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Introduction: One of the cardinal rules of biblical interpretation is that the first appearance of a word or concept in the text sets the tone for understanding its every later occurrence. Thus it is crucial to study this book (and by extension, all of the Torah) as the basis for the interpretation of all of the rest of scripture (Yeshayahu/Isaiah 8:20), or it will be easy to take it out of context. Hebrew is a picturesque language that often seems unsophisticated on the surface, but actually it is a rich, multi-layered tapestry threaded together by the different cases in which the same word or theme are found. This commentary cannot go into the full depth of the meanings found in the numerical value of the Hebrew letters themselves, from which Hebrew tradition says the very worlds were strung together. But we will sample the levels of meaning that can be found there without taking anything away from the literal. It is imperative that the serious student of the Word of YHWH learn all that he can of this divinely-designed language, for so much is missed when read only in a translation. |
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| Portion B'REYSHITH, Part 1 (1-2) CHAPTER 1 1. Originally [b'reyshith], Elohim had brought the heavens and earth into existence. Originally: or "in a beginning"--not necessarily the very beginning of all things. The word is based on "head", but comes from a root meaning "to shake". It was the shaking of something that existed before (see v. 2 and compare Heb. 12:25-29). Elohim, the name emphasizing the Creator's justice, can refer to a whole gamut of other beings from angelic entities to simply human judges. (Yoch. 10:34, based on Psalm 82:6) It literally means "mighty ones". YHWH's "Word", which expresses His thoughts and nature precisely, is also called Elohim (Yoch. 20:28), having participated in the creation of all else (Yochanan/John 1:1-5) and being called YHWH's arm, right hand, branch, and associate. As His chief messenger and agent who "came down from heaven" on numerous occasions, but 4,000 years later was "made flesh" by YHWH (Yoch. 4:24; 5:23, 30; 6:38, etc.), since he is our judge and the perfect representative of the invisible YHWH, Yoch. 1:18). Yet this is kept within parameters by the doctrines that he is the firstborn of creation (Colossians 1:15) and the "beginning [first in a series or leader] of the creation of YHWH" (Rev. 3:14) , having proceeded (as the light in v. 3) from the Father, whom after his resurrection he still calls "my Elohim" (20:17). Thus He is clearly subordinate to YHWH Himself. This separating of YHWH's word from Himself so that we could grasp something of His nature was the first of many divisions that were part of creation, and the second is seen in the distinction made here between heaven and earth. Thus began a great "expansion" seen over and over in this chapter, which continued with the distinction between Israel and the nations, the division of the Kingdom into "two witnesses" for YHWH until a "fullness" is reached (Rom. 11:25), but then a rapid "contraction" back to the ancient ways is seen, culminating in Y'shua himself giving the Kingdom back to the Father after He puts everything under His feet, so He may again be All in all (1 Cor. 15:28). Brought into existence: from nothing. 2. But the earth had become a chaotic ruin and an empty desolation, with an obscuring darkness over the surface of the primeval depth; and a mighty wind was fluttering intensely over the surface of the waters. Had become: the verb is usually not used if it simply means "was". Much of the Hebrew wording substantiates a gap here between the original creation and a reconstitution after some sort of cataclysm--probably related to Lucifer and his accomplices' being cast down to earth and judged. The "depth" or "deep" often refers to an ocean or a surging, uproarious mass of water, but is translated "abyss" (a scene of disaster or place of punishment) in the Septuagint. Such an age may have included the reign of a now-disembodied race of angelic beings (compare chapter 6), and may explain the appearance that the earth is more ancient than the 6,000-year history of mankind. Yeshayahu/Isaiah 45:18 tells us that YHWH did NOT create the earth "a chaotic ruin"--the same word used here. So we know something changed. The Law of entropy says that everything when left to itself becomes more chaotic; the only exception is the life force, which creates more energy than it takes in. Yoch. 1:4 tells us that life is nowhere but in YHWH's Word, which was needed to revive this desolation.) Obscuring darkness: like that which protected YHWH's people during the Exodus. Darkness is called YHWH's temporarily dwelling in 2 Sam. 22:12; Iyov/Job 36:23) A mighty wind: This sentence could read "a spirit of Elohim intervened deliberately upon..." But there is no definite article here, and Elohim is occasionally used as a superlative adjective (i.e., "god-like"). "Fluttered" can also be translated "brooded", as a dove (also a symbol of the Spirit of Holiness, Matt. 3:16) waits over her hatched young until all is in readiness. On a more metaphorical level, "a ruin and desolation" could be translated "empty space and a void". Other forms of the word for "create" or "bring into existence" mean "to cut out" or "to make fat". The mystical retelling continues: the Endless One, wanting to share Himself, yet being All in all, created a "vacuum"--a space within Himself, yet that was "not Himself", so He could fill it with creatures who could know and enjoy Him. A mother's womb is an excellent illustration of this idea. Into this empty space, He sent a single point of light, the maximum amount of His nature that this new universe could tolerate: 3. Then Elohim said, "Let there be light", and light came into existence. Let there be light: or, there will be light! This "light shining in darkness" is the description of creation within Jewish mysticism, which correlates well with the Renewed Covenant's "In the beginning was the word...with Elohim...In him was life, and the life was the light of men... The light shone in darkness... (Yochanan 1:1-5). "Light" here is not a source of illumination, but what it emits; it could just as well be translated "energy". The "light-bearers" were not created until the fourth day. But Y'shua said that we, like Himself, could be the "light of the world", having been "chosen in Him before the foundation of the world". (Eph. 1:4) 4. And Elohim gazed at the light, because it was good, and Elohim made a distinction between the light from the darkness. Gazed at: or saw. He separated the light out from the darkness, breaking the unity that once existed as a mechanic must take a damaged machine apart before he can repair it. Distinction: before this even light and darkness were united. In chapter 15 we again see a light related to a division; Avraham saw it only when he was put in a position of darkness. 5. And Elohim called the light "day", and the darkness He called "night". And the evening and the morning [together] constituted one day. Day: from a root meaning "to be hot". Evening: the root meaning is "transition"; morning: dawning, daybreak. But the root meanings are "mixed" and "distinguishable", so that, according to physicist Gerald Schroeder, they could mean "chaos" and "order". He sees the "days" here as a series of times when YHWH brought order out of chaos in the process of forming the universe. This was prior to the creation of the sun, so the measure of time would have had to be from YHWH's own perspective alone. Note that biblically the day begins at sundown, with the evening first. This is a repetition of creation in which light shines out of darkness. There is no darkness in the day, according to biblical classification; Y'shua said a day consists of twelve hours (not 24). We must interpret other Scriptures based on this definition. * * * 6. Then Elohim said, "Let there come to be an expanse between the waters; let it divide the waters above from the waters below." Expanse: space, vault, dome, spread or stretched-out surface "beaten out very thin"; i.e., atmosphere. 7. And Elohim organized this expanse and divided the waters which were under it from the waters which were above it, and so it came to pass. Organized: or "made", but it is a different verb from "created" in v. 1. It means "produced" or "prepared"--i.e., took the raw materials He had made from nothing and set them in their proper order. Waters...above it: This "firmament" has the sense of being solid in Hebrew; there may have been a crystalline "window" of ice in a heat sink 11 miles above the earth's surface, where extra water was held in reserve for a special contingency (7:11). It would also act as a receiver for the "music of the spheres", screen out much of the sun's harmful radiation and produce a stable, “hothouse" climate, even-tempered throughout the world; these allowed for the radically-longer lives seen in the chapters ahead. 8. And Elohim called the expanse "Heavens", and there was evening and there was morning, a second day. "Heavens": or "sky", but the word is plural. * * * 9. And Elohim said, "Let the waters from under the heaven be gathered together into one place, and let dry land appear." And so it came to be. 10. And Elohim called the dry land "Earth", and the gathering of waters He called "the Sea", and Elohim saw that it was good. Gathering: Heb. miqveh, usually used for waters of ritual purification. The root word also has the sense of waiting in expectation, and from it is also derived the word "tiqvah", or hope. Note that on the first two days, before the scene of punishment was washed clean of its defilement, was this creation called "good". From under heaven: "waters" seem to describe the beings that lusted for YHWH's position, overrunning the mountains (a symbol of YHWH's throne) before being confined to the "deep" (v. 2; Psalm 104:6-9). The final uprising of this age first begins from "the sea" (Rev. 13:1). 