren. And Leah conceived. 
 
TEXT 141 
 
 P JE 
 
 atid hare a son, and she called 
 his name Reuben : for she said, 
 Surely Jehovah hath looked upon 
 my affliction ; now therefore my 
 
 33 husband will love me. And she 
 conceived again, and hare a son ; 
 and said, Surely Jehovah hath 
 heard that I was hated, he hath 
 therefore given me this son also: 
 and she called his name Simeon. 
 
 34 And she conceived afjain, and bare 
 a son ; and said, Now this time 
 will my husband be joined unto 
 me, because I have borne him 
 three sons: therefore was his 
 
 35 name called Levi. And she con- 
 ceived again, and hare a son : and 
 she said. Now will I praise Jeho- 
 vah ; therefore she called his 
 nameJudah; and ceased bearing. 
 
 30 And when Kachel saw that 
 she bare Jacob no children, 
 Rachel envied her sister ; and 
 said unto Jacob, Give me chil- 
 
 2 dren, or else I die. And Jacob's 
 anger was kindled against Ra- 
 chel : and he said, Am I in 
 God's stead, who hath withheld 
 from thee the fruit of the 
 
 3 womb ? And she said, Behold 
 my maidservant Bilhah, go in 
 unto her ; and she shall bear 
 upon my knees, that I also may 
 
 4 have children by her. And she 
 gave him Bilhah her handmaid 
 to wife : and Jacob went in 
 
 5 unto her. And Bilhah con- 
 
 6 ceived, and bare Jacob a son. 
 And Rachel said, God hath 
 judged for me, and hath also 
 heard my voice, and hath given 
 
 XXX. 1-24 is of composite authorship (JE). The Divine name which is 
 most frequently used is God ; but Jehovah appears in ver. 24, a verse which, 
 moreover, contains an etymology of the name Joseph differing from that 
 given in ver. 23. There is also a double etymology of Zehulun in ver. 20 ; 
 whilst a twofold application of the word hire likewise occurs in connection 
 with the name Issachar in vers. 16 and 18. xxx. 22« is perhaps from P ; 
 cf. xix. 29. 
 
THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 JE 
 
 me a son : and she called his 
 
 7 name Dan. And Bilhah Ra- 
 chel's handmaid conceived again, 
 and bare Jacob a second son. 
 
 8 And Rachel said, With mighty 
 wrestlings have I wrestled with 
 my sister, and I have prevailed : 
 and she called his name Naph- 
 
 9 tali. When Leah saw that she 
 had ceased bearing, she took Zil- 
 jjah her handmaid, and gave her 
 
 10 Jacob to wife. And Zilpah Leah's 
 handmaid bare Jacob a son. 
 
 11 And Leah said, I am fortunate ! 
 and she called his name Gad. 
 
 12 And Zilpah Leah's handmaid bare 
 
 13 Jacob a second son. And Leah 
 said, Happy am I, for the daugh- 
 ters will call me happy : and 
 
 14 she called his name Asher. And 
 Reuben went in the days of 
 wheat harvest, and found love- 
 apples in the field, and brought 
 them unto his mother Leah. 
 Then Rachel said to Leah, Give 
 me, I pray thee, of thy son's 
 
 15 love-apples. And she said unto 
 her, Is it a small matter that 
 thou hast taken my husband? 
 and wouldest thou take away 
 my son's love-apples also ? And 
 Rachel said, Therefore he shall 
 lie with thee to-night for thy 
 
 16 son's love-apples. And Jacob 
 came out of the field in the 
 evening, and Leah went out to 
 meet him, and said, Thou must 
 come in unto me ; for surely I 
 have hired thee with my son's 
 love-apples. And he lay with 
 
 17 her that night. And God hear- 
 kened unto Leah, and she con- 
 ceived, and bare Jacob a fifth 
 
 18 son. And Leah said, God hath 
 given me my hire, because I 
 have given my handmaid to 
 my husband : and she called 
 
 19 his name Issachar. And Leah 
 conceived, and bare Jacob a 
 
TEXT 
 
 J43 
 
 P JE 
 
 20 sixth son. And Leah said, God 
 hath endowed me with a good 
 dowry ; now will my husband 
 dwell with me, because I have 
 
 ' borne him six sons : and she 
 
 21 called his name Zebulun, And 
 afterwards she bare a daughter, 
 and called her name Dinah. 
 
 22 And God remembered Rachel, 
 and God hearkened to her, and 
 
 23 opened her womb. And she 
 conceived, and hare a son ; and 
 said, God hath taken away my 
 
 24 reproach : and she called his 
 name Joseph ; and said, Jehovah 
 
 25 add to me another son ! And it 
 came to pass, when Rachel had 
 borne Joseph, that Jacob said 
 unto Laban, Send me away, 
 that I may go unto mine own 
 
 26 place, and to my country. Give 
 me my wives and my children, 
 for whom I have served thee, 
 and let me go : for thou know- 
 est my service with which I 
 
 27 have served thee. And Laban 
 said unto him, I pray thee, if 
 I have found grace in thine 
 eyes, tarry : for I have divined 
 that the Lord hath blessed me 
 
 28 for thy sake. And he said, Ap- 
 point me thy wages, and I will 
 
 29 give it. And he said unto him, 
 Thou knowest how I have served 
 thee, and what thy cattle has 
 
 30 become with me. For it was 
 little which thou hadst before 
 I came, and it is increased unto 
 a multitude ; and Jehovah hath 
 blessed thee wherever I went : 
 and now when shall I provide 
 
 31 for mine own house also ? And 
 he said, What shall I give thee ? 
 And Jacob said. Thou sbalt not 
 
 XXX. 25-xxxi. 44 (with the exception of xxxi. 18i ; see below) is a com- 
 pilation of J and E ; but there is little save the Divine names to distinguish 
 their respective contrilmtions. In xxx. 40 there seems to be a good deal 
 of confusion [cf. note ad loc. ), 
 
144 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 JE 
 
 give me any thing : if thou wilt 
 do this thing for me, I will 
 again feed and keep thy flock. 
 
 32 I will pass through all thy flock 
 to day, removing from thence 
 all the speckled and spotted, 
 and all the black among the 
 sheep, and the spotted and 
 speckled among the goats : and 
 
 33 such shall be my hire. So shall 
 my righteousness testify against 
 me before thee in time to come, 
 when thou slialt come concern- 
 ing my wages : every one that is 
 not speckled or spotted among 
 the goats, or black among the 
 sheep, that shall be counted 
 
 34 stolen if with me. And Laban 
 said, Behold, I would it might 
 
 35 be according to thy word. And 
 he removed that day the he- 
 goats that were striped and 
 spotted, and all the she-goats 
 that were speckled and spotted, 
 and every one that had some 
 white in it, and all the black 
 among the sheep, and gave 
 them into the hand of "his sons. 
 
 36 And he set three days' journey 
 betwixt himself and Jacob : and 
 Jacob fed the rest of Laban's 
 
 37 flocks. And Jacob took him 
 rods of fresh poplar, and of the 
 almond and plane tree ; and 
 peeled white stripes in them, 
 and made the white appear 
 
 38 which was in the rods. And 
 he set the rods which he had 
 peeled before the flocks in the 
 gutters in the watering troughs 
 when the flocks came to drink, 
 and they mated when they 
 
 39 came to drink. And the flocks 
 mated before the rods, and 
 brought forth striped, speckled, 
 
 40 and spotted. And Jacob di- 
 vided the lambs, and set the 
 faces of the flocks toward the 
 striped, and all the black in 
 
TEXT 145 
 
 JE 
 
 the flock of Laban ; and he set 
 flocks for himself apart, and 
 put them not unto Laban's 
 
 41 flock. And it came to pass, 
 whensoever the stronger mated, 
 that Jacob laid the rods before 
 the eyes of the flock in the 
 gutters, that they might mate 
 
 42 among the rods. But when the 
 flock were feeble, he put them 
 not in : so the feebler were 
 Laban's, and the stronger Ja- 
 
 43 cob's. And the man increased 
 exceedingly, and had large flocks, 
 and handmaidens, and men- 
 servants, and camels, and asses. 
 
 31 And he heard the words of 
 Laban's sons, saying, Jacob hath 
 taken away all that was our 
 father's ; and of that which was 
 our father's hath he gotten all 
 
 2 this wealth. And Jacob beheld 
 the countenance of Laban, and, 
 behold, it was not toward him as 
 
 3 before. And Jehovah said unto 
 Jacob, Return unto the land of 
 thy fathers, and to thy kindred ; 
 
 4 and I will be with thee. And 
 Jacob sent and called Eachel 
 and Leah to the field unto 
 
 5 his flock, and said unto them, 
 I see your father's countenance, 
 that it is not toward me as be- 
 fore ; but the God of my father 
 
 6 hath been with me. And ye 
 know that with all my power I 
 
 7 have served your father. And 
 your father hath deceived me, 
 and changed my wages ten 
 times ; but God suffered him 
 
 8 not to hurt me. If he said thus, 
 The speckled shall be thy wages ; 
 then all the cattle bare speckled : 
 and if he said thus. The striped 
 shall be thy wages ; then bare all 
 
 9 the cattle striped. Thus God 
 hath taken away the cattle of 
 your father, and given them to 
 
 K 
 
146 
 
 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 31 . .... 
 
 186 And all his substance which he 
 had gathered, the cattle of his 
 getting, which he had gathered 
 in Paddan-aram, to go to Isaac 
 his father in the land of Canaan. 
 
 JE 
 
 10 me. And it came to pass at the 
 time that the flocks mated, that 
 I lifted up mine eyes, and saw 
 in a dream, and, behold, the he- 
 goats which leaped upon the 
 flock were striped, speckled, and 
 
 11 dappled. And the angel of God 
 spake unto me in a dream, say- 
 ing, Jacob : and I said. Here 
 
 12 am I. And he said, Lift up 
 now thine eyes, and see, all the 
 he-goats which leap upon the 
 flock are striped, speckled, and 
 dappled : for I have seen all 
 
 13 that Laban doeth unto thee. I 
 am the God of Beth-el, where 
 thou anointedst the pillar, and 
 where thou vowedst a vow unto 
 me : now arise, get thee out 
 from this land, and return unto 
 
 14 the land of thy kindred. And 
 Rachel and Leah answered and 
 said unto him, Is there yet any 
 portion or inheritance for us in 
 
 15 our father's house ? Are we not 
 counted by him strangers ? for 
 he hath sold us, and hath also 
 quite devoured the money paid 
 
 16 for us. For all the riches which 
 God hath taken from our father, 
 that is ours, and our children's ; 
 now then, whatsoever God hath 
 
 17 said unto thee, do. Then Jacob 
 rose up, and set his sons and his 
 
 18 wives upon camels ; and he car- 
 ried away all his cattle. 
 
 19 And Laban had gone to shear 
 his sheep : and Rachel stole 
 the teraphim that were her 
 
 20 father's. And Jacob stole away 
 unawares to Laban the Ara- 
 
 xxxi. I8h has the phraseology of P. 
 
TEXT 147 
 
 JE 
 
 mean, in that he told him not 
 
 21 that he fled. So he fled with all 
 that he had : and he rose up, and 
 passed over the River, and set 
 his face toward the mountain of 
 
 22 Gilead. And it was told Laban 
 on the third day that Jacob was 
 
 23 fled. And he took his brethren 
 with him, and pursued after him 
 seven days' journey ; and they 
 overtook him in the mountain of 
 
 24 Gilead. And God came to La- 
 ban the Aramean in a dream by 
 night, and said unto him, Take 
 heed that thou speak not to 
 
 25 Jacob either good or bad. And 
 Laban overtook Jacob. Now 
 Jacob had pitched his tent in the 
 mountain, and Laban with his 
 brethren pitched in the mountain 
 
 26 of Gilead. And Laban said to 
 Jacob, What hast thou done, 
 that thou hast stoleu away un- 
 awares to me, and carried away 
 my daughters, as captives of the 
 
 27 sword? Wherefore didst thou 
 flee away secretly, and steal 
 away from me ; and didst not 
 tell me, that I might have sent 
 thee away with mirth, and with 
 songs, with tabret, and with 
 
 28 harp? and hast not suffered 
 me to kiss my sons and my 
 daughters ? now thou hast done 
 
 29 foolishly. It is in the power of 
 my hand to do you hurt : but 
 the God of your father spake 
 unto me yesternight, saying, 
 Take heed that thou speak not 
 to Jacob either good or bad, 
 
 30 And now, though thou wouldest 
 needs be gone, because thou 
 sore longedst after thy father's 
 house, yet wherefore hast thou 
 
 31 stolen my gods ? And Jacob 
 answered and said to Laban, 
 Because I was afraid : for I 
 said, Lest thou shouldest take 
 by force thy daughters from me. 
 
148 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 JE 
 
 32 With whomsoever thou findest 
 thy gods, let him not live : be- 
 fore our brethren discern thou 
 what is thine with me, and take 
 it to thee. For Jacob knew not 
 that Kachel had stolen them. 
 
 33 And Laban went into Jacob's 
 tent, and into Leah's tent, and 
 into the tents of the two maid- 
 servants ; but he found them not. 
 Then went he out of Leah's tent, 
 and entered into Kachel's tent. 
 
 34 Now Rachel had taken the 
 teraphim, and put them in the 
 camel's saddle, and sat upon 
 them. And Laban searched all 
 the tent, but found them not. 
 
 35 And she said to her father. Let 
 it not displease my lord that 
 I cannot rise up before thee; 
 for the manner of women is 
 upon me. And he searched, 
 but found not the teraphim. 
 
 36 And Jacob was angry, and 
 chode with Laban : and Jacob 
 answered and said to Laban, 
 What is my trespass ? what is 
 my sin, that thou hast so hotly 
 
 37 pursued after me ? Whereas 
 thou hast searched all my stuff, 
 what hast thou found of all thy 
 household stuff ? set it here be- 
 fore my brethren and thy breth- 
 ren, that they may judge betwixt 
 
 38 us both. This twenty years 
 have I been with thee ; thy 
 ewes and thy she-goats have not 
 cast their young, and the rams 
 of thy flock have I not eaten. 
 
 39 That which was torn of beasts I 
 brought not unto thee ; I bare 
 the loss of it ; of my hand didst 
 thou require it, whether stolen 
 by day, or stolen by night. 
 
 40 Thus I was ; in the day the 
 drought consumed me, and the 
 frost by night ; and my sleep 
 
 41 departed from mine eyes. Thus 
 have I been twenty years in thy 
 
TEXT 149 
 
 JE 
 
 house ; I served thee fourteen 
 years for thy two daughters, and 
 six years for thy flock : and 
 thou hast changed my wages 
 
 42 ten times. Except the God of 
 my father, the God of Abraham, 
 and the Fear of Isaac, had been 
 with me, surely now thou hadst 
 sent me away empty. God hath 
 seen mine afHiction and the la- 
 bour of my hands, and rebuked 
 
 43 thee yesternight. And Laban 
 answered and said unto Jacob, 
 These daughters are my daugh- 
 ters, and these children are my 
 children, and these flocks are 
 my flocks, and all that thou 
 seest is mine : and what can I 
 do this day unto these my daugh- 
 ters, or unto their children which 
 
 44 they have borne ? Now therefore 
 come thou, let us enter into a cove- 
 nant, I and thou ; and let it be for 
 a witness between me and thee. 
 
 45 And Jacob took a stone, and set 
 
 46 it up for a pillar. And Jacob 
 said unto his brethren, Gather 
 stones ; and they took stones, 
 and made a heap : and they 
 did eat there upon the heap. 
 
 47 And Laban called it Jegar-saha- 
 dutha: but Jacob called it 
 
 48 Galeed. And Laban said. This 
 heap is a witness between me 
 and thee this day. Therefore 
 was the name of it called Galeed : 
 
 49 and Mizpah ; for he said Je- 
 hovah watch between me and 
 thee, when we are absent one 
 
 50 from another. If thou shalt 
 afflict my daughters, or if thou 
 shalt take other wives beside 
 
 xxxi. 45-55 shows other traces, besides the names Jehovah and God, of 
 having been put together from more than one source, e.g., (i.) the twofold 
 agreement (50 and 52) ; (ii.) the twofold witness, the pillar (45) and the 
 heap (46) ; (iii.) the twofold feasting (46 and 54). But the two accounts 
 have been inextricably fused together by the compiler (especially in 51, 
 52), who has also introduced the words the God of their father (53) : the 
 LXX. omits them. 
 
I50 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 P JE 
 
 my daughters, no man is with 
 us ; see, God is witness be- 
 
 51 twixt me and thee. And Laban 
 said to Jacob, Behold this heap, 
 and behold the pillar, which I 
 have set betwixt me and thee ; 
 
 52 this heap be witness, and the 
 pillar be witness, that I will not 
 pass over this heap to thee, and 
 that thou shalt not pass over this 
 heap and this pillar unto me, for 
 
 53 harm. The God of Abraham, and 
 the God of Nahor, the God of their 
 father, judge betwixt us. And 
 Jacob sware by the Fear of his 
 
 54 father Isaac. Then Jacob offered 
 sacrifice upon the mountain, and 
 called his brethren to eat bread : 
 and they did eat bread, and 
 tarried all night in the moun- 
 
 55 tain. And early in the morn- 
 ing Laban rose up, and kissed his 
 sons and his daughters and bles- 
 sed them : and Laban departed, 
 and returned unto his place. 
 
 32 And Jacob went on his way, 
 and the angels of God met him. 
 
 2 And when Jacob saw them, he 
 said, This is God's company : 
 and he called the name of that 
 
 3 place Mahanaim. And Jacob 
 sent messengers before him to 
 Esau his brother unto the land 
 of Seir,' the field of Edom. 
 
 4 And he commanded them, saying. 
 Thus shall ye speak unto my 
 lord Esau : Thy servant Jacob 
 saith thus, I have sojourned with 
 Laban, and stayed there until 
 
 5 now : and I have oxen, and 
 asses, flocks, and menservants, 
 and handmaidens : and I have 
 sent to tell my lord, that I may 
 
 6 find grace in thy sight. And the 
 messengers returned to Jacob, 
 
 xxxii. 1-xxxiii. 17 is similarly compiled from J and E ; but the analysis 
 is difficult. 
 
TEXT 151 
 
 JE 
 
 saying, We came to thy brother 
 Esau, and also he cometh to meet 
 thee, and four hundred men with 
 
 7 him. Then Jacob was greatly 
 afraid and distressed : and he 
 divided the people that was with 
 him, and the flocks, and herds, 
 and the camels, into two com- 
 
 8 panies. And said, If Esau come 
 to the one company, and smite 
 it, then the other company which 
 
 9 is left shall escape. And Jacob 
 said, God of my father Abra- 
 ham, and God of my father Isaac, 
 
 Jehovah which saidst unto me, 
 Return unto thy country, and to 
 thy kindred, and I will deal well 
 
 1 with thee : I am not worthy of 
 the least of all the mercies, and 
 of all the truth, which thou hast 
 showed unto thy servant ; for 
 with my staff I passed over this 
 Jordan ; and now I am become 
 
 11 two companies. Deliver me, I 
 pray thee, from the hand of my 
 brother, from the hand of Esau : 
 for I fear him, lest he will come 
 and smite me, the mother with 
 
 12 the children. And thou saidst, 
 
 1 will surely deal well with thee, 
 and make thy seed as the sand 
 of the sea, which cannot be 
 
 13 numbered for multitude. And 
 he lodged there that night ; and 
 took of that which had come 
 into his hand a present for Esau 
 
 14 his brother ; two hundred she- 
 goats, and twenty he-goats, two 
 hundred ewes, and twenty rams, 
 
 15 thirty milch camels with their 
 colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, 
 twenty she-asses, and ten foals. 
 
 16 And he delivered them into 
 the hand of his servants, every 
 drove by itself ; and said unto 
 his servants. Pass over before 
 me, and put a space betwixt 
 
 17 drove and drove. And he com- 
 manded the foremost, saying. 
 
THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 JE 
 
 When Esau my brother meeteth 
 thee, and asketh thee, saying, 
 Whose art thou ? and whither 
 goest thou ? and whose are these 
 
 18 before thee ? then thou shalt 
 say, They be thy servant Jacob's ; 
 it is a present sent unto my 
 lord Esau : and, behold, he also 
 
 19 is behind us. And so com- 
 manded he the second, and the 
 third, and all that followed the 
 droves, saying, After this manner 
 shall ye speak unto Esau, when 
 
 20 ye find him. And say ye. 
 Moreover, behold, thy servant 
 Jacob is behind us. For he said 
 I will appease him with the pre- 
 sent that goeth before me, and 
 afterward I will see his face ; 
 peradventure he will accept me. 
 
 21 So the present went over be- 
 fore him : and he himself lodged 
 that night in the company. 
 
 22 And he rose up that night, and 
 took his two wives, and his two 
 menservants, and his eleven 
 sons, and passed over "the ford 
 
 23 of Jabbok. And he took them, 
 and sent them over the stream, 
 and sent over what he had. 
 
 24 And Jacob was left alone ; and 
 there wrestled a man with him 
 until the breaking of the day. 
 
 25 And when he saw that he pre- 
 vailed not against him, he 
 touched the socket of his thigh ; 
 and the socket of Jacob's thigh 
 was strained, as he wrestled with 
 
 26 him. And he said. Let me go, 
 for the day breaketh. And he 
 said, I will not let thee go, except 
 
 27 thou bless me. And he said 
 unto him. What is thy name? 
 
 28 And he said, Jacob. And he 
 said. Thy name shall be called 
 no more Jacob, but Israel : for 
 thou hast striven with God and 
 with men, and hast prevailed. 
 
 29 And Jacob asked him, and said, 
 
TEXT 153 
 
 JE 
 
 Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. 
 And he said, Wherefore dost 
 thou ask after my name ? And 
 
 30 he blessed him there. And 
 Jacob called the name of the 
 
 31 place Peniel ; for, he said, I have 
 seen God face to face, and my life 
 is preserved. And as he passed 
 over Penuel the sun rose upon 
 him, and he halted upon his 
 
 32 thigh. Therefore the children 
 of Israel eat not of the sinew of 
 the hip, which is upon the socket 
 of the thigh, unto this day : be- 
 cause he touched the socket of 
 Jacob's thigh in the sinew of 
 the hip. 
 
 33 And Jacob lifted up his eyes, 
 and looked, and, behold, Esau 
 came, and with him four hun- 
 dred men. And he divided the 
 children unto Leah, and unto 
 Eachel, and unto the two hand- 
 
 2 maids. And he put the hand- 
 maids and their children fore- 
 most, and Leah and her children 
 after, and Rachel and Joseph 
 
 3 hindermost. And he passed 
 over before them, and bowed 
 himself to the ground seven 
 times, until he came near to his 
 
 4 brother. And Esau ran to meet 
 him, and embraced him, and 
 fell on his neck, and kissed him : 
 
 5 and they wept. And he lifted 
 up his eyes, and saw the women 
 and the children ; and said. Who 
 are those with thee? And he 
 said, The children which God 
 hath graciously given thy ser- 
 
 6 vant. Then the handmaidens 
 came near, they and their chil- 
 dren, and they bowed themselves. 
 
 7 And Leah also with her children 
 came near, and bowed them- 
 selves : and after came Joseph 
 near and Rachel, and they bowed 
 
 8 themselves. And he said. What 
 
154 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 33 18 And Jacob came to Shalem, 
 a city of Shechem, which is in 
 
 JE 
 
 meanest thou by all this company 
 which I met ? And he said, 
 These are to find grace in the 
 9 sight of my lord. And Esau 
 said, I have enough ; my brother, 
 keep what thou hast unto thy- 
 
 10 self. And Jacob said, Nay, I 
 pray thee, if now I have found 
 grace in thy sight, then receive 
 my present at my hand : because 
 I have seen thy face, as though 
 I had seen the face of God, and 
 thou wast pleased with me. 
 
 11 Take, I pray thee, my present 
 that is brought to thee ; because 
 God hath dealt graciously with 
 me, and because I have enough. 
 And he urged him, and he took 
 
 12 it. And he said, Let us take 
 our journey, and let us go, and 
 
 13 I will go before thee. And he 
 said unto him, My lord knoweth 
 that the children are tender, 
 and the flocks and herds with 
 me give suck : and if men should 
 overdrive them one day, all the 
 
 14 flocks will die. Let my lord, I 
 pray thee, pass over before his 
 servant : and I will lead on 
 softly, according to the pace of 
 the cattle that goeth before me 
 and the children, until I come 
 
 15 unto my lord to Seir. And 
 Esau said, Let me now leave 
 with thee some of the folk that 
 are with me. And he said, 
 What needeth it? let me find 
 grace in the sight of my lord. 
 
 16 So Esau returned that day on 
 
 17 his way unto Seir. And Jacob 
 journeyed to Succoth, and built 
 him a house, and made booths 
 for his cattle : therefore the name 
 of the place is called Succoth. 
 
 xxxiii. 18-xxxiv. 31 contains a narrative which appears to be composite 
 Irom the fact that in some parts Hamor proposes a general marriage 
 
TEXT 
 
 155 
 
 the land of Canaan, when 
 came from Paddan-aram. 
 
 he 
 
 And pitched his tent before 
 
 19 the city. And he bought the 
 parcel of the field, where he had 
 spread his tent, at the hand of 
 the children of Hamor, She- 
 chem's father, for a hundred 
 
 20 pieces of money. And he erected 
 there an altar, and called it 
 El-elohe-Israel. 
 
 34 And Dinah the daughter of 
 Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, 
 went out to see the daughters 
 
 2 of the land. And Shechem the 
 son of Hamor the Hivite, prince 
 
 4 of the country, saw her, and 
 Shechem spake unto his father 
 Hamor, saying, Get me this 
 damsel to wife. 
 
 And Hamor the father of She- 
 chem went out unto Jacob to 
 commune with him. And Ha- 
 mor communed with them, 
 saying. The soul of my son 
 Shechem longeth for your 
 daughter: I pray you give her 
 
 34 He took her, and lay with her, 
 3 and humbled her. And his soul 
 clave unto Dinah the daughter 
 of Jacob, and he loved the 
 damsel, and spake kindly unto 
 5 the damsel. And Jacob heard 
 that he had defiled Dinah his 
 daughter : and his sons were 
 with his cattle in the field : and 
 Jacob held his peace until they 
 7 were come. And the sons of 
 Jacob came out of the field 
 when they heard it : and the 
 men were pained, and they were 
 very angry, because he had 
 wrought folly in Israel in lying 
 with Jacob's daughter ; which 
 thing ought not to be done. 
 
 11 And Shechem said unto her 
 father and unto her brethren, 
 Let me find grace in your eyes, 
 and what ye shall say unto me 
 
 12 I will give. Ask me never so 
 great a price or gift, and I will 
 give according as ye shall say 
 
 alliance, whilst in others Shechem pleads his own cause in person. If this 
 is the case, one of the component elements is probably P (see text, and 
 cf. xxxiv. 15&, 226 with xvii. 10 ; ver. 24 with xsiii. 10, 18), whilst the other 
 seems to be J (cf. the clave unto of ver. 3 with ii. 24, and the pained of ver. 
 7 with vi. 6), but the fusion defies certain analysis. On the assumption 
 that it is given correctly above, xxxiv. 136, 276 must be due to the editor. 
 
^56 
 
 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 9 him to wife. And make ye 
 marriages with us, and give 
 your daughters unto us, and 
 take our daughters unto you. 
 10 And ye shall dwell with us : and 
 the laud shall be before you ; 
 dwell and trade ye therein, and 
 get you possessions therein. 
 
 13 And the sons of Jacob answered 
 Shechem and Hamor his father 
 with guile, and spake, because he 
 had defiled Dinah their sister : 
 
 14 and they said unto them, We 
 cannot do this thing, to give 
 our sister to one that is uncir- 
 cumcised ; for that were a re- 
 
 15 proach unto us : only on this 
 condition will we consent unto 
 you : if ye will be as we be, 
 that every male of you be cir- 
 
 16 cumcised ; then will we give our 
 daughters unto you, and we will 
 take your daugliters to us, and 
 we will dwell with you, and we 
 
 17 will become one people. But 
 if ye will not hearken unto us, 
 to be circumcised ; then will we 
 take our daughter, and we will 
 
 18 be gone. And their words 
 pleased Hamor, and Shechem 
 Hamor's son. 
 
 unto me : but give me the 
 damsel to wife. 
 
 20 And Hamor and Shechem his 
 son came unto the gate of their 
 city, and communed with the 
 
 21 men of their city, saying, These 
 men are peaceable with us : 
 therefore let them dwell in the 
 land, and trade therein ; for the 
 land, behold, it is large enough 
 for them ; let us take their 
 daughters to us for wives, and 
 let us give them our daughters. 
 
 22 Only on this condition will the 
 
 19 And the young man deferred 
 not to do the thing, because he 
 had delight in Jacob's daughter : 
 and he was more honoured than 
 all the house of his father. 
 
TEXT 
 
 157 
 
 men consent unto us to dwell 
 with us, to be one people, if 
 every male among us be cir- 
 cumcised, as they are circum- 
 
 23 cised. Shall not their stock 
 and their gettings and all their 
 cattle be ours ? only let us 
 consent unto them, and they 
 
 24 will dwell with us. And unto 
 Hamor and unto Shechem his 
 son hearkened all that went out 
 of the gate of his city ; and 
 every male was circumcised, all 
 that went out of the gate of 
 
 25 his city. And it came to pass 
 on the third day, when they 
 were sore, that two of the sons 
 of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, 
 Dinah's brethren, took each 
 man his sword, and came upon 
 the city unawares, and slew all 
 the males. 
 
 27 The sons of Jacob came upon 
 the slain, and spoiled the city, 
 because they had defiled their 
 
 28 sister. They took their sheep, 
 and their oxen, and their asses, 
 and that which was in the city, 
 and that which was in the field, 
 
 29 and all their wealth, and all 
 their little ones, and their wives 
 took they captive, and spoiled 
 even all that was in the house. 
 
 26 And they slew Hamor and She- 
 chem his son with the edge of 
 the sword, and took Dinah out 
 of Shechem's house, and went out. 
 
 30 And Jacob said to Simeon and 
 Levi, Ye have troubled me to 
 make me to stink among the 
 inhabitants of the land, among 
 the Canaanites and the Periz- 
 zites : and I being few in 
 number, they shall gather them- 
 selves together against me, and 
 slay me ; and I shall be de- 
 
 31 stroyed, I and my house. And 
 they said. Should he deal with 
 our sister as with a harlot ? 
 
158 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 35 9 And God appeared unto 
 Jacob again, when he came out 
 
 JE 
 
 35 And God said unto Jacob, 
 Arise, go up to Beth-el, and 
 dwell there : and make there 
 an altar unto God, that appeared 
 unto thee when thou fieddest 
 from the face of Esau thy 
 
 2 brother. Then Jacob said unto 
 his household, and to all that 
 were with him. Put away the 
 strange gods that are among you, 
 and purify yourselves, and change 
 
 3 your garments : and let us arise, 
 and go up to Beth-el ; and I 
 will make there an altar unto 
 God, who answered me in the 
 day of my distress, and was 
 with me in the way which I 
 
 4 went. And they gave unto 
 Jacob all the strange gods which 
 were in their hand, and all their 
 earrings which were in their 
 ears ; and Jacob hid them under 
 the terebinth which was by 
 
 5 Shechem. And they journeyed: 
 and a mighty terror was upon 
 the cities that were round about 
 them, and they did not pursue 
 
 6 after the sons of Jacob. So 
 Jacob came to Luz, which is 
 in the land of Canaan (the same 
 is Beth -el), he and all the 
 people that were with him. 
 
 7 And he built there an altar, and 
 called the place El-beth-el ; be- 
 cause there God revealed him- 
 self unto him, when he iied 
 from the face of his brother. 
 
 8 And Deborah Rebekah's nurse 
 died, and she was buried be- 
 low Beth-el under the oak : 
 and the name of it was called 
 AUon-bachuth. 
 
 XXXV. 1-8 seems to be composite in texture. Vers, 1-4, 7-8 probably 
 belong to E (the allusion in 1 is to xxviii. 12) ; but vers. 5 and 6 appear 
 to follow immediately on xxxiv. 31, and are best assigned to J. 
 
 xxxv. 9-13, 15 have the marks of P, and give a different account of the 
 
TEXT 
 
 59 
 
 JE 
 
 of Paddan-aram, and blessed 
 
 10 him. And God said unto him, 
 Thy name is Jacob : thy name 
 shall not be called any more 
 Jacob, but Israel shall be thy 
 name : and he called his name 
 
 1 1 Israel. And God said unto him, 
 I am God Almighty : be fruitful 
 and multiply ; a nation and an 
 assembly of nations shall be of 
 thee, and kings shall come out 
 
 12 of thy loins ; and the land 
 which I gave Abraham and 
 Isaac, to thee I will give it, 
 and to thy seed after thee will 
 
 13 I give the land. And God went 
 up from him in the place where 
 he talked with him. 
 
 15 And Jacob called the name of 
 the place where God spake with 
 him, Beth-el. 
 
 14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the 
 place where he talked with him, 
 even a pillar of stone : and he 
 poured a drink offering thereon, 
 and he poured oil thereon. 
 
 16 And they journeyed from Beth- 
 el ; and there was still a little 
 way to come to Ephrath : and 
 Rachel travailed, and she had 
 
 17 hard labour. And it came to 
 pass, when she was in hard 
 labour, that the midwife said 
 unto her, Fear not ; thou shalt 
 
 18 have this son also. And it 
 came to pass, as her soul was 
 in departing, (for she died) that 
 she called his name Ben-oni : 
 but his father called him Ben- 
 
 19 jamin. And Rachel died, and 
 was buried in the way to Eph- 
 
 20 rath (which is Bethlehem). And 
 
 origin of the names Israel and Bethel from that contained in JE (xxxii. 
 28-30, xxviii. 19). The word again in ver. 9 is perhaps due to the 
 compiler. 
 
 XXXV. 14, 16-22a are presumably JE (ver. 17 alludes to xxx. 22-24) ; but 
 the analysis is very doubtful. 
 
i6o 
 
 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 226 Now the sons of Jacob were 
 
 23 twelve : the sons of Leah ; 
 Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and 
 Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, 
 
 24 and Issachar, and Zebulun : the 
 sons of Rachel ; Joseph, and 
 
 25 Benjamin : and the sons of Bil- 
 hah, Rachel's handmaid ; Dan, 
 
 26 and Naphtali : and the sons of 
 Zilpah, Leah's handmaid ; Gad, 
 and Asher : these are the sons of 
 Jacob, which were born to him 
 
 27 in Paddan-aram. And Jacob 
 came unto Isaac his father 
 unto Mamre, unto Kiriath-Arba 
 (which is Hebron), where Abra- 
 
 28 ham and Isaac sojourned. And 
 the days of Isaac were a hun- 
 
 29 dred and fourscore years. And 
 Isaac expired, and died, and 
 was gathered unto his people, 
 being old and full of days : and 
 his sons Esau and Jacob buried 
 him. 
 
