CHAPTER 23
Commentary (PJ of Gen. 36: 32), Laban (b. Sanh. 105a; PJ of Num. 22: §), or Kemuel (Gen. Rab. 57: 4). His story is found in Num. 22: 1-24: 25, according to which he was invited by the Gentile king Balak to curse Israel. Rabbinic tradition generally regarded Balaam as utterly degenerate, self-seeking, and malicious towards Israel. Even though at first he had the gift of prophecy, his evil traits soon became apparent.'® Jerome refers to Job 32: 2 to show that Elihu was a Buzite.
The Hebrew refers to Camuel as father of Aram, for which LXX have put 'the Syrians', since Aram is the usual Hebrew name for the region of Syria with its capital Damascus. In Isa. 7: 1 Rezin is called the king of Aram, Syria. Cased stands for Hebrew kesed, the Chaldeans: Jerome makes the same remarks in Lib. Heb. Nom. (p.
64), explaining the word as 'like ones who devastate'.!"
CHAPTER 23 verse 2 Jerome explains that the words 'which is in the valley' are not represented in the 'authentic codices' of LXX; nor do they figure in the Hebrew.! 'City of Arboc' is an attempt by LXX to render Hebrew giryat 'arba', literally, 'city of four'; and the addition
'which is in the valley' is taken up later by LXX Gen. 35: 27, explaining Kiriath Arba as 'a city of the plain'. Jerome explains here and in Lib. Loc. 906-7 that the Greek 'word' Arboc is corrupt and meaningless. The tradition that this place was named after four ancient Patriarchs is represented most generally by TN, which calls it 'the city of the four fathers'. The Targum's vagueness is probably deliberate, for when we turn to Gen. Rab. 58: 4 we discover that the element 'four' was variously explained of different persons and events. Of these, Jerome's explanation that it is the burial place of Adam, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is but one: we are also told that the place had four different names; that four righteous men lived
16 For studies of Balaam in pre-Rabbinic and Rabbinic writings, see Baskin, Pharaoh's Counsellors, 75-113; G. Vermes, 'The Story of Balaam: The Scriptural
Origin of Haggadah', in Scripture and Tradition*, 127-77.
7 For Jerome's explanation of the name as 'like breasts' and 'like demons' at In Esa. 7. 23: 13, and 12. 43: 14-15, see Jay, L'Exégése de saint Jéréme, 295.
1 'Authentic codices' of LXX for Jerome presumably include the version found in Origen's Hexapla. On the status of the Lucianic recension or 'current edition' in Jerome's mind, see Jay, L'Exégése de saint Jéréme, 113-14. there, or were circumcised there; and that the four Matriarchs Eve, Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah were buried there."
He finds scriptural proof for his comments in Josh. 14: 15. Here the Hebrew defines Kiriath Arba as hd@adam haggadol ba'anagqim,
'the great man among the Anakim': Arba is thus understood as the name of a person, as also in Josh. 15: 13, rather than a place. But in Vg, Jerome translated Josh. 14: 15 as 'Cariath-Arbe; Adam the greatest Man is placed there, among the Enacim.' Thus, for Jerome,
Scripture itself as well as Jewish tradition attests Adam's burial at Kiriath Arba which is Hebron. See also his comments on Arboc in Lib. Loc. 906-7, which are very close to what he says in QHG. In this, he has apparently altered his earlier belief that Adam was buried at Calvary: in Ep. 46. 3 to Marcella, he tells how the blood from Christ's cross dripped directly on to Adam buried below, to wash away his sin. Adam's burial at Calvary had been asserted by earlier writers such as Origen, Comm. Series in Matt.
126-7, as also by Ambrose, Ep. 71. ro. See further G. Bardy, 'Saint Jéréme et ses maitres Hébreux', RB 46 (1934), 162-3, and T. O'Loughlin, 'Adam's Burial at Hebron: Some Aspects of its Significance in the Latin Tradition', PIBA (forthcoming). See also Ep. 108. rx.
It should be noted how he refers to Adam as princeps, 'head' or 'beginning' or 'capital point' of the human race; just as Christ is called princeps in his capacity as agent of creation (see comments on 1: 1) and Second Adam. verse 6 Jerome has not rendered LXX, who have: 'Nay, O lord; but do thou hear us.3 Thou art a king among us from God. Bury thy dead in our choice tombs.' The Hebrew reads ndsi', 'prince' or 'chief', which Jerome duly explains: it does not have melek, 'king'.
PL's reading NASI is to be preferred to Lagarde's nasin, which gives the word the appearance of being an Aramaic plural noun. verse 16 As Jerome remarks, the proper name Ephron is written fully the first time it occurs, with letter waw to represent the long o.
In the second occurrence of the name, however, waw is lacking; but MT and all the ancient versions (including Vg) still vocalize the name as Ephron with a long 0.4 Jerome's reading the second form
2 See also b. Erub. 53a; Rahmer, Die hebraischen Traditionen, 36; and Ginzberg, 'Die Haggada' (MG W] ns 7), 69-72.
3 According to the Hebrew of the preceding verse, 'The sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, /6'; LXX took that last word as /6, 'not', 'no'. The sense and order of words in Jerome's 'hear us, lord', is found also in Aquila's translation.
4 Thus MT has long o written without waw; LXX use omega; and the Targums