11. Then Elohim said, "Let the Earth bring forth tender sprouts, green plants yielding seed, and fruit trees producing fruit akin to itselfâ€â€Âwhichever seed is in itâ€â€Âon the earth. And so it was. 12. And the earth bore tender sprouts, the herb yielding seed according to its own kind, and the tree producing its fruit which has its seed in it according to its species. And Elohim saw that it was good. 13. And the evening and the morning became a third day. 14. And Elohim said, "Let there be luminaries in the expanse of the heavens to divide between the day and the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years. Signs: distinguishing marks (see 15:5; Psalm 19:1; Rev. 12:1). The moon is included. The Sabbath is also called a "sign" (Ex. 31:13). The Sabbath and new moon are often grouped together in Scripture. The root word for "sign" means "to be in agreement". In our day, when there are many calendars, only the sighting of the new moon can bring us to agreement on when a time or season actually begins. Seasons: literally, appointments (Lev. 23:2); the heavenly bodies were given not as things to be worshiped, but as reminders to keep YHWH's appointments. Years: the root meaning is "to fold over" or "reduplicate", since the end of the year brings us back to the place we began, only wiser. 15. "And let them come to be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to illuminate the earth", and this is exactly what happened. 16. Moreover, Elohim appointed the two great luminaries, the greater one to govern the day, and the lesser one to govern the night, and also the stars. Lesser one: or smaller. Possibly not the moon, which is not always visible, but a softer, more diffused "lighting effect" refracted by the "waters above", which would act as a natural tranquilizer, while this was still intact. (Carl Baugh) 17. And Elohim set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18. to regulate the day and night, and to make a distinction between the light and the darkness; and Elohim saw that it was good. 19. And the evening and the morning became the fourth day. The creation week is often seen as a microcosm of human history, in which each "day is as a thousand years", Ps. 90:5; the Messiah, the Light of the World, entered the human scene at the end of the "fourth day" of this "world week". A 6,000-year-old universe need not conflict with the appearance of age. Trevor Norman and Barry Setterfield compared 163 measures of the speed of light through the centuries and found it (well beyond the expected margins of error) to be slowing down in a cosecant-squared curve. Graphs of "light-year"- based accounting and earth-revolution-based time converge about that long ago by this measure. The electric permittivity of space has not changed, but the magnetic permeability has been "stretched out" (cf. Yeshayahu 42:5; Yirmiyahu 10:12). The "red shift" may be caused by this decay in the speed of light. The reason for such universal entropy is found in Gen. 3:17ff. * * * 20. And Elohim said, "Let the waters teem with an abundance of lively animals, and let birds fly over the face of the expanse of the heavens. Lively animals: "swarmers having a soul of life", with the nuance of merriment. 21. Elohim also created the great reptiles, and every amphibian with which the waters swarmed, each according to its category, and every species of winged bird according to its kind. And Elohim saw that it was good. Great reptiles: alternately translated elsewhere as dragons, serpents, or sea monsters. It appears that this is a reference to dinosaurs. Amphibian: "living soul that creeps". Cross-bred species are possible but last only one generation, being sterile. 22. And Elohim blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the sea, and let the birds multiply on the earth." Blessed: the verb form indicates intensity or perhaps "caused them to be a blessing". "Blessed" literally means, "bent the knee"; i.e., in His case, He stooped to our level. This is the first blessing and the first command to living things. 23. And there were evening and morning, the fifth day. * * * 24. And Elohim said, "Let the earth bring forth living animals as befits its nature: quadrupeds, creeping things, and, from the earth, its living things, each after its own kind. And so it happened. 25. And Elohim fashioned from the earth its living things, and likewise the beasts, as well as everything that moves on the ground, each reproducing true to its own kindâ€â€Âand Elohim saw that it was good. 26. And Elohim said, "Let Us make Mankind in Our image, according to Our likenessâ€â€Âand let them rule over the fish of the sea, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts, and all the earth, and all the living things that crawl upon the earth." Us: Elohim is a plural word with singular verbs (Yochanan/John 1:1ff; 10:30, etc., make it clear that while what Philo called "the lesser YHWH" was not entirely separable from "the" YHWH, the "One without end" in mystical terms, still he was subordinate to the Father, whom no one could ever survive seeing. He is called YHWH's "branch" or "arm", and makes known to us as much about the Father as our finite beings can tolerate, Yoch. 1:18, so that Y'shua can indeed say "He who has seen me has seen the Father" without contradicting the fact that he is another entity sent by the Father, who worships the Father as his Elohim and promises to one day raise us to his level, 1 Yochanan 3:2). In our image: able to relate to "Us". The word really means "shadow", and indeed we present an "outline" of what He is like, but in Scripture, "shadow" is often used to mean "defense" or being under His protection as well. Likeness: resemblance of moral character; similarity, not identity. However, in v. 27, only the image is mentioned again. Not until chapter 3 do we see another appearance of the concept of being "like Elohim", but there it was coveted wrongly. Still there is nothing we can see that bears His likeness (Yesh./Isa. 40:18); David does not expect to bear His likeness until He is resurrected. (Ps. 17:15) To accomplish that, the Word of YHWH had to take on the likeness (same word as used here in the Septuagint/LXX) of men (Romans 8:3; Phil. 2:7), and die a death that could finally conquer death. Only as we participate in the "likeness" of his death can we also be raised to finally bear His likeness. (Rom. 6:5) Rule over: guide toward the fullest potential and benefit of all. 27. So Elohim created Man in His own image. In the image of Elohim He created him; male and female He created them. As in 19:24, there seem to be two "Elohims" spoken of here, one being YHWH Himself, whose image could only be seen as reflected through His messenger, the other one called Elohim. Man: Heb., Adam, which includes the concept of a single being or the entirety of Mankind. At this stage both were the same. The "Ancient Adam" once bore the "full image of YHWH", which has in it both masculine and feminine qualities, until the two were separated (see below) in order to be able to voluntarily come back together. Thus the image was lost (more completely in ch. 3), but at the right time in history the messenger and Message of YHWH was "made flesh" (by YHWH) and there again existed a Man "in whom the fullness of Elohim's nature dwelt bodily", who could rightfully be called "the image of the invisible Elohim" (Colossians 1:15; 2:9), who revealed and manifested as far as possible the One no one can ever see. (Yochanan 1:18) His obedience (at the precise point at which the first Adam failed, see Philippians 2:6) made it possible for others to have the certainty of sharing the restoration in the Day in which we see him. (1 Yochanan 3:2) Male and female: the root words themselves mean "marked" and "pierced"--the very description of the one who later did what was necessary to restore the full image of Elohim. (Yesh./Isa. 53; Zech. 12:10) 28. And Elohim blessed them, and told them, "Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and bring it into subjection to yourselves, and rule over the fish of the sea, and the birds of the heavens, and over all living things that crawl on the earth." Multiply: or become great. Here we see the continuance of the expansion (note on 1:1). Fill: or (in light of v. 2), "replenish". Bring into subjection: subdue, have dominion over, or "scrape out" its bounty and find the appropriate uses for it. 29. And Elohim said, "Here, I have given you every seed-bearing herb on the face of the earth, and every tree on which there is seed-bearing fruit; this will be your food. A vegetarian state lasted until the Deluge, 9:3, and it appears we will return to such a condition in the "time of the restitution of all things", Yeshayahu/Isaiah 11:1-9. After the Flood, meat was permitted, but later in the Torah limits are also placed on which types of meat the righteous and discerning person will eat (See also 7:2). Seed-bearing fruit: or, fruit with its seed in itself--themselves a source of protein and an anti-disease agent. 30. "Also, to every earthly creature, and to every bird of the heavens, and to every creeping thing in which there is a living soul, [I have given] every green plant for consuming." And so it was. 31. And Elohim looked at everything He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And evening and morning became a sixth day. Very good: due to the creation of Adam. Note the parallels between the two sets of three days in creation: Day 1 - lights; Day 4 - light bearers Day 2 - heavens and waters; Day 5 - their inhabitants Day 3 - land; Day 6 - its inhabitants. CHAPTER 2 1. Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, along with all those that issue from them. Those that issue from them: hosts, or more literally, armies. 2. On the seventh day, Elohim fulfilled the workmanship that He had been constructing: He ceased on the seventh day from His work. The Sabbath is said to be "last in creation, but first in YHWH's intention", because without common things to be set apart from, nothing can be holy. The rest that He created on this day was the fruition of all the other six days, as a ring of six circles automatically creates a seventh the same size. It is a time to stop learning and teach, thus serving others, which is allowable on this day. "Workmanship" can also be translated "message", because the creation is our teacher. (See notes on 1:14, 19). If one takes this break, he is refreshed (as YHWH was, Ex. 31:17), and is able to be more fruitful after he begins working again. To participate in the Sabbath makes us its co-creators as we build what someone has called "a palace in time". It is credited with being the only thing that preserved the Jews as a people. 