Hebrew Heritage Learning Center

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1 April - June 2011, Issue #009 Hebrew Heritage Learning Center Online Magazine For April, May, and June, we will be discussing whether the Flood could have been avoided or not, and also the patriarch Methuselah (Methushelahh), the man who lived the longest. Finally, the Hebrew vocabulary will continue into verse 2 of Genesis chapter one. What does the text mean when it says that the earth was formless and empty? David D. Mahoney Contents of this Issue 1. Monthly Topic: Was the Flood Inevitable? 2. Patriarch Biography: Methuselah (Methushelahh) 3. Short Hebrew Lesson: Vocabulary of Genesis 1 cont. 4. Products 5. Bibliography Copyright 2011 David D. Mahoney, Hebrew Heritage Learning Center You are encouraged to use and distribute any information in this magazine, but only for non-profit purposes. This copyright statement must accompany the material. Thank You!

2 1. Monthly Topic: Was the Flood Inevitable? Theologians from many religious beliefs and traditions have struggled with the question of fate and free will. How much of what happens in the world simply happens because it was preordained and how much is a result of human will or chance? Some take the position that everything happens according to providence; fate dictates all. Others, on the other hand, allow no room for providence, but assign all occurrences to human will and actions. The traditional Jewish view is somewhat of a combination of these two extremes; all incidents cannot be assigned to either providence or human control, instead they are an intimate combination of both. The Flood, as it is described in the Hebrew Bible, is a significant turning point in the biblical narrative. For secular people, it represents an act of divine carnage; for religious people, an act of divine mercy. These opposing views illustrate the importance of the Flood for theological and biblical literacy. If God is omniscient (all knowing) then he must have created life on earth knowing that he would eventually be compelled to destroy it. If, however, Genesis 6:6, which states that God was sorry he made mankind, is to be taken literally then he must not be omniscient. If God is not omniscient, then he is not the God most people believe in. Theologians have justified reasons for maintaining that the Creator is omniscient, even though passages such as Genesis 6:6 appear to contradict this assertion. The prophet Ezekiel explains the mind of God: Say to them: "As I live,' says the Lord GOD, "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?' Ezekiel 33:11, NKJV The point is that simply because God was grieved that he had created mankind does not mean that he didn t know they would become corrupt. For example, someone may send their favorite dog out to save a human life from a rabid animal knowing that the dog will get rabies, and that he will have to kill it afterward. When the person kills his infected dog, he knew he would have to do it, but he will surely feel sorry and grieved at having to do it. Besides this, there are other explanations of this passage. The Bible is filled with poetic and symbolic language. It would be careless and simple to take everything stated at face value. To understand the meaning of biblical passages, the language and traditions must be accounted for. A biblical student, whether religious or not, should be interested in discovering the intentions of the writers and preservers of the text. If it is inspired of God, understanding this will only illuminate that inspiration. Since the Hebrew Bible prohibits the creation of an image of the Creator, it has been traditionally understood that God does not have a human physical form; he is not corporeal. Therefore when the Bible describes the hands of God, or the wind (Spirit) of God, it does so idiomatically. There is no reason to doubt this theological assertion given the concrete nature of the Hebrew language. Likewise, describing God as being remorseful or sorry should not be taken as an exact comparison of the human emotions. Because it is written to humans, it must be written in terms humans can understand. Furthermore, that God can be taken to be omniscient from the biblical text does not necessarily indicate that the Flood was inevitable. There are two traditions within Judaism about the 120 years of Genesis 6:3. Some say it means that the lifespan of humans would gradually decrease until 120 years would be the maximum because at that time humans lived many centuries (this is the most popular interpretation). While it is true that the human lifespan decreased, there is another more likely explanation. Other commentators say that the warning to Noah about the Flood came exactly 120 years before the Flood; thus the 120 years was a grace period to give the human population time to repent. If this is true, then it proves that the Flood was not set in stone; it was dependant upon the human will to repent from their wickedness. The story of the Flood, then, is the story of their failure.

3 2. Patriarch Biography: Methuselah (Methushelahh) Methuselah is most well known for being the longest living person recorded in the Bible, finally dying at 969 years of age. He was the son of the famous Enoch who was taken by God before his death. According to Jewish tradition and the Book of Jasher, Methuselah and his grandson Noah preached to the inhabitants of the earth, warning them of the impending Flood because of their wickedness. His name in Hebrew, מ ת וש ל ח Methushelahh, could have more than one meaning. Some will say that it means man with a mission, or man with a javelin. Others, however, will say that it means his death brings It could mean either, but I prefer the latter. Since in the tradition Methuselah is active in warning the people about the coming destruction because of their wickedness, it stands to reason that his name would indicate when it would happen. If one calculates the ages of the patriarchs leading up to the Flood, one will find that Methuselah dies the year of the Flood. Genesis actually says that seven days passed before the rains began. According to the Jewish Midrash Seder Olam the seven days was a period of mourning for Methuselah. When the mourning was over the Flood came. So the death of Methuselah was the sign that the grace period was over and that it was time for judgment.

