The Book of Jasher Uncloaked

[Lewis]

I am posting this for learning purposes only, so that your knowledge may increase. People always ask about this book, because it is mentioned, in the Bible 2 times, the book of Joshua and Second Chronicles. And because it was referred to in the Bible, you should know what this book is, and what is in it.

What is this strange book called "The book of Jasher"?
Part 1
Is it ancient history? Is it mere myth? Is it on a par with

Scripture? Although the book of Jasher is definitely not

Scripture, nevertheless, it reveals crucial information about

The time before the Flood, the time of Nimrod and Abraham,

The Patriarchs, Joseph, Esau, and the chronology of those

Ancient Days. Here is the remarkable truth!



William F. Dankenbring



The book of Jasher, mentioned in the Biblical books of Joshua and Second Chronicles, was faithfully translated into English from the Rabbinical Hebrew in approximately A.D. 1840. Says the translator's preface, "the ever memorable events and transactions recorded in Scripture are with many others of the most interesting nature, comprehended in the Book of Jasher; and they are all arrayed in that style of simple, unadorned majesty and precision, which so particularly distinguishes the genius of the Hebrew language; and this, together with other numerous internal evidences, it is presumed will go far to convince the Hebrew scholar that the book is, with the exception of some doubtful parts, a venerable monument of antiquity; and that, notwithstanding some few additions may have been made to it in comparatively modern times, it still retains sufficient to prove it a copy of the book referred to in Joshua, chapter x, and 2 Samuel, chap. i. There are not more than seven or eight words in the whole book that by construction can be derived from the Chaldean language" (page iii-iv).



The title of the book in Hebrew, Sephir Ha Yasher, literally means "the book of the upright," or "the upright or correct record." Some have thought that "Jasher" was the name of a Hebrew judge in Israel, and a publication that arose in the middle of the eighteenth century (circa 1750 A.D.), purported itself to be a translation into English from a Hebrew manuscript of "Jasher" found at Gazna in Persia. That book was undoubtedly a fictitious book, a fraud, and most probably the work of some agnostic, cynical English skeptic, written in imitation of the language of Scripture. Its author, in his ignorance, presumed "Jasher" to have been the personal name of an ancient Hebrew figure, the original writer. But the mischievous deed was recognized by true scholars of Hebrew, for the pronoun "the" ("ha" in Hebrew) never precedes or is prefixed to proper names.



How is the Book of Jasher important to us, today? It sheds marvelous light on the Biblical story, from the time of Adam and Eve, the time of Enoch, and the account of Noah's Deluge, to the Tower of Babel, the tyrant Nimrod, and the story of Abraham and his descendants. The book of Jasher provides the details of this remarkable historical record, and completely authenticates and corroborates the Scriptural history of the period.



The book of Jasher provides a fascinating glimpse into the life of Enoch, who was a righteous ruler over men, continually instructing them in truth and uprightness, and a knowledge of the Most High God. It also tells us that in the days of "Peleg," not only were the nations at Babel divided and scattered, but the earth itself was also divided. From this book we also learn that Noah and Abraham were contemporaries.



Perhaps the most important key found in the Book of Jasher is that it corrects the erroneous chronological date for the birth of Abraham assumed by many Christian commentators, in particular archbishop James Ussher. Says the Translator of the book of Jasher:



"From this book we learn that Noah and Abraham were contemporaries. How

beautiful the contemplation of the meeting of these two Patriarchs, the one being

a monument of God's mercy, the other having the promises of the favor and grace

of God, not only to himself, but to his seed after him. This fact might be proved

from Scripture; but from the 32nd verse in the 11th chapter of Genesis, most of

the Christian commentators have erroneously dated the birth of Abraham 60 years

later than it actually took place; as it is generally stated that he was born A.M.

[after man, i.e., after Adam] 2008, whereas the regular calculation in the Bible leads

us to 60 years earlier, viz. 1948. The only cause of this error has been that Abraham's

departure from Haran, at the age of 75, is recorded close to the description of the

death of Terah, at the age of 205, in Gen. ch. xi, v. 32" (p.vi).



How should we view the book of Jasher, today? The translator correctly points out that although it is not divine Scripture, it nevertheless is a mighty historical and ancient work which relates directly to Biblical historical times and events. Thus the translator does not recommend it to people as Scripture, as a work of divine inspiration, but does "as a monument of history, comparatively covered with the ivy of the remotest ages; as a work, possessing in its language, all the characteristic simplicity of patriarchal times; and as such, he conceives it peculiarly calculated to illustrate and confirm the sacred truths handed down to us in the Scriptures" (p.vii).



The translator concludes:



"Like all other ancient writings, (except the inspired volume,) it has in some

respects suffered from the consuming hand of time; and there is reason to believe

that some additions have been made to it. In fine, it contains a history of the lives

and memorable transactions of all the illustrious characters recorded in

sacred history, from Adam down to the time of the Elders, who immediately

succeeded Joshua" (ibid.).



