Page:A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis (1910).djvu/564

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it to Pharaoh,—a mixture of the 'realistic' and the 'fantastic' which belongs to the psychology of the dream (Gu.). It is disputed whether the drinking of the fresh juice is realism or phantasy. "The ordinary interpretation is that the king drank the fresh grape-juice; but as the butler sees the natural process of the growth of the grapes take place with dream-like swiftness, so probably it is taken for granted that the juice became wine in similar fashion" (Ben.; so Gu.). On the other hand, Ebers (Durch Gosen z. Sinai2, 492) cites two texts in which a beverage prepared by squeezing grapes into water is mentioned.—12, 13. The interpretation: the butler will be restored to his office within three days.—lift up thy head] Commonly understood of restoration to honour. But in view of the fact that the phrase is used of the baker also, it may be doubted if it be not a technical phrase for release from prison (as it is in 2 Ki. 2527, Jer. 5231).—14, 15. Joseph's petition.—remember me] On the difficult construction, v.i.from this house] Not the prison (as Vns., below), but Potiphar's house, where he was kept as a slave.—15a. I was stolen] cf. 3728a(Symbol missingGreek characters) (E).—the land of the Hebrews] The ex-


Ball emends (after G (Symbol missingGreek characters)) (Symbol missingHebrew characters) (cf. Jb. 149, Ps. 9214); Kit. (Symbol missingHebrew characters).—(Symbol missingHebrew characters)] The masc. (Symbol missingHebrew characters) does not occur (in this sense) in bib. Heb., and a contraction of (Symbol missingHebrew characters) to (Symbol missingHebrew characters) is doubtful (G-K. § 91 e); hence it is better to read (Symbol missingHebrew characters) as acc.: 'it (the vine) went up in blossom.' It is possible that here and Is. 185 (Symbol missingHebrew characters) means 'berry-cluster'; see Derenbourg, ZATW, v. 301 f.—(Symbol missingHebrew characters)] lit. 'cooked'; Hiph. only here.—Note the asyndetous construction, expressing the rapidity of the process.—13. (Symbol missingHebrew characters)(Symbol missingHebrew characters)] G (Symbol missingGreek characters) . . . (Symbol missingGreek characters); similarly VSTO.—(Symbol missingHebrew characters)] lit. 'pedestal,' used metaphorically as here in 4113, Dn. 117. 20. 21. 38 † .—14. (Symbol missingHebrew characters)] G (Symbol missingGreek characters), V tantum memento mei; similarly S and TOJ. Something like this must be the meaning; the difficulty is (since a precative pf. is generally disallowed in Heb.) to fit the sense to any known use of the bare pf. (a) If it be pf. of certitude, the nearest analogy seems to me to be Ju. 157, where (Symbol missingHebrew characters) has strong affirmative force, perhaps with a suppressed adjuration, as 2 Ki. 520 ((Symbol missingHebrew characters)): 'thou wilt surely remember me.' To supply a negative sent. like 'I desire nothing [except that thou remember me]' (G-K. § 163 d; De. Str.), destroys the idea of pf. of certainty, and is a doubtful expedient for the additional reason that (Symbol missingHebrew characters) may mean 'except,' but hardly 'except that.' (b) It may be fut. pf., in which case the (Symbol missingHebrew characters) must have its separate conditional sense; and then it is better (with We.) to change (Symbol missingHebrew characters) to (Symbol missingHebrew characters): 'only, if thou remember me.' The objection (De. Di.) that the remembrance is too