' He is penetrated by the thought of Jehovah's mercifulness, long-suffering, and covenant faithful- ness. He delights to trace tlie successive stages in the development of faith. It is he who tells how Abraham " believed in the I.onl, and He counted it to him for righteousness." . . . The Jahwist appears, in fact, to survey the field of history with
GENESIS
GENESIS
145
the eye of mature spiritual experience ; in the lowly beginnings of Hebrew history he discerns the divinely intended ciinsununation— the ultimate purpose which from the Hrst filled the incidents of ordinary life with solemn significance (Un I'J--"'- 1012 iDsfn. ^oiiff 4y.)if.).' (^ottley's Bampton Lectures, 1897, pp. U'J, 120).
Atnont; the characteristic features of J's writing the following deserve special mention : —
(11 The urn of Jahiceh (nn') an the name ofGod.—TSnt, cif course, that the word Kloiiiin was not known or used by him ; he does use it for the purpose of introducing a comparison lie- tween the human and the divine (tin ;1'J29. 3i 3jjioj^ or when he represents a non-IsraeUte speuliiiiif of tile Deitv to an Israelite, or an Israelite to a non-Israelite (Gn 'Jo" 4U» 41"'- 20. 2s. 32 4;j2ii). lie puts it ijito the mouth of tlio serjient (Gn 32). The name .lahweh. cm the other hand, in liis narrative, is known to the patriarchs and used by tliem ; and the writer is not apparently aware of the tradition that the name was Iirst revealed to Moses, as recorded in Kx :i. To an English reader, his use of the sacred name appears an anacUrouism, or a not unnatural anticipation of later (.'eneral usaj,'e.
t'j) J^H line ofirords and phrases may be illustrated by —
HDN j, lit. ' as tliou comest to,' Gn lO'"!" etc.
'nx U Gn 4.S=» 44" (cf. Kx 4'». >»).
jn N3 j • llrid favour,' Gn 6» ISS »>« 33'- '» etc.
ipn nt"^ Gn 24«. ". lo (used also by E, Gn 20" 21» 40").
Vi^ (euphemistic use). Gn 4>. ". »5 199 .7410 3328.
[j7;] (Iliph.) Gn 303» 33l'i43»«».
S .IT Gn IS^ 24I6. 10. l«. 22^
r': Gn 192 24=s.
in>; Gn 2.V" (cf. Ex $'■ M 9M 10").
D;:§n Gn 2=3 IS3J 29s«- 30™ 4C3"; Tys for 'the younger,' Gn 2.'i2» 4;)M 48".
.i.nD'.y ' maid-servant ' (not n?;N), Gn 16= 30' etc.
Tff.T Gn 1S'» 1<J2«,
(3) Grammar. — A preference for verbal sufH-xes, instead of PN with sutlixes.
Phrases such as 'and it came to pass,' ^p ^hm, Iw'Np >n^i. Emphatic use of nt and PNT. Fondness for particles. I'se of precative Nl.
The portions of Genesis which are generally assigned by critics to J are as follows : —
oil)_4-.'.l ,r,J9 (Jl-S 71-5. 12. li;h. 17. 22. 23 82b. 3a. 0-12. I3b. 20-22 l)l.s-27 lO*^'"- ='• 24-31) lll-'.l. 2,>»-30 JOl-la. 6-20 ];->l-5. 7-lln. I2I.-18 1(510.2.4-14 lSl_ir)2,t3il-.TS O] la- 2a. .13 22'-^24 241_25«. lib. 18. 21-26a. 27-34 2(il-33 (exc. IC. lit) O-Jl-i.^ (mainly) 2810. 13-10. 19 2!)-'-I4. 10-35 (eic. 28b. '."S) 301-23 (mainly). 24-42 31I. 3 (25-27. 38-40). 40. 48-.10 324-14. 2.M2 3.31-17 04(largely)3r)21-22ar36.31-38-|3712-35(pnrlly)
.■!8. 30. .(238-4434 4(;-2s_475. 13-26. 27a. 2'.ksi 49ib-28a .501-11. 14 The majority of critics incline to the view that J was comjio.sed by a dweller in the Southern king- dom ; and it is pointed out in support of this view tliat I lie dwelling-place of Abraham, and possibly also of Jacob, is, acconling to J, Hebron, and that the leader of Jo.seiih's brethren is Judah and not Heuben. Such arguments are obviously precarious ; but the alternative opinion, that the writer be- longed to the Northern kingdom, a.s Kuenen main- tains, does not reiit on any more convincing proofs. ((•) The E document in Genesis, like the J docu- ment, has ])reserved many of the most interesting features of the patriarchal narrative. To use J>river's phrase, its 'narrative 'is more "objec- tive," less consciously tinged by ethical and theological reflexion tiian that of" J.' We owe to it, however, the mention of many of the most striking details to be found in the book. For instance, the traditions preserved in connexion with jiarticular localities in l'ah\stine are in E chronicled with minuteness, e.t/. the sacrifice on Mt. Moriah (22), the pillar at 'Bethel (281*), and that at Gilead (.■il*'). l'"- altar at Bethel (35'-3-:), and Rachel's burying-place (35'^). The story of Joseph is largely narrated from the sources which E preserved ; and it is to E that we are indebted for the record of the Philistine names Ahuz/.ath and riiicol (21''-), and the lOgyptian names Votiphar (37'"), Zapheuath-paneuh and Asenath (4H'').
VOL. II. — 10
The most important .sections from E embrace Abraham's relations with Abimelech in 211 and 21, the expulsion of llagar and Ishmael 20'*--'. the sacrifice of I.saac 22'-'''', Jacob's tlight from Ilaran and his league with Labaii 31, and the story of Joseph as related in 40. 41. 42 and 45.
It may be noticed that E makes frequent men- tion of the means of divine revelation, wliether by dream (^e.g. 2U' 21'-i 22^ 28" 31^' 37" 40) or by the ministration of angels {e.g. 21'" 22" 28i-). ' He interprets in a religious spirit what he record.s, and aims at bringing out the didactic .simiificance of events, e.g. Gn oO-"" (Ottley, BLx>. 119).
Among the characteristics of E's style, the following deserve notice :—