Tag Archives: 1 Timothy 2:14

Father, Son and Holy Spirit – Part 9

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This is a continuation of my intent to become much more familiar with the Greek translation of יְהֹוָ֨ה (Yᵊhōvâ) and יֱהֹוִה֙ (yᵊhōvâ) in the Septuagint.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 3:1 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:1 (NET)

Genesis 3:1 (NETS)

Genesis 3:1 (English Elpenor)
Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which HaShem (יְהֹוָ֣ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִ֑ים) had made. And he said unto the woman: ‘Yea, hath G-d (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) said: Ye shall not eat of any tree of the garden?’ [Table] Now the serpent was shrewder than any of the wild animals that the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (ĕlōhîm, אלהים) had made. He said to the woman, “Is it really true that God (ĕlōhîm, אלהים) said, ‘You must not eat from any tree of the orchard’?” Now the snake was the most sagacious of all the wild animals that were upon the earth, which the Lord (κύριος) God (ὁ θεός) had made. And the snake said to the woman, “Why is it that God (ὁ θεός) said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree that is in the orchard’?” [Table] NOW the serpent was the most crafty of all the brutes on the earth, which the Lord (Κύριος) God (ὁ Θεός) made, and the serpent said to the woman, Wherefore has God (ὁ Θεός) said, Eat not of every tree of the garden?

Here the narrator called God יְהֹוָ֣ה (Yᵊhōvâ) אֱלֹהִ֑ים (ĕlōhîm) in the Masoretic text, which was corroborated by Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς in the Septuagint. But the serpent said אֱלֹהִ֔ים (ĕlōhîm) in the Masoretic text, and ὁ Θεὸς in the Septuagint.

When did this happen? Is it still Friday, the sixth day? I’m going to say, no, because the text sounds like the sixth day was concluded before this happened: God saw all that he had made—and it was very good! There was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.1 So, is it Saturday, the Sabbath? Again, I’ll say, no, because of the way I hear the text (Genesis 2:1-3 NET):

The heavens and the earth were completed with everything that was in them [Table]. By the seventh day God finished the work that he had been doing, and he ceased on the seventh day all the work that he had been doing [Table]. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it he ceased all the work that he had been doing in creation [Table].

So, I’m going to say that this conversation between Eve and the serpent occurred sometime between the following Sunday and Eve’s first conception. And the latter is just for my convenience, so I don’t have to deal with the ramifications of a child conceived before Adam sinned. I’ll leave that kind of speculation to Dan Brown. Maybe I’ll see the movie if Ron Howard is so inclined.

Eve corrected the serpent’s error:

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 3:2, 3 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:2, 3 (NET)

Genesis 3:2, 3 (NETS)

Genesis 3:2, 3 (English Elpenor)
And the woman said unto the serpent: ‘Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; [Table] The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the orchard; And the woman said to the snake, “We shall eat of the fruit of the tree of the orchard, [Table] And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden,
but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, G-d (אֱלֹהִ֗ים) hath said: Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die’ [Table]. but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God (ĕlōhîm, אלהים) said, ‘You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, or else you will die.’” but of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard, God (ὁ θεός) said, ‘You shall not eat of it nor shall you even touch it, lest you die’” [Table]. but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God (ὁ Θεός) said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

Here Eve called God אֱלֹהִ֗ים (ĕlōhîm) in the Masoretic text and ὁ Θεός in the Septuagint.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 3:4, 5 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:4, 5 (NET)

Genesis 3:4, 5 (NETS)

Genesis 3:4, 5 (English Elpenor)
And the serpent said unto the woman: ‘Ye shall not surely die; [Table] The serpent said to the woman, “Surely you will not die, And the snake said to the woman, “You will not die by death, [Table] And the serpent said to the woman, Ye shall not surely die.
for G-d (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as G-d (כֵּֽאלֹהִ֔ים), knowing good and evil’ [Table]. for God (ĕlōhîm, אלהים) knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open and you will be like God (ĕlōhîm, כאלהים), knowing good and evil.” for God (ὁ θεὸς) knew that on the day you eat of it, your eyes would be opened, and you would be like gods (θεοὶ) knowing good and evil” [Table]. For God (ὁ Θεός) knew that in whatever day ye should eat of it your eyes would be opened, and ye would be as gods (θεοί), knowing good and evil.

