196 JASTROW — THE HAMITES AND SEMITES. [April 4, 



subdivisions of Egypt, whose mention precedes that of Capthor/ 

 Moreover, the position of the Capthorites at the close of verse 14 

 suggests (as we have seen to be the case in other instances of nations 

 placed at the end of a series of groups), a later addition to what 

 precedes, and the gloss indicating the origin of the Philistines 

 in accord with the tradition recorded in Amos^ and Jeremiah,' 

 and which is also found in Deuteronomy,'* unmistakably reveals the 

 purpose of the addition. Next to the Canaanites, whom the Hebrews 

 had to drive out before they could acquire a foothold in Palestine, 

 the Philistines constituted the most serious obstacle to the growth of 

 an independent Hebrew state. Prior to the days of Saul, we have 

 three distinct periods of Philistine aggressiveness with disastrous 

 results to the Hebrews (Judges chapter 10; Judges chapter 13; 

 I Samuel chap. 4). Hostilities continued with changing fortunes 

 through the days of Saul and David. Solomon appears to have held 

 them in check, but after his death they regained their independence 

 and continued to be a source of annoyance to Israel if no longer a 

 serious menace. The Capthorites, accordingly, as identical in the 

 mind of the one who added the gloss with the Philistines are ranked 

 like Canaan, Babylonia, Assyria and Egypt with the ''accursed '' 

 nations, who were assigned this character because of the bitter feel- 

 ings of hostility of the Hebrews towards them. The *' accursed " 

 nations thus turn out to be the enemies of the people of Jahweh, 

 whose opposition is looked upon as a defiance of Jahweh himself. 



Outside of the addition of Capthorim in verse 14, the subdivis- 

 ions of Egypt, enumerated in the verse in question, obscure as 

 some of the names are, are introduced as an exhibition of learning 

 from purely scholastic motives, which J is also willing to display 

 where they do not interfere with his nationalistic likes and dislikes. 

 On the other hand, it is in all probabilities a personal interest that 

 is displayed in the enumeration of the clans constituting the sub- 

 divisions of the Canaanites. This enumeration is not set forth in 

 the form of a genealogical chain and the proof that the list itself 



1 Verses I3-I4^ Of the six subdivisions of Egypt, only two, Lehabim = 

 Lybians, and Pathrusim = Upper Egypt, are certain, but that the other four, all 

 probably more or less corrupt forms, represent sections or nomes of Egypt is gen- 

 erally admitted. For further attempts at identifications see Holzinger, Genesis, 

 pp. 101-102. 



2 Amos 9, 7, ^Jeremiah 47, 4. 



^Deut. 2, 2^. 



