Genesis 32
Jacob is a coward. God cheats at wrestling. Jacob is renamed Isreal.
32:1-21 Jacob sends a message ahead to his brother Esau (the one he had bilked out of his birthright and his father's dying blessing), telling him he was coming with a whole entourage and lots of livestock. The messengers came back, saying Esau was coming to meet him and bringing 400 men. Jacob, thinking Esau wants to kill him, splits his family and herds into two, hoping that if Esau attacks one half, the other half will be able to escape. He prays that God saves his wives and children. In the morning he gathers a large gift of livestock for his brother, then starts sending messengers out with portions of the flock. As each messenger meets Esau's army, he is to tell him he's escorting a gift from Jacob, from Esau, and that Jacob is coming soon.
32:22-32 Jacob sent his wives, children, and all his possessions across the river, and stayed alone. He wrestled with a man all night, dislocating his hip in the process (the man he was wrestling with touched his hip, and his hip was "wrenched"). When the sun came up, the man asked Jacob to let him go, but Jacob refused until the man blessed him. The man asked Jacob his name; Jacob told him, and the man told him he would no longer be Jacob, but that his name would be Israel ("he struggles with God"), because he had struggled with God and man and overcame them both (indicating that the man was God). When Jacob asked the man's name, the man asked why he was asking (indicating Jacob already knew who he was). He named the place where they wrestled Peniel ("the face of God"). Going forward, Isrealites don't eat hip tendons because that's where God touched Jacob.
Genesis 33
Esau is happy to see Jacob. Jacob lies to Esau.
33:1-11 As Esau approached, Jacob arranged his wives and children so that if there was a fight, the two handmaidens and their children would be killed first, then Leah and her children, and last Rachel and her son Joseph. Jacob bowed and scraped as he approached Esau, but Esau ran up to him and hugged him. Jacob introduced Esau to his wives and children. Esau asked what Jacob meant by sending all the livestock as gifts, then tried to give them back because he already had plenty. Jacob insisted that he keep them, saying they had helped Esau receive Jacob favorably, so Esau kept them.
33:12 When it was time to go, Esau wanted to travel with Jacob, but Jacob insisted he had to travel slowly because of the livestock. Esau then wanted to leave half his army with Jacob, but Jacob insisted that wasn't necessary, and assured Esau he would meet him in Seir. Esau agreed, and left with his men to go to Seir, but Jacob went instead to northwest Mesopotamia. He bought some land from the Schechemites, set up his tent and buitl and altar, and called the place El Elohe Israel ("mighty is the God of Israel). He pretty much named his new home "Mighty is the God of he who struggles with God". Why did he feel it was necessary to mislead Esau? I mean, I know the dude swore to kill him and all that, but he seemed happy enough to see him.
Genesis 34
Dinah is raped. Jacob's son's slaughter a village.
34:1-13 Dinah (Jacob and Leah's daughter) was out visiting some of the local women when Schechem (the prince) "violated her" (It's unclear is she consented, or if it's seen as a violation because they aren't married - could be rape, could be pre-marital, consensual sex). He fell in love with her, and asked his father (Hamor) to secure a marriage between them. Jacob learned of the rape, but his sons were out in the field, so he waited until they came home. Hamor (Schechem's father) went to talk to Jacob, explaining that Schechem was in love with Dinah and wanted to marry her. Schechem promised to pay any price Jacob demanded if he let him marry Dinah.
34:14-24 Dinah's brothers (Jacob's sons) lied to Schechem and Hamor, saying if all the males of their tribe were to be circumcised, they would settle in the area, that Schechem and Dinah could marry, and that Jacob's sons would take Hamor's daughters as their wives. Hamor and Schechem took the proposal to the townspeople, explaining that Jacob's family was very wealthy, and that if all the men of the area were circumcised, that Jacob's family would settle there and that the whole area would prosper. The townspeople agreed, and everybody got the snip.
34:25 Three days later, while the men were still all laid up from their recent surgery, Simeon and Levi (Dinah's brothers) attacked the city and killed every man, including Schechem and Hamor, then took Dinah and left. The rest of the brothers looted the city and took all the livestock, women, and children. Jacob was angry with his sons, fearing retribution from neighboring tribes, but his sons argued their actions were justified because Schechem had treated their sister like a prostitute. This is the first indication that prostitution exists, and that it's considered a bad thing. In this particular instance, the men are the ones punished for the crime. It also indicates that Schechem kidnapped Dinah, not that he raped her then let her go home. I get why they killed Schechem, and maybe even Hamor, but they killed the other men so they couldn't seek retribution - it wasn't connected to Dinah's violation.
Genesis 35
Jacob finally goes home. Rachel dies. Reuben sleeps with his father's wife.
35:1-5 God tells Jacob to go to Bethel and build him an altar. Jacob tells his household to get rid of any other Gods, and to bathe and change their clothes, saying they're going to Bethel to build God an altar. The people of Jacob's household give him all their idols and their earrings (earrings?) and Jacob buried them under an oak tree, and they head towards Bethel. As they travel, the fear of God falls on all the neighboring towns, and no one pursues them.
35:6-15 As Jacob heads to Bethel, Deborah (Rachel's maid) dies under an oak tree, so they name the place Allon Bacuth ("the oak of weeping"). As they're leaving Northwest Mesopotamia, God appears to Jacob, telling him he will be called Isreal from then on, promises that nations will descend from him, and that the lands God had given to Abraham and Isaac would also be Jacob's. Jacob built a stone pillar where he received the vision of God, and named it Bethel ("house of God"; this is not the same as the place they were heading to).
35:16-29 Jacob's household left Bethel. On the way, Rachel died in childbirth; with her dying breath, she named her son Ben-Oni ("son of my trouble"), but Jacob named him Benjamin ("son of my right hand"). They buried Rachel on the way to Bethlehem. They carried on their trip. Near Migdal Eder, Reuben slept with his father's third wife, Bilhah. They finally made it to Hebron, where Isaac lived, and shortly thereafter Isaac died and Jacob and Isaac buried him.
Genesis 36
Esau's descendants.
36:1-8 Esau took his wives, children, and livestock, and moved a bit away from where his brother, Jacob, had settled, because their flocks were too big and the land couldn't support them both. Esau ("hairy") was also called Edom ("red").
35:9 -29 Long account of Esau/Edom's descendants, the Edomites, and their leaders, chieftains, and kings.
Tuesday, 13 October 2015
Genesis 29-31 Doing business with family is tricky. Lying and deceit are okay.
Genesis 29
Leban tricks Jacob. Jacob serves laban 14 years and marries both his daughters. Rachel is barren. Jacob and Leah have four sons.
29:1-11 Jacob comes to Haran, where he finds shepherds gathered around a well. The well is blocked by a stone, which must be moved in order to water the sheep. He asks why they haven't moved the stone, and they say they're waiting for the rest of the sheep to arrive. Queue Rachel, bringing in her father's (Laban) sheep. When Jacob sees her (and the sheep), he moves the stone and kisses her. It very specifically says when he sees her *and the sheep*, which indicates the flock was size-able and that was a motivating factor in his actions.
29:12-20 Jacob explains his relation to Rachel, and she runs to tell her father. Laban asks Jacob to stay and serve his household, asking what compensation he wants. Laban had two daughters, Leah and Rachel, and Jacob loved Rachel, so he promised to stay and serve for seven years in exchange for being allowed to marry Rachel.
29:21-30 At the end of the seven years, Jacob asked Laban for Rachel, as they had agreed upon. Laban held a great feast, but when it was time for him to send Rachel into Jacob's tent, he sent Leah instead. The next morning, when he realized he'd married Leah instead of Rachel, he confronted Laban. Laban explained that in their country the older daughter must be married before the younger one can be, and made Jacob stay another seven years in order to marry Rachel.
29:31-35 Jacob loved Rachel, but he did not love Leah, so God made Rachel barren. Leah had a son named Rueben, thinking Jacob would love her if she bore his children. She had a second son named Simeon, and a third named Levi, and a forth named Judah, but no matter how many sons she gave him, Jacob never loved Leah. This is really sad. She did everything that was expected of her - she married who her father told her to, she had as many children as her husband wanted, all sons (which was very desirable at the time), and still he didn't want her.
Genesis 30
Jealousy among the sisters. Laban tries to cheat Jacob, but finds himself cheated instead.
30:1-8 Rachel is jealous of her sister, Leah, because Leah has lots of children and Rachel has none. She tells Jacob to get her pregnant or she'll die, which makes him angry. She gives him her handmaid to marry, thinking if he gets her pregnant she can have the children that way. Bilhah (the haindmaid, Jacob's third wife) has a son named Dan, and a second son named Naphtali. Rachel finally feels like she's not in competition with Leah any more.
30:9-13 Leah thinks she can't have any more children, so she gave Jacob her maid Zilpah. Zilpah becomes Jacob's forth wife and has a son named Gad and a second son named Asher.
30:14-21 Leah's son Rueben find some mandrakes. Rachel wants some, so she and Leah make a deal that Leah will get Jacob for the night in exchange for some of the mandrakes (apparently Jacob had been spending all his time with Rachel). Leah gets pregnant again and names the son Isachar. Jacob obviously starts spending more time with her, because she has a sixth son and names him Zebulun, then a daughter named Dinah.
30:22-24 God feels bad for making Rachel barren, so he gives her a son named Joseph. Rachel feels like God has removed the curse he put on her, and asks for another child.
30:25-36 Jacob asks Laban if he can leave, saying he's done enough for Laban. Laban doesn't want him to go because he's reaping the benefits of the blessings God is granting Jacob, so he asks him what it will take to make him stay. Jacob says he will cull out of Laban's herds and flocks all the spotted cattle, the brown sheep, and the spotted goats, and keep them for himself, and that the rest will be Laban's. Laban agrees, but immediately after separates his own flocks - he removes all the speckled, brown, and spotted animals and gives them to his sons. This is the second time Laban tries to pull one over on Jacob. It's his own son in law he's screwing over. Greedy bastard.
30:37-43 Jacob carved some branches to be streaked and spotted, and put them in front of the animals when it was time for them to breed. The young were streaked, speckled, and spotted, so Jacob separated them from Laban's flock and kept them for his own. Jacob continued to care for Laban's animals, breeding weak, solid-colored animals for Laban's flock and strong, multi-colored animals for his own flock. The way it's described, he's using the marked branches as a sort of totem to dictate how the offspring will be marked - as thought he branches themselves determine the markings on the calves (kind of like witchcraft). This story seems to have two purposes. The first is to discourage people from having dishonest dealings with their family (apparently stealing your brothers birthright and blessings are fine, and substituting one bride for another is perfectly accepetable, but when it comes to cattle, you're expected to be honest). The second, more subtle story, is to encourage people to practice selective livestock breeding.
Chapter 31
Jacob leaves Leban's house. Rachel is a thief and a liar.
31:1-9 Laban and his sons were angry with Jacob, saying he had taken everything from Laban to make his own glory. Jacob explains to Leah and Rachel that Leban kept changing the agreement, sometimes saying Jacob could have the speckled ones, sometimes the ring-staked, and that God had always thrown the calves in Jacob's favor. Jacob thought God was punishing Laban for trying to trick Jacob out of his share of the herds. This is nonsense - markings on livestock are based on the way they're bred. This isn't God looking after Jacob's interests - this is Jacob looking after his own interests. He was in charge of tending and breeding the herds, therefore, because selective breeding was used (because he built headstocks and started controlling which animals were bred) he is responsible for the outcomes.
