we have the word (
Hebrew characters), 'jaw-bone' (Ju. 1517), and in the second an
obsolete animal name: hence 'Well of the antelope's (?) jaw-bone.'
V. Gall (CSt. 40 ff.) goes a step further and distinguishes two wells,
(Hebrew characters) ((Hebrew characters)) (Hebrew characters), and (Hebrew characters), the former peculiar to J and the latter to E (cf.
G of 2462 2511).—(2) (Hebrew characters), whatever its primary significance, is of a
type common in the patriarchal narratives (see p. 291). Of the suggested
restorations of 13b, by far the most attractive is that of We.
(l.c.), who changes (Hebrew characters) to (Hebrew characters), reads (Hebrew characters) as (Hebrew characters), inserts (Hebrew characters) between
(Hebrew characters) and (Hebrew characters), and renders, "Have I actually seen God and lived after
my vision?"—an allusion to the prevalent belief that the sight of God
is followed by death (Ex. 3320, Ju. 623 1323 etc.). The emendation has
at least the advantage of giving a meaning to both elements in the
name of the well. Gu.'s objection that the emphatic 'here' is indispensable,
is of doubtful validity, for unfortunately (Hebrew characters) does not mean
'here' but 'hither.'
Ch. XVII.—The Covenant of Circumcision (P).
To Abram, who is henceforth to be called Abraham (5), God reveals Himself under a new name (1), entering into a covenant with him (2-8), of which the sign is the rite of circumcision (9-14). The heir of this covenant is to be a son born to Sarai (whose name is changed to Sarah) in the following year (15-22). Abraham immediately circumcises all the males of his household (23-27).—To the writer of the Priestly Code the incident is important (1) as an explanation of the origin of circumcision, which in his day had become a fundamental institution of Judaism; and (2) as marking a new stage in the revelation of the true God to the world. The Abrahamic covenant inaugurates the third of the four epochs (commencing respectively with Adam, Noah, Abraham and Moses) into which the Priestly theory divides the history of mankind. On the ethnic parallels to this scheme, Gu.'s note (p. 233 ff.) may be consulted.
Source.—The marks of P's authorship appear in every line of the
chapter. Besides the general qualities of style, which need not again
be particularised, we may note the following expressions: (Hebrew characters)
(throughout, except v.1, where (Hebrew characters) is either a redactional change or a
scribal error); (Hebrew characters), 1; (Hebrew characters), (Hebrew characters), 2. 7. 19. 21; (Hebrew characters), 2. 6. 20; (Hebrew characters),
7. 8. 9. 10. 19; (Hebrew characters), 7. 9. 12; (Hebrew characters), 8; (Hebrew characters), 8; (Hebrew characters), 8; (Hebrew characters), 10. 12. 23;
(Hebrew characters), 12. 13. 23. 27; (Hebrew characters), 12. 27; (Hebrew characters), 14; (Hebrew characters) , 20; (Hebrew characters), 20; (Hebrew characters), 20;
(Hebrew characters), 23. 26; see Di. Ho. Gu. References to the passage in other
parts of P are 212. 4 284 3512, Ex. 224 63f. (Lv. 123 ?).
