Bible Study Genesis Verse By Verse

[Beetow]

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● Gen 4:3-4a . . It came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering
to The Lord of the fruit of the ground. And Abel, on his part also brought of the
firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions.

It's evident from Heb 11:4 that what's taking place here was a legitimate part of a
God-given religion.

It's commonly assumed that Abel's offering was slain; but there isn't enough
evidence in this section to support it. Noah's offerings were obviously slain because
they're listed as burnt on an altar (Gen 8:20). But Abel's offering is not said to end
up the same way.

FAQ: How did Abel get the fat out of his animal without killing it?

REPLY: The Hebrew word for "fat" is somewhat ambiguous. It can mean fleshy
material, and it can also refer to prosperity, abundance, and/or the best of the
best; for example:

"Take your father and your households and come to me, and I will give you the
best of the land of Egypt and you shall eat the fat of the land." (Gen 45:18)

This all tells me that Abel not only offered an animal from among his blue ribbon
stock, but he picked out the choicest one of them all.

There's no indication in this scene suggesting their oblations were sacrifices for sin.
The Hebrew word for their offerings is from minchah (min-khaw') and means: to
apportion, i.e. bestow; a donation; euphemistically, tribute; specifically a sacrificial
offering (usually bloodless and voluntary).

Since the offerings were minchah type offerings-- essentially gifts and/or tributes
rather than atonements --it would be unwise to insist Abel slew his firstling and/or
burned it to ashes. In point of fact, holocaust offerings go by the name of 'olah (o
law') instead of minchah; for example Gen 22:2.

Ancient rabbis understood the brothers' offerings to be a "first fruits" kind of
oblation.

T. And it was at the end of days, on the fourteenth of Nisan, that Kain brought of
the produce of the earth, the seed of cotton (or line), an oblation of first things
before the Lord; and Habel brought of the firstlings of the flock. (Targum Jonathan)

Seeing as how Cain was a farmer, then in his case, an amount of produce was the
appropriate first fruits offering, and seeing as how Abel was an animal husbandman,
then in his case a head of livestock was appropriate.

I think it's safe to assume the brothers were no longer boys, but rather, responsible
men in this particular scene because God is going to treat them that way.

This incident is not said to be the very first time they brought gifts to God. The
brothers (and very likely their parents too), probably had been bringing gifts for
many years; ever since they were kids. And up to this point, apparently both men
were doing everything right and God was just as much pleased with Cain and his
gifts as He was with Abel and his gifts.

● Gen 4:4b-5a . .The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain
and his offering he did not look with favor.

Regardless of whether their offerings were correct, the first thing The Lord did was
look upon the men themselves. He looked with favor upon Abel but not with favor
upon Cain. In other words; Abel was the kind of man whom God approves whereas
Cain was the kind of man whom God disapproves
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[Beetow]

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● Gen 4:5b . . Cain was much distressed and his face fell.

Cain was a whole lot worse than distressed. He was blazing mad. The Hebrew word
basically means to blaze up, i.e. to get hot under the collar. Cain is actually in a
passionate rage over this and certainly in no mood for a lecture.

● Gen 4:6 . . And The Lord said to Cain: Why are you distressed, and why is your
face fallen?

God made a sincere effort to talk things over with Cain and reconcile their
differences; but Cain didn't respond; he was too busy sulking in a black pout.

● Gen 4:7a . . If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?

Cain believed in the existence of a supreme being; that was good, and his ritual
was timely; that was good too. But Cain's piety was flawed, i.e. his personal
conduct didn't satisfy God's expectations, ergo: Cain's ways tainted his offering
and made it unacceptable.

FAQ: How could Cain possibly know God's requirements without a written code to
inform him?

REPLY: Luke 11:49-51 says that Cain's kid brother Abel was a prophet; so Cain at
least had a verbal source, which is adequate enough when it's coming from an
inspired man.

Cain's situation is well illustrated by Isa 1:11-20. Moses' people were offering all
the covenanted sacrifices, they were praying up a storm, and observing all the God
given feasts and holy days. He rejected all of it, even though He himself required it,
because the people's personal conduct was unbecoming.

"The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to Jehovah." (Prv 15:8)

FAQ: In what way might Cain's piety have been lacking?

REPLY: Well, my first guess would be bad blood between him and his younger
sibling. (Matt 5:23-24) And his attitude was deplorable; Cain was insolent and
rude; even to his maker. (Gen 4:9) Plus; Abel was a man of faith whereas Cain
wasn't (Heb 11:4)

● Gen 4:7b . . But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door;

This is the very first instance in the Bible of the word "sin". The Hebrew word
basically means an offense; as in repeat offender. In other words; not just an
occasional slip-up, but a life style.

● Gen 4:7c . . it desires to have you, but you must master it.

This is the first mention of self control in the Bible. In other words: God created
humanity with the capability to choose bad ways for itself; but that's only half the
story. God also created humanity with the capability to choose good ways for itself;
so He wasn't requiring something impossible from Cain like touching his right elbow
with the thumb of his right hand.

* Christians are not exempt from self control.

"Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not
offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer
yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer
the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness." (Rom 6:12-13)

"If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not
live by the truth." (1John 1:6)
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[Beetow]

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NOTE: I kinda suspect Cain wasn't always the jerk he's portrayed but probably
started out just as pious as his kid brother.

For example: one of my brothers and I were only eleven months apart. We were
born of the same mother and father, grew up in the same home, ate the same
foods, had the same friends, were equally educated and equally catechized; and
while still in elementary school, my brother served our church as an altar boy. But
as we grew older, he became strange.

During an evening service in church back in the 1950s, the priest instructed
everyone to stand and promise God we would do our best to live a good life. Well;
my brother stood, but didn't promise. Later I asked him why? He replied: "There's
some things I want to do."

I was deeply disturbed and totally mystified by the transformation that came over
my brother. But in time, the differences in our attitudes helped me in my
understanding the differences between Cain & Abel and Esau & Jacob.

● Gen 4:8a . . Now Cain talked with Abel his brother;

Cain probably complained to his brother that God was unfair. But the poor man
couldn't have picked a worse sounding board because Abel was a prophet (Luke
11:50-51). In Cain's dispute with the Lord, Abel no doubt took God's side in it. That
was too much. There's no way a man like Cain was going to take a lecture from his
own kid brother. Abel's popularity with God was bad enough, but preaching would
only make it worse and add insult to injury.

● Gen 4:8b . . and when they were in the field, Cain set upon his brother Abel and
killed him.

Whether or not Cain premeditated his brother's death that day is difficult to tell.
The Hebrew word translated "killed" means to smite with deadly intent. So the
attack on his kid brother, whether premeditated or not, was definitely meant to end
Abel's life rather than to just rough him up and teach him a lesson.