3. And Elohim gave the seventh day His blessing and set it apart from the others, since on this day He had rested from the work involved in creating and appointing everything. The holiness of the Sabbath ("ceasing") was established from the very start. Kerry Alexander points out the connection between the prohibitions of work on this one day (a test, Exodus 16:4, 25; 35:2) and of eating the fruit of just one tree in the garden (v. 17 below). [YEAR 1 / 4000 BC] 4. This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the Day when YHWH Elohim set them in readiness, YHWH: or Yahweh, the name by which He revealed Himself to Moshe (Moses) and the prophets. YHWH Elohim: Mystically, the combination of His attributes of understanding and strength. 5. and there was not yet any shrub of the field upon the earth, nor had any plant of the field sprung up, for YHWH Elohim had not yet sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to till the soil. Till: literally "work" or "serve". Upon the earth: no rain had fallen, so the seeds had not yet sprung up, but they may have been present in the soil in seed form. 6. But a mist ascended from the earth and watered all the face of the ground. Mist ascended: or, "a surge welled up", probably from the "fountains" reserved for the event in 7:11; 2 Kefa/Peter 3:5-7. 7. And YHWH Elohim formed the man [adam] from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul. Breath [n'shamah]: from the idea of panting, but in Hebrew anthropology it is something included in the direct image of Elohim having to do with intellect, distinct from and higher than the kind of soul (drive, appetite) that animated the other creatures, and the ruach or spirit (which motivates on another level). It is sometimes called the "second soul", now said to be imparted to man only on the Sabbath day so as to be better able to commune with YHWH, as a foreshadowing of how our full nature will be restored in the 7th millennium, the Messianic Kingdom. (Note the parallel with the two stages seen in Yochanan/John 20:22 and Acts of the Envoys chapter 2.) Dust: tiniest particles: perhaps atoms? Ground: Heb., adamah, which appears to be a feminine form of "Adam". 8. And YHWH Elohim planted a garden in Eden from the east, and there He placed the man whom He had formed. Garden: "Paradise" in the Septuagint (LXX), the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. East: the true "orientation" in Hebrew though, not north. "East" also means "ancient", so the garden could have been planted from a remnant of the world that had preceded this one. "Eden" means luxury or delight. Note that the man was not formed from the ground IN Eden, but outside it. (3:23) 9. And YHWH Elohim caused to spring up from the ground every kind of tree that is aesthetically pleasing, and good for food. The Tree of Life was in the middle of the garden, as was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. 10. And a river went out from Eden to water the garden, and from there it was divided and became four heads. The imagery of four heads shows up often in Scripture: notably the appearance of the angelic beings called cheruvim, Yechezqel/ Ezekiel 1:6; 10:14; Rev. 4:7. Note that the garden is not in Eden, but east of it. A river that divides rather than converging show us something of the different physics that were in operation in the antediluvian order. Y'chezq'El (Ezekiel) 44 tells us that a river will one day again flow from the Messiah's throne and divide into two flows, eastward and westward. 11. The name of the first was Pishon ["spreader", "increase"]. (It is the one that makes a circuit encompassing the land of Chavilah, where there is gold, Circuit: or a lasso, reining in the land of one of the sons of Kush (10:7). This river probably changed its course during the catastrophe in chapter 19, which created the Red Sea, which divides Africa from Arabia. Note how the names of all four rivers carry the theme of expansion (see note on 1:1). 12. and the gold of that land is good; there are also bdellium gum resin and onyx stone there.) Onyx represents the tribe of Yoseyf (Ex. 28:20) and supported the high priest's whole breastplate. The stone was first worn by Lucifer--in Eden (Yechezqel/Ezek. 28:13ff; cf. Gen. 3:1). 13. And the name of the second river is Gihon ["Gusher", "bursting forth"]. (It is the one that surrounds the whole land of Kush). Gihon: see note on 3:24. 14. And the name of the third is Chiddeqel ["rapid"] (it is the one going east of Assyria), and the fourth river is the Ferath [Euphrates, or "Fruitfulness"]. The Chiddeqel is the Hebrew name for the Tigris. The meanings of the names of the four rivers (increase, bursting forth, rapid, fruitfulness) reiterate the only command that had been given to mankind thus far. The restoration back "upstream" to Eden will also take place "in rapid succession". (Rev. 1:1) 15. And YHWH Elohim took the man and put him into the garden of Eden, to cultivate it and care for it. 16. And YHWH Elohim gave the man orders, saying, "You may freely eat of every tree in the garden, Later in Scripturee, trees are a metaphor for men, so this suggests benefitting from one another's gifts. 17. "but of the Tree of the [Experiential] Knowledge of Good and Evil you may not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, you will certainly die." 18. And YHWH Elohim said, "It is not good, the man being alone. I will make a helper suited to him." Suited: fitting, correlated, or "opposed". This is seen in the opposing sexual complementation, but Avi ben Mordechai also brings out the sense in which she is "against" him, as a paper held in the air is too flimsy to write anything on, but when there is something to prop it against, it not only is "grounded" in a specific place, but has a "backing" which finally makes it useful rather than existing abstractly as in a vacuum. If she were just like him, they would both fall into the same traps. She is also "inclined toward" him as a support. (Compare 3:16) 19. And out of the ground YHWH Elohim fashioned every living being of the field and every bird of the heavens, and brought each to the man, to see what he would call it. 20. And the man gave names to every animal and bird of the heavens, and every being that lives in the field, but as for Adam ["a man"], no helper suited to him could be found. The memory and insight required in classifying so many creatures demonstrates Adam's pre-fallen mental capacity. Naming also implies authority over the one named. But Elohim's main purpose here was to show Adam that he had no counterpart as each of the animals had. His recogntion of this is evident in v. 23. 21. And YHWH Elohim caused a deep numbing to fall upon the man, and he fell asleep. And He took [out] one of his ribs [sides]. Then He closed up the flesh in its place. Numbing: trance, stupor, or deep sleep. The Second Adam, too, had part of His Body separated from Himself in a spiritual sense, and they will be reunited again in the end of days. They both have the same name (Yirmiyahu/Jeremiah 23:6; 33:16). The "sleep" of Messiah was also necessary for His bride to be formed. The same term is used in Yeshayahu/Isaiah 29:10, the verse that Sha'ul quotes in Romans 11:8 in speaking of the "spirit of insensibility" that came over Israel so that another intent of YHWH could be accomplished. Ribs: translated "sides" everywhere else the term is used, having to do with the sanctuary or its implements in every case, indicating that not only a bone, but a psychological "side" of him also, was made into another person, so that each mindset could be carried to its full extent, much as the separation of the two houses of Israel was "of YHWH" (1 Kings 12:15) and enabled two themes of His to be taken further, even though it caused significant lack of unity much of the time due to the incompleteness of each when they tried to act on their own rather than in tandem with the other. Closed up: stopped up, or repaired. It could also mean that He replaced the missing side with flesh--which often biblically means carnal desire or over-fatness (especially over the "heart", needing to be "circumcised" away)--perhaps the reason men are generally less spiritually sensitive than women and need more reminders to be holy. A wife is given to lend us support in the battle against our own flesh. 22. Then YHWH Elohim built up the side that He had taken from Adam into a woman, and brought her to the man. 23. And the man said, "[This time] At last, this is now bone from my bones, and flesh from my flesh! For this one, the name shall be 'Woman', because this one has been taken out of man!" Bone: can also mean "body (part)" or "the selfsame" or "bound tightly to". Flesh: basar, which can also mean "good news" or most specifically "the Gospel". Woman: Hebrew "Ishah", the feminine form of "ish" (male human being). The term "ish" is not used until here, when the two have been separated. It is the shortened form of "enosh", which means "mortal" or "frail", for now that he was separate, he no longer bore the full image of Elohim, which included both male and female. In the restoration of Adam, the unification of unlike elements is also necessary. 24. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cling closely to his wife, and the two of them shall be turned into one [unit of] flesh. Thus the image of Elohim was divided, and no longer could any one person bear the complete image unless they were brought back together. Compare Y'shua's call in Luke 14:26 to leave parents and follow him, thus gaining much, and growing closer to the image of YHWH by uniting with the Head of the reconstituted image. 25. And both the man and his wife were naked, yet they were not ashamed. They were vulnerable (another meaning of the word "naked" in Hebrew) but neither did anything shameful, not "knowing evil" (v. 17) nor even seeing any potential for the kinds of abuse that now ruin nearly every attempt to highlight the aesthetic beauty of the human body. (See 3:7.) Good and evil were not yet separate concepts to those whose minds and hearts were still innocent. |