31:10-13 Jacob had a vision in a dream where an angel told Jacob all the offspring of the herd would have markings so they would be his. In the same dream, the angel calls himself "the God of Bethel". He tells Jacob to leave Laban and go back to the land of his father.
13:14-23 Rachel and Leah want to know if they have any inheritance left in Laban's holdings, but Laban had spent it all. Jacob packed up his wives and children and all his livestock, and started back to Canaan, where Isaac lived. When Laban went to shear his sheep, he realized Rachel had stolen her father's idols (their household gods) and discovered Jacob had left with his family and his flocks three days before. He gathered up some family members and chased them for a week, finally catching up on mount Gilead.
31:24-35 God came to Laban in a dream and told him to to speak either good or bad to Jacob. The next day, when Laban and Jacob met, he asked Jacob why he had left without allowing him to say goodbye to his daughters or his grandchildren, and why they had stolen Laban's idols. Jacob said he thought Laban would take his daughters back by force. Jacob said they didn't steal anything, but that if Laban found who had stole then idols, they would be killed. He offered to let Laban search the camp, saying anything he found that was his, he could take. Rachel had hidden the idols in her camel's saddle-bag, and claimed she couldn't get off the camel because she was on her period. Is this God protecting Rachel because Jacob loves her? It would seem that because she wasn't discovered, this behavior is being condoned.
31:36-44 Jacob, angry that Laban had accused them of theft yet found nothing that was his, demanded to know why they had been hunted down. Laban had changed the agreement about the striped, brown, and speckled sheep with Jacob ten times, yet Jacob had served faithfully in Leban's household for twenty years. The only reason Jacob didn't walk away with nothing is because God was looking out for him. Laban claimed everything Jacob had was his: his wives were Laban's daughters, his sons were Laban's descendants, the flocks Jacob had were Laban's livestock, but there was nothing he (Leban) could do about it. Assuming because of the dream where God told him not to speak good or bad to Jacob. The way this is written, Leban clearly has the weapons and men to harm him.
31:45-55 Jacob and Leban come to an agreement and build a pile of stones to symbolize the treaty. Jacob agreed not to mistreat Leah or Rebekah and would take no more wives. Both men agreed not to pass the pile of stones - Leban would stay on his side, and Jacob would stay on his side. Leban kissed his daughters and grandchildren good-bye, then went home.
Leban tricks Jacob. Jacob serves laban 14 years and marries both his daughters. Rachel is barren. Jacob and Leah have four sons.
29:1-11 Jacob comes to Haran, where he finds shepherds gathered around a well. The well is blocked by a stone, which must be moved in order to water the sheep. He asks why they haven't moved the stone, and they say they're waiting for the rest of the sheep to arrive. Queue Rachel, bringing in her father's (Laban) sheep. When Jacob sees her (and the sheep), he moves the stone and kisses her. It very specifically says when he sees her *and the sheep*, which indicates the flock was size-able and that was a motivating factor in his actions.
29:12-20 Jacob explains his relation to Rachel, and she runs to tell her father. Laban asks Jacob to stay and serve his household, asking what compensation he wants. Laban had two daughters, Leah and Rachel, and Jacob loved Rachel, so he promised to stay and serve for seven years in exchange for being allowed to marry Rachel.
29:21-30 At the end of the seven years, Jacob asked Laban for Rachel, as they had agreed upon. Laban held a great feast, but when it was time for him to send Rachel into Jacob's tent, he sent Leah instead. The next morning, when he realized he'd married Leah instead of Rachel, he confronted Laban. Laban explained that in their country the older daughter must be married before the younger one can be, and made Jacob stay another seven years in order to marry Rachel.
29:31-35 Jacob loved Rachel, but he did not love Leah, so God made Rachel barren. Leah had a son named Rueben, thinking Jacob would love her if she bore his children. She had a second son named Simeon, and a third named Levi, and a forth named Judah, but no matter how many sons she gave him, Jacob never loved Leah. This is really sad. She did everything that was expected of her - she married who her father told her to, she had as many children as her husband wanted, all sons (which was very desirable at the time), and still he didn't want her.
Genesis 30
Jealousy among the sisters. Laban tries to cheat Jacob, but finds himself cheated instead.
30:1-8 Rachel is jealous of her sister, Leah, because Leah has lots of children and Rachel has none. She tells Jacob to get her pregnant or she'll die, which makes him angry. She gives him her handmaid to marry, thinking if he gets her pregnant she can have the children that way. Bilhah (the haindmaid, Jacob's third wife) has a son named Dan, and a second son named Naphtali. Rachel finally feels like she's not in competition with Leah any more.
30:9-13 Leah thinks she can't have any more children, so she gave Jacob her maid Zilpah. Zilpah becomes Jacob's forth wife and has a son named Gad and a second son named Asher.
30:14-21 Leah's son Rueben find some mandrakes. Rachel wants some, so she and Leah make a deal that Leah will get Jacob for the night in exchange for some of the mandrakes (apparently Jacob had been spending all his time with Rachel). Leah gets pregnant again and names the son Isachar. Jacob obviously starts spending more time with her, because she has a sixth son and names him Zebulun, then a daughter named Dinah.
30:22-24 God feels bad for making Rachel barren, so he gives her a son named Joseph. Rachel feels like God has removed the curse he put on her, and asks for another child.
30:25-36 Jacob asks Laban if he can leave, saying he's done enough for Laban. Laban doesn't want him to go because he's reaping the benefits of the blessings God is granting Jacob, so he asks him what it will take to make him stay. Jacob says he will cull out of Laban's herds and flocks all the spotted cattle, the brown sheep, and the spotted goats, and keep them for himself, and that the rest will be Laban's. Laban agrees, but immediately after separates his own flocks - he removes all the speckled, brown, and spotted animals and gives them to his sons. This is the second time Laban tries to pull one over on Jacob. It's his own son in law he's screwing over. Greedy bastard.
30:37-43 Jacob carved some branches to be streaked and spotted, and put them in front of the animals when it was time for them to breed. The young were streaked, speckled, and spotted, so Jacob separated them from Laban's flock and kept them for his own. Jacob continued to care for Laban's animals, breeding weak, solid-colored animals for Laban's flock and strong, multi-colored animals for his own flock. The way it's described, he's using the marked branches as a sort of totem to dictate how the offspring will be marked - as thought he branches themselves determine the markings on the calves (kind of like witchcraft). This story seems to have two purposes. The first is to discourage people from having dishonest dealings with their family (apparently stealing your brothers birthright and blessings are fine, and substituting one bride for another is perfectly accepetable, but when it comes to cattle, you're expected to be honest). The second, more subtle story, is to encourage people to practice selective livestock breeding.
Chapter 31
Jacob leaves Leban's house. Rachel is a thief and a liar.
31:1-9 Laban and his sons were angry with Jacob, saying he had taken everything from Laban to make his own glory. Jacob explains to Leah and Rachel that Leban kept changing the agreement, sometimes saying Jacob could have the speckled ones, sometimes the ring-staked, and that God had always thrown the calves in Jacob's favor. Jacob thought God was punishing Laban for trying to trick Jacob out of his share of the herds. This is nonsense - markings on livestock are based on the way they're bred. This isn't God looking after Jacob's interests - this is Jacob looking after his own interests. He was in charge of tending and breeding the herds, therefore, because selective breeding was used (because he built headstocks and started controlling which animals were bred) he is responsible for the outcomes.
31:10-13 Jacob had a vision in a dream where an angel told Jacob all the offspring of the herd would have markings so they would be his. In the same dream, the angel calls himself "the God of Bethel". He tells Jacob to leave Laban and go back to the land of his father.
13:14-23 Rachel and Leah want to know if they have any inheritance left in Laban's holdings, but Laban had spent it all. Jacob packed up his wives and children and all his livestock, and started back to Canaan, where Isaac lived. When Laban went to shear his sheep, he realized Rachel had stolen her father's idols (their household gods) and discovered Jacob had left with his family and his flocks three days before. He gathered up some family members and chased them for a week, finally catching up on mount Gilead.
31:24-35 God came to Laban in a dream and told him to to speak either good or bad to Jacob. The next day, when Laban and Jacob met, he asked Jacob why he had left without allowing him to say goodbye to his daughters or his grandchildren, and why they had stolen Laban's idols. Jacob said he thought Laban would take his daughters back by force. Jacob said they didn't steal anything, but that if Laban found who had stole then idols, they would be killed. He offered to let Laban search the camp, saying anything he found that was his, he could take. Rachel had hidden the idols in her camel's saddle-bag, and claimed she couldn't get off the camel because she was on her period. Is this God protecting Rachel because Jacob loves her? It would seem that because she wasn't discovered, this behavior is being condoned.
31:36-44 Jacob, angry that Laban had accused them of theft yet found nothing that was his, demanded to know why they had been hunted down. Laban had changed the agreement about the striped, brown, and speckled sheep with Jacob ten times, yet Jacob had served faithfully in Leban's household for twenty years. The only reason Jacob didn't walk away with nothing is because God was looking out for him. Laban claimed everything Jacob had was his: his wives were Laban's daughters, his sons were Laban's descendants, the flocks Jacob had were Laban's livestock, but there was nothing he (Leban) could do about it. Assuming because of the dream where God told him not to speak good or bad to Jacob. The way this is written, Leban clearly has the weapons and men to harm him.
31:45-55 Jacob and Leban come to an agreement and build a pile of stones to symbolize the treaty. Jacob agreed not to mistreat Leah or Rebekah and would take no more wives. Both men agreed not to pass the pile of stones - Leban would stay on his side, and Jacob would stay on his side. Leban kissed his daughters and grandchildren good-bye, then went home.
Genesis 26-28 Jealousy. Bigotry. Deceit. The first church is built.
Genesis 26
Isaac's tribe is cast out of Abimelech's land. Abimilech wants peace. Esau gets married (twice).
26:1-6 There was another great famine. Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines (it doesn't say why). God told him not to go to Egypt, but to stay where he was, and promised to fulfill his promise to Abraham that Isaac would father nations.
26:7-11 Isaac lied and said Rebekah was his sister. Abimelech called him on it, telling him he could have caused them a lot of problems if they'd slept with her, not knowing she was another man's wife. Abimelech threatened his people with death if they touched Rebekah. This is the same thing Abraham and Sarah did, and it had already caused problems for two kings (one of whom was Abimelech). How their son and daughter in law are doing the same thing.
26:12-16 Isaac sewed on Abimelech's land that year and reaped 100-fold. His herds also did well, to the point that the Philistines were jealous, so they stopped up all the wells Abraham had dug before. Abimelech asked him to leave because he was doing too well.
26:17-25 Isaac dug new wells, which the philistines stopped up again. This happened several times, until he got to Rehoboth, where they were finally left in peace. He went from there to Beersheba (the same place his father had built an alter before, and the place where his half-brother had been saved by the magically appearing well). God appears to him, identifies himself as God, and tells him he's going to give him lots of descendants, so Isaac built an alter, set up his tent, and had his servants dig another well.
