of Eber which he was at a loss to connect with the name of Shem. Hence he avoids the direct assertion that Shem begat Eber, and bridges over the gap by the vague hint that Shem and Eber stand for the same ethnological abstraction.—the elder brother of Yepheth] The Heb. can mean nothing else (v.i.). The difficulty is to account for the selection of Japheth for comparison with Shem, the oldest member of the family. Unless the clause be a gloss, the most obvious inference is that the genealogy of Japheth had immediately preceded; whether because in the Table of J the sequence of age was broken (Bu. 305 f.), or because Japheth was really counted the second son of Noah (Di.). The most satisfactory solution is undoubtedly that of Gu., who finds in the remark an indication that this Table followed the order: Canaan—Japheth—Shem (see p. 188).—24 is an interpolation (based on 1112-14) intended to harmonise J with P. It cannot be the continuation of 21 as it stands (since we have not been informed who Arpakšad was), and still less in the form suggested below. It is also obviously inconsistent with the plan of P's Table, which deals with
with the subj. nor does the Hoph.; the Niph. does so once (Gn. 1717 [P]);
but there the ellipsis is explained by the emphasis which lies on the fact
of birth. Further, a (
Hebrew characters) is required as subj. of the cl. (Hebrew characters). The
impression is produced that originally (Hebrew characters) was expressly named as the
son of Shem, and that the words (Hebrew characters) referred to him (perhaps
(Hebrew characters)). Considering the importance of the name, the
tautology is not too harsh. It would then be hardly possible to retain
the clause (Hebrew characters); and to delete it as a gloss (although it has been proposed
by others: see OH) I admit to be difficult, just because of the
obscurity of the expression.—(Hebrew characters)] cf. 426.—(Hebrew characters)] V correctly
fratre J. majore. The Mass. accentuation perhaps favours the grammatically
impossible rendering of G ((Greek characters)), Σ, al.;
which implies that Japheth was the oldest of Noah's sons,—a notion
extorted from the chronology of 1110 cpd. with 532 711 (see Ra. IEz.).
It is equally inadmissible (with IEz.) to take (Hebrew characters) absolutely (= Japheth
the great). See Bu. 304 ff.—24. (Hebrew characters)] G pref. (Hebrew characters).
(with arguments which seem very convincing) by Heyes (Bib. u. Aeg., 1904, 146 ff.). In view of the striking resemblance to Ḫabiri, and the new facts brought to light by the TA Tablets, the hypothesis certainly deserves to be reconsidered (cf. Eerdmans, l.c. 52 ff., or Expos., 1909, ii. 197 ff.).