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Portion B'REYSHITH, Part 2 (ch. 3) CHAPTER 3 1. Now the serpent was more crafty [subtle] than every [other] living creature of the field which YHWH Elohim had made. And he said to the woman, "Is it really true that Elohim has said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" Serpent: literally "shining one like bronze", a dazzlingly impressive creature at that time (Y'chezqel/Ezek. 28:133ff). Another animal speaks in Numbers 22:28-31, but here the woman does not seem surprised; in an uncursed world there may have been nothing unusual about talking animals, but apparently this one was either inhabited or influenced by Satan (the Adversary), the former archangel and "cheruv who covers", who had become the sworn enemy of Elohim and who was jealous of mankind's being given the rulership of earth which Lucifer had once possessed. The "craftiness" is shown in its reframing of the prohibition in an exaggerated form, throwing her off balance and influencing her to overreact. But what we miss in English is the interesting play on words, for the word for "naked" in the last verse appears to be from the same root as "crafty" here. The serpent had indeed lost a far more glorious covering than mankind had (Y'chezqel 28). Its covering is described just like that of the New Yerushalayim (Rev. 21), which is described as YHWH's bride, as Israel also is. In this context, the cheruvim atop the Ark of the Covenant are considered to represent YHWH and Israel in a close relationship. Humanity, especially Israel, seems thus to be a replacement for a rebellious bride, which is why Satan was so eager to have humanity disqualified from this position. But the Second Adam repaired this dilemma. 2. And the woman told the serpent, "We may eat from the trees of the garden, 3. "but from the tree which is in the center of the garden, Elohim has said, "You shall not eat from it, nor shall you reach out to touch it, or else you'll die." She added a "fence" to what Elohim said, a common human trait that breeds discontentment with Elohim's protective commands, making us forget all that we really are offered, and opening us to the temptation to seek greater fulfillment through going outside the bounds He really has set. This fence turned out to be counterproductive, since, as she did not die when she touched the fruit, she may have thought there would be no harm in eating it either. Center: the tabernacle, likewise, would later be an "off-limits" zone in the center of the camp of Israel. It is in the center, yet somehow it is not included among the trees of the garden. 4. And the serpent said to the woman, "You won't really die as in 'death', 5. "because Elohim knows that in the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like Elohimâ€â€Âunderstanding good and evil. We would expect half-truths from Satan. While Elohim "understands" evil better than anyone (since it is anything that is contrary to His nature), He has never experienced it in the way Adam's race does now. 6. And when the woman perceived that the tree was good for food, and that to the eyes it aroused a craving, and that the tree was intensely desirable to bring insight, she took some of its fruit and ate it, and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. "Good...to the eyes...insight": Compare these three areas of temptation as seen in Matt. 4:2-10 and 1 Yoch./John 2:16. Actually the first two characteristics were true of every tree in the Garden (2:9), and the third was only her perception, for this would not be inherently visible in the fruit itself. Satan took advantage of the innate traits in the woman that were necessary for sympathetic mothering, but her husband, who had been placed in authority over her to protect this area of vulnerability, knew better, and thus bore the greater guilt (1 Timothy 2:14). Perhaps he loved her enough to wish rather to be condemned along with her than to retain his purity but lose her to Elohim's judgment. Thus, in a way, Adam left his Father to cling to his wife (2:24). 7. And the eyes of both of them were indeed opened, but [only in such a way that] they realized that they had been stripped. And they sewed together leaves from a fig tree, and made for themselves loin coverings. While Adam and Chavvah did not fall over dead during the same 24-hour period, the process of physical death did begin, along with the immediate psychological fragmentation evidenced by their shame, terror of Elohim, and blame of one another. They died spiritually, separated from their Source like an unplugged electrical appliance. But by the logic of Ps. 90:4 and 2 Kefa/Peter 3:8, man cannot live more than 1,000 years. Though antediluvian conditions allowed very long lives, no one surpassed 1,000 years, thus "dying the same day". At this point, some aspects of Elohim's image (1:27) were lost, so there may have been a perceptible change in their appearance, which was once mostly light. (Moshe, too, covered his face when the shining from having been in YHWH's presence began to fade away, Ex. 34:30ff; 2 Cor. 3:7ff.) Satan's rule of the earth had been justly removed from him and given to Adam, but now he had usurped it again. But the Kingdom of Elohim could not be given to Satan; it was withdrawn to heaven until another Man could win it back (see 3:15). Until that took place, the Holy Spirit could only come upon people temporarily, for sin had not been completely atoned for. 8. And they heard the sound of YHWH Elohim walking around in the garden in the breezy part of the day. And the man and his wife hid themselves from the face of YHWH Elohim among the trees of the garden. Breezy part: literally "spirit". 9. And YHWH Elohim called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" 10. And he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I am naked, and I hid myself." I am...: not "I was". Though he was now physically clothed, he knew he was still vulnerable. Every aspect of his being came to be out of balance. "The light shone in darkness, but the darkness did not overcome it (or admit it)." (Yochanan 1:1-5) A failure to "admit" the light would parallel another mystical metaphor, that of golden light being poured into earthen vessels (a metaphor for humanity, cf. 2 Corinthians 4:7) and causing them to shatter because it is too intense. Adam and Chavvah desired something that they could not contain. The job of Israel, the mystics say, is to regather the millions of shards of light from wherever they are found and reassemble the fallen Adam (which means "humanity"). They couch this idea in another metaphor, that of the "Primeval Adam", a symbolic "body" built of all the isolated aspects of "Godhead", or Elohim's image--that "point of light" (in 1:2, 3) refracted into many different colors so we could know Him in many ways. But although "all the king's men" have tried unsuccessfully to do put him back together again, "Israel" (the entity ordained to bring the restoration) is also one title of the Messiah (promised in v. 15 below), who would indeed make this regathering of Adam's seed possible. Understanding this imagery makes Rav Sha'ul (Paul)'s deep teachings understandable, for he ties all of these metaphors together by describing Y'shua the Messiah as "the second Man" (1 Cor. 15:47) and "the last Adam" (15:45), as well as the "firstfruits" and the "head of the body, those called out" (Col. 1:18). The head is what is born first, and the word "first" in Hebrew is based on "head". After him comes the rest of the body, who become, in a way, his "descendants" (Isa. 53:10), completing the picture as this new "race" recovers what Adam lost. This is the theme of the rest of Scripture, which is on fast forward until it reaches the beginning-point of Israel, the exception to the rule of "vanity of vanities" which began here in the garden, and the embodiment of YHWH's glorious solution to this tragedy. He finishes His work of repair by again pouring the same "light that shone out of darkness" into once-shattered human hearts (2 Cor. 4:6; see notes on 3:10ff below). The darkness at the time of Y'shua's crucifixion was also a harbinger of this "reconstitution" of the human race-the light that again shone out of this darkness. Voice: the same as "sound" in Hebrew, which suggests a connection with the sound of the shofar blown each day as the Day of Atonement approaches, reminding us of our need for YHWH's covering (the Heb. meaning of atonement; cf. Rev. 3:17ff). 11. And He said, "Who told you that you are naked? Have you eaten from the tree about which I gave you orders so as to prevent you from eating?" His fatherly prohibition had been intended to preclude such a predicament, not to withhold anything good from them. 12. And the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with meâ€â€Âshe gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it." Had he admitted his fault, his penalty might have been reversed, or at least mitigated like David's. 13. So YHWH Elohim said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent enticed me, and I ate." 14. So YHWH Elohim said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, you are cursed more than any beast, and more than any animal of the field. You will go around on your belly, and eat dust all the days of your life. Snakes have what appears to be the vestiges of bones at the point where lizards have legs. But ancient drawing show a snake "rolling" like a hoop or wheel, its tail in its mouth. More likely, however, the serpent had wings, since the Adversary is said to have formerly been "the anointed cheruv that covers" (Y'chezq'el/ Ezekiel. 28:14). Chinese images of dragons also sometimes appear with an apple in hand! 15. "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed: He will bruise your head, though you shall bruise His heel." Heel: aqev, which can also mean "rear guard of the troops", reminding us of Amaleq, who attacked those in the rear who were weak or slack. (Exodus 17:8) The myth of Achilles' heel probably originated from a memory of this promise. In crucifixion, one's heel was literally worn away as he pushed himself up to breathe. Note the picture of the crushed head in the story of Yael and Sisera (Judg. 4:21), and the reference to the serpent's seed in Matt. 3:7 and Yoch./John 8:44. The serpent's seed almost crowded out the human, but Elohim preserved it (Gen. 6:4, 9), The seed normally comes from the male, but Messiah did not have the seed of man in him. Geneticists have ound that the reproductive cells carried by women are actually immortal until they are "poisoned" by fertilization, possibly due to a mutation acquired from the forbidden fruit itself which affects both genders but is carried only by the male. Only by being the "seed of woman" apart from a man (virgin-born) could the Messiah be truly the Second Adam, bearing the complete image of Elohim and thus capable of becoming fully righteous after passing the same tests Adam failed. When Satan the usurper was allowed to kill this Second Man, he lost his legal rights to earth, for he had become a murderer by killing one who had no sentence of death on him, since he had not sinned. Thus the legal deed to the earth could be given back to a Man. We can inherit His "spiritual genes" (1 Yoch./John 3:9; Isaiah 53:10, 11; Romans 8:29; Heb. 2:10). Thus, as 1 Tim. 2:15 says, the woman's salvation came through her bearing children. 