with V. " into Str. II where they belong together. The charge
against Jerusalem's rich is that they have gained their wealth by
oppression and injustice, a not infrequent complaint of the proph-
ets; cf. Am. 3*" 6^ Zp. i^ Ez. f^ 8" Is. sg^.—And her inhabitants
speak falsehood] While violence was predicated only of the rich,
deceit is charged against all without discrimination. This is
practically saying that all are equally bad; the poor would be as
oppressive as the rich had they but the power. Trickery which is
possible for all is confined to no especial class. — And their tongue
is deceit in their mouths] A vivid way of saying that not a word
they speak can be trusted. Lying is a common oriental vice even
at the present day, and apparently always has been; cf. Ho. 7^ 10*
Je. 6'^ 9^"^ Zc. 5* Lv. 19". This phrase is to be set aside as a gloss
on the preceding line;* cf. Ps. 120^- ^. It adds nothing and is
superfluous to the str. and the parallelism.
Str. II points out the impossibility of Yahweh's condoning or
justifying a certain kind of cheating commonly practised in the
commercial transactions of his day. — 10. Can I forget the treasures
in the house of the wicked] These ill-gotten gains must always
arise as an ugly reminder of the injustice through which they
were obtained and so render it impossible for Yahweh to be gra-
cious. M is corrupt here and obscure. It has been variously
rendered; e. g. "Are there yet treasures, etc.,"f with the variations
"are there not yet?" and "there are yet"; but this is improbable
grammatically {v. i.). Or, "the great man is yet in the palace,
* So Marti, Now.^, Du..
t So Cal., Dathe, Rosenm., Hi., Mau., Ew., Um., Kl., Or., Hd., Casp., Ke., el al.
0-" 133
etc.";* or "fire devours the houses, etc.," cj. C5-t C>r> yet again,
"are there yet foundations in the house, etc."t For the corrected
text, V. s.. — And, the accursed scant measure?] In days when no
fixed and unvarying standard for weights and measures was known
and when no police power existed for the enforcement of such laws,
knavery of this type was doubtless very common ; cf. Am. 8^ Dt.
25". But Yahweh's curse is upon all such dealings (Dt. 25^*^);
he demands justice and fair dealing between one man and another.
11. Can I treat as pure him with the wicked balances, and with the
bag of false weights ?\ Cf. Dt. 25*^ Ps. i8^^ This closes Yahweh's
appeal to the moral consciousness of Israel. He has pointed out
the moral impossibility of his permitting wickedness to go unpun-
ished. According to M the verb must be rendered, "can I be pure
with, etc." This has usually been interpreted either as repre-
senting Yahweh asking how he could be considered pure and holy,
if he permitted such imfair practices; or as dependent upon an
vmexpressed thought such as "let each one ask himself." But
neither interpretation makes good Hebrew usage.
Str. Ill begins the description of the punishment involved by
the sins just exposed. A*hostile army will invade Israel. — 13.
But I, indeed, will begin to smite thee] For a similar idiom, cf.
Dt. 2^^ The pronoun refers, not to the individual guilty of the
offences just described, but to the "tribe" (v. ^) as a whole. M
reads, "but I, indeed, will make sore thy smiting"; cf. Na. 3^^
Je. 30^^. But this use of the verb "make sick" is not paralleled
elsewhere, hence the change of pointing suggested by (jg> seems
preferable. — To lay thee in ruins on account of thy sins] The pro-
nominal object is not expressed in the Hebrew text, but is clearly
implied in the context. — 14b, c, d. And thy . . . in the midst of
thee] The meaning of the main word in this phrase is wholly im-
known ; no help is to be derived from the Vrss.. In its present con-
text, parallel as it is with "thy sins," some such meaning as "trans-
gressions" or "abominations" seems called for. In its context as
in iS, the meaning "hunger" or "emptiness" is usually conjec-
tured for the noun; but the presence of the sufl&x is hardly in
harmony with such a rendering. The cognate languages know
* So AE., Ra., Abar., Stniensee. t So Mich.. % So Ro..
134 MICAH
no such word. Hence no assurance is possible as to its meaning.
