Hi lain, you wrote:
Thanks for the explanation of
the meaning of the Hebrew. It would be good if it were possible to have a
translation into English that conveys the meaning you
intend.
Christians tend to read Genesis in a vacuum of extra-biblical
information, and where discrepancies seem to exist, they try to beat the
world into submission. This is the prime source of conflict and
YECs do it flagrantly.
I think the scope and timing of the flood is easier to comprehend when
viewed as a (quite likely) historical event described in similar fashion
in related ancient manuscripts. The literature includes in order of
writing, Ziusudra, Atrahasis, the 11th tablet of Gilgamesh and Genesis
6-9. Genesis has the added value of being incorporated in sacred
Scripture, but that does not alter the fact that earlier texts existed
and the writer of Genesis probably had access to these accounts, or at
least accessed the oral tradition from which all the accounts were
derived.
Since all the Mesopotamian accounts describe a local, Mesopotamian event
that occurred around 2900 BC, you can bet that Genesis is also describing
a local, Mesopotamian event that occurred around 2900 BC. Plus the
flood was written about long after. Berossus described the flood in his
history of Babylon written about 200 BC. King Ashurbanipal (668-626
BC) wrote, “I study stone inscriptions from before the flood, which are
obtuse, obscure and confused.” Peter speaks of the flood in the New
Testament. So we have every reason to believe the flood was
historical (and local, and Mesopotamian).
The following excerpts are from flood texts listed in order of writing
from Ziusudra (in Sumerian), Atrahasis (in Accadian), the eleventh tablet
of Gilgamesh (written in four languages), and Genesis 6-9 (written in
Hebrew).
"when their
heart led the great gods to produce the
flood." Gilgamesh
"every imagination of the thoughts of his
heart was only
evil." Genesis 6:5
"The great
gods decided to make a flood" Gilgamesh
XI,14
"
God ... decided to make an end of all flesh" Genesis
6:13
"Enki...over the capitals the storm will sweep" Ziusudra iv,
156
"He [Enki] told him of the coming of the
flood"
Atrahasis III,i,37
"God said to Noah ...I will bring a
flood" Genesis
6:13,17
"...the huge boat" Ziusudra v,207
"Build a ship" Atrahasis III,i,22
"Build a ship" Gilgamesh XI,24
"Make yourself an ark" Genesis 6:14
"who protected the
seed of mankind" Ziusudra vi,259
"Bring into the ship the
seed of all life" Gilgamesh
XI,27
"to keep their
seed alive" Genesis 7:3
"Draw a design of it on the ground." Atrahasis
"The ship that thou shalt build" Gilgamesh XI
"And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of ..."
Genesis 6:15
"Ten dozen
cubits the height of each of her walls"
Gilgamesh XI
"... three hundred
cubits, the breadth of it fifty
cubits" Genesis 6:15
"Like the apsu you shall
roof it" Atrahasis 111j,29
"Like the apsu you shall
roof it" Gilgamesh XI,31
"Make a
roof for the ark" Genesis 6:16
"coming of the flood on the
seventh night"
Atrahasis,lll,i,37
"after
seven days the waters of the flood came" Genesis
7:10
"
pitch I poured into the inside" Gilgamesh XI,66
"cover it inside and out with
pitch" Genesis 6:14
"some people scrape
pitch off the boat"
Berossus
"your family, your relatives" Atrahasis DT,42(w),8
"he sent his family on board" Atrahasis III,ii,42
"into the ship all my family and relatives" Gilgamesh
XI,84
"Go into the ark, you and all your household" Genesis
7:1
"
animals which emerge from the earth" Ziusudra
vi,253
"all the wild creatures of the steppe" Atrahasis
DT,42(w),9
"The cattle of the field, the beast of the plain" Gilgamesh
XI,85
"clean
animals and of animals
that are not clean"
Genesis 7:8
"
Enter the boat and close the boat's door" Atrahasis
DT,42(w),6
"I
entered the boat and closed the door' Gilgamesh XI,93
"And they that
entered ... and the Lord shut him in"
Genesis 7:16
"the storm had swept ... for
seven days and seven
nights" Ziusudra
"For
seven days and seven nights came the storm"
Atrahasis III,iv,24
"after
seven days the waters of the flood came" -
Genesis 7:10
"Below the
fountain of the deep was
stopped"
Atrahasis
"The
fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven
were
stopped"
Genesis 8:2
"Ziusudra made an
opening in the large boat" Ziusudra
vi,207
"I
opened the window" Gilgamesh XI,135
"Noah
opened the window of the ark" Genesis 8:6
"The
dove went out and returned" Gilgamesh XI,147
"sent forth the dove and the
dove came back to him"
Genesis 8:10
"Then I
sent forth and set free
a raven"
Gilgamesh XI
"And he
sent forth a raven" Genesis 8:7
"The king slaughtered ... bulls and sheep" Ziusudra vi,211
"He
offered [a sacrifice]" Atrahasis III,v,31
"And
offered a sacrifice" Gilgamesh XI,155
"
offered burnt offerings on the altar" Genesis
8:20
"[The gods
smelled] the savor' Atrahasis III,v,34
"The gods
smelled the sweet savor" Gilgamesh XI,160
"And the Lord
smelled the sweet savor..." Genesis
8:21
"That I may
remember it [every] day" Atrahasis
III,vi,4
"I shall
remember these days and never forget" Gilgamesh
XI,165
"I shall
remember my covenant ...I may remember' Genesis
9:15-16
"he touched our foreheads to
bless us" Gilgamesh
XI,192
"And God
blessed Noah" Genesis 9:1
Dick Fischer -
Genesis Proclaimed Association
Finding Harmony in Bible, Science, and History
www.genesisproclaimed.org
Received on Mon Apr 11 14:42:26 2005