16. To the woman He said, "I will greatly increase your pain and your [frequency of] conception; in pain you will bear sons, and your husband shall be your desire, but he will have authority over you. Increase: since, due to the presence of death, mankind would now have to replace itself each generation, not just fill the earth once. "Desire" can mean "ambition"; she would strive for dominance over him--for his position--but would not achieve it. In Messiah, this is ameliorated as she is given an equal position, but practical subordination must remain until our redemption is complete and abuse is rendered impossible. 17. And He said to the man, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it', the ground shall be cursed because of you; you shall eat from it in hard labor all the days of your life. King Ahav also listened to his wife Yisabel's advice and killed a man so he could have his garden. But the serpent was the original Yisabel (Jezebel). 18. "And it shall bring forth thorns and thistles for you, and you shall eat the herbs by means of agriculture. The thorns seem more to be a statement about the course nature must now take, rather than a curse in themselves. They result when an area once cultivated by man is abandoned again to nature. Elohim's mercy does shine through in that He did not rescind provision of food, but it would no longer come with the ease or joy he knew in the garden. 19. "By the sweat of your face shall you eat bread until you return to the groundâ€â€Âfor out of it you have been taken, because you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Unfallen man, with no fears or emotional stress and a perfect physical efficiency, must have had a slower metabolic rate and hence little need for sweat. Animals react to us with hostility chiefly because they detect sweat, whereas they are friendlier toward children who do not know enough yet to fear them. Linen garments, which symbolize purity, do not produce sweat, and that is what will be given to the saints in the resurrection. The intensity of the Messiah's sweat (Luk. 22:44) made the true bread (Yoch./John 6:50ff) available to us without the need for our own rigors. Dust: the very thing the serpent was told he would consume (v. 14), and in a way it did so. 20. And the man called his wife's name Chavvah, because she became the mother of all who are alive. Chavvah is related to the word "chai", meaning "life" or "alive". She had not yet had any children of her own. Perhaps "mother" here was metaphorical at this point. As Adam was the gardener, perhaps she was more involved in animal husbandry--a division of labor we see in their first two sons. 21. And YHWH made garments of skin for the man and his wife, and thus He clothed them. Skin: of an animal that He slaughtered so its blood could provide temporary atonement, or simply skin as we now know it: what formerly ran through their veins was more like light, and their bodies held a glow which was now missing. Blood as we now know it, which carries the soul in it, is the corrupted form of this light which bore Elohim's image in a much fuller way. The words for "light" and "skin" sound the same in Hebrew ("owr"), though they have a different spelling. So we could say their lack of "‘owr" was covered up with "owr". 22. Then YHWH Elohim said, "Look! the man has become like one of Us, able to know good and evil, therefore, so he doesn't stretch forth his hand and take from the Tree of Life also, and eat, and live foreverâ€â€Â" 23. YHWH Elohim sent him out of the Garden of Eden as well, to work the ground out of which he was taken, Adam could have direct communication with YHWH before he decided he wanted to be an independent moral agent. Then the communication line was cut. Now only YHWH's Word came to mankind, because His direct presence would destroy us. Now that the price has been paid, the Spirit of Messiah gives us a temporary connection for more direct revelation until we again become a complete Adam. 24. and He drove the man out. And He stationed the cheruvim from the east to the Garden of Eden, and a flaming sword whirling around, to guard the way to the Tree of Life. Cheruvim: a class of angels associated with guarding holy places (like the holiest part of the Temple--which is the way YHWH gave us to get back to the Tree of Life). They are more like winged sphinxes than the unthreatening baby "cherubs" of Western art, though they are also innocent like children. Notice YHWH's mercy in not allowing mankind's bodies to become immortal by eating of the Tree of Life in their fallen condition. He thus gave them hope of regaining their lost estate when they would die physically. (Rev. 22:2 seems to say the restored Tree of Life will bear a different kind of fruit each new moon, and says its leaves are for the healing of the nations. So perhaps the tree had to be eaten of on any occasion of injury in order to maintain life rather than making the eater immortal once and for all.) The Chiddeqel and Ferath Rivers are "east" of Eden (2:8), and Josephus links the Gihon with the Nile. But the topography has evidently changed in the cataclysms that have occurred since, for the Gihon (2:10-14) originates just east of Yerusahalayim/Jerusalem. So we can surmise that Eden may have been right there. The idea that "Yerushalayim is a city compacted together" or "joined to itself" (Psalm 122:3) is generally interpreted as meaning it is "the place where heaven and earth meet". Revelation 21 speaks of a Heavenly Jerusalem, and Hebrews 9:8-24 tells us that the Temple on earth was a copy or shadow of the one above it. Thus YHWH would have shown His greatest pictures of redemption--the provision of a ram in place of Yitzhaq (22:8-14) and the Temple sacrifices (an exact replica of what is in heaven, Heb. 8:5)--at the same location, and finally solved the sin problem once and for all on another "tree" at the site of Eden itself. He stipulated that pictures of cheruvim be woven into the veil guarding the way to the Holy of Holies, perhaps to strengthen this reminder of what it was all about. The main gate to the Temple was visible from another garden directly east of the city, where the real battle for the restoration of Israel was won (Markos 14:32-36), and angels participated in that drama. Though the main gate to Eden is closed off, there is another way back to fellowship with YHWH, but it is a long, roundabout one. As the eastern gate to Yerushalayim is now blocked off, and in Y'shua's day the Temple was usually entered from the south after a ritual washing, entering through long tunnels and crossing a wide courtyard, likewise, after repentance, the cleansing by Y'shua's blood, dying to self, and re-learning the right patterns of life through the Torah, we are only then back at the starting point for what it really means to worship YHWH. In Jewish tradition, Adam continued to ritually bathe in the rivers that flowed out from Eden, thereby maintaining a connection to it. Hizqiyahu/Hezekiah channeled the Gihon into city to form the Pool of Shiloach ("sent"), where healing was found when Y'shua sent a blind man there to wash--Yoch./ John 9:7. This internal water source that enabled the city to withstand an Assyrian siege is a picture of hiding YHWH's Word within our hearts so we have access to it under any circumstances (Ps. 87:7; 119:11; Yoch./John 7:38). |
| Portion B'REYSHITH, Part 3 (4:1-6:8) CHAPTER 4 1. And the man [intimately] knew his wife Chavvah, and she conceived and bore Qayin, and said, "I have acquired a man with YHWH!" With YHWH: i.e., with His help, or perhaps "toward [the promise of] YHWH": she thought he might already be the redeeming seed promised in 3:15, but the right time was not to come for another 4,000 years. Qayin means "possession", and is related to the word "acquired" here. 2. And she continued to bear his brother, Hevel. And Hevel became a keeper of flocks, and Qayin a tiller of the soil. Hevel means "a breath", "vapor", or "vanity", perhaps a prophecy of the fleetingness of his life. It seems Qayin took up his father's occupation, and Hevel his mother's (if being called "mother of all living" in 3:20 before she bore children meant she practiced animal husbandry). This parallels with another set of twins: Esau, the elder, whose occupation pleased his father but not YHWH, and Yaaqov, a "man of tents" (symbolically one who learned all he could about the way of righteousness) who was favored by both his mother and YHWH. A "keeper of flocks" also symbolically means one who watches over the welfare of others, while Qayin was literally a "servant of the ground" (see v. 5). 3. And in the course of time, it happened that Qayin brought a grain offering to YHWH from the fruit of the ground, Course of time: a term used for a bar mitzvah; literally, "from the utmost end of days", so this is a prophecy of something future as well. As the expansion seen in chapters 1-2 is now beginning to reverse, unity is the byword of our day, and it will happen on both the "heavenly" and "earthly" levels, so that while all of true Israel unites, all that is not Israel will also unify against it, so that in the end there are only two real entities, symbolized here by these two brothers, one of whom has his eyes on YHWH, and the other who worships the earth and his own skilfulness. This is the essence of the "beast" of Revelation. "From the fruit...": not necessarily the firstfruits or the best (like Hevel's), but just a sampling or token, so to speak. In the Temple, grain offerings were either not the main thing required, but an added gift, supplementary to the blood slaughter, contributions really to the priests and not to YHWH, or at best only accepted from those who could not afford anything better (being thus the lowest of offerings). Thus Qayin's gift was like one who washes his hands to come into a king's presence while the rest of his body is still filthy. There was no atonement in it. It was not even the fruit of a tree, but from directly on the ground, which is precisely what was cursed. 