Here the serpent called God אֱלֹהִ֔ים (ĕlōhîm) in the Masoretic text and ὁ Θεός in the Septuagint. He told Eve ye shall be as G-d, כֵּֽאלֹהִ֔ים (ĕlōhîm) in the Masoretic text, which was translated θεοί (gods) in the Septuagint. The Masoretic text was translated gods in the KJV and angels in the Tanakh on chabad.org.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Satan’s working (ἐνέργειαν τοῦ σατανᾶ): with all kinds of miracles and signs and false wonders,2 especially false wonders (τέρασιν ψεύδους). In another essay I developed a working definition of signs and wonders, and false wonders:

I’ll try to use forms of σημεῖον for the sign, the thing itself, and forms of τέρας for the wonder, the voice of the sign (τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ σημείου), the effect it has on the one who witnesses the sign, to believe (Tanakh/KJV/NET) the messenger and ultimately the word of God.3

For false messiahs and false prophets will appear, Jesus warned, and perform great signs and wonders (τέρατα, another form of τέρας) to deceive, if possible, even the elect.4 Without specifying exactly what any particular sign would be, Jesus warned that the wonder, the voice of the sign, would not result in confidence in the truth, God’s word, the Scriptures: great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.5

The serpent had nothing to do with this particular sign (Genesis 2:16, 17 NET):

Then the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard [Table], but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die” [Table].

The serpent simply appropriated God’s instruction to give Eve a false wonder. The Greek word translated perform in Jesus’ saying perform great signs and wonders was not a form of ποιέω. It was δώσουσιν, a form of δίδωμι: to give. The table below comparing God’s words to the serpent’s words highlights the subtlety, shrewdness, sagacity and craftiness of the serpent.

God said… (Genesis 2:16b NET)

The serpent said… (Genesis 3:1b NET)
You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard Is it really true that God said, ‘You must not eat from any tree of the orchard’?

I suppose it’s possible to think that the serpent was even more shrewd than this. The English translation of the Elpenor Septuagint renders it: Wherefore has God said, Eat not of every tree of the garden? In any case the serpent asked Eve a question which seemed like an obvious misunderstanding, easy to correct or clarify. When she did so, the serpent’s reply was more direct.

God said… (Genesis 2:17 NET)

The serpent said… (Genesis 3:4, 5 NET)
but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die Surely you will not die, for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.

Surely you will not die, is almost too direct. It tips the serpent’s hand too soon. But studying the Bible gives me potentially more knowledge than Eve had living in the moment. And the serpent’s directness coupled with the absence of any biblical evidence to the contrary persuades me that Eve never heard God’s words directly. So the serpent didn’t refute God as far as Eve knew, only his messenger, Adam.

Is there a wife alive who doesn’t know that her husband is often confused and misunderstands the things she says? How much confidence does that inspire? Couldn’t Adam have misunderstood or miscommunicated God’s words? And that brings me to the serpent’s false wonder:

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 3:6 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:6 (NET)

Genesis 3:6 (NETS)

Genesis 3:6 (English Elpenor)
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat [Table]. When the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. And the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasing for the eyes to look at and it was beautiful to contemplate, and when she had taken of its fruit she ate, and she also gave some to her husband with her, and they ate [Table]. And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes to look upon and beautiful to contemplate, and having taken of its fruit she ate, and she gave to her husband also with her, and they ate.

The false wonder was that Eve believed, not the word of God or his messenger (her husband) but, the serpent’s word. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive…6 The Greek word translated to deceive here was πλανῆσαι, a form of πλανάω: “to lead astray, cause to wander; to misguide, lead away from the right path; to mislead, deceive (someone)…origin of the English word ‘planet’ meaning wanderer because while the stars are fixed in place, the planets seemed to wander around the night sky.”

But I am afraid, Paul wrote, that7 just as the serpent deceived (ἐξηπάτησεν, a form of ἐξαπατάω) Eve by his treachery (πανουργίᾳ), your8 minds may be led astray (φθαρῇ, a form of φθείρω) from a sincere and pure devotion9 to Christ.10 His description of this false wonder sounds almost like seduction. And Adam was not deceived (ἠπατήθη, a form of ἀπατάω), but the woman, because she was fully deceived (ἐξαπατηθεῖσα, a form of ἐξαπατάω), fell into transgression (παραβάσει, a form of παράβασις).11 In other words, Adam was not seduced, not by the serpent, and not by Eve to whatever extent she had become a false prophet (ψευδοπροφῆται, a form of ψευδοπροφήτης) of the serpent’s words.