— And thou shall try to remove but shalt not deliver ; and what thou
dost deliver, I will give to the sword] The first part of the state-
ment apparently refers to property, none of which will be saved;
the second, to the women and children who, though temporarily
carried to a place of refuge, will finally meet death at the hands of
the enemy. Margolis, following Ibn 6anah, adopts the rendering,
"and she shall conceive, but shall not bear; and whomsoever she
beareth I will give to the sword." On the basis of this MargoHs
suggests for the preceding phrase, "and thy wife in her body"
(v. s.). But against this must be urged the harshness of the idiom,
"thy vidfe shall conceive in her body"; and the fact that iDH
nowhere else in the OT. approximates the meaning 'conceive';
the regular verb for this idea is niH.
Str. IV continues the description of the coming disaster, by
pointing out with a few bold strokes how all of Israel's labour shall
count for naught. — 14a. Thou shall eat, but not be satisfied] The
thought of an invading enemy is still in the prophet's mind. Pent
up in the city by siege and reduced gradually to the last extremi-
ties, Israel will know all the agonies of starvation ; cf. 2 K. 6^ Je.
52^ Lv. 26^ ^•. The transference of this line to this place in Str.
IV is made imperative by the break which it causes m the connec-
tion between v. ^^ and v. "^, by the admirable connection thereby
established between v. "* and v. ^^ and by the ease with which it
solves the problem of the strophic structure. — 15. Thou shalt sow,
but not reap] The process of harvest will be prevented by the ad-
vance of the enemy; cf. Dt. 28^^ ^•. — Thou shall tread out the olive,
but not anoint thyself with oil] This is the only direct mention
of the treading out of oUve-oil; cf. Jo. 2^*. The finest oil was
"beaten" (Ex. 2f^ Lv. 24^); but the bulk of the olive crop was
trodden out into oil vats. Anointing with oil was a toilet custom
common to all hot climates; cf. Am. 6® 2 S. 12^° 14^ Ru. 3^ 2 Ch.
28^^ — And the must, but thou shalt not drink wine] All the joy of
life will be cut off. Allusions to the treading out of wine are very
common; cf Ju. 9" Am. 9^^ Is. 16^" 6f Je. 25^° Jb. 24" Ne. iz'\
Str. V closes the poem summarising the sin of Israel and declar-
ing it to be the occasion of the disaster which Yahweh will send. —
515-16 J35
16. For thou hast kept the statutes of Omri] No special '-statutes
of Omri" are elsewhere mentioned, and it is doubtful whether this
expression is meant to apply to definite laws. Omri is harshly
condemned by the Deuteronomist in i K. i6^ ^•. But he is prob-
ably mentioned here as the founder of the strongest dynasty of
northern Israel, and thus as representative of the type of life
characteristic of that kingdom and responsible for its downfall in
721 B.C. In Assyrian records after the reign of Omri, the northern
kingdom was commonly designated bU Humri. — And all the work
of the house of A hah] In view of the charges made in w. ^""^^
it is probable that reference is had here to the judicial murder of
Naboth (i K. 21), as typical of the methods of self-aggrandise-
ment common to Ahab and the tyrannical rich men of Jerusalem.
— A nd ye walk in their counsels] This adds nothing to the thought,
is extraneous to the metrical form, and uses the plural of the verb,
whereas the preceding and following context has the singular.
Hence it is best considered as a gloss.* For similar phraseology,
cf. 2 K. 16^ Je. f^ Ps. i^ 81^" I S. 8^.— In order that I may give
thee to ruin] In accordance with a common Hebrew usage, the
prophet ironically attributes what was an inevitable but unde-
signed consequence of a coiu-se of action to the deliberate pur-
pose of the actor. — And her inhabitants to mockery] The pronoun
must refer to the city, as in v. *^^; the sudden change of person is
abrupt and confusing, but finds many parallels in Hebrew; cf.
Gn. 49* I K. i^° Is. 22^^ 2f 31^. That there may be no possible
doubt as to the source of the mockery, a reader has added the
gloss,t and the scorn of the peoples ye shall bear] The evidence for
the secondary character of this line is identical vdth that for the
later origin of the addition to v. ^^^. This threat represents the
lowest depths of humiUation to the proud and sensitive Hebrew
spirit, m's "scorn of my people" has occasioned great fertiUty
of exegetical ingenuity, e. g. Israel will not be punished as heathen
are but far more severely in proportion to their privileges,J or the
suffering brought upon the people of God by their rich oppressors
will now be inflicted upon the rich themselves by the foreign foe;§
* So Marti, Now.^, Siev., Du..
t So now Du.; but v. AJSL. XXIV, 187 #., where this suggestion was first published.
