Page:A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis (1910).djvu/635

which the Joseph-tribes were the chief part; though others think it merely ascribes to Joseph a position of princely superiority to his brethren. The other view is taken by Sellin (Beitr. ii. 1, 132 ff.) and Gu., who conceive the ancient Nazirite as a man like Samson, dedicated to single-handed warfare against the foes of Israel (cf. Schw. Kriegsalterthümer, 101 ff.), and hold that Joseph is so designated as being the foremost champion of the national cause. The interpretation is certainly plausible; but it derives no support from the word (Hebrew characters) ( (Hebrew characters)), which is never used in connexion with the Nazirite, and is quite common in other connexions (see Dt. 33²⁰). The opinion confidently entertained by many scholars (see We. Comp.² 321), that the Blessing of Joseph presupposes the divided kingdom, rests partly on this expression, and partly on the allusion to an arduous struggle in ^23f.. But it is clear that neither indication is at all decisive. If (Hebrew characters) could mean only 'crowned one,' we should no doubt find ourselves in the time of the dual monarchy. In point of fact, it never denotes the king, and only once 'princes'; and we have no right to deny that its import is adequately explained by the leadership which fell to the house of Joseph in the conquest of Canaan (Ju. 1^22ff.). Similarly, the 'archers' of v.²³ might be the Aramæans of Damascus, in which case Joseph would be a name for the Northern kingdom as a whole; but they may as well be the Midianites (Ju. 6 ff.) or other marauders who attacked central Israel between the settlement and the founding of the monarchy, and whose repeated and irritating incursions would admirably suit the terms of the description. The general considerations which plead for an early date are: (1) The analogy of the rest of the poem, some parts of which are earlier, and none demonstrably later, than the age of David or Solomon. (2) The incorporation of the blessing in a Judæan work is improbable at a time when Israel was a rival kingdom. (3) Although Joseph sometimes stands for the Northern kingdom, it can hardly do so here in an enumeration of the tribes. Consequently it takes us back to the time when Joseph was still a single tribe, or when at least the separation of Ephraim and Manasseh was not clearly recognised: the addition in Dt. 33^17b is instructive in this regard (see Gu., and Sellin, l.c. 134). 27. Benjamin.

²⁷ Benjamin is a ravening wolf:

         In the morning he devours the prey,
         And at eve divides the spoil.

27. (Hebrew characters)] Descriptive impf., see Dav. § 44, R. 3, § 142. On pausal ā see G-K. § 29 u.—(Hebrew characters)] = 'booty,' Is. 33²³, Zeph. 3⁸ [? Is. 9⁵]; G (Greek characters).