Page:A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis (1910).djvu/272

vv.^{10. 12. 15ff.}).—2. Man's 'dominion' over the animals is re-*established, but now in the form of fear and dread (cf. Dt. 11²⁵) towards him on their part.—into your hand they are given] conveying the power of life and death (Lev. 26²⁵, Dt. 19¹² etc.).—3. The central injunction: removal of the prohibition of animal food.—moving thing that is alive] an unusually vague definition of animal life.—Observe P's resolute ignoring of the distinction between clean and unclean animals.—4. The first restriction. Abstention from eating blood, or flesh from which the blood has not been drained, is a fundamental principle of the Levitical legislation (Lev. 7²⁷ 17^{10. 14}); and though to our minds a purely ceremonial precept, is constantly classed with moral laws (Ezk. 33^25f. etc.). The theory on which the prohibition rests is repeatedly stated (Lev. 17^{11. 14}, Dt. 12²³): the blood is the life, and the life is sacred, and must be restored to God before the flesh can be eaten. Such mystic views of the blood are primitive and widespread; and amongst some races formed a motive not for abstinence, but for drinking it.^[1] All the same it is unnecessary to go deeper in search of a reason for the ancient Heb. horror of eating with the blood (1 Sa. 14^32ff.[2]).—5, 6. The second restriction: sanctity of human life. 'Life' is expressed alternately by (Hebrew characters) and (Hebrew characters).—On (Hebrew characters), v.i.—I will require] exact an account of, or equivalent for (42²², Ezk. 33⁶, Ps. 9¹³ etc.). That God is

'along with' (Di.).—(Hebrew characters))] [E] G (Hebrew characters):—3. (Hebrew characters)] seems a slavish repetition from 1²⁹. We should at least expect the art., which [E] ((Hebrew characters)) supplies.—4. (Hebrew characters) is an explanatory apposition (if not a gloss) to (Hebrew characters); but G renders (Greek characters), and S ((Syriac characters)), Σ. ((Greek characters)) as a rel. cl.—5. (Hebrew characters) is suspicious after the preceding (Hebrew characters). [E] ((Hebrew characters)) omits.—(Hebrew characters)] usually taken as circumscription of gen., emphasising the suff.: 'your blood, your own'—in contrast with the animals. It is better to render 'according to your persons,' i.e. individually;—"dem eloh. Sprachgebrauch entspricht distributive Fassung des (Hebrew characters) doch am besten" (De.).—(Hebrew characters)] 'from the hand of

1. See RS², 234 f.; Frazer, GB², i. 133 f., 352 f.; Kennedy, EB, 1544.
2. It has been thought that the offence warned against is the barbarous African custom of eating portions of animals still alive (T^J, Ra. De. al.); but that is a mistake.]