4. And as for Hevel, he also brought an offering from the firstlings of his flocksâ€â€Âindeed, the finest of them. And YHWH had regard for Hevel and his offering, Had regard: paid attention to, respected, gazed long upon (with satisfaction). 5. but He did not show regard for Qayin or his offering. So Qayin burned greatly with anger, and his face was downcast. Although Qayin was not a shepherd like Hevel, both had to shed blood (Heb. 9:22). Nothing originating from earth can substitute for the payment of the soul, which is given by Elohim, and contained in the blood (Lev. 17:11). Downcast: toward not toward YHWH but toward the ground that he served (v. 2). He took his eyes off the giver and onto the gift--the classic root of all idolatry, which does not always despise YHWH, but sidelines Him. 6. So YHWH asked Qayin, "Why are you so furious, and why is your face downcast? 7. "If you do what pleases Me, [isn't there] a higher position [for you]? But if you do not do what is pleasing, sin is crouching at the door; its desire is to [overwhelm] you, but you can take dominion over it." Higher position:or exaltation/majesty, but the Hebrew term is also used of the swelling of skin on a leper (Lev. 13:2), who had a diseasegiven as a punishment when one sought a position that was not rightfully his. Yehudah (Jude) 11 ties Qayin's sin to Bilaam's greediness and Korach's slander of properly-constituted authority. The door was the place on which the lamb's blood was later applied in order to keep the death angel from one's house (Exodus 12:7). Sin also crouches at the doorways to our lives: our eyes, ears, mouths, and sexual organs, so YHWH posted beards, peoth (hair on the sides of our faces), and tzitziyoth (regulation tassels) at each to remind us to screen what approaches them. Note the similarity of the last phrase to 3:16. 8. But Qayin challenged Hevel his brother, and while they were in the field, Qayin rose up against his brother Hevel, and killed him. 9. Then YHWH said to Qayin, "Where is your brother Hevel?" And he said, "I don't know; am I my brother's keeper [as in, shepherd]?" 10. And He said, "Don't you realize what you have done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. Such an outcry is seen again in 6:13 and 18:20, as well as in Rev. 6:9ff. 11. "And now you are cursed in a worse way than the ground which [at least] opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. Cursed in a worse way: or "cursed from the ground", since it would no longer even respond to him (v. 12) --a far worse punishment than that given his fathein regard to the soil (3:19). 12. "When you till the soil, it will no longer yield its potential to you. You will be a vagabond and a fugitive on the earth. 13. And Qayin said to YHWH, "My punishment is more than I can bear. See here, You have evicted me from the land, and I will be banished from Your very presence! On top of this I will be a vagabond and a fugitive on the earth. And anyone who finds me will kill me, for sure!" Anyone: literally, "everyone"! Of course, he might live to see many more people born, but who was there at this time but his own parents? They would have to be his judges, and like Rivqah (27:45), they would have to do justice and thus see both of their sons die the same day. 15. And YHWH said to him, "If anyone kills Qayin, he will be avenged sevenfold." And YHWH set a mark on Qayin, so that anyone who found him should not kill him. A mark on the forehead is seen as a special seal of protection in Song of Songs 8:6; Yochanan/John 6:27; 2 Tim. 2:19; Eph. 4:13; Rev. 7:3. In Y'Hezq'el/Ezekiel 8 and 9, the mark of protection is given to those who do not participate in the prototypes of "Easter" sunrise services, but rather lament them, and they are passed over like those spared at Passover when YHWH's wrath came on the idolaters. Thus Qayin, the man who would not kill a lamb for atonement had to be marked, or taught the "way of Passover". 16. And Qayin went out from the presence of YHWH, and dwelt in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Presence of YHWH: geographically, the place bearing His name (Deut. 26:2; 2 Chron. 6:20). Nod: vagrancy, exile, wandering. 17. And Qayin knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Chanoch. And he built a city, and he called the city by the same name as his son, Chanoch. The gene pool was still relatively unblemished, and inbreeding with his sister (5:4)--the only possible source of a wife at that time--would not be a problem. It was not overtly forbidden until Moshe's time. Chanoch: Early cities were often named for their first settler, 11:32. Near eastern documents added a cuneiform notation to a proper name if it referred to a city, except in the case of Unuk, which is linguistically similar to Chanoch (Enoch). If it were the only city in existence when built, no such classifier would have been needed. This name also ties directly to the word for city in earlier languages (Uruk > Ur > Ir). The Deluge would have destroyed the original, but it was common to rebuild on an ancient site. 18. And Irad was born to Chanoch, and Irad fathered Mechuya'el ["smitten of Elohim"], and Mechuya'el fathered Methusha'el ["one of the few men associated with Elohim"], and Methusha'el fathered Lamech ["Despairing"]. 19. And Lamech took two wives to himself: the name of the first was Adah ["Ornament"], and the name of the second was Tsillah ["Shade"]. 20. And Adah gave birth to Yaval ["Conduct", "Lead along"]; he was the father of those who live in tents and possess livestock. 21. And his brother's name was Yuval; he was the father of all of those who play the harp and the pipe. Yuval: the root word for "jubilation" and the year of release; probably tied more to lively music here. Pipe: probably the bagpipe. 22. And Tsillah also gave birth to Thuval-Qayin, the hammerer of every engraving tool of bronze and iron. The relative strength of the earliest patriarchs would make them seem like gods to "descendants" who were showing signs of the gradually-debilitating fall into sin. THUVAL-QAYIN was probably the real personage behind the legend of Vulcan, the god of fire and metal-forge, the smith of the Roman TUBIListrum. Qayin means "smith", and near eastern smiths even today refer to iron splinters struck off the anvil as "TUBAL". The Sumerian word for "iron" is BARZILLU, the Assyro-Babylonian way to say "son of Tsillah". 23. And Lamech said to his wives Adah and Tsillah, "Hear my voice, you wives of Lamech! Listen to my wordsâ€â€Âfor I have killed a man for wounding me, and a young lad for hurting me, Tradition says the man he killed was Qayin (perhaps the reason for his statement in v. 24). 24. "for Qayin is avenged sevenfold, but Lamech seventy-sevenfold!" 25. And Adam knew his wife again, and she gave birth to a son, and she called his name Sheth [granted or appointed]â€â€Â"because Elohim has appointed to me another seed in place of Hevel" (since Qayin had killed him). A replacement is now granted for the one that was killed. This goes along very well with the Jewish tradition that the first Messiah would be killed in battle (in his case, spiritual battle), and a second Messiah would come and reign permanently. In Y'shua's case they are one and the same (since Mary is dead, and both Messiahs, according to this foreshadowing, have to come from the same mother!), but Hevel and Sheth played out a rehearsal of this theme. Paul also often compares Y'shua to Adam, since he took the place of the one who fell and thus "died" to any right he had to rule the earth. Y'shua is called "the second man" and the "last Adam" (1 Cor. 15:45-47). Elohim is the title used here, unlike YHWH in v. 1 at Qayin's birth, because Elohim is the name used when emphasizing His judgment and justice. [Year 235 / 3765 BC] 26. And a son was also born to Sheth, and he called his name Enosh. Then was it [that people] began to call on the name of YHWH. "Call on": or call out, as in worship, or even "call by", as in profaning it, or using His name to refer to idols. The latter fits better with the scenario of chapter 6. But instead (or also) it could mean those who had not had a direct experience of YHWH (as Adam and Chavvah had) began to call on His name as a result of Sheth naming his son Enosh (which means "mortal", "frail", or "fragile"). Those who recognize their frailty commonly do turn to the help that He provides. Calling on His name particularly as YHWH has only been widely restored in the past few years. What momentous results will this have spiritually? CHAPTER 5 1. This is [has been] the book of the genealogies of Adam. The repeated use of this term "genealogy"--also translatable as "account", "generation", or "history"(throughout the book and in Num. 3:1, a special usage in Ruth 4:18, and Matt. 1:1) may indicate that what preceded each one was an account appended by the person named therein (Adam wrote chapters 1-4, etc.), with the possible exception of notations later added to Terach's, perhaps by Avraham. Moshe, the redactor and editor, would simply have completed the account. In other words, most of Genesis was written by eyewitnesses. Josephus writes, "Those who then lived...noted...with great accuracy, both the births and deaths of illustrious men." * * * In the day when Elohim created Adam, He made him in the likeness of Elohim. 2. He created them male and female, and blessed them, and called their name Adam ["humankind"] in the day they were created. Note the interplay between the description of Adam as both "him" and "them". The two together were counted as one entity on a very deep level. (See note on 6:1.) 3. When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and called his name Sheth. It is significant that he did not truly have a son, or "another Adam", until Sheth, for both Qayin and Hevel were lost, but Sheth carried in him "the Seed" that would later come to fruition in Y'shua as the Head of the Second Adam. 4. And after he fathered Sheth, the remaining days of Adam were 800 years, and he fathered other sons and daughters. 