> I would like to get a Hebrew expert's opinion on this. NIV says
>
> Genesis 1:20 (NIV) And God said, "Let the water teem with living
> creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the
> sky."
>
> The way this reads does not say that water created birds. Denis Lamoureaux
> are you out there?
Hi Glenn,
I'm still here, but spending most on my time on a paper dealing with
Sarah's seminal emission (Heb 11: 11) that I'll soon post to the
reflector.
Anyway, concerning your question. First, I must underline I am NOT a
"Hebrew expert." I went up to the PhD level in OT (Genesis 1-11), but
jumped over to theology in my first week. However, with the proper
grammatical tools (and lots of time) I can usually can grasp most
grammatical problems and come up with a solution most OT scholars would
deem reasonable.
Second, your question. You are right. There is a grammatical break
between the first part of the verse and the second. For that matter, it
is actually accentuated for the waw is attached to the noun "bird"
(usually the waw is attached to the verb at the start of the sentence,
in this case the order is reversed).
Thus, the waters (plural) do not "bring forth" birds. They seem to come
out of nowhere (ie, fiat creation, and not mediate creation). But in
actuality we both know where they come from--a reptilian line.
In Christ,
Denis
PS Still unclean, eh? ;-)
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Denis O. Lamoureux DDS PhD PhD (cand)
Department of Oral Biology Residence:
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University of Alberta 8515-112 Street
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E-mail: dlamoure@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca
"In all debates, let truth be thy aim, and endeavor to gain
rather than expose thy opponent."
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