Page:A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis (1910).djvu/569

15-24. Pharaoh's recital of his dreams.—15. thou canst hear a dream to interpret it] i.e., 'thou canst interpret a dream when thou hearest it': Heb. subordinates the emphatic clause where we would subordinate the condition.—16. Comp. 40⁸.—The answer (on the form, v.i.) exhibits a fine combination of religious sincerity and courtly deference.—17-21. The first dream.—The king gives a vivid subjective colouring to the recital by expressing the feelings which the dream excited. This is natural, and creates no presumption that a parallel narrative is drawn upon. Similarly, the slight differences in phraseology ((Hebrew characters) for (Hebrew characters), etc.) are due to the literary instinct for variety.—22-24. The second dream.

25-32. The interpretation.—25-27a. The general outline of the interpretation: the dream is one; it is a presage of what is to happen; the number seven refers to years. The methodical exposition is meant to be impressive.—27b brings the climax: There shall be seven years of famine (so Pro. v.i.).—28. It is uncertain whether (Hebrew characters) refers back to ^25b 'This is what [I meant when] I said to Pharaoh'), or to ^27b

15. (Hebrew characters)] Oratio obliqua after (Hebrew characters) (without (Hebrew characters)), G-K. § 157 a; Dav. § 146, R. 1.—16. (Hebrew characters)] lit. 'Apart from me' (T^O (Hebrew characters)), used as 14²⁴. [E]G read (Hebrew characters) = 'Apart from God, one will not be answered,' etc.; cf. S (Syriac characters) ('Dost thou expect that apart from God one will answer?' etc.). V Absque me Deus respondebit, shifting the accent. There seems a double entendre in the use of (Hebrew characters): 'answer' and 'correspond': 'God will give an answer corresponding to the welfare,' etc.—19. (Hebrew characters)] 'flaccid'; G om.—21. (Hebrew characters)] On the suff. cf. G-K. § 91 f.—(Hebrew characters)] Sing. (ib. § 93 ss).—23. (Hebrew characters)] Aram. = 'dried,' 'hardened.' The word is (Greek characters) in OT, and is omitted by GVS.—(Hebrew characters)] MSS and [E] (Hebrew characters)—. The irregular gender of MT only here in this chapter.

26. (Hebrew characters)] Om. of art. may be justified on the ground that the numeral is equivalent to a determinant (G-K. § 126 x); but [E] (Hebrew characters) is much to be preferred.—27. (Hebrew characters)] 'empty.' The pointing is suggested partly by the contrast to (Hebrew characters) (²² etc.), partly by the fact that (in MT) (Hebrew characters) has not been used of the ears. We ought undoubtedly to read (Hebrew characters) ([E]S).—(Hebrew characters)] The translation above is not free from difficulty; it omits a prediction of unusual plenty preceding the famine, which is, nevertheless, presupposed by what follows. But the ordinary rendering is also weak: why should the seven thin ears alone be fully interpreted? Besides, (Hebrew characters) is fem.—28-32. The critical difficulties of the ch. commence in this section. Pro. assigns ^29-31 to J ( ^27f. [E]), instancing (Hebrew characters) (cf. 18³³ 24^{15. 19}