NOTE: According to 1John 3:12, Cain's motive was primarily envy; roughly defined
as painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another. In other
words; Cain had a serious problem with sibling rivalry.

How Cain planned to explain Abel's death to his parents isn't stated. He couldn't
very well blame it on a carnivorous predator since man and beast were on friendly
terms prior to the Flood. It's my guess he set up the crime scene to make it look
like an accident but then too, in light of verse 10, Cain may have buried Able; that
way he'd be reported as a missing person instead of possibly murdered.

● Gen 4:9 . . The Lord said to Cain: Where is your brother Abel? And he said: I
don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?

Ouch! This religious man's reaction to the object of his worship is as unexpected as
the murder he'd just committed. Cain worshipped the true God, and his rituals were
correct and timely; yet Cain was insolent and responded to his maker's inquiry with
a lie and a sarcastic rejoinder. It's not too difficult to appreciate God's refusal of this
man's recent offering.

● Gen 4:10 . .Then He said: What have you done? Hark, your brother's blood cries
out to me from the ground!

Whether or not human blood actually has an audible voice isn't nearly important as
to what it might be saying. And in this case with Cain, it certainly couldn't be good.
_

 

[Beetow]

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● Gen 4:11-12 . .Therefore, you shall be more cursed than the ground which
opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. If you till the soil,
it shall no longer yield its strength to you. You shall become a ceaseless wanderer
on earth.

Ceaseless wandering was an inevitable consequence of the inability to raise an
adequate amount of your own food in that day and age. Nobody was eating meat
yet, so the soil was pretty much it as far as nourishment went.

Cain went on to become a very hungry, very overworked man. Wherever he tried to
farm, the ground would respond in such a way as to act infertile. The curse was
leveled right at his diet and the source of his food. Up till now, Cain had been a
successful. But no amount of agricultural wisdom would ever restore his once green
thumb. Cain had crossed over a line and there was no going back.

Since Cain could no longer sustain himself by farming, it would be difficult to settle
down and build himself a home; so he was forced to become migratory and forage
for seasonal foods.

Though the Bible doesn't say; it would seem to me a reasonable assumption that
the curse upon Cain extended to his posterity (cf. Num 14:18).

Up ahead we'll see that they became renowned as an industrial society rather than
agrarian. As time went by, and the Adams family multiplied and spread out; Cain's
community no doubt traded with them using income from the sale of manufactured
goods to barter for the foods that they were unable to grow for themselves.
Dependence upon commercial food may not be ideal; but it's certainly better than
going hungry.

● Gen 4:13a . . Cain said to the Lord: My punishment is too great to bear.

Cain's punishment was relatively lenient. In point of fact, it wasn't punishment at
all, it was discipline. It's true that Cain would struggle to survive; but at least he
was allowed to live. His kid brother was dead. How was that fair?

FAQ: How did Cain get off with only a slap on the wrist? Why didn't God report
Cain's deed to Adam to have his son stand trial for murder?

REPLY: The Bible requires capital punishment for murder (Gen 9:5-6). However;
Adam couldn't prosecute Cain for murder because it wasn't a crime in his day. In
other words; the codified laws of God aren't retroactive. (Deut 5:2-3, Rom 4:15,
Rom 5:13, and Gal 3:17)

FAQ: Well then, why didn't God step in and prosecute Cain for murder?

REPLY: It's important to note that Gen 9:5-6 doesn't apply in God's association with
man, rather; in man's association with man. And on top of that; God's association
with man has never been based solely upon strict rules and regulations because
Christ was reckoned crucified prior to the cosmos (Mic 5:2, 1Pet 1:18-21 & Rev
13:8) thus allowing God quite a bit of latitude in His association with Cain. (cf. Rom
3:25)

● Gen 4:14 . . anyone who meets me may kill me.

Cain's natural sense of right and wrong knew that the only way to balance the
scales of justice for taking his kid brother's life was to forfeit his own. However, up
to that point in God's association with humanity, He had not yet given any official
instructions related to criminal justice. So then, were somebody to go after Cain
and execute him for the crime of murder, they would be taking the law into their
own hands; which is a very serious thing to do.

● Gen 4:15 . . The Lord said to him: I promise, if anyone kills Cain, sevenfold
vengeance shall be taken on him. And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest anyone
who met him should kill him.

The characteristics of that mark are currently unknown but the mark was clear
enough to anyone who saw it that God would strongly disapprove of their taking
Cain's life in retribution for his brother's even though "eye for an eye" is the right
thing to do-- but as yet it wasn't the lawful thing to do.
_

 

[Beetow]

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● Gen 4:16a . . Cain left the presence of The Lord

Cain's departure wasn't a forced eviction as had been the Adams' departure from
the garden. And even though the Adams were driven from the garden, they weren't
driven from God. The family kept that connection and brought up their boys to keep
it too.

Cain's self-imposed exile has the aura of a dreadful finality. He renounced God, and
his native religion, and was content to forego its privileges so that he might not be
under its control. He forsook not only his kin but also their worship, and cast off all
pretenses to the fear of God-- apparently putting out of his mind God's statement:
"If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?"

Gen 4:16a is a terrible epitaph upon the tombstone of Cain's life, and you can
almost feel the concussion of a dreadful thud as the mighty doors of perdition close
solidly behind him; sealing his passage into permanent darkness.

Why didn't God plead with Cain to stay in touch? Because that would be like
throwing good money after bad. Cain's potential as man of God was sketchy to
begin with.

Of all the things that Cain had done up to this point, walking out on God was his
worst mistake. Yes, he would have to scrounge for food; but that was just a bump
in the road; not the end of the road. People need to think that over. No matter how
harsh your circumstances are, and no matter what life has thrown in your face, loss
of contact with your maker is much worse. It is wise to stay in touch with God even
if your life is a train wreck and God seems oblivious to your circumstances.

"The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast
love. He will not contend forever, or nurse His anger for all time . . As a father has
compassion for his children, so The Lord has compassion for those who fear Him.
For He knows how we are formed; He is mindful that we are dust." (Ps 103:8-14)

● Gen 4:16b . . and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

The Hebrew word for "Nod" basically means wandering, vagrancy or exile. Precisely
how Nod got its name, or where it was located is unknown; and this is the only
place in the entire old testament where that word is found so we can't compare it
with other uses.

● Gen 4:17a . . Cain knew his wife,

Cain married one of his siblings: he kinda had to because all human life owes it
beginnings to the first couple.

"Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living."
(Gen 3:20)

"From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole
earth." (Acts 17:26)

● Gen 4:17b . . and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he then founded a city, and
named the city after his son Enoch.

