Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Larry Baden" <llbaden AT sbcglobal.net>]

Steve,

I am going to respond this one time, and then drop it, because I don't think
the question I raised is within the purview of this list.

You are correct that there are names and ages in the list in Genesis 5.
However, in most other generational lists in the OT, there are no ages.
Further, if one takes the various generational lists through the OT and puts
them parallel, it becomes evident that they are not as straightforward as
you claim. It's a situation much like the country song, "I'm My Own
Grandpaw."

Larry Baden
St. Louis, MO 63119

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather the wood,
divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast
and endless sea"

~ Antoine de Saint Exupery


-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Miller [mailto:smille10 AT sbcglobal.net]
Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2006 2:09 PM
To: 'Larry Baden'
Cc: 'B-Hebrew'
Subject: RE: [b-hebrew] Genesis 1:2 - And the earth was without form,
and void




> -----Original Message-----
> From: Larry Baden [mailto:llbaden AT sbcglobal.net]
> Sent: Monday, April 17, 2006 3:14 PM
>
> If I might join the conversation, it seems to me that the 6000-year
> argument
> is based on bad scholarship, but not because of carbon dating or any other
> dating.
>
> I cannot find a place in Scripture that explicitly dates the world at 6000
> years. The date is simply not given. Apparently it was either unknown or
> considered unimportant. The 6000-year date, if I understand it (I'm
> certain
> I will be corrected if I have misunderstood) is based on Ussher's
> calculations using the genealogies of the OT.
>
> Every argument, of course, has its assumptions, and this one is no
> different. The assumption in these is that the OT genealogy lists are
> one-generation-to-the-next lists, father to son, with no skips and no
> multi-generational steps. If these lists are not as straightforward as
> that,
> the dating system collapses, I think.

[Steve Miller] The Bible record does not give you the option which you
describe.
Gen 5:3  And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his
likeness, after his image, and called his name Seth.
4  And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years;
and he begot sons and daughters.
5  And all the days of Adam that he lived were nine hundred and thirty
years; and he died.
6 ¶  And Seth lived a hundred and five years, and begot Enosh. .....

Where is the ambiguity for skipped generations?

>
> After all that, I have to say that I don't understand the fuss about the
> age
> of the earth. Seems to me like it's pretty badly missing the point of the
> Bible.
 [Steve Miller] While it is not important how old the earth is, I believe it
is a very important fact that every word of the Bible is true.
-Steve Miller
Detroit