X Cal.. § Dathe, Rosenm..
136 mCAH
or, the heathen will delight in humiliating the nation representing
the ideal of "the people of God," but this disgrace will justly be
endured by the present representatives of the ideal who are re-
sponsible for its bemg brought into disrepute;* or, the disgrace
which my people has brought upon my name will be borne by
you;t or, Israel must bear the disgrace of being the people whom
I have rejected;! or, the chastisement borne by the people as a
whole will also be borne by each one of you mdividually.§ But
none of them are satisfactory solutions of the difficulty occasioned
by the essential identity of the subject of the verb and the phrase
"my people."
9. n>tt'in] On meaning and etymology, cf. Grimm, JAOS. XXII,
35-44, who rightly connects it with Assy. as<i, "to support, to help," as
a tuqtilat form. — hxt] Ko. ^ "« "^ explains M as due to the Masso-
retes having supposed an ellipsis of tt-^N; cf. K6. ^««% where all infs. in
n _ are cited. — .ibc] Of masc. gender ace. to Ex. 4'^; the fact that the pi.
ending is ni_ (Nu. 17") is, of course, no indication of fern, gender; cf.
m3N , rnsD. — t] Usually rendered him who, but this would require
ntt'N; >n always has interrog. force, direct or indirect. For the meaning
assembly given to the emendation i>iis, cf. Jb. 30" Nu. i6' Is. 14" Lam.
lU, — 10. CNH ■)!>•] 'y precedes interrogative only in Gn. 19'^ but there in-
terrogative is a pronoun which often yields first place in the sentence to
some more important word. If tn = ^:,cf. Ges. ^ ">' on interchange
of N and >, and the regular usage in Aram.. 2 S. 14" is, perhaps, an-
other example of the confusion of these two words, but the text there is
by no means certain; cf. also Pr. iS'^.— y^n r'z] = 'i ma; cf. T^.^, Ho.
69; an ace. of place in which, Ges. ^'I'e.— nD?K] The Pi'el does not else-
where have the forensic force of "declare pure" or "treat as pure"; but
since it occurs only three times, and since the Qal does carry the fo-
rensic idea (Ps. 51"), this can hardly be considered a serious objection
to the reading proposed.— 'J3n] Weights were commonly of stone, as
may be seen by an examination of the fine collection in the Haskell
Museum. — none] Very common in the Psalms, and Wisdom Literature;
but also in eariy books, cf. Am. 8' Ho. 12» Je. S".— 13. osirn] In M
both this and msn are substs. and in relation of obj. to ^n^Snn; but in cor-
rected text, they are supplementary infins. with verb, force. — 14. inv]
"B derives from â– / nna', as a noun formation with prefix \ Old ety-
mology was to connect it by metathesis with Ar. (^^i"-**?, be famished
(so e. g. Ges., Hi., Ew.) ; Hd. proposed x5 - i, = the Syr., dysentery; but
* Ke., Casp.. t Ry- t Schegg. § Hi.. Reinke, van H..
59-16 137
neither of these meanings combines well with the suffix, and the context
as reconstructed demands an entirely different sense. — jpnij On juss.
in protasis, cf. Dr. ^* i6»a.«.i« o'**-. Hiph. of jid elsewhere is always used
of the displacement of a boundary; but Hiph. occurs in all only 7 times,
and in the Qal, Niph. and Hoph. no such restriction of its scope of ac-
tivity appears. — rSon . . . cJ^^Jcn] Hiph. only here and Is. 5"; used for
sake of variety; there is no necessity for correcting the text to produce
identity of form; the related vb. ic'^D likewise shares the meaning "de-
liver" between Hiph. and Pi'el.— 15. 11DP] Always of the anointing in
the toilet; with the ace. of material here and 2 S. 14^ Dt. 28". n-va is
used of both secular and religious anointing; cf. Am. 6« Je. 22K Lv. 728. —
16. iDna'''i] Masc. sg. of vb. with two subjects, nearer of which is in
fem.pl., Ko.^"" •»*'•; but this, difficult as it is, is not in keeping with the
meaning of the Hithp. in Ps. 18" (= 2 S. 22"); nor can mpn be treated
as ace. after the Hithp.. The consecution of vb. forms in M. of w. "• '« is
abnormal, viz. simple impf., impf. with 1, impf. with \ Impf. with 1 is
better at beginning of v. '" since reference is to a definite fact of the past
and present. — xr-^l On force of purpose clause, cf. Dt. 29I8 Ho. 8< Am.
