Just in Case You Missed It, The Hebrew Name Game is Back! Genesis 11:10-26

May the mumbling commence!

Just in case you missed it, here’s the Hebrew Name Game once again.  This time we are going from Noah’s son Shem to Abram.  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

            This is the story of Shem.  When Shem was 100 years old, he had Arphaxad.  It was two years after the flood.  After he had Arphaxad, he lived 500 more years and had other sons and daughters.

            When Arphaxad was thirty-five years old, he had Shelah.   After Arphaxad had Shelah, he lived 403 more years and had other sons and daughters.    

            When Shelah was thirty years old, he had Eber.  After Shelah had Eber, he lived 403 more years and had other sons and daughters.

            When Eber was thirty-four years old, he had Peleg.  After Eber had Peleg, he lived 430 more years and had other sons and daughters.

When Peleg was thirty years old, he had Reu.  After he had Reu, he lived 209 more years and had other sons and daughters.

When Reu was thirty-two years old, he had Serug.  After Reu had Serug, he lived 207 more years and had other sons and daughters.

When Serug was thirty years old, he had Nahor.  After Serug had Nahor, he lived 200 more years and had other sons and daughters.

When Nahor was twenty-nine years old, he had Terah.  After Nahor had Terah, he lived 119 more years and had other sons and daughters.

When Terah was seventy years old, he had Abram, Nahor, and Haran.  (Genesis 11:10-26)

Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:

This is the account of Shem.

Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad.  And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters. 

When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah.  And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters. 

When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber.  And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters. 

When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg.  And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters. 

When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu.  And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters. 

When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug.  And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters. 

When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor.  And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters. 

When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah.  And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.  After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. (Genesis 11:10-26)

There are not many differences of note in this passage.  NIV is more specific when it comes to men being fathers rather than just having them.  There is much more repetition in the NIV around the words lived and had lived.  It makes it less of a passive passage.  Yet, there is more repetition of names in Peterson’s work.

Tomorrow we will finish the current round of the Hebrew Name Game and start the story of our spiritual ancestor, Abram / Abraham.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Avoid "Moving East". Genesis 11:1-9

May the mumbling commence!

When we build our lives, who do we build around?  Do we look to glorify ourselves… or someone else… or do we seek to be obedient to God and glorify the Lord?  No more towers to the clouds!  No more bridges to nowhere!  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

            At one time, the whole Earth spoke the same language.  It so happened that as they moved out of the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled down.  They said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks and fire them well.”  They used brick for stone and tar for mortar.

            Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower that reaches Heaven.  Let’s make ourselves famous so we won’t be scattered here and there across the whole Earth.”

            God came down to look over the city and the tower those people had built. 

            God took one look and said, “One people, one language; why, this is only a first step.  No telling what they’ll come up with next – they’ll stop at nothing!  Come, we’ll go down and garble their speech so they won’t understand each other.”  Then God scattered them from there all over the world.  And they had to quit building the city.  That’s how it came to be called Babel, because there God turned their language into “babble.”  From there God scattered them all over the world.  (Genesis 11:1-9)

Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.  As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. 

They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.  Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." 

But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building.  The Lord said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.  Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." 

So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.  That is why it was called Babel – because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth. (Genesis 11:1-9)

Remember that the Lord had commanded them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.  By gathering, the people were directly disobeying the Word of the Lord for them.  They moved eastward, the direction of Cain.  East is important in the Hebrew Scriptures.  It’s movement away from the Lord.  As a team, they accomplished more.  Yes, it’s true.  But sometimes those great accomplishments are unjust and ungodly.

There are numerous differences in style between the NIV and Peterson.  I would like to focus on a couple of them.  First, I find it interesting that Peterson assumes that the people of Babel completed their project of their tower and city.  In the NIV, the work was still in progress.  It was never completed.  God stepped in before the disaster happened.