26:26-33 King Abimelech goes to visit Isaac where he's set up his new home, and Isaac's like, "What gives? You sent me away - you hate me. Why are you here?" Abimilech explains that they can tell God is on Isaac's side, and he wants to make a pact with Isaac that there will be peace between them. They had a big feast and both sides swore peace.
26:34 Esau took two wives: Judith and Bashemath, both Hittite women. Isaac and Rebekah were unhappy with the marriages. It doesn't say why. One assumes it's because they're not Syrian - such a big deal was made about Isaac having to marry from Abraham's own family.
Genesis 27
Isaac is dying. Rebekah plots against Esau. Esau wants to kill Jacob.
27:1-10 Isaac is old and dying. He asks Esau, his eldest son, the hunter, to go kill a deer and bring him some venison so he can bless Esau before he dies. Rebekah overheard, and because she loved Jacob more than his twin brother, Esau, she asked him to slaughter to goat kids, saying they would trick Isaac to get Jacob blessed instead of Esau.
27:11-17 Jacob says he'll never pull it off, because Esau is very hairy and Jacob isn't. Rebekah puts the goat skins on Jacob's hands and throat to fool Isaac, and sent him into the tent in Esau's stead.
27:18-27 Jacob enters the tent, and when Isaac asks who he is, he says he's Esau. Isaac asks how he found the deer so quickly, and Jacob says God brought him a deer. Isaac asks him to come closer, so he can feel him and ensure he really is Esau, because he sounded like Jacob, but his hands were hairy like Esau's, and he was dressed in Esau's clothes so he smelled like Esau.
27:28-40 Isaac blesses Jacob, thinking he's Esau. Jacob leaves the tent just as Esau is coming back from his hunt. When Esau goes to see Isaac and bring him the venison he asked for, Isaac says he's already blessed some one he thought was Esau, and Esau knows it was Jacob. Isaac tells him he's blessed Jacob with service from his family, and that everything will be Jacobs, but he blesses Esau by saying he will break out of Jacob's service
27:41-45 Esau hated Jacob because he'd stolen his birthright (Genesis 25:31) and his father's dying blessing, and swore to kill him when the time of mourning for his father ended. One of the servants told Rebekah, so she told Jacob about Esau's plan to kill him and sent him to her brother Laban. She told Isaac she'd sent him to Laban because she didn't want him to marry one of Heth's daughters.
Genesis 28
Esau takes a third wife. Isaac builds the first church. Tithing becomes official.
28:1-9 Isaac tells Jacob to go to Laban and find a wife. Esau saw that Isaac didn't like Canaanite women marrying his sons, so he married Ishmael's daughter, Mahalath (Ishmael was Isaac's half-brother).
28:10 Jacob is travelling to Laban's house, but it's getting dark so he stops to sleep through the night. He has a dream, seeing angels going up and down a ladder between earth and heaven. God tells him (again) he will give him as many descendants as there are pieces of dust on the earth. God also tells him he will be with him, no matter where he goes or what he does, until the land he promised to him is his. Jacob swears that God will be his lord if he makes it back to his father's house in peace, and builds an alter to God where he had the dream. The alter becomes "God's house", and he promises to give 1/10 of everything God gives him back to God. This is the official introduction of both the church as a physical location and the House of God, and of tithing to the church.
Isaac's tribe is cast out of Abimelech's land. Abimilech wants peace. Esau gets married (twice).
26:1-6 There was another great famine. Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines (it doesn't say why). God told him not to go to Egypt, but to stay where he was, and promised to fulfill his promise to Abraham that Isaac would father nations.
26:7-11 Isaac lied and said Rebekah was his sister. Abimelech called him on it, telling him he could have caused them a lot of problems if they'd slept with her, not knowing she was another man's wife. Abimelech threatened his people with death if they touched Rebekah. This is the same thing Abraham and Sarah did, and it had already caused problems for two kings (one of whom was Abimelech). How their son and daughter in law are doing the same thing.
26:12-16 Isaac sewed on Abimelech's land that year and reaped 100-fold. His herds also did well, to the point that the Philistines were jealous, so they stopped up all the wells Abraham had dug before. Abimelech asked him to leave because he was doing too well.
26:17-25 Isaac dug new wells, which the philistines stopped up again. This happened several times, until he got to Rehoboth, where they were finally left in peace. He went from there to Beersheba (the same place his father had built an alter before, and the place where his half-brother had been saved by the magically appearing well). God appears to him, identifies himself as God, and tells him he's going to give him lots of descendants, so Isaac built an alter, set up his tent, and had his servants dig another well.
26:26-33 King Abimelech goes to visit Isaac where he's set up his new home, and Isaac's like, "What gives? You sent me away - you hate me. Why are you here?" Abimilech explains that they can tell God is on Isaac's side, and he wants to make a pact with Isaac that there will be peace between them. They had a big feast and both sides swore peace.
26:34 Esau took two wives: Judith and Bashemath, both Hittite women. Isaac and Rebekah were unhappy with the marriages. It doesn't say why. One assumes it's because they're not Syrian - such a big deal was made about Isaac having to marry from Abraham's own family.
Genesis 27
Isaac is dying. Rebekah plots against Esau. Esau wants to kill Jacob.
27:1-10 Isaac is old and dying. He asks Esau, his eldest son, the hunter, to go kill a deer and bring him some venison so he can bless Esau before he dies. Rebekah overheard, and because she loved Jacob more than his twin brother, Esau, she asked him to slaughter to goat kids, saying they would trick Isaac to get Jacob blessed instead of Esau.
27:11-17 Jacob says he'll never pull it off, because Esau is very hairy and Jacob isn't. Rebekah puts the goat skins on Jacob's hands and throat to fool Isaac, and sent him into the tent in Esau's stead.
27:18-27 Jacob enters the tent, and when Isaac asks who he is, he says he's Esau. Isaac asks how he found the deer so quickly, and Jacob says God brought him a deer. Isaac asks him to come closer, so he can feel him and ensure he really is Esau, because he sounded like Jacob, but his hands were hairy like Esau's, and he was dressed in Esau's clothes so he smelled like Esau.
27:28-40 Isaac blesses Jacob, thinking he's Esau. Jacob leaves the tent just as Esau is coming back from his hunt. When Esau goes to see Isaac and bring him the venison he asked for, Isaac says he's already blessed some one he thought was Esau, and Esau knows it was Jacob. Isaac tells him he's blessed Jacob with service from his family, and that everything will be Jacobs, but he blesses Esau by saying he will break out of Jacob's service
27:41-45 Esau hated Jacob because he'd stolen his birthright (Genesis 25:31) and his father's dying blessing, and swore to kill him when the time of mourning for his father ended. One of the servants told Rebekah, so she told Jacob about Esau's plan to kill him and sent him to her brother Laban. She told Isaac she'd sent him to Laban because she didn't want him to marry one of Heth's daughters.
Genesis 28
Esau takes a third wife. Isaac builds the first church. Tithing becomes official.
28:1-9 Isaac tells Jacob to go to Laban and find a wife. Esau saw that Isaac didn't like Canaanite women marrying his sons, so he married Ishmael's daughter, Mahalath (Ishmael was Isaac's half-brother).
28:10 Jacob is travelling to Laban's house, but it's getting dark so he stops to sleep through the night. He has a dream, seeing angels going up and down a ladder between earth and heaven. God tells him (again) he will give him as many descendants as there are pieces of dust on the earth. God also tells him he will be with him, no matter where he goes or what he does, until the land he promised to him is his. Jacob swears that God will be his lord if he makes it back to his father's house in peace, and builds an alter to God where he had the dream. The alter becomes "God's house", and he promises to give 1/10 of everything God gives him back to God. This is the official introduction of both the church as a physical location and the House of God, and of tithing to the church.
Friday, 9 October 2015
Genesis 24-25: Isaac marries his cousin. Abraham dies. Isaac's son is a scheister.
Genesis 24
Isac gets a wife.
24:1-9 Abraham is old and dying. He takes his servant aside and asks him to go and fetch a wife for Isaac from the land of Abraham's birth. He makes the servant promise that he will not take Isaac out of Canaan, nor will he allow Isaac to marry a Canaanite. This is the first indication that the sons of Abraham are to marry their own people.
24:10-17 The servant travels to Mesopotamia to find Abraham's family (they were Syrian). He prayed that God would show him a sign - specifically, that one of the women drawing water from the nearby well would offer him and his camels a drink, and that should be the woman he was to take for Isaac's wife. Rebekah came to the well to draw water, and fulfilled the sign the servant had asked for. The servant praised God for finding Rebekah and asked if he could stay in her family's house, then discovered she was Isaac's cousin (which the servant considered fortuitous). He gave her gold earings and bracelets. If she's supposedly this godly woman, why did he give her jewelry to convince her to let him go to her house?
24:28-33 Rebekah ran home and told her family what had happened. Rebekah's brother, Laban, ran to the well and fetched the servant back to the family home, then set up the camels and set a table to feed Abraham's servant, but the servant refused to eat until he had told them why he came.
24:34-49 The servant recounts the story of how he came to be there, and how God showed him Rebekah.
24:50-67 Laban tells the servant to take Rebekah for Isaac's wife. The servant showers Rebekah and her brother and mother with jewels and other precious things, and they all ate and drank all night. In the morning the servant was ready to go, but the family asked if she could stay for 10 days. The servant refused, so the family wanted to ask Rebekah, who agreed to leave immediately. They traveled to Isaac's home, where they saw him in a field. It was love at first sight, and Isaac was comforted by Rebekah after the death of his mother. So basically he bought her. I find the fact that she was showered with gold and jewels, and that her family was showered with gifts, and then she magically fell in love with Isaac the first time she saw him to be a little dubious. He was obviously a very wealthy man - it's significantly more likely that she knew she would live in comfort.
Genesis 25
Abraham dies. Isaac has 2 sons. Jacob is a scheister.
25:1-7 Abraham married again to a woman named Keturah, and they had many children, but he gave everything he had to his son Isaac. He gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away.
25:8-11 Abraham "gave up the ghost" and died at the age of 175. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the tomb with Sarah.
25:12 -18 An account of Ishmael's sons; 12 of his descendants were princes. Ishmael died at the age of 137.
25:19-24 Rebekah got pregnant, but it was difficult. When she asked God, he told her that two nations struggled within her, and that the older would serve the younger. Rebekah had twins.
25:25-26 The first twin was red and hairy, and they named him Esau. The second twin was Jacob, and he held Esau's heel. Isaac was 60 when they were born.
25:27-28 Esau became a hunter and Jacob spent his time indoors. Isaac favored Esau, but Rebekah favored Jacob.
25:29-34 One day Esau came in from the field feeling faint, and asked Jacob to feed him some of the soup he had made. Jacob asked Esau for his birthright in exchange for the soup. Esau said he was about to die, so the birthright made no difference and sold his birthright to Jacob in exchange for a bowl of soup. Esaw was bitter about the exchange once he felt better. So Jacob's a sneaky man who leveraged his brother's discomfort to bilk him out of his inheritance.
Isac gets a wife.
24:1-9 Abraham is old and dying. He takes his servant aside and asks him to go and fetch a wife for Isaac from the land of Abraham's birth. He makes the servant promise that he will not take Isaac out of Canaan, nor will he allow Isaac to marry a Canaanite. This is the first indication that the sons of Abraham are to marry their own people.