The "city" probably wasn't the kind we're used to thinking. The Hebrew word for it
simply means a community, in the widest sense; even of a mere encampment or
post.

Seeing as how Cain was stuck with vagrancy and wandering, then his city was very
likely nothing more than a migratory village at first. I'd imagine it didn't take long
for his clan to discover they could do very well as a commercial center in lieu of
agriculture, and thus allow for them to establish a permanent settlement sort of like
one of the frontier towns of the olde American west.
_

 

[GeneZ]

Some believe that the first verse is telling us that God created the heavens and earth out of nothing.
IOW, the first verse is not simply a declaration of who created the heavens and earth but is actually speaking of the heavens and earth at that point coming into existence.
Science deputes that idea.
I tend to accept the science.

Well then?

If God did not create [bara] the heavens and earth, out from nothing?
Then the heavens and earth would have to have been eternally existing.
Then you could date nothing with science.
For, how could anyone?
If anything thing existing, had no beginning?
The earth would have no age....

God gave us a brain to think with.
Not to simply memorize and repeat with.

Grace and peace ......

 

[Beetow]

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● Gen 4:18-19 . .To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael
begot Methusael, and Methusael begot Lamech. Lamech took to himself two wives:
the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other was Zillah.

In Hebrew; Adah's name means ornament. It's not unusual for people to name
their little girls after precious and/or semi-precious stones like Jewel, Pearl, Crystal,
Ruby, Jade, Emerald, Sapphire, and Amber.

Zillah's name means shade (or shadow), whether literal or figurative. Shade is a
good thing in sunny locales so Zillah's name may have been associated with
shelter, protection, peace, serenity, and rest-- as in Song 2:3.

Lamech's marriages are the very first incidence of polygamy in the Bible; and I
have yet to see a passage in the old testament where God forbids it other than the
restrictions imposed upon Jewish monarchs. (Deut 17:17 cf. 2Sam 12:8)

Aside from the obvious sensual benefits men derive from harems; polygamy does
have its practical side. The gestation period for human life is nine months. At that
rate, it would take a man many years to build up his clan to a respectable size. But
with multiple wives, he could speed things up considerably. In primitive cultures,
large families are very influential, and their numbers crucial to survival and self
preservation.

"Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are sons born to a man in his youth. Happy is
the man who fills his quiver with them; they shall not be put to shame when they
contend with the enemy in the gate." (Ps 127:4-5)

● Gen 4:20 . . Adah bore Jabal; he was the ancestor of those who dwell in tents
and amidst herds.

This is the Bible's very first mention of man-made portable shelters. Tents, teepees,
wigwams, etc; make it possible to roam long distances in relative comfort while
searching for foods and pastures.

Abraham and Sarah were housed in portable shelters the whole time they lived in
Canaan. With portable shelters, Enochville could be a mobile community, staying in
one place only long enough to deplete its natural resources before moving on to
better diggings to invade, plunder, exploit, litter, and pollute.

Jabal wasn't the father of animal husbandry as the passage seems to suggest. Abel
was already tending flocks before Jabal was born (Gen 4:2). Dwelling "amidst"
herds describes the lifestyle of North America's early plains Indians; whose
livelihood depended a great deal upon wild buffalo. Though they followed the herds,
the Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kiowa, Crow, Blackfoot, Comanche, and Shoshone,
et el; didn't actually raise any of their own livestock like on a ranch.

Dwelling amidst herds is a nomadic way of life rather than one that's domesticated;
hence the need for portable shelters; and the herds (e.g. deer, elk, wild goats,
antelope, wildebeests, et al) would provide fabric for not only the tents, but also for
shoes and clothing; which would need replacement quite often.

One of Lewis' and Clark's complaints, when they were passing through the Oregon
territory, was that moccasins rotted off their feet in the Northwest's climate. Even
without rot, the soles of moccasins are not all that resistant to wear. Buckskins,
manufactured from Elk hide and/or deerskin, fared little better.
_

 

[Beetow]

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● Gen 4:21 . . And the name of his brother was Jubal; he was the ancestor of all
who play the lyre and the pipe.

The word for "ancestor" basically which means father, in a literal and immediate, or
figurative and remote, application. In this particular case, it wouldn't mean literal
kin, but likely analogous to an inventor who is the first to introduce a new concept
which then later becomes widely adopted.

The word for "lyre" basically pertains to twanging. So the actual instrument itself is
difficult to identify. It could have been a harp. But then again, it may have even
been something as simple as a string stretched between a washtub and a broom
stick.

* String can be spun from plant fibers. For example the Kumeyaay (Koom'-yi)
people of southern California made surprisingly strong, sturdy twine for bows and
baskets from agave leaves.

The word for "pipe" basically means a reed-instrument of music. In that culture, it
could very well have been something as simple as a tube whistle made from a
single hollow section of plant stem; or several of those bundled together like a Pan
flute.

● Gen 4:22a . . As for Zillah, she bore Tubal-cain, who forged all implements of
copper and iron.

Copper, in its natural form, is too soft and pliable for practical purposes; but it's a
classification of metals called work-hardening. In other words, by pounding or
rolling cold copper, its mechanical properties can be greatly improved. It probably
didn't take Mr. Tubal-cain long to figure that out.

Adding a little tin to copper produces bronze, which is much stronger and tougher
than pure copper.

Copper's advantage in cooking is its natural heat conduction, which is very fast as
compared to iron and/or steel. It's also an excellent conductor of electricity, but
unless they were bottling lightening in those days, copper's electrical properties
would have to wait for future exploitation.

Iron, though stronger and harder than copper, is relatively soft and pliable in its
natural condition too; but with the addition of small amounts of carbon, it becomes
steel, which is quite a bit tougher than natural iron. Whether Tubal-cain figured that
out is difficult to know for sure but if perchance he worked with a forge, it didn't
take him long to figure out that some residue from his fires mixed with iron
produced a much better product.

● Gen 4:22b . . And the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

Her name basically means pleasant, amiable, or agreeable. A girl named Joy would
probably fit that category. Na'amah suggests that the people of Enochville were
content with their way of life.

So all in all, Enochville, though unproductive in agriculture, prospered through
manufacturing and commerce instead; trading the goods and services of their
industrial base for much needed produce; the same way that most urbanites still do
even today. People in towns and cities typically don't support themselves directly
from nature. They earn a medium of exchange in some sort of skill or profession,
then trade it with merchants to buy the things they need to survive.

The technological, and cultural, level of early Man was very high. It's interesting
that the identifying marks which evolutionary anthropologists use to denote the
emergence of a stone age culture into a civilized society were extant prior to the
Flood-- animal husbandry, agriculture, crafts, urbanization, music, mining,
and metallurgy. All these civilizational technologies emerged very early: within just
a few generations of Adam; rather than thousands upon thousands of years of
human development.