Adam heard God’s command with his own ears. Adam violated God’s command with his eyes wide open because violating God’s command is what Adam wanted to do (Romans 5:12-14 NET):

So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because all sinned—for before the law was given, sin was in the world, but there is no accounting for sin when there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam until Moses even over those who did not sin in the same way that Adam (who is a type of the coming one) transgressed (παραβάσεως, another form of παράβασις) [Table].

Adam’s disobedience, his transgression of God’s command, opened both their eyes:

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 3:7 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:7 (NET)

Genesis 3:7 (NETS)

Genesis 3:7 (English Elpenor)
And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves girdles [Table]. Then the eyes of both of them opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. And the eyes of the two were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves [Table]. And the eyes of both were opened, and they perceived that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons to go round them.

I don’t think Eve intended to disobey God but rather to be like God, knowing good (Hebrew: ṭôḇ, ט֥וֹב; Greek: καλὸν, a form of καλός) and evil (Hebrew: raʿ, וָרָֽע; Greek: πονηρόν, a form of πονηρός).12 She only knew good up to that moment: God saw all that he had made—and it was very good (Hebrew: ṭôḇ, ט֖וֹב; Greek: καλὰ, another form of καλός)!13 I know that, but did she?

In the science fiction movie Blade Runner replicants were man-made humans used off-world as slaves, soldiers or sex-workers. Some were smarter, most were stronger, than natural-born human beings. All were created with four year lifespans. Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) returned to earth seeking an audience with his creator to gain a longer life for himself and his replicant friends/accomplices. His way was impeded by Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a reluctant thug of a law enforcement officer called a blade runner, tasked with hunting down and killing Roy and his friends/accomplices, the rebellious replicants natural-born human beings now feared and outlawed. Deckard’s boss Bryant (M. Emmet Walsh) put a fine point on his situation: “You know the score, Pal. If you’re not cop, you’re little people.”

Replicants were created as fully grown adults. In this Adam and Eve seem more like replicants than their natural-born descendants. Replicants were implanted with “false memories to give them the years of experiences that humans take for granted, creating a ‘cushion or pillow for their emotions.’”14 It seems fitting somehow that human beings would give their creation “false memories.” It makes sense to me that God would give something similar but true to his creation. Though the text doesn’t say it, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that God taught Adam and Eve the content of Genesis 1 on that first Sabbath day. (If He went on to the content of Genesis 2, I need to reconsider Eve’s knowledge of God’s prohibition.)

Be that as it may, Eve’s faith in the serpent’s word introduced her to evil.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 3:8-10 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:8-10 (NET)

Genesis 3:8-10 (NETS)

Genesis 3:8-10 (English Elpenor)
And they heard the voice of HaShem (יְהֹוָ֧ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִ֛ים) walking in the garden toward the cool of the day; and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of HaShem (יְהֹוָ֣ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) amongst the trees of the garden. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (ĕlōhîm, אלהים) moving about in the orchard at the breezy time of the day, and they hid from the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (ĕlōhîm, אלהים) among the trees of the orchard. And they heard the sound of the Lord (κυρίου) God (τοῦ θεοῦ) walking about in the orchard in the evening, and both Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord (κυρίου) God (τοῦ θεοῦ) in the midst of the timber of the orchard. And they heard the voice of the Lord (Κυρίου) God (τοῦ Θεοῦ) walking in the garden in the afternoon; and both Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord (Κυρίου) God (τοῦ Θεοῦ) in the midst of the trees of the garden.
And HaShem (יְהֹוָ֥ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) called unto the man, and said unto him: ‘Where art thou?’ But the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (ĕlōhîm, אלהים) called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And the Lord (κύριος) God (ὁ θεὸς) called Adam and said to him, “Adam, where are you?” And the Lord (Κύριος) God (ὁ Θεὸς) called Adam and said to him, Adam, where art thou?
And he said: ‘I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.’ The man replied, “I heard you moving about in the orchard, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” And he said to him, “I heard the sound of you walking about in the orchard, and I was afraid, because I am naked, and I hid myself.” And he said to him, I heard thy voice as thou walkedst in the garden, and I feared because I was naked and I hid myself.