24:10-17 The servant travels to Mesopotamia to find Abraham's family (they were Syrian). He prayed that God would show him a sign - specifically, that one of the women drawing water from the nearby well would offer him and his camels a drink, and that should be the woman he was to take for Isaac's wife. Rebekah came to the well to draw water, and fulfilled the sign the servant had asked for. The servant praised God for finding Rebekah and asked if he could stay in her family's house, then discovered she was Isaac's cousin (which the servant considered fortuitous). He gave her gold earings and bracelets. If she's supposedly this godly woman, why did he give her jewelry to convince her to let him go to her house?
24:28-33 Rebekah ran home and told her family what had happened. Rebekah's brother, Laban, ran to the well and fetched the servant back to the family home, then set up the camels and set a table to feed Abraham's servant, but the servant refused to eat until he had told them why he came.
24:34-49 The servant recounts the story of how he came to be there, and how God showed him Rebekah.
24:50-67 Laban tells the servant to take Rebekah for Isaac's wife. The servant showers Rebekah and her brother and mother with jewels and other precious things, and they all ate and drank all night. In the morning the servant was ready to go, but the family asked if she could stay for 10 days. The servant refused, so the family wanted to ask Rebekah, who agreed to leave immediately. They traveled to Isaac's home, where they saw him in a field. It was love at first sight, and Isaac was comforted by Rebekah after the death of his mother. So basically he bought her. I find the fact that she was showered with gold and jewels, and that her family was showered with gifts, and then she magically fell in love with Isaac the first time she saw him to be a little dubious. He was obviously a very wealthy man - it's significantly more likely that she knew she would live in comfort.
Genesis 25
Abraham dies. Isaac has 2 sons. Jacob is a scheister.
25:1-7 Abraham married again to a woman named Keturah, and they had many children, but he gave everything he had to his son Isaac. He gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away.
25:8-11 Abraham "gave up the ghost" and died at the age of 175. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the tomb with Sarah.
25:12 -18 An account of Ishmael's sons; 12 of his descendants were princes. Ishmael died at the age of 137.
25:19-24 Rebekah got pregnant, but it was difficult. When she asked God, he told her that two nations struggled within her, and that the older would serve the younger. Rebekah had twins.
25:25-26 The first twin was red and hairy, and they named him Esau. The second twin was Jacob, and he held Esau's heel. Isaac was 60 when they were born.
25:27-28 Esau became a hunter and Jacob spent his time indoors. Isaac favored Esau, but Rebekah favored Jacob.
25:29-34 One day Esau came in from the field feeling faint, and asked Jacob to feed him some of the soup he had made. Jacob asked Esau for his birthright in exchange for the soup. Esau said he was about to die, so the birthright made no difference and sold his birthright to Jacob in exchange for a bowl of soup. Esaw was bitter about the exchange once he felt better. So Jacob's a sneaky man who leveraged his brother's discomfort to bilk him out of his inheritance.
Genesis 22-23: Human sacrifices. God is insecure. Sarah dies.
Genesis 22
God pranks Abraham hardcore. God is really insecure.
22:1 God tells Abraham to take Isaac "thine only son" (wtf about Ishmael?) and sacrifice him. Abraham did as he was told, and took Isaac into the mountain to be sacrificed. He even made him carry the wood that they would use to burn him.
22:7-12 Isaac asks Abraham where the lamb is for the burnt offering. Abraham tells him God will provide a lamb, knowing all along he intends to sacrifice Isaac. When they got to the place God had designated, he tied Isaac up and just as he was about to kill him, an angel stepped in, telling him not to kill Isaac, that it was only a test to see if he was God-fearing. We're back to human sacrifices again (Genesis 9:5). What kind of god needs to test the devotion of their followers in this way? How insecure is he, exactly? If a man told his son, "Kill your infant son to prove how much you love me," we would think it's sick. Why, then, is this story heralded as one of the great stories of faith? Wrong is wrong.
22:13-14 Abraham sees a ram tangled in a bush and sacrifices it instead of Isaac. He names the location Jahovajireh.
22:15 The angel appears again and God tells Abraham that because he was going to do what he was told, he's going to give him many descendants. A bunch of people then have kids.
Genesis 23
Sarah dies.
23:1-20 Sarah dies at the age of 127. Abraham asks the locals if he can have a place to bury her. They tell him he can bury her in any of the tombs. Abraham offers to buy the tomb he wants from it's owner, but the owner insists instead that he give Abraham the tomb and the field it's in. Abraham insists, and pays 400 shekels in silver.
God pranks Abraham hardcore. God is really insecure.
22:1 God tells Abraham to take Isaac "thine only son" (wtf about Ishmael?) and sacrifice him. Abraham did as he was told, and took Isaac into the mountain to be sacrificed. He even made him carry the wood that they would use to burn him.
22:7-12 Isaac asks Abraham where the lamb is for the burnt offering. Abraham tells him God will provide a lamb, knowing all along he intends to sacrifice Isaac. When they got to the place God had designated, he tied Isaac up and just as he was about to kill him, an angel stepped in, telling him not to kill Isaac, that it was only a test to see if he was God-fearing. We're back to human sacrifices again (Genesis 9:5). What kind of god needs to test the devotion of their followers in this way? How insecure is he, exactly? If a man told his son, "Kill your infant son to prove how much you love me," we would think it's sick. Why, then, is this story heralded as one of the great stories of faith? Wrong is wrong.
22:13-14 Abraham sees a ram tangled in a bush and sacrifices it instead of Isaac. He names the location Jahovajireh.
22:15 The angel appears again and God tells Abraham that because he was going to do what he was told, he's going to give him many descendants. A bunch of people then have kids.
Genesis 23
Sarah dies.
23:1-20 Sarah dies at the age of 127. Abraham asks the locals if he can have a place to bury her. They tell him he can bury her in any of the tombs. Abraham offers to buy the tomb he wants from it's owner, but the owner insists instead that he give Abraham the tomb and the field it's in. Abraham insists, and pays 400 shekels in silver.
Genesis 18-21: God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah. Isaac is born. Ishmael is saved by a magic well.
Genesis 18
God goes for a walk. Sarah laughs at God. Abraham negotiates God down to 10.
18:1-5 Abraham sees three men walking, recognizes God, and runs up to them. He offers them food and drink. God eats bread and drinks wine? Who are the other two dudes? Or is this the introduction of God as a trinity?
18:6-11 Abraham tells Sarah God is there and tells her to make cakes (bread?). Abraham has a calf slaughtered and serves "them" (God or God and his companions). God promises Abraham a son by Sarah, but Abraham and Sarah are old, and Sarah is post-menopausal.
18:12-15 Sarah laughs at the idea of having a child at her age. God gets offended and asks why Sarah is laughing. Sarah then lies, claiming she didn't laugh, and God insists she did.
18:16-19 God contemplates telling Abraham about what he plans to do, saying he and his house and his descendants will all worship God.
18:20-25 God sent the two that were with him to Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham asked God if he would destroy both the good and bad people of Sodom. He starts to bargain with God, saying if there are X number of righteous, will you spare the city? He challenges God, saying, "Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?"
18:26-33 God concedes to spare the city if he can find fifty righteous men. Abraham is astonished because he feels lowly compared to God. They negotiate a bit, each time God agreeing to spare the city if X number of righteous men can be found, finally ending at ten.
Genesis 19
Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed. Lot's an incestuous pedophile.
19:1-3 Two angels entered Sodom (presumably the two that were with God when he found Abraham). Lot sees them and welcomes them into his home. The angels wanted to sleep in the street, but Lot persisted.
19:4-10 The men of Sodom surrounded Lot's house, demanding that the two visitors be sent out so they can have sex with them. Lot begged them not to say such things, and offered his two virgin daughters in exchange for the two men (angels). The mob turns on Lot, and the angels pull him back into the house. Really? Allowing an angry mob to rape your two virgin daughters is acceptable?
19:11-13 The angels blind the men in the mob, then ask Lot how many are in his family and where they are. They tell him God sent them to destroy the city.
19:14-16 Lot goes to his sons-in-law and tells them they have to leave the city, but they don't believe him. In the morning the angels tell Lot to leave, but he lingered, so the angels took him, his wife, and his two young daughters by the hand and took them out of the city.
18:17-26 The angels tell them to run away into the mountains, instructing them not to look back. Lot argues that he can't go into the mountains because it's dangerous; he asks to go to the nearby city of Zoar instead. God rains fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah (volcano?). Lot's wife looked behind them and she turned into a pillar of salt.
18:27-30 Abram sees the destruction left by Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot finally flees to the mountains to live in a cave.
18:31-38 Lot's daughters decide to get him drunk and have sex with him. Both of them got pregnant. This doesn't seem to be an issue - there are no punishments for the girls or for Lot for their incestuous relations.
Chapter 20
Sarah causes another king to be cursed because she lies (again).
20:1-6 Abraham and Sarah travel again. Abraham claims Sarah is his wife again. The king of Gerar stole Sarah in the night. God came to king Abimelech in a dream and told him Sarah was some one's wife. Ablimelech told God he hadn't touched her, and asked if God would destroy his nation. He explains that Abraham called Sarah his sister, and she confirmed it. God agrees that the king is blameless.
20:7-13 God commands king Ablimelech to give Sarah back to Abraham, saying Abraham is a prophet. King Ablimelech calls Abraham to him and asks why he set him up to sin. Abraham explains that he and Sarah have the same father, but not the same mother, and that every time they travel he asks her to pretend to be his sister, not his wife.
20:14-16 King Ablimelech gave Abraham back Sarah, in addition to servants and livestock and a thousand silver pieces, and told Abraham he could live anywhere within his lands that he chose. The king also chastised Sarah,
20:17-18 Abraham prayed to God to heal king Abimelech's wives and maidservants, because God had made them barren when the king took Sarah. Why is the king's household punished? They did nothing knowingly wrong - Sarah and Abraham are the ones who lied and caused the problems, yet the king's family is the one to pay the price of the sin.
Genesis 21
Sarah has Isaac. Hagar and Ishmael are sent into the desert. God saves Ishmael by using Abraham as a tool.
21:1-8 Sarah finally gets pregnant and they name the boy Isaac.
21:9-10 Sarah caught Ishmael teasing Isaac. Sarah demands that Abraham throw his second wife, Hagar, and her son by him, Ishmael, out of the house, claiming Ishmael is not to be equal with Isaac or heir to Abraham's holdings.
21:11 Abraham didn't want to send Ishmael away. God told him not to worry, that he would make a nation from Ishmael as well as Isaac, so Abraham packed some bread and water and sent them away. Hagar wanders with her child in Beersheba.
21:15 When the water ran out, Hagar put Ishmael under a bush because she didn't want to watch him die. God hears Ishmael crying and tells Hagar to pick him back up, that he will make a nation from him, then he makes a well appear in front of her.
21:20-21 Ishmael survived. He grew up in the wilderness with his mother and became an archer, and married an Egyptian woman.
21:22-33 King Abimelech makes Abraham swear by God to be honest in all his dealings with him and his family. Abraham chastised the king, saying his servants had taken a well violently from Abraham's servants; the king claims he didn't know. Abraham gives the king livestock as an agreement, and asks the king to bear witness that he is digging a new well. They call the well Beersheba. It looks like God makes Abraham provide for Hagar and Ishmael by digging the well, even though he sent them out into the wilderness. Kind of neat the way the story wrapped back in on itself.
