Jim Parker
Member
Bible 101 Lesson 2C
The line of Seth and the Line of Cain.
(This section of Genesis is a genealogy which will lead us to the introduction of Noah, the flood, and the dispersion.)
Cain’s line, the spread of sin.
Adam
Cain - If anyone kills him, God will avenge 7 times>
Enoch
Irad
Mehujael
Methushael
Lamech - If anyone harms him, he will avenge himself 70 times. (AKA: “Lamech’s taunt”)
Lamech’s 3 sons:
Jabal, - “He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.” (Gen 4:20) The Hebrew word for “livestock” includes slaves. Jabal is the father of slave traders.
Jubal - “He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute.” (Gen 4:21)
Tubal-Cain - “..an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron.” (Gen 4:22)
Cain builds the first city and names it after his son Enoch. (Gen 4:17)
This is a deviation from the standard ancient near eastern (ANE) literary tradition. In that tradition, it is the son who builds the city and names it after the grandson. In this case, Cain’s grandson is Irad, and, in the tradition of the ANE literature, the first city was “Iradu.”
So, to the ANE reader or hearer of this story, this part would stand out. To the Israelite, it would stand out because building cities in which to gather together is contrary to God’s wish that man should be fruitful, multiply, and fill the whole earth.
Seth’s line: image of God from Adam to Noah.
Adam
Seth - replaces Abel who offered a righteous sacrifice
Enosh - Then men began to call on the name of the LORD. (Gen 4:26)
Kenan
Mahalalel
Yered
Enoch - And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. (Gen 5:24)
Methusalah
Lamech
Noah
Noah’s three Sons
Shem - His name mean “Name” (Of God) He is the father of the Semites including the Hebrews
Abram is a descendant of Shem.
Ham - The one who uncovers his father’s nakedness - the father of the Egyptians - the father of Hagar, the Egyptian handmaid of Sarah who bore Ishmael to Abraham.
Canaan is the grandson of Ham.
Japheth - The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. (Gen 10:2)
Sin increases more than God is willing to tolerate.
Gen 6:4-8 There were giants** on the earth in those days,
and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
And
Gen 6:13 And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Note: The word “Giants” is taken from the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint. (LXX) The Hebrew word which the translators rendered “Giants” is (in English) “Nephalim.” Who they were is a whole other study. (which I am not qualified to teach) Suffice it to say that, aside from being bigger and stronger than everyone else, (Like Goliath) they were totally evil.
Here we are given God’s reason for the flood; man’s ever-increasing evil.
This reason is in direct contradiction of the (at least 500 years) older Mesopotamian** flood stories which the Hebrews would have known completely. According to the Mesopotamian stories, the reason the “the gods” sent the flood to wipe out mankind was because of over-population. All those people were making the earth crazy and the earth cried out to the gods for relief. Too many people was a problem for the cities and Mesopotamia was the birthplace of the city states.
**The area around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is called “Mesopotamia from the Greek. “meso”= between and “potamos” = river. So “Mesopotamia literally means “between the rivers”. It would be a very fertile area where agriculture could sustain large populations.
The cities were walled and space was limited. As demand for more housing increased within the city walls, the cost of housing skyrocketed. (Just like today!) So, more children were not always a blessing. Cramming into crowed cities was contrary to God’s first command to be fruitful and multiply and fill the whole earth.
The Flood…well, let’s make that two floods.
Just as Genesis 1:1 through 2:3 appears to represent the Elohist tradition and the Yahwist tradition starts at Genesis 2:4, thus providing us with two views of the creation, so we also have both a Priestly and a Yahwist view of the flood. It is very skillfully woven together.
The line of Seth and the Line of Cain.
(This section of Genesis is a genealogy which will lead us to the introduction of Noah, the flood, and the dispersion.)
Cain’s line, the spread of sin.
Adam
Cain - If anyone kills him, God will avenge 7 times>
Enoch
Irad
Mehujael
Methushael
Lamech - If anyone harms him, he will avenge himself 70 times. (AKA: “Lamech’s taunt”)
Lamech’s 3 sons:
Jabal, - “He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.” (Gen 4:20) The Hebrew word for “livestock” includes slaves. Jabal is the father of slave traders.
Jubal - “He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute.” (Gen 4:21)
Tubal-Cain - “..an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron.” (Gen 4:22)
Cain builds the first city and names it after his son Enoch. (Gen 4:17)
This is a deviation from the standard ancient near eastern (ANE) literary tradition. In that tradition, it is the son who builds the city and names it after the grandson. In this case, Cain’s grandson is Irad, and, in the tradition of the ANE literature, the first city was “Iradu.”
So, to the ANE reader or hearer of this story, this part would stand out. To the Israelite, it would stand out because building cities in which to gather together is contrary to God’s wish that man should be fruitful, multiply, and fill the whole earth.
Seth’s line: image of God from Adam to Noah.
Adam
Seth - replaces Abel who offered a righteous sacrifice
Enosh - Then men began to call on the name of the LORD. (Gen 4:26)
Kenan
Mahalalel
Yered
Enoch - And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. (Gen 5:24)
Methusalah
Lamech
Noah
Noah’s three Sons
Shem - His name mean “Name” (Of God) He is the father of the Semites including the Hebrews
Abram is a descendant of Shem.
Ham - The one who uncovers his father’s nakedness - the father of the Egyptians - the father of Hagar, the Egyptian handmaid of Sarah who bore Ishmael to Abraham.
Canaan is the grandson of Ham.
Japheth - The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. (Gen 10:2)
Sin increases more than God is willing to tolerate.
Gen 6:4-8 There were giants** on the earth in those days,
and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
And
Gen 6:13 And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Note: The word “Giants” is taken from the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint. (LXX) The Hebrew word which the translators rendered “Giants” is (in English) “Nephalim.” Who they were is a whole other study. (which I am not qualified to teach) Suffice it to say that, aside from being bigger and stronger than everyone else, (Like Goliath) they were totally evil.
Here we are given God’s reason for the flood; man’s ever-increasing evil.
This reason is in direct contradiction of the (at least 500 years) older Mesopotamian** flood stories which the Hebrews would have known completely. According to the Mesopotamian stories, the reason the “the gods” sent the flood to wipe out mankind was because of over-population. All those people were making the earth crazy and the earth cried out to the gods for relief. Too many people was a problem for the cities and Mesopotamia was the birthplace of the city states.
**The area around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is called “Mesopotamia from the Greek. “meso”= between and “potamos” = river. So “Mesopotamia literally means “between the rivers”. It would be a very fertile area where agriculture could sustain large populations.
The cities were walled and space was limited. As demand for more housing increased within the city walls, the cost of housing skyrocketed. (Just like today!) So, more children were not always a blessing. Cramming into crowed cities was contrary to God’s first command to be fruitful and multiply and fill the whole earth.
The Flood…well, let’s make that two floods.
Just as Genesis 1:1 through 2:3 appears to represent the Elohist tradition and the Yahwist tradition starts at Genesis 2:4, thus providing us with two views of the creation, so we also have both a Priestly and a Yahwist view of the flood. It is very skillfully woven together.