 36 Now these are the generations 
 2 of Esau, who is Edom. Esau 
 took his wives of the daughters 
 of Canaan : Adah the daughter 
 of Elon the Hittite, and Oholi- 
 bamah the daughter of Anah 
 the daughter of Zibeon the Hi- 
 
 JE 
 
 Jacob set up a pillar upon her 
 grave : that is the Pillar of 
 Rachel's grave unto this day. 
 
 21 And Israel journeyed, and spread 
 his tent beyond the tower of 
 
 22 Eder. And it came to pass, 
 while Israel dwelt in that land, 
 that Reuben went and lay with 
 Bilhah his father's concubine : 
 and Israel heard of it. 
 
 XXXV. 226-xxxvi. 43 is in the style of P (see text) ; but there are internal 
 inconsistencies (c/. xxxvi. 2 with 20, 24), and discrepancies between this 
 and other sections of P (contrast 2b-5a with xxvi. 34 and xxviii. 9), which 
 point to the use (perhaps by the compiler) of a different source. The 
 expansions, by insertions, of an originally brief section is indicated by the 
 repetition in ver. 9 of ver. 1 . 
 
TEXT i6i 
 
 P J£ 
 
 3 vite; and Basemath Ishmael's 
 daughter, sister of Nebaioth. 
 
 4 And Adah bare to Esau Eliphaz ; 
 
 5 and Basemath bare Reuel ; and 
 Oholibaraah bare Jeush, and Ja- 
 1am, and Korah : these are the 
 sons of Esan, which were born 
 unto him in the land of Canaan. 
 
 6 And Esati took his wives, and his 
 sons, and his daughters, and all 
 the persons of his house, and his 
 stock, and all his cattle, and 
 all his gettings which he had 
 gathered in the land of Canaan, 
 and went into the land . . . 
 away from the face of his brother 
 
 7 Jacob. For their substance was 
 too great for them to dwell to- 
 gether ; and the land of their 
 sojournings could not bear them 
 
 8 because of their cattle. Thus 
 dwelt E-au in mount Seir : Esau 
 
 9 is Edom. And these are the 
 generations of Esau the father 
 of the Edomites in mount Seir : 
 
 10 these are the names of Esau's 
 sons ; Eliphaz the son of Adah 
 the wife of Esau, Reuel the son 
 of Basemath the wife of Esau. 
 
 11 And the sons of Eliphaz were 
 Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, 
 
 12 and Kenaz. And Timna was 
 concubine to Eliphaz Esau's 
 son ; and she bare to Eliphaz 
 Amalek : these were the sons of 
 
 13 Adah Esau's wife. And these 
 are the sons of Reuel ; Nahath, 
 and Zerah, Shammah, and Miz- 
 zah : these were the sons of 
 
 14 Basemath Esau's wife. And 
 these were the sons of Oholi- 
 bamah, the daughter of Anah 
 the daughter of Zibeon, Esau's 
 wife : and she bare to Esau 
 Jeush, and Jalam, and Korah. 
 
 15 These are the chiefs of the sons 
 of Esau : the sons of Eliphaz the 
 firstborn son of Esau ; chief 
 Teman, chief Omar, chief Zepho, 
 
i62 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 P 
 
 10 chief Kenaz, chief Korah, chief 
 Gatam, and chief Amalek : these 
 are the chiefs that came of Eli- 
 phaz in the land of Edom ; these 
 
 17 are the sons of Adah. And these 
 are the sons of Eeuel Esau's son; 
 chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief 
 Shammah, chief Mizzah : these 
 are the chiefs that came of Reuel 
 in the land of Edom ; these are 
 the sons of Basemath Esau's 
 
 18 wife. And these are the sons of 
 Oholibamah Esau's wife ; chief 
 Jeush, chief Jalam, chief Korah: 
 these are the chiefs that came 
 of Oholibamah the daughter of 
 
 19 Anah, Esau's wife. These are 
 the sons of Esau, and these are 
 their chiefs (the same is Edom). 
 
 120 These are the sons of Seir the 
 Horite, the inhabitants of the 
 land ; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zi- 
 
 21 beon, and Anah, and Dishon,Ezer, 
 and Dishan : these are the chiefs 
 of the Horites, the children of 
 
 22 Seir in the land of Edom. And 
 the children of Lotan were Hori 
 and Hemam ; and Lotan's sister 
 
 23 was Timna. And the children 
 of Shobal are these ; Alvan, and 
 Manahath, and Ebal, Shepho, 
 
 24 and Onam. And these are the 
 children of Zibeon ; . . . and 
 Aiah, and Anah : this was that 
 Anah that found the hot springs 
 in the wilderness, as he fed the 
 
 25 asses of Zibeon his father. And 
 the children of Anah were these ; 
 Dishon, and Oholibamah the 
 
 26 daughter of Anah. And the^^e 
 are the children of Dishan ; 
 Hemdan, and Eshban, and Ith- 
 
 27 ran and Cheran. The children 
 of Ezer are these ; Bilhan, and 
 
 28 Zaavan,andAkan. The children 
 of Dishan are these ; Uz, and 
 
 29 Aran. These are the chiefs that 
 came of the Horites ; chief Lotan, 
 chief Shobal, chief Zibeon, chief 
 
TEXT 
 
 P JE 
 
 Anah, chief Dishon, chief Ezer, 
 
 chief Dishan : these are the 
 
 chiefs of the Horites according 
 
 to their chiefs in the land 
 31 of Seir. And these are the 
 
 kings that reigned in the land of 
 
 Edom, before there reigned any 
 
 king over the children of Israel. 
 3-2 And Bela the son of Beor reigned 
 
 in Edom : and the name of his 
 
 33 city was Dinhabah. And Bela 
 died, and Jobab the son of Zerah 
 of Bozrah reigned in his stead. 
 
 34 And Jobab died, and Husham of 
 the land of the Temanites reigned 
 
 35 in his stead. And Husham died, 
 and Hadad the son of Bedad, 
 who smote Midian in the field of 
 Moab, reigned in his stead : and 
 the name of his city was Avith. 
 
 3(j And Hadad died, and Samlah of 
 Masrekah reigned in his stead. 
 
 37 And Samlah died, and Shaul of 
 Rehoboth by the Eiver reigned 
 
 38 in his stead. And Shaul died, and 
 Baal-hanan the son of Achbor 
 
 39 reigned in his stead. And Baal- 
 hanan the son of Achbor died, 
 and Hadar reigned in his stead : 
 and the name of his city was 
 Pau ; and his wife's name was 
 Mehetabel, the daughter of Ha- 
 tred, the daughter of Mezahab. 
 
 40 And these are the names of the 
 chiefs that came of Esau, accord- 
 ing to their families, after their 
 places, by their names ; chief 
 Timnah, chief Alvah, chief Je- 
 
 41 theth, chief Oholibamah, chief 
 
 42 Elah, chief Pinon, chief Kenaz, 
 
 43 chief Teman, chief Mibzar, chief 
 Magdiel, chief Iram : these be 
 the chiefs of Edom, according 
 to their habitations in the land 
 of their possession : this is Esau 
 the father of the,Edomites. 
 
 37 And Jacob dwelt in the land 
 
 -xxxvii. l-2a is in the styl-- of P. 
 
164 
 
 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 of his father's sojournings, in 
 2 the land of Canaan. These are 
 the senerations of Jacob. 
 
 JE 
 
 37 26 Joseph, being seventeen 
 years old, was feeding the tlock 
 with his brethren ; and he was 
 a lad with the sons of Bilhah, 
 and with the sons of Zilpah, 
 liis father's wives : and Joseph 
 brought unto his father their 
 
 3 evil report. Now Israel loved 
 Joseph more than all his chil- 
 dren, because he was the son 
 of his old age : and he made 
 him a long sleeved garment. 
 
 4 And when his brethren saw that 
 their father loved him more than 
 all his brethren, they hated him, 
 and could not speak peaceably 
 
 5 unto him. And Joseph dreamed 
 a dream, and he told it his 
 brethren : and they hated him 
 
 6 yet the more. And he said 
 unto them, Hear, I pray yon, 
 this dream which I have 
 
 7 dreamed : for, behold, we were 
 binding sheaves in the field, and, 
 lo, my sheaf arose, and also 
 stood upright ; and, behold, 
 your sheaves stood round about, 
 and made obeisance to my sheaf. 
 
 8 And his brethren said to him, 
 Shalt thou indeed rule over 
 us ? or shalt thou indeed have 
 dominion over us ? And they 
 
 xxxvii. 2A-36 belongs to JE, but it is only toward the end that there is 
 any trace of duplication. Ver. 28, recording the appearance of Midlanites, 
 repeats 25, which narrates the approach of Ishmaelites ; and the two state- 
 ments of Joseph's sale into Egypt in xxxvii. 3G and xxxix. 1 exhibit a 
 similar difference of name. Probably two accounts have been blended : 
 in the one Joseph was thrown into a pit at the suggestion of Reuben, and 
 stolen thence [cf. xl. 15) by Midianites : in the other he was sold to Ish- 
 maelites at the suggestion of Judah. The respective parts, after ver. 20, 
 will be (i.) 21-24, 28 (Then .... jtit. And therj hrour/ht Joseph into Egypt), 
 29-30, 36. (ii.) 2.5-27, 28 (and sold .... silver), 31-35. The last is con- 
 tinued in xxxix. 1, and therefore belongs to J (see below) : the other is 
 consequently E. 
 
TEXT 
 
 165 
 
 JE 
 
 hated him j'et the more for 
 his dreams, and for his words, 
 i) And he dreamed yet another 
 dream, and told it his breth- 
 ren, and said. Behold, I have 
 dreamed a dream more ; and, 
 behold, the sun and the moon 
 and the eleven stars made obei- 
 
 10 sance to me. And he told it to 
 his father, and to his brethren : 
 and his father rebuked him, 
 and said unto him. What is 
 this dream that thou hast 
 dreamed ? Shall I and thy 
 motlier and thy brethren in- 
 deed come to bow down our- 
 selves to thee to the earth? 
 
 11 And his brethren envied him; 
 but his father kept the matter 
 
 12 In mind. And his brethren went 
 to feed their father's flock in 
 
 1;] Shechem. And Israel said un- 
 to Joseph, Do not thy brethren 
 feed the flock in Shechem ? 
 come, and I will send thee 
 unto them. And he said to 
 
 14 him, Here am I. And he said 
 to him. Go, I pray thee, see 
 whether it be well with thy 
 brethren, and well with the 
 flock ; and bring me word 
 again. So he sent him out 
 of the vale of Hebron, and he 
 
 l.T came to Shechem. And a cer- 
 tain man found him, and, be- 
 hold, he was wandering in the 
 field : and the man asked him, 
 
 1 C, saying, What seekest thou ? and 
 he said, I seek my brethren : 
 tell me, I pray thee, where 
 
 17 they feed their flock. And 
 the man said. They are de- 
 parted hence ; for I heard them 
 say, Let us go to Dothan. And 
 Joseph went after his brethren, 
 
 18 and found them in Dothan. And 
 when they saw him afar off, 
 even before he came near unto 
 them, they conspired against 
 
1 66 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 JE 
 
 19 him to slay him. And they 
 said one to another, Behold, 
 
 20 this dreamer cometh. Come 
 now therefore, and let us slay 
 him, and cast him into some 
 pit, and we will say, Some evil 
 beast hath devoured him : and 
 we shall see what will become 
 
 21 of his dreams. And Reuben 
 heard it, and he delivered him 
 out of their hands ; and said, 
 
 22 Let us not kill him. And 
 Reuben said unto them, Shed 
 no blood, but cast him into 
 this pit that is in the wilder- 
 ness, and lay no hand upon 
 him ; that he might deliver 
 him out of their hands, to 
 restore him to his father again. 
 
 23 And it came to pass, when 
 Joseph was come unto his 
 brethren, that they stript 
 Joseph of his garment, his 
 long sleeved garment ifhat was 
 
 24 on him ; and they took him, 
 and cast him into the pit : 
 and the pit was empty, there 
 
 2."i was no water in it. And they 
 sat down to eat bread : and 
 they lifted up their eyes and 
 looked, and, behold, a train of 
 Ishmaelites came from Gilead 
 with their camels bearing spice 
 and balsam and myrrh, going 
 to carry it down to Egypt. 
 
 2G And Judah said unto his breth- 
 ren, What profit is it if we 
 slay our brother, and conceal 
 
 27 his blood? Come, and let us 
 sell him to the Ishmaelites, 
 and let not our hand be upon 
 him ; for he is our brother and 
 our flesh. And his brethren 
 
 28 were content. Then there 
 passed by Midianites, mer- 
 chantmen ; and they drew and 
 lifted up Joseph out of the 
 pit, and sold Joseph to the 
 Ishmaelites for twenty shekels 
 
TEXT 167 
 
 P JE 
 
 of silver. And they brought 
 
 29 Joseph into Egypt. And Reu- 
 ben returned unto the pit ; and, 
 behold, Joseph was not in the 
 pit ; and he rent his clothes. 
 
 30 And he returned unto his bre- 
 thren, and said, The child is not; 
 
 31 and I, whither shall I go ? And 
 they took Joseph's garment, and 
 killed a he-goat, and dipped the 
 
 V>2 garment in the blood ; and they 
 sent the long sleeved garment, 
 and they brought it to their 
 father ; and said, This have we 
 found : know thou whether it 
 be thy son's garment or not. 
 
 33 And he knew it, and said. It is 
 my son's garment ; a wild beast 
 hath devoured him ; Joseph is 
 without doubt torn in pieces. 
 
 34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and 
 put sackcloth upon his loins, 
 and mourned for his son many 
 
 35 days. And all his sons and 
 all his daughters rose up to 
 comfort him ; but he refused 
 to be comforted ; and he said, 
 For I will go down unto the 
 grave to my son mourning. 
 Thus his father wept for him. 
 
 36 And the Medanites sold him 
 into Egypt unto Potiphar, an 
 officer of Pharaoh's, and captain 
 of the guard. 
 
 33 And it carae to pass at that 
 time, that Judah went down 
 from his brethren, and turned 
 in to a certain AduUamite. 
 2 whose name was Hirah. And 
 Judah saw there a daughter of 
 
 Chap, xxxviii. and xxxix. are Jehovistic in the narrative parts (see text ; 
 the occurrence of God in xxxix. 9 is in a reported conversation be- 
 tween Joseph and an Egyptian woman). If xxxvii. 36 has been rightly 
 assigned to E (see above), the description of Potiphar in xxxix. 1 as an 
 officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, must have been introduced from 
 E by the compiler : J may simply have called him an Egyptian (see 
 xxxix. 5). 
 
i68 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 J 
 
 a certain Canaanite, whose 
 name was Shuah ; and he took 
 
 3 her, and went in unto her. 
 And she conceived, and bare a 
 son ; and he called his name 
 
 4 Er. And she conceived again, 
 and hare a son ; and she called 
 
 5 his name Onan. And she yet 
 again bare a son ; and called 
 his name Shelah : and he 
 was at Chezib when she bare 
 
 8 him. And Judah took a wife 
 for Er his firstborn, whose name 
 
 7 was Tamar. And Er, Judah's 
 firstborn, was wicked in the 
 sight of Jehovah ; and Jehovah 
 
 8 slew him. And Judah said unto 
 Onan, Go in unto thy brother's 
 wife, and marry her, and raise 
 
 y up seed to thy brother. And 
 Onan knew that the seed should 
 not be his ; and it came to 
 pass, when he went in unto his 
 brother's wife, that he destroyed 
 it to the ground, lest he should 
 30 give seed to his brother. And 
 the thing which he did dis- 
 pleased Jehovah; wherefore he 
 
 11 slew him also. Then said Judah 
 to Tamar his daughter-in-law, 
 Remain a widow at thy father's 
 house, till Shelah my son be 
 grown : for he said, Lest per- 
 adventure he die also,' as his 
 brethren did. And Tamar went 
 and dwelt in her father's house. 
 
 12 And in process of time the 
 daughter of Shuah Judah's wife 
 died ; and Judah was comforted, 
 and went up unto his sheep- 
 shearers to Timnah, he and his 
 friend Hirah the Adullamite. 
 
 13 And it was told Tamar, saying. 
 Behold thy father-in-law goeth 
 up to Timnah to shear his sheep. 
 
 14 And she put her widow's gar- 
 ments off from lier, and covered 
 her with a veil, and disguised 
 herself, and sat in the entrance 
 
TEXT 169 
 
 J 
 
 of Enaim, which is by the way 
 to Timnah ; for she saw that 
 Shelah was grown up, and she 
 was not given unto him to wife. 
 ] 5 When Judah saw her, he thought 
 her to be a harlot ; because 
 
 16 she had covered her face. And 
 he turned unto her by the way, 
 and said, Come, I pray thee, let 
 me come in unto thee (for he 
 knew not that she was his 
 daughter-in-law). And she said. 
 What wilt thou give me, that 
 thou mayest come in unto me ? 
 
 17 And he said, I will send thee 
 a kid from the flock. And she 
 said. Wilt thou give me a 
 
 18 pledge, till thou send it? And 
 he said. What pledge shall I 
 give thee ? And she said, Thy 
 signet, and thy cord, and thy 
 staff that is in thine hand. 
 And he gave them her, and came 
 in unto her, and she conceived 
 
 19 by him. And she arose, and 
 went away, and laid by her 
 veil from her, and put on the 
 garments of her widowhood. 
 
 20 And Judali sent the kid by the 
 hand of his friend the Adul- 
 lamite, to receive his pledge 
 from the woman's hand : but 
 
 21 he found her not. Then he 
 asked the men of her place, 
 saying. Where is the devotee, 
 that was at Enaim by the way 
 side ? And they said, There was 
 
 22 no devotee in i his place. And 
 he returned to Judah, and said, 
 I cannot find her : and also the 
 men of the place said that there 
 hath been no devotee in this 
 
 23 place. And Judah said. Let her 
 keep it, lest we be put to shame ; 
 behold, I sent this kid, and 
 
 21 thou hast not found her. And 
 it came to pass about three 
 months after, that it was told 
 Judah, saying, Tamarthydaugh- 
 
no THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 ter-in-law hath played the har- 
 lot ; and also, behold, she is 
 with child by whoredom. And 
 Judah said, Bring her forth, and 
 
 25 let her be burned. When she 
 was brought forth, she sent to 
 her father-iu-law, saying. By 
 the man whose these are am I 
 with child : and she said. Dis- 
 cern, I pray thee, whose are 
 these, the signet, and cords, and 
 
 26 staff. And Judah acknowledged 
 them, and said, She hath been 
 more righteous than I ; because 
 I gave her not to Shelah my son. 
 And he knew her again no more. 
 
 27 And it came to pass in the time 
 of her travail, that, behold, 
 
 28 twins were in her womb. And 
 it came to pass, when she tra- 
 vailed, that one put out his 
 hand : and the midwife took 
 and bound upon his hand a 
 scarlet thread, saying, This came 
 
 29 out first. And it came to pass, 
 as he drew back his hand, that, 
 behold, his brother came out : 
 and she said. Why hast thou 
 broken forth on thine own ac- 
 count ? therefore his name was 
 
 o9 called Perez. And afterward 
 came out his brother that had 
 the scarlet thread upon his 
 hand : and his name wj^s called 
 Zerah. 
 
 39 And Joseph was brought 
 down to Egypt ; and Potiphar, 
 an officer of Pharaoh, captain 
 of the guard, an Egyptian, 
 bought him of the hands of the 
 Ishmaelites, which had brought 
 
 2 him down thither. And Jehovah 
 was with Joseph, and he was a 
 prosperous man ; and he was in 
 the house of his master the 
 
 3 Egyptian. And his master saw 
 that Jehovah was with him, and 
 that Jehovah made all that he 
 
TEXT 
 
 17] 
 
 J 
 
 4 did to prosper in his hand. And 
 Joseph found grace in his sight, 
 and he served him : and he 
 made him overseer over his 
 house, and all that he had he 
 
 T) put into his hand. And it came 
 to pass from the time that he 
 had made him overseer in his 
 house, and over all that he had, 
 that Jehovah blessed the Egyp- 
 tian's house for Joseph's sake ; 
 and the blessing of Jehovah was 
 upon all that he had in the 
 
 6 house, and in the field. And he 
 left all that he had in Joseph's 
 hand ; and he knew not aught 
 he had, save the bread which 
 he did eat. And Joseph was 
 
 7 comely and well favoured. And 
 it came to pass after these 
 things, that his master's wife 
 cast her eyes upon Joseph ; and 
 
 8 she said, Lie with me. But he 
 refused, and said unto his mas- 
 ter's wife, Behold, my master 
 knoweth not what is with me in 
 the house, and he hath com- 
 mitted all that he hath to my 
 
 9 hand ; he is not greater in this 
 house than I ; neither hath he 
 kept back any thing from me 
 but thee, because thou art his 
 wife : how then can I do this 
 great wickedness, and sin against 
 
 10 God? And it came to pass, as 
 she spake to Joseph day by day, 
 that he hearkened not unto her, 
 to lie by her, or to be with her. 
 
 1 1 And it came to pass about this 
 time, that he went into the house 
 to do his business ; and there 
 was none of the men of the 
 
 12 house there within. And she 
 caught him by his garment, say- 
 ing. Lie with me : and he left 
 his garment in her hand, and 
 
 13 fled, and got him out. And it 
 came to pass, when she saw that 
 he had left his garment in her 
 
172 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 J 
 
 14 hand, and was fled forth, that 
 she called unto the men of her 
 house, and spake unto them, 
 saying, See, he hath brought 
 in a Hebrew unto us to mock 
 us ; he came in unto me to lie 
 with me, and I cried with a loud 
 
 15 voice: and it came to pass, when 
 he heard that I lifted up my 
 voice and cried, that he left his 
 garment by me, and fled, and 
 
 16 got him out. And she laid up 
 his garment by her, until his 
 
 17 master came home. And she 
 spake unto him according to 
 these words, saving, The Hebrew 
 servant, which thou hast brought 
 us, came in unto me to mock 
 
 18 me : and it came to pass, as I 
 lifted up my voice and cried, 
 that he left his garment by 
 
 19 me, and fled out. And it came 
 to pass, when his master heard 
 the words of his wife, which she 
 spake unto him, saying. After 
 this manner did thy servant to 
 me ; that his anger was kindled. 
 
 20 And Joseph's master took him, 
 and put him into the prison, the 
 place where the king's prisoners 
 were bound : and he was there 
 
 21 in the prison. But Jehovah was 
 with Joseph, and extended 
 mercy towards him, and showed 
 him grace in the sight of the 
 
 22 keeper of the prison. And the 
 keeper of the prison committed 
 to Joseph's hand all the priso- 
 ners that were in the prison ; 
 and whatsoever they did there, 
 
 23 he was the doer of it. The 
 keeper of the prison looked not 
 to any thing that was under 
 his hand ; because Jehovah was 
 with him, and that which he 
 did, Jehovah made it to pros- 
 per. 
 
TEXT 173 
 
 40 And it came to pass after 
 these things, that the butler of 
 the king of Egypt and his baker 
 had offended their lord the king 
 
 2 of Egypt. And Pharaoh was 
 wroth against two of his officers, 
 against the chief of the butlers, 
 and against the chief of the 
 
 3 bakers. And he put them in 
 ward in the house of the cap- 
 tain of the guard, into the 
 prison, the place where Joseph 
 
 4 was bound. And the captain 
 of the guard charged Joseph 
 with them, and he served them: 
 and they continued a season in 
 
 5 ward. And they dreamed a 
 dream both of them, each man 
 his dream in one night, each 
 man according to the interpre- 
 tation of his dream, the butler 
 and the baker of the king of 
 Egypt, which were bound in the 
 
 6 prison. And Joseph came in 
 unto them in the morning, and 
 looked upon them, and, behold, 
 
 7 they were sad. And he asked 
 Pharaoh's officers that were with 
 him in ward in his master's 
 house, saying, Wherefore look 
 
 8 ye so sadly to day 7 And they 
 said unto him. We have dreamed 
 a dream, and there is no inter- 
 preter of it. And Joseph said 
 unto them. Do not interpre- 
 tations belong to God ? tell 
 
 9 me it, I pray you. And the 
 chief butler told his dream to 
 Joseph, and said to him, In my 
 dream, behold, a vine was be- 
 
 10 fore me ; and in the vine were 
 three branches: and when it 
 budded, its blossoms shot forth ; 
 and the clusters thereof ripened 
 
 Chap, xl., from the correspondence of ver. 15 with the first of the two 
 narratives dove-tailed into one another in the latter part of chap, xxxvii., 
 seems to belong to E [God in ver. 8 is not decisive, since it is used by 
 Joseph in speaking to foreigners). 
 
74 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 11 into grapes : and Pharaoh's cup 
 was in my hand : and I took the 
 prrapes, and pressed them into 
 Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the 
 
 12 cup into Pharaoh's hand. And 
 Joseph said unto him, This is 
 the interpretation of it : The 
 three branches are three days : 
 
 13 yet within three days shall Pha- 
 raoh lift up thine head, and re- 
 store thee unto thy place : and 
 thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup 
 into his hand, after the former 
 manner when thou wast his 
 
 14 butler. But think on me when 
 it shall be well with thee, and 
 show mercy, I pray thee, unto 
 me, and make mention of me 
 unto Pharaoh, and bring me out 
 
 15 of this house: for indeed I was 
 stolen away out of the land of 
 the Hebrews : and here also 
 ha^'e I done nothing that they 
 should have put me into the 
 
 16 dungeon. When the chief baker 
 saw that the interpretation was 
 good, he said unto Joseph, I 
 also was in my dream, and, be- 
 hold, I had three baskets of white 
 
 1 7 bread on my head. And in the 
 uppermost basket there was all 
 manner of bakemeats for Pha- 
 raoh ; and the birds did eat 
 them out of the basket upon my 
 
 18 head. And Joseph answered 
 and said. This is the interpreta- 
 tion thereof: The three baskets 
 
 1 9 are three days : within yet three 
 days shall Pharaoh lift up thy 
 head from off thee, and shall 
 hang thee on a tree ; and the 
 birds shall eat thy flesh from off 
 
 20 thee. And it came to pass the 
 third day, which was Pharaoh's 
 birthday, that he made a feast 
 unto all his servants : and he 
 lifted up the head of the chief 
 butler and of the chief baker 
 
 21 among his servants. And he 
 
TEXT 
 
 75 
 
 P^ E 
 
 restored the chief butler unto 
 his butlership again; and he 
 gave the cup into Pharaoh's 
 
 22 hand : but lie hanged the chief 
 baker: as Joseph had inter- 
 
 23 preted 'to them. Yet did not 
 the chief butler remember Jo- 
 seph, but forgat him. 
 
 41 And it came to pass at the end 
 of two full years, that Pharaoh 
 dreamed : and, behold, he stood 
 
 2 by the river. And, behold, there 
 come up out of the river seven 
 kine, well favoured and fat- 
 fleshed ; and they fed in the 
 
 3 reed-grass. And, behold, seven 
 other kine came up after them 
 out of the river, ill favoured and 
 leanfleshed ; and stood by the 
 other kine upon the brink of the 
 
 4 river. And the ill-favoured and 
 leanfleshed kine did eat up the 
 seven well-favoured and fat kine. 
 
 5 So Pharaoh awoke. And he slept 
 and dreamed the second time : 
 and, behold, seven ears of corn 
 came up upon one stalk, rank 
 
 6 and good. And, behold, seven 
 ears, thin and blasted with the 
 east wind, sprung up after them. 
 
 7 And the seven thin ears devoured 
 the seven rank and full ears. 
 And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, 
 
 8 it was a dream. And it came to 
 pass in the morning that his 
 spirit was troubled ; and he sent 
 and called for all the magicians of 
 Egypt, and all the wise men there- 
 of : and Pharaoh told them his 
 dream ; but there was none that 
 could interpret them unto Pha- 
 
 9 raoh. Then spake the chief but- 
 ler unto Pharaoh, saying, I con- 
 Chap, xli. is a continuation of chap, xl., as appears from the reference 
 
 to it in vers. 9-13 ; and its Elohistic character (except ver. 46) is seen from 
 vers. 51, 52. (The use of God in other verses is inconclusive, as it occurs in 
 conversations with Egyptians.) 
 
176 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 E 
 
 10 fess my faults this day : Pharaoh 
 was wroth with his servants, and 
 put me in ward in the captain of 
 the guard's house, both me and 
 
 11 the chief baker: and we dreamed 
 a dream in one night, I and he ; 
 we dreamed each man accord- 
 ing to the interpretation of his 
 
 12 dream. And there was there 
 with us a young man, a Hebrew, 
 servant to the captain of the 
 guard ; and we told him, and he 
 interpreted to us our dreams ; 
 to each man according to his 
 
 13 dream he did interpret. And 
 it came to pass, as he inter- 
 preted to us, so it was ; me he 
 restored unto mine office, and 
 
 14 him he hanged. Then Pharaoh 
 sent and called Joseph, and they 
 brought him hastily out of the 
 dungeon : and he shaved him- 
 self, and changed his raiment, 
 
 15 and came in unto Pharaoh. And 
 Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have 
 dreamed a dream, and there is 
 none that can interpret it : and 
 I have heard say of thee, that 
 thou canst understand a dream 
 
 16 to interpret it. And Joseph an- 
 swered Pharaoh, saving, It is 
 not I : God shall give Pharaoh an 
 
 17 answer of peace. And Pharaoh 
 said unto Joseph, In my dream, 
 behold, I stood upon the bank 
 
 18 of the river: and, behold, there 
 came up out of the river seven 
 kine, fatfleshed and well fav- 
 oured ; and they fed in the reed- 
 
 19 grass. And, behold, seven other 
 kine came up after them, poor 
 and very ill favoured and lean- 
 fleshed, such as 1 never saw in 
 all the land of Egypt for bad- 
 
 20 ness : and the lean and the ill 
 favoured kine did eat up the first 
 
 21 seven fat kine : and when they 
 had eaten them up, it could not 
 be known that they had eaten 
 
TEXT 177 
 
 them ; but they were still ill 
 favoured, as at the beginning. 
 
 22 So I awoke. And I saw in my 
 dream, and, behold, seven ears 
 came up on one stalk, full and 
 
 23 good : and, behold, seven ears, 
 withered, thin, and blasted with 
 the east wind, sprung up after 
 
 24 them : and the thin ears de- 
 voured the seven good ears : and 
 I told this unto the magicians ; 
 but there was none that could 
 
 25 declare it me. And Joseph said 
 unto Pharaoh, The dream of 
 Pharaoh is one : God hath 
 showed Pharaoh what he is 
 
 26 about to do. The seven good 
 kine are seven years ; and the 
 seven good ears are seven years : 
 
 27 the dream is one. And the 
 seven lean and ill favoured kine 
 that came up after them are 
 seven years ; and the seven 
 empty ears blasted with the east 
 wind shall be seven years of 
 
 28 famine. This is the thing which 
 I .spake unto Pharaoh : what 
 God is about to do he showeth 
 
 29 unto Pharaoh. Behold, there 
 come seven years of great plenty 
 throughout all the land of Egypt : 
 
 30 and there shall arise after them 
 seven years of famine ; and all 
 the plenty shall be forgotten 
 in the land of Egypt ; and the 
 famine shall consume the land ; 
 
 31 and the plenty shall not be 
 known in the land by reason of 
 that famine following ; for it 
 
 82 shall be very grievous. And as 
 for the dream being doubled 
 unto Pharaoh, it is because the 
 thing is established by God, and 
 God will shortly bring it to pass. 
 
 33 Now therefore let Pharaoh look 
 out a man discreet and wise, and 
 set him over the land of Egypt. 
 
 34 Let Pharaoh do tliis, and let him 
 appoint officers over the land, 
 
 M 
 
[78 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 E 
 
 and exact the fifth part of the 
 land of Egypt in the seven 
 
 35 plenteous years. And let them 
 collect all the food of those 
 good years that come, and lay 
 up corn under the hand of 
 Pharaoh as food in the cities, 
 
 36 and let them keep it. And that 
 food shall be for a store to the 
 land against the seven years of 
 famine, which shall be in the 
 land of Egypt ; that the land 
 perish not through the famine. 
 
 37 And the thing was good in the 
 eyes of Pharaoh, and in the 
 
 38 eyes of all his servants. And 
 Pharaoh said unto his servants, 
 Can we find such a one as this 
 is, a man in whom the spirit of 
 
 39 God is ? And Pharaoh said unto 
 Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath 
 showed thee all this, there is none 
 so discreet and wise as thou art : 
 
 40 thou shalt be over my house, 
 and according unto thy word 
 shall all my people be ruled: 
 only in the throne will I be 
 
 41 greater than thou. And Pharaoh 
 said unto Joseph, See, I have 
 set thee over all the land of 
 
 42 Egypt. And Pharaoh took oif 
 his ring from his hand, and put 
 it upon Joseph's hand, and ar- 
 rayed him in vestures of fine 
 linen, and put a gold chain 
 
 43 about his neck ; and he made 
 him to ride in the second chariot 
 which he had ; and they cried 
 before him, Bow the knee : 
 and he set him over all the 
 
 44 land of Egypt. And Pharaoh 
 said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, 
 and without thee shall no man 
 lift up his hand or foot in all the 
 
 45 land of Egypt. And Pharaoh 
 called Joseph's name Zaphenath- 
 paneah ; and he gave him to 
 wife Asenath the daughter of 
 Potiphera priest of On. And 
 
TEXT 
 
 179 
 
 41 46 And Joseph was thirty 
 years old when he stood before 
 Pharaoh king of Egypt. And 
 Joseph went out from the pre- 
 sence of Pharaoh, and went 
 through all the land of Egypt. 
 
 Joseph went out over the land 
 of Egypt. 
 
 47 And in the seven plenteous years 
 the earth brought forth by hand- 
 
 48 fuls. And he collected all 
 the food of the seven years, 
 which were in the land of 
 Egypt, and laid up the food in 
 the cities : the food of the field, 
 which was round about every 
 
 49 city, laid he up in the same. And 
 Joseph collected corn as the sand 
 of the sea, very much, until he 
 left oflf numbering ; for it was 
 
 50 beyond numbering. And unto 
 Joseph were born two sons be- 
 fore the years of famine came, 
 which Asenath the daughter of 
 Potiphera priest of On bare 
 
 51 unto him. And Joseph called 
 the name of the firstborn Ma- 
 nasseh : For God, said he, hath 
 made me forget all my toil, and 
 
 52 all my father's house. And the 
 name of the second called he 
 Ephraim : For, said he, God hath 
 caused me to be fruitful in the 
 
 5.S land of my affliction. And the 
 seven years of plenteousness that 
 was in the land of Egypt were 
 
 54 ended. And the seven years of 
 famine began to come, accord- 
 ing as Joseph had said : and the 
 famine was in all lands ; but in 
 all the land of Egypt there was 
 
 55 bread. And when all the land 
 of Egypt was famished, the 
 people cried to Pharaoh for 
 bread : and Pharaoh said unto 
 all the Egyptians, Go unto Jo- 
 
 xli. 46, from its style, resembles P, though a similar chronological note 
 occurs in I. 26 (E). 
 
i8o THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 P JE 
 
 seph ; what he saith to you, do. 
 