The second thing that I want to address is the differences between speech and language.  Speech is the oral part of our communication.  Language is broader.  It includes customs and body language and tone.  I don’t think they should be used interchangeably.  More happened than garbled speech.  Indeed, even when people that speak the same heart language, it’s a near miracle when effective communication happens.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

The Hebrew Name Game... Continued. Genesis 10:13-32

May the mumbling commence!

Once again it’s time for another addition of the Hebrew Name Game!  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

            Egypt was ancestor to the Ludi, the Anamim, the Lehabim, the Naphtuhim, the Pathrusim, the Casluhim (the origin of the Philistines), and the Kaphtorim.

                Canaan had Sidon his firstborn, Heth, the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites.  Later the Canaanites spread out, going from Sidon toward Gerar, as far south as Gaza, and then east all the way over to Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and on to Lasha.

                These are the descendants of Ham by family, language, country, and nation.

                Shem, the older brother of Japheth, also had sons.  Shem was ancestor to all children of Eber.

                The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, Aram.

                The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, Meshech.

                Arphaxad had Shelah and Shelah had Eber.  Eber had two sons, Peleg (so named because of the days the human race was divided) and Joktan.

                Joktan had Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab – all sons of Joktan.  Their land goes from Mesha toward Sephar as far as the mountain ranges in the east.

                These are the descendants of Shem by family, language, country, and nation.

                This is the family tree of the sons of Noah as they developed into nations.  From them nations developed all across the Earth after the flood.  (Genesis 10:13-32)

Now read the same passage from the NIV:

Mizraim was the father of

the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, Pathrusites, Casluhites (from whom the Philistines came) and Caphtorites. 

Canaan was the father of

Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites.

Later the Canaanite clans scattered and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 

These are the sons of Ham by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations. 

Sons were also born to Shem, whose older brother was Japheth; Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber. 

The sons of Shem:

Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram. 

The sons of Aram:

Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshech. 

Arphaxad was the father of Shelah,

and Shelah the father of Eber. 

Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named                          Joktan. 

Joktan was the father of

Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan. 

The region where they lived stretched from Mesha toward Sephar, in the eastern hill country.  These are the sons of Shem by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations. 

These are the clans of Noah's sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood. (Genesis 10:13-32)

Not much to comment on this genealogy.  The differences between the two are minimal and mostly based on the function of fatherhood in the Hebrew culture also consisting of more of an ancestor function – sons versus descendants and father versus ancestor.

There is an interesting difference at the end of chapter ten.  The NIV speaks of the nations spreading out while Peterson speaks of the nations developing.  Maybe it’s because of the material that follows in chapter eleven that Peterson takes this tact.  The nations were not spreading out… and that’s the problem as we will see.

Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out 

Back to the Hebrew Name Game! Genesis 10:1-12

May the mumbling commence!

Welcome back to the Hebrew Name Game!  It’s time for Noah’s family tree.  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

            This is the family tree of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham and Japheth.  After the flood, they themselves had sons.

            The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, Tiras.

            The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, Togarmah.

            The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, Rodanim.  The seafaring peoples developed from these, each in its own place by family, each with its own language.

            The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, Canaan.

            The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, Sabteca.

            The sons of Raamah: Sheba, Dedan.

            Cush also had Nimrod.  He was the first great warrior on Earth.  He was a great hunter before God.  There was a saying, “Like Nimrod, a great hunter before God.”  His kingdom got its start with Babel; then Erech, Akkad, and Calneh in the country of Shinar.  From there he went up to Asshur and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and the great city Calah. (Genesis 10:1-12)

Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:

This is the account of Shem, Ham and Japheth, Noah's sons, who themselves had sons after the flood. 

The sons of Japheth:

Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras. 

The sons of Gomer:

Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah. 

The sons of Javan:

Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittim and the Rodanim.  (From these the maritime peoples spread out into their territories by their clans within their nations, each with its own language.) 