God goes for a walk. Sarah laughs at God. Abraham negotiates God down to 10.
18:1-5 Abraham sees three men walking, recognizes God, and runs up to them. He offers them food and drink. God eats bread and drinks wine? Who are the other two dudes? Or is this the introduction of God as a trinity?
18:6-11 Abraham tells Sarah God is there and tells her to make cakes (bread?). Abraham has a calf slaughtered and serves "them" (God or God and his companions). God promises Abraham a son by Sarah, but Abraham and Sarah are old, and Sarah is post-menopausal.
18:12-15 Sarah laughs at the idea of having a child at her age. God gets offended and asks why Sarah is laughing. Sarah then lies, claiming she didn't laugh, and God insists she did.
18:16-19 God contemplates telling Abraham about what he plans to do, saying he and his house and his descendants will all worship God.
18:20-25 God sent the two that were with him to Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham asked God if he would destroy both the good and bad people of Sodom. He starts to bargain with God, saying if there are X number of righteous, will you spare the city? He challenges God, saying, "Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?"
18:26-33 God concedes to spare the city if he can find fifty righteous men. Abraham is astonished because he feels lowly compared to God. They negotiate a bit, each time God agreeing to spare the city if X number of righteous men can be found, finally ending at ten.
Genesis 19
Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed. Lot's an incestuous pedophile.
19:1-3 Two angels entered Sodom (presumably the two that were with God when he found Abraham). Lot sees them and welcomes them into his home. The angels wanted to sleep in the street, but Lot persisted.
19:4-10 The men of Sodom surrounded Lot's house, demanding that the two visitors be sent out so they can have sex with them. Lot begged them not to say such things, and offered his two virgin daughters in exchange for the two men (angels). The mob turns on Lot, and the angels pull him back into the house. Really? Allowing an angry mob to rape your two virgin daughters is acceptable?
19:11-13 The angels blind the men in the mob, then ask Lot how many are in his family and where they are. They tell him God sent them to destroy the city.
19:14-16 Lot goes to his sons-in-law and tells them they have to leave the city, but they don't believe him. In the morning the angels tell Lot to leave, but he lingered, so the angels took him, his wife, and his two young daughters by the hand and took them out of the city.
18:17-26 The angels tell them to run away into the mountains, instructing them not to look back. Lot argues that he can't go into the mountains because it's dangerous; he asks to go to the nearby city of Zoar instead. God rains fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah (volcano?). Lot's wife looked behind them and she turned into a pillar of salt.
18:27-30 Abram sees the destruction left by Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot finally flees to the mountains to live in a cave.
18:31-38 Lot's daughters decide to get him drunk and have sex with him. Both of them got pregnant. This doesn't seem to be an issue - there are no punishments for the girls or for Lot for their incestuous relations.
Chapter 20
Sarah causes another king to be cursed because she lies (again).
20:1-6 Abraham and Sarah travel again. Abraham claims Sarah is his wife again. The king of Gerar stole Sarah in the night. God came to king Abimelech in a dream and told him Sarah was some one's wife. Ablimelech told God he hadn't touched her, and asked if God would destroy his nation. He explains that Abraham called Sarah his sister, and she confirmed it. God agrees that the king is blameless.
20:7-13 God commands king Ablimelech to give Sarah back to Abraham, saying Abraham is a prophet. King Ablimelech calls Abraham to him and asks why he set him up to sin. Abraham explains that he and Sarah have the same father, but not the same mother, and that every time they travel he asks her to pretend to be his sister, not his wife.
20:14-16 King Ablimelech gave Abraham back Sarah, in addition to servants and livestock and a thousand silver pieces, and told Abraham he could live anywhere within his lands that he chose. The king also chastised Sarah,
20:17-18 Abraham prayed to God to heal king Abimelech's wives and maidservants, because God had made them barren when the king took Sarah. Why is the king's household punished? They did nothing knowingly wrong - Sarah and Abraham are the ones who lied and caused the problems, yet the king's family is the one to pay the price of the sin.
Genesis 21
Sarah has Isaac. Hagar and Ishmael are sent into the desert. God saves Ishmael by using Abraham as a tool.
21:1-8 Sarah finally gets pregnant and they name the boy Isaac.
21:9-10 Sarah caught Ishmael teasing Isaac. Sarah demands that Abraham throw his second wife, Hagar, and her son by him, Ishmael, out of the house, claiming Ishmael is not to be equal with Isaac or heir to Abraham's holdings.
21:11 Abraham didn't want to send Ishmael away. God told him not to worry, that he would make a nation from Ishmael as well as Isaac, so Abraham packed some bread and water and sent them away. Hagar wanders with her child in Beersheba.
21:15 When the water ran out, Hagar put Ishmael under a bush because she didn't want to watch him die. God hears Ishmael crying and tells Hagar to pick him back up, that he will make a nation from him, then he makes a well appear in front of her.
21:20-21 Ishmael survived. He grew up in the wilderness with his mother and became an archer, and married an Egyptian woman.
21:22-33 King Abimelech makes Abraham swear by God to be honest in all his dealings with him and his family. Abraham chastised the king, saying his servants had taken a well violently from Abraham's servants; the king claims he didn't know. Abraham gives the king livestock as an agreement, and asks the king to bear witness that he is digging a new well. They call the well Beersheba. It looks like God makes Abraham provide for Hagar and Ishmael by digging the well, even though he sent them out into the wilderness. Kind of neat the way the story wrapped back in on itself.
Genesis 12-17: Abraham is a baby-making liar. God wants foreskins.
Genesis 12
Abram and Lot start travelling to Canaan. Abram lies. God punishes Pharoh for a crime he didn't know he was committing.
12:1-3 God commands Abram to leave his father's country and says he will show him where to go. He promises Abram a great nation and many blessings, and tells him he will curse any one who curses Abram. God's been long dead (Genesis 6:3), so Abram is being commanded by a ghost (God's spirit?)
12:4-5 Abram (aged 75) leaves Haran (the place of his brother). He takes his wife, his nephew Lot, "and the souls they had gotten in Haran", and they go to the land of Canaan. I assume by "souls" they mean slaves or servants.
12:6 Abram passes through Sichem and Moreh where the Canaanites lived.
12:7 God appears to Abram and tells him he will give the land of Canaan to Abram's offspring, so Abram builds an alter to God. This is the first reference of God "appearing" to some one.
12:8 Noah goes onto a mountain East of Bethel, west of Hai, then builds another alter to God and called out to him. Summons him? Weird.
12:9-10 Abram keeps heading South, where the land was struck by famine. Abram goes to Egypt to live temporarily and wait out the famine.
12:11-13 Abram tells Sarai she is beautiful as they enter Egypt. He's worried the Egyptians will kill him so they can have her, and asks her to lie and say she's his sister.
12:14-16 Pharoh's sons see Sarai and she is taken to Pharoh's house. Pharoh tries to buy Sarai with livestock and servants.
12: 17 God plagues Pharoh for taking Abram's wife. Pharoh asks Abram why he didn't tell him Sarai was his wife, but led him to believe Pharoh could marry her. Pharoh orders Abram and Sarai leave his home. So God condoned Abram lying about Sarai being his sister? Why punish Pharoh? He didn't knowingly do anything wrong.
Genesis 13
Abram and Lot go their separate ways.
13:1-5 Abram, Sarai, and Lot bring everything they have further south. They're very rich, and continue travelling, winding up back where they originally started on the mountainside between Bethel and Hai. He returns to the alter he built there and calls upon God.
13:6-9 Between Abram's livestock and servants and Lot's livestock and servants, the land couldn't sustain them. Abram's shepherds and Lot's shepherd's fight. Abram wants peace and asks Lot to leave and take his herds and servants with him, claiming he will go the opposite direction to whatever Lot chooses.
13:10-12 Lot decides to go East and settles in Jordan near Sodom.
13: 13-15 Sodom's population was wicked and sinful. God tells Abram to go anywhere but towards Sodom and promises him and his descendants all the land to the North, West, and South. If the East and Sodom were so bad, why did God only tell Abram not to go there - why let Lot go?
13:16-18 God promises Abram uncountable offpsring. Abram leaves the mountainside and goes to Mamre in Hebron, where he built another alter.
Genesis 14
There's a big war among a lot of kings near Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot is taken prisoner but Abram rescues him. Tithing is introduced.
14:1-9 The kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim and Zoar served Chedorlaomer for twelve years, then rebelled in the thirteenth year. The next year (year 14) Chedorlaomer brought four kings with him and went to war against the original four in the valley of Siddim.
14:10-12 The valley where the war was being fought was full of slimepits. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fell, and every one else ransacked the cities of all their goods and food and fled to a mountain, taking Lot with them (unwillingly). Slimepits mean it was muddy? Originally I thought "fell" meant died, but it may just mean they lost, as the king of Sodom is mentioned later.
14:13-16 One of the prisoners taken with Lot escaped and word got to Abram that Lot had been taken captive. Abram armed 318 servants and pursued the captors. They came in the night and killed the captors, then returned the goods and the captives to Sodom and Gomorrah.
14:17-20 The king of Sodom came to meet Abram. He brought the king of Sallem (a priest of God) and blessed Abram and gave him bread and wine. A tithe (1/10) was portioned for God. This is the first time mentioning giving a portion of your "earning" (the reward Abram received for saving the people of Sodom and Gomorrah) to God.
14:21-24 The king of Sodom told Abram he could take the goods, but that he wanted to keep the people. Abram refused because he didn't want to be indebted to the king (or for the king to be able to claim he was the reason for Abram's success.
Genesis 15
Abram does a ritual and has some type of hallucination.
15:1-7 Abram complains to God that he still has no children, and that his steward will be his heir. God promises again that Abram will have a multitude of descendants, and reminds him that he has given him all the land he can see.
15:8-12 Abram asks God how he'll know for sure he'll own all the land. God told him to take a 3 year old cow, a 3 year old nanny goat, a 3 year old ram, a dove, and a pigeon, and to divide them up (slaughter and section them). Abram laid all the animal parts out as directed, kept the carrion birds off them, and then fell into a deep sleep, where he has a nightmare. So this is some type of ritual-based trance?
15:13-17 In his sleep God tells Abram that his descendants will be strangers to the lands where they live, and that they'll be servants for 400 years. God promises to judge the people who make Abram's descendants serve, and promises when they're released from service they will be blessed. He also promises that Abram will live til a very old age and die peacefully. Abram sees a furnace and a lamp between the animal pieces. Is this all some type of vision of the future and/or hallucination?
15:18 God makes a promise to give Abram's descendants the land between the River of Egypt to the Euphrates river, and lists all the people who live in that area. It's unclear if he's promising Abram that his descendants will rule over these people, or if he's using them as a representation of the geographic area.
Genesis 16
Abram takes a second wife and has Ishmael.
16:1-6 Sarai can't have children, so she asks Abram to get her handmaid Hagar pregnant so they can have children. Abram marries Hagar; she gets pregnant straight away and despises Sarai. Sarai complains to Abram that the maid despises her, and Abram tells Sarai to do whatever she wants with Hagar. Sarai "deals harshly" with Hagar, so Hagar runs away. Did Hagar despise Sarai for forcing her to bear children in her stead, or because she thought she was better than Sarai, who was barren?