Here the narrator called God יְהֹוָ֧ה (Yᵊhōvâ) אֱלֹהִ֖ים (ĕlōhîm) in the Masoretic text which was corroborated by Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ and Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς in the Septuagint. And Adam and Eve, though covered in clothing of their own design and manufacture, were naked and ashamed, and hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God.

I’ll pick this up in another essay.

Tables comparing Genesis 3:8; 3:9 and 3:10 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET; and tables comparing Genesis 3:8; 3:9 and 3:10 in the BLB and Elpenor versions of the Septuagint with the English translations from Hebrew and Greek, and a table comparing the Greek of 2 Corinthians 11:3 the NET and KJV follow.

Genesis 3:8 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:8 (KJV)

Genesis 3:8 (NET)
And they heard the voice of HaShem G-d walking in the garden toward the cool of the day; and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of HaShem G-d amongst the trees of the garden. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God moving about in the orchard at the breezy time of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the orchard.

Genesis 3:8 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 3:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἤκουσαν τὴν φωνὴν κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ περιπατοῦντος ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τὸ δειλινόν καὶ ἐκρύβησαν ὅ τε Αδαμ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ προσώπου κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ παραδείσου Καὶ ἤκουσαν τῆς φωνῆς Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ περιπατοῦντος ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τὸ δειλινόν, καὶ ἐκρύβησαν ὅ τε ᾿Αδὰμ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ προσώπου Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ παραδείσου

Genesis 3:8 (NETS)

Genesis 3:8 (English Elpenor)
And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking about in the orchard in the evening, and both Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God in the midst of the timber of the orchard. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the afternoon; and both Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord God in the midst of the trees of the garden.

Genesis 3:9 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:9 (KJV)

Genesis 3:9 (NET)
And HaShem G-d called unto the man, and said unto him: ‘Where art thou?’ And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

Genesis 3:9 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 3:9 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐκάλεσεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς τὸν Αδαμ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Αδαμ ποῦ εἶ καὶ ἐκάλεσε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ᾿Αδὰμ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· ᾿Αδάμ, ποῦ εἶ

Genesis 3:9 (NETS)

Genesis 3:9 (English Elpenor)
And the Lord God called Adam and said to him, “Adam, where are you?” And the Lord God called Adam and said to him, Adam, where art thou?

Genesis 3:10 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:10 (KJV)

Genesis 3:10 (NET)
And he said: ‘I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.’ And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. The man replied, “I heard you moving about in the orchard, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”

Genesis 3:10 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 3:10 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ τὴν φωνήν σου ἤκουσα περιπατοῦντος ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ καὶ ἐφοβήθην ὅτι γυμνός εἰμι καὶ ἐκρύβην καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· τῆς φωνῆς σου ἤκουσα περιπατοῦντος ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ καὶ ἐφοβήθην, ὅτι γυμνός εἰμι, καὶ ἐκρύβην

Genesis 3:10 (NETS)

Genesis 3:10 (English Elpenor)
And he said to him, “I heard the sound of you walking about in the orchard, and I was afraid, because I am naked, and I hid myself.” And he said to him, I heard thy voice as thou walkedst in the garden, and I feared because I was naked and I hid myself.

2 Corinthians 11:3 (NET)

2 Corinthians 11:3 (KJV)
But I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by his treachery, your minds may be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:3 (NET Parallel Greek)

2 Corinthians 11:3 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

2 Corinthians 11:3 (Byzantine Majority Text)
φοβοῦμαι δὲ μή πως, ὡς ὁ ὄφις ἐξηπάτησεν ῞Ευαν ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ αὐτοῦ, φθαρῇ τὰ νοήματα ὑμῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἁπλότητος [καὶ τῆς ἁγνότητος] τῆς εἰς τὸν Χριστόν φοβουμαι δε μηπως ως ο οφις ευαν εξηπατησεν εν τη πανουργια αυτου ουτως φθαρη τα νοηματα υμων απο της απλοτητος της εις τον χριστον φοβουμαι δε μηπως ως ο οφις ευαν εξηπατησεν εν τη πανουργια αυτου ουτως φθαρη τα νοηματα υμων απο της απλοτητος της εις τον χριστον

1 Genesis 1:31 (NET) Table

2 2 Thessalonians 2:9b (NET)

4 Matthew 24:24 (NET)

6 Matthew 24:24a (NET)

7 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had μή πως here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μηπως (KJV: lest by any means).