I'm not saying there were never any "stone-age" peoples. Obviously there were.
But though Cain's community may have started out as nomads, by Noah's day they
were past primitive conditions and actually pretty well advanced.

It's too bad the Flood wiped early Man off the map. Who can tell what he might
have accomplished had his progress not been interrupted. (cf. Gen 11:6)
_

 

[Beetow]

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● Gen 4:23-24 . . And Lamech said to his wives: Adah and Zillah, hear my voice! O
wives of Lamech, give ear to my speech! I have slain a man for wounding me, and
a lad for bruising me. If Cain is avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.

Brag, Brag, Brag-- boy, I tell you some men sure love to show off and glorify
themselves in front of women; no doubt about it.

Apparently ol' Lamech figured the homicide he committed wasn't nearly as serious
as Cain's because Lamech killed in retribution; whereas Cain killed in rage. Also,
Cain killed his kid brother, whereas Lamech killed his relative a little more distant.
So to Lamech's way of thinking, Cain's killing was a much more serious crime; and
if a dirty rotten scoundrel like gramps was under divine protections, then, in
Lamech's judicious estimation, he deserved to be under them even more so.

* That's a good example of the kind of humanistic thinking brought about by the
forbidden fruit incident wherein Man's intuition became his moral compass. (Gen 3:22)

Lamech's sense of right and wrong reflects the humanistic conscience of a man void
of God's mentoring. To his natural way of thinking, revenge was an okay thing; which
is a common attitude in many primitive cultures.

Had his adversary's intent been upon great bodily harm; Lamech would probably be
justified to kill in self defense since his opponent was a younger man and had the
advantage in age. However, according to Lamech's own testimony, he killed the
man in revenge; not self defense.

NOTE: Cain's side of the Adams family is characterized by technology, invention,
boasting, achievement, commerce, and violence. But not one word is recorded
concerning its association with, nor its interest in, their maker. Cain's entire
community was impious and went on to be completely destroyed right down to
the last man, woman, and child in Noah's flood. No one survives him today.

The Bible doesn't record even one single incident of Cain's posterity blessing God
for His goodness; nor for His mercy, nor for His providence. There is no record that
any of them ever said even one single prayer-- not even a simple lay-me-down-to
sleep kind of prayer. Every one of the little kids in Enochville went to bed each
night without the slightest assurance that humanity's creator cared at all for the
well being of their little souls.
_

 

[Beetow]

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● Gen 4:25 . . And Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a
son, and named him Seth, for, she said: God has appointed me another offspring in
place of Abel; for Cain killed him.

Seth's name in Hebrew basically means a substitute, defined by Webster's as a
person or thing that takes the place or function of another; e.g. substitute teachers,
generic medications, pinch hitters, and/or after-market car parts.

Apparently Eve was still anticipating that she herself would be the woman to give
birth to the man promised by God to defeat the Serpent. (Gen 3:15)

● Gen 4:26a . . And to Seth, in turn, a son was born, and he named him Enosh.

Sometimes the record shows the mother naming a child, and sometimes the father;
which suggests that in all cases there was very likely mutual consultation between
husband and wife on this important decision. But it's always important for the
father to take a hand in naming the children because the act testifies that he
legally, and officially, accepts them as his own. (e.g. Gen 16:15, Gen 21:3, Luke
1:13, Luke 1:63)

NOTE: God instructed both Joseph and Mary to give her baby the name Jesus (Matt
1:21, Luke 1:31). By doing so, both went on record as Jesus' parents rather than
only his mom. (Luke 2:48, Matt 13:55)

The name Enosh means a mortal, i.e. a man in general, singly or collectively.
There's really nothing special about an enosh-- just a feller: similar to boys named
Guy or Buddy.

● Gen 4:26b . .Then men began to call on the name of The Lord.

The Hebrew word for "Lord" in this case is the four-letter tetragrammaton YHVH,
usually pronounced Jehovah and/or Yahweh; and always, without exception,
identifies the one true divinity.

Apparently up to this point in time, people addressed God in a sort of general way
instead of a personal way, and some still do. For example; during the Native
American funeral service held for my No.1 nephew, a tribal elder prayed to God as
"Grandfather" rather than by a personal moniker like Ganesha or some such.

● Gen 5:1a . .This is the record of Adam's line.

The Bible doesn't give a complete record of Adam's line, but every human being
named in the Bible is for sure Adam's posterity; which actually began with Eve, but
women are typically omitted: not always, but usually.

● Gen 5:1b-2 . .When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God; male
and female He created them. And when they were created, He blessed them and
called them Man.

As a preamble to Seth's line, Genesis reminds the reader that Man's origin was by
intelligent design and special creation, and that he was made in the likeness of his
maker, and that he's been an h.sapiens right from the get go. Man didn't begin his
existence as some sort of pre-human hominin named Ardi who lived in Ethiopia's
Afar Rift some 4.4 million years ago.

Some people take issue with Genesis because it seems to them so unscientific and
contrary to the (known) fossil record. But they need to be cautious because science
doesn't have perfect understanding of everything yet, nor has it discovered
everything there is to discover, and it often has to be revised to reflect new
discoveries, and to correct outdated theories and opinions.

But to be fair, Bible students don't know everything yet either so I strongly advise
watching the sciences for new discoveries that help fill in some of the Bible's
blanks.
_

 

[Beetow]

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● Gen 5:3a . .When Adam had lived 130 years, he begot a son

Bible genealogies often have very large gaps in them-- omitting insignificant male
siblings and typically all the girls.

Taking advantage of this rather strange Bible practice; critics are quick to point out
gaps in Christ's genealogy with the intent of invalidating the entire new testament.
But gaps are to be expected or otherwise the list would be cumbersome and require
a book all its own.

For example; a sizeable quantity of time passed between Noah's ark and the arrival
of Abraham on the scene; and probably a couple of ice ages too. We're talking
about a lot of generations there, and naming them all to a man would be just as
useless as it would be impractical but apparently God is taking the time to do it. (Ps 139:16)

Anyway; the genealogy below skips both Cain and Abel.

● Gen 5:3b . . in his likeness after his image, and he named him Seth.

The best application for "likeness and image" that I've discovered thus far is as a
technical term related to kin: physical and/or non physical. For example; in the
beginning God made Man in His own image and likeness. However; Man bears no
physical resemblance to God at all. Adam exclaimed that Eve was bone of his bone
and flesh of his flesh, and she was; but God is neither-- God is spirit whereas Man
is physical and can be examined and defined by the laws of physics; whereas God
cannot be gone over like that.