5. And all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died. Did men really once live so long? Actually, science now asks why, given the right advances, such bodies as ours should die at all (cf. Yeshayahu/Isaiah 65:20f). Before the Deluge, a thicker atmosphere (cf. 2:6; 9:13) screened out most ultraviolet radiation, and the gene pool had not yet deteriorated far enough for inbreeding to cause genetic debilitation, which required ten generations to take full effect. Men's life expectancy began to stabilize at 120 years (cf. 6:3) 10 generations after Noach. 6. And Sheth lived 105 years and fathered Enosh. 7. And after he fathered Enosh, Seth lived 807 years, and he fathered sons and daughters. 8. And all the days of Sheth were 912 years, and he died. [Year 325 / 3675 BC] 9. And Enosh lived 90 years and fathered Qeynan. 10. After he fathered Qeynan, Enosh lived 815 years, and he fathered sons and daughters. 11. And all the days of Enosh were 905 years, and he died. . [Year 395 / 3605 BC] 12. And Qeynan lived 70 years and fathered Mahalal'el. 13. And after he fathered Mahalal'el, Qeynan lived 840 years, and he fathered more sons and daughters. 14. And all the days of Qeynan were 910 years, and he died. [Year 460 / 3540 BC] 15. And Mahalal'el lived 65 years and fathered Yared. 16. And after he fathered Yared, Mahalal'el lived 830 years, and he fathered more sons and daughters. 17. And all the days of Mahalal'el were 895 years, and he died. [Year 622 / 3378 BC] 18. And Yared lived 162 years and fathered Chanoch. 19. And after he fathered Chanoch, Yared lived 800 years, and he fathered more sons and daughters. 20. And all the days of Yared were 962 years, and he died. [Year 687 / 3313 BC] 21. And Chanoch lived 65 years and fathered Methushalach. 22. And Chanoch walked with the [true] Elohim for 300 years after he fathered Methushalach, and he fathered more sons and daughters. Notice the trend toward marrying younger! 23. And all the days of Chanoch were 365 years, 24. and Chanoch walked with the [true] Elohim, then he was not [there], for Elohim took him. The "vanity of vanities" (Qoheleth/Eccles. 1:4) of the repeating pattern that seemed to be getting nowhere is punctuated here by a divine intervention. Chanoch was one exception to the rule that all men must die. "He was not": from a term meaning "without" (eyn), used in conjunction with "ending" (sof) to describe the infinity of YHWH. As Y'shua will, after putting everything under his feet, hand over all authority to the Father (1 Cor. 15:25ff), perhaps as a result of "walking with Elohim", Chanoch was taken back into the oneness that preceded creation and which is in a sense the goal of redemption. (Not like a Nirvana where one tries to lose himself to the all-pervasive nothingness, but rather, by being subsumed under Y'shua, who has an unstained history, we may "become a part" of the Undivided one who in a sense is Everything.) [Year 874 / 3126 BC] 25. And Methushalach lived 187 years and fathered Lamech. 26. And after he fathered Lamech, Methushalach lived 782 years, and he fathered more sons and daughters. 27. And all the days of Methushalach were 969 years, and he died. Simple math shows that he died the year of the Deluge. His name is a prophecy that means "His death shall bring (it on)." Jewish tradition says that the reason the flood did not come for seven days after YHWH shut the door of the ark is that these were the days of mourning for Methushalach. [Year 1056 / 2944 BC] 28. And Lamech lived 182 years and fathered a son, 29. and he named him Noach ["Comfort"], saying, "This child shall comfort us concerning our work and the hard labor of our hands, because of the ground which YHWH has cursed." Though "despairing" (the meaning of his name), Lamech was clearly a prophet. Perhaps his desperation led him to the truth, because "If you seek Me, you shall find Me, if you search with all your heart." (Yirmeyahu 29:13) 30. And after he fathered Noach, Lamech lived 595 years, and he fathered more sons and daughters. 31. And all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died. The names each have meaning, and they tell the story of Messiah's redemption: Adam = Man (is) Seth = Appointed Enosh = Mortal Qeynan = Sorrow. Mahalal'el = The El who is praised Yared = shall come down Chanoch = training/teaching. Methushelach = His death shall send Lamech = the despairing one Noach = comfort. [[Year 1556 / 2444 BC] 32. And Noach was then 500 years old. And Noach fathered Shem, Cham, and Yefeth. CHAPTER 6 1. And it came about that as men began to multiply upon the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, "Men began to multiply": literally, "the Adam became great". In the next few verses, each instance translated "men" literally says "the Adam", or the human entity--now truncated, but after beginning to call on YHWH's name, growing in holiness once more as a community, so the Adversary had to counter with a corrupting influence again. 2. that the "sons of Elohim" noticed that the daughters of men [the Adam] were beautiful, and they took wives for themselves from whomever they chose. Sons of Elohim: or "the gods"; elsewhere this refers to a class of angels who had some authority over the earth (e.g., Iyov/Job 1:6; 2:1). The result of this intermarriage is seen in v. 4. 3. And Elohim said, "My Spirit will not remain forever within men who go astray; he is flesh, and his days shall be 120 years." Remain...within: or "contend/dispute with". This may either mean that Elohim would give a final grace period of 120 more years, or that mankind's lifespan hereafter would be only 120 years. Both could also be the case. 4. The Nefilim came to be on the earth in those days--and afterwards--when the "sons of Elohim" [made a habit of] coming in to the daughters of men [the Adam], and they bore offspring to them. These were the mighty heroic champions who were of the ancient age, the famous men of renown. Nefilim: fallen ones; Greek, "earth-born", apparently the unnatural offspring of the unions in v. 2, which multiple ancient cultures seem to refer to in their stories of the demi-gods. Afterwards: Deut. 3:11. "They [i.e., the daughters of the Adam] bore...to them [the sons of Elohim]". So the Nefilim were not the spirit-beings, but their hybrid offspring. Champions: these may have been the "people" capable of building such colossal monuments as Stonehenge, the Great Pyramid, and the Easter Island statues. Their sires may be those to which Yehudah/Jude 6 refers as the angels who "left their proper estate and went after strange flesh". The prevalence in Europe and elsewhere of stories of half-man, half-beast creatures may reflect some original in real occurrences. This is probably why Elohim considered the whole earth corrupt. (6:11; compare Lev. 18:25) Yeshua spoke of fugitive spirits seeking embodiment until "the time" set for their judgment. (Mat. 8:29; 12:43) Worship of "the gods" is forbidden not because they do not exist, but because they are not our creators, though some demonic overlords are apparently given jurisdiction over those who will not deal directly with the "Elohim of elohim" (cf. Daniel 10:13, 20). The possibilities outlined in this account should make us sober in the face of reports of humankind being contacted by "alien" creatures who claim to hold the key to "the next step in our evolution", especially since Y'shua said "As it was in Noach's days, it will be in the days of the Son of Adam". (Luk. 17:26) 5. And Elohim saw that the wickedness of humankind was great on the earth, and that every inclination of the contrivances of his heart was only evil all the day long. Compare 11:6. 6. And Elohim sighed because He had put mankind on the earth, and He was gouged to His heart. 7. And Elohim said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, off the face of the earth, from man to beast to creeping thing to bird of the heavens, for I regret that I have made them." "Beast...creeping thing...bird of the heavens": each of these specific categories is elsewhere in Scripture compared to or descriptive of demonic beings as well. 8. Noach, however, found favor in the sight of YHWH. |
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Portion NOACH, Part 1 (6:9-8:22) 6:9. These are the chronicles of Noach: Chronicles: what he added to what went before and passed down to his descendants, or "generations", as in a genealogy. Noach means "rest" or "quietness". * * * Noach, a righteous man, had remained without blemish in his generation. Noach walked with the Elohim. Without blemish: complete, unimpaired person of integrity, or fully developed and mature; Yaaqov is called the same. (25:27) But in the context of the account of the attempt by evil spirits to pollute the human gene pool and so prevent a truly human Messiah from being born to break the curse Adam had brought on his race, this may mean Noach was one of only a few left who were completely human in pedigree, explaining why Elohim had to go to such an extreme measure to preserve the pure human stock. Walked with the Elohim: Just what Adam had done before he sinned. In the account of Noach, we see the repetition of many aspects of creation. 10. And Noach fathered three sons: Shem, Cham, and Yefeth. Shem means "name" or "reputation"; Cham means "hot", and Yefeth means "opened up" or "made spacious". 11. But the rest of the earth had become corrupt before the Elohim, and the land was filled with violence. Violence: malice, cruelty, or injustice. The Hebrew word is familiar due to a terrorist group that bears its name: hamas. Compare Kanaan just before Israel came to put an end to its defilement (Lev. 18:25) 12. And Elohim looked at the earth, and, behold, it was corrupted, for all flesh had corrupted His way upon the earth. The way that seemed right to them ended in death. (Prov. 16:25) 13. And Elohim said to Noach, "All flesh has reached its limit before Me, for through them the earth is filled with violence, and behold, I will destroy them as well as the earth. "The end of all flesh" penetrated all the heavenly realms, just as Hevel's blood, the outcry of S'dom and Ghamorah (ch. 18), and Cornelius' almsgiving (Acts/Envoys 10) did. Flesh: everything mortal. Destroy: the same word as "corrupt" in the previous two verses. I.e., some had spoiled His earth, so He would ruin them. (Compare Rev. 11:18) 14. "Make for yourself an ark of gofer wood. Make cages inside the ark, and cover it inside and out with a sealant. Ark: a box or chest that can float. The only other place the term is used in Scripture is in reference to the box used to keep Moshe afloat on the Nile. (Ex. 2:3) Gofer wood: based on a word meaning "to close up"; possibly a form of treating the wood to make it more seaworthy. Cages: cells, rooms, or nesting places. Perhaps the animals hibernated. "Cover" is the same as the word translated elsewhere as "atone". The ark kept the wrath of Elohim from touching those inside it, just as the Messiah's shed blood "seals us for the Day of Redemption", Ephes. 