2', and K6. 5'"». — npir] Always in parall. with nc!:'. Cf. Wkl. AOF.
II, 74 jf. who connects it with the Assy, larraku, to which he assigns the
value "desert," "wilderness"; but see Muss-Arnolt, Did. s. v., where the
meaning "thief" is clearly established for iarrdku by the passages cited.
§ 19. Israel's Lamentation Over the Faithlessness Among Her
People if-').
This section is a group of six four-line strs. which bewail the
general depravity in Israel. Str. I laments the state of general
weakness into which Israel has fallen. Str. II accounts for this
weakness by describing the wickedness universal in Israel. Str.
Ill exposes the covetousness and bribery prevalent among the
ruling classes. Str. IV declares their condition to be hopeless
and their day of punishment to be close at hand. Strs. V and VI
rise to a climax in the denunciation of sin, by shovnng that no man
dare trust even his most intimate friends and nearest relatives.
"\X^OE is me! for I am become
Like the gatherings of summer fruit, like the gleanings of the vintage.
There is not a cluster to eat,
Not an early fig that my soul desires.
HTHE pious has perished from the land.
And of the upright among men there is none.
All of them lie in wait for blood,
Each hunts his brother with a net.
138 MICAH
T^O do evil they have made ready their hands;
The prince demands a bribe,
And the great man expresses the desire of his soul;
He . . . and they weave it.
"T^HE best of them are like a brier;
The most upright of them like a hedge.
The day of their visitation comes;
Now will be their havoc.
pUT no confidence in a friend;
Trust not an intimate;
From her that lies in thy bosom,
Guard the doors of thy mouth.
â– pOR a son insults his father;
A daughter rises up against her mother;
The daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
A man's enemies are the men of his own house.
The measure of the poem is prevailingly trimeter, falling occasionally
to dimeter as in Str. IV, lines i and 2, and rising once to tetrameter, viz.
Str. II, line 4. The text of Str. Ill is badly preserved and has thus far
defied restoration. The strophic norm of the piece is already fixed by
vv. '• 2 which fall naturally into four lines each (c/. Siev., Du.); the same
metre fits well throughout, with the exception of Str. Ill, where the text
is beyond recovery.
The fact that the style changes in v. ^ from that of a lament to that of
an address is insufficient reason for separating vv. s- « as a parallel from
the original piece (w. >-•), with Marti {cf. Du., Hpt.), or for eliminating
V. •* and transposing v. « to follow v. ', with Siev. and Gu.. Change of
persons is a very common phenomenon in Hebrew discourse {cf. Ko.
Stilistik, 238 ff.), as is also the change from one style of address to an-
other, e. g. from apostrophe or direct address to narrative (Ps. 34<-s 45'^""
Is. 24>« '•). Looked upon as an announcement of coming disaster, the
piece, of course, finds its most natural conclusion in Str. IV. But dis-
aster is only incidental in this prophecy. Its main burden is rather that
of grief for Israel's pitiable plight. Vv. ^- « consequently form an emi-
nently fitting conclusion. The picture of universal disloyalty, even in
the most sacred and intimate human relationships, is the true climax.
What can compare with this as a just cause for lamentation?
The time to which the prophecy belongs is difficult to discover. This
section is wholly independent logically of both the preceding and the fol-
lowing. Yet it is generally conceded that d'-'^ and j'-^ might easily have
come from the same time and the same pen. The same moral and re-
ligious situation in general is reflected in both passages. The fact that the
judgment is looked upon as still to come (7^) is consistent with origin in
the time of Micah; but it is not inconsistent with postexilic origin {cf.
Zc. 13' 2- 14' '• Mai. 35 '■). The charge against the ruling classes (v. =>)
yl-« 139
is likewise explicable upon either basis (cf. 3' "• Zc. ii> «• Zp. 3'). The
general condition of depravity pictured here, and especially the faithless-
ness so widely prevalent are more easily accounted for in the postexilic
period than at any previous time {cf. Is. sq'-^ 56^-57= Mai. 2" 'â– 4^ Ps.
12, 14). But a fuller knowledge of the history of Israelitish hfe than is
now accessible to us might show other periods when such conditions
prevailed.