● Gen 5:4-5 . . After the birth of Seth, Adam lived 800 years and begot sons and
daughters. All the days that Adam lived came to 930 years; then he died.

Well, there goes grandpa Adam, just as God predicted at Gen 3:19. But hey!
Where's the listing of the rest of his kids? Didn't God bless him with the words "be
fruitful, increase in number, and fill the earth". Well, I seriously doubt that he and
Eve stopped after just three. But the rest of his progeny-- for reasons I can only
guess --didn't make the cut.

But when did Eve die? Did she outlive Adam? Who died first, Adam or Eve? Nobody
really knows. But supposing Eve died quite a while before Adam? Did he remarry?
And if he remarried, who did he marry? One of his own grandchildren?

Well . . in Adam's case, what's so bad about that? I mean, after all, his first wife
was constructed with material taken from his own body; so that in reality, Eve was
his first child which means that by today's social standards; Adam practiced the
worst kind of incest. At least his granddaughters would have been several times
removed.

● Gen 5:6-7 . .When Seth had lived 105 years, he begot Enosh. After the birth of
Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and begot sons and daughters.

No doubt some people envy the longevity of the antediluvians; but I don't. Their life
was hard, and for the most part, pretty boring too. Would you want to live for 912
years in pre historic conditions without even one modern convenience?

Was Enosh the first of Seth's children? Maybe, but probably not. However, he is the
only child that counts because it's through him that we're moving towards Noah,
Abraham, David, and ultimately Christ.

● Gen 5:8 . . All the days of Seth came to 912 years; then he died.

(sigh) The story of our futile lives. So and So was born, he got married and
reproduced; he lived X number of years after that, and then died-- same O, same O
--the weary circle of life.

● Gen 5:9 . .When Enosh had lived 90 years, he begot Kenan.

Kenan's name in Hebrew means fixed or permanent like when somebody's life is a
dead end and/or when their feet are set in concrete and going nowhere, i.e. it is
what it is; which is kind of pessimistic. Fixed can also mean that someone's life
has a noble purpose and that their mind is focused upon that purpose rather than
looking two ways at once.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Gen 5:10 . . After the birth of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and begot sons and
daughters.

You know, some of these guys really didn't accomplish very much. All they seemed
to do was reproduce. But the important thing is: they made a line to Messiah and,
as is the duty of patriarchs, preserved whatever sacred teachings were handed
down to them from their ancestors.

● Gen 5:11 . . All the days of Enosh came to 905 years; then he died.

(yawn) Over and over again. Just about everybody reproduces in chapter five. And
just about everybody dies too.

● Gen 5:12-20 . .When Kenan had lived 70 years, he begot Mahalalel. After the
birth of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and begot sons and daughters. All the
days of Kenan came to 910 years; then he died. When Mahalalel had lived 65
years, he begot Jared. After the birth of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and begot
sons and daughters. All the days of Mahalalel came to 895 years; then he died.

. .When Jared had lived 162 years, he begot Enoch. After the birth of Enoch, Jared
lived 800 years and begot sons and daughters. All the days of Jared came to 962
years; then he died.

Four of those men-- Enoch, Jared, Mahalalel, and Kenan (Cainan) --are listed in
Christ's genealogy at Luke 3:37-38.

● Gen 5:21 . .When Enoch had lived 65 years, he begot Methuselah.

Methuselah's name is a compound word made up of math (math) which means an
adult (as of full length or full size), and shelach (sheh'-lakh) which means a missile
of attack, i.e. a spear, sling stone, or perhaps an arrow. Methuselah was a man-size
weapon rather than one that might be employed by little children.

Today our preferred missile of attack from a hand held weapon is the bullet. A
Methuselah bullet would probably be known today as a magnum. Magnums cost
more than normal ammo but hit harder, go further, and cause more damage (they're louder too). A modern name that might correspond to Methuselah is Long
Tom-- a nickname often given to very large canons. Maybe they meant to call him
Big Guy because he was a hefty newborn.

● Gen 5:22-23 . . After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years;
and he begot sons and daughters. All the days of Enoch came to 365 years.

Enoch was a fiery preacher, speaking the words recorded in Jude 1:14-15; warning
people prior to the Flood that Almighty God intends to hold people's feet to the fire
some day.

● Gen 5:24a . . Enoch walked with God;

* This is the very first man on record who is actually said to have walked with God;
though no doubt Abel did too.

Enoch was the exact opposite of Abel's brother Cain: a man who walked away from
God instead of with Him.

Those who are outwardly religious, but don't actually walk with God, might be wise
to give this next little saying some thought.

Ye call me Lord and respect me not.
Ye call me Master and obey me not.
Ye call me Light and see me not.
Ye call me Way and walk me not.
Ye call me Life and choose me not.
Ye call me Wise and heed me not.
Ye call me Kind and love me not.
Ye call me Just and fear me not.
If I condemn thee, blame me not.

On the page of Scripture, Enoch isn't said to walk with God until after his little boy
Methuselah was born; suggesting perhaps that parenthood gave him cause to
ponder his manner of life thus far.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Gen 5:24b . . then he was no more, because God took him away.

The Hebrew word translated "no more" is primarily a negative indicating that one
minute Enoch was on earth, and the next he wasn't.

It's difficult to ascertain from so little information in the book of Genesis whether
Enoch died of natural causes or the hand of God; but according to Heb 11:5, he
didn't undergo death at all but was instantaneously transferred from this life to the
next; apparently leaving behind no remains for his family to bury.

It's assumed by many that Enoch was taken to Heaven; but according to Christ; no
man had been to Heaven prior to himself. (John 3:13)

● Gen 5:25-27 . .When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he begot Lamech. After the
birth of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and begot sons and daughters. All the
days of Methuselah came to 969 years; then he died.

Ol' Methuselah holds the record for longevity. He outlived his son Lamech, dying
five years after him in the very year the Flood came; when Methuselah's grandson
Noah was 600.

Whether or not Methuselah died in the Flood or by natural causes is not said.
However, he may indeed have perished in it right along with all of the rest of
Noah's relatives. Just because men are listed in Messiah's genealogy doesn't
necessarily mean they were righteous. In point of fact, some of David's kings in
Jesus' line were totally incorrigible men beyond remedy. (e.g. Jer 22:24-30)

● Gen 5:28-29 . .When Lamech had lived 182 years, he begot a son. And he named
him Noah, saying: This one will provide us relief from our work and from the toil of
our hands, out of the very soil which the Lord placed under a curse.

The Hebrew word for "Noah" means rest or quiet. But not the kind of quiet one
might find in a sound-proof room. More like the tranquility a person would
experience by getting away from it all, e.g. anxiety, fear, conflict, and toil.