 56 And the famine was over all the 
 face of the earth : and Joseph 
 opened everything wherein there 
 was . . ., and sold unto the 
 Egyptians ; and the famine 
 waxed sore in the land of 
 
 57 Egypt. And all countries came 
 into Egypt to Joseph to buy 
 corn ; because the famine was 
 sore in all lands. 
 
 42 Now when Jacob saw that 
 there was corn in Egypt, Jacob 
 said unto his sons, Why do ye look 
 
 2 one at another ? And he said, 
 Behold, I have heard that there 
 is corn in Egypt : get you down 
 thither, and buy for us from 
 thence ; that we may live, and 
 
 3 not die. And Joseph's ten 
 brethren went down to buy corn 
 
 4 in Egypt. But Benjamin, Jo- 
 seph's brother, Jacob sent not 
 with his brethren ; for he said. 
 Lest peradventure mischief be- 
 
 5 fall him. And the sons of Israel 
 came to buy corn among those 
 that came : for the famine was 
 
 6 in the land of Canaan. And 
 Joseph was the governor over 
 the land, and he it was that sold 
 to all the people of the land : 
 and Joseph's bretlireu came, 
 and bowed down themselves 
 before him with their faces to 
 
 7 the earth. And Joseph saw his 
 brethren, and he knew them, but 
 
 Chap. xlii. is of composite origin, if inconsistencies can be taken to 
 indicate such. In ver. 35 the discovery of the money by the brothers on 
 their arrival at home agrees with the fact that they had provision for the 
 journey (ver. '2~>) : but in ver. 27 mention is made of a lodging-place, with 
 which the account in xliii. 21 harmonises. Chaps, xliii. and xliv. appa- 
 rently belong to J (see below) ; and this determines the source of xlii. 
 27-28(1. The rest of xlii. will then belong to E, with which accords the 
 position of Reuben (vers. 22, 37). The use of God in all passages except 286 
 is indecisive, as Joseph appears in the character of an Egyptian. As regards 
 phraseology, J uses ^janmer, and E sack (the two being confused in 27). 
 
TEXT 
 
 JE 
 
 made himself strange i:nto them, 
 and spake roughly unto them; 
 and he said unto them, Whence 
 come ye ? And they said, From 
 the l.i!id of Canaan to buy food. 
 
 8 And Joseph knew his brethren, 
 
 9 but they knew not him. And 
 Joseph remembered the dreams 
 which he drenmed of them, and 
 said unto them, Ye are spies ; to 
 see the nakedness of the land 
 
 10 ye are come. And they said 
 unto him. Nay, my lord, but to 
 buy food are thy servants come. 
 
 1 1 We are all one man's sons ; we 
 are true men, thy servants are no 
 
 12 spies. And he said unto them, 
 Nay, but to see the nakedness of 
 the land ye are come. And they 
 
 IH said, Thy servants are twelve, 
 brethren are we, the sons of one 
 man in the land of Canaan, and, 
 behold, the youngest is this day 
 with our father, and one is not. 
 
 14 And Joseph said unto them, 
 Thut is it that I spake unto you, 
 
 13 saving. Ye are spies: hereby ye 
 shall be proved : by the life of 
 Pharaoh ye shall not go forth 
 hence, except your youngest 
 
 Ui brother come hither. Send one 
 of you, and let him fetch your 
 brother, and ye shall be kept in 
 prison, that your words may be 
 proved, whether there be any 
 truth in you : or else by the 
 life of Pharaoh surely ye are 
 
 17 spies. And he put them all 
 together into ward three days. 
 
 18 And Joseph said unto them the 
 third day. This do and live ; for 
 
 19 I fear God : If ye be true men, 
 let one of your brethren be 
 bound in the house of your 
 prison : go ye, carry corn for 
 
 20 the famine of your houses : but 
 bring your youngest brother 
 unto me ; so shall your words 
 be verified, and ve shall not die. 
 
1 82 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 JE 
 
 21 And they did so. And they said 
 one to another, We are verily 
 guilty concerning our brother, 
 whose anguish of soul we saw, 
 when he besought us, and we 
 would not hear ; therefore is 
 
 22 this anguish come upon us. And 
 Eeuben answered them, saying, 
 Spake I not unto you, saying. Do 
 not sin against the child, and ye 
 would not hear ? therefore, be- 
 hold, also his blood is required. 
 
 23 And they knew not that Joseph 
 understood them ; for the inter- 
 
 24 preter was between them. And 
 he turned himself about from 
 them, and wept ; and returned 
 to them again, and communed 
 with them, and took from them 
 Simeon, and bound him before 
 
 25 their eyes. Then Joseph com- 
 manded to fill their vessels with 
 corn, and to restore every man's 
 money into his sack, and to give 
 them provision for the way ; 
 and thus did he unto them. 
 
 26 And they laded their asses with 
 the corn, and departed thence. 
 
 27 And as one of them opened his 
 sack to give his ass provender 
 in the lodging-place, "he saw his 
 money; for, behold, it was in the 
 
 28 mouth of his pannier. And he 
 said unto his brethren. My money 
 is restored ; and, lo, it is even 
 in my pannier : and their heart 
 failed them, and they turned 
 trembling one to another, saying, 
 What is this that God liath done 
 
 29 unto us ? And they came imto 
 Jacob their father unto the land 
 of Canaan, and told him all that 
 
 'M had befallen them, saying. The 
 man, who is the lord of the 
 land, .spake roughly to us, and 
 took us for spies of the country. 
 
 31 And we said unto him. We are 
 
 32 true men ; we are no spies : we 
 be twelve brethren, sons of our 
 
TEXT 183 
 
 P JE 
 
 father ; one is not, and the 
 youngest is this day with our 
 father in the land of Canaan. 
 
 33 And the man, the lord of the 
 country, said unto us, Hereby 
 shall I know that ye are true 
 men ; leave one of your breth- 
 ren here with me, and take 
 food for the famine of your 
 
 M households, and be gone: and 
 bring your youngest brother un- 
 to me : then shall I know that 
 ye are not spies, but that ye are 
 true men : so will I deliver you 
 your brother, and ye shall traffic 
 
 H5 in the land. And it came to 
 pass as they emptied their sacks, 
 that, behold, every man's bundle 
 of money was in his sack : and 
 when both they and their father 
 saw the bundles of money, they 
 
 36 were afraid. And Jacob their 
 father said unto them, Me have 
 ye bereaved of my children : 
 Joseph is not, and Simeon is 
 not, and ye will take Benjamin 
 away : all these things are 
 
 37 against me. And Reuben spake 
 unto his father, saying, Slay my 
 two sons, if I bring him not to 
 thee : deliver him into my hand, 
 and I will bring him to thee 
 
 38 again. And he said, My son 
 shall not go down with you ; 
 for his brother is dead, and he 
 alone is left : if mischief befall 
 him by the way in the which ye 
 go, then shall ye bring down my 
 gray hairs with sorrow to the 
 gra^e. 
 
 43 And the famine was sore in 
 
 2 the land. And it came to pass, 
 
 when they had eaten up the 
 
 Chap, xliii. and xliv. belong to J, for in them Judah is given the same 
 prominence as in the J portions of xxxvii. xliii. 14, however, has an 
 expression which is elsewhere in Genesis only found in P ; whilst the 
 latter part of the verse refers to xlii. 36 (E) : it therefore may come from 
 the latter, but have been re-handled by the compiler. 
 
]84 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 J 
 
 corn which they had brought 
 out of Egypt, their father said 
 unto thera, Go again, buy us a 
 8 little food. And Judah spake 
 unto him, saying, The man did 
 solemnly protest unto us, say- 
 ing. Ye shall not see my face, 
 except your brother be with you. 
 
 4 If thou wilt send our brother 
 with us, we will go down and 
 
 5 buy thee food : but if thou wilt 
 not send him, we will not go 
 down : for the man said unto 
 us, Ye shall not see my face ex- 
 cept your brother be with you. 
 
 6 And Israel said, Wherefore dealt 
 ye so ill with me, as to tell 
 the man whether ye had yet a 
 
 7 brother? And they said. The 
 man asked us straitly of our- 
 selves, and of our kindred, say- 
 ing. Is your father yet alive? 
 have ye another brother? and 
 we told him according to the 
 tenor of these words : could we 
 certainly know that he would 
 say, Bring your brother down ? 
 
 8 And Judah said unto Israel his 
 father, Send the lad with me, 
 and we will arise and go ; that 
 we may live, and not die, both 
 we, and thou, and also our little 
 
 9 ones. I will be surety for him ; 
 of my hand shalt thou require 
 him : if I bring him not unto 
 thee, and set him before thee, 
 then let me bear the blame for 
 
 10 ever: for except we had linger- 
 ed, surely now we had returned 
 
 11 a second time. And their father 
 Israel said unto them, If it must 
 be so now, do this ; take of the 
 choice fruits of the land in your 
 vessels, and carry down the man 
 a present, a little balsam, and a 
 little honey, spices, and myrrh, 
 
 1 2 nuts, and almonds : and take a 
 second sum of money in your 
 hand ; and the money that was 
 
TEXT 185 
 
 J 
 
 brought again in the mouth of 
 your panniers, carry it again in 
 your hand ; peradventure it was 
 
 13 an oversight: take also your 
 brother, and arise, go again 
 
 ] 4 unto the man : and God Al- 
 mighty give you mercy before 
 the man, that he may send away 
 your other brother, and Benja- 
 min. If I be bereaved of my 
 
 15 children, I am bereaved. And 
 the men took that present, and 
 they took a second sum of money 
 in their hand, and Benjamin ; 
 and rose up, and went down to 
 Egypt, and stood before Joseph. 
 
 16 And when Joseph saw Benjamin 
 with them, he said to the stew- 
 ard of his house, Bring these 
 men into the house, and slay, and 
 make ready ; for these men shall 
 
 ] 7 dine with me at noon. And the 
 man did as Joseph bade ; and 
 the man brought the men into 
 
 18 Joseph's house. And the men 
 were afraid, because they were 
 brought into Joseph's house ; 
 and they said. Because of the 
 money that was returned in our 
 panniers at the first time are we 
 brought in ; that he may assail 
 us, and fall upon us, and take 
 us for servants, and our asses. 
 
 19 And they came near to the 
 steward of Joseph's house, and 
 they communed with him at the 
 
 20 entrance of the house, and said, 
 O ray lord, we came indeed down 
 
 21 at the first time to buy food : 
 and it came to pass, when we 
 came to the lodging-place, that 
 we opened our panniers, and be- 
 hold, every man's money was in 
 the mouth of his pannier, our 
 money in full weight : and we 
 have brought it again in our 
 
 22 hand. And other money have 
 we brought down in our hands 
 to buy food : we cannot tell who 
 
i86 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 put our money in our panniers. 
 
 23 And he said, Peace be to you, 
 fear not: your God, and the 
 God of your father, hath given 
 you treasure in your panniers : 
 I had your money. And he 
 brought Simeon out unto them. 
 
 21 And the man brought the men 
 into Joseph's house, and gave 
 them water, and they washed 
 their feet ; and he gave their 
 
 25 asses provender. And they made 
 ready the present against Joseph 
 came at noon : for they heard 
 tliat they should eat bread there. 
 
 26 And when Joseph came home, 
 they brought him the present 
 which was in their hand into the 
 house, and bowed themselves to 
 
 27 him to the earth. And he asked 
 them of their welfare, and said. 
 Is your father well, the old man 
 of whom ye spake ? Is he yet 
 
 28 alive ? And they answered. Thy 
 servant our father is in good 
 health, he is yet alive. And they 
 bowed down their heads, and 
 
 29 made obeisance. And he lifted 
 up his eyes, and saw his brother 
 Benjamin, his mother's son, and 
 said. Is this your -^ younger 
 brother, of whom ye spake 
 unto me? And he said, God be 
 gracious unto thee, my son. 
 
 30 And Joseph made haste : for 
 his heart did yearn upon his 
 brother : and he sought where 
 to weep ; and he entered into 
 his chamber, and wept there. 
 
 31 And he washed his face, and 
 went out, and refrained himself, 
 
 32 and said. Set on bread. And 
 they set on for him by himself, 
 and for them by themselves, and 
 for the Egyptians, which did 
 eat with him, by themselves : 
 because the Egyptians cannot 
 eat bread with the Hebrews ; 
 for that i.s an abomination unto 
 
TEXT 187 
 
 33 the Egyptians. And they sat be- 
 fore him, the firstborn according 
 to his birthright, and the young- 
 est according to his youth : and 
 the men marvelled one at 
 
 34 another. And he took and sent 
 messes unto them from before 
 him : but Benjamin's mess was 
 five times as great as any of 
 theirs. And they drank, and 
 were merry with him. 
 
 44 And he commanded the stew- 
 ard of his house, saying, Fill the 
 men's panniers with food, as 
 much as they can carry, and put 
 every man's money in his pan- 
 
 2 nier's mouth. And put my cup, 
 the silver cup, in the pannier's 
 mouth of the youngest, and his 
 corn money. And he did accord- 
 ing to the word that Josejjh had 
 
 3 spoken. As soon as the morning 
 was light, the men were sent 
 
 4 away, they and their asses. And 
 when they were gone out of the 
 city, and not yet far off, Joseph 
 said unto his steward, Up, follow 
 after the men ; and when thou 
 dost overtake them, ^ay unto 
 them, Wherefore have ye re- 
 
 5 warded evil for good ? Is not 
 this it in which my lord drink- 
 eth, and whereby indeed he 
 divineth ? ye have done evil in 
 
 G so doing. And he overtook 
 them, and he spake unto them 
 
 7 these same words. And they 
 said unto him. Wherefore saith 
 my lord such words ? Be it 
 far from thy servants to do 
 
 8 this thing : behold, the money, 
 which we found in our pan- 
 niers' mouths, we brought again 
 unto thee out of the land of 
 Canaan ; how then should we 
 steal out of thy lord's house 
 
 9 silver or gold? With whomso- 
 ever of thy servants it be found, 
 
i88 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 J 
 
 both let him die, and we also 
 
 10 will be my lord's servants. And 
 he said, Now also let it be ac- 
 cording unto your words : he 
 ■with whom it is found shall be 
 my servant ; and ye shall be 
 
 11 blameless. Then they speedily 
 took down every man his pan- 
 nier to the ground, and opened 
 
 12 every man his pannier. And he 
 searched, and began at the eldest, 
 and ended at the youngest : 
 and the cup was found in Ben- 
 
 13 jamin's pannier. Then they rent 
 their clothes, and laded every 
 man his ass, and returned to the 
 
 14 city. And Judah and his breth- 
 ren came to Joseph's house ; for 
 he was yet there : and they fell 
 
 1 5 before him on the ground. And 
 Joseph said unto them, What 
 deed is this that ye have done ? 
 wot ye not that such a man as 
 
 1<) I can certainly divine? and Ju- 
 dah said, What shall we say un- 
 to my lord ? what shall we speak 7 
 or how shall we clear ourselves ? 
 God hath found out the iniquity 
 of thy servants : behold, we are 
 my lord's servants, both we, and 
 he also with whom the cup is 
 
 17 found. And he said. Be it far 
 from me to do so : but the man 
 in whose hand the cup is found, 
 he shall be my servant ; and as 
 for you, get you up in peace un- 
 
 1 S to your father. Then Judah came 
 near unto him, and said. Oh my 
 lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, 
 speak a word in my lord's ears, 
 and let not thine anger be kindled 
 against thy servant : for thou 
 
 19 art even as Pharaoh. My lord 
 asked his servants, saying. Have 
 
 20 ye a father, or a brother ? and 
 we said unto my lord. We have 
 a father, an old man, and a child 
 of his old age. a little one ; and 
 his brother is dead, and he alone 
 
TEXT 189 
 
 J 
 
 is left of his mother, and liis 
 
 21 father loveth him. And thou 
 saidst unto thy servants, Bring 
 him down unto me, that I may 
 
 22 set mine eyes upon him. And 
 we said unto my lord, The lad 
 cannot leave his father : for if 
 he should leave his father, his 
 
 23 father would die. And thou 
 saidst unto thy servants, Except 
 your youngest brother come 
 down with you, ye shall see my 
 
 24 face no more. And it came to 
 pass, when we came up unto thy 
 servant my father, we told him 
 
 25 the words of my lord. And our 
 father said, Go again, and buy 
 
 26 us a little food. And we said, 
 We cannot go down : if our 
 youngest brother be with us, then 
 will we go down : for we may 
 not see the man's face, except 
 our youngest brother be with us. 
 
 27 And thy servant my father said 
 unto us. Ye know that my wife 
 
 2S bare me two sons : and the ono 
 went out from me, and I said, 
 Surely he is torn in pieces ; and 
 
 29 I have not seen him since : and 
 if ye take this one also from me, 
 and mischief befall him, ye shall 
 bring down my gray hairs with 
 
 30 sorrow to the grave. Now there- 
 fore when I come to thy servant 
 my father, and the lad be not with 
 us ; seeing that his life is bound 
 
 31 up in the lad's life ; it shall come 
 to pass, when he seeth that the 
 lad is not with us, that he will 
 die : and thy servants shall bring 
 down the gray hairs of thy ser- 
 vant our father with sorrow to 
 
 32 the grave. For thy servant be- 
 came surety for the lad unto my 
 father, saying, If I bring him 
 not unto thee, then I shall bear 
 the blame to my father for ever. 
 
 33 Now therefore, I pray thee, let 
 thy servant abide instead of the 
 
lOo THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 P JE 
 
 lad a servant to my lord ; and 
 let the lad go up with his breth- 
 34 ren. For how shall I go up to 
 my father, and the lad be not 
 with me ? lest perad venture I 
 see the evil that shall come on 
 ray father. 
 
 45 Then Joseph could not re- 
 frain himself before all them 
 that stood by him ; and he cried, 
 Cause every man to go out from 
 me. And there stood no man 
 with him, while Joseph made 
 himself known unto his brethren. 
 
 2 And he wept aloud : and the 
 Egyptians and the house of Pha- 
 
 3 raoh heard. And Joseph said 
 unto his brethren, I am Joseph ; 
 doth my father yet live ? And 
 his brethren could not answer 
 him ; for they were troubled at 
 
 4 his presence. And Joseph said 
 unto his brethren, Come near to 
 me, I pray you. And they came 
 near. And he said, I am Joseph 
 your brother, whom ye sold 
 
 f) into Egypt. And now be not 
 grieved, nor angry with your- 
 selves, that ye sold me hither : 
 for God did send me before you 
 
 6 to preserve life. For these two 
 years hath the famine been in 
 the land : and yet there are five 
 years, in the which tliere shall 
 neither be ploughing norharvest. 
 
 7 And God sent me before you to 
 preserve you a remnant in the 
 earth, and to save your lives by 
 
 8 a great deliverance. So now it 
 was not you that sent me hither, 
 but God : and he hath made me 
 a father to Pharaoh, and lord of 
 all his house,andaruIer through- 
 It out all the land of Egypt. Haste 
 
 xlv. 1-xlvi. 5, in the main, belongs to E, as appeal can here be made to 
 the use of God, since Joseph is no longer disguised ; but it seems also to 
 include traces of J ; e.g., the reference to Joseph's sale in xlv. 4-5. 
 
TEXT 191 
 
 JE 
 
 ye, and go up to my father, and 
 say unto him. Thus saith thy son 
 Joseph, God hath made me lord 
 of all Egypt : come down unto 
 
 10 me, tarry not ; and thou shalt 
 dwell in the land of Goshen, 
 and thou shalt be near unto me, 
 thou, and thy children, and thy 
 children's children, and thy 
 flocks, and thy herds, and all 
 
 11 that thou hast : and there will I 
 support thee ; for there are yet 
 five years of famine ; lest thou, 
 and thy household, and all that 
 thou hast, come to poverty. 
 
 12 And, behold, your eyes see, and 
 the eyes of my brother Benjamin, 
 that it is my mouth that speaketh 
 
 13 unto you. And ye shall tell my 
 father of all my glory in Egypt, 
 and of all that ye have seen ; and 
 ye shall haste and bring down 
 
 14 my father hither. And he fell 
 upon his brother Benjamin's 
 neck, and wept ; and Benjamin 
 
 1.5 wept upon his neck. Moreover 
 he kissed all his brethren, and 
 wept upon them : and afterward 
 his brethren talked with him. 
 
 16 And the report thereof was 
 heard in Pharaoh's house, say- 
 ing, Joseph's brethren are come : 
 and it pleased Pharaoh well, and 
 
 17 his servants. And Pharaoh said 
 unto Joseph, Say unto thy breth- 
 ren, This do ye ; lade your 
 beasts, and go, get you unto the 
 
 18 land of Canaan ; and take your 
 father and your households, and 
 come unto me : and I will give 
 you the good of the land of 
 Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat 
 
 1!1 of the land. Now thou art com- 
 manded : this do ye; take you 
 wagons out of the land of Egypt 
 for your little ones, and for your 
 wives, and bring your father, and 
 
 20 come. Also regard not your stuff ; 
 for the good of all the land of 
 
THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 JE 
 
 '2 1 Egypt is yours. And tbe sons of 
 Israel did so : and Joseph gave 
 them wagons, according to the 
 commandment of Pharaoli, and 
 gave them provision for the way. 
 
 22 To all of them he gave each man 
 changes of raiment ; but to Ben- 
 jamin he gave three hundred 
 pieces of silver, and five changes 
 
 23 of raiment. And to his father 
 he sent after this manner ; ten 
 asses laden with the good things 
 of Egypt, and ten she-asses laden 
 with corn and bread and supplies 
 
 24 for his father by the way. So 
 he sent his brethren away, and 
 they departed : and he said unto 
 them. See that ye fall not out by 
 
 25 the way. And they went up out 
 of Egypt, and came into the land 
 of Canaan unto Jacob their father, 
 
 26 and told him, saying, Joseph is 
 yet alive, and he is ruler over 
 all the land of Egypt. And 
 Jacob's heart grew cold, for he 
 
 27 believed them not. And they 
 told him all the words of Joseph, 
 which he had said unto them : 
 and when he saw the wagons 
 which Joseph had sent to carry 
 him, the spirit of jQ,cob their 
 
 28 father revived : and Israel said. 
 It is enough ; Joseph my sou is 
 yet alive : I will go and see him 
 before I die. 
 
 46 And Israel journeyed with 
 all that he had, and came to 
 Beersheba, and offered sacri- 
 fices unto the God of his father 
 
 2 Isaac. And God spake unto 
 Israel in the visions of the night, 
 and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he 
 
 3 said, Here am I. And he said, I 
 am God, the God of thy father : 
 fear not to go down into Egypt ; 
 for I will there make of thee a 
 
 4 great nation : I will go down 
 with thee into Egypt ; and I will 
 
TEXT 
 
 193 
 
 46 6 And they took their cattle, 
 and their substance, which they 
 had gathered in the land of 
 Canaan, and came into Egypt, 
 Jacob, and all his seed with 
 
 7 him : his sons, and his sons' sons 
 with him, his daughters, and his 
 sons' daughters, and all his seed 
 brought he with him into Egypt. 
 
 8 And these are the names of the 
 children of Israel, which came 
 into Egypt, Jacob and his sons : 
 
 9 Reuben, Jacob's firstborn. And 
 the sons of Reuben ; Hanoch, and 
 Palln, and Hezron, and Carmi. 
 
 10 And the sons of Simeon ; Jemuel, 
 and Jamin,and Ohad, and Jachin, 
 and Zohar, and Shaul, the son of 
 
 11a Canaanitish woman. And the 
 sons of Levi ; Gershon , Kohath, 
 
 12 and Merari. And the sons of 
 Judah; Er,and Onan,andShelah, 
 and Perez, and Zerah : but Er 
 and Onan died in the land of 
 Canaan. And the sons of Perez 
 
 13 were Hezron and Hamul. And 
 the sons of Issachar ; Tola, and 
 Puvah, and Job, and Shimron. 
 
 14 And the sons of Zebulun ; Sered, 
 
 15 and Elon, and Jahleel. These 
 are the sons of Leah, which she 
 bare unto Jacob in Paddan-aram, 
 with his daughter Dinah : all 
 the persons of his sons and his 
 daughters were thirty and three. 
 
 JE 
 
 also surely bring thee up again : 
 and Joseph shall put his hand 
 5 upon thine eyes. And Jacob 
 rose up from Beer-sheba : and 
 the sons of Israel carried Jacob 
 their father, and their little ones, 
 and their wives, in the wagons 
 which Pharaoh had sent to carry 
 him. 
 
 slvi. 6-27 is an extract exhibiting the phraseology of P ; but the allusions 
 in ver. 12 to xxxviii. 7, 10, in 15 foil, to c. xxix., xxx., and in 20 to xli. 50 
 (all JE), suggest that from ver. 8 onwards it has been revised by the compiler. 
 
 Tv' 
 
194 
 
 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 16 And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, 
 and Haggi, Sbuni, and Ezbon, 
 
 17 Eri, and Arodi, and Areli. And 
 the sons of Asher ; Imuab, and 
 Ishvah, and Ishvi, and Beriah, 
 and Serah their sister : and the 
 sons of Beriah ; Heber, and Mal- 
 
 18 chiel. These are the sons of 
 Zilpah, whom Laban gave to 
 Leah his daughter, and these 
 she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen 
 
 19 persons. The sons of Rachel 
 Jacob's wiie ; Joseph and Ben- 
 
 20 jamin. And unto Joseph in 
 the land of Egypt were born 
 Manasseh and Ephraim, which 
 Asenath the daughter of Toti- 
 phera priest of On bare unto 
 
 21 him. And the sons of Ben- 
 jamin were Bela, and Becher, 
 and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, 
 Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and 
 
 22 Huppim, and Ard. These are 
 the sons of Rachel, which were 
 born to Jacob : all the persons 
 
 23 were fourteen. And the sons of 
 
 24 Dan ; Hushim. And the sons of 
 Naphtali ; Jahzeel, and Guni, 
 
 25 and Jezer, and Shillem. These 
 are the sons of Bilhah, which 
 Laban gave unto Rachel bis 
 daughter, and she bare these 
 unto Jacob : all the persons were 
 
 26 seven. All the persons that 
 came with Jacob into Egypt, 
 which came out of his loins, be- 
 sides Jacob's sons' wives, all the 
 persons were threescore and six ; 
 
 27 and the sons of Joseph, which 
 were born to him in Egypt, were 
 two persons : all the persons of 
 the house of Jacob, which came 
 into Egypt, were threescore and 
 ten. 
 
 28 And he sent Judah before him 
 unto Joseph, to show the way 
 before him unto Goshen ; and 
 
 xlvi. 28-xlvii. 4 presumably belongs to J, from the prominence given to 
 Judah (c/. also xlvi. 34 with xliii. 32). 
 
TEXT ,95 
 
 they came into the land of 
 
 29 Goshen. And Joseph made 
 ready his chariot, and went up 
 to meet Israel his father, to 
 Goshen, and presented himself 
 unto him ; and he fell on his 
 neck, and wept on his neck 
 
 30 a good while. And Israel 
 said unto Joseph, Now let me 
 die, since I have seen thy face, 
 
 31 that thou art yet alive. And 
 Joseph said unto his brethren, 
 and unto his father's house, I 
 will go up, and tell Pharaoh, 
 and say unto him. My brethren, 
 and my father's house, which 
 were in the land of Canaan, are 
 
 32 come unto me ; and the men are 
 shepherds, for they have been 
 keepers of cattle ; and they have 
 brought their flocks, and their 
 herds, and all that they have. 
 
 33 And it shall come to pass, when 
 Pharaoh shall call you, and shall 
 say, What is your occupation? 
 
 34 that ye shall say, Thy servants 
 have been keepers of cattle from 
 our youth even until now, both 
 we, and also our fathers : that 
 ye may dwell in the land of 
 Goshen ; for every shepherd is 
 an abomination unto the Egyp- 
 tians. 
 
 47 Then Joseph came and told 
 Pharaoh, and said, My father 
 and my brethren, and their 
 flocks, and their herds, and all 
 that they have, are come out of 
 the land of Canaan ; and, be- 
 hold, they are In the land of 
 
 2 Goshen, And lie took of his 
 brethren five men, and presented 
 
 3 them unto Pharaoh. And Pha- 
 raoh said unto his brethren, 
 What is your occupation ? And 
 they said unto Pharaoh, Thy 
 servants are shepherds, both we, 
 
 4 and also our fathers. Thev said 
 
196 
 
 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 47 5 And Pharaoh spake unto 
 Joseph, saying, Thy father and 
 thy brethren are come unto thee. 
 
 6 The land of Egypt is before 
 thee ; in the best of the land 
 make thy father and brethren to 
 dwell. 
 
 7 And Joseph brought in Jacob 
 his father, and set him before 
 Pharaoh : and Jacob blessed 
 
 8 Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said 
 unto Jacob, How old art thou ? 
 
 9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, 
 The days of the years of my so- 
 journings are a hundred and 
 thirty years : few and evil have 
 the days of the years of my life 
 been, and have not attained un- 
 to the days of the years of the 
 life of my fathers in the days of 
 
 10 their sojournings. And Jacob 
 blessed Pharaoh, and went out 
 
 11 from before Pharaoh. And 
 Joseph placed his father and his 
 brethren, and gave them a pos- 
 session in the land of Egypt, 
 in the best of the land, in the 
 land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had 
 commanded. 
 
 JE 
 
 moreover unto Pharaoh, To so- 
 journ in the land are we come ; 
 for thy servants have no pasture 
 for their flocks ; for the famine 
 is sore in the land of Canaan : 
 now therefore, we pray thee, let 
 thy servants dwell in the land 
 of Goshen. 
 
 66 In the land of Goshen let them 
 dwell : and if thou knowest any 
 capable men among them, then 
 make them rulers over my cattle. 
 
 12 And Joseph supported his father, 
 and his brethren, and all his 
 father's household, with bread, 
 according to their little ones. 
 
 13 And there was no bread in all 
 the land ; for the famine was very 
 sore, so that the land of Egypt 
 
 xlvii. 6&, 13-31 (except 276, 2S) may come from the same source (J). 
 xlvii. 12 is perhaps from E : cf. xlv. 11. 
 
 xlvii. 5-6a, 7-11, are both distinct from the J sections with which they 
 are incorporated, and similar to other parts of P. 
 
TEXT 197 
 
 and all the land of Canaan was 
 exhausted by reason of the 
 
 14 famine. And Joseph collected 
 all the money that was found 
 in the land of Egypt, and in the 
 land of Canaan, for the corn 
 which they bought : and Joseph 
 brought the money into Pha- 
 
 15 raoh's house. And when money 
 failed in the land of Egypt, and 
 in the land of Canaan, all the 
 Egyptians came unto Joseph, 
 and said, Give us bread : for 
 why should we die in thy pre- 
 sence ? for the money faileth. 
 
 16 And Joseph said. Give your 
 cattle ; and I will give you for 
 
 17 your cattle, if money fail. And 
 they brought their cattle unto 
 Joseph : and Joseph gave them 
 bread in exchange for the horses, 
 and for the stock of sheep, and 
 for the stock of oxen, and for 
 the asses : and he fed them with 
 bread in exchange for all their 
 
 18 cattle for that year. When that 
 year was ended, they came unto 
 him the second year, and said 
 unto him, We will not hide it 
 from my lord, that our money 
 is spent, and my lord hath our 
 stock of cattle, there is not aught 
 left in the sight of my lord, but 
 
 19 our bodies, and our soil: where- 
 fore should we die before thine 
 eyes, both we and our soil? buy 
 us and our soil for bread, and 
 we and our soil will be ser- 
 vants unto Pharaoh : and give 
 us seed, that we may live, and 
 not die, that the soil be not 
 
 20 desolate. And Joseph bought 
 all the soil of Egypt for Pha- 
 raoh ; for the Egyptians sold 
 every man his field, because the 
 famine was sore upon them : so 
 the land became Pharaoh's. 
 
 21 And as for the people, he re- 
 moved them to the cities from one 
 
[98 
 
 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 27b And they gat them possessions 
 therein, and were fruitful and 
 
 28 multiplied exceedingly. And 
 Jacob lived in the land of Egypt 
 seventeen years: so the whole 
 age of Jacob was a hundred 
 forty and seven years. 
 
 end of the borders of Egypt even 
 
 22 to the other end thereof. Only 
 the soil of the priests bought he 
 not; for the priests had a por- 
 tion assigned them of Pharaoh, 
 and did eat their portion which 
 Pharaoh gave them : wherefore 
 
 23 they sold not their soil. Then 
 Joseph said unto the people, 
 Behold, I have bought you this 
 day and your soil for Pharaoh : 
 lo, here is seed for you, and ye 
 
 24 shall sow the soil. And it shall 
 come to pass in the increase, that 
 ye shall give the fifth part unto 
 Pharaoh, and four parts shall 
 be your own, for the seed of the 
 field, and for your food, and for 
 them of your households, and 
 to be food for your little ones. 
 
 25 And they said, Thou hast saved 
 our lives ; let us find [j race in the 
 sight of my lord, and we will be 
 
 26 Pharaoh's servants. And Joseph 
 made it a law over the land of 
 Egypt unto this day, thatPharaoh 
 should have the fifth part ; only 
 the land of the priests became 
 
 27 not Pharaoh's. And Israel dwelt 
 in the land of Egypt, in the 
 land of Goshen. 
 
 29 And the time drew nigh that 
 Israel must die : and he called 
 his son Joseph, and said unto 
 him. If now I have found grace 
 in thy sight, put, I pray thee, 
 thy hand under my thigh, and 
 shoiv to me mercy and truth ; 
 bury me not, I pray thee, in 
 
 30 Egypt : but I will lie with my 
 
 xlvii. 276-28 is clearly from P. 
 
TEXT 
 
 199 
 
 JE 
 
 fathers, and thou shalt carry me 
 out of Egypt, and bury me in 
 their buryingplace. And he 
 said, I will do as thou hast said. 
 And he said, Swear unto me. 
 And he sware unto him. And 
 Israel bowed himself upon the 
 bed's head. 
 
