ABSTRACT

The middle section (19-24, C), the oath, is the pivot of the entire structure and, hence, its most important section. Its verbal elements tie it to all the other sections. Thus, it twice repeats the following elements from A, and in chiastic order: Jakab )zJ )iJtak) fatzt) tum'd)ah (19-20, 12-13), and from B it repeats me hammarzm ham'd)a~rzm (19,24, 18). From it borrows hammayim ham'd)a~rzmPmarzm (27, 24), w'd~abdtah bitnah w'dnaplah rrekah (27,21,22), )alah bdqereb cammah (27,21), 1v'dniqq'dtah (28, 19), w'dnitm'd)ah (27, 28, 19, 20), and from A/ tifteh talpat )zJah and nitm'd)ah (29, 19, 20). The conditions of the curse are stated in negative form before the positive (19,20), but in their recapitulation they appear in reverse order (27, 28).