16:7-14 An angel found Hagar by a well and asks where she came from. Hagar confesses that she's run away from her mistress, and the angel commands her to go back to Sarai, telling her he will give her more children. He then tells her she is pregnant with a son, and that she is to name him Ishmael. The angel tells her Ishmael will be a wild (independant) and that he will be against every one and every one will be against him, even though he lives near them.
16:15-16 Hagar has Ishmael when Abram is 86 years old.
Genesis 17
Abram becomes Abraham; Sarai becomes Sarah. More babies to come. God wants foreskins.
17:1-9 God asks Abram to walk with him, again promises him that he will have many descendants. He tells him to change his name to Abraham, telling him his descendants will father many nations and will be kings, and that they will rule in everlasting possesion of Canaan (the land of Canaan).
17:10-14 God tells Abraham that as a symbol of his promise to Abraham, all his descendants are to be circumcised at 8 days old, regardless of whether he's born into the family or purchased as a servant. Any one who is not circumcised will have broken the agreement made between Abraham and God and will have his soul cut off from his people. What's this got to do with anything? Why would God even want this?
17:15-16 God tells Abraham to change Sarai's name to Sarah, and promises to bless her and make her a mother of nations and of kings.
17:17-22 Abraham laughs and says he and Sarah are too old to have babies. God insists that Sarah will bear a son named Isaac within a year, and tells Abraham that his son Ishmael will have many descendants, including twelve princes.
17:23-27 Abraham circumcised himself, Ishmael, all the males of his family, and all their male servants.
Genesis 11: God hinders mankind's progression.
Genesis 11
God intentionally hinders mankind's progression. Abram and Lot are born.
11:1-4 Mankind is all one people; everybody on earth speaks one language and lives together. Man creates bricks and mortar, then builds a city and a tower. They decide to name themselves.
11:5-9 God comes down to see the tower, decides man's potential for creating is too high, and complicates their language so they can't understand one another. God scatters mankind across the face of the earth to separate them. Men call the tower Babel, because it's where God confounded language. Basically man progresses to a point where God finds it threatening, so he inhibits man's growth by making communication harder and separating him geographically. Why? This reminds me a lot of his concern that man will become god-like from Genesis 3:22. God seems very threatened by man.
11:10-29 Lists the generations of Shem (Noah's son). Abram descended from Shem; Lot was Abram's nephew (Genesis 11:27).
11:30 Abram's wife was named Sarai, who was barren (couldn't have children).
11:31-32 Terah (Abram's father) took Abram and Sarai, and Lot (Terah's grandson) from Ur to the land of Canaan (where Lot's father, Abram's brother Haran lived). Terah died in Haran (where Haran lived) at the age of 205.
God intentionally hinders mankind's progression. Abram and Lot are born.
11:1-4 Mankind is all one people; everybody on earth speaks one language and lives together. Man creates bricks and mortar, then builds a city and a tower. They decide to name themselves.
11:5-9 God comes down to see the tower, decides man's potential for creating is too high, and complicates their language so they can't understand one another. God scatters mankind across the face of the earth to separate them. Men call the tower Babel, because it's where God confounded language. Basically man progresses to a point where God finds it threatening, so he inhibits man's growth by making communication harder and separating him geographically. Why? This reminds me a lot of his concern that man will become god-like from Genesis 3:22. God seems very threatened by man.
11:10-29 Lists the generations of Shem (Noah's son). Abram descended from Shem; Lot was Abram's nephew (Genesis 11:27).
11:30 Abram's wife was named Sarai, who was barren (couldn't have children).
11:31-32 Terah (Abram's father) took Abram and Sarai, and Lot (Terah's grandson) from Ur to the land of Canaan (where Lot's father, Abram's brother Haran lived). Terah died in Haran (where Haran lived) at the age of 205.
Genesis 6-10: God is mortal. Noah builds a boat. God destroys the world.
Genesis 6
Demigods and Giants. Noah builds an ark.
6:1-2 Daughters are born and are taken to wife by men. Were there no other women before this? Who birthed all the sons? Where did these women come from?
6:3 God says his spirit "will not always strive with man", and that his days will be 120 years. Does this mean God is mortal? After death, where does he go? Is this the establishment of God in Heaven?
6:4 "There were giants on the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown." Literal giants? Who created them? Or is "giants" here meant like "heroes"? Is this talking about demi-gods? Who are these gods who bore sons? Is that the "we" God was talking about during creation and the "fruit incident" in Genesis 1 and 2?
6:5-7 God notices man's become evil and wicked. He's sorry he created man, so he decides to destroy every living thing on the planet. Really? Everything? One species is bad so you throw them all out? Talk about throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
6:8-9 Noah is apparently the only decent human being on the planet. "Noah walked with God." So either God is still alive (see Genesis 6:3) and he and Noah are buddies (which means he was biased in his decision that all the other men are jerks), or this is the establishment of the phrase "walk with the Lord" - as in have a spiritual relationship with God.
6:10 Noah has three sons (Shem, Ham, and Japeth).
6:11-13 God decides that life on earth is too corrupt to continue. He tells Noah he's going to destroy the earth because the living things he created are too violent. If, in theory, God is supposed to be perfect, how did his creation become so corrupt? I get that there's a theory of "free will" and all that, and that man corrupted himself when he ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, but I have two questions. The first is, "Why didn't God create man to be less gullible and better prepared to deal with temptation." The second is, "If God is omnipotent and has a plan for all of us, how did he not realize Adam and Eve would make a mistake and why did he set them up to fail in the first place, unless that was part of the plan?"
6:14-16 God tells Noah to build an ark and gives him the specs and materials list.
6:17-22 God says he's goign to flood the earth and kill everything. He's entrusting the future of his creations to Noah. He's to bring his sons, his wive, and his sons' wives, along with two of all God's creatures and enough food to feed all the humans and animals.
Genesis 7
Two-by-two or Seven? The world is flooded. Everything dies.
7:1 God tells Noah he's sparing him and his family because they are righteous.
7:2-3 He tells Noah to bring seven of all the clean creatures (one male, six females), two of the unclean (one male, one female), and seven of all the birds (one male, two female). This is weird, because in Genesis 6:19 and 6:20 both he dictates to bring two of each.
7:3-6 God tells Noah he's got seven days to build the boat, then they have to seal it up for forty days and forty nights because he's gonna flood the world and kill everything. Noah does as he's told. He was 600 years old when the flood started. Really? 600? Why does God only get to live to be 120 years old? (Genesis 6:3)
7:7 Noah gathers every one into the ark, along with two of each of the animals. So we're back to two of each again? Or does "they came unto Noah two and two" mean they walked in a line two abreast into the ark?
7:10-16 On the day the flood started, everybody gets loaded up into the boat and God seals them in. The flood starts in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, of Noah's 600th year. Ground water comes fissures and fountains, and it rains for forty days and forty nights.
7:17-24 The flood pushes up over the mountaintops, 15 cubits deep. Everything dies except what's in Noah's boat. The water stays for 150 days. One cubit is around 1.5 feet, so 15 cubits is around 22.5 feet deep. That would certainly drown a man or a cow, but I doubt it would cover any mountains.
Genesis 8
The flood ends. God invents rainbows.
8:1-8:3 God remembers that he's got Noah, his family, and a bunch of animals cramped up in a boat. He stops flooding the world and blows a wind over the earth to make the waters abate. The flood waters start to drain away after 150 days.
8:4 The ark rested (hit land) in the seventh month on the seventeenth day on top of Mount Ararat.
8:5 The flood waters keep draining until the tenth month on the first day, when Noah and his family could see the tops of mountains.
8:6-9 Forty days later, Noah opened the ark's window and let out a raven to see if and a dove to see if there was dry land enough for them to leave the ark. The dove came back. Apparently the raven didn't?
8:10 Noah hangs out in the ark with his family and the animals for a week, then let the dove out again. She brought back an olive branch, which was a sign to Noah that the waters were abated (diminished). No tree I know of could be completely submerged for 150+ days and survive.
8:12 Noah stays another week in the ark, just to be sure. He lets the dove out one more time, and she doesn't come back.
8:13 Noah pulls the tarp off the ark, sees the land is dry, and he and his family leave it in the first month, on the first day of his 601st year. It never says in the directions that there was a covering of any kind in the ark's specs given to Noah in Genesis 6:14-16. It does explain why he had to send birds though instead of just looking out the window.
8:14 In the second month on the twenty-seventh day the earth is dry. Didn't it just say in the previous verse it was dry almost two months before then? Difference being "dry enough to walk on" versus "dried out"?
8:15-17 God tells Noah to take his family and all the animals and leave the ark. Weren't they doing this anyway?
8:18-20 Noah disembarks with his family and all the critters. He builds an alter to the Lord and slaughtered and burned one of every clean beast and every bird in offering. This is the first indication of actual worship to God, and the first mention of actually slaughtering and burning the animals in offering. Abel also brought animals to God in Genesis 4:4; it does mention "the fat" of the first born of his flock, so we can presume they were slaughtered, it just doesn't say why or what they did with it afterwards.
8:21 God smells the burnt offering and decides he won't destroy the world any more based on the actions of mankind, because men are evil from childhood. He won't stop the seasons or the cycles of day and night while the earth remains intact. This is the first indication of an inherent evil within mankind - something we're born with, rather than something we learn. This basically says mankind is evil at its core, but we're not worth destroying a planet for.
Chapter 9
Noah gets drunk. God punishes an innocent man for voyeurism.
9:1-3 God commands Noah and his sons to replenish the world's population. He dictates that all living things will fear mankind, and that they will be harvested by mankind. This appears to be a partial reversal of the curse God put on Adam, making it difficult for him to get food via farming.
9:4 God tells Noah not to eat blood.
9:5-6 God tells Noah he will require the blood of mankind, and that the bloodshed will be caused by animals and men. He also says men who shed men's blood will have their blood shed by men. So is this condoning murder? Or is this an allusion to the war-like nature of mankind? At first it kind of reads like God is demanding human sacrifice.
9:7-17 God tells Noah and his sons to have lots of children. He promises not to flood the world any more, and creates a "bow in the clouds" (rainbow) as a symbol of the promise between him, mankind, and all the creatures of the earth.
9:18-19 Re-iteration that Noah's sons were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham has a son named Canaan. This will come up later, obviously.
9:20-21 Noah starts farming and plants a vineyard. He makes wine and winds up naked and drunk in his tent.
9:22-27 Ham sees his dad naked and tells his brothers. Shem and Japheth cover their dad without actually looking at his nakedness. Noah wakes up, realizes Ham had seen him naked, and cursed Canaan, saying he be "a servant of servants". He promotes Japheth to Shem's equal, tells them both to live in the same tent, and assigns Canaan as their servant. That's a bit harsh - it wasn't even Canaan who committed the wrong. This is the first introduction of the sins of the father being visited on the son.
9:28 Noah lived 350 years after the flood and died at the age of 950.
Genesis 10
Long list of "begats" linking Noah to Abram and Lot.
Demigods and Giants. Noah builds an ark.
