Parashat Noach

Noach means "rest" or "quietness". He dwelt in shalom rather than fear, despite all the evil around him.

Noach, a righteous man, had remained without blemish in his generation. Noach walked with [the] Elohim.

Without blemish: complete, perfect, unimpaired, a person of integrity, or fully developed and mature. This is why he found favor with YHWH. Yaaqov is called the same (25:27), and David made this claim (2 Shmu’el 22:24ff), because he kept from his iniquity—the particular idiosyncracies of his own evil inclination, and when he realized he had slipped into it, he repented. He said he was repaid for his own righteousness; he did not expect to be paid for someone else’s. It is walking in YHWH’s word that makes us complete. (22:31) YHWH told Avraham to walk this way before Him. (17:1) But in the context of the possible attempt by evil spirits to pollute the human gene pool and so prevent a truly human Messiah from being born to break the curse Adam had brought on his race, this being “without blemish” may mean Noach was one of only a few left who were completely human in pedigree, explaining why Elohim had to go to such an extreme measure to preserve the pure human stock. The root word for "generation" is "cycle" or "revolution", and this suggests that Noach was in tune with YHWH's calendar, in which lies the story of Yahshua and a proper understanding of who he is. Having walked in these cycles for 600 years, he would have come to a high degree of maturity. Walked with the Elohim: Just what Adam had done before he sinned, and what Hanokh had done. In the account of Noach, we see the repetition of many aspects of creation.

Shem means "name" or "reputation"; Cham means "hot", and Yefeth means "opened up" or "made spacious".

Corrupt: ruined, marred, spoiled, decaying; hints at sexually-transmitted disease. Violence: malice, cruelty, or injustice. The Hebrew word is familiar due to a terrorist group that bears its name: hamas. Compare Kanaan just before Israel came to put an end to its defilement (Lev. 18:25) We could certainly read here a prophecy that the “land [of Israel] was filled with Hamas” right before YHWH again brings about an end to the age, as this may be the last straw needed to bring about the collapse of the “Israel” that continues to compromise with its enemies.

The way that seemed right to them ended in death. (Prov. 16:25)

Literally, "The end of all flesh has come before Me". It penetrated all the heavenly realms, just as Hevel's blood, the outcry of S'dom and Ghamorah (ch. 18), and Cornelius' almsgiving (Acts/Envoys 10) did. Flesh: everything mortal. Rabbinic commentary points out that the phrase “Through them the earth is filled with violence” has the same numeric value in Hebrew as the term for incest (galuy drayoth), giving us another clue to what may have been going on in verse 4, since both “sons of Elohim” and “sons of Adam” have proven to be able to refer to the line that was supposed to remain holy; i.e., some of them may have been noticing the beauty of their own daughters! Destroy: the same word as "corrupt" in the previous two verses. I.e., some had spoiled His earth, so He would ruin them. The same thought is seen again in YHWH's coming judgment. (Rev. 11:18)

Ark: a box or chest that can float. The only other place the term is used in Scripture is in reference to the box used to keep Moshe afloat on the Nile. (Ex. 2:3) Gofer wood: based on a word meaning "arched" like the human back, and for this reason the word for “body” shares the same root. This may refer to the arched “ribs” that have formed the “skeletons” for wooden ships throughout history. Cages: cells, rooms, or nesting places, suggesting that the animals settled in to hibernate so they would not be restless during the long voyage. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan says there were 150 compartments on the left, 36 in its breadtyh, and 10 cabins in the middle in which food could be stored, with five reservoirs on the left and five on the right. It had three levels. On one level, according to a rabbinic teaching, these “nesting places” symbolize preparing separate spaces within ourselves for all the different parts of ourselves that must coexist but are not compatible with one another, just as predators would not have been placed right next to their natural prey in the ark, and competitors for the same food would not be in the same cage. As we saw in verses 2-4, there is room for differing views of the same Scriptures as long as the resulting application is the same. We must prepare for whichever is right, and on different levels all of them may be. The Greek mind has only one large hull within which everything that is inside must fit together. Christianity excludes what seems incompatible, but must cut out parts of the Torah to do so. A Hebraic mind frees us from having to do this, for it accommodates both judgment and mercy, love and hate. All aspects of the Torah must have a place within us, so we must make room for them all until we see in retrospect, in the Kingdom, how they all fit together. Until then, we may have to keep them separate, which requires great maturity. When YHWH takes inventory, we cannot be lacking in any of them. Tarring the inside with pitch would keep animal urine from seeping into the wood, which would not only create a horrendous stench, but would also cause the wood to decay before the year-long rideout was over. "Cover" is the same as the word translated elsewhere as "atone", “redeem”, or “ransom”. (Ex. 21:30; 30:2; Num. 35:31; Prov. 21:18; Yeshayahu/ Isa. 43:3) I.e., the price of a life, sometimes described in terms of YHWH sacrificing the wicked to preserve the righteous, which is exactly what He did here. The sealant outside the ark kept the wrath of Elohim from touching those inside it, just as the Messiah's shed blood "seals us for the Day of Redemption", Efesians 4:30. This ark was insulated on both sides, symbolizing the fact that the influence of the righteous could no longer flow outward after YHWH shut the door; the ark of the covenant (a different term in Hebrew) was also covered inside and outside with gold, showing that how we think and how we act must match. Don’t do outwardly what you are withholding in your heart. Granted, it takes a process of training our evil inclination to come under discipline before we can grow into this fuilly, but it is a measure of our maturity to ask, “Am I obeying just because I have to or because I love to?”

The only occupation we are told about elsewhere in his life is growing crcops. The dimensions are approximately137x23x14 meters or 450x75x45 feet, which has been proven in simulated tests to be the most stable proportion possible, enabling the "ship" to right itself even if thrust upward perpendicular to the water by the massive tidal action that took place—or if capsized! Only in about the past century have ocean liners exceeded this size. The Queen Elizabeth II has a very similar ratio, but is nearly twice as big as the ark. It had no rudder and no oars. It was not designed to navigate, but only to ride out the storm upon the currents it created. Noakh had to build it precisely according to the instructions YHWH gave, but he would not be allowed to drive it! YHWH knew where and how it needed to land, and Noakh had to trust Him. We, too, are being called to make preparations for the coming days, and what He calls us to do may not seem to make sense, and will certainly not be the way we are used to doing things, but if we do what He says, all will be ready for any eventuality He brings. He could not relax until the ark was complete, but once it was, he had to leave the results to Him. YHWH would get him to “the other side”—not by might, not by power, but by His Spirit. (Zkh. 4:6; see also note on verse 22 below.)

Noakh had to make sure the flocks he was caring for had light. The "skylight" [tzohar] is usually the word for "noonday", and by extension means "brightness"; the root meaning is "to press the oil out". A Jewish mystical book by the same title suggests that "prism" might be the best understanding, as its main theme is light reflected and refracted from an outside source. This also correlates with the last sentence, for this mysticism includes four levels, with the top level being the one from which light comes down to the others. These levels could correlate with the three commonly-recognized categories of Israel in general, Levites, and cohanim (priests), since in a condemned world only those who attach themselves to Israel, YHWH's "counter-history", can be redeemed from His judgment. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan calls it a “gem from Pishon”. Elsewhere tzohar has been translated as a gleaming, splendid, self-illuminating, transparent crystal--which would indicate a very high level of technology before the Deluge. And why not, with long lives, no inclement weather to use up time and energy, and a common language. But these advantages also gave opportunity for occult knowledge to spread, so Elohim cut it off. In the Septuagint, the second phrase reads, "narrow the ark in making it, and in a cubit above...finish it" Those who claim to have seen the ark on a mountain in Armenia identified as Ararat describe it as nearly rectangular, having a slightly-sloping roof with a separately-roofed row of windows several cubits wide extending a cubit above the peak, the entire length of the ark. This could have provided a source of light for the prism-like "lamp" to refract.

Deluge: from the word for "to bear along" or "conduct", which it would do for the ark, while it destroyed everything outside. The events of the next judgment will bear up those who enter YHWH's "ark of shelter" and go with its flow, while those who resist it can only go down with the system that has to be removed.

"I will establish My covenant with you": the same phrase by which Elohim marks those whom He has selected to continue the Messianic ancestry--see 17:4, 21; Lev. 26:42; 2 Chron. 21:7. Note the similarity of the second sentence with Yeshayahu 26:20: "Come, My people, enter your chambers and shut the door around you; withdraw yourself for a short moment until the indignation has passed by." This is a reference to the "secret place of the Most High" (Psalm 91) that will be provided during "Yaaqov's trouble" (Yirmeyahu 30:7), a.k.a. the "Great Tribulation".

An ancient Jewish tradition said that an angel would catch them and bring them all to him. He had to keep them alive so that after the Deluge there could be a “new creation”.

Two cats or two dogs, etc., with all their potential for variation would have been all that was necessary as representatives. However, there was also plenty of room to hold young dinosaurs, a few of which survived under the new climatic conditions.

Did some inedible speciesof plants become extinct in the process?

In keeping all these animals, he may have had to do something he was unfamiliar with. Certainly building a ship so large was not a common thing in his day, when there was only one continent and rivers may have been the only water people had to navigate on. But salvation was brought to him when he did. Avraham was one who stood against sacrificing one’s own children, yet to stretch him beyond “status quo”, YHWH asked him to do just that. (ch. 22) In growing into a responsibility he might not think he should be held accountable for, he became a truly faithful servant, not just a decent one. To get all the flocks past the coming judgment, we must do so as well.

