Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Steve Miller" <smille10 AT sbcglobal.net>]

> From: JAMES CHRISTIAN READ
> 
> I seem to remember somebody saying that Genesis 2:4 was
> the end of the creation account rather than the start of
> the garden of eden account.
> 
> Doesn't the formula used indicate the beginning of an
> account?
> 
> אלה תולדות השמים והארץ בהבראם  ביום עשות יהוה אלהים--ארץ ושמים
> 
> The reason I say this is because we see a similar
> formula in Genesis 10:1:
> 
> ואלה תולדת בני נח שם חם ויפת ויולדו להם בנים אחר המבול
> 
> and also in Genesis 11:10:
> 
> אלה תולדת שם--שם בן מאת שנה ויולד את ארפכשד  שנתים אחר המבול
> 

[Steve Miller] I believe that Gen 2:4 is the end of the forgoing account
because the next phrase starts with "AND". If Gen 2:4 was a heading over the
following passage, then the sentence following Gen 2:4 would not start with
AND.

I find the following "these are the generations" type verses in the OT:
Gen 2:4; 5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 10:32; 11:10; 11:27, 25:12-13; 25:19; 36:1, 9,
37:2; 
Exo 6:16, 19; Num 3:1-2; Ruth 4:18; 1 Chron 1:29

Not counting Gen 2:4, which is ambiguous, all of these "these are the
generation" verses are headings except for Gen 10:32 and Exo 6:19 which are
endings.

Gen 2:4 & 10:32 & Exo 6:19 are followed by AND's, and are the only "these
are the generation" verses which are followed by AND's.

Therefore I believe that Gen 2:4 is similar to Gen 10:32 & Exo 6:19 in that
all 3 are endings to the forgoing account, and the following AND starts the
telling of something additional.

-Steve Miller
Detroit