We All Fall Down

Beth's devotion for our church to complement the Sunday sermon. 

We All Fall Down

By Beth Stroble

In this year’s Lenten season, we are called to “live inside out.”  What does that mean? I think it means that we will first engage in the kind of introspection and soul-searching that deepens our understanding of our fallen and flawed nature. Traditional Lenten spiritual practices call for prayer, fasting, a denial of the world’s temptations as we give something up. Taking that awareness outside our own sense of repentance and remorse, we then are called to reflect on how our brokenness affects our interactions with those in the world—family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, community. This year at Webster Hills we are being called to embrace fully our identity as God’s people through Acts of Kindness and serving others. 

This call to action based on our strong sense of whose we are finds inspiration in Matthew’s (4:1-11) account of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.  After the Spirit descends upon Jesus at the baptism in the River Jordan, Jesus is then led to the wilderness to withstand three temptations.  As Leslie described them, each took the form of serving self and abandoning the larger purpose of the sacrifice Jesus would make for our salvation.  Whether to feed himself, to take a fall to prove his identity, or to bow down for worldly dominion, Jesus shunned the teasing and tempting choices to elevate self and stayed true to God’s plan and purpose to serve humankind through his own death and resurrection.  Jesus did not fall. 

We all fall down. We fall down in our ability to be honest with ourselves about our fundamental nature. We fall down when we fail to live in and extend God’s grace. We fall down when we depend only on ourselves and after a fall, fail even then to call out for the Lord to lift us up. We all fall down.

Remember that child’s game, Ring Around the Rosie? I recall this version: ”Ring-around-the-rosie, A pocket full of posies, Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down.”

While many claim that the game originated during the 17th century bubonic plague years and references the symptoms and treatments for plague victims, there is no definitive proof of its origin other than in children’s games dating to the 1800s. Interestingly, a version that appeared in a collection of Mother Goose’s nursery rhymes ended with, “We’re all tumbled down. We all fall dead.” 

And indeed we do.  And while that is the end of the rhyme, it is not our end.  Because Jesus the Christ took the fall for each of us and showed God’s power over death, we need fear death no more. 

Through the Lord’s death and resurrection, we are redeemed. And not for ourselves alone. May we, living life as God intended, serve others with acts of kindness and compassion. May God’s Kingdom on Earth be made real as we live our saved selves inside out.

Amen.

Bible Families: Terah (Abraham, Nahor, Haran)

I'm continuing my informal study of the Bible's genealogies. One apparent motive of the biblical authors is to illustrate how God was silently involved in the building of families of the many descendants of Abraham. 

Last time, I posted this chart: 

I found this chart on Wikipedia (“Genealogy of Abraham”) that fills out the families of Terah's sons. 

In this post, I'll unpack this second chart. Here is the family of Abraham's brother Nahor, from the KJV (which I use because it's public domain and I can quote big sections): 

Genesis 22:17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.

20 And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor;

21 Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,

22 And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.

23 And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham's brother.

24 And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.

We know about Isaac and Rebekah and their boys Jacob and Esau. From this scripture, we learn that Rebekah was the granddaughter of Abraham’s brother Nahor and his wife Milcha, making Isaac and Rebekah first cousins once removed. We know from Genesis 11:27-29 that Milcah was the daughter of Nahor and Abraham’s brother Haran. So Nahor married his own niece. 

OBVIOUSLY this is not scriptural warrant for interfamily marriage, but reflective of the times. We ALWAYS have to take into account the historical time period from which scripture is written. 

Commentator Adam Clarke makes a crucial point about verse 20: "This short history seems introduced solely for the purpose of preparing the reader for the transactions related chap. xxiv., and to show that the providence of God was preparing, in one of the branches of the family of Abraham, a suitable spouse for his son Isaac” (Clarke’s Commentary, I, 141). 

Torah: A Modern Commentary indicates that these twelve sons of Nabor with Milcah and Reumah likely represent twelve tribes, “a duodecimal principle of trial organization found also in extra-biblical sources” (pp. 147-148). 

____

Now let's look at what the chart illustrates about Lot. He is the son of Haran and brother of Milcah. Genesis 19 gives this story: 

And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.