CHAPTER 7

Noakh did what was right to do in that season. Some claim there are two accounts spliced together, one showing YHWH as merciful to Noach, and one emphasizing only Elohim’s judgment. This theory arose because YHWH’s balance does not make sense to men’s natural minds. But both are magnified in this single account. He responded both to man’s wickedness and to Noach’s righteousness. He was a rebel against the ways of wickedness that surrounded him, and was busy doing what those around him had no understanding of at all. The Kingdom we are building also looks useless to those around us, because it is certainly not about getting rich! He had very different priorities than those around him, yet he did not do it in secret; he was a light to the world. Yet neither did he do it to be seen. This is not a contradiction. Yahshua says we should practice Torah where men can see we are different so they will give more authority to YHWH (maybe even reading His Word for what it actually says, but when we bless one another with unselfish acts of charity, the world does not need to know about it, for they would praise us simply for doing the minimum expected of us, since no one else does even that. We are not doing it for the blessing, but simply for the sake of those who need it. This generation: 2 Kefa/Peter 3:5 tells more about the pre-flood earth.

Male and his female: in this verse alone, it actually reads "a man and his wife". Noach knew, long before the Torah was given, which animals were appropriate for sacrifice, if not for eating, though eating meat was not overtly permitted until after the Deluge. "Not clean": does not use the typical word for "defiled" or "unclean", but simply the negated form of "ritually pure". More of the clean animals would be needed both for drawing-near offerings and for meat, but to avoid the same type of defilement from spreading so quickly again, He tipped the balance more in favor of the creatures that would not defile.

Birds would carry seeds of plants as well, especially if, as some think, the animals hibernated during the deluge. This also symbolizes that the heavenly things should have a much higher representation in us than the earthly. Most birds may be eaten, and thus this is also an extension of the command in verse 2. But notice that it takes more of the clean things to keep enough of their offspring alive, for like Hevel, they are often consumed by the unclean. But as pictured here, community is granted to the clean so they can guard each other. Ritual purity is a picture of unselfishness, but how can one remain selfless if there is no community in which to work it out? When something ritually clean touches something defiled, it too becomes defiled, but not the other way around. But this does not specify that it is only the clean birds; more of the unclean birds might also be needed in order to eat the corpses of all the other men and animals that would be destroyed.

By tradition, this extra seven days was granted so that the proper time of mourning for Methushalach could be observed before judgment came. He was the son of one completely consumed by his walk with YHWH, and Methushalakh followed his example, so as long as he remained alive there was enough righteousness on earth to merit the preservation of all life. Adam allowed his evil side to receive the heavier weight. Men were doing whatever suited their tastes, and now there was too much intimacy with evil for the world to survive; it needed to be washed clean. We are only told that certain members of Sheth’s line walked with Elohim; this is said of no one in Qayin’s line; they were about their own business, not “the family business”. Because men did not fulfill their responsibility to be the guardian and cover for the animals, and other beings had to die because of the wrongness of man. Today species are rapidly dropping into extinction because man seeks his own way in the earth. The Midrash says the problem was that men had figured out too much. They had invented much technology, as well as numerous forms of entertainment—dance, music, even camping. We are commanded to do all of these unto YHWH, but they did it for self, so they would not have to toil with the tilling of the soil. They had too much wealth and too much leisure, so they began looking for new ways to get their “kicks”. Some of them waited hundreds of years to have children. Did they “sow their wild oats” and put off growing up and being tied down? They multiplied ways to stay amused instead of being fruitful. We, too, will multiply wickedness if what we put our time into is not for the sake of building the Kingdom. Let us not wait to make Israel fruitful on every level. Yahshua said that the coming of the Ben Adam would be like in Noach’s day—men would still go on having weddings and parties even as the rain begins to fall. (Mat. 24:37ff) They were not paying attention to the signs of what YHWH was doing in the earth. Consider how quickly people go back to sleep after a hurricane, tsunami, or planes crashing into skyscrapers wakes them up to the birthpangs that are going on—as if the status quo would go on forever. A great amount of obedience to YHWH’s instruction can restore the world, not just preserve it. This stresses how important it is to train our children to walk with YHWH. Their righteousness may be the pebble that balances the scale and prevents it from dumping. Just doing the right things is being a mediocre servant, Yahshua says; we must go above and beyond what is merely reasonable. As at S’dom, judgment was withheld until one righteous man’s covering was out of the way. Five years prior to this, another righteous man, Noach’s father, had died, and it seems that this is when the wickedness began to get out of hand. Now another was gone, and Noach alone was left. He is not enough to hold back the coming of the flood. We do not know how many righteous men YHWH needs on the earth in order to withhold His judgment today, but we do know that it must come when the cup of iniquity is filled up. (15:16) His judgment on the Church has been withheld because there have been many righteous there for centuries, but now He is calling them out of it, so its day of reckoning is coming. The covering does not come from resting on a denomination’s laurels, but in being righteous now. Too much more light has come in the past few years for what was counted righteous fifty years ago to be enough. While 2 Keyfa 2:5 says Noach did preach righteousness, we have no indication that he asked YHWH to relent, as Avraham did—a righteous thing in his generation, but apparently it was too obvious to Noach that there were not enough righteous for the earth to be spared, so he just kept preparing. Destruction has been prophesied again, but if men today will be like the men of Nin’veh in Yonah’s day, who knows? YHWH may relent. A little more righteousness may be all it takes; if nothing changes, judgment is guaranteed. Does that seem too heavy a responsibility? YHWH says the Torah is not too hard for us. Literally "seven days again"; this could also indicate that there is a prophetic level of interpretation, perhaps corresponding with the 70th week of Daniel. The ark was already completed by this time. The Aramaic targum Pseudo-Jonathan renders it, “I will give them an extension of seven days; if they repent, it shall be forgiven them, but if they do not, after a further period of seven days, I will cause a downpour…” Some things in the Hebrew text do seem to support the possibility that there were two periods of seven days, e.g., if we compare verses 7 and 10.

He acted without hesitating and without needing to know more details; YHWH did not give him the timetable (v. 4) until he had completed the assignment he had already been given. There is a kind of strength that comes from questioning, but in this season it was not profitable; there is a time to speak, and a time to keep silent. He did not have the Torah as such; all he had was a word from YHWH. Not even a messenger! His relationship with Him led him to fear not having His presence any longer. Contrast Yonah, who still ended up carrying out YHWH’s command, but only after much pain and disgrace.

11:10 tells us that his sons were 98 years old at this time.

[Year 1656 / 2344 BCE; date corroborated by the historian Josephus.]

7. And Noach, along with his sons and his wife and his sons' wives, came into the ark because of the presence of the waters of the deluge.

Even the righteous apparently waited until it was already beginning to rain to enter the ark, just as Israel waited until Pharaoh drove us out before leaving Egypt. In both cases, though, they were prepared in advance to go immediately, and that made all the difference. They prepared by gathering together. If we find reasons to put off doing what YHWH is calling us to, we will also be “rained on” to some extent, but the crucial thing is to begin gathering for the exodus back to the Land that YHWH has told us is coming. We need to respond quickly and not take the margins YHWH gives us as excuses to delay and walk in at the last minute. Remember the five virgins. We have already reached—and passed—the 6,000th year of earth’s history; the rabbis have already declared that we are in the time of Yaaqov’s trouble, and we are not organized for the Kingdom. We do not have the luxury of dragging our feet, for we are behind schedule, and the door will not be open forever. His command should be enough reason to move quickly.

9. they came inside the ark to Noach, two by two, the male and the female [of each], as Elohim had commanded Noach.

Even those of which there were seven pairs came two by two. Animals often seem to have an instinctive sense that a natural disaster is coming; it may be due to a keener ability to sense seismic foreshocks related to the breaking up of the underground pockets of water (v . 10).

11. In the 600th year of Noach's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on this particular day, all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of the sky were thrown open.

The "deep" is considered the abode of demons, and the heavens, of angels. There was certainly a spiritual battle going on here as well, and the atoning covering of tar symbolically protected men from the fury of both. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan even says the sons of the giants placed their children into the springs of the abyss to try to plug it up! The 17th of the second month: in the late autumn, possibly on the day on which many cultures celebrate death even today. Windows of the sky: the vapor canopy above the atmosphere until that time (see note on 1:7) collapsed, probably dumping huge torrents of rain, far more than could fall from rainclouds as the earth is today, and causing the flash-freezing seen in the remains of mammoths with undigested food still in their stomachs when thawed out of the permafrost by flash floods during many springtimes. Joseph Dillow has presented a detailed scientific study of how so much water could have been stored above the atmosphere for about 1,600 years, using only the principles known to modern physics in The Waters Above: Earth's Pre-Flood Vapor Canopy (Chicago: Moody Press, 1981).

Thus the rain ended on the 26th or 27th day of the third month. It is important to have rain in season—not right after the seeds be planted, lest they wash away, or during harvest. This rain was meant to make the ground less difficult to farm. (5:29) It was not intended to destroy, and if men had repented, these rains might have only made their crops grow better. Yet no one thanked YHWH for the rain, so it ended up being destructive. Men could have received an immersion of repentance, but what they did determined that the outcome would be their drowning. What looked like total destruction could have been blessing; it all depends on whether we let YHWH correct us. In contrast, the Jews have been persecuted awfully for thousands of years, yet they have refused to stop walking in Torah, and thus even the Holocaust turned out to open the door to return to the Land, because enough learned to thank YHWH for His chastening, and respond to it. Where are the other ancient peoples we read about? Either they have been greatly decimated to the poorest of nations, or they have ceased to exist as the same groupings that one were mighty. Ordinary rain would not be nearly enough to inundate the whole earth, so some conclude that the flood must have only been localized. But well over 200 cultures worldwide have been found to have preserved accounts of such a Deluge, so it seems to have affected the ancestry of everyone alive today. Add to the rain the subterranean pockets of water ("reserved" for this need, 2 Kefa/Peter 3:5-7) and the waters "waiting in the heavens” provided much more water that may have been animated by the massive gravitational force of a passing comet that was thrown off its course by this near-brush with earth and became what is now the first planet. This would have caused not only massive tidal waves on the surface, causing the entire surface of the earth to at least be inundated if not under water the entire time, but also crustal tides of magma beneath the earth's surface which broke forth in unimaginable volcanicand seismic activity. According to Patten, Hatch, and Steinhauer, two great intersecting arcs of mountain uplift suggest that there were two flybys, about 4½ months apart by biblical data. Mountains probably did not exceed 3,000 meters before that time. But with earth's crust weighing heavily on this cushion of water pockets, even a slight fissure in the delicate balance could spread around what apparently was a single continent within two hours, shooting water high into the atmosphere with the force of 10,000 hydrogen bombs. This and/or a pole shift due to the passing body's gravitation, would cause immediate climatic change--an instant ice age--explaining the freezing of millions of Mammoths in Siberia and Alaska, found with skin and hair intact and undigested food in their stomachs. (Compare 8:22) Rapid erosion of the crust along the new fault would lay down wave upon wave of sediment, leaving many fossils. The gap created at the "seams" would allow magma to form the mid-oceanic ranges, and causing the newly-formed crustal plates to slide over the molten material beneath at up to 70 km. per hour until they collided, buckling upward to form higher mountain ranges and downward to form oceanic trenches that parallel them, allowing the water to run off. The continental drift, however, may have taken place later (see 10:25). Forty days and nights: The number 40 in Scripture always speaks of a time of transition or testing.