6:1-2 Daughters are born and are taken to wife by men. Were there no other women before this? Who birthed all the sons? Where did these women come from?
6:3 God says his spirit "will not always strive with man", and that his days will be 120 years. Does this mean God is mortal? After death, where does he go? Is this the establishment of God in Heaven?
6:4 "There were giants on the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown." Literal giants? Who created them? Or is "giants" here meant like "heroes"? Is this talking about demi-gods? Who are these gods who bore sons? Is that the "we" God was talking about during creation and the "fruit incident" in Genesis 1 and 2?
6:5-7 God notices man's become evil and wicked. He's sorry he created man, so he decides to destroy every living thing on the planet. Really? Everything? One species is bad so you throw them all out? Talk about throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
6:8-9 Noah is apparently the only decent human being on the planet. "Noah walked with God." So either God is still alive (see Genesis 6:3) and he and Noah are buddies (which means he was biased in his decision that all the other men are jerks), or this is the establishment of the phrase "walk with the Lord" - as in have a spiritual relationship with God.
6:10 Noah has three sons (Shem, Ham, and Japeth).
6:11-13 God decides that life on earth is too corrupt to continue. He tells Noah he's going to destroy the earth because the living things he created are too violent. If, in theory, God is supposed to be perfect, how did his creation become so corrupt? I get that there's a theory of "free will" and all that, and that man corrupted himself when he ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, but I have two questions. The first is, "Why didn't God create man to be less gullible and better prepared to deal with temptation." The second is, "If God is omnipotent and has a plan for all of us, how did he not realize Adam and Eve would make a mistake and why did he set them up to fail in the first place, unless that was part of the plan?"
6:14-16 God tells Noah to build an ark and gives him the specs and materials list.
6:17-22 God says he's goign to flood the earth and kill everything. He's entrusting the future of his creations to Noah. He's to bring his sons, his wive, and his sons' wives, along with two of all God's creatures and enough food to feed all the humans and animals.
Genesis 7
Two-by-two or Seven? The world is flooded. Everything dies.
7:1 God tells Noah he's sparing him and his family because they are righteous.
7:2-3 He tells Noah to bring seven of all the clean creatures (one male, six females), two of the unclean (one male, one female), and seven of all the birds (one male, two female). This is weird, because in Genesis 6:19 and 6:20 both he dictates to bring two of each.
7:3-6 God tells Noah he's got seven days to build the boat, then they have to seal it up for forty days and forty nights because he's gonna flood the world and kill everything. Noah does as he's told. He was 600 years old when the flood started. Really? 600? Why does God only get to live to be 120 years old? (Genesis 6:3)
7:7 Noah gathers every one into the ark, along with two of each of the animals. So we're back to two of each again? Or does "they came unto Noah two and two" mean they walked in a line two abreast into the ark?
7:10-16 On the day the flood started, everybody gets loaded up into the boat and God seals them in. The flood starts in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, of Noah's 600th year. Ground water comes fissures and fountains, and it rains for forty days and forty nights.
7:17-24 The flood pushes up over the mountaintops, 15 cubits deep. Everything dies except what's in Noah's boat. The water stays for 150 days. One cubit is around 1.5 feet, so 15 cubits is around 22.5 feet deep. That would certainly drown a man or a cow, but I doubt it would cover any mountains.
Genesis 8
The flood ends. God invents rainbows.
8:1-8:3 God remembers that he's got Noah, his family, and a bunch of animals cramped up in a boat. He stops flooding the world and blows a wind over the earth to make the waters abate. The flood waters start to drain away after 150 days.
8:4 The ark rested (hit land) in the seventh month on the seventeenth day on top of Mount Ararat.
8:5 The flood waters keep draining until the tenth month on the first day, when Noah and his family could see the tops of mountains.
8:6-9 Forty days later, Noah opened the ark's window and let out a raven to see if and a dove to see if there was dry land enough for them to leave the ark. The dove came back. Apparently the raven didn't?
8:10 Noah hangs out in the ark with his family and the animals for a week, then let the dove out again. She brought back an olive branch, which was a sign to Noah that the waters were abated (diminished). No tree I know of could be completely submerged for 150+ days and survive.
8:12 Noah stays another week in the ark, just to be sure. He lets the dove out one more time, and she doesn't come back.
8:13 Noah pulls the tarp off the ark, sees the land is dry, and he and his family leave it in the first month, on the first day of his 601st year. It never says in the directions that there was a covering of any kind in the ark's specs given to Noah in Genesis 6:14-16. It does explain why he had to send birds though instead of just looking out the window.
8:14 In the second month on the twenty-seventh day the earth is dry. Didn't it just say in the previous verse it was dry almost two months before then? Difference being "dry enough to walk on" versus "dried out"?
8:15-17 God tells Noah to take his family and all the animals and leave the ark. Weren't they doing this anyway?
8:18-20 Noah disembarks with his family and all the critters. He builds an alter to the Lord and slaughtered and burned one of every clean beast and every bird in offering. This is the first indication of actual worship to God, and the first mention of actually slaughtering and burning the animals in offering. Abel also brought animals to God in Genesis 4:4; it does mention "the fat" of the first born of his flock, so we can presume they were slaughtered, it just doesn't say why or what they did with it afterwards.
8:21 God smells the burnt offering and decides he won't destroy the world any more based on the actions of mankind, because men are evil from childhood. He won't stop the seasons or the cycles of day and night while the earth remains intact. This is the first indication of an inherent evil within mankind - something we're born with, rather than something we learn. This basically says mankind is evil at its core, but we're not worth destroying a planet for.
Chapter 9
Noah gets drunk. God punishes an innocent man for voyeurism.
9:1-3 God commands Noah and his sons to replenish the world's population. He dictates that all living things will fear mankind, and that they will be harvested by mankind. This appears to be a partial reversal of the curse God put on Adam, making it difficult for him to get food via farming.
9:4 God tells Noah not to eat blood.
9:5-6 God tells Noah he will require the blood of mankind, and that the bloodshed will be caused by animals and men. He also says men who shed men's blood will have their blood shed by men. So is this condoning murder? Or is this an allusion to the war-like nature of mankind? At first it kind of reads like God is demanding human sacrifice.
9:7-17 God tells Noah and his sons to have lots of children. He promises not to flood the world any more, and creates a "bow in the clouds" (rainbow) as a symbol of the promise between him, mankind, and all the creatures of the earth.
9:18-19 Re-iteration that Noah's sons were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham has a son named Canaan. This will come up later, obviously.
9:20-21 Noah starts farming and plants a vineyard. He makes wine and winds up naked and drunk in his tent.
9:22-27 Ham sees his dad naked and tells his brothers. Shem and Japheth cover their dad without actually looking at his nakedness. Noah wakes up, realizes Ham had seen him naked, and cursed Canaan, saying he be "a servant of servants". He promotes Japheth to Shem's equal, tells them both to live in the same tent, and assigns Canaan as their servant. That's a bit harsh - it wasn't even Canaan who committed the wrong. This is the first introduction of the sins of the father being visited on the son.
9:28 Noah lived 350 years after the flood and died at the age of 950.
Genesis 10
Long list of "begats" linking Noah to Abram and Lot.
Wednesday, 7 October 2015
Genesis 1-5: God creates the world. God creates man and woman (twice). Adam and Eve get kicked out of the garden. Cain commits the first murder.
Genesis 1
God creates the world. God creates man and woman.
This is the well-known creation story. In 1:1-1:31 God creates the world in six days.
In 1:27 God also creates man and woman - specifically it says "let us make man in our image, after our likeness." It's unclear if "us"refers to God himself or is he speaking of a multitude of entities like himself.
Genesis 2
God creates man. God creates Eden, then makes man (again). God makes woman (again).
God rested on Day 7, and blessed the day because the work was done.
2:5 It says there was "not a man to till the ground". It's unclear what happened to the man and woman he created in Genesis 1:27.
2:7 God makes man out of the dust on the ground and breathed into his nostrils, which brought about life. It appears that the breath became man's life-force (his soul?).
2:8 God creates Eden "in the East", and puts the new man in the garden.
2:9 God puts the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the garden. The question is, if the fruits from these trees were so powerful and God didn't want man to eat them, why did he create them at all? Does God need the fruit to maintain his godliness?
2:10-14 God creates the great rivers. This seems to indicate that Eden is an actual geographical place that could be found.
2:15 God puts man in the Garden of Eden. Didn't he already do this in 2:8?
2:16-17 God tells man not to eat of the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. His reason for not allowing man to eat is that he will surely die.
2:18 God decides man shouldn't be lonely, He decides to make a "help meet" for him. He's creating some one specifically suited to be man's partner.
2:19 God creates a replication of every creature on Earth and asks Adam to name them all. This is the first time man is named.
2:20 Adam names all the creatures but is unable to find a partner for himself. Nothing God has created so far will satisfy Adam's need for companionship.
2:21 God knocks Adam unconscious and takes one of his ribs, then seals him up.
2:22-23 God created woman out of Adam's rib. Isn't this the second woman God created? He already created man and woman in Genesis 1:27. Were the earlier man and woman just a rough draft?
2:24 The Bible dictates that man will leave his parents and "cleave unto his wife". This indicates that future men and women will be birthed generation after generation, rather than continuing to be created from scratch by God. This is also the first time man and woman are called husband and wife.
2:25 Man and Woman are naked, but are unashamed. Unaware?
Chapter 3
Snakes are bad. Adam and Eve misbehave. God has a tantrum.
3:1-3 The serpent asks woman if she's allowed to eat from any tree in Eden. Woman responds that they're allowed to eat any fruit from any tree, except those in the center of the garden or else they'll die.
3:4-5 The serpent tells woman that she won't die if she eats the fruit. He tells her if she eats the fruit she'll be god-like.
3:6 Woman tries the fruit, then gives some to her husband who also eats it. There is no indication of a conversation between them, and no indication that she pressured him or that he resisted in any way.
3:7 Adam and woman (still un-named) suddenly realize they're naked, and create aprons out of fig leaves.
3:8 Adan and his wife hear God walking in the garden and they hide from him. This is the first time God is referred to as the Lord.
3:9-11 God calls out to Adam, asking where he is. Adam explains that he heard God walking and hid, because he was ashamed of his nakedness. God asks who told Adam he was naked, then asks him if he's eaten from one of the trees he wasn't supposed to touch.
3:12 Adam tells God that the woman gave him the fruit, and that he ate it.
3:13 God asks woman what she did, and she said the serpent gave her the fruit, and that she ate it.
3:14 God curses the serpent to crawl on his belly. Presumably removes the snake's legs.
3:15 God makes woman and children hate snakes. He makes woman try to kill the snake, and the snake try to kill children.
3:16 God makes woman's birthing process painful, and also gives man dominion over her.
3:17-19 God makes man's acquisition of food difficult, and makes him mortal.
3:20 Adam names his wife Eve, "because she was the mother of all living".
3:21 God made clothes for Adam and Eve out of animal skins.
3:22 "Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever;" God appears concerned that man will become god-like. Who is he talking to? Who else is like God? The phrasing here indicates that there are more than just him.
3:23 God exiles Adam from Eden. He is to be a farmer.
3:24 God puts cherubim on guard at the gates of Eden.
Genesis 4
Adam and Eve have kids. God is a carnivore. Cain murders Abel.