31 And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:

32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.

33 And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.

34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.

35 And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.

36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.

37 And the first born bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.

38 And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.

Clarke writes: “The generation which proceeded from this incestuous connection, whatever may be said in extenuation of the transaction (its peculiar circumstances being considered) was certainly a bad one. The Moabites soon fell from the faith of God, and became idolaters, the people of Chmosh, and of Baal’peor, Num. xxi. 29; xxxv. 1-3; and were enemies to the children of Abraham. See Num. xxii.; Judg. iii, 14, &c. And the Ammonites, who dwelt near to the Moabites, united with them in idolatry and were also enemies to Israel. See Judg. xi. 4, 24; Deut. Xxiii. 3, 4. As both these people made afterwards a considerable figure in sacred history, the impartial inspired writer takes care to introduce at this early period an account of their origin” (Clarke’s Commentary, I, 129). 

So the biblical genealogy makes a point about opponents of God's people---their ancestry is rooted in the sin of Lot's daughters, and also that the Moabites and Ammonites are rooted in the same families as God's people.

Significantly, though, the Moabites and Ammonites figure into the lines of David, and of Jesus. 

Among his husbands of wives and concubines, Naamah is only wife of Solomon who is mentioned by name. She was an Ammonite. She is the mother of Solomon's heir, Rehoboam (1 Kings 14:21-31, 2 Chronicles 1), who was the first king of the Kingdom of Judah (the "Southern Kingdom" that survived until the Babylonian exile). Thus, the line of David continued through Solomon's and Naamah's son Rehoboam, and eventually to Jesus.  

AND, the Moabite Ruth is the ancestor of King David, and of Jesus. 

So there is a great deal of biblical history to which we can connect from these lists of names.  

____

We also have the history of Abraham’s additional family, after Sarah’s death.  

Gen. 25 Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.

2 And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.

3 And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.

4 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.

5 And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.

6 But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.

7 And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.

8 Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.

9 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;

10 The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.

11 And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi.

The New Interpreter’s Bible commentary on Genesis has this: “This author encloses this section (22:20-25:18), having to do with concluding events in Abraham’s journey, with genealogies (22:20-24, 25:1-18; cf. 33:18-36:43 and 47:27-50:26 for other closing accounts). The stories share a common focus: the preparation for the future of the family, as that involves both land and posterity (I, 501). 

Genesis 25 continues with the family of Ishmael. 

12 Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham:

13 And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,

14 And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,

15 Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:

16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.

17 And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.

At this point, the story continues with Isaac and Rebekah and their twin sons.  

___

Here is the 1 Chronicles 1 list corresponding to these passages:  

24 Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah,

25 Eber, Peleg, Reu,

26 Serug, Nahor, Terah,

27 Abram; the same is Abraham.

28 The sons of Abraham; Isaac, and Ishmael.

29 These are their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; then Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,

30 Mishma, and Dumah, Massa, Hadad, and Tema,

31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael.

32 Now the sons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine: she bare Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. And the sons of Jokshan; Sheba, and Dedan.

33 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Henoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these are the sons of Keturah.

34 And Abraham begat Isaac. The sons of Isaac; Esau and Israel.

Here is Luke 3: 

.... 34son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of Terah, son of Nahor, 35son of Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah, 36son of Cainan, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech, 37son of Methuselah, son of Enoch, son of Jared, son of Mahalaleel, son of Cainan, 38son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God. 

Here are the genealogical pages from the 1629 prayer book. 

The Qur'an

A colleague shared with me the site "Hadith a Day" (https://hadithoftheday.com/join-hotd/). I've been
enjoying them so much!  