14. they, and every sort of animal according to its kind, that is, every herded beast after its kind, and every creeping thing that crawls on the earth according to its kind, and every flying creature according to its kind, and every bird of every wing.

There is no mention of fish, which are considered by the rabbis to be a picture of the righteous, because they have no eyelids and thus never close their eyes--symbolizing that they never go anywhere where there is anything they should not see. The abode of the fish was actually enlarged during the Flood, as the abode of the righteous will be a "broader place" while the next period of judgment overwhelms the earth. Every flying creature: or simply, "fowl"; the word is used mainly of chickens today. But it is contrasted here with birds; it may include everything from insects to the pterodactyl, at least one of which has reportedly been seen in Zimbabwe in very recent years, and thus must have been preserved on the ark.

16. and those that went in were male and female of all [kinds of] flesh, as Elohim had commanded him. And YHWH shut [the door] tightly at his heels.

He was thus separated from everything outside. This imagery relates to the later closing of the Temple gates on the Day of Atonement; both picture the end of the open door for deliverance in the latter days. While Noach might have hesitated to shut the door, YHWH's grace period does have a limit. The targums say YHWH protected the door before him. Was this to keep the evil men from entering—either to attack Noach or simply to survive?

It rose high above the earth; because Noach let YHWH lift his sights above earthly matters, the deluge enabled his ship to fulfill its purpose rather than bring ill effects as it did on everything else. (The meaning of the word for deluge in Hebrew is to conduct along or bring forward. In this case it was in a positive sense.)

19. And the waters swelled on the earth, stronger and stronger, until all the high mountains which are under the whole heavens were concealed.

Concealed: overwhelmed, inundated, engulfed. Yet what seemed the highest mountains were NOT the highest:

This seems redundant, or might seem to say the ark had a 15-cubit clearance above the highest mountains. But if, as it will be in the "Time of the Restitution of All Things", the holy mountain which would be the site of the House of YHWH (and thus the site of the only gateway back to Eden), was higher than all other hills (Yeshayahu 2:1ff; Micha 4:1), this and the “daughters of Yerushalayim” that surround it would be worthy of additional mention. That it will again be exalted above the rest is no fairy tale, but is established this early in history. Will another crustal tide swell the ground under Yerushalayim and push it higher, or will all the other hills simply be lowered? (Yeshayahu 40:4) Yerushalayim itself is likely the site where the ark was built, and Noach watched these particular mountains be covered. There were 15 steps from the Court of Women to the Court of Priests. But the entrance to the Temple was 14.5 cubits (29 steps, ½ cubit each) above the level of the Court of Women, meaning that even the level of the Holy of Holies would also have been washed clean by this giant immersion. These 15 cubits also correlate with the 15 songs of ascent (Psalms 120-134) sung during pilgrimages to the Temple. One of them, Psalm 124, alludes directly to this deluge: "Had it not been for YHWH who was on our side, ...the waters would have engulfed us; the raging waters would have swept over our soul"; the level of the Temple itself was only covered by half a cubit (9 or 10 inches) of water--not an overwhelming inundation as in the rest of the earth. Yeshayahu 43:2 can read, "Because you pass...through the waters, they will not engulf you" just as well as "when you pass". Though Yerushalayim will receive some strong chastening in the coming time of judgment, YHWH’s presence will be our only refuge while it is going on, so return there for protection under the wings of the One who is carrying it out. Look for additional allusions to the flood in these 15 psalms; they are there!

Perished: Aramaic, melted away. Swarming insects: This massive "miqveh" or "baptism" would cleanse the earth of the bacteriological results of the "corruption of all flesh", and ritually purify it again for the blood shed since Qayin's day.

23. And everything that lived on the surface of the earth was wiped out—from humankind to the beasts to the creeping things to the flying creatures of the sky—they were washed off the earth; nothing survived except Noach and the ones who were with him in the ark.

Thus the line of Qayin was entirely snuffed out.

CHAPTER 8

Kept in mind: or "remembered", but more basically “marked” (for special attention). He has a book of remembrance of those who think on His Name, so he can specially treasure them up. (Mal. 3:16-17) Likewise, He has marked certain things for us to remember—the Exodus, the Sabbath, etc. Though without a Temple we cannot fully observe either Passover or the Sabbath, we are to guard the remembrance of them so that when the time coems when we can again do so, we will know how. Wind to pass over: or "spirit to sweep across", recalling the wind or spirit that passed over the scene of an earlier destruction at the creation account in 1:2, since this was a re-creation of the dominion of Adam that was now obscured by the water as a cleansing because Adam’s descendants had been ruled by creation rather than ruliung over it. The earth had been rotting away (6:11), and it was man’s fault. They didn’t care for the created things, but expected those things to care for them. Again today, sea levels are rising, to remind us that this is taking place again. We must take dominion back and not bow down to things we should be ruling over—ourselves, fleshly priorities, and just mundane demands. If we seek YHWH’s Kingdom first, He will make sure the everyday needs get met. (Mat. 6:33) As we review the book thus far, the Hebrew word ruakh has meant anything from wind to breath to a breezy time of day to a spiritual being. (3:8; 6:3; 6:17; 7:15; 7:22) In every case, however, it has been related to the presence of YHWH, who gives and maintains life. The animals also had a breath of life, but Adam ended up identifying more with them than with YHWH’s. Men followed the animals’ examples rather than training them. It started with Chawwah listening to an animal that invited her to let the fruit’s taste and appearance rule over her—to trust creation rather than the Creator. All animals generally care about is what they are going to eat or copulate with. Men sought no balance, but gave in to their evil inclinations, so sin ruled over them. Hevel desired YHWH’s presence; Qayin did not care about it until it was taken away from him because he did not rule over the sin that crouched at his door. After some time most ceased to even want to repent, so YHWH cleansed the earth. This was beneficial to His creation, though nearly everything had to die in the process. Now water “ruled” over man’s former dominion. But YHWH’s mercy outlasted His judgment. (Compare Yaaqov/James 2:13.) This is another form of justice—for the righteous.

Deep: or "abyss"--another correlation with chapter 1. The waters separated at creation had been brought back together again, creating another "chaos"; now they were separated again, though the vapor canopy was not re-established, so that human life would not last as long. Reserves: sluices, Greek Septuagint (LXX), "flood-gates". "Sky" and "heavens" are the same word in Hebrew as well. Restrained: or restricted—to certain times; now there would be seasons for rain.

Decreased or "emptied out", probably into newly-formed ocean trenches that could have been formed by a rapid collision of tectonic plates or by the folding of mountain ranges as Me’adim (Mars) came within 15,000 miles of the earth in its old orbit. Not until the fifth month did this take place, so some external gravitation force kept the processes churning for that long or aggravated them again just before this time. Patten's calculations suggest a second flyby of an extraterrestrial body, possibly even Me’adim again. Its flybys all occurred in October and March, which would both fit the time frame described here. Advancing and returning: or receding with regular motion. (More on this at v. 22.) Note that a month was then exactly 30 days long (compare v. 4 and 7:11), prior to the change in earth’s orbital length at the time of Hizqiyahu’s sundial incident in 701 B.C.E. when Me’adim came so close that both planets were thrown into different orbits.

Ararat: a range along the borders of Turkey, Armenia, and Iran; its name means "the curse reversed". Aramaic, Kardu, Cordyene, or Quwrdum mountain range (related to the name of Kurdistan), “where the city of Armenia was built”. The date is very significant, for it repeatedly relates to supernatural preservation, Elohim’s redemption, and new beginnings: on the same day of the year (Aviv 17), the Israelites emerged unscathed from Egypt and the Reed Sea; Haman and his sons were sentenced to be hung, ending the attempt at Semitic genocide; and the Messiah rose from the dead as the fulfillment of the feast of Firstfruits which that year also fell on this day, three days after Passover. This was considered the seventh month until the time of the Exodus, when YHWH changed it to the first for Israel. (Ex. 12:2)

This would later be the new moon that always falls near the end of Hanukkah. The first spot that had been thus declared pure again (even before the war wit the Greeks was finished) was the Temple Mount, which was rededicated at that time over 2,000 years later.

Window: Targum Onqelos, aperture; Targum Neofiti, door. As per v. 4, 40 days after Yahshua's resurrection a "window" was opened for him to be taken up into heaven. That would be on the 27th of the second month, and the 40th day of Counting the Omer. This date is the 10th of the 11th month.

He had only two ravens, yet was letting one go as a test. Even the unclean could serve a purpose for the righteous. The raven could live off floating carcasses as a scavenger. (cf. Mat. 24:28) It was the only bird out there, so it couild feast to its heart’s content. The raven is a crafty bird, and very selfish, reminding us of the serpent in chapter 3, and of haSatan who roams to and fro throughout the earth seeking someone to devour. (1 Kefa 5:8)

It does not say he sent the raven “from himself” He was identifying with the clean animal.

