HKXATEUCU
UKXATEUCH
3G7
t
the problem step bj step for himself. But to do this adequately a fuller account of these sources is necessary. For the convenience of the critical student these will now he taken in their order of dirticulty, the first beinj; that wliich can be most eiiaily distinguished, and so with the rest.
1. D. — A. Characteristics uf D. — As already ob- 8er%'ed,(f() the larrjcr truitx uf IJ are very easUy recog- iiiz"d. A serious student cannot fail to notice the hortatory character of l)t, its tone of gent le pleading, its spirituality as regards both (Jod and man. God has no outward and visible form ( l)t 4'") ; God is near man, and His law is within man's heai't (30""'''); man's relation to (!od is by nothing more truly expres.sed than by love (6° lu'-). The heart needs circumcision ( 10'" 30°). Dt may be called the Gospel of the Hexateuch. Comparatively little import- ance is attached to religious ceremony. Though opposed to anthropomorphism, the writer expresses, in a very marked way, the personality of God in language which implies anthroiiopaihic views ; notice esp. ffi 6". (h) Tlie aims and contents of Dt are eiiually characteristic. It seeks emphatically to establish the worship of one God (0^), and enjoins the absolute destruction of all visible re- jiresentations of J" as well as of heathen gods, the first by implication (4"), the second by reiterated statement (7'''° etc. 12-' etc.), tlie abolition of all ilaces of worship except the one sanctuary chosen jv God ( 12'>-'- "• '*• '»• '■'» 16'-- " etc. ). Here, and here alone, they were to ofler their sacrifices and keep their feasts, (c) Among the institutions contem- plated, or perhaps we should rather say described, by Dt are a monarchy (17"'-°), a prophetic order (IS"''-"), a priesthood of Levitcs; that is to say, every Levite is a priest without distinction ; the plira.se 'the priests the Levites' occurs frequently (17'' 18' etc.). (d) The stifle of Dt is smooth and flowing, tending to redun<lancy, generally pleasing to the ear, but at times perhajis a little tedious. Notice especially the accumulation of synonyms, or of words of the same class. Such phrases as ' with all thy heart, with all thy sout,' etc. ; ' the ordinances, the statutes, and t\\c judgments' ; 'the stranger, the undow, and the fatlu-rless,' are fre-
?uent. There is, too, a constant repetition of avourite phrases (see below, li (2)).
B. Language of D. — We shall find it convenient to distinguish (1) favourite words, especially where one synonym is used in preference to anotlier; (2) characteristic phrases and expressions. Under (1) notice especially Horeb (for Sinai), nEx 'a maid- servant' (:in?¥' only in 28'") ; Kan, the unusual word for ' sin' (the common form nnsn occurs thrice only) ; n^'it; 'earth' or ' ground,' very frequently in former Beiise (for common p,N) ; ^^h ' heart,' very frequent {zh only 4 times) ; 15'? ' to teach,' very frequent, marking the didactic character of tlie book ; n'^'^p 'a curse,' frequent (nS^i occurs 6 times, 5 of them in Bt 29) ; 3-ip with 3 or p ' in ' or ' from the midst of ' (for ii>n) ; -.Tp ' to keep, observe,' very frequent, esp. of keeping God's laws, etc. ; also in Niphal in such phrases as ' take heed to thyself.' Under (2) the phra-ses 'J" thy (your, etc.) God,' 'hear, O Israel,' 'prolong thy (your) days,' 'cleave to J" thy God,' ' serve other gods, whicli neither you nor your fathers have known,' 'that it may be well with thee,' 'that thou mayest po.sscss the land,' "at that time,' are sutUciently familiar. Under Iwth (l)and (2) we have given only a few of the most striking examples out of many. To show the full force of the argument we should have to point out the relative frequency of a very nuicli larger number of words and phriuses. l!ut those givi'U arc .so thoroughly characteristic that they will bo Bt once recognized as .specially belonging to Dent, by any one at all familiar with thai book. Turn for example to Dt li'"'. In these 3 verses, taken
almost at random, at least 8 examples occur of th« words and phra-ses mentioned above ; indeed thera is hardly a single phrase in them, excepting ' a land flowing willi milk and honey,' which does not illustrate the peculiar style of the book. It should be realized, too, that such dillerencesof style as wa can feel and appreciate go far beyond what can be expressed categorically, just as we may recognize a friend's face, or even his step or his handwriting, from a thousand, although we couKl but very im- perfectly describe the manifold peculiarities which make up its individuality of character. These re- marks are also true, more or less, of the character- istics of the other sources of the Hexateuch.