Here is information about the Qur'an, which I already posted for May 14, 2020. Here are the titles of the suras:

1. Al-Fatihah (The Opening)

2. Al-Baqarah (The Cow)

3. Al-'Imran (The Family of Amran)

4. An-Nisa' (The Women)

5. Al-Ma'idah (The Food)

6. Al-An'am (The Cattle)

7. Al-A'raf (The Elevated Places)

8. Al-Anfal (Voluntary Gifts)

9. Al-Bara'at / At-Taubah (The Immunity)

10. Yunus (Jonah)

11. Hud (Hud)

12. Yusuf (Joseph)

13. Ar-Ra'd (The Thunder)

14. Ibrahim (Abraham)

15. Al-Hijr (The Rock)

16. An-Nahl (The Bee)

17. Bani Isra'il (The Israelites)

18. Al-Kahf (The Cave)

19. Maryam (Mary)

20. Ta Ha (Ta Ha)

21. Al-Anbiya' (The Prophets)

22. Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage)

23. Al-Mu'minun (The Believers)

24. An-Nur (The Light)

25. Al-Furqan (The Discrimination)

26. Ash-Shu'ara' (The Poets)

27. An-Naml (The Naml)

28. Al-Qasas (The Narrative)

29. Al-'Ankabut (The Spider)

30. Ar-Rum (The Romans)

31. Luqman (Luqman)

32. As-Sajdah (The Adoration)

33. Al-Ahzab (The Allies)

34. Al-Saba' (The Saba')

35. Al-Fatir (The Originator)

36. Ya Sin (Ya Sin)

37. As-Saffat (Those Ranging in Ranks)

38. Sad (Sad)

39. Az-Zumar (The Companies)

40. Al-Mu'min (The Believer)

41. Ha Mim (Ha Mim)

42. Ash-Shura (Counsel)

43. Az-Zukhruf (Gold)

44. Ad-Dukhan (The Drought)

45. Al-Jathiyah (The Kneeling)

46. Al-Ahqaf (The Sandhills)

47. Muhammad (Muhammad)

48. Al-Fath (The Victory)

49. Al-Hujurat (The Apartments)

50. Qaf (Qaf)

51. Ad-Dhariyat (The Scatterers)

52. At-Tur (The Mountain)

53. An-Najm (The Star)

54. Al-Qamar (The Moon)

55. Ar-Rahman (The Beneficent)

56. Al-Waqi'ah (The Event)

57. Al-Hadid (Iron)

58. Al-Mujadilah (The Pleading Woman)

59. Al-Hashr (The Banishment)

60. Al-Mumtahanah (The Woman who is Examined)

61. As-Saff (The Ranks)

62. Al-Jumu'ah (The Congregation)

63. Al-Munafiqun (The Hypocrites)

64. At-Taghabun (The Manifestation of Losses)

65. At-Talaq (Divorce)

66. At-Tahrim (The Prohibition)

67. Al-Mulk (The Kingdom)

68. Al-Qalam (The Pen)

69. Al-Haqqah (The Sure Truth)

70. Al-Ma'arij (The Ways of Ascent)

71. Nuh (Noah)

72. Al-Jinn (The Jinn)

73. Al-Muzzammil (The One Covering Himself)

74. Al-Muddaththir (The One Wrapping Himself Up)

75. Al-Qiyamah (The Resurrection)

76. Al-Insan (The Man)

77. Al-Mursalat (Those Sent Forth)

78. An-Naba' (The Announcement)

79. An-Nazi'at (Those Who Yearn)

80. 'Abasa (He Frowned)

81. At-Takwir (The Folding Up)

82. Al-Infitar (The Cleaving)

83. At-Tatfif (Default in Duty)

84. Al-Inshiqaq (The Bursting Asunder)

85. Al-Buruj (The Stars)

86. At-Tariq (The Comer by Night)

87. Al-A'la (The Most High)

88. Al-Ghashiyah (The Overwhelming Event)

89. Al-Fajr (The Daybreak)

90. Al-Balad (The City)

91. Ash-Shams (The Sun)

92. Al-Lail (The Night)

93. Ad-Duha (The Brightness of the Day)

94. Al-Inshirah (The Expansion)

95. At-Tin (The Fig)

96. Al-'Alaq (The Clot)

97. Al-Qadr (The Majesty)

98. Al-Bayyinah (The Clear Evidence)

99. Al-Zilzal (The Shaking)

100. Al-'Adiyat (The Assaulters)

101. Al-Qari'ah (The Calamity)

102. At-Takathur (The Abundance of Wealth)

103. Al-'Asr (The Time)

104. Al-Humazah (The Slanderer)

105. Al-Fil (The Elephant)

106. Al-Quraish (The Quraish)

107. Al-Ma'un (Acts of Kindness)

108. Al-Kauthar (The Abundance of Good)

109. Al-Kafirun (The Disbelievers)

110. An-Nasr (The Help)

111. Al-Lahab (The Flame)

112. Al-Ikhlas (The Unity)

113. Al-Falaq (The Dawn)

114. An-Nas (The Men)

Here is a site that summarizes each of the suras: https://www.soundvision.com/article/a-thematic-introduction-to-the-surahs-of-the-qur-an