Dove: yonah in Hebrew, the same as the prophet's name. What really needed a rest was this delicate bird’s wings, but she needed a foothold in order to rest them. This clean animal would not alight on a corrupted surface. There would be no pagan grove of trees on the top of the holiest mountains, the only ones thus far uncovered, from which she could pluck any food.). It was a test of what is fit for humans; if she found a resting place, there could be one for us as well. She came back to him: symbolic of our returning to the place where YHWH’s presence is most evident. In English we miss the play on words: "resting place" in Hebrew is m'noach, very similar to Noach, which means "rest". Thus far, Noach was its only m’noach. YHWH speaks of stretching out His hands all day long to receive rebellious Israel back. (Yeshayahu 65:2), and His outstretched arm is how He often describes His miraculous acts of redemption. The spirit of holiness rested visibly on Yahshua in the form of a dove, so the dove has come to symbolize the spirit of holiness. So YHWH’s “spirit” was again “fluttering over the deep” (as in 1:2).

Waited anxiously: different from the word for "waited" in v. 12. The root means to writhe, dance, or tremble, or be intent about something to the point of mental strainIt may denote a nervous pacing back and forth.

"Flood" is an idiom for the raging armies of the Gentile nations, often called the "sea", and the raven, an unclean bird, is a picture of the counterfeit Messiah, sent seven years before the Holy Spirit could find a place of true peace. Olive: especially associated with Israel and the Temple; its oil symbolizes gladness and, of course, light. From this event, the dove and olive leaf have come to symbolize peace and hope in the midst of a situation where one might despair. Since the highest mountain prior to this had been the Temple Mount, did the dove find this branch on the nearby Mount of Olives? Birds usually pluck branches only to build nests. Plucking a green leaf would mean this tree was still alive after all the destruction. An olive tree does readily grow back after being cut down to a stump. (Yeshayahu/Isaiah 11:1; Iyov/Job 14:7)

Seven days: Noach was acting according to a cycle of sabbaths--times of completeness or satisfaction--also related to the waiting period required to verify that unclean bodies or items had been purified.

The 601st year foreshadows the 6001st year after creation, when there is also a new beginning. The first of the civil year is when the gates to the Temple are opened as well. At the time that today completes a special month of repentance, some progress is seen.

This was 370 days after the flood began, or one year and ten days, at that time—the same length as the interval between one Feast of Trumpets until Yom Kippur the following year. This is why even just ten days earlier would have been too early for the earth to be dry. There is still business to attend to before we can proceed to the next festival. This may indicate the length of time the Messiah's bride is with him in the "inner chambers", hidden away until YHWH's indignation is past (Yeshayahu/Isa. 26:20). Since a bridegroom may not go to war for the first year of his marriage (Deut. 24:5), this time must last at least one year. Since Trumpets is the day of calling away and Yom Kippur the Day of Judgment, it makes sense that He would add this extra interval for repentance, as that is what is rehearsed each year during these festivals. This is over a month after Sukkoth, and very close to the beginning of winter. Imagine the shock this would be after entering the ark while the greenhouse-type atmosphere was still intact, not to mention the fact that they are on a mountain that is now perennially snow-capped. They would need to build shelters immediately afterward, foreshadowing Sukkoth, which comes right after these other two feasts.

16. "Go out from the ark, you and your wife and your sons, and their wives who are with you.

This is a different order than they entered the ark, when all the men went first. Now Noach's wife is made more prominent. In v. 1, the Hebrew word for "remember" is related to "male", and thus on the mystical level, YHWH made Noach a "man" then, and brought forth a bride through this cataclysm. He preserved the Messianic line, making this possible. The finishing touches will be put on this bride in the coming cataclysm.

Now that there are seasons (v. 22), the best breeding time is as winter begins, so young will be born in the spring.

19. every living creature, and every flying creature, and everything that crawls on the ground—they went forth out of the ark according to their families.

The advantage in this re-creation after the flood is that this time there were seven times as many of the clean animals as there were of the unclean ones.

According to Targum Pseudo-Jonathan (that is, by Jewish tradition around the time of Yahshua), this is the same altar Adam had built when banished from the Garden, and on which Qayin and Hevel had made their offerings. Noach rebuilt it after it had been destroyed by the Deluge.

I.e., "Though I have washed everything clean, mankind has not changed." The evidence of this shows up shortly hereafter. Though Adam (mankind) has not changed, the adamah (the feminine form of Adam, meaning the ground) is no longer cursed. Yahshua did not come to break this curse; it was already broken here, for Noach was born for this purpose. Yahshua came to break the curses that were on the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Adam was never a youth, so this curse was on the ground, not on humanity, so there is no “original sin” in this inclination to evil. We area all born with it, but if we do not walk in it, it is not counted against us. As with Qayin, YHWH offers us a way out through repentance and restoration, and if we take that, even the times we did go astray can be forgiven. Our inclination to evil is not an excuse to do evil, nor is it a guarantee that we will. Gravity always makes us resist walking up hills, but of what value are we if we cannot overcome our inclinations? Soothing aroma: representing satisfied justice, restored relationship, and recovered purity--atonement for the blood of Hevel. The word is closely related to Noach's name. This takes place during the month following the fall festivals, when normally the harvest has been brought in, and we settle into quietness and rest with no fear. Never again: As his father prophesied, YHWH did put an end to the curse on the soil in Noach’s day. Somehow the seasons made planting and harvesting more effective or successful in a way the prior greenhouse effect would not. Did the weeds outstrip the crops too quickly before this? It is also easy to see how the earth would become corrupt in a seemingly-idyllic “rainforest”-type climate. So much moisture made decay spread more quickly, whereas now there are deserts in some parts of the world where paper documents, grain, and paint can be preserved for thousands of years without ever rotting.

Seeding-time and harvest,
Cold and heat,
Summer and winter,
and day and night
shall not fail to recur [on schedule]."

This again suggests a polar shift at this time (which could also explain the back-and-forth motion of the waters in verse 3), as there would have been no changing of seasons before the axis was tilted to its current position. Winter keeps the insect population in check; in a greenhouse environment, they would have proliferated uncontrollably, especially since man had become slack about governing creation. Insects that devour crops would now be culled back by the freezing temperatures each year. Note that Hebraically, there are two seasons, not four, and there are times of transition between them. There is a balance in YHWH, and our deliverance depends on doing what is right in the right season.

CHAPTER 9

Blessed: literally, bent the knee; i.e., He knelt down to pay them special attention. He repeats what He told Adam and Chawwah, as in a sense this is a new creation, designed to rebuild what Adam had broken. When YHWH blesses us, our response must be to bring forth the fruit, not of our own longings (which we must rule over), but of that with which He has blessed us. His gifts are not to keep to ourselves, but to deliver to the rest of Israel. When we have seen what He has done, He expects something of us, and if we do well, we will not just be accepted but treasured by Him. (Ex. 19:4-6) As in Yahshua’s parable of the talents (Matithyahu 25), it is our responsibility to increase or multiply what He gives us, giving Him a “return on His investment”. When He pays attention to us, we need to pay attention to His Kingdom. If He shows us mercy, we are to bring mercy to its fullness—to the point where we also know how to express judgment. If He gave us a basket already full, we would learn nothing and would despise it and want something else; it is our nature. So He gives us seeds so that He can find out if we are faithful in what is least and thus worthy of the blessing of the full basket when He brings it through the steps we take to make it grow. All of His commands are blessings that open doors for us to become more fruitful still. Within His covenant lie the seeds from which blessing and fullness can come to the entire world.

This again is a repetition of the dominion granted in 1:28 (compare Psalm 8:6; Hebrews 2:8, 9), with the intent of protecting and managing them properly—though now there is an added dimension of fear, which would make it at the same time easier to have dominion over the animals (for they would see themselves as at man’s mercy) and more difficult (since they would keep their distance). At creation, man had not feared the animals either, even in at least one case when he should have. Now man will have less contact with them, and therefore not learn as many of their ways, which had been his downfall before the flood. The types of animals He wanted man to domesticate are those of which he had left seven times as many. We were not to learn the ways of dogs or pigs; YHWH created them to show us what not to be like. We are not meant to be intimate with unclean beasts. There is one exception to this, which will be brought out later in the chapter.

In the context of the Nefilim as contributing to the reason for the Deluge, it may be insightful that Hindus claim that a body fluid which facilitates communion with spirits can be replenished through abstinence from meat. The demons seem to believe this, as they are endorsing vegetarian diets through spiritist mediums. Elohim may have deliberately initiated meat-eating for this reason, and to guarantee a shorter lifespan for mankind, though it appears that when Messiah binds the demons' ability to communicate with man, both will be reversed to some extent (Yeshayahu/Isa. 11:6; 65:20; Yechzq./Ezek. 45). The flip side of this is that, in the right context, Daniel's spiritual perceptiveness may have been aided by his abstinence from meat, though his intent was only to obey YHWH’s dietary laws where kosher meat was not available to him. Food: though we see animals slaughtered as offerings to YHWH before this allowance is made, now for the first time mankind is overtly permitted to eat animals. All through Scripture we see the separate categories of livestock, beasts, flying creatures, fish, and "crawling things”, which elsewhere seems to be a reference to reptiles, amphibians, and insects, very few of which are kosher. The latter category is left out of the covenant with "every living soul" in v. 10, while the others are listed. YHWH does not forbid any type of animals from being eaten at this point, but the knowledge of which animals were acceptable as offerings was well-known to Noach. This time the test comes not in His saying “Do not eat of it” as in the Garden, but whether we will seek out the witnesses He has already given as to the distinctions He has already made between clean (a picture of selflessness) and unclean (a picture of selfishness). He has already made known which animals He is willing to “consume”, and they are later called His food (Num. 28:2). So in letting man eat whatever he wants, He is building into this new order a test of whether we will choose to eat what YHWH is pleased to eat, or what pleases us—or is easiest to get. Will we follow His example and make the distinctions He makes and be discriminating in what we eat, or just try some of everything? Will we make things better than before? He is opening the door for us not just to serve Him (which is mandatory), but also to choose Him, be intimate with Him—to choose between life and death even before there is a Torah that specifies which meats Israel may eat, for this is what will be food in His Kingdom. “You are what you eat” has some truth to it, and we are not meant to be like the pig, which will devour another pig and has no way to rid its body of impurities; we are to be like the sure-footed animals and those that chew the cud, processing and again meditating on the words He gives us as our food.