Lamech speaks as one fatigued with the business of living, and as one grudging
that so much energy, which otherwise might have been much better employed in
leisure, entertainment, or self improvement, was unavoidably spent in toil and labor
necessary simply to survive back in that day.

Lamech undoubtedly saw that Noah was a very special boy; the next patriarch after
himself. Perhaps he hoped Noah was the promised seed of the woman; the one who
would crush the Serpent's head, remove the curse, and restore the Earth to its
former prosperity and glory; thus making for Man a much more enjoyable
experience than the one he is subjected to for now.

● Gen 5:30-32 . . After the birth of Noah, Lamech lived 595 years and begot sons
and daughters. All the days of Lamech came to 777 years; then he died. When
Noah had lived 500 years, Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

* Lamech escaped the Flood by a mere 5 years. It came when Noah was 600 (Gen
7:6).

Shem was the next patriarch after his dad Noah. But the names of all three boys
are given probably because of the role they will play in re-populating the Earth after
the Flood. The Bible doesn't say that Shem, Ham, and Japheth were especially good
men. They survived the Flood in spite of their character only because they got
aboard the ark with their dad when it was time for the rain to begin. If they had
mocked, and remained on land with the rest of the world, then they would have
certainly drowned right along with everyone else in spite of their ancestry.

So; were Mr and Mrs Noah childless until Noah was 500 years old? Probably not.
The other kids, if there were any, didn't count as far as God was concerned, and, if
there were any, they perished in the deluge.

NOTE: Being related to holy men like rabbis, pastors, deacons and/or missionaries
etc doesn't guarantee a ticket to safety. Everyone has to make their own personal
decisions in that regard (e.g. Gen 19:12-14). God commands all people everywhere
to repent. The alternative is the sum of all fears no matter how important, nor well
connected, your friends, associates, and/or relatives might be.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Gen 6:1-2 . . Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the
land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the
daughters of men were good; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they
chose.

The Hebrew word translated "good" is one of a number of ambiguous Hebrew words
that can be utilized in a wide variety of applications. It can indicate morality, a tasty
meal, a job well done, a nice man, a pretty dress, a shapely woman and/or a
handsome man, and an expert musician and/or a really groovy song. But in this
case; I think it's pretty safe to assume it pertains to a woman's looks.

NOTE: Ambiguous words serve to illustrate why it's virtually impossible to translate
Hebrew into English with 100% verbatim precision. No linguist in his right mind
would dare to say that English versions of the Hebrew Old Testament are perfect
word-for-word renditions of the original manuscripts-- no; they can't even be
certified perfect word-for-word renditions of the available manuscripts let alone the
originals.

The characteristics of the "sons of God" have been debated. Some say they were
members of the aristocracy of that day who married attractive women from among
the commoners. Others say they were renegade spirit creatures who donned fully
functioning human avatars so they could cohabit with women; thus producing a
hybrid strain of hominid freaks. Others say they were God-fearing men who threw
caution to the wind and built themselves harems of pagan women.

The latter seems the more likely seeing as how intermarriage between believers
and unbelievers is often robustly frowned upon in both the old testament and the
new.

* The label "son of God" is somewhat versatile in the Old Testament. For example
in Job 1:6 & Job 38:7 it pertains to angels, whereas in Ex 4:22-23 an entire people
are identified as God's son, and in Psalm 82 authorities are sons of God, while in
Psalm 89 king David is God's son.

Anyway: hooking up men of faith with infidel women is a proven tactic for watering
down, compromising, and even extinguishing Bible beliefs and practices (e.g. Num
31:7-16). The people of God are strictly, unequivocally, and clearly forbidden to
marry outside their faith, and that goes for Christians too. (Deut 7:1-4, 2Cor 6:14
18)

Women can be very effective in influencing an otherwise pious man to compromise
his convictions; for example Solomon got off to a good start but down the road
accumulated a harem of foreign women who led him into idolatry; which
subsequently caused The Lord to engineer rebellion in the kingdom. (1Kgs 11 & 12)

Anyway: the sons of God in Noah's day-- whose wives were chosen based solely
upon sensual allure sans any spiritual prudence whatsoever --all perished in the
Flood right along with their infidel wives and children. Not even one of them had
the good sense to go aboard the ark with Noah.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Gen 6:3a . . And the Lord said: My Spirit shall not strive with man forever

Some translations have "abide" instead of strive. But the Hebrew word is yaadown
which basically means: to rule; by implication: to judge (as umpire); also to strive
(as at law). It can also mean to plead the cause of; or to contend in argument.

So; how did "My Spirit" accomplish this striving with man? In person Himself? No;
just like He always has: via inspired men; e.g. Noah and Enoch. (2Pet 2:5 & Jude
1:14-15)

NOTE: According to 1Pet 3:18-20, the Spirit of Christ and My Spirit are one and the
same spirit. In point of fact; according to 1Pet 1:10-11, all the old testament
preachers (a..k.a. prophets) were motivated by the Spirit of Christ. (cf. Rom 8:9
and 1Cor 6:19 where the Spirit of Christ and The Spirit are seen as one and the
same spirit)

● Gen 6:3b . . for they are only mortal flesh.

A problem with flesh is it's brevity. The human body eventually loses its vigor, so
God has a limited amount of time to work with people before they pass on.

"Where are your forefathers now? And the prophets, do they live forever?" (Zech
1:5)

Were our bodies immune to the aging process, God would have plenty of time to
turn people around; but alas, without access to the tree of life, such is not the
case;

● Gen 6:3c . . yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.

Some feel that God set the limits of human longevity in that verse. But people still
continued to live long lives for a great number of years afterwards. Even Abraham,
who lived many, many years after the Flood, didn't die till he was 175 years old.

It's far more reasonable to conclude that God was announcing a deadline; viz: they
had 120 years left to get ready to meet their maker. But you think that alarmed
anybody? Heck no. They went right on; business as usual.

"And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:
They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the
day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all." (Luke
17:26-27)

The time of God's patience is sometimes long; but never unlimited; viz: though God
bear a great while, He never bears forever; for example:

"Today, if you hear is voice, do not harden your hearts as [Moses' people] did at
Meribah, as they did that day at Massah in the desert, where their fathers tested
and tried Me, though they had seen what I did. For forty years I was angry with
that generation. I said; "They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have
not known my ways." So I declared on oath in My anger; "They shall never enter
my rest." ( Ps 95:7-11)

NOTE: The "My rest" spoken of in that passage is related to God's sabbatical per
Gen 2:1-3 which is a perpetual variety of rest. In other words: had Moses' people
invaded the promised land when God ordered them to, they would never lose
control of it and would forever be blessed with security and prosperity.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Gen 6:4 . .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.

