26a. The blessings, arranged in three parallel couplets,—the
first referring to the fertility of the soil.—Blessings of heaven above] Rain and dew, the cause of fertility (so Dt. 3313 em.).—Tĕhôm . . . beneath] The subterranean flood, whence
springs and rivers are fed: see on 12.—Blessings of breasts and womb] Contr. the terrible imprecation, Hos. 914.—26a.
Passing over the first four words as absolutely unintelligible
(v.i.), we come to the third pair of blessings: . . . of the eternal mountains . . . of the everlasting hills (Dt. 3315,
Hab. 36)] In what sense the mountains were conceived as
a source of blessing is not clear,—perhaps as abodes of
deity; cf. the 'dew of Hermon' (Ps. 1333).—The word
rendered produce is uncertain; we should expect 'blessings,'
as G actually reads (v.i.).—26b. Be on the head] as in
benediction the hand is laid on the head (4814): cf. Pr. 106
1126.—(Hebrew characters)] So Dt. 3316. The (
Hebrew characters) is either the Nazirite—one
'consecrated' to God by a vow involving unshorn
hair (Ju. 135. 7 etc.)—or the prince (so only La. 47). For the
rendering 'crowned one' there are no examples. The
second interpretation is that usually adopted by recent
scholars; some explaining it of the Northern monarchy, of
one remediable, the other not. The last line is to be restored with
G (Hebrew characters), 'blessings of the eternal mountains' (Dt. 3315, Hab. 36).
But the first three words, though represented by all Vns., must be
wrong; for to put (
Hebrew characters) under the regimen of (
Hebrew characters) destroys the parallelism,
and the vb. (
Hebrew characters) cuts off (
Hebrew characters) from its subj. What is obviously required
is a line parallel to (
Hebrew characters). Gu.'s suggested emendation, though
far from satisfying, is the best that can be proposed: (
Hebrew characters) =
'Blessings of father, yea, man and child.'—(
Hebrew characters)] [E]G + (
Hebrew characters), suggested
no doubt by the previous line.—(
Hebrew characters)] VSTOJ render 'my progenitors,'
by an impossible derivation from [root] (
Hebrew characters), 'be pregnant.'—(
Hebrew characters)] EV
'utmost bound' (so De., fr. [root] (
Hebrew characters) or (
Hebrew characters); see BDB), has no real philological
or traditional justification. If the text were reliable, it might be
the common word 'desire,' from [root] (
Hebrew characters) (G curs. [E]VTOJ), in the sense of
'desirable things.' With some hesitation I follow above Ols. Gu. al.,
reading (
Hebrew characters) after Dt. 3314. But GB (
Hebrew characters) has great weight (all the
greater that the translator has lost the thread of the thought), and ought
perhaps to be preferred.—(
Hebrew characters)] is not necessarily a derivative from the
noun (
Hebrew characters), 'diadem,' = 'the crowned one'; more probably it comes from
the vb. directly,—(
Hebrew characters) = 'dedicate' (cf. (
Hebrew characters))—which admits various shades
of meaning. Of the Vns. GTJ represent the idea of 'prince' or 'ruler,
TO 'the separated one,' V Saad. 'the Nazirite,' S 'the crown' ((
Hebrew characters)).