4:1 Adam "knew" Eve and they conceived their first son, Cain. This is the first time they had sex? How long was the time between the creation of man and woman in Genesis 2 and the expulsion from the garden?
4:2 Eve bears Abel. Cain is a farmer, and Abel is a shepherd.
4:3-5 Cain offers offerings from his farming to God, but Abel offered lambs to God. God only likes Abel's offering - he doesn't appreciate Cain's offering of vegetables. Cain is angry.
4:6-7 God asks Cain why he's angry, then tells him if he does well, God will accept him. He also says if he doesn't do well, that it's sinful. So having a bad year of farming is a sin?
4:8 Cain kills Abel in the field.
4:9 God asks Cain where Abel is. Abel responds, "Am I my brother's keeper?"
4:10-12 God calls Cain on Abel's murder. He curses Cain and sends him out as a vagabond. He will no longer be successfully able to farm.
4:13-14 Cain tells God he can't bear the punishment he's been given. He thinks every man that sees him will try to kill him, and says he will be forever hidden from the face of God. This indicates that there are more people on the earth than just Adam, Eve, and Cain - where did they come from? Also, if he is "hidden from the face of God", is that why God no longer walks and talks with man as though he's a human being?
4:15 God decrees that any one that kills Cain will be cursed seven times what Cain's curse is. He marks him so he can be identified. This mark is speculated about a lot in folklore and superstition, but it's not actually described. There's no indication of shape, color, size, or location.
4:16 Cain left and went to the land of Nod.
4:17 Cain has a wife, and together they have a son named Enoch. Enoch built a city and named it after himself. Where did this woman come from? Who is she? Who are her people? Who created them?
4:18-22 Long list of generations stemming from Enoch down to Lamech. Lamech's first wife bore Jabal and Jubal. Jabal's descendants live in tents and raise cattle. Jubal's descendants were musicians. Lamech's second wife bore Tubalcain and Naamah. Tubalcain a smithy. Naamah is the first female descendant listed. Is this because she's the first female child born of Adam's line, or because the others were seen as unimportant?
4:23-24 Lamech also killed a man. He believes he'll be punished "seventy and seven-fold" of Cain's punishment. It never indicates what God thinks of this - he seems very hands-off at this point, like he disowned man after they ate the fruit.
4:25 Adam and Eve had another son named Seth. Seth had a son named Enos. After Enos, all men worshipped God.
Genesis 5
Noah is introduced.
Lists generations from Adam til Noah. Every one seems to live for a really long time, and there are no mention of female births.
5:32 Noah begats Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
God creates the world. God creates man and woman.
This is the well-known creation story. In 1:1-1:31 God creates the world in six days.
In 1:27 God also creates man and woman - specifically it says "let us make man in our image, after our likeness." It's unclear if "us"refers to God himself or is he speaking of a multitude of entities like himself.
Genesis 2
God creates man. God creates Eden, then makes man (again). God makes woman (again).
God rested on Day 7, and blessed the day because the work was done.
2:5 It says there was "not a man to till the ground". It's unclear what happened to the man and woman he created in Genesis 1:27.
2:7 God makes man out of the dust on the ground and breathed into his nostrils, which brought about life. It appears that the breath became man's life-force (his soul?).
2:8 God creates Eden "in the East", and puts the new man in the garden.
2:9 God puts the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the garden. The question is, if the fruits from these trees were so powerful and God didn't want man to eat them, why did he create them at all? Does God need the fruit to maintain his godliness?
2:10-14 God creates the great rivers. This seems to indicate that Eden is an actual geographical place that could be found.
2:15 God puts man in the Garden of Eden. Didn't he already do this in 2:8?
2:16-17 God tells man not to eat of the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. His reason for not allowing man to eat is that he will surely die.
2:18 God decides man shouldn't be lonely, He decides to make a "help meet" for him. He's creating some one specifically suited to be man's partner.
2:19 God creates a replication of every creature on Earth and asks Adam to name them all. This is the first time man is named.
2:20 Adam names all the creatures but is unable to find a partner for himself. Nothing God has created so far will satisfy Adam's need for companionship.
2:21 God knocks Adam unconscious and takes one of his ribs, then seals him up.
2:22-23 God created woman out of Adam's rib. Isn't this the second woman God created? He already created man and woman in Genesis 1:27. Were the earlier man and woman just a rough draft?
2:24 The Bible dictates that man will leave his parents and "cleave unto his wife". This indicates that future men and women will be birthed generation after generation, rather than continuing to be created from scratch by God. This is also the first time man and woman are called husband and wife.
2:25 Man and Woman are naked, but are unashamed. Unaware?
Chapter 3
Snakes are bad. Adam and Eve misbehave. God has a tantrum.
3:1-3 The serpent asks woman if she's allowed to eat from any tree in Eden. Woman responds that they're allowed to eat any fruit from any tree, except those in the center of the garden or else they'll die.
3:4-5 The serpent tells woman that she won't die if she eats the fruit. He tells her if she eats the fruit she'll be god-like.
3:6 Woman tries the fruit, then gives some to her husband who also eats it. There is no indication of a conversation between them, and no indication that she pressured him or that he resisted in any way.
3:7 Adam and woman (still un-named) suddenly realize they're naked, and create aprons out of fig leaves.
3:8 Adan and his wife hear God walking in the garden and they hide from him. This is the first time God is referred to as the Lord.
3:9-11 God calls out to Adam, asking where he is. Adam explains that he heard God walking and hid, because he was ashamed of his nakedness. God asks who told Adam he was naked, then asks him if he's eaten from one of the trees he wasn't supposed to touch.
3:12 Adam tells God that the woman gave him the fruit, and that he ate it.
3:13 God asks woman what she did, and she said the serpent gave her the fruit, and that she ate it.
3:14 God curses the serpent to crawl on his belly. Presumably removes the snake's legs.
3:15 God makes woman and children hate snakes. He makes woman try to kill the snake, and the snake try to kill children.
3:16 God makes woman's birthing process painful, and also gives man dominion over her.
3:17-19 God makes man's acquisition of food difficult, and makes him mortal.
3:20 Adam names his wife Eve, "because she was the mother of all living".
3:21 God made clothes for Adam and Eve out of animal skins.
3:22 "Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever;" God appears concerned that man will become god-like. Who is he talking to? Who else is like God? The phrasing here indicates that there are more than just him.
3:23 God exiles Adam from Eden. He is to be a farmer.
3:24 God puts cherubim on guard at the gates of Eden.
Genesis 4
Adam and Eve have kids. God is a carnivore. Cain murders Abel.
4:1 Adam "knew" Eve and they conceived their first son, Cain. This is the first time they had sex? How long was the time between the creation of man and woman in Genesis 2 and the expulsion from the garden?
4:2 Eve bears Abel. Cain is a farmer, and Abel is a shepherd.
4:3-5 Cain offers offerings from his farming to God, but Abel offered lambs to God. God only likes Abel's offering - he doesn't appreciate Cain's offering of vegetables. Cain is angry.
4:6-7 God asks Cain why he's angry, then tells him if he does well, God will accept him. He also says if he doesn't do well, that it's sinful. So having a bad year of farming is a sin?
4:8 Cain kills Abel in the field.
4:9 God asks Cain where Abel is. Abel responds, "Am I my brother's keeper?"
4:10-12 God calls Cain on Abel's murder. He curses Cain and sends him out as a vagabond. He will no longer be successfully able to farm.
4:13-14 Cain tells God he can't bear the punishment he's been given. He thinks every man that sees him will try to kill him, and says he will be forever hidden from the face of God. This indicates that there are more people on the earth than just Adam, Eve, and Cain - where did they come from? Also, if he is "hidden from the face of God", is that why God no longer walks and talks with man as though he's a human being?
4:15 God decrees that any one that kills Cain will be cursed seven times what Cain's curse is. He marks him so he can be identified. This mark is speculated about a lot in folklore and superstition, but it's not actually described. There's no indication of shape, color, size, or location.
4:16 Cain left and went to the land of Nod.
4:17 Cain has a wife, and together they have a son named Enoch. Enoch built a city and named it after himself. Where did this woman come from? Who is she? Who are her people? Who created them?
4:18-22 Long list of generations stemming from Enoch down to Lamech. Lamech's first wife bore Jabal and Jubal. Jabal's descendants live in tents and raise cattle. Jubal's descendants were musicians. Lamech's second wife bore Tubalcain and Naamah. Tubalcain a smithy. Naamah is the first female descendant listed. Is this because she's the first female child born of Adam's line, or because the others were seen as unimportant?
4:23-24 Lamech also killed a man. He believes he'll be punished "seventy and seven-fold" of Cain's punishment. It never indicates what God thinks of this - he seems very hands-off at this point, like he disowned man after they ate the fruit.
4:25 Adam and Eve had another son named Seth. Seth had a son named Enos. After Enos, all men worshipped God.
Genesis 5
Noah is introduced.
Lists generations from Adam til Noah. Every one seems to live for a really long time, and there are no mention of female births.
5:32 Noah begats Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Tuesday, 6 October 2015
An Introduction
Have you actually read the Bible? I mean in its entirety - the whole thing, start to finish.
I first read the Bible as my faith was forming during my teenage years. I had questions that had no answers, and there was a lot I didn't understand. Faith was the prescription, but I couldn't find any. So I started to read the Bible on my own, starting with Genesis.
I found the people in my church quoting scripture were generally taking the words grossly out of context. They were twisting the Bible to use it as a weapon and corrupting the meaning of the original story. In some instances, they were creating commands from God where none existed; in others, they were taking something harsh and cruel and sugar-coating it into something sweet and positive. That's when I started asking them if they'd read it - all of it, from start to finish, not just a cobbled-together understanding spoon-fed to them via sermons and Sunday school. In most cases, the answer was "no".
This lead to my belief that most people who practice Christianity don't understand what it is they're really practicing. I stopped going to Church, and started reading other religious books.
I'm 33 years old now, and I'm re-reading the Bible with the mind and understanding of an adult. This blog is an interpretation of the Bible, as I re-read it, starting with Genesis 1:1. It's for personal reflection, but if you happen to stumble on it, you're welcome to follow along with me.
Synopsis of the verses in regular text; questions and personal commentary in italics.
I first read the Bible as my faith was forming during my teenage years. I had questions that had no answers, and there was a lot I didn't understand. Faith was the prescription, but I couldn't find any. So I started to read the Bible on my own, starting with Genesis.
I found the people in my church quoting scripture were generally taking the words grossly out of context. They were twisting the Bible to use it as a weapon and corrupting the meaning of the original story. In some instances, they were creating commands from God where none existed; in others, they were taking something harsh and cruel and sugar-coating it into something sweet and positive. That's when I started asking them if they'd read it - all of it, from start to finish, not just a cobbled-together understanding spoon-fed to them via sermons and Sunday school. In most cases, the answer was "no".
This lead to my belief that most people who practice Christianity don't understand what it is they're really practicing. I stopped going to Church, and started reading other religious books.
I'm 33 years old now, and I'm re-reading the Bible with the mind and understanding of an adult. This blog is an interpretation of the Bible, as I re-read it, starting with Genesis 1:1. It's for personal reflection, but if you happen to stumble on it, you're welcome to follow along with me.
Synopsis of the verses in regular text; questions and personal commentary in italics.
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