8 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ουτως (KJV: so) at the beginning of this clause. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

10 2 Corinthians 11:3 (NET)

11 1 Timothy 2:14 (NET)

12 Genesis 3:5b (NET) Table

13 Genesis 1:31a (NET) Table

Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 10

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“Because you obeyed (shâmaʽ, שמעת; Septuagint: ἤκουσας, a form of ἀκούω) your wife, the Lord (yehôvâh, יהוה) God (ʼĕlôhı̂ym, אלהים) said to Adam, and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ cursed is the ground thanks to you; in painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.”[1]

The Lord (yehôvâh, יהוה) God (ʼĕlôhı̂ym, אלהים) had commanded Adam: “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.”[2]  Eve saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, so she took some of its fruit and ate it.[3]  When she brought some to Adam she brought not only her recommendation but empirical evidence that she had both touched it and eaten it and had not died.

Adam preferred the voice of his wife to the voice of yehôvâh.  When Jacob preferred the beautiful Rachel over Leah the Lord saw that Leah was unloved (śânêʼ).[4]  In other words Adam hated the voice of God relative to that of his wife, the voice of God was unloved.  For the sake of argument I’ll describe Adam’s iniquity as defiance: Adam was not deceived,[5] Paul assured Timothy.

Adam’s defiance visited upon Cain became a murderous rage: Cain became very angry [Table]…Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”  While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.[6]  Cain’s murderous rage combined with the memory of the mercy yehôvâh showed him became a defiant self-righteousness in his descendant Lamech, perhaps even incipient tribal law (Genesis 4:23, 24 NET):

Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah!  Listen (shâmaʽ, שמען; Septuagint: ἀκούσατέ, another form of ἀκούω) to me!  You wives of Lamech, hear my words!  I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for hurting me.  If Cain is to be avenged seven times as much, then Lamech seventy-seven times!”

The upshot of this relatively unhindered visiting of fathers’ iniquity upon the sons was: The earth was ruined in the sight of God; the earth was filled with violence.[7]  So God said to Noah, “I have decided that all living creatures must die, for the earth is filled with violence because of them.”[8]

I began this portion of my study of fear to understand how the translators of the NET “arrived at I punish as a translation of the Hebrew word pâqad (פקד)” in Deuteronomy 5:9.  If punishment could arrest this relatively unhindered visiting of fathers’ iniquity upon the sons before it culminated in a death sentence for all living creatures it would be a welcome relief.  This brings me to the third occurrence of ואפקד (pâqad) translated punish or punishment (and I have brought the punishment) in the NET (Leviticus 18:25 NET):

Therefore the land has become unclean and I have brought the punishment for its iniquity upon it, so that the land has vomited out its inhabitants.

This was not a reference to the violence of the antediluvian world but to the worship/sexual practices of the inhabitants of Canaan before Israel entered the promised land.  But first I need to consider whether the visiting of the fathers’ iniquity upon the sons was quite as unhindered as I have imagined it.

I was born and raised in the latter half of the twentieth century near the northern edge of the Bible belt in the United States of America.  I am a hardcore materialist with some Jesus jelly smeared on top.  I acknowledge this to confess the iniquity of my fathers, not to blame them or excuse myself, but to begin to claim my freedom from my own acceptance of that iniquity as my truth.

The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground (ʼădâmâh)![9] yehôvâh told Cain.  I hear this as a poetic reference to yehôvâh’s omniscience (Psalm 139:1-12).  These days I’m not unwilling to take it literally, that Abel’s blood had a voice that yehôvâh could hear crying out from the ground, but it’s not natural to me.  I am the dark side of, Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.[10]  Still, opening myself to its possibility gives me a different perspective.