The sons of Ham:

Cush, Mizraim, Put and Canaan. 

The sons of Cush:

Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah and Sabteca.

The sons of Raamah:

Sheba and Dedan. 

Cush was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth.  He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord."  The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Erech, Akkad and Calneh, in Shinar.  From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. (Genesis 10:1-12)

There is very little difference between The Message and the NIV in this passage.  The place names and children’s names that are different are both reflective of the Hebrew.

The hidden nugget in this part of the genealogy is the extra attention given to Nimrod.  Nimrod was a mighty warrior and hunter before the Lord.  At first glance, that special attention would seem quite positive.  Yet, as we think about the cities of his reign, some are to be quite evil cities… like Babylon and Assyria and Nineveh.

This greatness seems to be apart from the Lord.  It’s like saying: “Look how great I am.  Look how great we are.”  Pride ruptures right relationship with God and with our brothers and sisters… and with all creation.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

A Fall From Grace. Genesis 9:18-29

May the mumbling commence!

Noah was human.  So were his sons.  They were held in high esteem… but they were also fallen people.  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

            The sons of Noah who came out of the ship were Shem, Ham, and Japheth.  Ham was the father of Canaan.  These are the three sons of Noah; from these three the whole Earth was populated.

                Noah, a farmer, was the first to plant a vineyard.  He drank from its wine, got drunk and passed out, naked in his tent.  Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and told his two brothers who were outside the tent.  Shem and Japheth took a cloak, held it between them from their shoulders, walked backward and covered their father’s nakedness, keeping their faces turned away so they did not see their father’s exposed body.

                When Noah woke up with his hangover, he learned what his youngest son had done.  He said,

                                Cursed be Canaan!  A slave of slaves,

                                                a slave to his brothers!

                                Blessed be God, the God of Shem,

                                                but Canaan shall be his slave.

                                God bless Japheth,

                                                living spaciously in the tents of Shem.

                                But Canaan shall be his slave.

                Noah lives another 350 years following the flood.  He lived a total of 950 years.  And he died.  (Genesis 9:18-29)

Now read from the NIV translation of the same passage:

The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.)  These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the earth. 

Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard.  When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent.  Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness and told his two brothers outside.  But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father's nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father's nakedness. 

When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, he said,

"Cursed be Canaan!

The lowest of slaves

will he be to his brothers." 

He also said,

"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem!

May Canaan be the slave of Shem. 

May God extend the territory of Japheth;

may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,

and may Canaan be his slave." 

After the flood Noah lived 350 years.  Altogether, Noah lived 950 years, and then he died. (Genesis 9:18-29)

Again there is not a whole lot different between the two.  Most of the differences are wholly acceptable updates of older language.  But there are a few differences that would benefit from some more attention.  

First, I’m not sure that the Hebrew warrants the thought that Noah was the first to plant a vineyard.  There seems to be an even split between including this thought.  Interestingly enough, the NRSV includes this thought.  And the NRSV is known as a more literal word-for-word translation.  So I’ll let this one go.  

Another instance is when it talks about Noah being hung over from the wine.  Though it was undoubtedly true, I’m not certain that it is one for one with “awoke from his wine” in the NIV translation.  Even so, it’s nit-picking. 

What can be most troubling to me is the change in tone from the words of Noah about his sons from a may it be so to more of a prophetic tone.  But I find Peterson, once again, in line with the NRSV tone.  

The bottom line in this passage is not to allow being righteous and good to lull you into sleep.  Be vigilant and respecting of all people.  Or a fall from grace will come. 

Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out  

God Will Remember! Genesis 9:8-17

May the mumbling commence!

God will remember with a sign… a sign of the covenant… the rainbow.  No more universal floods!  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

            Then God spoke to Noah and his sons: “I’m setting up a covenant with you including your children who will come after you, along with everything alive around you – birds, farm animals, wild animals – that came out of the ship with you.  I’m setting up my covenant with you that never again will everything living be destroyed by floodwaters; no, never again will a flood destroy the Earth.”

