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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] theories and standards

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  • From: James Read <J.Read-2 AT sms.ed.ac.uk>
  • To: James Read <J.Read-2 AT sms.ed.ac.uk>
  • Cc: B-Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] theories and standards
  • Date: Mon, 18 May 2009 23:52:10 +0100

A few more observations I would like to add. We are told that Noah and his sons landed with their livestock in the mountains in an area which has been identified with Turkey.

We are then told in Genesis 11 that they were of one set of words and travelled eastwards until they found a valley plain in Shinar where they started to build Babel. This makes perfect sense. Coming out of the mountains with livestock they could prevent from running or flying away they travel eastwards along the furtile crescent and file the valley plain with a fresh water supply running through it. Just what they need to be able to drink, wash themselves and water their livestock.

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=34.615127,44.01123&spn=14.066629,28.125&t=p&z=6

What is key to understanding the account is why they set about building a city

Genesis 11:4

for fear we may be scattered over all the surface of the earth

Which is exactly the opposite of what Elohim's purpose for mankind was:

Genesis 1:28

Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth

Yhwh then takes action and mixes up their language so that they leave off building the city and scatter throughout the earth. And that is exactly what they do. Genesis 10 tells us that Nimrod goes off to Assyria and builds Nineveh etc.

So, in summary, the idea of the story is a united group that find a nice place to settle and start building a city and then scatter throughout the earth because they no longer understand each other and are no longer able to make such highly organised cooperative efforts.

James Christian




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