Here are two other sites of summaries and key passages:  

https://www.islamreligion.com/category/77/summary-of-quranic-chapters/

https://mafiadoc.com/some-improtant-contents-of-surahs-understand-quran-_5a19ed1f1723dd221d4565b2.html

Here is a chart from Wikipedia, about the major sections of the Qur'an. 

On page 27 of my Study Quran (above), the footnote has these lovely verses:

We are nearer to him than his jugular vein (50:16)

God comes between a man and his heart (8:24)

And you do not will but that God, the Lord of the worlds, wills (81:29)

When My servants ask thee about Me, truly I am near. I answer the call of the caller when he calls Me. So let them respond to Me and believe in Me, that they may be led aright (2:186).

Unto God belongs intercession altogether (39:44)

Bible Families: Shem to Abram

Following the story of the Tower of Babel, we have the fourth and fifth genealogy of the Bible, the lineage from Noah’s son Shem to Abram. 

This passage can be considered two, overlapping accounts. Gen. 11:11-26 is the last family chart of the “primordial history” that begins with Genesis 1 and continues through most of Genesis 11. Gen. 11:25-26 refers to Terah, Abram's father. Then Genesis 11:27 elaborates Terah's family---and with that, we basically the rest of the Bible: the story of Abraham, his faith, and his descendants. He is a key hero of faith in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  

Genesis 11:10. These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:

11 And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

12 And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah:

13 And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

14 And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:

15 And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

16 And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg:

17 And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.

18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu:

19 And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.

20 And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug:

21 And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.

22 And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor:

23 And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah:

25 And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.

26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

27 Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.

28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.

29 And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.

30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child.

31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.

32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

I found this chart on Wikipedia commons.  

My Jewish Study Bible notes that Gen. 11:31-12:2 seem to indicate two leave-takings on the part of Abram. The two versions are an example of the weaving together of the J and P sources, but the two versions also show that Abram and his family sojourned in Hara, apparently for the sake of his father, and when Terah died, the Lord instructed him (and them) to proceed further, to Canaan (p. 30). 

Here's a lovely madras (quoted in Torah: A Modern Commentary): "Why did Abraham have to go forth to the world? At home he was like a flask of myrrh with a tight-fitting lid. Only when it is open can the fragrance be scattered to the winds" (p. 95). 

The page from the 1629 Prayer Book: 

Bible Families: Noah

I'm continuing my informal study of the Bible's numerous genealogies. Here is the third genealogy in Genesis: the sons of Noah. Genesis 10 is often called "the Table of the Nations."  This translation is KJV, in the public domain.   

Genesis 10. Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.

2 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.

3 And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.

4 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.

5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.

6 And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.

7 And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtechah: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.

8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.

10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

11 Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,

12 And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.

13 And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,

14 And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim.

15 And Canaan begat Sidon his first born, and Heth,

16 And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite,

17 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,

18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.

19 And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.

20 These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.

21 Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.

22 The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.

23 And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.

24 And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber.

25 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.

26 And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,

27 And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah,

28 And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba,

29 And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan.

30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.

31 These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.

32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

I didn't even have to consult my Bible study books! I found this excellent Jewish source that explains these names and traditions. 

https://www.thetorah.com/article/the-table-of-nations-the-geography-of-the-world-in-genesis-10

Here is the corresponding genealogy in 1 Chronicles 1: 

5 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.

6 And the sons of Gomer; Ashchenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.

7 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.

8 The sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.

9 And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabta, and Raamah, and Sabtecha. And the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.

10 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be mighty upon the earth.