 48 3 And Jacob said unto Jo- 
 seph, God Almighty appeared 
 unto me at Luz in the land of 
 Canaan, and blessed me, and 
 
 4 said unto me. Behold, I will 
 make thee fruitful, and multi- 
 ply thee, and I will make of 
 thee an assembly of people ; and 
 will give this land to thy seed 
 after thee for an everlasting 
 
 5 possession. And now thy two 
 sons, Epbraim and Manasseh, 
 which were born unto thee in 
 the land of Egypt before I came 
 unto thee into Egypt, are mine ; 
 as Reuben and Simeon, they 
 
 6 shall be mine. And thy issue, 
 which thou begettest after them, 
 shall be thine, and shall be 
 called after the name of their 
 brethren in their inheritance. 
 
 48 And it came to pass after 
 these things, that one told Jo- 
 seph, Behold, thy father is sick : 
 and he took with him his two 
 sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 
 
 2 And one told Jacob, and said. 
 Behold, thy son Joseph cometh 
 unto thee : and Israel streng- 
 thened himself, and sat upon 
 the bed. 
 
 7 And as for me, when I came 
 from Paddan, Rachel died by my 
 
 xlviii. 1-2, 7-22 are mainly Elohistic {God appears throughout, and the 
 announcement of Jacob's sickness in ver. 1 ignores the Jehovistic narra- 
 tive in xlvii. 29-31) ; but there are possibly elements of J (c/. 7 with 
 XXXV. 16-18). 
 
 xlviii. 3-6 has the usual characteristics of P : ver. 3 alludes to xxxv. 9, 
 foil. 
 
THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 JE 
 
 side in the land of Canaan in 
 the way, when yet there was 
 a little way to come unto Eph- 
 rath : and I buried her there in 
 the way of Ephrath (the same 
 
 8 is Bethlehem). And Israel be- 
 held Joseph's sons, and said, 
 
 9 Who are these? And Joseph 
 said unto his father, They are 
 my sons, whom God hath given 
 me in this place. And he said, 
 Bring them, I pray thee, unto 
 
 10 me, and I will bless them. Now 
 the eyes of Israel were dim for 
 age, so that he could not see. 
 And he brought them near unto 
 him ; and he kissed them, and 
 
 11 embraced them. And Israel 
 said unto Joseph, I had not 
 thought to see thy face: and, 
 lo, God hath showed me also 
 
 12 thy seed. And Joseph brought 
 them out from between his 
 knees, and he bowed himself 
 
 13 with his face to the earth. And 
 Joseph took them both, Eph- 
 raim in his right hand toward 
 Israel's left hand, and Manasseh 
 in his left hand toward Israel's 
 right hand, and brought them 
 
 14 near unto him. And Israel 
 stretched out his right hand, 
 and laid it upon Ephraim's head, 
 who was the younger, and his 
 left hand upon Manasseh's head, 
 guiding his hands wittingly ; for 
 
 15 Manasseh was the firstborn. And 
 he blessed Joseph, and said. 
 The God before whom my fathers 
 Abraham and Isaac did walk, 
 the God which fed me all my 
 
 16 life long unto this day, the 
 angel which redeemed me from 
 all evil, bless the lads ; and let 
 my name, be called on them, and 
 the name of my fathers Abra- 
 ham and Isaac ; and let them 
 grow into a multitude in the 
 
 17 midst of the earth. And when 
 
TEXT 
 
 JE 
 
 Joseph saw that his father laid 
 his right hand upon the head of 
 Ephraim, it displeased him : and 
 he held up his father's hand, to 
 remove it from Ephraim's head 
 
 18 unto Manasseh's head. And 
 Joseph said unto his father, Not 
 so, my father : for this is tlie 
 firstborn ; put thy right hand 
 
 19 upon his head. And his father 
 refused, and said, I know it, my 
 son, I know it : he also shall be- 
 come a people, and he also shallbe 
 great: nevertheless his younger 
 brother shall be greater than he, 
 and his seed shall become a 
 
 •20 multitude of nations. And he 
 blessed them that day, saying. 
 In thee shall Israel bless, saying, 
 God make thee as Ephraim and 
 as Manasseh : and he set Eph- 
 
 21 raim before Manasseh. And 
 Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, 
 I die: but God shall be with 
 you, and bring you again into 
 
 22 the land of your fathers. More- 
 over I give to thee one mountain- 
 slope above thy brethren, which 
 I took out of the hand of the 
 Amorite with my sword and 
 with my bow. 
 
 49 And Jacob called unto his 
 sons, and said. Collect yourselves 
 together, that I may tell you 
 that which shall befall you in 
 
 2 later days. Assemble yourselves 
 together, and hear, ye sons of 
 Jacob ; and hearken unto Israel 
 
 3 your father. Reuben, thou art 
 my firstborn, my might, and 
 the first-fruits of my strength, 
 pre-eminent in dignity, and 
 
 4 pre-eminent in power: boiling 
 over like water, thou must not 
 
 Chap, xlix. l-28a is from J (see ver. 18). The principal contents have 
 probably been incorporated from an independent source, many of the 
 expressions being archaic, poetical, or rare. 
 
THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 have the pre-eminence ; because 
 thou wentest up to thy father's 
 bed ; then defiledst thou it : he 
 
 5 went up to my couch. Simeon 
 and Levi are brethren ; weapons 
 
 6 of violence are their swords. O 
 my soul, come not thou into their 
 council; unto their assembly, my 
 glory, be not thou united : for in 
 their anger they slew men, and 
 in their selfwill they hamstrung 
 
 7 oxen. Cursed be their anger, 
 for it was fierce ; and their 
 wrath, for it was cruel : I will 
 divide them in Jacob, and scatter 
 
 8 them in Israel. Judah, thou art 
 he whom thy brethren shall 
 praise : thy hand shall be on 
 the neck of thine enemies : thy 
 father's children shall bow down 
 
 9 before thee. Judah is a lion's 
 whelp : from the prey, my son, 
 thou art gone up : he stooped 
 down, he couched as a lion, and 
 as a lioness ; who shall rouse 
 
 10 him up? The sceptre shall not 
 depart from Judah, nor the 
 ruler's staff from between his 
 feet, until he come to Shiloh ; 
 and unto him shall the obedience 
 
 11 of the peoples be. Binding his 
 foal unto the vine, and his ass's 
 colt unto the choice vine ; he hath 
 washed his garments in wine, 
 and his clothes in the blood of 
 
 12 grapes : his eyes shall be red 
 with wine, and his teeth white 
 
 13 with milk, Zebulun shall dwell 
 by the coast of the sea ; and he 
 shall be for a coast of ships ; and 
 his border shall be upon Zidon. 
 
 14 Issachar is a strong ass couch- 
 ing down between the sheep- 
 
 15 folds : and he saw that rest was 
 good, and the land that it was 
 pleasant; and bowed his shoul- 
 der to bear, and was reduced to 
 the forced labour of a servant. 
 
 16 Dan shall judge his people, as 
 
TEXT 203 
 
 17 one of the tribes of Israel. Dan 
 shall be a serpent in the way, 
 an adder in the path, that biteth 
 the horse's heels, so that his 
 
 18 rider falleth backward. I have 
 waited for thy salvation, Je- 
 
 19 hovah. Gad, a troop shall press 
 on him : but he shall press on 
 
 20 their heel. Out of Asher shall 
 come fat — his bread, and he 
 
 21 shall yield royal dainties. Na- 
 phtali is a hind let loose : one 
 
 22 who giveth goodly words. Jo- 
 seph is a young fruit tree, even a 
 young fruit tree by a fountain ; 
 whose branches run over the 
 
 23 wall : the archers have sorely 
 grieved him, and shot at him, 
 
 24 and persecuted him : but his 
 bow abode in strength, and the 
 arms of his hands were made 
 active from the hands of the 
 Mighty One of Jacob, from 
 thence, from the shepherd, the 
 
 25 stone of Israel: even from the 
 God of thy father, who shall help 
 thee ; and with the help of the 
 Almighty, who shall bless thee 
 with blessings of heaven above, 
 blessings of the deep that 
 coucheth beneath, blessings of 
 the breasts, and of the womb. 
 
 26 The blessings of thy father pre- 
 vail above the blessings of 
 my progenitors unto the utmost 
 bound of the everlasting hills : 
 they shall be on the head of 
 Joseph, and on the crown of the 
 head of him that is a prince 
 
 27 among his brethren. Benjamin 
 is a wolf that raveneth : in the 
 morning he shall devour the 
 prey, and at night he shall 
 
 28 divide the spoil. All these are 
 the twelve tribes of Israel : and 
 this is it that their father spake 
 unto them. 
 
204 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 49 28& And blessed them ; every 
 one according to his blessing he 
 
 29 blessed them. And he charged 
 them, and said unto them, I am 
 to be gathered unto my people ; 
 bury me with my fathers in the 
 cave that is in the field of Ephron 
 
 30 the Hittite, in the cave that is 
 in the field of Machpelah, which 
 is before Mamre, in the land of 
 Canaan, which Abraham bought 
 with the field of Ephron the 
 Hittite for a possession of a 
 
 31 burying - place ; there they 
 buried Abraham and Sarah his 
 wife ; there they buried Isaac 
 and Rebekah his wife ; and 
 
 82 there I buried Leah ; the pur- 
 chase of the field and of the 
 cave that is therein from the 
 
 33 children of Heth. And when 
 Jacob had made an end of 
 commanding his sons, he drew 
 up his feet into the bed, and 
 expired, and was gathered unto 
 his people. 
 
 50 And Joseph fell upon his 
 father's face, and wept upon 
 
 2 him, and kissed him. And 
 Joseph commanded his servants 
 the physicians to embalm his 
 father : and the physicians em- 
 
 3 balmed Israel. And forty days 
 were completed for him ; for so 
 are completed the days of the 
 embalming ; and the Egyptians 
 mourned for him threescore 
 
 4 and ten days. And when the 
 days of the mourning for him 
 were past, Joseph spake unto 
 the house of Pharaoh, saying, 
 
 xlix. 28&-33 belongs to P ; cf. especially chap, xxiii. 
 
 1. 12-13 is a continuation of the preceding, and therefore also belongs 
 to P. 
 
 1. 1-11, 14, appear to belong to J (c/. ver. 5 with xlvii. 29 foil.) ; whilst 
 15-26 are Elohistic (c/. 19, 23 with xxx. 2, 3, and 21 with xlvii. 12). 
 
TEXT 
 
 50 12 And his sons did unto him 
 according as he commanded 
 
 13 them: for his sons carried him 
 into the land of Canaan, and 
 buried him in the cave of the 
 field of Machpelah, which Abra- 
 ham bought with the field for a 
 possession of a burying-place 
 of Ephron the Hittite, before 
 Mamre. 
 
 If now I have /owncZ grace in your 
 eyes, speak, I pray you, in the 
 
 5 ears of Pharaoh, saying, My 
 father made me swear, saying, 
 Lo, I die : in my grave which I 
 have digged for me in the land 
 of Canaan, there shalt thou bury 
 me. Now therefore let me go 
 up, I pray thee, and bury my 
 father, and I will come again. 
 
 6 And Pharaoh said. Go up, and 
 bury thy father, according as he 
 
 7 made thee swear. And Joseph 
 went up to bury his father : and 
 with him went up all the servants 
 of Pharaoh, the elders of his 
 house, and all the elders of the 
 
 8 land of Egypt, and all the 
 house of Joseph, and his brethren, 
 and his father's house : only their 
 little ones, and their flocks, and 
 their herds, they left in the land 
 
 9 of Goshen. And -there went up 
 with him both chariots and 
 horsemen : and it was a very 
 
 10 great company. And they came 
 to the threshing-floor of Atad, 
 which is beyond Jordan, and 
 there they lamented with a great 
 and very sore lamentation : and 
 he made a mourning for his 
 
 11 father seven days. And when 
 the inhabitants of the land, the 
 Canaanites, saw the mourning in 
 the floor of Atad, they said, This 
 is a gi-ievous mourning to the 
 Egyptians : wherefore the name 
 of it was called Abel-mizraim, 
 
 14 which is beyond Jordan. And 
 Joseph returned into Egypt, he, 
 and his brethren, and all that 
 went up with him to bury his 
 father, after he had buried his 
 father. 
 
 15 And when Joseph's brethren saw 
 that their father was dead, they 
 
2o6 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 E 
 
 said, Joseph will peradventure 
 hate us, and will fully requite 
 us all the evil which we did unto 
 
 16 him. And they sent a messenger 
 unto Joseph, saying, Thy father 
 did command before he died, 
 
 17 saying, So shall ye say unto 
 Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee 
 now, the trespass of thy brethren, 
 and their sin ; for they did unto 
 thee evil: and now, we pray 
 thee, forgive the trespass of the 
 servants of the God of thy father. 
 And Joseph wept when they 
 
 18 spake unto him. And his breth- 
 ren also went and fell down be- 
 fore his face ; and they said, Be- 
 
 19 hold, we be thy servants. And 
 Joseph said unto them, Fear not : 
 for am I in the place of God ? 
 
 20 But as for you, ye meant evil 
 against me ; but God meant it 
 for good, to bring to pass, as it 
 is this day, to save much people 
 
 21 alive. Now therefore fear ye 
 not : I will support you, and 
 your little ones. And he com- 
 forted them, and spake kindly 
 
 22 unto them. And Joseph dwelt 
 in Egypt, he, and his father's 
 house : and Joseph lived a hun- 
 
 23 dred and ten years. And Joseph 
 saw Ephraim's children of the 
 third generation : the children 
 also of Machir the son of 
 Manasseh were born upon 
 
 24 Joseph's knees. And Joseph 
 said unto his brethren, I die : 
 but God will surely visit you, 
 and bring you out of this land 
 unto the land which he sware to 
 Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 
 
 25 And Joseph took an oath of the 
 children of Israel, saying, God 
 will surely visit you, and ye 
 shall carry up my bones from 
 
 26 hence. So Joseph died, being a 
 hundred and ten years old : and 
 they embalmed him, and he was 
 piit in a coffin in Egypt. 
 
EXPLANATORY NOTES 
 
EXPLANATORY NOTES 
 
 1. I. In the beginning: Vers. 1-3 have been connected in three 
 different -ways : (i) as in the text ; (2) " In the beginning, when God 
 created the heaven and the earth (and the earth was without form . . . 
 face of the waters), then God said . . . ; " (3) " In the beginning, when 
 God . . . the earth, then the earth was without form . . ." 
 
 As the words God created the heaven and the earth are a summary of 
 the detailed narrative that follows, the expression m the beginning must 
 be used absolutely (like iv dpxy, John i. i), and not relatively. 
 
 God: The Hebrew word Elohim (which, etymologically, probably 
 means an object of fear or reverence ; cf. xxxi. 42) is plural in form, but 
 when used of the God of Israel is generally construed with a singular 
 attributive or predicate : exceptions are found in Gen. xx. 13, xxxv. 7 
 (see note) ; Josh. xxiv. 19 ; i Sam. xvii. 26. 
 
 2. The dee^j : The mass of surging waters which enveloped the 
 globe and rendered it waste and void. The origin of this is not 
 explained. 
 
 The spirit of God : cf. Ps. civ. 30, xxxiii. 6. That the word does not 
 mean "a wind" drying up the waters (as in viii. i) apjjears from (i) 
 the unsuitableness of the word " brooded " with such a rendering ; 
 (2) the fact that the separation of the land from the water is the third 
 creative act. 
 
 Brooded: In some cosmogonies the universe is represented as pro- 
 duced from an egg, and it has been thought that the expression here 
 used may be a survival from a similar myth. 
 
 3. God said : Eight works of creation, distinguished by the words 
 "God said," are divided between the six days: — (i) Light; (2) the 
 firmament ; (3) {a) dry land, (6) vegetation ; (4) luminaries ; (5) marine 
 animals and birds ; (6) {a) land animals, (6) mankind. It has been 
 conjectured, in consequence, that the original account has been modi- 
 fied to suit the conception of the week of six days, with a conclu- 
 ding Sabbath. The words God said are twice used, in addition, 
 on the sixth day to assign to man (a) his position and work, (6) his 
 sustenance. 
 
 5. One day : The days are reckoned from morning to morning, 
 according to the Babylonian system (cf. Pliny, H. N. ii. 79, Ijmim diem 
 alii aliter observavere. Babylonii inter duos solis exortus, Athenienses inter 
 duos occasus, Umbri a meridie in meridiem). That the daylight was 
 
 209 Q 
 
2 10 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 regarded as in some degree independent of the sun (which did not 
 come into being until the fourth day) appears from Job xxxviii. 19-20. 
 
 Evening and morning are named in the order of their succession 
 after the creation of the light. 
 
 6. Firmament: LXX. orep^w^a. The root means "to stamp upon" 
 (Ezek. \i. II, XXV. 6), and so "to exjiand" by stamjsing, and is iised to 
 express the making of plates of gold and silver (Exod. xxxix. 3 ; Jer. x. 9). 
 The concej)tion of the firmament, as determined by the context, seems 
 that of a solid expanse (c/. Job xxxvii. 18), supporting the upper waters 
 (Ps. cxlviii. 4) from which the rain descends, and dividing them 
 from the seas. A similar notion underlies the epithets (nS-qpeo^ and 
 xdXKeos, used in the Greek poets (c/. Hom. Od. xv. 329 ; 11. xvii. 425). 
 The matter-of-fact style of the description renders it difficult to regard 
 its language as consciously figurative, like that of Ps. Ixxviii. 23, 
 2 Kings vii. 2, and perhaps Gen. vii. 11. 
 
 14. For signs : i.e., as indications of the weather and of the quarters 
 ■of the sky. For seasons : i.e., to mark festivals (see on ii. 2). 
 
 21. Monsters: In Deut. xxxii. 33 and Ps. xci. 13, the word is used of 
 "serpents" (parallel to "asp" and "adder;" see also Ex. vii. 9, 10) ; in 
 Ps. Ixxiv. 13 and Isa. xxvii. i, li. 9, of the crocodile as the symbol of 
 Egypt ; in Ps. cxlviii. 7 and Job vii. 1 2, of sea-monsters generally. 
 
 26. Let us make: cf. iii. 22, xi. 7. The phrase may be a survival 
 from a polytheistic stage of thought, like the plural form Elohim ; or 
 it may be purposely used to imply the presence of subordinate celestial 
 spirits, interested in the creative work {cf. i Kings xxii. ig-22 ; Isa. 
 vi. 8). The " plural of majesty " to which it has sometimes been re- 
 ferred, is, in the Bible, only used in connection with Persian or Greek 
 kings (Ezra iv. 18 ; i Mace. x. 19 ; contrast Gen. xli. 41), and will not 
 explain iii. 22. 
 
 Over all the earth : The insertion of this in the middle of an enumera- 
 tion of living creatures is peculiar enough to warrant the conjecture 
 that the word beasts (of) has dropped out after all ; in which case the 
 passage would accord with ver. 25. 
 
 27. Male and female: Though there is nothing in the narrative here 
 which necessarily indicates that only a single pair of human beings 
 was created, the belief is certainly implied in c. v. (also P). 
 
 29. / have given yon . . . for food: cf. Ovid, Met. i. 104 (of the 
 Golden Age) Ctmtentiqxie cibis, nullo cogente, creatis, Arhuteos fcetus 
 montanaque fraga legehant. 
 
 II. I. All the host of them: The word host, which elsewhere is only 
 used in connection with heaven, and probably means the stars (see 
 Deut. iv. 19, e^c. ; though in i Kings xxii. 19 the host of heaven means 
 the angels), is extended irregularly to the earth ; the inoi'e ordinary 
 expression is found in Neh. ix. 6. 
 
 2. On the seventh day God ended: The LXX. has rrj rnnipg. rrj ^ktti, 
 probably a correction to prevent the word ended from being taken to imply 
 that the Avork of creation extended to the seventh dav. Tlie week of 
 
EXPLANATORY NOTES an 
 
 seven days seems to have arisen from the natural division of the lunar 
 month into four quarters, the new moon and the Sabbath being con- 
 stantly associated. The connection of the creation with the seven days' 
 week is in Genesis peculiar to P, and the reference to it in Exod. xx. 1 1 
 (JE) may be a later insertion, for it does not occur in the corresjDond- 
 ing passage in Deut. v. 1 2, foil., the writer of which would scarcely have 
 omitted it if he had before him the passaLje in Exodus as it now exists. 
 JE, however, contains allusions to the week as a division of time (see 
 Gen. vii. 10, viii. 10, xxix. 27, 28). 
 
 4. Genei-ations : i.e., those who sjiring from any one, and the details 
 concerning them : here equivalent to " the history of the heavens and 
 the earth." As the term elsewhere refers to what follows (c/. v. i, vi. 9, 
 X. i), it has been conjectured that the words these are . . . were 
 created ought to precede i. i, but have been placed in their present 
 position by the compiler to connect the accounts of P and JE. 
 
 Jehovah : Whatever may have been the earliest signification of this 
 Divine name, it is in Exod. iii. 14, 15, brought into connection with the 
 words I am that I am, and must consequently have been regarded as 
 the 3rd pers. sing, of the subst. verb. The real form of the word was 
 probably Jahdveh ; but a scrupulous desire to avoid the slightest breach 
 of the command in Exod. xx. 7 led to the accommodation of its pointing 
 to that of Adonai (" Lord"). The LXX. renders it regularly by Ki;pios. 
 
 7. Of the dust of the ground : A Babylonian myth, quoted by Berosus 
 (fourth century B.C.), relates that man was formed from earth which 
 liad been mixed with the blood of the god Bel. Cf. also the story of 
 the creation of men by Prometheus out of earth mixed with water, 
 Ovid, Met. i. 80-83. 
 
 8. Eastward : i.e., from the Palestinian standpoint of the narrator. 
 Eden : see Introd. p. 34. In historic times there was a place called 
 
 Eden in Assyria (2 Kings xix. 12 ; Isa. xxxvii. 12), and a Beth-Eden 
 near Damascus (Amos i. 5). 
 
 10. A river . . . heads: The river which comes nearest to the descrip- 
 tion is the Euphrates, which, at a certain point in its course, is united 
 to the Tigris (tlie Hiddekel) by some small streams, and which, in flowing 
 through Babylonia, parts into several channels, two of which may be 
 signified by the Pishon and Gihon. The former seems fixed for the 
 most westerly of the channels in question by the mention of Havilah, 
 which was at the east end of the desert that stretched from Egypt to 
 Assyria (see Gen. xxv. 18). By others, however, the Pishon and Gihon 
 are identified with the Eulseus (modern Karun) and Choaspes (modern 
 Kerkhah), two streams which at present join the united waters of the 
 Euphrates and 'J'igris near the sea ; or the Phasis and Oxus ; or the 
 Indus and Nile (cf note on ver. 13), the last view representing the four 
 largest rivers known to the ancient world as having their origin in the 
 Garden of Eden. 
 
 11. Compasseth : Not necessarily like an island, for tlie word is used 
 of the Israelites marching along the border of Edom (Num. xxi. 4). 
 
212 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 12. Bdellium: Elsewhere only mentioned in Num. xi. 7, of the 
 appearance of manna. It was probably an aromatic resin ; but the 
 LXX. here has S-vOpa^ (a precious stone of a dark red colour, such as 
 the carbuncle or ruby), and in Num. I.e. KpucrraWos. It has also been 
 taken to mean 2yearl. 
 
 Onyx stone : The LXX. here renders by 6 Xldos 6 trpaaivos (perhaps the 
 emerald), but elsewhere gives smaragdns (possibly also the emerald), 
 heryl, sardius, and onyx as the equivalents of the Hebrew term. 
 
 13. Gush: The country of the Kassi, a people of Babylonia. The 
 name, however, seems to have been confused with Gush, the modern 
 Ethiopia ; and in the LXX. of Jer. ii. 18, TtjSv represents the Nile. 
 
 14. Hiddekel: LXX. Tiypis {cf. Dan. x. 4.). 
 
 East of: Others render this side o/(as viewed from Palestine). The 
 Tigris, which bisected the country of Assyria, lay west of the chief city, 
 Nineveh, but east of the earlier capital, Asshur. 
 
 20. A help meet for him : Man had no mate, as the other male crea- 
 tures had. LXX. ^oridbs /car' avrbv and ^orjdbi o/xotos aurw. 
 
 23. Woman . . . man : Heb. Isshah . . . Is/i. 
 
 24. Therefore shall a man . . . flesh : Probably the comment of the 
 historian ; cf. xxxii. 32. 
 
 III. I. More subtle: cf. Matt. x. 16. 
 
 6. To make one tvise: lit. "in order to become wise ;" cf. Ps. ii. 10. 
 Others render (desirable) to look upon (cf LXX. dipaTou toD Karavo^jcrai)^ 
 but the word seems to express mental regard {cf Deut. xxxii. 29 ; Ps. 
 xli. i), not sight. 
 
 7. Aprons : Or girdles. 
 
 8. The cool of the day: lit. "the breeze of the day." Possibly in 
 primitive times the sound of the wind itself was, in particular cir- 
 cumstances, regarded as indicating Jehovah's presence ; cf. 2 Sam. 
 V. 24 (the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry tree^). 
 
 15. Bruise: The word occurs in only two other places, Job ix. 17 
 (where the meaning "crush, bruise," is ai:)propriate) and Ps. cxxxix. 11 
 (where it is unsuitable, a verb meaning "to cover" being required). 
 With the rendering of the text, the application of the term to the 
 serpent is inexact. Others translate lie in ivait for. LXX. T-qp-qaus 
 . . . T7)pri(ret. 
 
 16. Gonception : Since a numerous offspring was regarded in itself as 
 a blessing, the combination thy pain and thy conception is equivalent to 
 the pain of thy conception, the latter word serving to define the former 
 [cf. Ps. xviii., title). 
 
 Thy desire : i.e., in spite of the suffering which thy union with him 
 shall produce. The LXX. has -r) awoarpocpri aov, implying a difference 
 in the Hebrew. 
 
 20. Eve: Heb. havvah, "life." LXX. Zuj-q (though in iv. i it has 
 Efe). 
 
 24. The Cherubim: The Cherubim in the Bible always appear in 
 connection with the Deity. They are described as winged beings. 
 
EXPLANATORY NOTES 213 
 
 acting at one time as the supporters of God's throne and chariot (Ps. 
 xviii. 10), at another time as His guards and attendants (Ezek. xxviii. 
 14), whilst in the present passage they perform the analogous function 
 of keeping, at His command, the way of the tree of life (c/. the treasure- 
 guarding ypvwes of Greek legend, Hdt. iv. 13, &c.). Representations of 
 them are stated to have covered the ark in the tabernacle (Exod. xxv. 18- 
 20), and adorned its curtains (Exod. xxvi. i), and were likewise stationed 
 within the oracle of Solomon's temple ( i Kings vi. 23). The parallel, 
 in Ps. xviii. 10, of the "wings of the wind," and their association, in 
 Gen. iii. 24, with " a flaming sword," which might describe lightning 
 flashes, make it probable that the conception of the Cherubim was 
 originally that of the clouds which guarded the portals of the sky and 
 formed the chariot of the Deity (cf. i Chron. xxviii. 18), or were the 
 ministers of Divine wrath ; and in general no definite form is ascribed 
 to them. In Ezekiel, however, the description is fuller and the idea 
 more complex, the "living creatures " which "are under the God of 
 Israel " having four wings and four faces — those of a man, a lion, an 
 ox, and an eagle (Ezek. i. 10, x. 14), and the images of them in the 
 visionary temple (xli. 18-19) having two faces — those of a lion and a man. 
 Ezekiel's representation seems to have been influenced by his acquain- 
 tance with the colossal figures of winged lions and oxen bearing human 
 heads, specimens of which have been discovered among the ruins of 
 Nineveh. Such carved colossi were placed at the entrance of temples 
 and palaces, presumably as the guardian spirits, and the resemblance 
 between their functions and those ascribed to the Cherubim in other 
 parts of the Bible would make it natural for the prophet to use some 
 of their attributes in his own imagery. From a comparison of Ezek. 
 X. 14 with i. 10, the term Cherub appears to have belonged specifically 
 to the ox-headed figures, though oxen and cherubim are distinguished 
 in I Kings vii. 29. 
 
 IV. I. And the man : That c. iv., though derived, like c. iii., from 
 J, does not follow logically upon the latter, appears from its pre- 
 supposing (i) the existence of a surrounding population from which 
 Kain obtained his wife and the inhabitants of his city (iv. 17), and 
 amongst whom he feared to find an avenger of blood ; (2) the develop- 
 ment of social life, as exhibited in the distinction between pastoral 
 and agricultural pursuits, and the practice of sacrifice. Much of the 
 narrative, however, is obscure. Nothing, for instance, is said of the 
 reason for the Divine preference shown to Abel's offering, nor of 
 the nature of the sign appointed for Kain. Such features suggest that 
 the passage is a fragment, the connections of which are lost. 
 
 I have gotten : The name is associated with the Heb. kanah, " to get," 
 though it is not really derived from it. 
 
 TFith the help of Jehovah: cf. xlix. 25 ; LXX. Std rov QeoO. 
 
 7. If . . . well . . . if . . . not loell : The words imply that the 
 different treatment of the two brothers (the reason for which is not 
 given in vers. 4, 5) was not arbitrary. 
 
214 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 Shall it not be lifted up: lit. "is there not lifting up?" implying 
 either the raising of the countenance, which had fallen (as in the text), 
 or the removal of guilt by pardon. 
 
 Its desire : Others render ^mto thee shall he his desire, and thou shall 
 ride over him, comparing iii. 16. 
 
 8. Said to Ahel his brother . . . ; The LXX. fills up the lacuna with 
 AUXdwfiev eis to irebiov. 
 
 Slew him : The allusion to the death of Abel by our Lord in Matt, 
 xxiii. 35 scarcely establishes the historical character of the narra- 
 tive, as the words " from the blood of Abel the righteous unto the 
 blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah" (2 Chron. xxiv. 20-22) can only 
 be intended as a description of the whole of the written history of the 
 Jews, the books of Chronicles being the last in the Jewish canon, as the 
 book of Genesis is the first. 
 
 1 1. Away from the ground : It is unimportant whether the translation 
 of the text be adopted (which ver. 14 favours), or the rendering cursed 
 itrt thou, from the ground {i.e., the curse shall strike thee from the 
 ground) ; for it is, in any case, implied that the earth, which had 
 drunk Abel's blood, was thenceforth to be cursed with barrenness, and 
 so would compel the murderer to become a wanderer. 
 
 13. Punishment . . . bear: Another rendering is my guilt is too great 
 for forgiveness (LXX. fid^oiv 17 ahia fxov tou atpedrivaL), but ver. 14 favours 
 the translation given in the text. 
 
 14. From thy face . . . hid: cf. ver. 16. God's presence is doubtless 
 associated with Eden, the neighbourhood of which might be regarded 
 as a sanctuary, in the event of any one seeking to avenge Abel's 
 murder. 
 
 15. Sevenfold: Presumably by the sacrifice of seven lives for one. 
 
 16. Land of Nod : Though the description east of Eden implies that 
 some particular locality is intended, the name itself means nothing 
 more than " Land of Wandering." 
 
 20. The father of: Such a phrase is inconsistent with the idea of a 
 universal flood following subsequently. 
 
 22. Instrument : The word rendered instrument is more appropriate 
 to the workman than to the implements of his craft, so that possibly 
 the words father of ought to be supplied ivoiw what precedes, and the 
 passage translated a forger, the father of every artificer of brass and iron. 
 
 23. And Lantech said : The song of Lamech celebrates the invention 
 of weapons, and implies that the possession of them confers the power 
 of exacting greater vengeance than that demanded Ity God against any 
 one wlio might slay Kain. 
 
 25. Appointed : Heb. shith, " to appoint." 
 
 26. Began men . . . Jehovah: The contrast between this statement and 
 what is implied in iv. 3 suggests that J has included materials taken 
 from more than one source ; thovigh it is possible that Abel may be 
 purposely ignored, as he left no descendants. The Vulgate has iste 
 {i.e. Enosh) cmpit invocare nomen Domini. 
 
EXPLANATORY NOTES 
 
 215 
 
 V. I. This is the book : The genealogical table tliat follows (from P) 
 is parallel to tlie one in iv. 17-24 (J), the former giving the descen- 
 dants of Seth and the latter those of Kain, though the descent of Seth 
 and his son from Adam is also mentioned in J (iv. 25-26). The fact 
 that they consist respectively of seven and ten names (both favourite 
 numbers in genealogies — cf. xi. 10-27 ; R^ith iv. 18-22), some being 
 common to both lists, indicates their artificial construction. The 
 correspondence between them will be seen when they are placed in 
 columns : — 
 
 Adam 
 
 Adam 
 
 Adam 
 
 
 Seth 
 
 Seth 
 
 
 Euosh 
 
 Enosh 
 
 Kain 
 
 
 Kenan 
 
 Mehalalel 
 Jared 
 
 Enoch 
 
 
 Enoch 
 
 Irad 
 
 
 
 Methujael 
 
 
 
 Methusbael 
 
 
 Methuselah 
 
 Lamech 
 
 
 Lamech 
 
 Jabal Ju 
 
 ibal Tubal-Kain 
 
 Noah 
 
 Shem 
 
 Ham 
 
 Japheth. 
 
 The narrative in J is something more than a mere enumeration of 
 persons, and is intended to describe the first beginnings of civilisation 
 (iv. 20-22). In the table contained in P lives of extraordinary duration 
 are attributed to the patriarchs mentioned in it — a feature occurring 
 also in the early legends of other races {cf. Hes. W. d- D. 1 30 (in the 
 Silver Age) eKarbv nkv -jrals erea trapa ix-qripi. /ceSyg 'Erpe^er" cltoXKoiv /j.eya 
 
 vflTTlOi y ivl OiKU}), 
 
 The numbers of the years attached to the several names, as given in 
 the LXX. and the Samaritan version, differ from those preserved in the 
 Massoretic text, the difference appearing principally in connection with 
 the age each patriarch reached before begetting his eldest son, and thus 
 affecting the length of time recorded to have elapsed between the 
 Creation and the Flood. The received Hebrew text makes this period 
 to be 1656 years, the LXX. 2242, and the Samaritan version 1307. 
 
 24. JValked with God : LXX. evTipecrTrja-e ry 6et^ ; so, too, in vi. g, 
 xlviii. 15. 
 
 And he ^vas not: cf. i Kings xx. 40; Isa. xvii. 14. It is implied 
 that Enoch, on account of his greater piety, was taken away by God 
 suddenly, and at an earlier age than that at which the rest of the 
 patriarchs died {cf. Isa. Ivii. i, and the Greek 5v ot deal (piXoOaiv diro- 
 evTjffKei veos). The belief expressed in Heb. xi. 5 (which quotes the 
 LXX. oiix £vpl(TKeTo, oTi fieredrjKeu airhv 6 de6$) that he was translated 
 
2i6 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 without dying, does not seem to be a necessary conclusion from the 
 Hebrew, though favoured by the substitution for the words and he 
 died used of the other patriarchs, of the phrase here employed. 
 