One of the Bible's Hebrew words for "giant" is rapha' which appears in numerous
places throughout the old testament and typically always indicates brutish people
of large physical stature. But that's not the word for giants here. Instead, in this
location the word is ha-nepihilym which appears in only two verses in the entire
old testament; one here and the other in Numbers 13:33.

The word is somewhat ambiguous, but in this context it pertains to bullies:
especially to men famous for tyranny; e.g. Genghis Khan of Mongolia, and
Alexander the Great of Greece; Napoleon of France, Peter Alekseyevich Romanov of
Russia, Chandragupta Maurya of India, shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo of Japan,
conquistador Hernando Cortes of Spain, Timur: founder of the Timurid dynasty, and
Zahir-ud din Muhammad Babur: founder of the Mughal dynasty that ruled the
Indian subcontinent for over three centuries; and of course guys like Adolf Hitler,
Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, Mao Tse-tung, Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein, Idi Amin,
Robert Mugabe, Muammar Gaddafi, Xi Jinping, and the Kim family dynasty of North
Korea.

In other words: ha-nepihilyhm doesn't necessarily indicate a unique race of people;
but mostly strong personalities, i.e. especially beastly folks whose ambition is to quite
dominate others, i.e. despots, dictators, and tyrants, etc. Those kinds of people
don't just want power: they want to own your soul, censor your information, control
the content of your thoughts, determine where you live, regulate your income and
how you make a living, and manipulate the quantity and the quality of the food
on your table.

Men (and women) who seek to dominate others are often the least suitable to do
so; and back there in Noah's day that was certainly true. The moral quality of the
world built by the governance of the ha-nepihilym was so poor that the situation
required God to step in and do something about it.

● Gen 6:5 . . And The Lord saw that the evil of man was great in the earth, and
every imagination of his heart was only evil all the time.

Thus far it appears that the wide-spread proliferation of evil among men was due,
at least in part, to the mixed marriages.

* Man's descent into depravity didn't catch his creator by surprise. After all; not
only can God see the future but He can also manipulate it; so He was well aware
even before beginning that many of the people He was about to create would
become degenerate.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Gen 6:6 . . And The Lord regretted that He had made man upon the earth, and
He became grieved in His heart.

If it can be safely assumed that God saw man's depravity coming well in advance--
prior to creating even one of the many forces, energies, and particles that would go
into the construction of the cosmos --then we have to wonder why it is that He felt
remorse for going ahead as planned. Surely it wasn't because He made a terrible
mistake. I seriously doubt that a master architect with the creator's intelligence
would fail to foresee every possible ramification of His actions.

Well; it's at least comforting to know the destruction of life is not something God
enjoys as if He were an outdoor guy who kills fish and wildlife for sport with no
more sensitivity than a kid blasting aliens in a video game. Man's creator knew the
day was coming when He would have to do what He was about to do next, and
clearly wasn't looking forward to it, but nevertheless; leaves us with unavoidable
questions about His sanity because from a rational perspective, God's procedures
make no sense at all.

Anyway, aside from all that; it appears to me that God had high expectations for
the people of man, and was very disappointed that numbers of them went bad; sort
of like how parents feel when a kid, whom they've given every privilege, every
opportunity, and every advantage imaginable, lets it all go overboard and somehow
ends up incorrigible and a total failure instead.

NOTE: The Hebrew word translated "regret" is somewhat ambiguous. Though it
includes feeling rue for making a mistake, it also implies taking an unpleasant
course of action that you know will cause people harm and/or inconvenience though
for sure the course is the wise thing to do.

For example: God was poised to destroy the city of Nineveh lest they changed their
ways. Within that city were 120,000 underage children, and numbers of beasts,
that would've been collateral damage had not the adults heeded Jonah's preaching.

God impressed upon Jonah that He would not take pleasure in destroying those
children, nor those beasts. However, God would've done so because to His way of
thinking, it would've been the right thing to do.

I cannot even begin to imagine how it was right for God to go ahead and
create mankind while knowing well in advance that they would go bad and He
would have to kill off just about everything-- birds, beasts, men, women, and
underage children too.

From a purely rational perspective, the Judeo/Christian God is fiendish. I mean
think about it: why would a sensible designer proceed to bring into existence,
without their consent, human lives whom he knew in advance that some day He
would have to destroy most of them like when destroying a dog infected with
rabies.

For example: the creator knew in advance that if He went ahead as planned, the
end result would be the termination of untold numbers of terrified people not only
in the Flood, but also in the brimstone depicted by Rev 20:10-15.

It's a mystery, and people brighter and better educated than I have thus far been
unable to figure it out. Some make excuses for God (a.k.a. apologetics) instead of
coming to grips with the reality that we're all little more than an insect zoo: just
bugs imprisoned in a terrarium constructed for the supreme being's amusement.

"O Lord our God . . you created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they
exist and were created." (Rev 4:11)
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Gen 6:7 . . And The Lord said: I will blot out man, whom I created, from upon the
face of the earth, from man to cattle to creeping thing, to the fowl of the heavens,
for I regret that I made them.

The destruction of earth's birds and beasts was unavoidable; they became collateral
damage in God's contention with the evil antediluvians.

Apparently God intended to not only remove the antediluvians from the face of the
earth, but also to scrub off all of their works too-- i.e. their entire cultural footprint
--so that when He was done, it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to even be
able to tell the antediluvians were ever here at all.

It's always been a mystery to me why paleo-anthropologists have managed to find
so few fossilized remains of pre-historic human beings.

In 1992, Tim White of the University of California at Berkeley, discovered the
fossilized skeletons of human-like creatures in Ethiopia's Afar Rift who lived 4.4
million years ago but those are not the remains of h.sapiens; but rather, of
creatures that resemble h.sapiens. To my knowledge; no truly human remains have
been found from that era.

While mysterious; that lack of remains isn't exclusive. Take for instance the
Passenger Pigeon; a bird that at one time numbered an estimated four to five
billion individuals; which is a number equal in quantity to the current year-round
population of all North American birds combined. Yet an archeological search for the
pigeon's bones left behind by people who ate the bird for food, through all pre
Columbian times, has thus far yielded very few remains at only two sites.

But my point is: where are the remains of the antediluvians? They're gone; lock,
stock, and barrel-- no metal implements from Tubal-Cain's blacksmith shop, no
musical instruments from Jubal's work shop, no dwellings, no footprints, no bones,
no pottery, no pictographs, no petro glyphs, not even any geological evidence of a
world-wide deluge: nothing. It's like they were never here.

God moved against the antediluvians like a relentless newspaper editor deleting
superfluous words and sentences so skillfully that the reader cannot even tell those
superfluous words and sentences ever existed in the original copy.

Why would God do that? I would hazard to guess that His purpose in doing so was
to prevent people from believing too easily that the Flood actually happened.