11 And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,

12 And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (of whom came the Philistines,) and Caphthorim.

13 And Canaan begat Zidon his firstborn, and Heth,

14 The Jebusite also, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite,

15 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,

16 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite.

17 The sons of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram, and Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Meshech.

18 And Arphaxad begat Shelah, and Shelah begat Eber.

19 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg; because in his days the earth was divided: and his brother's name was Joktan.

20 And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,

21 Hadoram also, and Uzal, and Diklah,

22 And Ebal, and Abimael, and Sheba,

23 And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.

One of my favorite books for study, The Torah: A Modern Commentary (Union of American Hebrew Congregations, 1981), has this (p. 77):

"The geographic area covered by the biblical table reaches from the Caucasus mountains in the north to Ethiopia in the south, from the Aegean Sea in the west to the highlands of Iran in the east. Broadly speaking, Japheth refers to the peoples at the northern and western periphery of the Fertile Crescent, including the Medes, the Cypriots, the Scythians, and the Ionians. The offspring of Ham dwell about the Red Sea and include Ethiopians, Egyptians, and Canaanites. The descendants of Shem live in the heart of the Crescent itself and include Arabs, Arabians, and Assyrians. 

"This chapter represents the combinations of two separate traditions. The older one (Gen. 10:8-19, 21, 22-30) is concern primarily with tribes and cleans; the more recent one stresses the term (גוי  goy, nation) and is maintained a catalogue of states and languages (as, for instance, in verses 5, 20, 31, 32)...

"No reference to 'race' or skin color can be detected in this list. This is not to say that the Bible is without prejudices or preferences... but it is totally devoid of any notion of racial superiority." 

My Jewish Study Bible (Oxford, 2004) notes: "The fluidity of identity, which allows a name to refer both to an individual and to a nation, is characteristic of the Tanakh and especially prominent in Genesis... political relationships are at least as important as ethnicity and linguistic affinity in establishing lines of descent. Thus, the Canaanites are classed with Egypt... though the geographic and linguistic relations of the Canaanites ought to put them in the same class as Israel (who have not yet emerged), the class of Shimites. The genealogy probably reflects the political reality that for a long time prior to the emergence of Israel, Egypt had dominated Canaan" (p. 26). 

That same source notes that the name Ashkenaz (descendant of Gomer, vs. 3) refers to the Scythians who lived north of the Black Sea. During the Middle Ages the term was reused to refer to Jews of central and northeastern Europe (pp. 26, 28). 

Several of my books, including this one (p 28), speculate that the reference to Nimrod (10:8-12) was likely part of an older epic that has been much abbreviated by the J source. The first emperor was also the mighty hunter (v. 9). 

Nimrod is also the name of one of Edward Elgar's famous "Enigma Variations," likely the most famous of them (https://www.classical-music.com/features/works/a-guide-to-nimrod-from-elgars-enigma-variations/). I read somewhere that the slang meaning of the name--a foolish person--comes from a Bugs Bunny cartoon where Bugs refers to the hunter Elmer Fudd as "poor little Nimrod." 

There are genealogy pages from the 1629 Prayer Book for these families.  

Augustin Pyramus de Candolle

 Born February 4, 1778, Swiss botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle was the first to document the internal biological clock of plants. He discussed the idea of "Nature's war," which influenced Darwin's idea of natural selection. He also observed the phenomenon of what later was called convergent evolution--creatures without common ancestry develop similar traits within their shared ecological niches. The example I found online is sharks and dolphins. 

Darwin's Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication

Darwin's long work, "The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication" was published on January 30, 1868. Published a little over eight years after "Origin of Species," the book provides Darwin's data about mechanisms of variation among domestic species and the role of environment in species development. He offered his "provisional hypothesis" on what he called "pangenesis," a kind of particle mechanism for how species features are passed among generations. Darwin didn't have the benefit of Mendel's researches on genetics, which only became widely known over thirty years later. So his provisional hypothesis wasn't as well received as his accumulation of data about variations. 