            God continued, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and everything living around you and everyone living after you.  I’m putting my rainbow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant between me and the Earth.  From now on, when I form a cloud over the Earth and the rainbow appears in the cloud, I’ll remember my covenant between me and you and everything living, that never again will floodwaters destroy all life.  When the rainbow appears in the cloud, I’ll see it and remember the eternal covenant between God and everything living, every last creature on Earth.”

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I’ve set up between me and everything living on the Earth.” (Genesis 9:8-17)

Now read the same passage from the NIV:

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him:  "I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you  and with every living creature that was with you – the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you – every living creature on earth.  I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." 

And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.  Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.  Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." 

So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth." (Genesis 9:8-17)

There’s remarkable agreement between The Message and the NIV translation in this passage.  Any issues I take with this particular passage I would consider nit-picking.  For example Peterson talks of God “putting” the rainbow in the clouds rather than the “setting” in the NIV.  “Setting” has a more permanent fell to me.

The important thing is that God will remember.  It’s repeated again and again.  God will remember.  These words must have been a comfort to Noah and his family.  God will remember.  Do not live in fear of flood anymore.

That being said, I could see reason for fear as the Word of God is digested.  Right after the flood ended, God said never again will he destroy all life on earth.  Now God says: never again will I destroy all life by a flood.  Yikes!

It’s also essential to notice that all life  is included in this covenant – not just humanity.  It’s repeated again and again.  That’s important for us to remember!

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Time for Blessing and Responsibility. Genesis 9:1-7

May the mumbling commence!

It’s a time for blessing and responsibility… the flood is over.  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

God blessed Noah and  his sons: He said, “Prosper!  Reproduce!  Fill the Earth!  Every living creature – birds, animals, fish – will fall under your spell and be afraid of you.  You’re responsible for them.  All living creatures are yours for food; just as I gave you the plants, now I give you everything else.  Except for meat with its lifeblood still in it – don’t eat that.

But your own lifeblood I will avenge; I will avenge it against both animals and other humans.

            Whoever sheds human blood,

                        by humans let his blood be shed,

            Because God made humans in his image

                        reflecting God’s very nature.

            You’re here to bear fruit, reproduce,

                        lavish life on Earth, live abundantly!” (Genesis 9:1-7)

Now read it from the NIV:

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.  The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands.  Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. 

But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.  And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. 

Whoever sheds the blood of man,

by man shall his blood be shed;

for in the image of God

has God made man. 

As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it." (Genesis 9:1-7)

God’s blessing to Noah and his sons are multiple.  In this case, there is much congruence between the NIV and Peterson’s work.  But there are differences.

I like Peterson’s take on humanity being responsible for all creatures under the sun.  That concept gets at the heart, the Spirit, behind the words in the NIV – “they are given into your hands”.  I also like Peterson’s take on God avenging the killing of people.  It’s more to the point than “demanding an accounting”.  God avenges.  We must align ourselves to God’s will in this matter – even though some other person will shed the killer’s blood.

As I have said before, I like the replacing of man with “humans” that Peterson does. It gets to the true meaning of the Hebrew more clearly for our generation, where man is more generally considered gender specific.

There are, however, a couple of places that I take issue with Peterson’s work.  First, there is no reason or warrant fro the additional phrasing “will fall under your spell”.  What’s that supposed to mean?  Is humanity magical now?  It adds nothing to get at the heart , the Spirit, of the Word of God in this instance.

And, as I have said before, I struggle with Peterson’s phrasing for being made in the image of God – especially the second phrasing “reflecting God’s very nature”.  When we are perfectly righteous, godly, walking with God, that’s true.  But no one (other than Jesus) has accomplished that.

So let’s live into God’s will for our lives.  As Peterson rightly puts it – live life lavishly, live bountifully!

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out