While it is alive: or, more literally, "in its life" or "with its soul, its blood, you shall not eat" (i.e., both phrases refer to eating meat with the blood not removed). We do not wish to partake of another species' soul. This command was specifically reiterated for those (re)turning to YHWH from among the Gentiles (Acts 15:20), and still it is commonly disobeyed, though it was given here to all mankind, not just Israel. Dogs are fed bloody meat to make them more vicious, and men who have stopped eating unbled meat have become more spiritually attuned and less violent, not to mention having less body odor when they sweat. We may not even eat the blood of clean animals, because they are still animals, having some measure of fear and selfishness.

Even animals that kill men are to be “executed”. (See Ex. 21:28)

From the start, YHWH makes it clear that He will not tolerate another "Qayin and Hevel" event. YHWH let even Qayin live, but men were taking too much advantage of His mercy, so He removed part of it. YHWH was probably genuinely surprised that men were more interested in being like the animals than in being in His presence, so now He puts more safeguards in place. Now it is one’s duty to kill the one who killed one’s brother. Rather than evidencing a callous disregard for human life, capital punishment demonstrates how valuable one human life is. The blood is where YHWH’s image resides. If someone presumes to take it, he must pay the ultimate penalty.

He repeats the command in verse 1 because He has just blessed us with laws. Our fruitfulness depends on handling life properly. These have been the first social laws that are binding upon all mankind; Elohim gave additional ones to the people of Israel to teach them deeper things of His nature and about the Messiah He would send. Others may follow these laws if they choose to draw nearer to Elohim.

9. "I—-mark My words-—I am causing My covenant [agreement] with you to be established, and with your descendants after you,

10. "and with every living soul that is with you, among the fowl, and the beasts, and every living creature that is with you on the earth, from all that are leaving the ark, to every living things of the earth:

11. "I have also established My covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, nor shall there ever again be a deluge to destroy the world."

No flood will again destroy 100% of the world, but this does nfot mean there will not be smaller floods—or other forms of destruction. We saw that the last thing to be flooded was Yerushalayim (see note on 7:20); this time will it take His destroying all but it before men will become what He meant us to be?

Bow: The new atmospheric conditions produced this beautiful phenomenon, which could not have been seen in the antediluvian firmament.

15. "and I will recall to mind My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living soul among all kinds of flesh.

These people had never seen a rain cloud that did not bring massive destruction, so He placed a comforting factor right within the scenario that might otherwise bring terror. But the rainbow is more for His sake than ours. He never actually says "rainbow", though, but only "bow". If He drew back an arrow toward the earth with His bow, it would be doomed, so He aims the bow back at the heavens to remind Him that if He were to break His word, He would have to destroy Himself as well!

Noach built the first altar in the new world, as Hevel had in the former, and a reparation was made in YHWH's heart. Noach's righteous sacrifice showed Him that it was possible for a man to do the right thing. This was a foreshadowing of Yahshua, who would remedy all that the first man, Adam, had ruined.

18. Now the sons of Noach who went out of the ark were named Shem, Cham, and Yefeth. Now Cham is the one who was the father of Kanaan.

Cham’s claim to fame in YHWH’s eyes was being Kanaan’s father. He is not even the eldest son, but is the focus of the Hamitic line from that point on in Scripture (other than Egypt, briefly). YHWH looks back at whose seed they are.

Overspread: i.e., populated.

Or, Noach, a man of the soil, made a new start and planted… I.e., he "broke through again", the same word translated "profaned" in 10:8, with the nuance of desecrating or polluting (by the use of fruit again)--restarting the kind of problems Elohim had done away with. Soil: "ground"--i.e., he let himself become common (or allowed profaning to begin again), no longer acting as a spiritual man. His becoming a gardener reminds us of Adam's and Qayin's downfall.

Noach lost control of himself and was put through great shame. There is more than one way to become intoxicated (which means poisoned!): we can be drunk with power, greed, lust, or even simply love for beauty, art, or music; if we lose our self-control in any of these things, we too may end up in degradation. The only safe thing in which to lose control of oneself is the presence of YHWH. Not that we should assume Noach, a righteous man, intended to become dissipated. The atmospheric changes probably made the juice ferment more quickly than he had been used to it doing before the Deluge. Lev. 19:23-25 specifies that fruit should not be eaten from a plant until its fifth year. His grandson's age also suggests that a significant amount of time had elapsed since the Flood.

Cham also "restarted" another sin pattern that had gone haywire before the Deluge, and the “line of Qayin” began again. "Kanaan" means either "one who bends the knees", "one brought low", or "one who trafficks". Gazed upon: i.e., stared, with a sexual connotation, as in the Torah's prohibitions (e.g., Lev. 18:6ff, where“became uncovered”, the phrase used in v. 21 above, also refers to having sexual relations with someone). Kanaan apparently followed his desire at any cost, just like an animal. The Aramaic targums hint at the idea that Kanaan even castrated Noach, preventing him from having any more children. Exposed him: made him conspicuous; presented him; brought him forward. It appears that Cham discovered Kanaan’s deed. Why would he allow him to get away wit this? Well, whyt would the prime minister of Israel, knowing what the Arabs are like, make compromises with them? People stuck between two opinions do not like to judge or tell others, “That is wrong!” But being in the middle of the road is not balance; it is just leaving oneself wide open to be run over from either side.

A tent is the symbol of a place of religious learning, and wine a symbol of joy. Too much of either correlates with Yahshua's parable of the mustard plant (the present form of the Kingdom) which grew into a monstrosity in which the birds of the air--an idiom for demons--nested in its branches. The errors of well-meaning ecclesiastics will be covered up (atoned for) when the sons of Shem and of Yefeth turn their backs on the lies both inherited from their fathers and return together to the Elohim of Israel. The Torah was not yet given, yet out of respect for their father they knew this was not right. They did not want to increase his shame or even see what the results of this deed looked like, unlike the news media today that want to show the gruesome details.

Grandson: literally, small or young son, but Cham does not appear to have been the youngest. That Kanaan did not just look, but actually did something himself makes Noach's cursing of him rather than Cham more understandable, though in cursing Cham far too many people might be affected. It appears that Cham did not merely see his father's nakedness in a cursory sense, but exposed his most vulnerable part, and Kanaan actually sodomized him. Note that it never says Noach was asleep; rather, he sobered up and realized this.

Servant of servants: the lowest, meanest, most degraded of slaves. Compare Yehoshua/Joshua 9:21-23, where those of his descendants smart enough to take advantage of Yehoshua's compassion did become just this.

"Blessed be YHWH, the Elohim of Shem,
and may Kanaan be his servant.

27. "Elohim shall enlarge Yefeth,
and he shall live in Shem's tents,
And Kanaan shall be a slave to them both."