4 3. Short Hebrew Lesson: Vocabulary of Genesis 1 cont. In this issue s Hebrew lesson, we will continue with learning more vocabulary from Genesis chapter one. Make sure you know the alphabet and vowel points well, so that you will pronounce each word without much trouble. This way you can focus on learning the meaning of the words. Remember, Hebrew is read from right to left. New Vocabulary for Genesis 1:2 Hebrew Word Transliteration Meaning ה י ת ה Haytah (feminine) it became ת ה ו Tohu formless ב ה ו Vohu empty ח ש ך Hhoshech darkness ע ל Ol (deep o) upon פ נ י Panay face(s) of ת הו ם Tehum deep ר ו ח Ruahh wind (spirit) מ ר ח פ ת Marahhephet brooding מ י ם Mayim water(s) Genesis 1:2 ו ה אר ץ ה י ת ה ת ה ו ו ב ה ו ו ח ש ך ע ל פ נ י ת ה ום ו ר וח א לה ים מ ר ח פ ת ע ל פ נ י ה מ י ם Translation (commas are for separating Hebrew words; read each section starting from the right): the waters, faces of, upon, brooding, God, and spirit, deep, faces of, upon, and darkness, and empty, formless, became, and the earth If we rearrange these words so that they can be read clearly in English, Genesis 1:2 states: And the earth (land) became formless and void, and darkness was upon faces of deep and wind (spirit) of God was brooding upon faces of the waters. The word ה י ת ה haytah is the feminine form for the idea of becoming, transpiring, and so forth (the masculine form being ה י ה hayah). It is feminine because the Hebrew word for earth, was, arets, is also feminine. Some translations will translate this word in this passage as אר ץ but this is a rather weak translation; it literally means the earth became formless and void. This may imply that God did not begin making everything by starting with the earth in that condition. Rather, it could indicate that the earth existed far longer than the dates given in the genealogies. In this case, Genesis 1 could be a description of God s restoration of the earth instead of its creation. The genealogies, therefore, could merely give the time frame that mankind has been on earth.

5 4. Products The New Testament Reference Guide of Requirements, Parables & Renowned Persons carefully documents the essential teachings of the New Testament and the major players and books of the earliest centuries of Church history. ISBN: The Torah Concordance: A Reference Guide for Biblical Law is indispensable for studying the commandments of the Old Testament. It contains a catalog of all commands put upon the people of Israel in the first five books of the Bible. For ease of use, the laws have been arranged under relevant categories and subheadings, complete with biblical references. ISBN: The Chronology of the Hebrew Bible Charts, gloss printed on 17x11 inch poster stock, detail each successive period of the Old Testament in chronological order, with dates indicating the year from creation. They can be purchased as a set or individually. For more information on these products or to purchase, please visit the Hebrew Heritage Learning Center website:

6 5. Bibliography BIBLE VERSIONS AND COMENTARY The Holy Bible. New King James Version. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, The Holy Bible. King James Version. The New American Bible. New York: Catholic Book Publishing Co., The Stone Edition Tanach. Brooklyn, NY: Mesorah Publications, 1996, Bullinger, E.W. The Companion Bible. Hertz, Dr. J.H. The Pentateuch and Haftorahs. London: Soncino Press, The Stone Edition Chumash. Brooklyn, NY: Mesorah Publications, 1998, REFERENCE MATERIAL Strong, James. The New Strong s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Wigram, George V. The Englishman s Hebrew Concordance of the Old Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, (1843) Green, Jay P. Sr. The Interlinear Bible, 4 volumes. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, The BDB Hebrew and English Lexicon. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Holladay, William L. A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, Benner, Jeff A. Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible. College Station TX: Virtualbookworm.com Publishing, The Oxford Pocket Dictionary and Thesaurus. New York: Oxford University Press, The Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Price, Simon; and Kearns, Emily (Editors). The Oxford Dictionary of Classical Myth & Religion. New York: Oxford University Press, SOURCES FOR HEBREW LANGUAGE EDUCATION Dobson, John H. Learn Biblical Hebrew. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1999, Fuller, Russell T. Invitation to Biblical Hebrew: A Beginning Grammar. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, Kelley, Page H. Biblical Hebrew: An Introductory Grammar. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, Simon, Ethelyn; Resnikoff, Irene; and Motzkin, Linda. The First Hebrew Primer (Third Edition). Oakland, CA: EKS Publishing Co., Arnold, Bill T. & Choi, John H. A Guide to Biblical Hebrew Syntax. New York: Cambridge University Press, BIBLICAL TRANSMISSION AND TRANSLATION Lightfoot, Neil R. How We Got the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, Comfort, Philip W. Essential Guide to Bible Versions. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, Dewey, David. A User s Guide to Bible Translations. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, Vance, Laurence M. A Brief History of English Bible Translations. Pensacola, FL: Sysling, Harry (Executive Editor). MIKRA: Text, Translation, Reading & Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible in Ancient Judaism & Early Christianity. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1988, RESEARCH AND SOURCE MATERIAL The Book of Jasher. Muskogee, OK: Artisan, (A reprint of the J.H. Parry publication, Originally translated from the Hebrew, 1840.) Guggenheimer, Heinrich W. Seder Olam: The Rabbinic View of Biblical Chronology. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, Midrash Seder Olam. A Photostatic Reproduction of Ber Ratner s edition of the text, notes and introduction. Brooklyn, NY: Moznaim Publishing Corporation. Gardiner, Alan. The Egyptians. London: The Folio Society (Oxford University Press 1961), Translated by William Whiston. The Works of Josephus. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1987.