Having said these things, let's take a close look and see how the book of Jasher, then, impacts our understanding of ancient Biblical chronology, and what it means to us, today!



Chronology After the Flood



The book of Jasher recounts the story of mankind from Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, to the destruction of Noah's Flood (chapters 1-6). The story of the post-Flood world begins in chapter 7 where we are told that Terah was 38 years old when he begat Haran and Nahor, the older brothers of Abraham (v.22). What year was this? According to the chronology, from the Flood, we discover that Noah was 600 years old at the time of the Flood (Gen.7:6). The Flood occurred in the year 2348 B.C. Noah's son Shem begat Arphaxad 2 years after the Flood (Gen.11:10), or in 2346 B.C. From that time on we can trace the descendants of Shem (see Genesis 11:10-26):

 

[Lewis]

Part 2

Descendant Lived Begat Date

Arphaxad 35 years Salah 2311 B.C.

Salah 30 Eber 2281

Eber 34 Peleg 2247

Peleg 30 Reu 2217

Reu 32 Serug 2185

Serug 30 Nahor 2155

Nahor 29 Terah 2126 B.C.

Terah 70 Abram 2056 B.C.



At this point, the Biblical genealogy tell us, "And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran" (Gen.11:26). Yet the book of Jasher clearly states that "Terah was thirty eight years old, and he begat Haran and Nahor" (Jasher 9:22). Therefore, the fact that the Bible says Terah was 70 when he begat Abram, Nahor and Haran, must refer to the date when ABRAM was begotten -- 32 years after his two brothers. Abram was the youngest of the three, but is listed first because the birthright became his due to his righteousness and excellency.



This is a straight-forward chronology. However, it differs from that of Archbishop James Ussher. Ussher, in his mammoth chronological work, concluded erroneously that Abram was born seventy five years before Terah his father died. Terah died at the age of 205 (Gen.11:32). The next chapter of Genesis tells us that God told Abram to leave his country and Abram did so at the age of 75 (Gen.12:1-4). Ussher assumes that Terah's death and Abram's departure for Canaan was the same year -- therefore, since Terah died in 1921 B.C., Abram's birth would have been, according to Ussher, 75 years sooner -- in 1996 B.C.



Notice! This date is precisely 60 years later than the true date for Abram's birth! Unfortunately, Archbishop Ussher did not have access to the book of Jasher when he calculated the birth of Abram!



When this correction is made, however, it suddenly frees up our understanding of events that occurred after the Flood. But which are we to believe -- the book of Jasher or the conclusion of Archbishop James Ussher?



As incredible as it may sound, we have solid confirmation of the dates given in the book of Jasher. The ancient Jewish historian Flavius Josephus of the first century corroborates the date given by Jasher for the birth of Abraham! Notice this remarkable fact. Josephus writes in Antiquities of the Jews:



"I will now treat of the Hebrews. The son of Phaleg, whose father was Heber,

was Ragau; whose son was Serug, to whom was born Nahor; his son was Terah,

who was the father of Abraham, who accordingly was the tenth from Noah, and

was born in the two hundred and ninety second year after the Deluge; for Terah

begat him in his seventieth year" (bk.1, chapt.6, sec.5).



The Flood was in 2348 B.C. According to Josephus, Abraham was born 292 years after the Flood. This would put his birth in 2056 B.C., just as the book of Jasher states! Archbishop Ussher, who puts Abraham's birth 60 years later, in 1996 B.C., is thus proved to be in error on this point. Josephus also confirms that Abraham was born in Terah's 70th year -- not in his 130th year. Of course, this also confirms the Scriptural account which states plainly that Abram was born in Terah's 70th year (Gen.11:26). A straightforward reading of this passage could be interpreted as follows: "And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram [and he had also begotten] Nahor, and Haran . . ."



Nimrod and the Birth of Abram



Now let's pick up the story of Nimrod, the world's first tyrant, after the Flood. The book of Jasher gives us a very interesting insight into Nimrod's kingdom and personality. The story begins with his father Cush. We read:



"And Cush, the son of Ham, the son of Noah, took a wife in those days, in his old age,and she bare a son, and they called his name Nimrod, saying, At that time the sons of men began to rebel and transgress against God, and the child grew up, and his father loved him exceedingly, for he was the son of his old age.



"And the garments of skin, which God made for Adam and his wife, when they went

out of the garden, were given to Cush. For after the death of Adam and his wife, the

garments were given to Enoch, the son of Jared, and when Enoch was taken up to God, he gave them to Methuselah, his son. And at the death of Methuselah, Noah took them and brought them to the ark, and they were with him until he went out of the ark. And in their going out, Ham stole those garments from Noah his father, and he took them and hid them from his brothers. And when Ham begat his firstborn Cush, he gave him the garments in secret, and they were with Cush many days. And Cush also concealed them from his sons and brothers, and when Cush had begotten Nimrod, he gave him those garments through his love for him, and Nimrod grew up, and when he was twenty years old he put on those garments.