So now, you are banished (ʼârar, ארור) from the ground (ʼădâmâh, האדמה: NET footnote 28): Heb “cursed are you from the ground”), yehôvâh continued, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand [Table].  When you try to cultivate the ground (ʼădâmâh, האדמה) it will no longer yield its best for you.  You will be a homeless wanderer on the earth [Table].[11]  To Adam He had already said, cursed (ʼârar, ארורה) is the ground (ʼădâmâh, האדמה) thanks to you; in painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.  It will produce thorns and thistles for you, but you will eat the grain of the field.  By the sweat of your brow you will eat food until you return to the ground (ʼădâmâh, האדמה), for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you will return.[12]

I can begin to accept these as revelation of the very nature of the ground created by a loving, gracious and holy God, how the earth itself responds to its sinful inhabitants, rather than as post hoc punishments invented in the moment.  And I can begin to see the nature of the earth, the ground we live on, as a deterrent to the unhindered visiting of the fathers’ iniquity upon the sons.

Cain couldn’t supply himself with food by his own cultivation of the ground; the ground would no longer yield its best for him.  Cain built a city, a place where people could live in community and trade with one another for things they all needed.  Did he honor those still righteous enough to cultivate the ground that would not yield its best to him?  Did he learn from them?

The text doesn’t say.  It says, The earth (ʼerets, הארץ) was ruined in the sight of God; the earth (ʼerets, הארץ) was filled with violence.  If I accept that the blood of victims has a voice that yehôvâh can hear crying out from the ground, crying out to Him to act, and multiply that by the increase of population over the many generations I can at least imagine the cacophony in his ears and begin to appreciate his choices (Genesis 6:6, 7 NET):

The Lord (yehôvâh, יהוה) regretted that he had made humankind on the earth (ʼerets, בארץ), and he was highly offended.  So the Lord (yehôvâh, יהוה) said, “I will wipe humankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth (ʼădâmâh, האדמה) – everything from humankind to animals, including creatures that move on the ground and birds of the air, for I regret that I have made them.”

The religious mind must sit quietly here to meditate that at this moment in history yehôvâh preferred to destroy all life (air and ground) but that which could be saved in a boat and to start over again rather than to establish a law or a religion (aside from the rudiments of animal sacrifice handed down from Adam, Cain and Abel).  One might say that yehôvâh hated law and religion, law and religion were unloved relative to starting over again with a remnant of the former world.  But after the flood (Genesis 8:20-22 NET):

Noah built an altar to the Lord (yehôvâh, ליהוה).  He then took some of every kind of clean animal and clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.  And the Lord (yehôvâh, יהוה) smelled the soothing aroma and (yehôvâh, יהוה) said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground (ʼădâmâh, האדמה) because of humankind, even though the inclination of their minds (lêb, לב) is evil from childhood on.  I will never again destroy everything that lives, as I have just done.  While the earth continues to exist, planting time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.”

God (ʼĕlôhı̂ym, אלהים) spoke one law to address violence, “Whoever sheds human blood, by other humans must his blood be shed; for in God’s image God (ʼĕlôhı̂ym, אלהים) has made humankind”[13] and one revised dietary law: Everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea are under your authority.  You may eat any moving thing that lives.  As I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.[14]  I assume that the trees of life and of the knowledge of good and evil did not survive the flood and had become a nonissue (Genesis 3:22).  But in Leviticus yehôvâh was establishing both a law and a religion in clear contrast to those originated by men.  Now that will have to wait for another essay.

In my first draft of this essay I had hoped to avoid Noah’s curse: Cursed (ʼârar, ארור; Septuagint: ἐπικατάρατος) be Canaan![15]  But I couldn’t get away with it.  And I have to admit it is more germane than I want it to be.  If Noah’s story (Genesis 9:20-27) were about almost anyone else we would take it simply as James’ source text (James 3:7-12 NET):

For every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and sea creature is subdued and has been subdued by humankind.  But no human being can subdue the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse (καταρώμεθα, a form of καταράομαι) people made in God’s image.  From the same mouth come blessing and cursing (κατάρα).  These things should not be so, my brothers and sisters.  A spring does not pour out fresh water and bitter water from the same opening, does it?  Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a vine produce figs?  Neither can a salt water spring produce fresh water.