Though he has just been molested, Noach still blesses YHWH. Enlarge: Heb., yaft, a play on Yefeth's name, which means to open up, broaden, or grant an entrance. YHWH is called the Elohim of Shem, and Yefeth’s blessing is that he would be inhabit the tents of Shem. This is an idiom for being taught by Shem. (Yaaqov is called a dweller in tents in Gen. 25:27, and these plural tents were the tents of Shem.) Numbers 24:5 and Yeshayahu/Isaiah 54:3 associate "tents" with the spread of Israel's influence through the Messiah. Thus, the religious culture of Yefeth's children has been strongly influenced by the knowledge and love of Shem's Elohim. But if both righteous sons were to be blessed, why does the rest of Scripture only speak of the “religious” blessings to Shem? The key is that, beginning at 10:5, we see that Yefeth was counted the ancestor of the "Gentile" inhabitants of the "coastlands" or "islands", which is used elsewhere in a special sense (e.g., Yeshayahu/Isa. 42:4, 10; 51:5) in conjunction with the House of Israel (the northern tribes) and Efrayim, the tribe that led them astray into admixture with the Gentiles. (Yaaqov prophesied that Efrayim would be greatly multiplied, 48:19-22, and that his seed would in particular be the "fullness of the Gentiles" of which Sha'ul/Paul wrote in Romans 11:25.) It was specifically the "lost sheep of the House of Israel" to which Yahshua said He was sent (Mat. 10:6; 15:24) as Kinsman-Redeemer (the Consolation of Israel for which Shim'on was waiting, Luk. 2:25), and Sha'ul (Paul) says it was precisely this mixture which set the stage for some Gentiles to be redeemed as well, since their proximity with the "Lost Sheep" whom Yahshua sent His followers to seek out, would afford them the occasion to hear about the Elohim of Israel and enter into a relationship with Him, thus becoming part of the "commonwealth of Israel". Yeshayahu builds on Noach's promise very directly (Yesh.49:6; 54:2). Since it was these children of Yefeth with which the greatest part of the House of Efrayim mingled themselves (Hoshea 7:8), YHWH indeed kept His promise to bless Yefeth in this way, and the evidence of how far this has reached is only now beginning to come to our awareness. It was necessary for Yefeth to inhabit Shem’s tents because the other part of Yefeth’s blessing was that he would be “enlarged”. The root meaning of his name actually means “made wide open”, and is used elsewhere in Scripture with the connotation of being “open” to deception (Deut. 11:16; 2 Shmu’el 3:25), to being enticed (Judges 14:15), persuaded in a negative direction (2 Chron. 18:19), or flattered. (Psalm 78:36) Shem had a clear inclination toward the ways of YHWH, and Kanaan had a clear tendency away from it, but Yefeth had the proclivity to be open-minded and thus easily persuaded to go astray. Noach means “rest”, and Shem, the firstborn, received a double portion of this rest. Notice that even when they covered up Noach (v. 23), Shem was mentioned first, indicating that he was the initiator of this reparation. Under Shem’s leadership, Yefeth (whose descendants consist of mainly those we consider Europeans today) could learn to do the right thing, but if influenced by Kanaan, he would be led to follow his belly. Men are to walk uprightly, but animals walk with their stomachs parallel to the earth. Israel is not to eat the animals that creep on the ground (Lev. 11:42), because we are not meant to be like them. Kanaan means “to bend the knee”, and so suggests getting down on all fours like this. What we hunger for determines how we walk. Kanaan wanted pleasure at any cost, and thus was turned over to his animal nature. He would take the permission in verse 3 as a license to eat anything he wanted, though YHWH still makes a distinction, and therefore will call some the least in the Kingdom. (Mat. 5:19) Shem’s intake, on the other hand, is defined by what YHWH prefers, not what the world says. Yefeth goes whichever way he is influenced. The serpent’s punishment was that he would take this to the extreme—be on its belly at all times (Gen. 3:14), since that was the direction it wanted to take humanity. The reason the Kanaanites had to be thoroughly removed from the Holy Land was because that Land is a picture of the Kingdom, when there will be no Kanaanite there. (Zkh. 14:21) Kanaanite here is an idiom for a merchandiser or trafficker. In the figurative sense, even up to our day, the Kanaanite lives on within Efrayim (the whole Northern Kingdom of Israel), though this is not something that will be acceptable in YHWH’s household in the Kingdom. Thus it is not acceptable to have them in this particular Land, even as servants. The animal nature is not to occupy the Land where the Kingdom will be established. Outside the Land, some learning might be possible, but no “belly-crawlers” are to be within. Our job is to oust Kanaan, not only in the form of the lying religions that can lead us astray, but also on the personal level. Gen. 5:32 suggests that Shem, Cham, and Yefeth were triplets, all born when Noach was 500 years old. So they represent three sides of Noach, who is the ancestor of us all—the teacher, the teachable, and the worldly. Each of us has these three within us. Noakh apparently knew Kanaan’s tendencies to indulge his flesh, so he gave him a curse that was actually a blessing—that he would serve Shem and Yefeth. Yahshua told his disciples to make anyone who desired to be first into their (i.e.,, Shem’s) slaves. (Mat. 20:25ff) The one unclean animal that Israel may domesticate is the donkey, if one redeems it with a lamb. (Ex. 13:13) This does not hold true for a dog. (Yeshayahu/Isa. 66:3) A donkey’s stubbornness can become beneficial if it submits to being a beast of burden. It is the only way some can learn. By becoming enslaved he could at least be useful toward a worthwhile cause, and there was hope that he might learn from Yefeth to become teachable and open to the truth, then take the next step and actually learn what Shem had to teach. To be great, one must serve the great. If we want to be the greatest (like Shem) in the Kingdom, we must enslave Kanaan now by serving one another. In whatever area we keep back for self instead of allowing ourselves to be taught the better way is where Kanaan still dwells with us. By the end of the Kingdom, whatever is Kanaan will be done away with (Rev. 20:12), for He wants no one lukewarm in His Kingdom (Rev. 3:16)—at least not anywhere near Him. They may get some crumbs on the outskirts. The question is, will we go down with Kanaan? If we let him have free rein, we too will be cast out of the Kingdom. Instead, we should turn Kanaan into Yefeth. YHWH gave us tzitziyoth to remind us not to follow after our heart or eyes, after which we tend to stray, but to follow the Torah, which means “teaching”. (Num. 15:38-39) Kosher animals have four stomachs rather than one. This is a picture of community, wherein we serve not only our own bellies but those of our neighbors, thus turning over our appetites to community instead of self. When Israel is in unity, it is called Yeshurun—the upright one. Gorillas walk on their knuckles when in the wild, but when around humans, they begin to imitate men and walk on two legs. However much further they might or might not be able to progress, by becoming teachable like Yefeth we can go through a genuine evolution (or chiropractic treatment, if you prefer) toward the upright position of Shem, and be qualified to then be a light to the nations as well, as a whole “kingdom of priests”. We are to become students not in order to be always learning (and never coming to the knowledge of the truth), but to go on to become teachers, giving YHWH a return on His investment. Notice that Cham is not even mentioned in this blessing/curse. Noach was probably so disgusted with Cham for doing nothing that he did not even want to mention his name again. We have a choice. YHWH has chosen us what is fitting; we must choose life. We cannot be treated like Shem if we act like Kanaan. There are three books that will be opened when the bill comes due. Those whose name is still in the middle book cannot be in the Book of Life as well—at least at the beginning of the Kingdom, and where we are then is what will seal the position we hold then.

The word for "dust" in Hebrew has the numeric value of 350--and it appears the rest of his days were just that. But if YHWH had limited mankind’s lifetime to 120 years, how is it he lived this much longer? He was already 500 years old when this limitation was imnposed, so he was quite literally “grandfathered in”, being already well past that age. YHWH may also have left Himself the option to be more merciful to the righteous in this regard for a few more generations. By Moshe’s day, the limit was airtight, for he had to die at that age though his natural strength was not abated. (Deut. 34:7)

CHAPTER 10

The "Table of Nations": Ethnic names vary according to time and language, so when Elohim prophesies about a given people, He often refers back to their earliest ancestors. Thus, when He wants to speak of the Slavs, He did not use their then-current name, Skythians, nor their present-day name, such as Russia, but Magog, their ancestral name, to make their identity clearest. Alternate names used in ancient Greek and Aramaic versions are in brackets:

Germania: its original, not present, territory. Thuval: Tabal in eastern Turkey. Meshekh: Mushki of Phrygia, SE of the Black Sea, or Mazaki in Kappadokia.

Ashkanaz: one of the Germanic peoples.

Elishah: spelled differently in Hebrew than Elisha the prophet. It was called Aeolia in Josephus' day. Hellas is the Greek name for Greece; Yavan is the Hebrew name for Greece, but it comes from yayin, the word for wine; Bacchus, the god of wine, was a major deity in the Greek pantheon. The Greeks are therefore descendants of Yafeth, who was “open” to learn, and the Greeks indeed learned from everything, an dthgeir knowledge has come down to us today. But the problem is that they learned from everything! They were influenced both by Shem and by Kanaan. The Greek letters are based on the paleo-Hebrew (Phoenician) script, which may be one this language was chosen as the medium for much of thr Renewed Covenant. They had a form of spirituality, but a hedonistic one—for the sake of self, not YHWH. Thus the Greco-Roman legacy is to be wide open to whichever way is most appealing. Hellas means light, but they fail to recognize, as Yahshua did, that some kinds of light can actually be darkness. (Mat. 6:23) Tarshish: the western extremity of the civilized world--Spain, possibly later, Britain; compare Yonah 1:3. Akhaya: the region around Athens and Corinth, and the island of Cyprus was called this at one stage of their migration. The Rabbinic writings later link Kittim with Rome. Dodanim is alternately spelled Rodanim, as the letters are very similar in both sound and appearance in Hebrew. The Dardanelles or Bosporus strait is thought to be the River Sambatyon, over which a substantial portion of the northern kingdom of Israel crossed, becoming "lost" to those remaining in their homeland, but not lost to YHWH, who says that of those mixed with the Goyim (see v. 5), not one will be lost when it comes time for Him to bring them back to the Land. (Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 23:3)

Sea peoples: goyim, simply nations or "Gentiles". Territories: literally, "coastlands" or "islands". This term referred in asncient times to anyone who dwelt along the shores of the Mediterranean outside of Kanaan. The Greeks were island-dwellers on Crete earlier in their history. “Dwellers in the coastlands” also became an idiom for those from the Northern Kingdom who mixed with these nations and who inhabit Greek forms of culture and thought to this day. Spread out: but not at this point; this is a preamble to chapter 11. According to language, clan, and nation: Thus they were divided on the basis of what language they spoke (again, not until chapter 11; for they were divided into nations according to whom they understood). On a different level, much division indeed comes as a result of our words; the tongue is the best friend of the evil inclination. It can either be a wildfire or a rudder that guides a huge ship in the right direction. (Yaaqov/James 3:2-12) If we can control it, we can control every negative thing within ourselves. Nations are identified by their predominant language, but a nation is also based on having a common “story”. This brings unity, as we see among veterans of the same war, survivors of the Holocaust, etc.) Patriotism wells up when someone with a different story wants to overrun a nation. To be a unified nation, we need to have the same story. What sayings does Israel have in common? The words of YHWH’s Torah. They unite us, though we are still spread far and wide. What is our story? For the most part, it began with Avraham. But the Passover, in which YHWH brought a people scattered throughout Egypt together, defines us as a nation. In it He gave us a history that He wants us to recount to our children. This is what He did for us, not just our ancestors. We need to see ourselves in the Torah. Our story does not begin in Matithyahu (Matthew). That is the story about Yahshua, but the story He told was the Torah. We are now coming back from many ethnicities and thus bring different strengths, but those were our parents’ story; ours is different. We have another common story today, for YHWH is again doing something in Israel right now, pulling us out again from the Gentile nations with which we have been mixed for thousands of years, for we are NOT Gentiles! The language of Christianity, by which we spoke about Yahshua when we thought we were Gentiles, makes little sense to us anymore. The nations were also divided by clans (and the term used here at its most basic level refers simply to families). These nations were founded according to common birth, but Avrahjam formed a new “family” from those who joined him along his journey in order to be trained by him. Few of them were related to him directly; some may have been Yafethites, who were open to learning from this Semite. He trained them to hear YHWH and walk with him, following his own exmple. Yahshua says the family that forms Israel as the subjects of His Kingdom is made up not so much of those to whom we were born, but those who do YHWH’s will. (Mark 3:31) This is our King’s teaching, and in Psalm 73, Israel is equated with those who have a pure heart. Those who have a yearning to please YHWH and be back in His presence—that is how his nation is defined; that is the seed from which the nation will grow again.