 29. Comfort : The name Noah is etymologically connected with the 
 Hebrew nuah, " to rest ; " but is here associated with niham, " to 
 comfort." 
 
 VI. 2. Sons of God: Elsewhere the expression is used of (i) "the 
 angels " (Job i. 6, xxxviii, 7 ; cf. also Ps. Ixxxix. 6) ; (2) " the people 
 of God" (Hosea i. 10, xi. i ; Exod. iv. 22 ; Deut. xiv. i ; Ps. Ixxiii. 15). 
 The second series of passages makes it possible that the words are in- 
 tended to designate the descendants of Seth {cf. iv. 26), the expression 
 " daughters of men " being understood to mean the daughters of other 
 men indiscriminately (cf Jer. xxxii. 20). But it is improbable that the 
 term onen would be used in ver. 2 in a narrower sense than in ver. 
 I ; it therefore seems best to regard the passage as describing the inter- 
 marriage of divine beings with mortal women (cf. Jude 6, 7), and so 
 resembling the fables of the amours of the gods common in Greek 
 mythology, though no parallels have hitherto been produced from 
 Semitic sources. 
 
 3. Rule in man : i.e., " My spirit (the breath of life, cf. vii. 22) shall 
 not for an unlimited period continue to animate man ; and when I 
 withdraw it he will perish, for he too, like the other creatures, is flesh : 
 therefore his natural lite shall be shortened to a hundred and twenty 
 years." For rule the LXX. has ov fiT^ KaTaneivrj, implying a different 
 original. Other renderings of the text are shall not strive and shall not 
 he abased. 
 
 Because lie also is flesh : LXX. 8ia to elwi avroi/s adpKas. Others, 
 pointing dift'erently, render in their going astray they become flesh, i.e., 
 they lose their spiritual nature, and become wholly carnal ; or mi con- 
 sequence of their {i.e., the sons of God) going astray, he (man) becomes flesh, 
 and so, like other flesh, short-lived. 
 
 So his days . . . years : Some of the patriarchs are represented (in P) 
 as having exceeded the limit here named (Sarah's years being 127, Abra- 
 ham's 175, Isaac's 180, Jacoiys 147). Others render yet his days . . . 
 years, i.e., there shall be a respite, liefore the threatened punishment 
 befalls the race, of 120 years. But the comparison of v. 32 with vii. 6 
 seems to imply that the interval was conceived to be only 100 years. 
 
 4. Nephilim : The proper meaning of the word is uncertain, but in 
 Num. xiii. 33 the Nephilim appear as the ancestors of a race of mighty 
 men to whom their name had passed. It has been suggested that 
 the word may be connected with nepliel (an abortion), and so denote 
 monstrous births. The LXX. has 01 yiyavre^. 
 
 The same : i.e., the fruit of the intercourse between " the sons of God " 
 and the daughters of men. 
 
 7. Cattle: The word here seems to include all the larger kinds of 
 animals (cf. vi. 20 (P), vii. 23 (JE)), wild beasts being first specifically 
 mentioned in connection with the Flood story in vii. 14 (P). 
 
EXPLANATORY NOTES 217 
 
 9. In his generation : i.e., among his contemijoraries. 
 
 14. Ark: The same word as that used in Exod. ii. 3, 5. 
 GojAer wood : Some kind of resinous fir-tree. 
 
 15. Cubits: The length of the cubit varied, but seems generally to 
 have been about 19 inches. 
 
 16. 7'o the measure of a cubit : The ojjening is conceived as extending 
 along every side of the ark, under the roof, a cubit deep. 
 
 17. A flood of ivaters : lit. "a flood, even waters," and so in vii. 6. 
 
 VII. 2. Clean . . . not clean: The distinction between clean and 
 unclean animals has relation to the thank-offering mentioned in viii. 
 20, foil. For the Levitical law relating to the subject see Lev. xi. 
 
 By seve7is: The addition, each with its mate, seems to indicate that 
 seven pairs are intended. 
 
 3. Of the fowl: The LXX. reads as in ver. 2, Kal d-n-b tCjv -n-iTeivC^v rod 
 oipavou tCov KaOapuiv eiTTa eivTa. &p<x€v Kal drjXv, Kal dnb iravruiv ruiv -jreTeLvCiv 
 tGjv fii] KadapCjv Zvo 8vo 6.p(jev Kal drfKv. 
 
 II. The second month : i.e., the month Ziv ( = May) if the ecclesias- 
 tical year is intended {cf. i Kings vi. i), or Bui ( = November) if the 
 civil year is followed {cf. i Kings vi. 38). 
 
 Fountains of the great deep : Implying a belief in the existence of 
 subterranean reservoirs from which the seas are fed {cf. Prov. viii. 28 ; 
 Job xxxviii. 16). 
 
 19. All the high mountains: The statement is obviously intended in 
 the same sense as xli. 57 ; Deut. ii. 25 ; i Kings x. 24. 
 
 VIII. 4. Ararat : Armenia, at the foot of Mount Taurus ; cf. 2 Kings 
 xix. 2i7 { = Isa. xxxvii. 38, where the LXX. has 'Apfievia). 
 
 7. The raven : i.e., the one which had been taken into the ark. 
 
 9. Found no rest : The dove was a bird of the valleys (Ezek. vii. 16), 
 which were not yet dry. 
 
 13. Six hundredth and first year : The year (for which, and for ten days 
 beyond, the Flood lasted, according to P) was a solar year of (approxi- 
 mately) 360 days, as appears from the fact that 1 50 days constitute five 
 months ; see vii. 1 1 and viii. 3-4. 
 
 22. Winter : The term means the first half of the agricultural year, 
 and is rendered in the LXX. by iap, 
 
 IX. 3. As the green herb : Eefers back to i. 29. 
 
 4. Flesh with the life thereof, even the blood thereof: The blood is the 
 vehicle and medium of life ; and the prohibition may be grounded on 
 the respect due to life as derived ultimately from God. 
 
 5. Of your lives : Others render according to your souls. 
 
 13. I do set . . . earth: The significance here attached to the rain- 
 bow is naturally suggested by the circumstances under which it is 
 uniformly produced. 
 
 23. A garment : Such as should have been used as a covering ; cf. 
 Exod. xxii. 26-27. 
 
 24. Younger: Whether the Hebrew should be rendered thus or by 
 youngest is doubtful. The order of the names in v. 32, ix, 18, and 
 
2i8 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 X. I (but not in the ethnographical table in c. x., which does not take 
 account of priority of age; cf. x. 22 and xi. 11), points to Japheth 
 as being the youngest son ; but the natural (though not tlie necessary) 
 meaning of the original here points to Ham ; cf. i Sam. xvi. 1 1. That 
 Shem was older than Japheth is certain from x. 2 1 . 
 
 25. Canaan: As the text stands, Ham is punished through one of his 
 sons, just as Noah's son had himself sinned against his father, and Canaan 
 is named as being, of all the sons of Ham, the one which was eventually 
 brought into the closest relations with Shem's descendants Israel. But 
 it is possible that the blessing is derived from a source which made the 
 three sons of Noah to be Shem, Canaan, and Jajaheth ; and that the 
 words inver. 18 and 22, which point out the relationship between Ham 
 and Canaan, are insertions of the compiler to harmonise the two accounts. 
 
 His brethren : used loosely for " the brethren of his father ; " cf. 
 xiii. 8, xxix. 12 (note). 
 
 26. Canaan . . . servant : So far as Israel represented Shem, the rela- 
 tion here indicated was realised by the subjugation of the Canaanites ; 
 cf. I Kings ix. 20-21. 
 
 27. Divell . . . Shem : cf Ps. xlvii. 9. Some take the subject of 
 dwell to be God. 
 
 X. I. TJiese are the generations: This account of the descendants of 
 the sons of Noah is derived both from P and J, the section of P 
 forming a complete whole, whereas the parts taken from J contain 
 nothing respecting Japheth. There appears, however, to be no im- 
 portant difference between the two sources ; and though discrepancies 
 exist here and there (cf note on ver. 7), they seem, in the main, to 
 follow the same lines. The list is a catalogue of nations rather than 
 of individuals. This appears on the surface in the case of plural 
 names like Kittim, Dodanini, Ludim, &c. ; but even where the names 
 are singular, it seems likely that they were intended to haye a col- 
 lective as much as an individual meaning. That in the enumeration 
 of the various nations their descent from a single origin is implied is 
 obvious (see especially x. 32). But the fact that the several peoples 
 assigned to the different sons of Noah (so far as they can lie identified) 
 are for the most part contiguous, suggests that geographical position 
 has modified, if it has not given rise to, the racial connection which 
 the tradition represents to have existed between them. The survey is 
 seemingly intended to embrace all the nations (with a few exceptions) 
 which came within the range of the writer's knowledge. The de- 
 scendants of Japheth, it will be seen, occupy the northern, those of Ham 
 the southern, and those of Shem the central countries, as viewed from 
 a Palestinian standpoint. The arrangement by which the offspring 
 of Shem are enumerated last and not the first is in accordance with the 
 principle observed elsewhere {cf. c. xxxvi. and xxv. 12-17) of tracing the 
 collateral branches before proceeding with the princii^al line of descent. 
 
 2. Gomer : Of the sons of Japheth, Gomer represents the most 
 northerly known peoples {cf. Ezek. xxxviii. 6), the Kifia^pioL of Homer 
 
EXPLANATORY NOTES 219 
 
 {Od. xi. 14), who -were driven from their seats in Eurojje by the 
 Scythians (Hdt. iv. 11). They first became known to the nations of 
 Western Asia after their defeat by Esarhaddon in 677 B.C., a date 
 which agrees with the mention of them here in P. Magog, from being 
 associated with " the isles " or " coastlands " in Ezek. xxxix. 6, has been 
 taken by some to denote Lydia ((/. Gog and Gyges) ; others identify the 
 name with the Scythians. Madai stands for the Medes. Javan repre- 
 sents the lonians of Asia Minor. The name Tubal has been identified 
 with that of the Tibareni, who lived in Pontus near the Thermodon, 
 but who appear from Assyrian inscriptions to have previously dwelt 
 in the districts of Cilicia and Cappadocia. Meshech, if the M6o-xot of 
 Herodotus (iii. 94), lived near the Phasis, but according to the Assyrian 
 inscriptions, once extended much farther south. With regard to Tims 
 nothing is known with certainty. 
 
 3. The sons of Govier : The names afi"ord an ample field for conjecture, 
 but insufficient material for plausible conclusions. 
 
 4. The sons of Javan : Elishah has been conjectured to stand for 
 Hellas {cf. Ezek. xxvii. 7). Tarshish is generally regarded as designa- 
 ting Tartessus in Spain. (The LXX. here has Qdpaeis, but in Isa. xxiii. 
 I, Kapxv^i^^, i.e. Carthage.) Kittim are the people of Cyprus {cf. Ezek. 
 xxvii. 6), the name probably coming from the town of 'K.Itiov. For 
 Dodanim the LXX. here and the Hebrew of i Chron. i. 7 give Eodanim, 
 which possibly represents the Rhodians. 
 
 5. In their lands . . . nations : This appears to refer to all the sons 
 of Japheth {cf. ver. 20, 31), so that it is probable that something is 
 omitted after divided. 
 
 6. The sons of Ham : Cush rejjresents the Ethiopians {cf. Isa. xviii. i). 
 Mizraim is Egypt, the form, which is a dual, referring to the two 
 halves. Lower and Upper Egypt, called respectively Mazor (Isa. xix. 6, 
 xxxvii. 25) and Pathros (Isa. xi. 1 1, Jer. xliv. 15). Phut is identified by 
 the LXX. (Jer. xlvi. 9) Avith Libya, though its position between Mizraim 
 and Canaan has been thought to point to some place on the east of 
 Egypt. Canaan denotes the inhabitants of the country west of the 
 Jordan, especially the lowlands on the Mediterranean seaboard (see 
 Deut. i. 7). It is here associated with Egypt, perhaps on the ground 
 of its having once been an Egyptian province. 
 
 7. 7'he sons of Cush : Most of the names defy identification, and in 
 some instances they are placed in a different connection by the two 
 sources P and J. Havilah and Sheba here (in P) are descendants of 
 Ham, whilst in vers. 28-29 (J) they are descendants of Shem, with 
 which the mention of the former in ii. 1 1 (also J) agrees. Dedan, who 
 is here liicewise a descendant of Ham, is in xxv. 3 (J) made the son 
 of Abraham, and therefore of the stock of Shem. Conversely in ver. 22 
 (P) Litd is represented as a son of Shem, whilst the Ludim, ver. 13 (J), 
 are Hamites, though in this case the terms possibly stand for different 
 peoples (see notes ad loc). Seba and Sheba are generally identified with 
 parts of Arabia. For Havilah see note on ii. 10. 
 
220 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 8. GiLsh engendered Nimrod: This connection (in J) of Cush witli 
 Asia is probably the result of a confusion between the name generally 
 given to the Ethiopians and the Kassi, a people of Northern Baby- 
 lonia ; cf. ii. 13. 
 
 9. Before Jehovah : Implying pre-eminence ; cf. the Hebrew of Jonah 
 iii. 3, and the Greek of Acts vii. 20. 
 
 10. The beginning of his kingdom: Assyrian religion and Assyrian 
 culture (it has been said) had their ultimate root in Babylonia, but the 
 political supremacy of the latter country gradually passed northwards, 
 until Assyria finally became independent of the mother-country. Babel 
 is Babylon on the Euphrates. Of Erech (in the native dialect UruTc) 
 ruins are found in the mounds of Warka, on the left bank of the Lower 
 Eujihrates. Accad is conjectured to be Agade, which formed, with 
 Sipar, the double city of Sepharvaim, to the north of Babylon. Calneh 
 is not identified with certainty. Shinar is South Babylonia, the native 
 names of which were Sumer and Sunger. 
 
 11. Nineveh: Its site is buried under the mounds of Kouyunjik, 
 opposite the modern Mosul. Calah occupied the site of the modern 
 village of Nimrud, 18 miles S.E. of Nineveh, at the junction of the 
 Lycus (Greater Zab) and the Tigris, and was founded by Shalmanes- 
 sar I. about 1300 B.C. These two, with Ilcsen (which "was between 
 Nineveh and Calah") and Rehoboth Ir (which means literally "the 
 broad spaces of the city," and probably denotes a suburb), formed a 
 network of towns between the Lycus and the Tigris, for which, after 
 the reign of Sennacherib, the name of Nineveh was comprehensively 
 employed. 
 
 13. Ludim: Possibly a settlement of Lydian mercenaries serving in 
 Egypt ; cf. Jer. xlvi. 9. Of the other names in this and the following 
 verse little is known, except that by the Pathrudm are meant the 
 inhabitants of South Egypt. Elsewhere the Philistines are^connected 
 with the Ccq^htorim, and not the Casluhim; see Jer. xlvii. 4 ; Amos ix. 7. 
 
 15. Sidon his first born: Sidon is stated to have been the first city 
 built by the Phoenicians. The omission of all mention of Tyre is 
 curious, as the name of that city is said to occur in the Tel-el-Amarna 
 Tablets, and it was well known in the time of David ; see 2 Sam. xxiv. 
 7 ; I Kings vii. 13. 
 
 Heth : A people who originally came from the region of Mount Taurus 
 and the Orontes, and who appear to have occupied Palestine as the 
 Egyptian rule over that country waned. In P the term is applied to 
 the population of Palestine generally (see xxvii. 46, and c. xxiii.) ; 
 but in Judges i. 26 it denotes the country near Lebanon. 
 
 16-17. Of the peoples here mentioned, the Jc^Hsi^es were the early 
 inhabitants of Jerusalem (Judges i. 2 1 ; i Chron. xi. 4) ; the Amorites 
 occupied the country east of the Jordan and north of the Arnon 
 (see Num. xxi. 1 3, foil.), though the name is sometimes apjalied like- 
 wise to the inhabitants of the region west of the Jordan (see xv. 16 ; 
 Deut. vii. i ) ; and the Hivites were settled near Shechem and in North 
 
EXPLANATORY NOTES 221 
 
 Palestine (xxxiv. iv. 2 ; Judges iii. 3). The Girgasliites cannot be identi- 
 fied witli certainty. Arka and Zemara (Simyra) were towns in Nortli 
 Phcenicia, near the coast. Arvad (Aradus) was on a small island to the 
 north of the river Eleutherius. Hamath (later Epiplianeia) was situated 
 on the Orontes. The Sinites probably lived near Mount Lebanon. 
 
 19. Gerar . . . Gaza: The latter place was one of the five great 
 Philistine cities (i Sam. vi. 17), whilst Gerar lay near it, towards the 
 south. 
 
 Sodom . . . Zehoiim: See note on xix. i. 
 
 Lasha : Generally identified Avith Calirrhoe, near the east shore of the 
 Dead Sea. 
 
 22. Elam . . . Aram: The country of Elam was the mountainous 
 region near the head of the Persian Gulf, termed by Greek geographers 
 Susiaiia {cf. Dan. viii. 2) ; Asshur represents Assyria ; and Aram, 
 Syria and Mesopotamia. What is indicated by Lad is unknown (the 
 Lydians of Asia Minor seem to be excluded by their westerly position). 
 Arpachsliad probably stands for some part of Babylonia {cf. Ghasdim). 
 
 23-30. Of the names in these verses, the only ones which can be con- 
 jecturally identified are Slieha, which stands for the Sabjeans (cf. xxv. 
 3) ; Ojjhir, which is supposed to be the country near the mouth of the 
 Indus, from which gold and valuable woods were obtained (i Kings 
 X. 11); and Havilah, for which see note on ii. 10. There is no 
 mountain Sephar, but a town called Saphar was situated in the extreme 
 south-west of Arabia. 
 
 25. For in his clays . . . divided: Heb. pulag, "to divide." 
 
 XL I. And the whole earth, <i:c. : The purpose of this section (vers. 1-9) 
 seems to be to explain the origin of the existing differences between 
 nation and nation, which are in apparent conflict with the unity of race 
 insisted on in c. x. There seems to be an anticipatory reference to it in 
 X. 25 ; but the account of Babel in xi. 4-9 occurs awkwardly after the 
 mention of it in x. 10 ; whilst the statement in ver. i is out of place after 
 the recognition in x. 20, 31 (P) of a diversity of tongues. Independent 
 parallels to the account of the confusion of tongues have not yet been 
 discovered. 
 
 2. Journeyed : The point of departure is not mentioned, but the migra- 
 tion is probably conceived as taking place from the land of Ararat (viii. 4). 
 
 A jplain in the land of Shinctr: i.e., Babylonia; (/. Hdt. i. 178, Ba/3uXwv 
 . . . KieraL ev ireUcfi fxeydXixi. The absence of rock rendered the use of brick 
 necessary. The story that follows was probably suggested by the tower 
 (of ancient construction) which formed the temple of Belus (see Hdt. i. 
 181), and the ruins of which have been found at Borsippa. 
 
 4. A city and a tower: The city would bind them together by bring- 
 ing them into closer contact with one another, and the tower would 
 strengthen common feelings of pride. 
 
 Wliose top . . . heaven: cf. Deut. i. 28, ix. i. 
 
 9. Babel: The native meaning of the name, as appears from the 
 Assyrian inscriptions, is Bab-ilu "the gate ( = court) of God ;" but in 
 
222 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 the text it is brought into connection with the Heb. bdlal, " to con- 
 found." LXX. Si;7xi'<ns. 
 
 lo. These are . . . of Shem : The genealogical table of Shem's descend- 
 ants resembles that of Adam in c. v., and, like it, ends in a father (Terah) 
 of three sons. The parallelism is increased in the LXX. by the inter- 
 polation, after Arpachshad, of the name Ka'Cvav from v. lo, which makes 
 the list, like the other, contain ten members instead of nine. The table 
 exhibits a prolongation of life similar to that observed in c. v. ; but 
 the birth of the first child is placed at a very much lower and more 
 natural age, and the longevity decreases as the record draws nearer more 
 historical times. Here, as in c. v., the figures given in the received 
 Hebrew text differ from those of the Samaritan version and of the LXX. 
 
 Two years after tite flood : Since Noah begat Shem in his 500th year 
 (ver. 32), and the Flood took place in Noah's 600th year, the 100 years 
 here named as the age of Shem is a round number for 102. 
 
 28. Ur of the Ghaldees : Its ruins have been discovered at El Mugheir, 
 on the right bank of the Lower Euphrates. It was a residence of early 
 Babylonian kings and a city of great importance. It has been objected 
 to the connection here indicated between Abraham and L^r that in xxiv. 
 4, 7 (also J) Abraham himself alludes to Haran as his native place ; 
 cf. Deut. xxvi. 5. Possibly, however, the words there may be used 
 loosely in the sense of a home. 
 
 31. They went forth with them: The absence of any antecedent to 
 which the plural them can be referred makes it probable that the text 
 is corrupt, and should be corrected into he led them forth, after the 
 LXX. e^rjyayev auTovs. 
 
 Haran : In N.W. Mesopotamia, the Carrce of Latin historians. Its 
 site is still marked Ijy ruins. 
 
 32. Died: The death of Terah is here mentioned by anticipation. 
 That it really took place after Abraham left Haran appears from the 
 fact that Terah, who was seventy when he begat Abraham (xi. 26), could 
 only have been 145 when Abraham departed from Haran at the age of 
 seventy-five (xii. 4). 
 
 XII. 2. Become thou a blessing: cf. ver. 3; Zech. viii. 13; Isa. xix. 
 24, 25. 
 
 3. By thee . . . bless themselves : cf. xlviii. 20, Ps. Ixxii. 17, and contrast 
 Jer. xxix. 22. The primary sense of the passage is determined by xxii. 
 18, xxvi. 4 (where the verb is reflective) ; but see Introd. p. 66. 
 
 6. The i^lace of Shcchem : i.e., the Shechem mentioned in xxxiv. 2. 
 The locality was between Mount Ebal and Mount Girizim, and is 
 occupied by the modern Nablus. 
 
 Moreh may possibly not be a proper name, but mean teacher, the 
 terebinth getting its appellation from being the seat of some seer who 
 gave instruction there : cf. Judges ix. 37 (marg.), and the name E7i- 
 mishiMt (Well of Judgment), xiv. 7. 
 
 8. Bethel: The place was so named subsequently (xxviii. 19). It was 
 .situated twelve miles north of Jerusalem. 
 
EXPLANATORY NOTES 223 
 
 Ai : That Ai was near Bethel ai:)pears from its close association with 
 it in Ezra ii. 28, but its exact situation is unknown. 
 
 9. The South: The southern part of what was afterwards the territory 
 of Judah (Jer. xiii. 19). The LXX. here has eV ti^ epw'^, but in xx. i, 
 et's TTiv wpbs Xt/3a. 
 
 II. Fair : Sarah at the time was sixty-five (xvii. 17, compared with 
 xii. 4). 
 
 13. My sister : See xx. 12. 
 
 15. Pharaoh: lit. "the great house," used as the title of Egyptian 
 kings up to the time of the Persian conquest ; cf. the j^hrase " The 
 Sublime Porte." The king in question was presumably one of the 
 Hyksos ; cf. on xl. i . 
 
 16. Camels: No representation or mention of camels is found (it is 
 said) on early Egyptian monuments. 
 
 17. Plagued Pharaoh: The plagues probably preserved Sarah's 
 chastity ; cf. xx. 6, 17. 
 
 XIII, I, TVent up: i.e., from the Nile valley to the south of Canaan. 
 
 3. Bethel : cf. note on xii. 8. 
 
 4. At the first: See xii. 7. 
 
 7. Canaanite . . . Perizzite : For Canaanite see on x. 6. The 
 Perizzites seem to have been a closely allied nation ; cf. Judges i. 4. 
 From their association with the Reiihaim in Josh. xvii. 15, it has been 
 supposed that, like the latter, they were an aboriginal race ; see on 
 xiv. 5. 
 
 10. The Plain of Jordan: lit. "Circle of the Jordan" (LXX. ttji' 
 irepixtapov Tov 'lopddvov), the valley on either side of the Jordan from 
 Lake Chinnereth to the Dead Sea. The neighbourhood of Bethel, 
 from its high position (i Sam. xiii. 2 ; cf. Judges iv. 5), commanded 
 an extensive prospect. 
 
 Zoar : See on xix. 22. 
 
 18. Hebron: About fifteen miles south of Jerusalem. Its earlier 
 name was Kiriath-Arba ; see xxiii. 2 ; Judges i. 10. 
 
 XIV. I. Shinar : Properly South Babylonia, but applied by the 
 Biblical writers to Babylonia in general (cf x. 10, xi. 2, and the LXX. of 
 Isa. xi. 1 1 ). For the possil^le origin of the narrative, see Introd. p. 47. 
 
 Ellasar : Called in the cuneiform inscriptions Larsa, a town in Lower 
 Babylonia, between the Euphrates and Tigris. 
 
 Elam : See note on x. 22. 
 
 Goyim : The vagueness of the term (which simply means nations) has 
 led to the conjecture that it is a mistake for Gutim, i.e., Gutium, a 
 country lying to the north of Babylonia. 
 
 3. The vale of Siddim : It seems probable that the writer believed 
 the vale of Siddim to have been subsequently covered by the waters of 
 the Dead Sea. This, however, is a mistake, if the cities of the Plain 
 were situated (see note on xix. i ) at the north end of the lake, as the 
 northern portion, by its geological character, could not have been 
 formed by subsidence in such relatively recent times. 
 
 The Salt Sea : The Dead Sea is forty-six miles long and nine miles 
 
224 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 broad, and its surface is more than 1300 feet below the sea-level. 
 Its northern half is 1700 feet deep, but the southern jiortion is very 
 shallow. The coast is encrusted with salt. 
 
 5. Tlie Rephaim, d:c. : Rephaim seems to have been the common 
 appellation of the aboriginal inhabitants of Moab and Amnion (Deut. 
 ii. 9-21), the JEmim occupying the former territory. The Horites were 
 the primitive possessors of Mount Seir, subsequently dispossessed by 
 the Edomites. The Zuzim may possibly be identical with the Zam- 
 zummim named in Deut. ii. 20 (c/. Introd. p. 48). All these early 
 races were believed to have been of gigantic stature {cf. 2 Sam. xxi. 1 6, 
 marg.) ; LXX. 01 7i7acTes. 
 
 Ashteroth Karnaim : Pi-obably the same as Ashtaroth, in Bashan 
 (Deut. i. 4). In Deut. iii. 11, 13, Og the king of Bashan is described 
 as being of the remnant of the Rephaim. 
 
 Ham : Conjectured to be Kabbah in the country of the Ammonites. 
 The LXX.'s a/ta avroh implies a different pointing of the Hebrew. 
 
 Kiriathaim : Believed to have been situated a little to the north of 
 the river Arnon. 
 
 6. Seir: The range of hills extending from the Dead Sea to the 
 Elanitic gulf. 
 
 El-paran : Probably the town situated at the northern extremity of 
 the Elanitic gulf, the Elalh or Eloth of later history (i Kings ix. 26 ; 
 2 Kings xiv. 22). 
 
 7. En-mislipat . . . Kade^h : Probably Kadesh-Barnea, on the border 
 between Edom and what was afterwards the territory of Judah (Num. 
 XX. 16 ; Josh. XV. 3). The spring which gave the place its earlier name 
 (" Sjjring of Judgment ") still exists. The country of the Amalekites was 
 the desert lying to the south of Palestine ; see Num. xiii. 29. For the 
 Amorites see on x. 1 6. 
 
 Hazezon-tamar : The same as Engedi (see 2 Chron. xx., 2), on the 
 western shore of the Dead Sea. The invaders, advancing from the 
 north-east, after traversing Bashan and the country east of the Jordan 
 and the Dead Sea, reached El-paran, and then turning north and west, 
 passed successively En-mishpat, Hazezon-tamar, and the cities of the 
 Plain (see xix. i, note), finally retiring towards Damascus (ver. 15). 
 
 13. The Hebrew : An appellation that alludes to the previous abode of 
 the race on the other side of the Euphrates ; LXX. 6 irepdTTjs. 
 
 14. Led forth: LXX. -ripid/xriae. 
 
 Ban: As the city did not receive the name until after its con- 
 quest by the Danites (Josh. xix. 47 ; Judges xviii. 29), it is possible that 
 the use of it here originated in a gloss (similar to those which occur 
 elsewhere in the chapter), which has taken the place of the name by 
 which it was then known. 
 
 15. Jlobah: Placed by some between Damascus and Palmyra. 
 Others identify it with a village very near the former city. 
 
 17. TheKing^s Vale: The j)lace where Absalom erected a pillar for 
 himself (2 Sam. xviii. 18), possibly the valley of the Kidron, near 
 Jerusalem, though this was rather a torrent-ravine (or AVady). 
 
EXPLANATORY NOTES 225 
 
 1 8. Salem: Probably Jerusalem; see Ps. Ixxvi. 2, and cf. the con- 
 ni'ction of Adoni-zedek with Jerusalem (Josli. x. i). Others identifv it 
 with the SaUm mentioned in John iii. 23. 
 
 Priest: A king of Jerusalem is mentioned in the Tel-el-Amarna 
 Taljlets as owing his appointment to an oracle that was on Mount 
 ]\Ioriah, and perhaps possessing both priestly and royal dignity. 
 
 (hd Most Hujh : Heb. El Elyon; cf. El Shaddai, El Beth-el, Bab-el 
 (xi. 9, note). The idea expressed by the name El seems to have been 
 that of " strength." 
 
 20. Of all : i.e., of all the spoil. 
 
 22. Lifted U2:) my hand: i.e., "I swear ;" cf. Dan. xii. 7. 
 
 XV. I. After these tlmxgs : The chapter relates two distinct occur- 
 rences — (i) vers. 1-6 ; (2) 7-21. This appears from the fact that in the 
 first section what is narrated takes place at night (see ver. 5), whilst 
 the events of the other begin before sunset (ver. 12). 
 
 2. / go : i.e., "I am departing childless ;" cf. Ps. xx.xix. 13. Others 
 render / am childless. 
 
 Damascus: i.e., Damascus will inheint my possessions when Eliezer, 
 to whom they will fall, returns thither. Some versions have Elie::er 
 the Damascene. 
 
 9. A heifer . . . young }ngeon: All five animals were among those 
 offered in sacrifice according to the Mosaic law. 
 
 13. Four hundred years. ) With the statement of ver. 13 the nuniber 
 
 16. 7'he fourth generation. ) given in Exod. xii. 40 (t/. Gal. iii. 17) 
 approximately coincides, whilst with that of ver. 16 agree the genealogies 
 in Exod. vi. 16-20, Num. xxvi. 5-9, and (less exactly) Num. xxvi. 59. 
 P>ut vers. 13 and 16 harmonise with each other only if generation be 
 taken to represent a much longer period than it is usually reckoned 
 to be. In the Samaritan version and the LXX. of Exod. xii. 40, the 
 sojourn of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in Canaan is in- 
 cluded in the 430 years there mentioned. Eut this modified reading 
 is suspicious, as the mention of the wanderings in Canaan seems out of 
 place in connection with the Exodus. 
 
 17. A smoking furnace: The movement of the smoking furnace and 
 fiery torcli between the portions of the slaughtered victims marked the 
 Divine inauguration of the Covenant, it being the custom for the con- 
 tracting parties in a covenant to pass between portions of a slaughtered 
 victim, imprecating a like death upon themselves in the event of their 
 dealing falsely ; cf. Jer. xxxiv. 18. In some cases the i:)arties shared a 
 common sacrificial meal ; Gen. xxxi. 46. 
 
 1 8. liiver of Egypt : More commonly termed the " brook of Egypt ' 
 (as in I Kings viii. 65 ; Isa. xxvii. 12) — the Wady el-Aris, which flows 
 through the peninsula of Sinai, and falls into the Mediterranean. 
 Others understand the expression to denote the Nile. 
 
 19. The Kenite, ckc. : The Kenites lived in the South country, and are 
 mentioned in later history in connection with Judah (Judges i. 16) and 
 tlie Anialekites (i Sam. xv. 6). The Ketmzites and the Kadmnnites were 
 
 F 
 
226 I'HE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 jiresumably kindred Bedouin tribes. Caleb's? fatlier, wlio was included 
 in the tribe of Judali, was a Kenizzite (Josh. xiv. 6\ For the remaining 
 names see notes on x. 6, 15, 16, xiii. 7, xiv. 5. 
 
 XVI. 4. Despised: For the contempt which bai'renness carried with 
 it, cf. XXX. 23. 
 
 7. Tlie amjd of Jehovah : For the most j^art, angels in the Bible are 
 regarded a,s real persons (e.r/., in xxviii. 12, xxxii. i, and especially 24, 
 25), occasionally eA'en being identified in some degree Mutli the Deity 
 Himself (as here, cf. ver. 13 ; and see xviii. 2, note ; xlviii. 15, 16) ; but 
 in some jiassages they seem to be nothing more than the personification 
 of Divine Providence {e.g., xxiv. 40, 42), or of natural agencies fulfilling 
 the Divine pui'poses (Ps. civ. 4 ; cf. 2 Sam. xxiv. 15, 16). 
 
 Hhur: A place on the eastern frontier of Egypt, which the Isi'aelites 
 reached soon after crossing the Red Sea (Exod. xv. 22 ; cf. Gen. xx. i). 
 
 11. Islimael : lit. "God heareth," from .^ihuuia, "to heai,'' and El, 
 "God." 
 
 12. A wild man : lit. "a wild ass of a man." 
 
 /n the presence of: i.e., close to his brethren, tliough independent 
 of them. Others render east of; cf. xxv. 18 (Shur hefare Egypt), 
 I Kings xi. 7 (the Mount of Olives before Jerusalem). 
 
 13. God of seeing : i.e.. one whose eye the helpless does not escape. 
 Jl^ven here : i.e., a spot with no sacred associations. 
 
 Looked after : She was not allowed to see His face, but she had looked 
 after Him as He passed from her ; cf. Exod. xxxiii. 23. 
 
 14. IJeer-lahai-roi: i.e., "the well of the Living One, my beholder." 
 The epithet, however, as applied to God, seems to have no relation 
 to the preceding context ; and a change in the pointing and the accents 
 would perhaps yield the sense the well of the living one of seeing, i.e., 
 where a human being had seen God and lived (the general belief being 
 that any one who saw God died : see Exod. xix. 21 ; Judges xiii. 22). 
 
 Betioeen Kadesh and Bered : A spot, still supplied with water, on the 
 road from Beersheba to Shur and Egypt, has been identified with the 
 well in question. For Kadesh see note on xiv. 7 ; the situation of 
 Bered is not precisely known. 
 
 XVII. I. Almiglity : Heb. Shaddai, probably an adjective formed 
 from a root akin to the verb shddad, "to be powerful, violent "' (rf Joel 
 i. 15), but regarded by the Rabbins as meaning "the All-Sufiicient," 
 with which the iKav6^ of the LXX. in Job xxi. 1 5 agrees. 
 