Space Shuttle Columbia

The Space Shuttle Columbia was the first of five shuttles to fly in space, with its first flight on April 12-14, 1981. The Columbia disintegrated on reentry twenty years ago today, killing all seven crew members.

https://www.npr.org/2023/02/01/1153150931/columbia-space-shuttle-disaster-20th-anniversary

Bible Families: Seth

I'm continuing my informal study of the Bible's numerous genealogies. Here is the second genealogy in Genesis: the family of Seth, leading to Noah and his sons.  This translation is KJV, in the public domain.  

Genesis 4:25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.

26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.

5:1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;

2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and 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 begat sons and daughters:

5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.

6 And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos:

7 And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters:

8 And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.

9 And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan [Kenan]:

10 And Enos lived after he begat Cainan [Kenan] eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters:

11 And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.

12 And Cainan [Kenan] lived seventy years and begat Mahalaleel:

13 And Cainan [Kenan] lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:

14 And all the days of Cainan [Kenan] were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.

15 And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared:

16 And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters:

17 And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.

18 And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch:

19 And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:

20 And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.

21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:

22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:

23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:

24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

25 And Methuselah lived a hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech.

26 And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:

27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.

28 And Lamech lived a hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:

29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed.

30 And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:

31 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.

32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

1 Chronicles chapter 1 records the lineage this way. 

1 Adam, Sheth, Enosh,

2 Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered,

3 Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech,

4 Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

And the genealogy of Jesus in Luke 3 gives the lineage in reverse order. 

son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech, son of Methuselah, son of Enoch, son of Jared, son of Mahalaleel, son of Cainan, son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God. 

I found a wonderful, 1629 prayer book that has genealogies of the Old Testament. Here is the incomplete title page, and the chart from Adam, Cain and his family, and Seth and his family to Noah. 

This week, I studied the New Interpreter’s Bible commentary on Genesis. That author indicates that this genealogy is from the Priestly Source, with the addition of verse 29 which is the Yahwist Source. Thus, the genealogy of Genesis 4:25-5:32 is of the same source as Genesis 1:1-2:4a. The fact that Genesis 4 and 5 give similar names—Cain and Kenan, Irad and Jared, Mehujael and Mahalaleel, Methushael and Methuselah, Lamech and Lamech, Enoch and Enos—implies that the genealogies have a common ancient source but, as recorded in Genesis, are distinct families---cousins descended from the brothers Cain and Seth. 

Enoch has a notable place in this lineage. He walked with God, a euphemism for closeness to God (also used in 17:1 and 48:15). I've always found this a lovely image to take to heart. The expression God took him might mean that he died after an honored life, or that God brought him to Heaven similar to Elijah in 2 Kings 2. The passage may also explain why non-canonical, pseudopigraphical works of divine revelation were attributed to Enoch. (The short New Testament book of Jude quotes one of them.) He was uniquely close to God.  

Enoch’s son Methuselah gained biblical fame for having the longest life: 969 years. "He's old as Methuselah," my mom sometimes said about some really old person. The NIB commentary suggests that the long lives of people in this period can remind us of the long lifespans of kings in Mesopotamian epics, although those men supposedly lived for thousands of years. The point may be that these are persons of the ancient, unrecoverable past. 

Something I read in the past (I don’t know what or when) made the perhaps chiding point that Enoch is known for his close relationship with God, but his son Methuselah is known only for his long life. 

Years ago, a pastor friend calculated that Methuselah died in the year of the flood. It’s an intriguing question whether he died in the flood or not. 

Of course, the lineage reaches Noah and his sons. “Noah” is a play on the word niham, comfort or relief. Noah’s father Lamech (in contrast to the avenging Lamech of 4:23-24) expresses hope that his son will play a role in the healing of the earth. The reference to the curse of the ground refers us back to Genesis 3:17-19, also of the Yahwist’s source. 

The Torah is read in a yearly cycle in synagogue worship (the weekly portion or parshah), accompanied by a related reading from the Prophets (the haftarah). I’ve a wonderful book with those readings: W. Gunther Plaut, The Haftarah Commentary (Central Conference of American Rabbis, 1996). In the Ashkenazic tradition, Genesis 1:1-6:8 (Parshah Bereshit) is accompanied Isaiah 42:5-43:11: the creation of Israel is linked to creation of the universe.