1. •'SDn:] <& (Tvva.'/uv; so U; hence Elh. npsj or 'CDsr; so Now.,
van H., Du., Hpt.. Siev. ^noDsr, i. e. prtc. with old fem. ending; so Gu..
Hal. ^DDN?.— nS'-i'D] Now. nS^rv Hal. n'jSj.-a; so van H.. Elh.nSSy >Dpx3.
Pont, nSSjj, droppings. Siev. ^ri';>S>D3,fem. prtc; so Gu.. Hpt. "iWyp.
— nnivs] (& oifj-oi. = n^N, or mn.— miD3] Gu. '2 rti.—>UD:] Marti, U'dj,
foil. 05. Nine codd. of (& have a double rendering, viz. v i'vxn l^ov otfioi
^vx-^^—2. nas] Aq., S 9 iK\i\onr€v.—0'V\'^] g» om. but substitutes
the cog. ace. after i3-iN\— 12-\n'] (g diKd^ovrai = ia>->\ — pn] Gr. '^n. —
mx'] (B iKdXl^ovaiv = nix\— Din] (S iKdXi^ri, perhaps a free rendering. U
ad mortem. '^^ to destruction. Aq., S dj/aW/iart. Du. rann. Perles, aan;
so Marti, Now.^ (?), Gu..— 3. y-\r\ Vy] Rd., with Marti, vy:^'^ so Now.^
Siev., Gu., Du., Hpt.. B treats as in cstr. with 'd3, notwithstanding the
article, and makes the whole phrase the obj. ace. of 3^o^n. — d^dd] Rd.
DH^D?, with <S U g>; so Dathe, Bauer, Seb., We., Ru., Now., OortE""-,
Marti, Siev., Gu., Hpt.. Hal. a^jb.— a^ta^nS] Rd. i3>a^n, with (g ^rot-
ixd^ovffiv, H dicunt bonum; so Bauer, Taylor, We., Marti, Now.k
Siev., Gu., Hpt.. g* ul insert a negative before the inf. and treat inf. as
a prtc. or finite form. § has double rendering of 3>2^n, viz. for evil they
make ready their hands, and they do not ^ooJ.— Ssa-] & adds, give.—
'2 KJDtt'Hi] Om., with Marti, as a gloss on itt'n; so Now.^^, Siev., Gu..
& ® and the judge says. Now. adds asr. Van H. om. 1 and makes V
obj. ace. of '7N!:'. — ai'^tio] (& dprivLKoiis Xdyovs. "B in reddendo est. S
ip &vTairo56ff€i. g» give a inie.— Snjn] (S om.— lai] ® iXdXTjaev. 2
XaXe?.— nin] One cod. mx; so Gr.. Marti, Now.J^, ^rin. Siev., Gu.
pV-,._xin r.rDj] Marti, tssu'^n; so Now.^. Siev., Gu. ^^d:^ Bsrci.
nin3>'M] 05 /cal i^eXovfiai. 1 conturbaverunt earn. # connects with
v. ■• and renders, afid they reject their good = 13>'pm. S /caJ /cara ras
Saffeis â– ^ Sao-wTTjs ayroO. We. ninyr"'^; so Gr., Marti, Now.'^. Siev., Gu.
np. Hal. iniiixi!. Ro. inajTM; soElh., Pont, van H.. Du. mi;?';.— f<i^]
Hpt. itns\ — 4 . a2 10] Ro. connects with v. «, foil. &, and reads doibh, using
the suffix of the preceding vb.; so Elh., Pont, van H., Hpt..— pinD] (g
i)S <rrjs iKpdiywv = pinp. Aq. ws |3oX/j H jMasi paliurus. & /z^e a
ra^. 21 as from a thornbush. We. pinn.— iir^] Rd. a-jr^^, with Jus.,
Houb., Dathe, Bauer, We., Gr.. Now., OortE-"-, Marti, Hal., Siev.,
Gu., Du.. <S Kal pa5l^wv. & which is torn in pieces.— rtziDT:::] Rd.