 5. Ahram: i.e., "the father is exalted." Abraham appears to be a 
 modification of Abram, intended to assimilate the latter i)art to tin- 
 word hftmon, "multitude," so that the word might suggest the moaning 
 " father of a multitude of nations." 
 
 10. Circumcised: Circumcision is a rite which existed in early times 
 among several of the peoples of Asia and Africa, notaV)ly the Arabians, 
 Egyptians (Hdt. ii. 37 ; cf Josh. v. 2-9), Ethiopians, and the inhabitants 
 of Palestine (Hdt. ii. 104) (with the exception of the Pliilistines, 2 Sam. 
 i. 20), and has been observed to prevail among certain tri1;es in Cen- 
 
EXPLANATORY NOTES 227 
 
 tr'al and South America and in the Pacific Islands. The use of it niav 
 be due in some instances to considerations of cleanliness (c/. Hdt. ii. 37, 
 the Egyptians tA aioola vepiTdfivovrai KadapiorrjTos e'iveKev) ; ill others, 
 perhajjs, to a desire to promote procreative vigour (for among the 
 A rabiaus it was performed at the age of puberty, before marriage, in 
 which connection it appears in Exod. iv. 25, where Zipporah, the wife 
 of ]\]oses, is represented as circumcising her son by way of substitution 
 for her husband, who thereby became " a bridegroom of blood "). ] n 
 certain cases, however, as in that of the Hebrews, religious associations 
 became attached to it ; and it is possilile that at au early stage of 
 religious development it was intended (like the redemption-money 
 paid for the first-born, Exod. xiii. u, foil.) as a substitute for a greater 
 sacrifice, a part of the body being offered to the Deity, who had a claim 
 on liuman life, instead of the whole (c/. Exod. iv. 24). The prominent 
 place it continued to hold throughout in so elevated a religion as that 
 of the Jews was doubtless due, on the one hand, to the fact that it 
 served as a badge of distinction for the worshippers of Jehovah from 
 certain of the neighbouring tribes {e.g., the Philistines), and, on the 
 other hand, to the ethical considerations which would readily gather 
 round it, the laying aside of moral impurity being so naturally symbo- 
 lised by such a mutilation : Deut. x. 16, xxx. 6 ; Jer. iv. 4. That the 
 rite, as implied here, was of pre-Mosaic origin, appears also from c. 
 xxxiv., and from the fact that it is not enacted in the law, hut pre- 
 supjiosed ; see Exod. xii. 44 ; Lev. xii. 3. 
 
 15. Sarai . . . Sarah: The two words probably both signify "prin- 
 cess," the latter being the normal form (from sar, "prince''), and the 
 former possibly a dialectic peculiarity, but taken here to mean " con- 
 tentious," from sdrah, "to strive." 
 
 19. Isaac : From tsdiiah, " to laugh ; " seemingly associated by P (xvii. 
 17) with Abraham's laughing in mockery ; by J (xviii. 12) with Surah's 
 laughing in mockery ; and by E (.\xi. 6) with Sarah's laughing from joy. 
 
 XVIII. 2. Three men: Jehovah is conceived as speaking through 
 each of the three angels indifferently. He speaks alike when the three 
 
 jnen are present with Abraham (xviii. 16-17), when one is left after 
 the departure of the others for Sodom (xviii. 22; cf. xix. i), and 
 when the two at Sodom hold converse with Lot (xix. 17-18). 
 
 6. Measures: lit. seahs, a seah being one-third of an ej^hah. The 
 capacity of the latter is uncertain, but, according to tlie Rabl)ins, was 
 about 4^ English gallons. 
 
 17-19. S'lull I hide, d-c. : The destruction of the cities of the Plain, 
 if the reason for it were imparted to Abraham, might serve as an object 
 lesson to dispose his house to keep the way of Jehovah, and so secure 
 the jjromised blessing. 
 
 19. Known him: i.e., noticed him and admitted him to intimate 
 communion {cf. Amos iii. 2). 
 
 20. Because . . . great : oi-, Surelg the cry . . . is great. 
 
 XIX. I. Sodom : The situation of Sodom and Gomorrah seems, from 
 
228 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 the indication given in xiii. lo-ii, where they are represented as being 
 in sight from a spot between Bethel and Ai (ver. 3), and lying to the 
 east, in the valley of the Jordan (ver. 1 1 ), to have been at the north end 
 of the Dead Sea, though the name Usdum survives in connection with 
 a spot at the south of the lake. The cause of their destruction seems to 
 have been an eruption of bitumen, in which the neighbourhood abounds. 
 Probably there existed large reservoirs of inflammable gas under the 
 surface, which became by some means broken up (possibly by a tremor of 
 earthquake) ; and the escaping gas and petroleum, on becoming ignited 
 (perhaps by lightning), would create a conflagration which would easily 
 destroy towns of a primitive construction. After the eruption, the 
 district would naturally present an appearance like that described in 
 Deut. xxix. 23 (where Admah and Zeboiim are included in the cities 
 destroyed). 
 
 14. TVIlich Itad married : cf. LXX. tous elXrjcpoTai ras dvyaripas avToO. 
 Others, vMch were to marry ; cf. Vulgate, qui accepturi erant Jilias eins. 
 
 17. Look not behind thee': i.e., to avoid seeing what it miglit prove 
 fatal for a mortal to behold ; cf. note on xvi. 13. 
 
 22. Zoar : i.e., "little," from Heb. tsdar, "to be little," its earlier 
 name being Bela (xiv. 2). The preservation of Zoar from the fate 
 which is represented as having overtaken Sodom is perhaps in favour 
 of its situation being placed at the south-east corner of the Dead Sea, 
 where the name (Segor) is said to have existed in the time of tlie 
 Crusades. In Wisd. x. 6 the calamity is extended to five cities, Zoar 
 probably being included, from its mention in Gen. xiv. 2. 
 
 26. A pillar of salt : At the south-west extremity of the Dead Sea 
 there is a ridge, consisting mainly of crystallised rock-salt, buttresses 
 of which sometimes become detached, forming isolated columns. Some 
 such pillar may have strengthened, if not occasioned, the belief ex- 
 pressed in the text. To the story of Lot's wife our Lord referred in 
 warning His hearers against delay in seeking escape from impending 
 destruction. As the allusion served equally well to indicate the kind 
 of conduct against which the warning was directed, whether the story 
 was well founded or not, the historical character of the nari-ative seems 
 left an open question (Luke xvii. 32). 
 
 37. Moab : Suggestive of the Hebrew for " begotten from my fatlier ; " 
 ]>XX. e/f Tov irarpbs fiov. 
 
 38. Ben-ammi: i.e., "son of my people"' — the offspring of parents 
 of tlie same stock ; LXX. vl6s yivovs fiov. 
 
 XX. I. Ger>ir : South of Gaza ; cf. x. 19, 
 
 2. Sarah : Sarah was now ninety according to P (see xvii. 17). 
 
 12. Sister: In 2 Sam. xiii. 13 it seems to be implied that such unions 
 were recognised even in David's time ; but they are among those pro- 
 hibited by the Levitical law ; if. Lev. xviii. 9 ; Deut. xxvii. 22 ; Ezek. 
 xxii. II. 
 
 16. Covering of the eyes: i.e., "Consider this something which Avill 
 tender those with thee blind to any dishonour thou mayeist seem to 
 
EXPLANATORY NOTES 229 
 
 have incurred;" cf. xxxii. 20, where / will aj^peasi; him is literally, " I 
 will cover his face." 
 
 XXI. 12. In Isaac . . . called: i.e., those of his descendants to 
 whom, in particular, his name was to pass, and who were to inherit 
 the Divine promises made to him, should be of Isaac's line ; cf. Isa. 
 xli. 8 ; John viii. 33 ; Acts xiii. 26. 
 
 14. Beersluha: An anticipatory use of the name, first bestowed under 
 the circumstances described in ver. 31. Suljsequently the place was 
 included in Judah but possessed by Simeon (Josh. xv. 28, xix. 2). 
 
 1 5. Cast the child : The words, together with the ex])ressions lift uji 
 the lad (ver. 18) and he ; rew (ver. 20), seem to imply that Ishmael was 
 young enough to be carried by his mother ; but P represents him as 
 being thirteen years old before Isaac was born (xvii. 25). 
 
 20. And became an archer : Or, he was groiriiaj up an archer. Others 
 render, he became a shooter, a bowman. 
 
 21. Paran: Probably the desert extending from the Gulf of Suez 
 in the west to the country of Edom in the east, and from the mountain 
 of Sinai in the south to the borders of Judtea in the north. 
 
 31. Beersheba : Properly "the well of seven," from shcbn, "seven" 
 (see ver. 28), but here brought by the following words into connection 
 with the verb nis-iba, "to swear,'' an etymology repeated in xxvi. 31-33. 
 
 XXII. 2. One of the mountains : Identified hj Jewish tradition with 
 Mount Moriah, upon which the Temple was built (2 Chron. iii. i). The 
 name Moriah is associated in point of sound, if not of etymology, with 
 the appellation contained in ver. 14, and in 2 Chron. I.e. is connected 
 with the appearance of the angel of Jehovah to David on the threshing- 
 floor of Oman. The LXX., however, renders the Land of Moriah 
 (ver. 2) by rrjv y^v tt}v v\pTi)\riv ; and as it has ttj^ bpvu rr]v v\p7]ki]v for the 
 terebinth of Mornh (xii. 6), but ' Afioipeia in 2 Chron. I.e., it is possible 
 that the neighbourhood of Shechem (whei-e the terebinth of Moreli 
 stood), and not Jerusalem, was the scene of the sacrifice. 
 
 4. On the third day: The distance from Beersheba to Jerusalem, by 
 way of Hebron, is about forty miles ; from the former place to Shechem, 
 between sixty and seventy. 
 
 13. Behind liim : The LXX. has k/sws ets, implying a difteience in the 
 Hebrew of a single letter. 
 
 14. Jehovah Jireh: "Jehovah sees," i.e., notices and interj^oses in 
 time of need {cf. xvi. 1 3). The expression recalls the words of Abraham 
 in ver. 8. 
 
 He manifeds Hims>ir : Others render, it shaU be pr>'tid:il. But; if 
 the Hebrew accents are disregarded, the natural rendering of the text, 
 as pointed, is hi the nno'mt Jehovah manifests Himself (LXX. ev rif 6pfi. 
 Ki'ptos wcpdi])^ and, with "different jjoints. In the vnunl Jehnvah sees 
 (Vulgate, In monie Dorninus videbit). 
 
 20. Hath, heme children: Of the following names, C7?.- and Aram 
 occur in a dift'erent connection in x. 22, 23 (P). Bu:c is associated in 
 Jei-. XXV. 23 with Dedan and Tenia ; see on xxv. 2, 13. Ohesed is con- 
 
230 THE BOOK OF (GENESIS 
 
 nected with Clialdsea (Heb. Cliasdim). For Bdhuel see xxiv. 15 (.1), 
 x.w. 20 (P). The rest are unknown. 
 
 XXIII. I. The life of Sarah: An Sarah was ninety wlien Isaac Avas 
 born, the latter was now thirty-seven, so tliat a considerable interval is 
 conceived as having elapsed between the events of this chapter and 
 chap, xxii., where Isaac was still "a lad." By this time Abraham had 
 left Beersheba (xxii. 19) for Hebron. The previous name of the lattei' 
 place (Kiriath Ai-ba) was derived from the name of an early ruler, who 
 was one of the aboriginal giants (Josh. xiv. 15, xv. 13 ; Judges i. 10). 
 Hebron was eighteen miles south of Jerusalem, between that city and 
 Beersheba. 
 
 5. Sayiiifi unto /niu : The combination is rare (though it occurs in 
 Lev. xi. i), and accordingly the text is pointed by some so as to give 
 tlie meaning, xayi g, Pray, hear us (</. ver. 13). The LXX. here has /j-v, 
 Kvpte, and in ver. 1 5, oi^x', Kvpie. 
 
 9. Machpelali : That this is the name of the district, and not of tlie 
 cave, appears from ver. 17. A mos(]^ue is now built over wliat is sup- 
 ]iosed to be the place of burial, near Hebron. 
 
 16. Shekel: A little less than half an ounce avoirdupois. 
 
 Current money : Merchants may have put a mark upon bars of gold 
 and silver to signify that they were of full weight, as is said to have 
 been done by tlie Phcenicians. LXX. TeTpaKocia 5i5pttx/xa dpyvplov doKi/.Loxi 
 i/xirSpoLS. 
 
 XXIV. 2. Under my thigh: The act seems to be symbolic of subor- 
 dination and a promi.se of obedience, or it may imply an appeal to the 
 posterity (c/. the expression in xlvi. 26) of the person touched to avenge 
 the infraction of the oath. 
 
 10. Aram Naltaraim : lit. " Aram of the two rivers,'"' the region lying 
 between the Tigris and Euphrates, afterwards called Mesopotamia, 
 which is the rendering of the LXX. Others limit it to thetdistrict 
 between the Euphrates and the Chaboras. 
 
 22. Nose-riny: See ver. 47. The LXX. has eVcixia ; and in ver. 47, 
 VfpiedrjKf avTri to, ivdma. 
 
 Half a sheh'l : About a quarter of an ounce. LXX. Spaxp-ri- 
 
 48. Brother: More accui'ately, " brother's son ;" c/. xiv. 16, xxix. 12. 
 
 53. Previous thimjs : The gifts (mohar) from the bridegroom to the 
 relatives of the maiden (c/. xxxiv. 12 ; i Sam. xviii. 25), parallel to the 
 Greek HSva. 
 
 62. From the way of Beer-kihai-roi : The LXX. has oieiropevcTo Sia rfjs 
 (pr)f/.ov Kara rb <t>peap rrji opdcrem (see XXV. ii). Though the Servant was 
 despatched by Altraham, he is rejjresented as returning to Isaac. 
 
 63. 7'o meditate : Or to lament ; see ver. 67 (end). 
 
 XXV. I. Another ivife: It seems probable (see ver. 6) that Keturah 
 was Abraham's concubine during the life of Sarah, and not merely 
 after the latter's death. 
 
 2. And she bare him : Of the names tliat follow, Sheha may represent 
 the Sabcieans. /)edan is connected with Arabia in Isa. xxi. 13, and 
 
EXPLANATORY NOTES 231 
 
 ■witli Edom in Jer. xlix. 8. Tlie Miih'anites (witli Avliom the MeddnHes 
 are identified in xxxvii. 28, 36) lived in tlie neighbourhood of Sinai 
 and Moab(Exod. ii. 1 5 ; Num. xxii. 4). EpJiah is associated with Midian 
 in Isa. Ix. 6. 
 
 6. Concabii'es : Keturah (c/. i Cliron. i. 32), and (i)rohalj]y) Hagar. 
 
 The east country : Arabia. 
 
 13. Sons of Ishmael: Nehoioth (Isa. Ix. 7) may perhap.s represent the 
 Kabat^eans, whose capital was Petra. The people of Kedar (Isa. xxi. 
 16 ; Jer. xlix. 28), Dmnali, and Ten, a (Isa. xxi. 14) occupied the Arabian 
 desert which stretched from Babylonia to Egypt. Jetur and Naphish 
 were neighbours of Israel on the east of the Jordan (i Cliron. v. 19). 
 
 18. Shur : See note on xvi. 7. 
 
 Ill the presence of: See note on xvi. 12. 
 
 25. Esau: From a verb meaning "to be hairy,"' the existence of 
 Avhich is said to be probably from the Arabic. 
 
 26. Jacob : From ukah, " to take by the heel." The form Jacoh-el has 
 been found in an Egyptian inscription, so that it is possible that Jacob 
 is shortened from this, as Nathan is from Nat/'an-el, in which case the 
 name perhaps means " ((Tud) rewardeth ; ' cf. the Heb. of Ps. xix. 11 (12). 
 
 Isaac . . . old: Isaac and his wife had been married twenty yeais 
 (ver. 20). 
 
 30. Edom: From adorn, "red." Here the name is explicitly con- 
 nected with the red pottage, but the language of ver. 25 suggests that 
 the appellation was due to his ruddy colour when born. 
 
 31. First: lit. "this day ;" cf. i Kings i. 51, xxii. 5. 
 
 Birthright : Involving the claim to be head of the family, to whom 
 would fall the blessing of Abraham (xxviii. 4). In later times it carried 
 with it the larger portion of the inheritance (Deut. xxi. 17). 
 
 XXVI. I. The first famine : See xii. 10. 
 
 18. The wdls . . . his fatUr: The only wells which Abraham is 
 recorded to have digged were at Beersheba (xxi. 25-31), not Gerar. 
 
 20. Esek : From i/sak, " to strive." 
 
 21. Sitnah : ?'.«'., "enmity." 
 
 22. Rehohoth: *'.«.," roomy sjiaces." 
 
 34. Took to icife : Though these verses, together with xxviii. 9, seem 
 to be taken from P (see crit. note), they contain, together an account of 
 Esau's marriage at variance with that given (apparently also by P) in 
 xxxvi. 2-3 (see note there). 
 
 XXVII. 5. To IruKj it: LXX. roJ Trarpl avTov, implying a different 
 Hebrew original. 
 
 13. Upon me be tlnj curse: Eebekah doubtless remembered what had 
 been foretold respecting her younger son's future pre-eminence over 
 his brother (xxv. 23). 
 
 1 5. Goodly raiment : The giving of the blessing partook of a religious 
 character, which rendered such change of attire necessary ; cf. xxxv. 2. 
 
 27. The smell (f a field . . . blessed: i.e., of a field fragrant with 
 lierbs and flowers ; cf. Cant. iv. 11 ; Hos. xiv. 6. 
 
232 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 28. The dew : Ui)on this the fertility of a couutiy like Palestine 
 largely depends ; c/. Dent, xxxiii. 13, 28 ; Hos. xiA\ 5. 
 
 33. Yea, and he. shall be blessed : For the belief in the efiectiveness of 
 a blessing or curse once pronounced, cf. Num. xxii. 6. 
 
 36. Jacob: The name is here brought into connection with the 
 secondary meaning of the verb ukab (see xxv. 26), " to overreach." 
 
 38. Hast thou . . . blessing: lit. "Is it thy one blessing?" 
 
 39. Far from the fatness : That this is the true rendering, and not nf 
 the fatness, appears from tlie following words, by thy sirord slialt th^u 
 live, which imply that Esau's source of maintenance is not to be the 
 ])eaceful occupation of agriculture ; and this is confirmed by the lan- 
 guage of the prophets Malachi (i. 3) and Obadiah (3), with whose 
 account of Edom the present condition of the country, as described by 
 modern travellers, is in agieement. For the different meanings con- 
 veyed in vers. 28, 39 by the same expression, cf. xl. 13 and 19. 
 
 40. ]lreak loose: The precise meaning of the Avord is uncertain, Init 
 that given in the text (which readily passes into that of " wandering 
 at large and unrestrainedly," and, in a metaphorical sense, "of being 
 distracted ") seems to suit the other passages Avhere it occurs (see Jer. 
 ii. 31 ; Hos. xi. 12 (marg.) ; Ps. Iv. 2). 
 
 45. Botlt : The murderer Avould pay the penalty for his crime. 
 
 46. The davghters of I/elh : This, folloAved by the daughters of the land, 
 is aAvkward, and is omitted by the LXX. 
 
 XXVIII. 16. Surely Jehovah . . . not: Imijlying that JehoA'ah's pre- 
 sence had hitherto been connected by him oidy Avith places regarded as 
 sacred by his father and grandfather, such as Beersheba (xx vi. 24, xxi. 23)- 
 
 19. Luz : That Bethel and Luz Avere not altogether identical appears 
 from Josh. xvi. 2. The situation of Bethel is twelve miles north of 
 Jeiusalem. 
 
 22. Shall be God's house: See xxxv. 7. In later times Bethel was a 
 national sanctuary ; see Judges xx. 18 ; i Sam. x. 3. 
 
 XXIX. 5. The son of Nahor : Eeally his grandson ; see xxiv. 15, 29 ; 
 cf. 2 Kings ix. 20 and 14. 
 
 12. Brother: Really his nepheAv ; see xxviii. 2. 
 
 27. Complete her week: i.e., celebrate the marriage feast, Avhich lasted 
 a week ; cf. Judges xiv. 12. 
 
 32. Reuben: lit. "See! a son," but brought into connection with 
 rdah beongi, " he hath seen my affliction." 
 
 33. Siiiieon : From shdma, " to hear." 
 
 34. Levi : From Idvah, " to cleave to." 
 
 35. Judah : From Iioduh, " to i)raise." The LXX. has "she called," 
 as in the jjrevious A^erses. 
 
 XXX. 2. Am I in God's stead : cf. 2 Kings a-. 7. 
 
 3. Upon my knees: The person upon Avliose knees a ne\v-l)orn infant 
 was laid thereby claimed it {cf. 1. 23, Job iii. 12 ; Honi. 11. ix. 455, 
 Od. xix. 401. 
 
 6. Dan: From din, "to judge," in the sense of "defender," " advo- 
 
EXPLANATORY NOTES 233 
 
 cate," implying tliat God liail taken her under His protection, and 
 asserted her cause against tliose who reproached her for childlessness. 
 
 8. Naiylitali : From niiihtal, " to wrestle." 
 
 II. / am fortunate: lit. " wdtli good fortune;" LXX. «V tvxv- A 
 ditlerent pointing of th^ Hebrew gives ijood fortune has covie. 
 
 Gad: i.e., "fortune ;" cf. Isa. Ixv. 11. 
 
 13. A slier : From «--7ter, "to be happy." 
 
 14. Love-apples: Or via)idrakes {.\landrugora autumnalis), a plant 
 having a strong smell (cf. Cant. vii. 13), and bearing yellowish -green 
 apples about the .size of a nutmeg, and with roots forked like the 
 legs of a man ; botli its fruit and root were esteemed as a means of 
 promoting fertility. LXX. /iiyXa navSpayopuiv. 
 
 17. Ulte conceired . . . a fifth son: As it is implied in xxix. 35, xxx. 
 9. tliat a considerable inter\al elapsed between the births of Judah and 
 Issachar, it is jirobable tliat the latter, together with Zebulun and 
 Dinah, was born during the six years that followed the second period 
 of seven (see xxxi. 41), otherwise Leah must have had seven children 
 in as many years. 
 
 18. Issachar: lit. "He (God) brings a reward," from yissa saehar. 
 
 20. Zebidun: From zdbal, which in Hebrew means " to dwell," but 
 according to the Assyrian is said to signify "to raise up," "exalt" 
 (rf. LXX. aipeTKi fie 6 dvrjp p-ov). But the words, God hath endowed 
 me . . . point to a name, Zebudicu, from zdbad, "to endow," "to 
 present." The discrepancy is probably due to the account being a 
 combination of two different records. 
 
 21. Dinah: It is implied in xlvi. 7 that Jacob had other daughters 
 also. 
 
 23. Ami God remembered : It is not necessary to assume that all the 
 children of Leah and the two handmaids were born liefoie Josepli 
 (see note on ver. 17). 
 
 24. Joseph : The words, God . . . rtproacli, connect the name with 
 dsapit, "to take away," and point to E as the source of the narrative ; 
 but the explanation. May Jehovah . . . son, implies a derivation from 
 yasaph, " to add," and is derived from J (cf. crit. note). 
 
 27. Tarry : Unexpressed in the oi-igiiial, but necessary to complete the 
 sense. 
 
 JHcined: See note on xliv. 5. 
 
 32. Sjieckled and spotted : The sheep in the East are said to be almost 
 all white, the goats mostly dark ; and so those that were marked with 
 black among the sheep and white among the goats might be expected 
 to be few. 
 
 35. He removed : Laban, instead of falling in with Jacol/s projjosal 
 (ver. 32), himself separated the unusual coloured cattle, and committed 
 them to his sons to drive apart, whilst the normal coloured animals 
 were left to the care of Jacob, the arrangement seemingly being that the 
 otfsprini,' of the latter, wdiicli diti'ered in colour from the sires and dams, 
 should thenceforward be Jacob's hire. It wa.s to ensure the number 
 
234 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 of tliese being a.s great as possible that Jacob adopted tlie artifice 
 described in vers. 37-39, 41-42. But ver. 40, as it stands, is out of har- 
 mony with the context, and its introduction may be tlie result of an 
 amalgamation of two distinct accounts. If so, the one may have run 
 (in agreement with what precedes), And Jacob divided tite lambs, and 
 set jiiicks fur himself apart, and put them not into Laban's flock, whilst 
 the other (which is onlya fragment) may have described a difi'erent device. 
 
 XXXI. 12. Dajjpled : i.e., white spots on a dark ground. As this 
 is used instead of the spotted of xxx. 32, 33, 35, but with the same 
 meaning, it proliably indicates that the two passages are derived from 
 different sources. 
 
 1 5. Devoured the m.oney : Tliis seems to imply that a portion of the 
 nwliar (see on xxiv. 53) was usually returned in the form of dowry to 
 the daughter : cf the Homeric edvoua-daL dvyarepa {Od. ii. 53). 
 
 19. Terapliim : LXX. ei'SwXa, images (seemingly of human form, 
 I Sam. xix. 13-16) worshipped as the tutelary gods or god of the 
 house ; so that Rachel thought to carry with her the fortune of the 
 family. They were also used in some way to predict the futui-e 
 (Ezek. xxi. 21 ; Zech. x. 2). 
 
 21. Over the River: i.e., the Euphrates. 
 
 23. Seven da//s^ journey: The distance between ]\Iesopolanvia and 
 Gilead is far too great to have been accomplished in this time. 
 
 25. Gilead: The mountainotis district east of the Jordan, extending, 
 roughly, from the south exti-emity of the Sea of Galilee to the northern 
 end of the Dead Sea. 
 
 29. The God of your father: The jilural includes Jacob's brethren 
 (ver. 23) ; but tlie LXX. has 6 debs rod varpos aov. 
 
 35. The manner of women is upon me : Her condition would doubtless 
 also prevent Laban from touching her (cf. Lev. xv. 19). 
 
 45-55. Two compacts can be distinguislied — (i) That Jacpb should 
 be faithful to Laban's daughters (ver. 50) ; (2) that neither party 
 should pass over the boundary agreed upon to the other's hurt (ver. 52). 
 Possibly the pillar was connected with the one, and the heajt with the 
 other ; but if so, the two accounts have l)ecome confused. 
 
 47. Jerjar-sahadutha: Aramaic for "the heap of witness." 
 
 (I'uleed : i..e, " heap of witness." 
 
 49. Mizjiah : i.e., " watch tower." The spot must have been north 
 of the Jal)bok, the crossing of which is not mentioned until xxxii. 22. 
 The Mizpah mentioned in Judges xi. 1 1 (Mizpeh of Gilead, ver. 29) 
 was south of tlie Jabbok. 
 
 53. Judge: The pluial verb seems to imidy that Laban did not 
 I'ecognise the God of Al>i'aliam and the God of Nahor to be the 
 same deity. 
 
 XXXII. 2. Mahanaim: i.e., "two companies," referring to his own 
 company and the host of angels he had met. This verse is from E, and 
 it is possible that in J the name was connected with Jacob's own two 
 c()mj)anies (ver. 7). The name of a locality is wanted to explain the 
 
EXPLANATORY NOTES 235 
 
 tlin-e of ver. 13. From tlie course of the narrative the 2)lace would 
 ajjpear to be north of the Jabbok (subsequently a border city between 
 (Jad and Manasseli, Josh. xiii. 26, 30); but its exact position is 
 doubtfuh 
 
 3. Field of Edom: The name anticipates the final occupation (Dent. 
 ii. 12), for at this time the country was still in the possession of the 
 aboriginal Horites (.\xxvi. 20), against whom Esau had to maintain 
 himself by his armed followers. For the discrepancy between this 
 passage (by JE) and the account of P, see on xxxvi. 6. 
 
 9. Wliidi saidst unto me: See xxxi. 3. 
 
 1 1, The mother with the children : Or tlie mother over the children, in the 
 attitude of protection ; (/. Hos. x. 14. 
 
 12. Thou midd: Jiee xxviii. 13-15, though the language is not 
 identical. 
 
 20. Appease : lit. " I will cover his face with the present ; " (/. 
 XX. 16, note. 
 
 22. Jabbok: The modern Ez Zarka, Mhich flows into the Jordan on 
 its left bank, midway between the Sea of Tiberias and the Dead Sea. 
 According to the narrator, it got its name from the wrestling {Cibak) 
 which took place on its banks, though it is probably from bdkak, " to 
 pour out." 
 
 25. Prevailed not: That Jacob possessed great physical strength is 
 implied in xxix. 10, contrasted with ver. 8. 
 
 26. Let me go . . . breaketh : Perhaps said in the spirit of xix. 17. 
 It may have been this which betrayed to Jacob the supernatural 
 character of his antagonist. 
 
 28. Israel: lit. "God strives" (cf. Jerubbaal, which is regarded as 
 meaning " let Baal jjlead," Judges vi. 32), but implying " one who 
 maintains a struggle with God." For the identification of God with 
 His angel, cf. xvi. 10, 13, xxii. 11, 14. 
 
 Men : e.g., Esau and Laltan. The LXX. has on tVicrxi'tras p-era 6(ov, 
 Kai fjLfTa avdpihirujv Svvarbi ^(rrj. 
 
 29. IVherefire . . . my name : t/. Jmlu'es xiii. 18. 
 
 30. Feniel : i.e., "the face of God." LXX. eloos deou. The i and a 
 in Peniel and Penuel (ver. 32) are merely connective vowels. The 
 jiosition of the place (which is named in Judges viii. 8) is unknown. 
 
 XXXIIL 10. Face of God : Probably a popular expression of eulogy 
 like the English divine ; cf. i Sam. xxix. 9 ; 2 Sam. xiv. 17. 
 
 14. To Heir: Jacob's original destination was his father's home 
 (xxxi. 18). 
 
 1 7. Saccoth : i.e., " booths." The place was probably on the east of 
 the Jordan and south of the Jabbok (xxxii. 22, since the description 
 of Shechem as being in the land of Canaan (xxxiii. 18) implies that it 
 was the first city west of the Jordan which he reached. There was a 
 Succoth among the cities assigned to Gad (Josh. xiii. 27 ; cf. also Judges 
 viii. 4-8). The name still survives, but is attached to a locality on the 
 ^vest of the river. 
 
236 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 18. Slialem : So the LXX. ; cf. Joliii iii. 23. There still exists a 
 small place called Salim three miles to the east of the ancient Shecheiii. 
 Others render in peace. 
 
 19. Pieces of money : Heb. Kesitah. Tlie LXX. renders d/j.vu)v ; but 
 they were probably ingcjts or pieces of metal of specified weight. The 
 plot of ground purchased was in the valley extending between Ebal 
 and Gerizim. 
 
 20. El-eJohe-hrael : i.e., "God, the God of Israel." Tlie altar l)ears 
 the name of the God to whom it is dedicated ; cf. Exod. xvii. 1 5. 
 
 XXX IV. 4. Spake unto his father : For the parent arranging the 
 marriage of the son ; cf. xxi. 21, xxiv. 3, foil. The fact that Dinah is 
 here repi'esented as being of a marriageable age, which was not the case 
 when Jacob left Mesopotamia (see xxx. 21, xxxi. 41), implies a lengtliy 
 sojourn at Succoth (xxxiii. 17). 
 
 7. Wrought folhj in Israel: The expression, common in later history 
 (Dent. xxii. 21 ; Jndges xx. 10 ; 2 Sanu xiii. 12), is an anachronism here, 
 for Israel, as a people, did not yet exist, in sinte of the apjjlication of 
 the word peoide to Jacob's company in xxxv. 6. 
 
 13. A)id spake, because: If the words (tnd spake are to be retained, a 
 transposition seems necessary, so that the passage may run answered 
 S/iechem and spake ivith guile, because . . . But as the same word is used 
 in 2 Chron. xxii. 10 in the sense of destroy, it may perhajjs mean here 
 sought their destruction. 
 
 XXXV. 2. Put away . . . garments : i.e., in preparation for the holy 
 place at Bethel. The "strange gods " were perhaps the Teraphim ; cf. 
 xxxi. 19. For the latter part of the direction, cf. 2 Sam. xii. 20. 
 
 4. Earrings : These are said to have been used as amulets or charms. 
 
 5. A mighty terror : lit. " a terror of God ; " (/. xxx. 8. Others 
 I'ender a terror from God ; cf. 2 Chron. xiv. 14 ; Zech. xiv. 13. 
 
 7. El-beth-el : i.e., " the God of Bethel." 
 
 Revealed himself: The plural in the Hebrew may have an implicit 
 reference to the angels mentioned in xxviii. 12. 
 
 8. Allon-bacliuth : i.e., "the oak of weeping." 
 
 14. Drink-offering: Probably of wine. 
 
 16. A little 'icay : Heb. a chibrah of land, a measure of distance not 
 precisely known, though its use in 2 Kings v. 19 implies that it wius 
 inconsiderable. The LXX. here transliterates eJs x<^^P<^^°-y hut in xlviii. 
 7 it prefixes the explanation rbv iwTrddpofxov, either in the sense of the 
 (Jreek stadium (about 202 yards), or as denoting the distau' e a horse 
 could run. 
 
 i8. Beiioni: i.e., "son of my sorrow." 
 
 Henjamin: lit. "son of the right hand," i.e., son of prosjieiity, the 
 right side being the lucky side. It might be equivalent to "son of 
 the south" {cf. the Heb. of Ps. Ixxxix. 12 (13)), Benjamin being born in 
 Canaan, whereas the other children were born in Aram ; but it has 
 lieen pointed out that Canaan is nowhere else so designated. 
 
 19. EjJirufli . . . Bethlehem.- cf. Mioali v. 2. In i Saui. x. 2 Ttacliel's 
 
EXPLANATORY NOTES 237 
 
 st'pulcliie is represented as being within the border of Benjamin, and 
 in Jer. xxxi. 15 Rachel is regarded as weeping at Eaniah, which ^\^•ls 
 one of the cities of Benjamin (Josli. xviii. 25) ; wliereas Ephrath, botli 
 }iere and in xlviii. 7, is identified with Bethlehem, which was in .Tiidali. 
 There were probably two traditions respecting the place of burial. 
 
 21. Eder : Perhaps the same as the Eder in tlie soutli of Judali 
 (Josh. XV. 21). 
 
 22. And Israel heard of it: '1 he LXX. continue^: Kal wovrjpbv e^aij; 
 evavTLOV avToD. 
 
 26. Paddan Aram : This, in strictness, only applies to the first 
 eleven sons. 
 
 XXXVI. 2. Esau took his irives : The names of Esau's wives, as 
 given here and in xxvi. 34 and xxviii. 9, differ ; and though, as a 
 whole, the section seems to be derived from P, it is probable that tlie 
 compiler has intioduced materials drawn from one of the other 
 sources : — 
 
 xxxvi. 2, foil. xxvi. 34 ; xxviii. 9. 
 
