IS THE SO-CALLED " PRIESTLY CODE " OP POST-EXILIC DATE ? 71 



cliaptev. They were probably tlie substitutes for the Gibeonites, 

 whom Saul slauohtered. (II Samuel xxi, 1, 2; see also Joshua 

 ix, 23-27.) " P " " knows nothing," — a favourite phrase of the 

 German critics — of the Nethinim. Anotlier point, too, demands 

 further consideration. " P " " knows nothing " of porters (or 

 gatekeepers). Of course not, for they were not wanted in the 

 wilderness. The word here used occurs naturally enough in 

 the historical books. But how was " P," who, w^e are told by 

 the critics, made so many, and such terrible blunders, able to 

 keep clear of it ? He had, we are asked to believe, considerable 

 powers of invention. Why did he not invent gatekeepers ? The 

 word for " treasury" used here, occurs in " JE," though never in 

 " P." It is therefore probably a word of the Mosaic period. 

 Also a verb meaning to give willingly" occurs in Judges and 

 the post-exilic books. " P " always uses a substantive and a 

 suitable verb for such gifts. 



Chapter iii. — Fifteen words which are not in " P " occur 

 here ; some of them date as far back as I Kings. Six of them are 

 peculiar grammatical turns of expression, or words used m new 

 senses. Two are Aramaic, and one of them is found in 

 chapter vi, 9, the Aramaic portion of the book. One or two of them 

 are very unusual constructions, and give considerable trouble to 

 the translator. One is found in Isaiah Ixv, in the post-exilic 

 authors, and in Numbers xiv, but in this last the passage in 

 which it appears is assigned by the critics to " JE." Now, as in 

 Numbers xiv, verses 1, 2 (in the main), 5-7, 10, 26-38 are 

 assigned to " P," it seems difiicult to understand why this 

 particular verse was not also assigned to him, as it would have 

 made an additional argument for the post-exilic origin of that 

 portion of the Pentateuch. Obviously, the fact was not 

 discovered, or doubtless the passage in question would have 

 been assigned to " P." 



Chapter iv. — The use of hahal actively, for "terrify" (Piel and 

 Hiphil), is a mark of the later Hebrew. The word malkutli for 

 " kingdom " is rare in the earlier Hebrew, but frequent in the 

 post-exilic writings. It occurs in Balaam's prophecy. "Was that 

 a case of early Aramaic ? 



From iv, 8 to vi, 18, the text is in Aramaic. We therefore 

 proceed to vi, 19. The word golah for "captivity" has been 

 already discussed. Badal, when implying moral separation, is 

 not used -in " P," where it means physical removal (Numbers 

 xvi, 21, where, how^ever, the assignment to author is of the 

 arbitrary kind so frequent with the critics). 



Chapter vii. — In the first nine verses, — of which the first six 



