Samaritan Torah, פַּרְשַׁת וַיְחִי

[lethargic_man]

When Jacob blesses Joseph's children, the Masoretic Text reads:

Genesis 48:16	בראשית מח טז-טז
The angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads. Let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.	הַמַּלְאָךְ הַגֹּאֵל אֹתִי מִכָּל־רָע יְבָרֵךְ אֶת־הַנְּעָרִים וְיִקָּרֵא בָהֶם שְׁמִי וְשֵׁם אֲבֹתַי אַבְרָהָם וְיִצְחָק וְיִדְגּוּ לָרֹב בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ׃

Is Jacob praying to an angel, not to God? That's not very Jewish! The Samaritan text resolves this difficulty with the loss of an א:

Genesis 48:16	בראשית מח טז-טז
The King who redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads. Let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.	הַמֶּלֶךְ הַגֹּאֵל אֹתִי מִכָּל־רָע יְבָרֵךְ אֶת־הַנְּעָרִים וְיִקָּרֵא בָהֶם שְׁמִי וְשֵׁם אֲבֹתַי אַבְרָהָם וְיִצְחָק וְיִדְגּוּ לָרֹב בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ׃

Jacob's deathbed blessing of Shim`on and Levi (Gen. 49:5-7) shows substantial differences, including one which the former Chief Rabbi Joseph Herman Hertz quotes as evidence the Samaritan Torah is corrupt:

Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my soul, come not you into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not you united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

שִׁמְעוֹן וְלֵוִי אַחִים כְּלֵי חָמָס מְכֵרֹתֵיהֶם׃ בְּסֹדָם אַל־תָּבֹא נַפְשִׁי בִּקְהָלָם אַל־תֵּחַד כְּבֹדִי כִּי בְאַפָּם הָרְגוּ אִישׁ וּבִרְצֹנָם עִקְּרוּ־שׁוֹר׃ אָרוּר אַפָּם כִּי עָז וְעֶבְרָתָם כִּי קָשָׁתָה אֲחַלְּקֵם בְּיַעֲקֹב וַאֲפִיצֵם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל׃

The Samaritan text reads here:

Simeon and Levi are brethren; their habitations are entirely of violence. O my soul, do not come into their secret; my honour, do not be angry with their assembly: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they dug a wall. Mighty is their anger, for it was fierce, and their company, for it is cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

שִׁמְעוֹן וְלֵוִי אַחִים כֻּלוֹ חָמָס מְכֵרֹתֵיהֶם׃ בְּסוֹדָם אַל־תָּבוֹא נַפְשִׁי וּבִּקְהָלָם אַל־יִחַר כְּבוֹדִי כִּי בְאַפָּם הָרְגוּ אִישׁ וּבִרְצוֹנָם עִקְּרוּ־שׁוֹר׃ אַדִּיר אַפָּם כִּי עָז וְחֶבְרָתָם כִּי קָשָׁתָה אֲחַלְּקֵם בְּיַעֲקֹב וַאֲפִיצֵם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל׃

I'm translating אַדִּיר here as "mighty", which is the way I normally see it translated (see, frex, Psalm 93); however Dr Hertz renders it "splendid". Possibly this is just to further his agenda concerning the Samaritan text.

Gen. 49:10 includes a puzzling reference, about which commentators have spent centuries debating:

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

לֹא־יָסוּר שֵׁבֶט מִיהוּדָה וּמְחֹקֵק מִבֵּין רַגְלָיו עַד כִּי־יָבֹא שִׁילֹה וְלוֹ יִקְּהַת עַמִּים׃

שילה is what's in the כְּתִיב (the written text); however, we read it שִׁילוֹ. The Samaritan text follows the כְּתִיב here, though I'm not sure it makes an awful lot of difference.

