Old Testament 7 m/neareast/ne01.html#Etana

This is a recap of geographical information. I found this info on the website listed on the first slide of this lesson. It is worth taking notes.

*The Near East is the oldest populated area and the birthplace of civilization. *Christianity and Islam place the garden of Eden in modern Iraq.

*“Ancient Sumerians identified it with Bahrein in the Persian Gulf.” * The land between the Tigris and the Euphrates is known as Mesopotamia.

* Most of what we know about civilization has been discovered in the last 200 years.

It was assumed by most, that civilization began in Egypt and Greece because Biblical references to named cities were the only suggestion of their existence.

Western travelers to Iraq, in the first half of the nineteenth century, noticed that pottery and brick were washed up out of tells/tepes, or hills, after rain storms. What were thought to be hills were actually burial sites for whole cities.

Satellite View of Tells/Tepes

Surprise, Surprise! “Ancient civilizations like those of the Sumerians, Elamites, Hittites and Assyrians … fabulous cities like Tyre, Nineveh, Ur and Babylon only known by references in the Bible and classical writers such as Herodotus,” were, after millenniums, unearthed.

Genesis 4 Cain and Abel are born. Cain kills Abel over a sacrificial offering that was rejected by God.

Though the Bible doesn’t point it out in detail, there was the shedding of blood for clothing for Adam and Eve after they sinned. This likely was the beginning of the blood sacrifice to cover sin.

Chapter 5 Genealogy – likely the beginning of a new section. Significant in that it mentions Enoch, who walked with God and was not for God took him.

Enoch’s son Methuselah was the oldest man to live on the earth. – 969 years, but his father outlived him because he went to God and did not die an Earthly death.

Chapter 6 Marriage between Sons of God and daughters of humanity.

It is here so let’s address it – Three Theories Our book’s theory – “In light of this unit’s emphasis on human rebellion versus faithfulness, this is probably referring to immoral unions between

The faithful line of Seth and the decadent line of Cain. Or The sons were rulers and princes, who unjustly took the daughters of commoners against their will.

Third Theory This one is from and it is a little out there. It still addresses the issue, and I think it is worth considering if not actually embracing.

There were giants in the earth in those days: and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. Gen. 6:4

“Nephilim is translated "giants“ “Commentators like Lange trace the word "Nephilim" to the root "Niphal" meaning "distinguished ones." This corresponds perfectly with the "men of renown" at the end of Genesis 6:4, nevertheless it is not a generally accepted translation.”

“Nephilim is translated "giants.“ “Most scholars, …trace the word "Nephilim" to the Hebrew root "Naphal" meaning "to fall." The Nephilim are the "fallen ones." A direct reference to the fallen angels who sired them. Some writers such as Ben Adam believe the word "Nephilim" refers to the fallen angels themselves and not to their offspring.”

There is disagreement in the translation of the word Nephilim. Giants, distinguished ones, miscarriage. NIV just uses the word Nephilim and does not try to translate it. It is also used in Numbers 13:33. (spies saw giants Nephilim in the land)

The thought is that the Sons of God, fallen angels, took the daughters of the earth and produced a race of giants. After all you have to have a flesh body to be legal on this Earth. These giants so perverted the earth that the human race that God established thought evil continuously.

Noah was the only righteous one – “Genesis 6:9 says that Noah was "perfect in his generation." The Hebrew word is "tamiym" and comes from the root word "taman." This means "without blemish" as in Exodus 12:5, 29:1, Leviticus 1:3.”

“Just as the sacrificial lamb had to be without any physical blemish, so Noah's perfection. In its primary meaning, it refers not to any moral or spiritual quality, but to physical purity. Noah was uncontaminated by the alien invaders.” This thought makes one much less sympathetic for those who drowned in the flood.

This theory also explains God’s command to kill everyone that inhabited Canaan when Israel returned out of Egypt. There would have been a pre – flood uprising of “Nephilim and later a much less successful uprising in the land of Canaan.

Genesis 6:9 – 9:29 Deal with the flood and the aftermath of the flood. Genesis 10 brings us to Noah’s family tree and the start of a new section.