The sons of Cham have tended to fall into slavery more often throughout history than the descendants of the sons Noakh blessed. Kush: often equated with the Ethiopians, but some Kushites also inhabited the area now known as Iraq (v. 10). Arabia: the region, which changed hands often; the Arabs themselves are a mixture of Semitic and Egyptian peoples. Kanaan seems to have been born soon after the flood, but here he is listed in last place, perhaps because of his action in 9:24, like Reuven's (35:22), which cost him a birthright as well (49:3,4). Kanaan, of course, inhabited the levant at the eastern end of the Mediterranean.

Chawilah/India: -note the etymology of the Hindu Kush mountains near the Indus River--not to be confused with the Shemite Chawilah of v. 29; 25:18; 1 Shmuel 15:7.

Profaned: Elohim's name; or "made a new start" as in 9:20. The Sumerian ideograph Nin-mirud ("son of rebellion", from the same root as Merodach) can also be read Nin-girshu, possibly the root for "Nigeria", whose Yoruba tribe has a legend that the "Kishites" (Kushites?) moved into Africa from Mesopotamia (Shinar). Other sons of Kush did settle Africa, especially Ethiopia.

A great (or heroic) hunter: He was the “star” of his day; everyone knew him, and he is still well-known. But the connotation here is that he was a conqueror of people and nations, more than animals, trying to make the whole world his own; a powerful potentate, he knew how to lie in wait and make other men his victims. Before YHWH: this can either mean “in YHWH’s presence” or “in YHWH’s face”, and which way we will go depends on our priorities and our choices. Nimrod was not in YHWH’s presence (for, as we will see in with Esau in chapter 26, being a hunter precluded this, for he was a man who lived for his belly. Rather, he was “in YHWH’s face, i.e., in defiance of Him. People put him before YHWH. Tradition says Shem killed Nimrod for his sins, and a myth began that he was resurrected as his own son, born of his wife and the sun god after Nimrod's death, and this grew into many pagan customs worldwide, most notably that of "mourning for Tammuz" (Yechzq./Ezek. 8:14), who incidentally was born December 25. The proof she cited that “the father could be the son” was that an evergreen tree had grown out of the stump of one cut down, explaining the connection between that date and evergreen trees that continues to our own day. Statues and paintings of this Semiramis with her son were later called the Madonna and "mother of God"--another example of how Constantine painted a thin veneer of Christianity over existing paganism, thus allowing it to continue. It predated Christianity by over 2,000 years.

11. From that land Asshur went forth and built Nin'veh, the broad parts of the city, then Kalach [Chalach/Hadriath],

Went forth: possibly after the event described in the next chapter. Alt., From that land he went to Asshur and built Nin’veh. The broad parts of the city: or, the city of Rehovoth. (see 37:37)

Asshur: Semite father of the Assyrians.

Mitzraim means "of the two narrow strips", a clear picture of the land his descendants settled along the Nile; Mitzraim is also Hebrew for Egypt.

Kapudkai: early Kappadokians, Crete, the Minoan civilization. Five cities: the Filistines, here defined as a mixed race, not counted among the 70 nations, but they also had five chief cities. Interestingly, the Palestinians (also not a historic nation, but a contrived one) pronounce their own name exactly as "Filistine". By branding themselves as Chamites, they deny their connection to their own Qur’an, which purports to be about Semites as the Torah does.

Tsidon: or Sidon, a major historic port in what is now Lebanon. Hittites: a powerful empire ruling from Karchemish, near the Turko-Syrian border, until 717 BC.

Many of these were the very ones Israel had trouble with and was told to eradicate, for they did not learn from their brothers, but continued serving their belly. Emorites: From the Akkadian for "Westerner", who lived in the hills that form Israel's spine during the conquest by Y’hoshua. Sinites: now the Chinese and related peoples.

TRouted: or, scattered, spread abroad. This sets the stage for Israel’s taking it over, for it defines Israel’s later borders.

19. And the Kanaanites' border went from Tsidon, as you come to Gerar, as far as Gaza, as you go towards S'dom and Ghamorah, and Admah and Tzevoyim, as far as Lasha [Kallirrhoe].

20. These were the sons of Cham, according to their languages, and territories, and nations.
21. And to Shem himself—the elder brother of Yafeth—was born the ancestor of all the children of Ever.

Though Shem is not the youngest, but the literary technique used here is to build up to the punchline. Moshe gets the other peoples out of the way first, so the story that continues will flow from its true context, that of Shem. Ever is mentioned before his place in the genealogy, flagging us to pay careful attention to him. His name is based on “crossing over”, but his name actually means “the land on the other side”—to which we cannot get unless we do cross over. He is thus the first “Hebrew”, for it is based on his name. There are many crossings-over along the way; we become what we cross over into, and do not remain in what we left behind. We are not Hebrews until after we cross over, not while we merely contemplate doing so. Ever is the one who carries on the school of Shem, whose responsibility is to teach the other nations to know and love YHWH. Yafeth proved to be a true brother, and so is mentioned here, while Cham is not.

23. And Aram's sons were:
Utz [Udz--Iyov/Job 1:1]
Chul [Ul]
Gether [Gater]
Mash [Mosoch]

24. And Arpachshad fathered [Kainan, and Kainan fathered] Shalach [Sala], and Shalach fathered Ever.

Bracketed parts of this verse appear in the Septuagint.

Land: scientists believe it was originally all one continent, and this verse seems to uphold that theory. Divided: by water--literally, "canaled": possibly a reference to the rapid continental drift required to fold mountains; today's snail-pace geology would be incapable of such feats. This was either a delayed effect of flood tectonics, or another similar catastrophe that had lesser effects. Peleg’s name is related to this word “divided”; he lived a generation after Nimrod, allowing the dispersal to the ends of the earth (11:9) to take place before Elohim moved the inhabited lands even further apart to guarantee that men would obey this time. The expansion that began at creation took yert another step forward.

Hatzarmaweth: “enclosure of death”; the southern coast of Arabia is called the Hadramawt.

These were all the sons of Yoqtan.
30. And their dwelling area was all the way from Mesha toward Safar, a mountain in the east.

Dwelling area: In contrast to Kaanan's "borders", the Semites originally lived in tents; some (the Bedouins, who are neither Jews nor Arabs, but descendants of Avraham’s wife Qeturah) still do.

Peleg’s descendants are not mentioned here, but his genealogy will be the focus of the remainder of the book. Languages: up to this point6, there is only one language, but this is a preview of the next chapter.

They are 70 in total, giving rise to the Hebraic idea that in reality there are "70 nations" in the world, despite further divisions later. This is borne out by Deut. 32:8 (which correlates this number with the number of the sons of Israel, which in Gen. 46:27 is listed as 70), and Yahshua's sending out 70 disciples as a symbolic prelude to opening redemption to the whole world. Israel would be an offshoot of Peleg. Everyone alive today comes from one—or a mixture—of these. In fact, each of us is a “mixed multitude” in himself. The mixing has become nearly as complete as it can become, and the multicultural agenda paradoxically encourages this even more. It is no longer politically correct to put too much emphasis on one’s ethnicity. The blurring of definitions is intentional. But it is crucial for Israel to remember who we are, for we have an assignment from YHWH—to continue the teaching of Shem. We have latent idolatry within us from our mixed heritage, but also latent holiness, and we have a choice of which to magnify within ourselves. From the many stories that form our identity, we must choose the family that hears and does the will of YHWH. To the slaves in Egypt, the history of Avraham must have seemed like a fairy tale, but once they no longer accepted the slavery and cried out to YHWH, He upheld His covenant. He made many more with our later ancestors, and we need to go back to keeping the promises our ancestors made to Him. We need to recognize that we are Hebrews, and then we can reverse the curses that have come upon us because of their and our sins.

CHAPTER 11

Language: literally "lip". The fact that all the names up to this point make sense in Hebrew may give us a clue as to what that one language was. Few: literally, the plural of the word "one"! "Few words" give little room for argument, and all of them still had the same story—that of the Deluge. Nowadays there is the push to “think globally”, but by it is meant more than saving the earth from destruction. It is driven by finding what we have in common and emphasizing that. One day we will have unity when the Messiah reigns with a rod of iron. That is proper unity, but to espouse unification now means accepting much that is against the Torah and distasteful to YHWH—faiths that did not originate from Him and do not pertain to Israel, horrendous things that are done to women and children, substituting unacceptable names for YHWH, etc. We cannot do these things. Christianity wants to unite all denominations as well, but this unity serves the wrong purpose—which is ultimately self-interest (getting away with wrongdoing without being judges, while the unity established by the Torah focuses on YHWH and tells us to judge ourselves so we will not be judged.)

It seems they all traveled together. Shinar: Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq). This is a large flat plain, where they would not have mudslides or need terracing to farm, and there is plenty of water. From the east: from Mount Ararat by way of Persia.

Stones are scarce in Iraq's marshes. But bricks are man-made substitutes for stones, which are the building materials required for YHWH's altars. Like Qayin, they used materials of their own choosing to build a counterfeit temple. To make mortar they would have toi cut limestone, burn it, and pound it into powder, then mix it with water. Bitumen (tar, resin, asphalt, or pitch) is common there in its natural, raw form, and would be ready to use—much easier and quicker. But they knew from the ark that pitch would not admit water if there should be another flood, though YHWH had promised there would not be one over the whole world. They knew the valley could still flood, and they wanted to be prepared to survive His next judgment or escape any attempt to judge them in any way. The ark, however, succeeded as a refuge because of its mobility, and they wanted to be stationary. This was the equivalent of a bomb shelter. But Prov. 14:11 tells us that "the house of the wicked will be overthrown, but the tent of the upright will flourish", reminding us that we are sojourners on earth during this age.