On to Jacob's blessing of Joseph (Gen 49:22-25):

Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) Even by the God of your father, who shall help you; and by the Almighty, who shall bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:

בֵּן פֹּרָת יוֹסֵף בֵּן פֹּרָת עֲלֵי־עָיִן בָּנוֹת צָעֲדָה עֲלֵי־שׁוּר׃ וַיְמָרְרֻהוּ וָרֹבּוּ וַיִּשְׂטְמֻהוּ בַּעֲלֵי חִצִּים׃ וַתֵּשֶׁב בְּאֵיתָן קַשְׁתּוֹ וַיָּפֹזּוּ זְרֹעֵי יָדָיו מִידֵי אֲבִיר יַעֲקֹב מִשָּׁם רֹעֶה אֶבֶן יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ מֵאֵל אָבִיךָ וְיַעְזְרֶךָּ וְאֵת שַׁדַּי וִיבָרְכֶךָּ בִּרְכֹת שָׁמַיִם מֵעָל בִּרְכֹת תְּהוֹם רֹבֶצֶת תָּחַת בִּרְכֹת שָׁדַיִם וָרָחַם׃

The changes here are actually less interesting than I thought before I got to the bottom of them. Oh well; now I've done it:

Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; the children of my young one upon a wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and contended with him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) Even by the God of your father, who shall help you; and God Almighty, who shall bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:

בֵּן פֹּרָת יוֹסֵף בֵּן פֹּרָת עֲלֵי־עָיִן בְּנֵי צְעִירִי עֲלֵי־שׁוּר׃ וַיְמָרְרֻהוּ וַיַרִיבֻהוּ וַיִּשְׂטְמֻהוּ בַּעֲלֵי חִצִּים׃ וַתֵּשֶׁב בְּאֵיתָן קַשְׁתּוֹ וַיָּפֹזּוּ זְרוֹעֵי יָדָיו מִידֵי אֲבִיר יַעֲקֹב מִשָּׁם רֹעֶה אֶבֶן יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ מֵאֵל אָבִיךָ וְיַעְזְרֶךָּ וְאֵל שַׁדַּי וִיבָרְכֶךָּ בִּרְכֹת שָׁמַיִם מֵעָל בִּרְכֹת תְּהוֹם רֹבֶצֶת תָּחַת בִּרְכֹת שָׁדַיִם וָרָחַם׃

Gen. 49:24-25 reads:

But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) Even by the God of your father, who shall help you; and by the Almighty, who shall bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:

וַתֵּשֶׁב בְּאֵיתָן קַשְׁתּוֹ וַיָּפֹזּוּ זְרֹעֵי יָדָיו מִידֵי אֲבִיר יַעֲקֹב מִשָּׁם רֹעֶה אֶבֶן יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ מֵאֵל אָבִיךָ וְיַעְזְרֶךָּ וְאֵת שַׁדַּי וִיבָרְכֶךָּ בִּרְכֹת שָׁמַיִם מֵעָל בִּרְכֹת תְּהוֹם רֹבֶצֶת תָּחַת בִּרְכֹת שָׁדַיִם וָרָחַם׃

It doesn't literally say "by the Almighty" here; את שַׁדַּי, however, is tricky to translate. It doesn't make much sense here as introducing a direct object; perhaps it's the other meaning of אֶת, as "with". In the Samaritan text, however, it's a bit grammatically clearer by reading:

But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) Even by the God of your father, who shall help you, and God Almighty, who shall bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:

וַתֵּשֶׁב בְּאֵיתָן קַשְׁתּוֹ וַיָּפֹזּוּ זְרֹעֵי יָדָיו מִידֵי אֲבִיר יַעֲקֹב מִשָּׁם רֹעֶה אֶבֶן יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ מֵאֵל אָבִיךָ וְיַעְזְרֶךָּ וְאֵל שַׁדַּי וִיבָרְכֶךָּ בִּרְכֹת שָׁמַיִם מֵעָל בִּרְכֹת תְּהוֹם רֹבֶצֶת תָּחַת בִּרְכֹת שָׁדַיִם וָרָחַם׃

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