But it was Noah, the heir of the world, who spoke this curse and this blessing so we are taught: “God’s blessing is going to rest directly on Shem, indirectly on Japheth, and His cursing is going to rest upon Ham’s son Canaan.”[16]  “So Ham was cursed and Shem and Japheth were blessed in cooperative unity.  The problem which must arise from the cursing of Canaan is this: Why did God curse Canaan for the sin of Ham?  Beyond this, why did God curse the Canaanites, a nation, for the sin of one man?”[17]  The text is fairly clear that Noah not God spoke both the curse and the blessing.  To this point Moses had been very explicit when ʼĕlôhı̂ym or yehôvâh spoke.  Why do we want to believe that Noah spoke for Him here?

Noah was a godly man; he was blameless (tâmı̂ym, תמים; Septuagint: τέλειος) among his contemporaries.  He walked with God.[18]  Perhaps we want tâmı̂ym to be an absolute term.  But this was not Paul writing, According to the righteousness stipulated in the law [as understood by first century Pharisees] I was blameless (ἄμεμπτος).[19]  Noah was blameless (KJV: perfect) among his contemporaries[20] (dôr, בדרתיו; Septuagint: γενεᾷ), those condemned to death for their violence: Every inclination of the thoughts of their minds was only evil all the time.[21]  About all one can say for sure about Noah is that he wasn’t a murderer and perhaps not every inclination of the thoughts of [his mind] was only evil all the time.

God said to Noah, Make for yourself an ark of cypress wood.  Make rooms in the ark, and cover it with pitch inside and out.[22]  And Noah did all that God commanded him – he did indeed.[23]  Through his faithfulness Noah was declared a herald of righteousness: and if [God] did not spare the ancient world, but did protect Noah, a herald of righteousness, along with seven others, when God brought a flood on an ungodly world…then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from their trials, and to reserve the unrighteous for punishment at the day of judgment…[24]  By faith Noah, when he was warned about things not yet seen, with reverent regard constructed an ark for the deliverance of his family.  Through faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.[25]

But Noah found favor (chên, חן; Septuagint: χάριν) in the sight of the Lord.[26]  As followers of Jesus it is more prudent to believe that Noah’s faithfulness was on account of yehôvâh’s grace rather than due to some inherent quality of Noah’s: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.[27]  There is no one righteous, not even one…[28] [i.e., in and of himself] there is no one who shows kindness, not even one,[29] Paul quoted the Psalm of David (Psalm 14:2, 3 Tanakh):

The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.  They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Jesus’ assessment of Noah and of the entire Old Testament is very helpful here: Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must all be born from above.’[30]  Noah didn’t miraculously escape the corruption of the flesh of Adam.  Noah didn’t speak for God unless the text had said that Noah spoke the word of God.

Noah’s “words came to pass, so we believe he was inspired by God.”[31]  I know of no place in Scripture where it is written, “this took place to fulfill Noah’s prophecy.”  Generations of Bible expositors would surely have quoted it if they had found it, so the contention that Noah’s curse and blessing “came to pass” is in the eye of the beholder.

“The act of Ham could not go unpunished.  In the curse of Noah upon Canaan, he was not punishing him personally for something his father Ham had done.  The words of Noah refer not to Canaan himself, but to the nation that would come from him…Though we are not told the exact sin of Ham, we do know that it was reprehensible enough for God to curse the line of his son Canaan.  The judgment was not directed to Canaan personally but rather to his descendants.”[32]  As prophecies go, then—and the Scriptures do not record that Canaan himself was ever enslaved to his brothers—one need not fear Noah as a prophet (Deuteronomy 18:21, 22 NET):

“Now if you say to yourselves, ‘How can we tell that a message is not from the Lord?’ – whenever a prophet speaks in my name and the prediction is not fulfilled, then I have not spoken it; the prophet has presumed to speak it, so you need not fear him.”

“Noah’s words did come to pass in the future, as we read that many of Canaan’s descendants were either killed or put under tribute by Israel (descendants of Shem) during the times of Joshua and the Judges, and later by King Solomon.”  God’s words will come to pass but the simple fact that a man’s words come to pass doesn’t make them God’s words (Deuteronomy 13:1-4 NET):

Suppose a prophet or one who foretells by dreams should appear among you and show you a sign or wonder, and the sign or wonder should come to pass concerning what he said to you, namely, “Let us follow other gods” – gods whom you have not previously known – “and let us serve them.”  You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer, for the Lord your God will be testing you to see if you love him with all your mind and being.  You must follow the Lord your God and revere only him; and you must observe his commandments, obey him, serve him, and remain loyal to him.

