RE: Firmament and the Water above was [asa] Re: Slug

Hi Phil, you wrote:
 
>>Perhaps the strongest argument is the mist that rises from the ground
to water the whole earth in Gen.2. Mark Futato has argued very
persuasively in his papers in the Westminster Theological Journal that
this is a reference to the beginnings of normal rain .<<
 
The Septuagint says a "fountain" rose up which is a direct reference to
irrigation. The "fountains of the deep" refers to the irrigation works
in Sumer that were overflowed at the time of the flood. The Hebrew word
for "deep" can mean the sea, it can refer to subterranean waters, or it
can mean the depths of a river. In the Atrahasis epic, the phrases
"fountains of the deep" or "fountain of the deep" appear four times. In
all instances, fountain(s) pertain to "fields," as in this example:
 

            Below the fountain of the deep was stopped, that the
flood rose not at the source].
            The field diminished [its fertility].
 
From the consistency in usage, we can see these were canals or levies
used for irrigation. In the Gilgamesh account, Ninurta was the "lord of
the wells and irrigation works." Mark may argue "persuasively," but he
hasn't a clue about ANE literature. You have to know where to look.
 
Dick Fischer
Dick Fischer, Genesis Proclaimed Association
Finding Harmony in Bible, Science, and History
 <http://www.genesisproclaimed.org> www.genesisproclaimed.org
 

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Received on Sat, 17 Jun 2006 23:17:24 -0400