Genesis (Anchor Bible Commentary)

455 Pages·1979·17.74 MB·English

by  E. A. Speiser

GENE S I S
THE ANCHOR BIBLE is a fresh approach to the world's geatest
classic. Its object is to make the Bible acessible t the modem
reader; its method is to anive at the meaning of biblical literature
throug exact translation and extended exposition, and. to recon­
struct the ancient setting of the biblical story, as wel as the circum­
stances of its trascription and the characteristics of its transcribers.
THE ANCHOR BIBLE i a project of interational and iterfaith
scope: Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish scholars from many coun­
tries contribute individual volumes. Te project is not sponsored
by any ecclesiastical organation and is not intended to refect any
particular teologcal doctrine. Prepared under our joint supervision,
THE ANCHOR BIBLE is an efor to make available all the signifcant
historical and linguistic knowledge which bears on the itrpretaton
of the biblical record.
THE ANCHOR BIBLE is aimed at the general reader with no special
formal training in biblical studies; yet, it i written with the most
exactng standards of scholarship, refecting te highest technical
accomplshment.
This project marks the beginning of a new era of co-operation among
scholars i biblical research, thus forming a common body of knowl­
edge to be shared by al.
William Foxell A lbright
David Noel Freedman
GENERL EDITORS
A CHO BIBL
INTRODUCTION, TRANSLATION, AND NOTES
BY
E. A. SPE ISER
Doubleday & Company, Ic.
Garden City, New York
1964
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 64-21724
Copyright © 1964 by Doubleday & Company, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First Edition
PREFACE
As the foundation for a rising biblical structure, Genesis began
to be quoted and discussed even before the Old Testament as a
whole had been completed; and it remains to this 'day one of the
most intensively cultivated books of the Bible. Volumes have been
written about single chapters, and monographs about individual
verses and clauses. Any comprehensive treatment of Genesis must,
therefore, be highly selective, if it is to be at all suitable for the
layman while not ignoring the scholar's needs. Accordingy, the
present work devotes only as much space to matters that have al­
ready been covered elsewhere as i necessary· for clarity· .and con- ,
tinuity; a minimal bibliography of the excellent works that are
available is provided i te section on Genesis Exegesis (pp. LX f.).
By the same token, greater emphasis has been placed on questions
about which there is as yet no defnite consensus, and on points
that remain to be adduced.
The introductory essay deals with critical approaches to the Bible,
the nature of the biblical process, the contents of Genesis, and the
general problem of Bible translations. The body of the work has
been divided into sections that follow the exact order of the original,
but do not necessarily coincide wit the customar division into
chapters. Each section contains a translation of the text, some tex­
tual notes, more · extensive annotations, and an appended com­
mentary. The NOTES are addressed to speifc verses, whereas the
COMMENT is directed to the given section as a whole and is con­
cerned with literary treatment, cultural and historical background,
and problems of authorship. The study follows in the main the mod­
erate school of documentary criticism, and the presumed sources
have been indicated at the head of each section. But the sequence
of the original remains undisturbed, so that any reader may ignore,
i he so chooses, both the markers and the reasons behind them.
The transliteration of Hebrew terms has had to be simplifed for
typographic reasons. With personal and place names, the traditional
VI PREFACE
spelling has been retained in order to avoid confusion. Further de­
ta are given in the bref Note on Transliteration.
In the preparation of this book I enjoyed the privilege of thougt­
f editorial advice from Professor William F. Albright and Pro­
fessor David Noel Freedman, who contributed many comments
and suggestions, without ever interfering with the writer's freedom
of decision.
It is a genuine pleasure to· exress thanks to the editorial and
technical stafs of Anchor Books for their understanding and res­
oluteness i facing many novel problems that this volume posed,
especialy since some of the decisions could not but set precedents
for the rest of the Series. For this author te "front ofce" proved
to be a friendly refuge.
The f l extent of my indebtedness to the ever expanding litera­
ture on Genesis could not possibly be acknowledged within the
space available to me; the general tenor of the present work was
an added bar to a detailed literary apparatus. The credits that