 1. Adah, d. of Elon the Hittite. liasemath, d. of Elon the Hittite. 
 
 2. (Jholibamah, d. of Anah, d. of Judith, d. of Beeri, the Hittite. 
 
 Zibeon the Hivite. 
 
 3. Baseinath, d. of Isliuiael. Malialath, d. of Ishmael. 
 
 Elon is called the Hittite because that term was applicable generally 
 to the inhabitants of Canaan {cf. xxvii. 46) ; but the designation of 
 Zibeon as the Hivite appears to be a mistake for the Horite (see ver. 20). 
 As the text stands, the Anah of ver. 2 is a woman ; but if identical 
 with the Anah of ver. 20 (where sons may mean dnldren), daughter of 
 Zibeon must be a mistake for sister. But the LXX. in ver. 2 has toO 
 viov 'Ee^eywv, identifying the Anah of ver. 2 with the Anah of ver. 24., 
 
 3. Sister of Xebaioth : See c. xxv. 13. 
 
 6. Into the land . . . : The name of the country (Seir, ver. 8) appears 
 to be omitted. The LXX. has e/c rfjs yns Xavadf. According to JE 
 (xxxii. 3) Esau was in Seir when Jacob was returning from Paddan 
 Aram ; but P here represents Esau as dwelling in Canaan and only 
 departing for Seir after Jacob's arrival. 
 
 12. Amalek : If Amalek here is regarded as the ancestor of the Amale- 
 kites, there is a discre^jancy between the passage (from P) and xiv. 7, 
 where the Amalekites appear among tlie aboriginal inhabitants. 
 
 15. Chiejs: The Hebrew literally means "the commander of a 
 thousand men" (Chiliarch). 
 
 16. Korah is identical in name with the son of E.sau mentioned in 
 ver. r8, and is omitted here by the Samaritan version. If Amalek, the 
 son of the concubine (ver. 12), be disregarded, the chiefs descended 
 from Esau's three wives number twelve {cf. Introd. p. 50). 
 
 19. The same is Edom : This should naturally follow Esau. 
 
 20. Tlie inhnbitaiits of the land: i.e., the aboriginal occupants; see 
 note on xiv. . 
 
238 THE BOOK OF (iENESIS 
 
 24. . . . (ind Aiali : The conjunction in the Hebrew text points to' 
 the omission of a name. 
 
 26. Dishan : So the Hebrew ; but the LXX. (with which i Chron. i. 
 41 a<,'rees) has Z^/s/i'm, which a comparison with ver. 21 shows to be 
 right. 
 
 28. i^z : The same name occurs in a different connection in x. 23. 
 
 31. KirKja . . . Edoni: The mcmarchy of Edom was seemingly elec- 
 tive {cf. Isa. xxxiv. 12, maig.), since none of the eight kings is the son 
 of his predecessor. 
 
 33. Bnzrah: Presumaldy the same jilace witli that mentioned in 
 connection with Edom in Isa. Ixiii. i and Amos i. 11-12. 
 
 34. Land of the Temanites : A district in Edoiu ; cf. Jer. xlix. 7 ; 
 E/ek. XXV. 13. 
 
 35. Sinote Midian : After tlie time of Gideon the Midianites almost 
 disappear from history (Judges viii. 28), so that Hadad must have 
 reigned before that date. 
 
 37. Rehoho/h by the Ricf-r : If the River means, as it usually does, the 
 Euphrates, the Shaul here mentioned must have been an Assyrian. 
 
 40. And these are the names : This list is apparently territorial rather 
 than personal and genealogical like that of ver. 15-18. 
 
 XXXVII. 3. Garment : One reaching down to the wrists and ankles, 
 worn by persons of high rank (2 Sam. xiii. 18, where the LXX. has 
 Xtrdjj' Kapwuirb's and the Vulgate talaris tunica, though here the former 
 has X- TToiKiXos and the latter t. pohjmita). But on an Egyptian tomb 
 there has been found the representation of a Semitic chief wearing a 
 inirment with a sleeve which covers the left arm to tlie elbow only, 
 the right arm being bare. 
 
 g. 'J'he eleven stars : The article is absent in the Heb. Probably the 
 sun and moon symbolised Jacob and Rachel, and the eleven stars 
 Joseph's brethren. 
 
 10. Thy mother : The discrepancy l)etween this and xxxv. 18 suggests 
 that the two passages come fi'om different sources (E and J). 
 
 17. Dotkan : About twelve miles to the north of Samaria. 
 
 25. Spice: Tragacanth, a resinous gum (Astragalus gummifer). 
 Balsam : The gum of the mastix tree {Pistacia lentiscus). 
 Myrrh : Or ladaimm, the aromatic gum of the Cistus creticns. 
 
 28. Midianites : In Judges viii. 22-24 the Midianites are regarded as 
 Ishmaelites, so that, notwithstanding the different sources from wliic'u 
 the record is compiled (see crit. note), there is no serious discrepancy' in 
 the account. In ver. 36 the captors of Joseph are called Medanites, a 
 tribe closely related to the Midianites, according to xxv. 2. 
 
 Twenty shekels of silver : The average value of a slave, according to 
 the Mosaic law, was thirty shekels (Exod. xxi. 32). 
 
 35. Grave: lit. Sheol, the subterranean world, the aljode of the dead, 
 coiresponding to the Greek Hades. 
 
 36. Officer: The word primarily menus a eunuch (LXX. cndbwv and 
 ei/fouxos). 
 
EXPLANATORY NOrKS 239 
 
 Guard : lit. executioners. The primary signiticatiou of the word was 
 hutcher or cook (see i Sam. ix. 23), and it is rendered by the LXX. 
 dpx'Ma7««pos- It was then applied to the royal guards, who had to 
 superintend the execution of condemned persons. Potiphar, as captain 
 of this boily, had the state prison under his charge (xl. 3). 
 
 XXXVIII. I. Went down: Jacob and his sons lived at Hebron in 
 the hill country of Judah (cf. xxxvii. 14). Adullam lay in the plain 
 of Jndah (Josh. xv. 35), to the N.W. of Hebron. 
 
 5. C/>e::ib : Probably the same as Achzib (Josh. xv. 44), also in the 
 lowland of Judah. 
 
 8. Marry hfv : More s,ivici\\, per form the duty of a hushand's brother, 
 a practice afterwards enjoined and regulated by the Mosaic law ; see 
 Dent. XXV. 5-10. 
 
 11. Thy father'. f liiiu.ie : </. Lev. xxii. 13, foil, (of a priest's daughter). 
 
 12. Timnah : In the hill country of Judah (Josh. xv. 57). 
 
 14. Disguised herself: She professed to aj)pear as a Kede.-Jiah, i.e., 
 one who consecrated herself to the impure worship of Astarte, who 
 was honoured by her devotees in the same way as Mylitta was at 
 Babylon (Hdt. i. 199). 
 
 Enaim : Perhaps the same as Enam in the lowland of Judali 
 (Josh. XV. 34). 
 
 17. A kid: A similar present was made by Samson when visiting 
 his Philistine wife (Judges xv. i). 
 
 18. Cord: By wdiich the signet-ring was suspended over tlie breast 
 (cf. Cant. viii. 6). The custom in Canaan of wearing a signet-ring 
 and carrying a staff resembled that recorded of the Babylonians by 
 Herodotus (i. 195, atppriy^da eKaaros ^x^' ""■'■ cicrjirTpov xf'poTro/Tjroi'). 
 
 23. Lest we be put to shame : By continuing to make further inquiries. 
 
 24. Burned : In the Mosaic law the punishment of an unfaithful 
 wife seems to have been death, but the mode of death is kft undeter- 
 mined (Deut. xxii. 22). It was prol>ably death l>y stoning ; cf. Ezek. 
 xvi. 38-40. Death by fire w^as the penalty for unehastity in the case of 
 the daughter of a priest (Lev. xxi. 9). 
 
 29. Why hast . . . account: Others, Hoio hast thou made a breach^ 
 A breach he 'upon thee / (the last words being an imprecation). 
 
 Perez : i.e., " breaking forth.'' 
 
 30. Zerah : lit. "rising," in reference to his appearing first, but 
 with an implication of the brightness of the dawn, and so an allusion 
 to the scarlet thread. 
 
 XXXIX. 6. Save the bread . .-. eat: See xliii. 32. 
 
 21. Keeper of the ji'>"^son : This, coming from J (see crit. note), is 
 inconsistent with what is said in xl. 3 (E), wdiere Joseph in prison is 
 represented as still in Potiphar's charge. In J the master of Joseph 
 seems to have been a private individual whom the narrator left un- 
 named, and who conveyed Joseph from his own house to the public 
 jirison ; whilst in E he appears as Potiphar, who, as residing at the 
 state-prison, transfers Joseph fx-om his own quarters to the dungeons ; 
 
240 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 and the compiler, in combining the two accouut8, has, as in oilier cases, 
 refrained from removing the discrepancy. 
 
 XL. I. Tliehing of Ecjypt : As the E\odus is generally helieved to 
 have taken place abont 1320 B.C. in the reign of Menephthah or 
 Menejdithes (the Amenophis of Greek aiithors), and the duration of 
 the sojourn in Egypt is reckoned at 430 years (Exod. xii. 40), it has 
 been concluded that the Pharaoh in whose reign Joseph came to 
 Egypt was one of the Hyk.so.s, a tribe of Arabian nomads, whose rule 
 is said to have lasted from 2100 to 1600 B.C. 
 
 5. Each man according to the interpretation of his dream : i.e., each 
 dream was significant and admitted of being inteipreted. 
 
 9. Vine : For the vine culture in Egypt, (/. Ps. Ixxviii. 47, cv. ^3 l 
 contrast Hdt. ii. yj, oiVw 5' e/c Kpidiwu ireiroirj/j.ei'ui Oi.axpC)VTaC ov -Yap (T<pl eiai 
 ev Trj x'^PV fi^TeXoi. The cultivation of grajies and the making of wine 
 aie represented on the monuments. 
 
 II. Took the grapes and pressed: Symbolical of the grape-treading, 
 and not implying that unfermented grape-juice was usually drunk in 
 place of wine ; though it appears that a drink made out of the juice of 
 grapes squeezed into water was used at certain feasts. 
 
 16. On mil head: cf. Hdt. ii. 35, ra dxOea oi p.ev dvopes ewl tCov 
 Kf(f>a.\i<j3v (popiovai, al 5e -yvvaiKes ewi tQv &p.wv. 
 
 XLI. I. TJte river : The Heb. term is used almost unifoimly of the Kile. 
 
 2. Reed grass : Heb. ahu, LXX. dxei, an Egyptian word. 
 
 7. Devoured : i.e., the seven lean ears shot up above the others and 
 made them disappear from sight. 
 
 8. Magicians .• Men belonging to the priestly class, who devoted 
 themselves to the practice of hieroglyphic writing and studied magic 
 (see Exod. vii. 11, 22, viii. 7) ; LXX. tovs e^yjyTjrds. 
 
 14. Shaved himself : The Egyptians .shaved except when in mourn- 
 ing (Hdt. ii. 36). 
 
 22. Seven ears on one stalk : A \ariety of corn bearing many ears on 
 one stalk is said to grow in Egypt. 
 
 26. Kin'i : The interpretation oi' the Avell-favoured and lean kine as 
 years of abundance and scarcity respectively is doubtless connected 
 with the fact that a bull was the .symbol of the Nile, upon which the 
 fertility of Egypt depends, whilst a cow was the symliol ot the 
 earth. 
 
 40. IjC rvlfld: LXX. i-rrl tw cTTo/xari crov inraKOvaerai. nas 6 Xaos p.ov. 
 Others render, vpon thy luoutlt slmll all my peojdc kis.'i, as doing 
 homage ; but the kiss of homage would not be given on the moutli, 
 and the construction of the verb in this sense is usually different. 
 
 42. Fine linen : Perhaps rather yi/ze co/^on ; luXX. (XTo\r]v ^vffffivijv. 
 
 43. IJow the knee : Heb. abrech, according to some authorities an 
 imitation of an Egyptian native cry meaning "cast thyself down," 
 but assimilated to the Hebi'ew verb bdrach " to kneel." Others regard 
 it as a word of Babylonian origin, meaning " seer ; " cf. xliv. 15. 
 
 45. Podphera: Virtually tlie same name as I'utiphar. 
 
EXPLANATORY NOTES 241 
 
 50. On : Heliopolis, on the Pelusiac branch of the Nile, near the 
 angle of the Delta. It was the chief centre of the worship of the Sun. 
 
 51. Manasseh: From nushah, "to forget." 
 
 52. Ephraim: From par ah, "to be fruitful." 
 
 54. The seven years of famine: A long famine is mentioned in an 
 inscription on the tomb of an Egyptian called Baba, who lived in the 
 time of the Hyksos. 
 
 56. Everything : The text is imperfect ; it should perhaps run 
 every storehouse ivherein there was corn. The LXX. has vavras roi/s 
 criTo^dXwvas. 
 
 XLIl. 8. They kneio not him : Twenty years had elapsed since they 
 had seen him (see xxxvii. 2, xli. 46, 47). 
 
 9. The nakedness of the land : The most exposed and assailable side of 
 Egypt was the east and north-east ; cf. Hdt. iii. 4, 5. 
 
 II. All one man's sons: It is implied that it was scarcely likely 
 that a father would expose so many of his children at once to the 
 danger attending the occupation of spies. 
 
 37. Two S071S : In xlvi. 9 he is represented as having four. 
 
 XLI II. 1 1. Choice fruits : lit. " the song of the land," i.e., the products 
 praised in song. Others take it to mean literally " that which is cut 
 off," and so the produce ; though the root (zdmar) usually means "to cut 
 off what is useless," " to prune." 
 
 Balsam, &c. : See notes on xxxvii. 25. 
 
 Honey: According to some, grape-juice boiled down to the con- 
 sistency of a syrup. 
 
 Nuts : i.e., pistachio nuts, containing an oily kernel, not unlike an 
 almond. 
 
 1^. If I he bereaved: For similar expressions of resignation see 
 2 Kings vii. 4 ; Esth. iv. 16. 
 
 32. For him by himself: As connected with a priestly hoiise (xli. 45). 
 
 Cannot eat : cf. Hdt. ii. 41, dvrip Aiy^JTmos . . . oi;5i^ fiaxaiprj dvdpbs 
 "EXXtji-os x/jTjcrerat, ou5' 6/3eXo?(rt, ov8i X^^tjti, oi>de Kpeois Kadapou /Soos diarer- 
 fiTj/jLevov "E\\T}viKrj ixaxa-'iprt yevaerai. By this time the Hyksos must have 
 become quite Egyptianised. 
 
 34. Sent messes : As a mark of respect for distinguished guests ; cf. 
 I Sam. ix. 23-24. 
 
 Five times as great: To do him honour; cf. Hom. II. viii. 162, 
 Tvdetdr], irepl fxiv ae t'lov Aavaol raxi^TwXot ^dpr) re Kpiaaiv re iSi TrXeiotj 
 deTrdecrcnv ; Hdt. vi. 57. 
 
 XLiy. 4. The city : Perhaps Memphis. 
 
 5. Divineth: Eepresentations of scenes or coming events were obtained 
 from the appearance presented by water either when poured into a cup, 
 or when disturbed by having certain objects, such as precious stones, 
 thrown into it ; cf. Pliny, H. N. xxxvii. y^, anancitide (a gem) in hydro- 
 mantia clicunt evocari imagines deorum. 
 
 XLV. 7. By a great deliverance : Or (perhaps preferably) to be a great 
 company that escape. 
 
 Q 
 
242 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 8. A father : cf. Judges xvii. lo ; i Mace. xi. 32 ; Apoc. Esth. xvi. 11. 
 
 10. Goshen : In Lower Egypt, on the east of the Nile, the Tanitic 
 branch of which probably formed its western boundary. On the east 
 it was bordered by the Isthmus of Suez, and the LXX. terms it r^o-e/i 
 TTjj 'Apa^ias. 
 
 ig. Now thou art commanded: i.e., to give them their directions. 
 But the LXX. has aij Si ^freiXat. 
 
 24. Fall not out: e.g., as to their respective responsibility for the 
 wrong done to Joseph and their father, which had now to be con- 
 
 XLVI. I. Journeyed: i.e., from Hebron (xxxvii. 14). 
 
 3. Fear not: Abraham had been in danger there (xii. 10 foil.), and 
 Isaac had been forbidden to go there (xxvi. 2). 
 
 4. Pid his hand . . . eyes : i.e., close them at death ; cf. Eur. Hec. 
 430, Z77, Kol davovaris d/xfia ffvyKXeicrei rh adv ; Hom. II. xi. 452-453 ; 
 Verg. Mn. ix. 487. 
 
 8, foil. These are the names: In the corresponding lists in Numbers 
 and I Chronicles some of the names are given differently. 
 
 15. Thirty and three: Jacob is included amongst his children by 
 Leah, instead of being added to them, 
 
 26. Threescore and six: Jacob and Joseph, with the latter's two sons, are 
 here left out of the computation. When they are included the number 
 amounts to seventy (ver. 27). In place of this latter the LXX. has seventy- 
 five, adding to the names given in the Hebrew text those of INIanasseh's 
 son Machir and his grandson Galaad, and those of Ephraim's children 
 Sutalaam and Taam, and the former's son Edom. But the facts (i) 
 that Perez, born about the time when Joseph was sold into Egypt 
 (xxxviii. 29, if the order of c. xxxvii. and xxxviii. is taken as chrono- 
 logical, as xxxviii. i seems to imply), and therefore now about twenty- 
 two, has two sons ; (2) that Reuben, who in xlii. 37 (J) has two sons, 
 is here represented by P as the father of four ; and (3) that Benjamin, 
 who in xliii. 8 (J) is called " a lad," and in xliv. 20 (J) " a little one," 
 has here eleven sons assigned to him, point to a discrepancy between 
 the two sources, unless, as the figure seventy (a multii^le of the sacred 
 number seven) suggests, the list is artificial in character, and is made 
 up by including some who were not yet born until after their fathers 
 had arrived in Egypt. The latter view is supported by the agreement 
 (a few unimportant differences excepted) between the list here and 
 that of Num. xxvi., which is clearly intended to contain the names of 
 all the founders of independent families in Israel. 
 
 28. To show the way before him : The subject of the verb is probably 
 Joseph ; but the directions would be given through a servant, since 
 Josepli and his fatlier did not meet until after the arrival in Goshen 
 (ver. 29). 
 
 29. IVent up : i.e., from the interior of Egypt to Canaan. 
 
 34. Shepherd . . . abomination: The expression seems a needlessly 
 strong one, as both large and small cattle are mentioned in xlvii. 17 
 
EXPLANATORY NOTES 243 
 
 among the property of the Egyptians ; and Herodotus only names 
 swineherds as objects of abhorrence (ii. 47). The Egyptians, however, 
 were principally agriculturists, and contact with the migratory Arab 
 tribes may have fostered a prejudice against pastoral life. 
 
 XLVIL 9. Feio: A hundred and thirty years are so called by way 
 of contrast with the 170 years of Abraham and the 180 years of 
 Isaac. 
 
 II. Barneses: Seemingly so called by anticipation, from the store- 
 city of that name built subsequently (Exod. i. 11). 
 
 16. I will give you: The LXX. supplies dprovs. 
 
 21. Removed them to the cities: i.e., to facilitate the distribution of 
 food. But the LXX. has rbv \ahv KaTedovXwixaTO avrt^ els iraidas, which 
 implies a very slight change in the Hebrew text. 
 
 22. A ijortion . . . Pharaoh : In the time of Herodotus (see ii. 57) 
 the priests were supplied with sacred food, so that the expense of their 
 living (as here) did not fall on themselves. 
 
 26. Only the land of the 'priests, &c.; By Herodotus (ii. 168) the property 
 of the warrior class, as well as that of the priests, is represented as 
 exempt from taxation. But his statement (ii. 141) that King Sethon 
 took away from the former the lands ^chich had been assigned to them 
 (ded6cr9ai) in the time of his predecessors has been thought to mean 
 that at a still earlier period they, with the rest of the people, were in 
 the condition implied in Gen. xlvii. 20, 26. 
 
 29. Put . . . under my thigh : cf. xxiv. 2. 
 
 31. Bowed himself: In jalace of doing obeisance in the ordinary way, 
 from which he was precluded by the infirmities of age. The LXX. 
 has Kai irpoaeKijvqaev 'laparjK ewl rb CLKpov rrji pd^dov avrov^ implying a 
 different pointing of the Hebrew. 
 
 XLVIII. 3. Appeared at Lu:i : See xxviii. io-i9,xxxv. 6, 7 (JE), 9 (P). 
 
 5. Shall he mine: i.e., shall rank with Jacob's own sons as pro- 
 genitors of tribes. 
 
 6. Called after the name: i.e., shall be numbered with, and merged 
 in. the tribes of Ephraim and Mauasseh. 
 
 7. By my side : Others render, to my sorrow. The name Paddan 
 makes the assignment of the verse to JE questionable. 
 
 14. Guiding his hands wittmgly : lit. " made his hands wise." Others 
 render crossing his hands (LXX. evaXXa^ rds x^pcts). 
 
 16. On them: i.e., let my name and the names of my fathers be 
 handed down to posterity through their offspring ; cf. xxi. 12. 
 
 19. Shall be greater : In later history Joshua was of the tribe of 
 Ephraim ; Shiloh (for some time the religious centre of the nation) 
 was in Ephraimite territory ; and after the division of the kingdom, 
 the ten tribes were often distinguished by the name of Ephraim. 
 
 22. One mountain slope: Heb. shechem, i.e., "shoulder" (of a hill or 
 ridge), but with an allusion to the city of Shechem (substituted here by 
 the LXX.), which was in the district afterwards assigned to Ephraim. 
 
 TVhich I took : If this rendering be adopted, the reference must be to 
 
244 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 an account of the capture of Shecliem parallel to but varying from 
 that given in xxxiv. 27, foil, (where the people are called Canaanites 
 and Perizzites, not Amorites), and xlix. 5-7 (where Jacob dissociates 
 himself from the deed). But some translate ivhich I take, the patriarch 
 looking jirophetically forward to the conquest of Canaan, and the 
 double portion of territory which the descendants of Joseph, the con- 
 joint tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, came to possess (c/. Josh. xvii. 
 "14-18). 
 
 XLIX. I. Which shall befall ynu : What follows is a prophecy rather 
 than a blessing ; see especially vers. 4-7. 
 
 In later days : The meaning of the phrase naturally varies with the 
 mental horizon of the speaker : here attention is mainly centred on 
 the occupation of Canaan by the twelve tribes, in accordance with the 
 tenor of the promises made to Abraham and Isaac. There is perhaps 
 room for suspicion that one or two passages reflect the actual circum- 
 stances of the occupation and the times of the Judges ; e.g., the pre- 
 cise description in ver. 13 of Zebukm's territory (though it is repre- 
 sented as rather more extensive than seems really to have been the 
 case), and the language respecting Dan (ver. 16), which may allude to 
 Samson (though the word for judge is not the same as that regularly 
 employed in connection with the Judges, e.g., Judges xvi. 31). On the 
 other hand, ver. 14 presents a contrast to Judges v. 15 ; and the men- 
 tion of Simeon, whose name is omitted in the Blessing of Moses (Deut. 
 xxxiii.), and whose territory at an early date became absorbed in 
 Judah's, and the absence of any indication of Levi's connection with 
 the priesthood (contrast Deut. xxxiii. 8), show that the bulk of the 
 " Blessing " is relatively very early. 
 
 4. Boiling over like water : i.e., possessed of a passionate nature ; LXX. 
 i^v^picra^ ihs ijduip. The same root is used of the light fellows of Judges 
 ix. 4. 
 
 Thou must not have the pre-eminence : According to later views (see 
 I Chron. v. 1-2), Reuben was considered to have lost both the double 
 portion of the inheritance, which Avent to Joseph, and the precedence 
 over his brethren, which passed to Judah. 
 
 Wentest tip . . . bed : See xxxv. 22. 
 
 5. Swords: The meaning of the word (which only occurs here) is 
 doubtful, some rendering it by shepherd's crooks, others by sickles, and 
 others again by contrivances (which does not suit the expression 
 "weapons"). The allusion is to xxxiv. 25, foil. 
 
 6. Glory : Synonymous, as the parallelism suggests, witli soul ; cf. Ps. 
 vii. 5, xvi. 9, XXX. 12. LXX. I-wIt'^ avaTaffeiavrCov iJ.i]€pic7aLTaritraTd ixov. 
 
 Hamstrung oxen : LXX. ivevpoKoinqaav ravpov, implying that they 
 maimed and rendered useless such of the animals as they failed to 
 carry away (xxxiv. 27-29). 
 
 7. Divide . . . scatter : In the review of the people in the plains of 
 Moab Simeon was the weakest of all the tribes (Num. xxvi. 14), and its 
 citiea lay within the territory of Judah (Josh. xix. i). Levi received 
 
EXPLANATORY NOTES 245 
 
 no territory of its o\ra, the Levites being scattered among the rest of 
 the tribes. 
 
 10. The ruler's staff: In the monuments of Persepolis, the Persian 
 king, there represented in a sitting posture, holds the sceptre between 
 his feet. Others render a ruler (LXX. ovk iK\€i\pei dpx^^v e| lov5a, /cat 
 riyovfievos eK tQv fi-qpihv avrov), the following words being regarded as a 
 euphemism for birth (c/. Dent, xxviii. 57) ; but the parallelism is in 
 favour of the rendering of the text ; cf. Num. xxi. 18. 
 
 Until he come . . . jjeoples be : If the word Shiloh be taken (as in the 
 text) to mean the town in Ephraim west of the Jordan (Judges xxi, 19), 
 at which the Israelites assembled on the completion of the conquest of 
 Canaan (Josh, xviii. i, 10), the supremacy ascribed to Judah previous 
 to the arrival there must be regarded as realised in the precedence 
 enjoyed by the tribe (i) on the march (Num. x. 14) ; (2) in the 
 division of the conquered territory (Josh, xv.) ; whilst the words 
 to Mm shall the obedience of the ■peoples be may be considered as having 
 been in a measure fulfilled by the many conquests of the tribe, and, 
 in a spiritual sense, by the spread of its faith among the nations. 
 But the expression sceptre and the last words of the verse together 
 suggest a line of individual rulers culminating in a monarch of world- 
 wide sovereignty. It seems probable, therefore, that the word Shiloh 
 is corrupt, and conceals the true subject of the verb come. This is 
 confirmed by the LXX. t'ws ti.v eKd-rj to. diroKuniva aury, which indicates 
 a slightly different reading, that admits of being rendered : (i) luitil 
 there come that which (or he ivho) is his; (2) until there come he ivhose it is 
 {i.e., the sceptre ; cf. Ezek. xxi. 27). The passage thus appears to embody 
 an expectation akin to the later belief in the advent of a personal Messiah 
 (c/. Matt. xi. 3). But the view that Shiloh is itself an appellation of the 
 Messiah in the sense of Peace-Bringer seems precluded alike by philo- 
 logical considerations, and by the absence of any allusion elsewhere to 
 Shiloh as a personal name. Another rendering that has been proposed 
 is until tranquillity come, or until he come to tranquillity. The Vul- 
 gate has donee veniat qui mittendus est, implying a diff'erent original. 
 
 11. Binding . . . grapes: i.e., using with unconcern, in consequence of 
 the land's abundant fertility, a fruit-tree instead of a stake, and wine 
 instead of water. 
 
 12. Wine . . . milk: The expression (for the first part of which cf. 
 Prov. xxiii. 29-30) only serves to express Judah's wealth in vineyards 
 and pasture lands. Another possible rendering is : His eyes shall he redder 
 than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk; LXX. xapoTrot ol 6<pda\ixol avroO 
 inrep oXvov, Kal XevKoi oi odivre^ avrov rj yoKa. 
 
 13. Zebulun: The territory of Zebulun did not quite touch the 
 Mediterranean, but it was near enough to have the advantage of 
 marine commerce ; cf. Deut. xxxiii. 18-19. 
 
 14. Shecpfolds: Implying an unambitious character combined with 
 material prosperity, and willing to submit to a foreign yoke rather 
 than risk the loss of it by asserting independence. 
 
246 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 i6. Dan shall judge: i.e., assert the cause of. 
 
 As one of the tribes: i.e., Dan, in spite of his insignificance, will not 
 be lost among the other tribes, but do effectual service in Israel's cause. 
 
 17. A serpent in the way: cf. Judges xiii.-xvi., and xviii. 
 
 18. I have waited . . . Jehovah: The patriarch identifies himself 
 with his descendants, and looks to Jehovah for help against their 
 enemies. 
 
 19. Gad . . . press on him: Heb. gad, "to press." 
 
 20. From Asher . . .fat : i.e., the produce of his soil is so considerable 
 that he not only has abundance for himself, but likewise furnishes 
 kings with dainties. If a different division of the last words of ver. 19 
 and the first of ver. 20 be adopted, the translation should be Asher . . . Ins 
 bread is fat. 
 
 21. Naphtali is a hind let loose : Alluding to the mountainous district 
 occupied by this tribe, and the independent character such a situation 
 gave rise to. The LXX. has Ne^^aXi ar^Xexos dveLfxivov imdi-doiis iv ri^ 
 yevvrj/jiaTL KciWos, suggesting a different reading and pointing of the 
 Hebrew, which has then been rendered, Naphtali is a slender terebinth, 
 that puts forth beautiful branches, i.e., will number heroes among his 
 descendants {e.g., Barak ; see also Judges vi. 35, vii. 23). 
 
 22. A young fruit-tree : lit. "the son of a fruit-tree." 
 Branches: lit. "daughters." 
 
 Another rendering of the verse is, a ijoung antelope is Joseph, a 
 young antelope by a fountain; his hinds run by the amlmshment, — a 
 translation which harmonises better with the language of ver. 23. 
 
 24. From thence : i.e., from God, explained by what follows ; (/. the 
 use of there of the next world in Eccles. iii. 17, 
 
 The Shepherd (of Israel) : cf. xlviii. 15. 
 
 Stone : Elsewhere God, as the support of His people, is only called 
 " The Rock" (Deut. xxxii. 4 ; 2 Sam. xxiii. 3 ; Ps. xviii. 31) ; anti hence 
 some, pointing differently, render the shepherd of the stone of Israel, in 
 allusion to xxviii. 18 ; cf. xxxi. 13. 
 
 25. The Almighttj : The name God Almighty {El Shaddai) is charac- 
 teristic of P ; but the title Almighty occurs in JE (Num. xxiv. 4, 16). 
 
 26. The blessings of thy father, &c. : i.e., the blessings given to Joseph 
 by Jacob exceed the blessings bestowed upon Jacob by his parents in as 
 great a degree as the summits of the highest hills rise above the sur- 
 roiinding jDlains. But a different pointing gives the blessings of thy father 
 prevail above the blessings of {i.e., blessings consisting of) the ancient 
 mountains, the desirableness of the eternal hills; i.e., the blessing con- 
 ferred by Jacob is of higher value than the gift of a fair and fertile 
 hill-country, such as that promised in xlviii. 22 {cf. the LXX., etuXoylas 
 irarpSs ffov Kal fi7]Tp6s crov virepijxvaev virip evXoylas dpiuv fji.ovlfj.uv Kal eV 
 evXoylas di.vCiv aevdwv ; and Deut. XXxiii. I 5). 
 
 Prince : Not necessarily in a regal sense. Others render that loas 
 separated from his brethren. 
 
EXPLANATORY NOTES 
 
 247 
 
 27. Benjamin . . . spoil : For the warlike character of the tribe of 
 Benjamin, see Judges v. 14, xx. 14, foil. 
 
 33. Drew up his feet : Referring to xlviii. 2 (JE). 
 
 L. 2. Physicians: According to Herodotus (ii. 85-86), embalming was 
 the work of a special class of persons. 
 
 3. Fort II days: Hdt. ii. 86, gives seventy; but Diodorus (i. 91) is 
 quoted as agreeing more nearly with the text. 
 
 4. SjjeaJc, I pray : Joseph was probably prevented from going in 
 person, owing to his having allowed his hair and beard to grow as a 
 sign of mourning (cf. Hdt. ii. 36, AlyvTrnoi. inrb tovs Oapdrovs dvie^ffi. rdj 
 Tpixa9 aiJ^ecrdaL) ; see xli. 14. 
 
 10. The threshing-floor <>/ Atad: The position of the spot is un- 
 certain. 
 
 Which is beyond Jordan : That the words are to be understood, from 
 the point of view of the Palestinian narrator, and not that of the 
 mourners from Egypt, and therefore means east of the Jordan, appears 
 from their repetition in ver. 1 1 , where they are attached to the name 
 given to the locality by the Canaanites. The place may have been 
 sufficiently near to the river to be visible from the western bank. 
 The mourners proceeded to Canaan by skirting the east shore of the 
 Dead Sea and crossing the Jordan, presumably because the direct 
 route through Philistia was attended with difficulties. 
 
 11. Abel Mizraim: lit. "the meadow of Egj'pt" {cf. Abel-Meholah, 
 Abel-beth-rnaachah), but connected by the narrator with the word ebel, 
 " mourning ; " LXX. H^vdos AlyvwTov. The position of the place is 
 uncertain. 
 
 23. Children of the third generation: i.e. (according to Exod. xsxiv. 
 7) the children of Ephraim's great-grandsons ; though the subsequent 
 reference to the children of Manasseh's son favours the view that the 
 children of Ephraim's grandsons are meant. 
 
 Born upon Joseph's knees : cf. note on xxx. 3. 
 
 26. Coffin : Presumably the ^vKi.vo% tvttos di^dpuiroeiSris (Hdt. ii. 86), in 
 which an embalmed body was usually placed. 
 
APPENDICES AND INDEX 
 
APPENDIX A 
 
 (From Driver, Introd. p. 150.) 
 
 The Priestly Narrative in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, 
 and Joshua. 
 
 Exodus i. 1-7 ;'I3-I4 ; ii. 2^b-2S ; vi. 2-vii. 13; i9-2oa; 216-22 ; viii. 
 5-7 ; 156-19 ; ix. 8-12 ; xii. 1-20 ; 28 ; 37a ; 40-51 ; xiii. 1-2 ; 
 20 ; xiv. 1-4 ; 8-9 ; 15-18 ; 21a ; 21C-23 ; 26-27^ ; 28a ; 29 ; 
 xvi. 1-3; 6-24; 31-36; xvii. la; xix. i-2a ; xxiv. i5-i8«; 
 XXV. i-xxxi. 1 8a; xxxiv. 29-35 • xxxv.-xl. 
 