"And Nimrod became strong when he put on the garments, and God gave him might

and strength, and he was a mighty hunter in the earth. . . . And when Nimrod was forty years old, at that time there was war between his brethren and the children of Japheth, so that they were in the power of his enemies. . . . And when Nimrod had joyfully returned from battle, after having conquered his enemies, all his brethren . . . assembled to make him king over them, and they placed the regal crown upon his head.



"And he placed TERAH THE SON OF NAHOR the prince of his host, and he dignified

him and elevated him above all his princes" (Jasher 7:23-41).



Notice! Although the Bible does not mention these fine details in the Scriptural narrative, nevertheless, Terah, Abram's father, was the commander-in-chief of Nimrod's army! He was a very important man in the post-Flood world, and in the government of Nimrod. This occurred when Nimrod was about forty years of age. The account goes on:



". . . . And Nimrod dwelt in Shinar . . . and his kingdom became very great . . . and

Nimrod reigned in the earth over all the sons of Noah, and they were all under his

power and counsel [he was the first World Ruler]. And all the earth was of one tongue and words of union, but Nimrod did not go in the ways of the Lord. . . . And Terah, the son of Nahor, prince of Nimrod's host, was in those days very great in the sight of the king and his subjects, and the king and princes loved him, and they elevated him very high.



"And Terah took a wife and her name was Ambhelo the daughter of Cornebo; and

the wife of Terah conceived and bare him a son in those days. Terah was SEVENTY

YEARS OLD when he begat him, and Terah called the name of his son ABRAM,

because the king had raised him in those days, and dignified him above all his princes" (Jasher 7:44-51).



The book of Jasher therefore plainly tells us Abram was born to Terah when he was 70 years old -- not 135, as Archbishop Ussher thought. The story continues that at the birth of Abram, the astrologers and wise men of Nimrod's kingdom saw a horrifying sign in the heavens, which they understood to mean that the child born to Terah that night would grow up and possess the earth, and would kill all the kings of the earth, posing a great threat to Nimrod himself. A plot was hatched to kill the child. Terah managed to save Abram by substituting the child of one of his servants instead, and then hid Abram, his mother and nurse, in a cave for ten years (Jasher 8:33-36).



The account goes on to tell us that Haran, Abram's oldest brother, took a wife when he wad 39 years of age, and when he was 42, she bare to him Sarai, in the tenth year of Abram's life (Jasher 9:1-4). Thus Sarai was ten years younger than Abram, whom she would later marry. She was born in 2046 B.C. This means that Haran was born 42 years earlier, in 2088 B.C., and was 32 years older than Abram. This is also corroborated in Jasher 12:16, where we read, "and Haran was in those days that Abram was born thirty and two years old." He was born when Terah his father was 38.



When Abram was ten years old, he came out of the cave. The king Nimrod and all his soothsayers thought he was long dead by this time. However, taking no chances, we read that:



"And when Abram came out from the cave, he went to Noah and his son Shem,

and he remained with them to learn the instruction of the Lord and his ways,

and no man knew where Abram was, and Abram served Noah and his son Shem

for a long time.



"And Abram was in Noah's house thirty nine years, and Abram knew the Lord

from three days old, and he went in the ways of the Lord until the day of his death,

as Noah and his son Shem had taught him; and all the sons of the earth in those

days greatly transgressed against the Lord, and they rebelled against him, and they

served other gods, and they forgot the Lord who had created them in the earth . . . .

And Terah had twelve gods of large size, made of wood and stone, after the twelve

months of the year. . . " (Jasher 5-8).



Thus Abram, from age 10 to 49, was in the house of Noah, learning the truth of God! This would have been from the year 2046 (the year Sarai was born) until the year 2007 B.C. During this time, "king Nimrod reigned securely, and all the earth was under his control, and all the earth was of one tongue and words of union" (Jasher 9:20).



At this time Nimrod and his great men took counsel to build a "strong tower, and its top reaching heaven: (verse 21). While they built it, they "imagined in their hearts to war against him and to ascend into heaven" (v.25). As the Scriptures tell us, and the book of Jasher confirms, the gigantic tower was destroyed in a mighty paroxysm. Says the book of Jasher, "And as to the tower which the sons of men built, the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up one third part thereof, and a fire also descended from heaven and burned another third, and a third part is left to this day, and it is of that part which was aloft, and its circumference is three days' walk" (v.38).



This tremendous event would have occurred just before Abram left the house of Noah in the year 2007 B.C. The tower of Babel catastrophe, therefore, would have occurred somewhere around the year 2008 B.C. It was shortly after this awesome lesson from the heavens, that Abram comes forth from hiding and exile, and returns to the house of his father Terah. You can finish this article at this link.
http://nazarenespace.ning.com/group/bookofjasher