Page:A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis (1910).djvu/489

the legitimisation of a natural child, and finally a form of adoption generally (50²³). Gu., however, thinks the rite originated in cases like the present (the slave being delivered on the knees of her mistress), and was afterwards transferred to male adoption.

obtain children by her] see on 16².—6. The putative mother names the adopted child.—Dân] The etymology here given ([root] (Hebrew characters),'judge') is very probably correct, the form being an abbreviated theophorous name (cf., Abi-dan, Ass. Asshur-*dan, etc.).—8. wrestlings of God I have wrestled] The words are very obscure (see Che. 376 ff.). Either 'I have had "a veritable God's bout" (Ba.) with my sister,' or (less probably) 'I have wrestled with God (in prayer) like my sister.'—and have overcome] This seems to imply that Leah had only one son at the time (Gu.); and there is nothing to prevent the supposition that the concubinage of Bilhah followed immediately on the birth of Reuben.

9-13. Leah's adopted sons.—11. Gad is the name of an Aramæan and Phœnician god of Luck ((Greek characters)), mentioned in Is. 65¹¹ (see Camb. Bible, ad loc.; cf. Baethgen, Beitr. 76 ff. 159 ff.). There is no difficulty in supposing that a hybrid tribe like Gad traced its ancestry to this deity, and was named after him; though, of course, no such idea is expressed in the text. In Leah's exclamation the word is used appellatively: With luck! (v.i.). It is probable, however, that at an earlier time it was current in the sense 'With Gad's help'

the Ḥorite clan (Hebrew characters) (36²⁷).—6. (Hebrew characters)] On the form, see G-K. § 26 g.—7a[Greek: b]b must be assigned to J, on account of (Hebrew characters) and (Hebrew characters) (note also the expression of subj. after second vb.).—8. (Hebrew characters)] (Greek characters). The vb. has nowhere else the sense of 'wrestle,' but means primarily to 'twist' (cf. Pr. 8⁸, Jb. 5¹³, Ps. 18²⁷† ); hence (Hebrew characters) might be the 'tortuous,' 'cunning' one (BDB). But a more plausible etymology derives it from a hypothetical Naphtal (from (Hebrew characters) [Jos. 17¹¹† ,—if correctly vocalised], usually taken to mean 'height': cf. (Hebrew characters) fr. (Hebrew characters)), denoting the northern highlands W of the Upper Jordan (Mey. INS, 539).—The Vns. render the v. more or less paraphrastically, and give no help to the elucidation of the sense.

10. Both here and v.¹² G gives a much fuller text.—11. (Hebrew characters)] So Keth., G (Greek characters), V Feliciter. But Qrê (Hebrew characters) is ancient, being presupposed by S ((Syriac characters)) and T^OJ. These Vns. render 'Good fortune comes' (so Ra): another translation, suggested by 49¹⁹, is 'A troop ((Hebrew characters)) comes' (IEz.).