They knew unity was necessary for survival. Tower: in Hebrew, a place of strength--this time, a stronghold against YHWH Himself. Top in the heavens: or, with the symbols of the heavenly hosts in its top. So we won’t be scattered: This might have been direct disobedience to YHWH's command to fill the earth (9:1, 7), though it could be argued that He intended for them all to start in one place and naturally spread out as they needed more space, rather than deliberately scattering. But the question is, is this the place he wanted them all to be? He had deposited them on a mountain, which is “closer to heaven”, but they chose the valley. By staying near it, they would be able to get to the shelter quickly if a flood came. Are we building up securities “just in case” YHWH’s Kingdom does not come? One of the biggest commodities people use as their security comes from the petroleum which the abundance of pitch here indicated was also present. The pitch from which we pave our roads and shingle our roofs is now a by-product of petroleum. So the system of trade that would later begin here has come back home again, for this region again has the world “over a barrel”. Oil is now the lamguage all the merchants of the world speak. (Compare Revelation 18:9ff.) We have more repercussions from the destruction of oil refineries by recent hurricanes than all the lives and homes lost because of them. Since religion now at home in the region destroyed the other center of trade (some other towers), its people are again uniting in resentment against foreign occupation and keeps the news focused on the world’s most ancient places once again. Because the most populous nations are noew demanding more oil than the West, they can raise prices (though there is no shortage), and this is shifting the balance of power back to its ancient seats, and the old major players are returning to the scene. The focus is on the ancient world again, because that is where the oil is. Rev. 20 speaks of Yahshua’s witnesses being beheaded in the last days. For a long time Babylon was thought to be what the book of Revelation was referring to as “mystery Babylon”, and there are some parallels, but now the nation that was literally rebuilding Babylon is the one doing the beheading that is in the news now. Interestingly, Iran recently spoke of having the power to “cut off the hand and place the sign of disgrace on the forehead” of its enemies (uncannily close to some other statements in revelation) because oil has bought it the ability to build a nuclear arsenal. A new tower of trade is being cemented together by another byproduct of oil—money! Babylon is now literally selling the bodies and souls of men. YHWH does not need towers of stone and mortar; He delivers us through His word. We do not need to hide from judgment, because He says that we will live if we walk in His instruction..He wanted us to build Him a sanctuary so He could dwell among us. (Ex. 25:8,22) His presence, as symbolized by His Name—is our strong tower. (Prov. 18:10) "The Name" is often a substitute used for YHWH's name to keep it from being abused; "Let’s make a name for ourselves" might mean they intended to invent a deity of their own. In any case, contrast this with 12:2, in which YHWH says He will make a name for Israel’s ancestor. The sun and moon--the chief deities in that region, recalled even in Islam's crescent moon symbol--were probably depicted and worshipped in this tower. Mesopotamian ziggurats have been found with names like "House of Link Between Heaven and Earth". It may have been the first pagan temple. On the level topography of southern Babylonia, it would have been a rallying point and landmark visible for many miles. Targum Pseudo- Jonathan says it had an idol at the top with a sword drawn against YHWH. Josephus says that Nimrod (its founder) also attempted to turn men to dependence on himself rather than Elohim. But the punishment He meted out was exactly what they were trying hardest to avoid, because it was in violation of His command to "replenish the earth" (9:1).

The "gods" were invoked at such ziggurat temples as were undoubtedly patterned after vestigial memories of this one. The "Elohim of elohim" was not invited, but had the right to come anyway.

One unit: the same word used for Elohim's unity--acting in unified harmony. Our globalizing culture is beginning to take the same attitude: 'If we can dream it, we can do it!' Such widespread communication will be allowed just this once more to seal the final division between the righteous and rebellious. They did have a unity, but the house they were building was "built on sand". In fact, this phrase in Mat. 7:26 was an allusion to the dream Nevukhadnetzar had right at this same location. (Dan. 2:33-34) This tower is clearly the root of that “other house”. YHWH Himself attests to the power of unity by saying that as long as men are “on the same page”, they cannot be stopped. But once we start thinking about “me and mine” instead of “us and ours”, as the Egyptians would during the plague of darkness, YHWH could beat them at their “game”.

One of the quickest ways to fall out of unity is for one person to start saying, “You don’t understand me”, for one’s story changes once self (“poor me”) is allowed to come into play. Note the contrast with the Kingdom, when all nations will say, "Come, let us go up...to the house of the Elohim of Yaaqov"! He probably speeded the processes of linguistic divergence. Dialects would develop later as a further outcropping of self. Even if they were able to maintain a common writing system, as is true with Chinese characters throughout many Asian countries now, each cuneiform ideograph could be pronounced in at least 22 different ways!

This migration is well before the division of the earth in Peleg’s day (v. 16), which would have sealed the gains achieved here in their spreading out. Stopped: or, left off.

Bavel: In their minds its name meant "Gate of Elohim", but sounds like the word for "confusion". We get the English word “babble” from this. Centuries later, Babylon’s strength would be in their ability to overcome the confusion. They took people from many languages and nations and tolerated all their ways to the point that most Jews found it more advantageous to remain there than to return to their own land. They took many people’s stories and transformed them into the common language of prosperity. Yet its feet are of clay; it will ultimately fall apart and the hands of YHWH’s Kingdom, which cannot pass away.

10. This is [has been] the genealogical [record] of Shem.

* * *

[Year 1658 / 2342 BC]

At 100 years old, Shem fathered Arpachshad, 2 years after the Flood.
11. And after he fathered Arpachshad,
Shem lived 500 years, and he fathered [more] sons and daughters.

Thus Shem died in the year 2158 / 1842 BC, so his life overlapped with the patriarchs Avraham, Yitzhaq, and Yaaqov, and tradition says he had a Yeshiva (school of the knowledge of Elohim) which all of them attended.

12. Arpachshad lived 35 years and fathered Shalach.
13. And after he fathered Shalach,
Arpachshad lived 403 years, and fathered [more] sons and daughters.

Notice the consistently shortening lifespans.

14. Shalach lived 30 years and fathered Ever.
15. And after he fathered Ever,
Shalach lived 403 years, and he fathered [more] sons and daughters.

Ever’s is the line that preserved the original language, even giving it its present name: Ivrit (Hebrew). A team of 150 scholars has been bringing to light the Hebrew root of all languages.

Ever is the only one of Shem’s descendants mentioned here that outlived Shem.

20. Reu lived 32 years and fathered Serug.
21. And after he fathered Serug,
Reu lived 207 years, and he fathered [more] sons and daughters.

22. Serug lived 30 years and fathered Nakhor.
23. And after he fathered Nakhor,
Serug lived 200 years, and he fathered [more] sons and daughters.

Serug means “intertwined branch”. Was he the one who started introducing idolatry even into Shem’s line? We see in Y’hoshua 24:2 that Terakh (mentioned in the next verse) served other elohim than YHWH. Jewish tradition says that he was even an idol-maker by trade.

26. And Terakh lived 70 years and fathered Avram, Nakhor, and Charan.

27. These are [have been] the generations [chronicles] of Terakh:

* * *

Terakh fathered Avram, Nakhor, and Charan, and Charan fathered Lot.

28. And Charan died in the presence of his father Terakh in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans.

29. And Avram and Nakhor took wives for themselves. The name of Avram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nakhor's wife was Milkah, the daughter of Charan, who was the father of both Milkah and Yiskah.

Did Nakhor marry his niece? Josephus says no, this was another Charan, a previously- unmentioned brother of Terakh making these women his cousins. Yiskai may have been the same as Sarai, which may be her nickname; it means "princess". Arab men still call their paternal uncle's daughters their "princesses". Milkah also means “queen”. It may be that there was some actual royalty or authority in the women in this family. We will see the next several generations continue wanting to pull women from this particular gene pool as wives despite the distance that had to be traversed to do so.

One possible reason for this was that, being married to her half-brother (20:12), her body was rejecting his seed. Another possible explanation is that after several generations of men being fruitful early in life, Terakh again waits a considerable time to have any children, and now his son was also unable to have a child. This foreshadows a major source of the conflicts in the chapters ahead.

The only clue we are given to Terakh’s reason for migration was that he could not stand to remain in the place where his son had died, because of all the memories it would bring back to him. Yet he took his son’s son along nonetheless, probably feeling responsible for him. He left behind Lot’s mother as well as Nakhor and his wife Milkah. Terakh’s own name means “station” or “delay”, suggesting that he either overcame his tendency to stay in one place, or that he did not bring his family as far as he should have, making it necessary for his other son to continue the journey further. Charan was probably not named for his deceased son, but had already existed, being derived from the Sumerian word Kharannu, meaning "road transfer", or "crossroads"; indeed, major trade routes did meet here at the northern cusp of the "fertile crescent". It was a highly-developed city-state with ties to Ur, possibly explaining why they did not want to leave. There are archaeological indications that there was a degree of fear of Elohim among the rulers there--a contrast with the Kanaanite traders who must have passed through. Avram did not seem from these verses to hold much promise—a barren wife, a father running from his past, no more roots anywhere. But tradition says he was known as a wise man, well versed in astronomy, mathematics, and history. Josephus says he reasoned that idols, made by men's hands, could hardly be superior to men, and that the irregularities sometimes seen in the heavenly bodies' motion meant that they also could not care for themselves, and must not be deities. The path he took is the one that will ultimately heal the curse of bavel. His descendants will be brought back into unity, though scattered among all nations, and will have one shepherd and YHWH’s dwelling place in their midst (Y’hezq’el/Ez. 37:15ff), and will again have a pure language by which to call on the same Elohim and serve Him “with one shoulder”. (Tz’fanyah 3:9)