I’m not accusing Noah of being a false prophet.  I’m not accusing Noah of being any kind of prophet at all.  If I’m accusing Noah of anything it is that he spoke angrily, self-righteously, with a hangover.  But what I must believe about God to believe that He cursed a nation of people for something a man did many generations before those people were even born is a very different god than the One I am knowing through the Scriptures.

I concede that one who believes this is God because “many of Canaan’s descendants were either killed or put under tribute by Israel (descendants of Shem) during the times of Joshua and the Judges, and later by King Solomon” may also believe that He will punish the sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons for the sin of the fathers who reject (śânêʼ, לשׁנאי) me…[33]  Still, I hope that one may be willing to concede that Noah’s curse was not the love that does no wrong to a neighbor, not the love that is the fulfillment of the law.[34]

While I don’t believe that Noah’s curse, or his blessing, were the immutable Word of God I do think his curse is a terrifying example of God visiting Noah’s iniquity upon Canaan, terrifying precisely because the effect of Noah’s iniquity[35] has seemed so sure and certain that so many have assumed it was divine prophecy.  We’re not told how Canaan reacted to Noah’s curse.  I know how I would react to Noah’s “godliness,” “blamelessness,” and his “walk” with God unless I were willing to forgive him for his drunken rant.  And I know that Canaan’s descendants practiced a law and religion inimical to yehôvâh.

I’ll return to Leviticus 18 in another essay.

[1] Genesis 3:17 (NET)

[2] Genesis 2:16, 17 (NET)

[3] Genesis 3:6a (NET)

[4] Genesis 29:31a (NET)

[5] 1 Timothy 2:14a (NET)

[6] Genesis 4:5b, 8 (NET)

[7] Genesis 6:11 (NET)

[8] Genesis 6:13a (NET)

[9] Genesis 4:10b (NET) Table

[10] Proverbs 22:6 (NET)

[11] Genesis 4:11, 12 (NET)

[12] Genesis 3:17b-19 (NET)

[13] Genesis 9:6 (NET)

[14] Genesis 9:2b, 3 (NET)

[15] Genesis 9:25a (NET)

[16] J. Ligon Duncan, “The Cursing of Canaan,” Sermon on Genesis 9:18-29, November 22, 1998, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi

[17] Bob Deffinbaugh, “10. The Nakedness of Noah and the Cursing of Canaan (Genesis 9:18-10:32),” Bible.org

[18] Genesis 6:9b (NET)

[19] Philippians 3:6b (NET)

[20] NET note 32: Heb “Noah was a godly man, blameless in his generations.” The singular “generation” can refer to one’s contemporaries, i.e., those living at a particular point in time. The plural “generations” can refer to successive generations in the past or the future. Here, where it is qualified by “his” (i.e., Noah’s), it refers to Noah’s contemporaries, comprised of the preceding generation (his father’s generation), those of Noah’s generation, and the next generation (those the same age as his children). In other words, “his generations” means the generations contemporary with him. See BDB 190 s.v. דוֹר.

[21] Genesis 6:5b (NET)

[22] Genesis 6:14 (NET)

[23] Genesis 6:22 (NET)

[24] 2 Peter 2:5, 9 (NET)

[25] Hebrews 11:7 (NET)

[26] Genesis 6:8 (NET)

[27] Genesis 6:9 (KJV)

[28] Romans 3:10b (NET)

[29] Romans 3:12b (NET)

[30] John 3:7 (NET)

[31] Troy Lacey, “The Curse of Canaan,” October 12, 2012, Answers In Genesis

[32] Don Stewart, “Why Was Canaan Cursed Instead of Ham?,” Blue Letter Bible

[33] Deuteronomy 5:9b (NET)

[34] Romans 13:10 (NET)

[35] To those who hold that the fourth generation is a limit to Noah’s iniquity, I concede the point.  It would not be accurate to blame Noah’s iniquity for the sins of Canaanites in the time of Israel’s conquest.  My point is that iniquity is like a snowball rolling downhill, gaining mass and momentum, as long as people continue to reject, hate, prefer something other than, yehôvâh.