A curious thing about the Bible is that portions of it are just as effective at driving
people away from God as they are at attracting them. No doubt it is God's wishes
that everybody believe the Bible; but at the same time it seems He's thwarted His
own longings by taking steps to ensure that a substantial number of people don't.
For example:

"Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: You have seen all that The Lord did
before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and all his servants and all his
land; the great trials which your eyes have seen, those great signs and wonders.
Yet to this day The Lord has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor
ears to hear." (Deut 29:2-4)

● Gen 6:8 . . But Noah found grace in the eyes of The Lord.

That's the first-ever mention of grace in the Bible. It's translated from a Hebrew
word that basically means the same things as the Greek word for grace in the new
testament; to wit: benevolent, e.g. kind, courteous, inclined to good will, generous,
charitable, merciful, altruistic, compassionate, thoughtful, cordial, affable, genial,
sociable, cheerful, warm, sensitive, considerate, and tactful.

In a nutshell; God's good vibes about Noah were very different than the negative
feelings He was experiencing about everybody else. In point of fact; they were all a
terrible disappointment. God had it mind to put them all down like as if they were
sick dogs, but not so Noah; him God had in mind to spare, i.e. to protect; and that
was mostly because Noah was the kind of man with whom God preferred to
associate rather than avoid.

* In a nutshell; grace is what you'd expect from someone who wants the best for
you which, when in someone's eyes, is quite a bit nicer than the eyes of someone
who looks at you with knives.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Gen 6:9a . .This is the line of Noah. --Noah was a righteous man;

The Hebrew word translated "righteous" means: just.

Webster's provides several definitions of "just", but perhaps the ones best suited
for our purpose are: conscientious, honest, honorable, right, scrupulous, true,
dependable, reliable, tried, trustworthy, dispassionate, equal, equitable, impartial,
nondiscriminatory, objective, unbiased, uncolored, and unprejudiced. So then, Noah
was not only religious to his fingertips; but he was a pretty decent guy to boot.

● Gen 6:9b . . he was blameless in his era; Noah walked with God.

Blameless in the Bible means something altogether different than what you'd
expect. In this case, "blameless" means that God had nothing negative to say about
Noah; i.e. on the books, Noah's performance was satisfactory, i.e. he measured up
to God's expectations.

The most incredible thing about Noah was his degree of piety in a world gone mad
with evil. He was actually a nobody in his day; eclipsed by the nephiyl types. They
got all the press, the publicity, and the notoriety while God's man went
marginalized and largely ignored. Yet he persisted; and continued pounding a pulpit
right up to the end.

● Gen 6:10 . . Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Were those the only kids Noah had? And no daughters? I seriously doubt it. Noah
was six hundred when the flood began. It is unlikely that a healthy, hard working,
robust man would live that long without engendering a much larger family than
three; especially in those days without birth control. But these three boys are the
only ones that count now because they're going on the ark with their dad.

● Gen 6:11a . .The earth became corrupt before God;

Technically, this particular verse isn't saying the world became corrupt, rather, it's
speaking of the planet whereupon the people lived.

The Hebrew word translated "corrupt" speaks of ruin, decay, pollution, waste, and
destruction. In other words; the planet's human inhabitants were rapidly making
the Earth uninhabitable, just like they're doing even now. Were the people of that
day not stopped, they would've made the Earth unfit not just for human life, but for
all life.

● Gen 6:11b . . the earth was filled with lawlessness.

At this particular point in time, Earth's occupants were on a sort of honor system.
As yet there were no God-given controls in place to regulate people's use of the
Earth's resources; nor anything God-given in place to regulate the people
themselves.

● Gen 6:12-13a . . God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people
on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah: I am going to put an end
to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them.

That was indeed tragic. Things finally became so bad that the only way to save the
planet was to exterminate the people. Quite a few environmentalists are saying the
very same thing in our day.

The Hebrew word for "violence" covers a lot of ground-- cruelty, injustice, abuse,
dishonesty, fraud, injury, brutality, discord, etc. in other words: mistreatment.

* If there is anything Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Chernobyl, and Fukushima have taught
us it's that we today have the capability to do the very thing that caused God
concern back in Noah's day; and we can do it quicker, and far more efficiently.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Gen 6:13b . . I am about to destroy them with the earth.

Here is set a precedent of God forewarning His own when He is about to execute a
calamitous event. The Passover was another such example. God forewarned Moses'
people of the imminent annihilation of all the firstborn of Man and Beast in Egypt;
which would also impact Moses and his people if they didn't take precautions
exactly as God instructed. (Ex 11:1-13) Much of the book of Revelation is dedicated
to informing Christ's followers about some pretty serious future events. (Rev 1:1)

And our man Noah, super-duper righteous man that he was, would have drowned
right along with the rest of the antediluvians had he neglected to construct an ark.
When God gives a warning, it is best to respond accordingly.

● Gen 6:14a . . Make yourself an ark

The Hebrew word translated "ark" indicates, not a ship, but a nondescript box. The
only other object in the old testament identified by that word is the little watertight
container Moses' mom constructed to hide her little boy from Pharaoh's assassins.
(Ex 2:1-10)

● Gen 6:14b . . of gopher wood;

Nobody really knows for sure exactly what kind of tree Noah used to make the ark.
The word for "gopher" has nothing to do with little subterranean rodents. It's a
transliteration of the Hebrew word gopher (go'-fer) which only suggests a kind of
tree suitable for building structures out of wood.

Unfortunately, this is the one and only occurrence of gopher in the entire old
testament so there's no other passages in the Bible that might help identify a
specific kind of tree.

● Gen 6:14c . . make it an ark with compartments,

The word for "compartments" basically means: a nest (as fixed), sometimes
including the nestlings; figuratively, a chamber or dwelling. The construction of
nests (and stalls) indicates the animals weren't just herded or jammed together like
the crowds attending an outdoor rock concert. They were neatly stowed aboard in
their own areas and apparently made to feel quite comfortable.

● Gen 6:14d . . and cover it inside and out with pitch.

The Hebrew word translated "pitch" in his case basically pertains to bitumen; a
naturally-occurring kind of asphalt formed from the remains of ancient, microscopic
algae (diatoms) and other once-living things.

In order for bitumen to be available in Noah's day, the organisms from whence it
was formed had to have existed on the earth several thousands of years before
him. In point of fact, I read somewhere that the biomass that gave us fossil fuels
existed even before the dinosaurs. That's really going back a ways. However, it
does fit the narrative because vegetation was created prior to the creation of
animals on land.

Anyway: coating the ark with some gunk not only served to waterproof it; but also
preserved the wood for future uses after the Flood subsided and Noah no longer
had need of a titanic water craft.
_