 Leviticus i.-xxvii. 
 
 Numbers i. i-x. 28; xiii. i-i7« ; 21; 25-26ft ; 32a; xiv. 1-2; 5-7; 
 10; 26-38; XV.; xvi. i« ; 2b-ja; (76-11); (16-17); 18-24; 
 27« ; 326 ; 35 ; (36-40) ; 41-50 ; xvii.-xix. ; xx. la ; 2 ; 36 ; 6 ; 
 12-13; 22-29; x^i- 4"? lo-ll ; xxii. i; xxv. 6-18; xxvi.- 
 xxxi. ; xxxii. 18-19; 28-30; xxxiii.-xxxvi. 
 
 Deuteronomy xxxii. 48-52 ; xxxiv. la ; 8-9. 
 
 Joshua iv. 13; 19; v. 10-12; vii. i; ix. 156; 17-21; xiii. 15-32; 
 xiv. 1-5 ; XV. 1-13 ; 20-44 ; 48-62 ; xvi. 4-8 ; xvii. la (16-2) ; 
 3-4 ; 7 ; 9a ; 9c-ioa ; xviii. i ; 1 1-28 ; xix. 1-8 ; 10-46 ; 48; 5 1 ; 
 XX, 1-3 (except " and unawares") ; 6a ; 7-9 ; xxi. 1-42 ; (xxii. 
 9-34)- 
 
252 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 APPENDIX B 
 
 It is clear that tlie regulations of the "Book of the Covenant" (Exod. 
 xx.-xxiii., included in JE) could not have constituted the entire body 
 of law possessed Ijy the Israelites, even at the earliest period of their 
 national history. The custody of the Ark and the Tabernacle must 
 have involved a certain amount of ceremonial observance, and all acts 
 of sacrifice would naturally be performed in accordance with a pre- 
 scribed ritual. And there is actual evidence for the existence, during 
 the period of the Judges and Kings, of many things which are not 
 mentioned in JE, but only in D and P. Such are the cherubim 
 (i Sam. iv. 4), the staves supporting the Ark (i Kings viii. 7), the 
 shewbread (i Sam. xxi. 6), and the lamp (i Sam. iii. 3). For the 
 priesthood preference seems to have been shown for Levites (Judges 
 xvii. 10), and among these for the descendants of Aaron (Judges xx. 28). 
 The ephod was a priestly garment (i Sam. ii. 18, xiv. 3); and divi- 
 nation was practised by Urim (i Sam. xxviii. 6). In addition to the 
 Sabbath and the three great festivals, the new moon was observed 
 (i Sam. XX. 5) ; and the prophets of tlie eighth century make mention 
 of set feasts (Hosea ii. 11), solemn assemblies (Amos v. 21), convoca- 
 tions (Isa. i. 13), tithes, free-will offerings and thank-offerings, and the 
 use of wine and of incense in sacrifice. Reference is also made to the 
 Nazirite vow (Judges xiii. 5), separation for uncleanness (i Sam. xx. 26, 
 xxi. 4 ; 2 Sam. xi. 4), atonement by sacrifice (i Sam. iii. 14), and the 
 unlawfulness of eating blood (i Sam. xiv. 33). On the other hand, 
 I Sam. ii. 22 (which alludes to Exod. xxxviii. 8) is omitted by the 
 LXX., which also ignores in i Kings viii. 4 the distinction drawn 
 between the priests and the Levites. 
 
APPENDIX C 
 
 The following table gives the chief discrepancies between the provisions 
 of JE, D, and P:— 
 
 
 JE 
 
 D . 
 
 P 
 
 (a) Place of sacri- 
 
 Wherever Jehovah's 
 
 At one sanctuary 
 
 At one sanctuary 
 
 fice. 
 
 name is recorded. 
 
 only, after arrival 
 
 already existing in 
 
 
 Exod. XX. 24. 
 
 in Canaan. 
 
 the camp. 
 
 
 
 Deut. xii. 1-14. 
 
 Lev. xvil 1-9. 
 
 (h) The altar. 
 
 Of earth or unhewn 
 
 Of unhewn stone. 
 
 Two— of acacia wood 
 
 
 stone. 
 
 Deut. xxvii. 5-6. 
 
 plated with brass 
 
 
 Exod. XX. 24-25. 
 
 
 and gold. 
 Exod. xxvii. and 
 
 XXX. 
 
 (c) Feasts. 
 
 Three — Unleavened 
 
 Three— Passover(Un- 
 
 Six — New Moon, 
 
 
 Bread, First-fruits 
 
 leavened Bread), 
 
 Passover, Weeks, 
 
 
 (Weeks), Ingather- 
 
 Weeks, Taber- 
 
 Trumpets, Atone- 
 
 
 ing. 
 
 nacles (Ingather- 
 
 ment, Tabernacles. 
 
 
 Exod. xxiii. 14-17, 
 
 ing). 
 
 Lev. xxiii, ; 
 
 
 xxxiv. 22-23. 
 
 Deut. xvi. 1-17. 
 
 Num. xxviii. 1 1- 
 xxix. 38. 
 
 (d) Place of refuge. 
 
 The altar. 
 
 Six cities. 
 
 Six cities. 
 
 
 Exod. xxi. 13-14. 
 
 Deut. xix. 
 
 Num. XXXV. 
 
 (c) The iwiesthood. 
 
 (Not restricted ex- 
 
 Eestricted to Levites. 
 
 Restricted to sons of 
 
 
 clusively to any 
 
 Deut. X. 8, xviii. 
 
 Aaron, Levites 
 
 
 class).! 
 
 I, 6-7. 
 
 having only sub- 
 ordinate functions. ^ 
 
 Num. xviii. 1-7 ; cf. 
 
 iii. 10, vi. 23 ; Lev. 1 
 
 Levites have forty- 
 
 if) Priests' hahita- 
 
 (No directions given.) 
 
 Levites sojourn 
 
 tions. 
 
 
 among other Israe- 
 
 eight cities as- 
 
 
 
 lites. 
 
 signed to them. 
 
 
 
 Deut. xii. 12. 
 
 Num. XXXV. 1-8. 
 
 ig) Manumission 
 
 Liberated after six 
 
 Liberated after six 
 
 Liberated in year of 
 
 of Hebrew 
 
 years' service. 
 
 years' service. 
 
 Jubilee [i.e., every 
 
 slaves. 
 
 Exod. xxi. 2. 
 
 Deut. XV. 12. 
 
 fiftieth year). 
 Lev. XXV. 8-10. 
 
 (A) Priests' dues. 
 
 (No directions given.) 
 
 (a) Of sacrifices, 
 
 (a) Of peace - offer- 
 
 
 ? First-fruits. 
 
 shoulder, cheeks. 
 
 ings, wave-breast. 
 
 
 
 and maw. 
 
 and heave thigh; of 
 
 
 
 (6) Of corn, wine, oil. 
 
 other oblations, all 
 
 
 
 and wool, the first- 
 
 that was not burnt. 
 
 
 
 fruits. 
 
 (b) Of corn, wine, oil, 
 
 
 
 Deut. xviii. 3-4. 
 
 fruit, and cattle, 
 the first-fruits and | 
 firstlings, and the j 
 redemption-money 
 paid for the first- 
 born of men. 
 
 (c) All devoted things. 
 
 {d) Tithe of the tithe 
 given to the Le- 
 vites. 
 
 Lev. vii. 31-34; 
 Num. xviii. 9-19. 
 
 ! The expression in Exod. xxiv. 5 (JE) is noticeable in this connection: — "And he 
 (Moses) sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt-offerings and 
 sacrificed peace-offerings unto Jehovah." 
 
254 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 APPENDIX D 
 
 The following are instances, in Judges-2 Kings, of the practice named 
 agreeing with JE as against D or P: — 
 
 ( I.) Sacrifices offered at other localities beside the central sanctuary 
 (presumably the place where the Tabernacle was stationed) : 
 Bochim (Judges ii. 5), Ophrah (Judges vi. 24, 28), Gilgal 
 (i Sam. X. 8), Bethlehem (i Sam. xx. 29), and "high places" 
 generally (i Kings xv. 14, xxii. 43, &c.). See also i Sam. 
 xiv. 35 ; 2 Sam. xxiv. 25 ; i Kings xviii. 31-32. 
 
 (2.) Refuge taken at the altar : i Kings i. 50, ii. 28. 
 
 (3.) Priestly functions exercised by others than the sons of Aaron 
 or Levites : Sacrifice is offered by Gideon (Judges vi. 26), 
 Jephthah (Judges xi. 31), Manoah (Judges xiii. 19), Samuel 
 (i Sam. vii. 9), Saul (i Sam. xiii. 9), David (2 Sam. vi. 17, foil.), 
 and Solomon (r Kings iii. 4) ; David and Solomon bless the 
 people (2 Sam. vi. 18 ; i Kings viii. 14 : contrast Num. vi. 23); 
 and David makes his sons priests (2 Sam. viii. 18 ; c/. also 
 Judges xvii. 5 ; 2 Sam. xx. 26). Further, laymen are admitted 
 into the House of Jehovah (2 Kings xi. 3, 4). 
 
 (4.) The priests' dues, so far as they are mentioned (i Sam. ii. 
 14-16 ; 2 Kings xii. 16), do not agree with the directions of 
 P (see Lev. vii. 32-33, x. 15 ; Lev. iv. 22, foil., v. 13-16, vii. 7). 
 
 For some of these violations of the enactments of D and P explana- 
 tions may perhaps be offered ; as, for instance, the lawlessness which 
 prevailed during the times of the Judges, the loss of the Ark in the 
 time of Eli, the independent authority of prophets like Samuel, and 
 the corruption of worship introduced in the reign of Solomon. On the 
 whole, however, the impression created by the record is that in what 
 was done there was nothing illegitimate or exceptional. 
 
APPENDICES 
 
 =55 
 
 APPENDIX E 
 
 THE PEOPHETS AND THE DOCUMENTS 
 
 (See Stanley Leathes, The Law and the Prophets.) 
 
 Parallels ivitk JE. 
 Amos iv. ii {cf. Isa. i. 9, iii. 9), 
 I have overthrown some among 
 
 you, as when God overthrew Sodom 
 and Gomorrah. 
 
 Genesis xix. 24-25. 
 Then Jehovah rained upon Sodom 
 and upon Gomorrah brimstone and 
 fire from Jehovah out of heaven ; 
 and he overthrew those cities. 
 
 Hosea xii, 3. 
 In the womb he (Jacob) took his 
 brother by the heel. 
 
 Genesis xxv. 26. 
 And after that came his brother 
 out, and his hand took hold on 
 Esau's heel. 
 
 Hosea xii. 3-4. 
 In his manhood he strove with 
 God ; yea, he strove with the angel 
 and prevailed. 
 
 Hosea xii. 12. 
 And Jacob fled into the field of 
 Aram, and Israel served for a wife, 
 and for a wife he kept sheep. 
 
 MiCAH V. 6. 
 They shall waste the land of 
 Assyria with the sword, and the 
 land of Nimrod in the entrances 
 thereof. 
 
 Genesis xxxii. 28. 
 Thy name shall be called no more 
 Jacob, but Israel ; for thou hast 
 striven with God and with men, and 
 hast prevailed. 
 
 Genesis xxxv. 7, xxix. 20. 
 He fled from the face of his 
 brother . . . And Jacob served 
 seven years for Rachel 
 
 Genesis x. 8, n. 
 And Gush engendered Nimrod , . . 
 He went forth into Assyria and 
 builded Nineveh, &c. 
 
 Cf. also Isa, iv, 5 with Exod, xiii, 22; Amos ii. 9 with Num. xxi. 21, 
 foU. ; Hos. xiii. 4 with Exod. xx. 2-3. 
 
256 
 
 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 Parallels ivith Deuteronomy. 
 Amos ix. 8. 
 Behold, the eyes of the Lord 
 Jehovah are upon the sinful king- 
 dom, and I will destroy it from off 
 the face of the ground. 
 
 Hose A v. 10. 
 The princes of Judah are like 
 them that remove the landmark. 
 
 Deuteronomy vi. 15. 
 Lest the anger of Jehovah thy 
 God be kindled against thee, and 
 He destroy thee from off the face 
 of the ground. 
 
 Deuteronomy xix. 14. 
 Thou Shalt not remove thy neigh- 
 bour's landmark. 
 
 Isaiah i. 2. 
 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, 
 earth. 
 
 Deuteronomy xxxii. i. 
 Give ear, ye heavens, and I will 
 speak ; and let the earth hear the 
 words of my mouth. 
 
 Isaiah x. 21. 
 The mighty God. 
 
 Deuteronomy x. 17. 
 The Great God, the mighty and 
 the terrible. 
 
 Isaiah xxi. 9. Deuteronomy vii. 25. 
 
 All the graven images of her The graven images of their gods, 
 
 gods. 
 
 Cf. also Hos. iv. 4 with Deut. xvii. 12 ; Hos. ix. 4 with Deut. xxvi. 14 ; 
 Isa. ii. 7 with Deut. xvii. 16-17 > Isa. viii. 19 with Deut. xviii. 11. 
 
 That Jeremiah was acquainted with Deuteronomy is indisputable, so 
 that quotation is unnecessary. 
 
 Parallels ivitli P. 
 
 Amos ii. 7. 
 Profane my holy name. 
 
 Amos iv. 5. 
 Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving 
 of that which is leavened. 
 
 Leviticus xviii. 21. 
 Profane the name of thy God. 
 
 Leviticus vii. 13. 
 With cakes of leavened bread he 
 shall offer his oblation with the 
 sacrifice of his peace-offerings for 
 thanksgiving. 
 
 Amos vii. 4. 
 The great deep. 
 
 Amos ix. 13. 
 The ploughman shall overtake the 
 reaper, and the treader of grapes 
 him that soweth seed. 
 
 Genesis vii. 11. 
 The fountains of the great deep. 
 
 Leviticus xxvi. 5. 
 Your threshing shall reach unto 
 the vintage, and the vintage shall 
 reach unto the sowing-time. 
 
APPENDIX E 
 
 '57 
 
 Parallels with P — continued. 
 HOSEA iv. 10. 
 They shall eat and not be 
 fied. 
 
 Leviticus xxvi. 26. 
 Ye shall eat and not be satisfied. 
 
 HosEA xii. 9. Leviticus xxiii. 42. 
 
 I will yet again make thee to Ye shall dwell in booths seven 
 
 dwell in tents, as in the days of the days (i.e., at the Feast of Taber- 
 set feast. 
 
 nacles, one of the " set feasts ' 
 
 The words creeping thing (ii. 18), to bear their guilt (v. 15), lexodncss 
 (vi. 9), and congregation (vii. 12) are characteristic of P. 
 
 Isaiah i. 4. 
 The Holy One of Israel. 
 
 Isaiah viii. 13. 
 Jehovah of hosts, Him shall ye 
 sanctify. 
 
 Leviticus xi. 44. 
 I am holy. 
 
 Numbers xx. 12. 
 Because ye believed not in me, 
 to sanctify me. 
 
 Isaiah viii. 19. 
 And when they shall say unto 
 you, Seek unto them that have 
 familiar spirits and unto wizards. 
 
 The words covering and plating (xxx. 22) are peculiar to P ; and create 
 (iv. 5) and heget (xxxix. 7) are also characteristic of P. 
 
 Leviticus xix. 31. 
 Turn ye not unto them that 
 have familiar spirits, nor unto the 
 wizards. 
 
 MiCAH iv. 13. 
 Thou shalt devote their gain unto 
 Jehovah. 
 
 Leviticus xxvii. 28. 
 No devoted thing, that a man 
 shall devote unto Jehovah. 
 
 MiCAH vi. 6. 
 Shall I come before Him with 
 calves of a year old. 
 
 Jeremiah iv. 23. 
 I beheld the earth, and lo, it was 
 without form and void. 
 
 Leviticus ix. 3. 
 Take up ... a calf and a lamb, 
 both of the first year. 
 
 Genesis i. 2. 
 The earth was without form and 
 void. 
 
 Jeremiah xi. 4. 
 Ye shall be my people, and I will 
 be your God. 
 
 Jeremiah xiv. 9. 
 Thou, Jehovah, art in the midst 
 of us. 
 
 Leviticus xxvi. 12. 
 I . . . will be your God, and ye 
 shall be my people. 
 
 Exodus xxix. 45. 
 I will dwell among the children 
 of Israel, and will be their God. 
 R 
 
258 
 
 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
 Parallels to P — continued. 
 Jeremiah xxi. lo. 
 I have set my face against this 
 city. 
 
 Jeremiah xxxii. 7. 
 Thine uncle shall come to thee 
 saying, Buy thee my field ... for 
 the right of redemption is thine to 
 buy it. 
 
 Jeremiah xxxiv. 16. 
 Profaned my name. 
 
 Jeremiah xliv. 7. 
 Wherefore commit ye this evil 
 against your own souls. 
 
 Jeremiah xliv. u. 
 I will set my face against you 
 for evil. 
 
 Leviticus xvii. 10. 
 I will set my face against that 
 soul. 
 
 Leviticus xxv. 25. 
 If thy brother be waxen poor, 
 and sell some of his possessions, 
 then shall his kinsman . . . redeem 
 that which his brother hath sold. 
 
 Leviticus xix. 12. 
 Thou shalt not profane the name 
 of thy God. 
 
 Numbers xvi. 38. 
 These sinners against their own 
 souls. 
 
 Leviticus xvii. 10. 
 I will set my face against that 
 soul. 
 
 The words and phrases congregation (vi. 18), everlasting covenant (xxxii. 
 40), ^5MrcAase (xxxii. 11), he fruitful and multiply (xxiii. 3), iwoclaim liberty 
 (xxxiv. 8), all flesh (xxv. 31), create (xxxi. 22), beget (xxix. 6), I am Jehovah, 
 lewdness (xiii. 27), are characteristics of P. 
 
 The evidence of EzeJciel to P. 
 Ezekiel iv. 14. 
 From my youth up even till now 
 have I not eaten of that which 
 dieth of itself or is torn of beasts. 
 
 Leviticus xxii. S. 
 That which dieth of itself, or is 
 torn of beasts, he shall not eat. 
 
 Ezekiel iv. 16. 
 I will break the staff of bread.^ 
 
 Ezekiel iv. 17. 
 That they may . . . pine away 
 in their iniquity. 
 
 Leviticus xxvi. 26. 
 When I break your staff of bread. 
 
 Leviticus xxvi. 39. 
 They that are left of you shall 
 pine away in their iniquity. 
 
 1 How much nearer Ezekiel is to the language of P than his prede- 
 cessors may be seen by comparing this and other phrases (see p. 259) 
 with the similar expressions in Isaiah, Amos, and Jeremiah : e.g., Isa. iii. i, 
 " Jehovah . . . doth take away from Jerusalem . . . the ivholc stay of bread ; " 
 Amos ix. 4, "Thence / ^vill command the sicord, and it shall slay them ;" 
 Jer. xxxii. 14. " I will enter into an everlasting covenant with them." 
 
APPENDIX E 
 
 259 
 
 The evidence of Ezekiel to P — continued. 
 
 EZEKIEL V. 2. 
 I will draw out a sword after 
 them.^ 
 
 Leviticus xxvi. 33. 
 I will draw out the sword after 
 you. 
 
 Ezekiel xiv. 8. 
 I will cut him off from the midst 
 of mj- people. 
 
 Ezekiel xiv. 10. 
 They shall bear their iniquity. 
 
 Ezekiel xvi. 21. 
 Causing them to pass through 
 (the fire) unto them. 
 
 Leviticus xvii. 9. 
 That man shall be cut off from 
 his people. 
 
 Leviticus v. i. 
 He shall bear his iniquity. 
 
 Leviticus xviii. 21. 
 Thou shalt not give any of thy 
 seed, to make them pass through 
 (the fire). 
 
 Ezekiel xvi. 60. 
 I will establish unto thee an 
 everlasting covenant.- 
 
 EZEKIEL XX. II. 
 
 I gave them my statutes and 
 showed them my judgments, which 
 if a man do, he shall live in them. 
 
 Genesis xvii. 7. 
 I will establish my covenant . . . 
 for an everlasting covenant. 
 
 Leviticus xviii. 5. 
 Ye shall keep my statutes and 
 my judgments, which if a man do, 
 he shall live in them. 
 
 Other words and phrases characteristic of P are : God Almighty, the 
 firmament, for food, create, beget, multiply and be fruitful, swarm, bird of 
 every sort, after their kinds, for a possession, the land of their sojournings, the 
 self-same day, lewdness, likeness, execute judgments (cf. Exod. xii. 12), ye shall 
 know that I am Jehovah, commit a trespass {cf. Lev. v. 15), all flesh, gettings, 
 alien {cf Exod. xii. 43), creeping things, beast of the earth. Many of these 
 occur frequently. 
 
 ^ See note on page 258. 
 2 Ibid. 
 

 [NDEX 
 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Abel .... 
 
 214 
 
 Bei-ed . 
 
 . 226 
 
 Abel Mizraim 
 
 247 
 
 Bethel . 
 
 . 222 
 
 Abraham 52, 54, 58, 6 1, 6 
 
 6,226 
 
 Bethuel 
 
 • 230 
 
 Accad .... 
 
 220 
 
 Birthright . 
 
 ■ 231 
 
 Admah 
 
 228 
 
 Bozrah 
 
 . 238 
 
 AduUam 
 
 239 
 
 Buz . 
 
 . 229 
 
 Ai . . . . 
 
 223 
 
 
 
 Allon-bacliutli 
 
 236 
 
 Calah 
 
 . 220 
 
 Almigbty . 
 
 226 
 
 Calneh 
 
 . 220 
 
 Amalek 
 
 237 
 
 Canaan 
 
 . 219 
 
 Amorite 
 
 220 
 
 Chedorlaomer 
 
 ■ 47 
 
 Amos . . 23, 24, 25 
 
 5,256 
 
 Cherubim . 
 
 . 212 
 
 Analysis of Genesis 
 
 3 
 
 Chesed 
 
 . 229 
 
 Angels 
 
 226 
 
 Chezib 
 
 • 239 
 
 Antbropomorpliism 
 
 II 
 
 Christ and Genesis 
 
 
 Aram .... 
 
 221 
 
 25, 40, 44, 64, 66, 214, 228 
 
 Aram-Naharaim . 
 
 230 
 
 Chronicles, how compc 
 
 sed . 12 
 
 Ararat ... 4 
 
 3,217 
 
 Chronology . 
 
 ■ 51 
 
 Ariocli 
 
 47 
 
 Circumcision 
 
 . 226 
 
 Ark ... 41, 4 
 
 3,217 
 
 Clean and unclean ani 
 
 mals . 217 
 
 Arkite. 
 
 221 
 
 Compiler of Genesis 
 
 17, 20 
 
 Arpachshad . - . 
 
 221 
 
 Creation, The . 
 
 • 27 
 
 Arvadite 
 
 221 
 
 Cubit . 
 
 • 217 
 
 Aslier .... 
 
 233 
 
 Cuneiform inscriptions 
 
 
 Asliteroth Karnaim 
 
 224 
 
 25 
 
 , 34, 41,47 
 
 Asshur 
 
 221 
 
 Cush . 
 
 . 212 
 
 Authorship of Genesis 
 
 18,24 
 
 
 
 
 
 Damascus . 
 
 . 225 
 
 Babel 
 
 221 
 
 Dan (person) 
 
 • 232 
 
 Bdellium 
 
 212 
 
 Dan (place) . 
 
 . 224 
 
 Beer-lahai-roi 
 
 226 
 
 Day . 
 
 28, 33, 209 
 
 Beersheba . 
 
 229 
 
 Dead Sea . 
 
 ■ 223 
 
 Ben-ammi . 
 
 228 
 
 Dedan . 
 
 • 230 
 
 Benjamin . 
 
 236 
 
 Deluge, The 
 
 • 41 
 
 Benoni 
 
 236 
 
 Deuteronomy 
 
 I 
 
 11,23 
 
262 
 
 INDEX 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Divine communications . 64 
 
 Gerar . 
 
 . 221 
 
 Dodanim 
 
 . 219 
 
 Gihon . 
 
 . 211 
 
 Dothan 
 
 . 238 
 
 Gilead . 
 
 . 234 
 
 Dumah 
 
 ■ 231 
 
 Girgashite . 
 
 . 221 
 
 
 
 Glosses 
 
 . T7 
 
 Eden . 
 
 34,211 
 
 God . 
 
 . 209 
 
 Eder . . 
 
 • 237 
 
 Gomer 
 
 . 218 
 
 Edom . 
 
 . 231 
 
 Gomorrah . 
 
 . 227 
 
 Edomite kings . 
 
 49, 238 
 
 Gopher-wood 
 
 . 217 
 
 Egypt . . . 
 
 • 53 
 
 Goshen 
 
 . 242 
 
 El . . . 
 
 . 225 
 
 Goyim 
 
 ■ 223 
 
 El-bethel . 
 
 . 236 
 
 
 
 El-elohe-Israel . 
 
 • 236 
 
 Haggai 
 
 . 24 
 
 El-Elyon . 
 
 . 225 
 
 Ham (person) 
 
 . 217,218 
 
 Elam . 
 
 . 221 
 
 Ham (place) 
 
 . 224 
 
 Elishah 
 
 . 219 
 
 Hamathite . 
 
 . 221 
 
 Ellasar 
 
 . 223 
 
 Haran . 
 
 . 222 
 
 Eloliim 
 
 . 209 
 
 Havilah 
 
 . 211 
 
 Eloliistic narrative 
 
 
 Hazezon-tamar 
 
 . 224 
 
 El-paran 
 
 . 224 
 
 Hebrew 
 
 • 53, 224 
 
 Emini . 
 
 . 224 
 
 Heth . 
 
 . 220 
 
 Enaim . 
 
 ■ 239 
 
 Hiddekel . 
 
 . 211, 2X2 
 
 En-mishpat . 
 
 . 224 
 
 History, Hebrew 
 
 method of 
 
 Enoch . 
 
 • 215 
 
 writing . 
 
 12, 67 
 
 Ephah . 
 
 . 231 
 
 Historical books 
 
 ■ 24, 254 
 
 Ephraim 
 
 . 241 
 
 Hittite 
 
 . 220 
 
 Ephrath 
 
 • 236 
 
 Hivite . 
 
 . 220 
 
 Erech . 
 
 . 220 
 
 Hobah 
 
 . 224 
 
 Esek . . 
 
 • 231 
 
 Horite . 
 
 . , . 224 
 
 Esau . 
 
 • 231 
 
 Hosea . 
 
 23, 255-257 
 
 Euphrates . - 
 
 . 211 
 
 Host of heaven 
 
 . 210 
 
 Eve . 
 
 . 212 
 
 Hyksos 
 
 • 54, 240 
 
 Exodus, The 
 
 . 240 
 
 
 
 Ezekiel . . : 
 
 4, 258, 259 
 
 Inconsistencies 
 
 in Genesis 4 
 
 Ezra . 
 
 • 24 
 
 Inspiration . 
 
 . 63, 65, 67 
 
 
 
 Isaac . 
 
 . 52, 227 
 
 Fall, The . 
 
 • 34 
 
 Isaiah . 
 
 23, 256, 257 
 
 Firmament . 
 
 . 210 
 
 Ishmael 
 
 . 226 
 
 Flood, The . 
 
 • 41 
 
 Israel . 
 
 • 235 
 
 
 
 Issachar 
 
 • 233 
 
 Gad . 
 
 • 233 
 
 
 
 Galeed 
 
 • 234 
 
 Jabbok 
 
 • 235 
 
 Gaza . 
 
 . 221 
 
 Jacob . 
 
 52, 231 
 
 Genealogies . 
 
 . 215 
 
 Japheth 
 
 . . . 218 
 
 Generations . 
 
 . 211 
 
 J a van . 
 
 . 219 
 
 Genesis 
 
 3 
 
 Jebusite 
 
 . 220 
 
INDEX 
 
 263 
 
 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Jegar-sahadiitlia . . .234 
 
 Moab .... 
 
 228 
 
 Jehovah 
 
 
 . 211 
 
 i\Ioabite Stone 
 
 65 
 
 Jehovah-jireh 
 
 
 . 229 
 
 Moreh. . . . 
 
 222 
 
 Jeremiah 
 
 
 4,257,258 
 
 Moriah 
 
 229 
 
 Jerusalem 
 
 
 
 . 225 
 
 Moses .... 
 
 18-22 
 
 Jetur . 
 
 
 
 . 231 
 
 Myths. ... 2 
 
 6,216 
 
 Joseph 
 
 
 
 • 233 
 
 
 
 Judah . 
 
 
 
 . 232 
 
 Naphish . 
 Naphtali . 
 
 231 
 233 
 
 Kadesh 
 
 
 
 . 224 
 
 Nebaioth . 
 
 231 
 
 Kadmonite 
 
 
 
 . 225 
 
 Nephilim . 
 
 216 
 
 Kain . 
 
 
 
 • 213 
 
 New Testament and Genesi. 
 
 5 
 
 Kedar . 
 
 
 
 • 231 
 
 25. -hi, 38, 40, 44, 64, 66 
 
 , 214, 
 
 Kenite 
 
 
 
 . 225 
 
 215, 228 
 
 
 Kenizzite 
 
 
 
 . 225 
 
 Nimrod 
 
 . 220 
 
 Keturah 
 
 
 
 • 230 
 
 Nineveh 
 
 . 220 
 
 King's Vale 
 
 
 
 . 224 
 
 Noah .... 4 
 
 I, 216 
 
 Kiriathaim 
 
 
 
 . 224 
 
 Nod ... . 
 
 . 214 
 
 Kittim 
 
 
 
 . 219 
 
 Numbers, favourite 50, 21 
 
 5,237 
 
 LAiiECH's song 
 
 
 . 214 
 
 On ... . 
 
 241 
 
 Laplace's theory 
 
 
 • 32 
 
 Onyx -stone . 
 
 212 
 
 Lasha . 
 
 
 . 221 
 
 Ophir .... 
 
 221 
 
 Laws . 
 
 
 
 21, 253 
 
 Oral tradition 
 
 51, 52 
 
 Levi . 
 
 
 
 232 
 
 
 
 Longevity 
 
 
 
 215, 222 
 
 Paradise . 
 
 34 
 
 Lot's wife 
 
 
 
 . 228 
 
 Paran .... 
 
 229 
 
 Love-apples 
 
 
 
 • 233 
 
 Pathros 
 
 219 
 
 Lud . 
 
 
 
 . 221 
 
 Pathrusim . 
 
 220 
 
 Ludim 
 
 
 
 . 220 
 
 Patriarchal history 
 
 46 
 
 Luz 
 
 
 
 . 232 
 
 Peniel (Penuel) . 
 
 235 
 
 
 
 
 Perez .... 
 
 239 
 
 Machpelah 
 
 
 . 230 
 
 Perizzite 
 
 223 
 
 Madai . 
 
 
 . 219 
 
 Pharaoh 
 
 223 
 
 ]\Iagicians 
 
 
 
 . 240 
 
 Philistines . 
 
 220 
 
 Magog . 
 
 
 
 . 219 
 
 Phut .... 
 
 219 
 
 ^Jahanaim 
 
 
 
 • 234 
 
 Pishon 
 
 211 
 
 Manasseh 
 
 
 
 . 241 
 
 Plain of Jordan . 
 
 223 
 
 Mandrakes 
 
 
 
 ■ 233 
 
 Priestly narrative 
 
 7 
 
 ]\Iarriage 
 
 
 
 . 40 
 
 Prophets 
 
 64 
 
 Medanites 
 
 
 
 . 231 
 
 Prophetical narrative . 
 
 II 
 
 ]\Ieshech 
 
 
 
 . 219 
 
 
 
 ]\Iicah . 
 
 
 
 3> 255, 257 
 
 Rameses 
 
 243 
 
 Midianites 
 
 
 
 • 231 
 
 Rehoboth . 
 
 231 
 
 Mizpah 
 
 
 
 • 234 
 
 Rehoboth Ir 
 
 220 
 
 Mizraim 
 
 
 
 . 219 
 
 Repetitions in Genesis 
 
 3 
 
264 
 
 INDEX 
 
 
 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Rephaim . . . .224 
 
 Sodom 
 
 . 227 
 
 Resen . 
 
 
 
 220 
 
 Sons of God 
 
 . 216 
 
 Reuben 
 
 
 
 232 
 
 Speeches 
 
 • 57 
 
 River of Egypt 
 
 
 
 225 
 
 St. Paul and Genesis . . ^8 
 
 
 
 
 
 Succoth 
 
 • 235 
 
 Sabbath 
 
 
 
 210 
 
 
 
 Salem . 
 
 
 
 
 225 
 
 Tarshish . 
 
 . 219 
 
 blets47, 220,225 
 
 225 
 
 ■ 231 
 
 • 234 
 . 211, 212 
 
 • 239 
 . 219 
 . 219 
 
 Salt Sea 
 Sarah . 
 
 
 
 
 223 
 
 227 
 
 Tel-el-Amarnata 
 
 Sarai . 
 
 
 
 
 227 
 
 Tenia . 
 
 Seba . 
 Seir . 
 Sephar 
 
 
 
 
 219 
 224 
 221 
 
 Terai^him . 
 Tigris . . 
 Timnah 
 
 Serpent 
 
 
 
 
 34, 36 
 
 Tiras . 
 
 Seth . 
 
 
 
 
 214 
 
 Tubal . 
 
 Shalem 
 
 
 
 
 236 
 
 
 
 Sheba . 
 
 
 
 21 
 
 9, 230 
 
 
 
 Shecheni 
 
 
 
 
 
 Uk 
 
 . 223 
 
 Shekel 
 
 
 
 
 230 
 
 
 
 Shem . 
 
 
 
 
 218 
 
 Week . 
 
 • 210,232 
 
 Shiloh 
 
 
 
 
 245 
 
 Writing, early use of . -47 
 
 Shinar 
 
 
 
 
 223 
 
 
 
 Sheol . 
 
 
 
 
 238 
 
 Zeboiim 
 
 . 228 
 
 Shiir . 
 
 
 
 
 226 
 
 Zebulun 
 
 
 • 233 
 
 Siddim 
 
 
 
 
 223 
 
 Zechariah 
 
 
 • 24 
 
 Sidon . 
 
 
 
 
 220 
 
 Zemarite 
 
 
 . 221 
 
 Simeon 
 
 
 
 
 232 
 
 Zerah . 
 
 
 • 239 
 
 Sinites 
 
 
 
 
 221 
 
 Zoar . 
 
 
 . 228 
 
 Sitnah 
 
 
 
 
 231 
 
 Zuzim . 
 
 
 . 48,224 
 
 Printed by Ballantyne, Hanson & Co. 
 Edinburgh and London 
 
BS1235 .W119 
 
 The book of Genesis : edited with 
 
 Theological Seminary-Speer Library 
 
 1 1012 00043 4508