Biblical Hebrew Forum

[James Read <J.Read-2 AT sms.ed.ac.uk>]

Recent claims about the TLDTH formula found at Genesis 5:1 have  
implications for the date of the hypothetical document from Genesis  
2:5-4:26. According to the theory the document was written by Adam  
and, therefore, predates the flood.

Let us assume that the hypothesis of separate documents is true and  
attempt to date the document from internal evidence.

Genesis 2:10-14

Now there was a river issuing out of E´den to water the garden, and  
from there it began to be parted and it became, as it were, four  
heads.  The first one?s name is Pi´shon; it is the one encircling the  
entire land of Hav´i·lah, where there is gold.  And the gold of that  
land is good. There also are the bdellium gum and the onyx stone.  And  
the name of the second river is Gi´hon; it is the one encircling the  
entire land of Cush.  And the name of the third river is Hid´de·kel;  
it is the one going to the east of As·syr´i·a. And the fourth river is  
the Eu·phra´tes.

Here we see a number of contextual clues which present difficulties  
for a pre-flood dating.

Firstly, we see reference to a land of Cush. Relying on evidence from  
the table of nations in Genesis 10 we see that Cush had not even been  
born pre-flood and hadn't had a chance to yet go out, raise a family  
and have an entire country named after him.

Secondly, we see reference to the land of Assyria. The land of  
Assyria, with it's capital of Assur had not yet been established and  
no pre-flood author would have been able to make geographical  
references to this place.

The whole style is of an author with international knowledge of  
defined geographical regions with established communities that mine  
gold and onyx stone. The author assumes that this is common knowledge  
to his audience. This could only fit a context of post-flood with the  
dispersion already having happened and communities already having been  
established in the various nations. Such would be common knowledge to  
a company of nomads or travelling tradesman.

James Christian





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