are eplcitly idicated are but a small measure of what I owe to
uncounted predecessors.
There is, however, one acknowledgent that I have left for the
end in order to give it special promnence. The present translation
bears frequent and close resemblance to the version of Genesis
that is contained in the new rendition of the Torah brought out
by the Jewish Publication Society of America (1962). The resem­
blance is not coincidental. As a member of the small committee that
had been entrusted with the task, I had a share in tat translation
from the start. And because of my preoccupation with Genesis, that
particular share was correspondingly larger. My own results were
available to the committee and were frequently utized by it. In
tur, I had the beneft of my colleagues' contrbutions. But I owe
more to my fellow members than the sundry words or phrases
which I elected to approprate. The over-all gain from constant
written interchanges of views, and daylong sessions every other
week over a period of years, cannot be reduced to statistics. I take
this opportunity, terefore, to express my deep appreciation to my
six co-workers on the committee and to the Society which originated
the project.
E.A.S.
August 25, 1962
CONTENTS
Preface v
Principal Abbreviations XI
Note on Transliteration XIII
INTRODUCTION
The Biblical Process XVII
What's in a Name? XVII
Biblical Criticism x
The Documentary Sources of Genesis XII
(1) P, (2) J, (3) E, ( 4) The Residue
The Tradition behind the Documents XXVII
Genesis of the Biblical Process XLI II
Introduction to the Book of Genesis LIII
Nature of the Contents LIII
(1) Primeval History, (2) The Story of the Patriarchs
Genesis Exegesis LX
On Translating Genesis LXIII
Standard Versions LXI
I. PRIMEVAL HISTORY
1. Opening Account of Creation (i 1-ii 4a) 3
14
2. The Story of Eden (ii 4b-24)
3. The Fall of Man (ii 25-iii 24) 21
4. Cain and Abel (iv 1-16) 29
5. The Line of Cain (iv 17-26) 34
6. The Patriarchs before the Flood (v 1-32) 39
7. Prelude to Disaster (vi 1-4) 44
8. The Flood (vi 5-viii 22)
5477
9. Blessing and Covenant (ix 1-17)
10. Noah and His Sons (ix 18-29) 60
64
11. The Table of Nations (x 1-32)
VI I CO NTENTS
74
12. The Tower of Babel (xi 1-9)
13. Genealogies from Shem to Abraham (xi 10-32)
I. THE STORY OF THE PATRIARCHS
TH STORY OF ARAM
14. Abraham's Cal and Migration (xii 1-9) 85
95
15. Abraham and Sarah in Egpt (x i 10-20) 89
16. Lot's Separation from Abraham (xiii 1-18)
17. Invasion from the East. Abraham ad Melchiedek
(xiv 1-24) 99
18. Promise and Covenant (xv 1-21) 110
19. The Birth of Ishmael (xvi 1-16) 116
20. Covenant and Circumcision (xvii 1-27) 122
21. Abraham and His Mysterious Visitors (xviii 1-15) 128
22. Abraham Intercedes for Sodom (xviii 16-33) 132
23. Destruction of Sodom. Lot's Escape (xix 1-29) 136
24. Lot's Daughters (xix 30-38) 144
25. Abraham and Sarah at Gerar (xx 1-18) 147
26. Birth of Isaac and Expulsion of Hagar (xxi 1-21) 153
27. Abraham and Abimelech at Beer-sheba (xxi 22-34) 158
28. The Ordeal of Isaac (xxii 1-19) 161
29. The Line of Nahor (xxii W-24) 167
30. The Machpelah Purchase (xxiii 1-19) 168
31. Isaac and Rebekah (xxiv 1-67) 174
32. The Sons of Keturah. Death of Abraham. The Line of
Ishmael (xxv 1-18) 186
THE STORY OF JACOB
33. Esau and Jacob: Their Birth and Youth (xxv 19-34) 193
34. Various Notices about Isaac (xxvi 1-35) 198
35. Isaac Deceived (xxvii 1-45) 205
36. Jacob Is Sent to Laban (xvii 46-xxviii 9) 214
37. Jacob's Dream at Bethel (xxviii 10-22) 217
38. Jacob's Arrival in Haran (xxix 1-14a) 221
39. Jacob's Marriages with Leah and Rachel (xxi 14b-30) 224
40. The Birth of Jacob's Children (xxix 31-xxx 24) 228
41. Jacob's Bargain with Laban (xxx 25-43) 234
42. Jacob's Flight from Haran (xxxi 1-54) 240
43. Encounters (xxxii 1-33) 252
44. Meeting between Jacob and Esau (xxxiii 1-20) 258
45. The Rape of Dinah (xxxiv 1-31) 262
46. Bethel Revisited (xxxv 1-15) 269
77
CONTENTS I
47. Brief Notices about Jacob's Family (xxxv 16-29) 272
48. Edomite Lists (xxxvi 1-xxxvii 2a) 276
JOSEPH AD HIS BROTHERS
49. Joseph Sold into Egypt (xxxvii 2b-36) 287
50. Judah and Tamar (xxxviii 1-30) 295
51. The Temptation of Joseph (xxxix 1-23) 301
52. Joseph Interprets the Dreams of Pharaoh's Servants
(xl 1-23) 305
53. What Dreams Did for Joseph (xli 1-57)
The Brothers' First Trip to Egypt (xlii 1-38) 318
Second Trip to Egypt (x i 1-34) 325
56. The Ultimate Test (xliv 1-34) 331
The Disclosure (xlv 1-28)
58. Jacob's Migration to Egypt (xlvi 1-34)
59. Jacob before Pharaoh. His Land Policy (xlvii 1-26) 348
60. The Blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh
(xlvii 27-xlviii 22) 354
61. The Testament of Jacob (xlix 1-27) 361
62. Death of Jacob and Joseph (xlix 28-1 26) 373
379
Key to the Text
309
54.
55.
57.
336
342