DDiDC?; so Taylor, Pont, Gr., Now., Marti, Siev., Gu., Du.; 3 and D
I40 MICAH
have been confused here as in i'^; cj. U, S, <S. (g ^tJ KavhvQ% =
.TJWD3. S ws t% ^/A0pa7^oO. S> iy ^Ae moth, a conjectural render-
ing of a misunderstood text. B quasi spina de sepe. — av] (g ^v w^P?-
Marti, Siev,, Gu. om. as gloss. — i-sxc] Om. as gloss, with Marti,
Now.'^, Siev., Gu.. C5 <rKoirids. "B speculationis tuae. & thy watchmen.
Taylor, n\2Xi?. Ru. Dn>sxD. Gr. rr'sif. — imps] Rd. onys, vsdth Marti,
Siev., Now.'^, Gu., Du.. Ru. and Now. om. as gloss upon i^bsd. C6 owi
oi5oi, al ^KSiK-^ffeis (tov; hence Marti, Siev., Now.'^, Du. and Gu. insert
^in before 'pD. — ansnc] (BK\av6pLolavrQv, den-v'inghom n22, weep; sim-
ilarly B. B vastitas eorum. Cod. 17 (Kenn.) onDian; so Ru.. Hal.
ncnas. — 5. iiSn ... pi] ^ & pi.. — (S & render v. "> very freely, e. ^.
<J5, /row ;Ay bedfellow, beware of entrusting anything to her — 6. ^3''N]
(5 ix^pol irdvres,
Str. I introduces Zion bewailing in figurative speech the total
absence of righteousness and truth among her people. — 1. Woe is
me I for I am become like the gatherings of the summer fruit, like
the gleanings of the vintage] Zion is the speaker; the language
is wholly inappropriate in the mouth of Yahweh; nor is it to be
easily attributed to the prophet himself. Zion is as when the fruit
harvest and the vintage are completely gathered. — There is not a
cluster to eat, not an early fig that my soul desires] It is imneces-
sary to drop the suffix and render "that any one desires," with
Marti. The figure is perfectly intelligible as it stands in M- This
clause shows that Zion does not identify herself with or liken herself
to the bare vineyards and orchards, but rather to one appearing
upon the scene seeking fruit after it is all gone. This pregnant use
of the particle of comparison is common in Hebrew, e. g. Ps. 18^^
Jb. 38«° Gn. 34^'.
Str. II expresses the same thought as Str. I, but in plain, un-
mistakable terms. "There is none that doeth good, no not one."
— 2. The pious has perished from the land, and of the upright among
men there is none] Cf. Ps. 12^ Is. 57\ The term "pious" does
not appear prior to the time of Jeremiah and Deuteronomy; it
occurs chiefly in Psalms. It emphasises the practical side of re-
ligion as it finds expression in kindness and loyalty toward men.
The "pious" and "upright" are the grapes and figs of Str. I. The
term "land" applies to Israel only, not to the world at large; and
the comprehensive term "man" includes only such representa-
7*-» 141
tives of the race as are to be found in Israel. The prophet has no
concern here with the world in general and passes no judgment
upon it. Israel absorbs all his interest. — All of them lie in wait for
blood] Cf. Ho. 6^- ". The figure of the hunter and his prey is
here applied to the devices whereby one Israelite takes advantage
of another for his own profit. — Each hunts his brother with a net]
Cf. Hb. i'^ ^- Ec. f^. The hunter's net rather than the fisher-
man's is probably meant here. The greed of the people stops
short at nothing; fraternal obligations are ignored and violated
in the mad rush for gain.
Str. Ill specifies distinctly the kind of crimes the prevalence of
which Zion is bewailing, viz. bribery of the courts of justice and
consequent perversion of law and justice. — 3. To do evil they
have made ready their hatids] |H is untranslatable. It has been
rendered: "besides doing evil thoroughly with their hands";*
"on account of the misdeed of the hands — to make it good — the
prince, etc." ;t "their hands go out to evil, to do it earnestly"; J
"they reach out both hands after evil to make it good";§ "their
hands are upon that which is evil to do it diligently."** But the
grammatical difficulties are insuperable. The thought of the text
as emended is that of Je. 4^^ 13^^. It is the deliberate purpose of
the accused to do evil; they have trained and equipped themselves
to that end. — The prince demands a bribe] i. e. in his capacity as
judge; cf. 2 S. 15^ ^- i K. 3^® ^•. Bribery is still the outstanding vice
of oriental governments. iH inserts and the judge after "the prince,"
a gloss indicating the prince's judicial function. An interesting at-
tempt to interpret M, is that of Prof. Morris Jastrow,f f who would