We. Kue. Cor. KS. Ho. Dri. al.), while others (OH. Gu. SOT. Pro.)
assign it to E because of the allusion in 2736. That reason is not decisive,
and the linguistic indications are rather in favour of J ((
Hebrew characters), 30;
(Hebrew characters), 32 [We. Comp.2 36]; (Hebrew characters), 30).
19, 20. Isaac's marriage.—P follows E (3120. 24) in describing
Rebekah's Mesopotamian relatives as Aramæans
(cf. 285), though perhaps in a different sense. Here it
naturally means descendants of 'Ărām, the fifth son of Shem
(1023). That this is a conscious divergence from the tradition
of J is confirmed by 282: see Bu. Urg. 420 ff.—On
Bĕthû'ēl, see p. 247 above.—Paddan 'Ărām] (282. 6. 7 3118 3318
359. 26 4615 [(Hebrew characters) alone 487]: G (Greek characters) is P's equivalent
for 'Ăram Nahăraim in J (2410); and in all probability denotes
the region round Ḥarran (v.i.).
21-23. The pre-natal oracle.—21. With the prolonged barrenness of Rebekah, compare the cases of Sarah, and Rachel (2931), the mothers of Samson (Ju. 132), Samuel (1 Sa. 12), and John the Baptist (Lk. 17).—Isaac prayed to Yahwe] Cf. 1 Sa. 110ff. No miraculous intervention is
19. (Hebrew characters)] commonly regarded as the heading of the section
(of Gen. or) of P ending with the death of Isaac (3529); but see the notes
on pp. 40 f., 235 f. The use of the formula is anomalous, inasmuch as
the birth of Isaac, already recorded in P, is included in his own genealogy.
It looks as if the editor had handled his document somewhat
freely, inserting the words (Hebrew characters) in the original heading (Hebrew characters)]
(cf. v.12).—20. (Hebrew characters)] Syr. (Syriac characters), Ar. faddān = 'yoke of oxen'; hence (in
Ar.) a definite measure of land (jugerum: cf. Lane, 2353 b). A similar
sense has been claimed for Ass. padanu on the authority of II R. 62,
33 a, b (Del. Par. 135). On this view (Hebrew characters) would be equivalent to (Hebrew characters)
= 'field of Aram' in Ho. 1213. Ordinarily, padanu means 'way' (Del.
Hwb, 515 f.); hence it has been thought that the word is another designation
of Ḥarran (see 1131), in the neighbourhood of which a place
Paddānā (vicus prope Ḥarran: PSm. Thes. 3039) has been known from
early Christian times: Nöldeke, however, thinks this may be due to a
Christian localisation of the biblical story (EB, i. 278). Others less
plausibly connect the name with the kingdom of Patin, with its centre
N of the Lake of Antioch (Wi. KAT3, 38).
21. (Hebrew characters)] peculiar to J in Hex.: Ex. 84. 5. 24. 25. 26 928 1017. 18. In Ar. 'atr
and 'aiīrat mean animals slain in sacrifice; hence Heb. (Hebrew characters) (Hiph. may
everywhere be read instead of Qal) probably referred originally to
sacrifice accompanied by prayer, though no trace of the former idea
survives in Heb.: "Das Gebet ist der Zweck oder die Interpretation
