DBowling wrote:
While you are in Genesis 11, how about a quick math experiment.
In Genesis 11:10-26 we have the genealogy from Noah's son, Shem to Abraham.
According to Gen 11 how many years passed between the time of Shem and the time of Abraham?
When do you think Shem lived?
When do you think Abraham lived?
Do you see the problem?
There is actually an interesting textual issue involving the Shem to Abraham genealogy in Genesis 11 which has a significant impact on the timing of Noah's Flood.
The Textual issue involves the difference between the Hebrew Masoretic Text of Genesis (which is the basis of most English translations of the Old Testament) and the Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament (which predates the Masoretic Text by hundreds of years).
Let's start with the Masoretic Test.
Here is Genesis 11:10-26 (the genealogy from Shem to Abraham) from the NASB.
10 These are the records of the generations of Shem. Shem was one hundred years old, and became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood; 11 and Shem lived five hundred years after he became the father of Arpachshad, and he had other sons and daughters.
12 Arpachshad lived thirty-five years, and became the father of Shelah; 13 and Arpachshad lived four hundred and three years after he became the father of Shelah, and he had other sons and daughters.
14 Shelah lived thirty years, and became the father of Eber; 15 and Shelah lived four hundred and three years after he became the father of Eber, and he had other sons and daughters.
16 Eber lived thirty-four years, and became the father of Peleg; 17 and Eber lived four hundred and thirty years after he became the father of Peleg, and he had other sons and daughters.
18 Peleg lived thirty years, and became the father of Reu; 19 and Peleg lived two hundred and nine years after he became the father of Reu, and he had other sons and daughters.
20 Reu lived thirty-two years, and became the father of Serug; 21 and Reu lived two hundred and seven years after he became the father of Serug, and he had othersons and daughters.
22 Serug lived thirty years, and became the father of Nahor; 23 and Serug lived two hundred years after he became the father of Nahor, and he had other sons and daughters.
24 Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and became the father of Terah; 25 and Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years after he became the father of Terah, and he had other sons and daughters.
26 Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.
According to the Masoretic Text 292 years passed between the Flood and the birth of Abraham
Now let's compare this with the Genealogy from Luke 3:34-38
34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Heber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
Notice the difference (that I hilighted in red)?
According to the Masoretic Text...
Arphaxad is the father of Shelah
According to Luke...
Arphaxad is the father of Cainan
and then Cainan is the father of Shelah
So what does Hugh Ross do with this (and I really do like Hugh Ross)?
He asserts that the difference between Luke and the Masoretic Text of Genesis 11 implies that there are gaps in the Shem to Abraham genealogy that we see in Genesis 11.
And if there are gaps in the Genesis 11 text, then that means that we can 'recalibrate' the text by inserting tens of thousands of years worth of gaps into the text of Genesis 11.
Even though I have lots of respect for Hugh Ross, I have real problems with taking those kinds of liberties with the Biblical Text.
So... Is there another solution to the discrepancy between the Genesis 11 and Luke 3 genealogies?
Yes... there is.
If you look at the Septuagint text of Genesis 11:10-26, all of a sudden all these discrepancies disappear.
Here's an English translation of the Septuagint text of Genesis 11:10-26
10 And these are the generations of Sem: and Sem was a hundred years old when he begot Arphaxad, the second year after the flood. 11 And Sem lived, after he had begotten Arphaxad, five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters, and died. 12 And Arphaxad lived a hundred and thirty-five years, and begot Cainan. 13 And Arphaxad lived after he had begotten Cainan, four hundred years, and begot sons and daughters, and died. And Cainan lived a hundred and thirty years and begot Sala; and Canaan lived after he had begotten Sala, three hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters, and died. 14 And Sala lived an hundred and thirty years, and begot Heber. 15 And Sala lived after he had begotten Heber, three hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters, and died. 16 And Heber lived an hundred and thirty-four years, and begot Phaleg. 17 And Heber lived after he had begotten Phaleg two hundred and seventy years, and begot sons and daughters, and died. 18 And Phaleg lived and hundred and thirty years, and begot Ragau. 19 And Phaleg lived after he had begotten Ragau, two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters, and died. 20 And Ragau lived and hundred thirty and two years, and begot Seruch. 21 And Raau lived after he had begotten Seruch, two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters, and died. 22 And Seruch lived a hundred and thirty years, and begot Nachor. 23 And Seruch lived after he had begotten Nachor, two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters, and died. 24 And Nachor lived a hundred and seventy-nine years, and begot Tharrha. 25 And Nachor lived after he had begotten Tharrha, an hundred and twenty-five years, and begot sons and daughters, and he died. 26 And Tharrha lived seventy years, and begot Abram, and Nachor, and Arrhan.
There are a couple of significant differences we see here in the Septuagint text of Genesis 11.
1. Like Luke's genealogy the Septuagint says
Arphaxad is the father of Cainan
and then Cainan is the father of Shelah (Sala)
2. In the Septuagint, the ages of the fathers when their sons are born is 100 years greater than in the Masoretic text, which significantly changes the time that passes between the Flood and the birth of Abraham.
According to the Septuagint 1172 years passed between the Flood and the birth of Abraham as opposed to 292 years for the Masoretic Text.
If we go with the Septuagint text for Genesis 11:10-26.
1. The Genesis 11 genealogy matches the Luke 3 genealogy. There are no 'gaps' in the Genesis 11 genealogy, and thus no excuse to try to insert tens of thousands of years into the text of Genesis 11.
2. The amount of time that passes between the Flood and Abraham according to Genesis 11 is 1172 years. Which actually corresponds with what we see in extraScriptural history.
Abraham was born around 1800 - 2000 BC timeframe.
The Mesopotamian Deluge took place around 3000 BC.
In Summary...
The Septuagint text of Genesis 11:10-26... Eliminates discrepancies with Luke 3, eliminates supposed 'gaps' in the Genesis 11 Genealogy, and the Scriptural time between the Flood and the time of Abraham is corroborated by extraScriptural Mesopotamian history.