4:30. This ark was insulated on both sides, symbolizing the fact that the influence of the righteous could no longer flow outward after YHWH shut the door; the ark of the covenant (a different word in Hebrew) was also covered inside and outside with gold. 15. "And this is how you shall make it: the length of the ark will be 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. The dimensions are approximately 137x23x14 meters or 450x75x45 feet, which has been proven to be the most stable proportion possible, enabling it to right itself even if thrust upward perpendicular to the water by the massive tidal action that took place. It was not designed to navigate, but only to ride out the storm upon the currents. Only in the past century have ocean liners exceeded this size. 16. "You shall make a skylight in the ark, then finish it within a cubit of the highest part, and the door of the ark in its side. Put lower, second, and third [stories] in it. The "skylight" [tzohar] is usually the word for "noonday", and by extension means brightness. A Jewish mystical book by the same title suggests that "prism" might be the best understanding, as its main theme is light reflected from an outside source. Hebrew mysticism includes four levels, with the top level being the one from which light comes down to the others. Elsewhere "tzohar" has been translated as a gleaming, splendid, self-illuminating, transparent gem or crystal--which would indicate a very high level of technology before the Deluge. And why not, with long lives, no inclement weather to use up time and energy, and a common language. But these advantages also let occult knowledge to spread, so Elohim cut it off. In the Septuagint, the second phrase reads, "narrow the ark in making it, and in a cubit above...finish it" Those who claim to have seen the ark on a mountain in Armenia identified as Ararat describe it as nearly rectangular, having a slightly-sloping roof with a separately-roofed row of windows several cubits wide extending a cubit above the peak, the entire length of the ark. This could have provided a source of light for the prism-like "lamp" to refract. 17. "And I--mark My words--I am causing a deluge of waters to come over the earth in order to destroy all flesh in which is the spirit of life from under Heaven. Everything which is on the earth shall expire. Deluge: from the word for "to bear along" or "conduct", which it would do for the ark, while it destroyed everything outside. The events of the next judgment will bear up those who enter YHWH's "ark of shelter" and go with its flow, while those who resist it can only go down with the system that has to be removed. "All flesh": an idiom for "everyone", but also emphasizing their mortality. "From under heaven": may refer to beings in which there were spirits originating in places other than Heaven (see notes on vv. 3, 9). 18. "But I will establish my covenant with you. So come inside the ark: you and your sons and your wife, and your sons' wives with you. I will establish My covenant with you: the same phrase by which Elohim marks those whom He has selected to continue the Messianic ancestry--see 17:4, 21; Lev. 26:42; 2 Chron. 21:7. Note the similarity with Yeshayahu 26:20: "Come, My people, enter your chambers and shut the door around you; withdraw yourself for a short moment until the indignation has passed by." This is a reference to the "secret place of the Most High" (Psalm 91) that will be provided during "Yaaqov's trouble" (Yirmeyahu 30:7), known in the B'rith Chadashah as the "Great Tribulation". 19. "And bring into the ark two each (that is, male and female) from every living thing of all [kinds of] flesh, 20. "from the birds, according to their kind [species], from livestock according to their kind, from everything that crawls on the ground according to its kind; bring two of each into the ark to keep them alive. Two cats or two dogs, etc., with all their potential for variation would have been all that was necessary as representatives. However, there was also plenty of room to hold young dinosaurs, a few of which survived under the new climatic conditions. 21. "And take for yourself every kind of food that is to be eaten, and assemble it for yourselves, and let it be for both you and for them to eat." 22. So Noach did so, according to all that Elohim had commanded him. CHAPTER 7 1. Then YHWH said to Noach, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous [even] among this generation. This may connote "you alone are righteous". 2. "So take with you, of every clean animal, seven each [of] the male and his female; and from the animals that are not clean, two, the male and his female. Male and his female: in this verse alone, it actually reads "a man and his wife". Noach knew, long before the Torah was given, which animals were appropriate for sacrifice, if not for eating, though eating meat was not overtly permitted until after the Deluge. "Not clean": does not use the typical word for "defiled" or "unclean", but simply the negated form of "ritually pure". 3. "And seven each of the birds of the heavens, in order to preserve seed alive on the face of the earth. Birds would carry seeds of plants as well, especially if, as some think, the animals hibernated during the deluge. 4. "Because after seven more days, I will cause a downpour upon the earth for forty days and forty nights, and will wipe away from off the face of the earth every living substance which I have made." By tradition, this extra seven days was granted so that the proper time of mourning for Methushalach could be observed before judgment came. 5. And Noach did according to everything that YHWH had commanded him. 6. Noach was 600 years old, and there came a deluge of waters upon the earth. [Year 1656 / 2344 BC; date corroborated by the historian Josephus.] 7. And Noach, along with his sons and his wife and his sons' wives, came into the ark because of the waters of the deluge. 8. And of the clean animals and the animals which were not clean, and of the fowls and of everything that crawls on the earth, 9. they came inside the ark to Noach, two by two, the male and the female [of each], as Elohim had commanded Noach. 10. And so it was, that after the seven days, the deluge of waters came upon the earth. This is also a prophecy that after the 7,000 years of earth's history, it will be enveloped in fire and recreated (2 Kefa/Peter 3:5, which also tells more about the pre-flood earth). 11. In the 600th year of Noach's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on this particular day, all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of the sky were thrown open. The "deep" is considered the abode of demons, and the heavens of angels. There was certainly a spiritual battle going on here as well, and the atoning covering of tar symbolically protected men from the fury of both. The 17th of the second month: in the late autumn. Windows of the sky: the crystalline firmament was shattered and melted, probably dumping huge torrents of rain. 12. And the rain continued on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights. Ordinary rain would not be nearly enough to inundate the whole earth, so some conclude that the flood must have only been localized. But well over 200 cultures worldwide have been found to have preserved accounts of such a Deluge, so it seems to have affected the ancestry of everyone alive today. Add to the rain the subterranean pockets of water ("reserved" for this need, 2 Kefa/Peter 3:5-7) and the waters above the atmosphere (1:7) provided much more water that may have been animated by the massive gravitational force of a passing comet that was thrown off its course by this near-brush with earth and became what is now Mercury. This would have caused not only massive tidal waves on the surface, but crustal tides of magma beneath the earth's surface which broke forth in unimaginable volcanicand seismic activity. Two great intersecting arcs of mountain uplift suggest that there were two flybys, about 4½ months apart by biblical data. Mountains probably did not exceed 3,000 meters before that time. But with earth's crust weighing heavily on this cushion of water pockets, even a slight fissure in the delicate balance could spread around what apparently was a single continent within two hours, shooting water high into the atmosphere with the force of 10,000 hydrogen bombs. This and/or a pole shift due to the passing body's gravitation, would cause immediate climatic change--an instant ice age--explaining the freezing of millions of mammoths in Siberia and Alaska, found with skin and hair intact and undigested food in their stomachs. (Compare 8:22) Rapid erosion of the crust along the new fault would lay down wave upon wave of sediment, leaving many fossils. The gap created at the "seams" would allow magma to form the mid-oceanic ranges, and causing the newly-formed crustal plates to slide over the molten material beneath at up to 70 km. per hour until they collided, buckling upward to form higher mountain ranges and downward to form oceanic trenches that parallel them, allowing the water to run off. The continental drift, however, may have taken place later (see 10:25). Forty days and nights: The number 40 in Scripture always speaks of a time of transition or testing. 13. On this same day Noach and Shem and Cham and Yefeth, Noach's sons, and his wife, and the three wives of his sons who were with them, entered into the ark, 14. they, and every sort of animal according to its kind, that is, every herded beast after its kind, and every creeping thing that crawls on the earth according to its kind, and every flying creature according to its kind, and every bird of every wing. There is no mention of fish, which are considered a picture of the righteous, because they never close their eyes--symbolizing that they never go anywhere where there is anything they should not see. The abode of the fish was actually enlarged during the Flood, as the abode of the righteous will be a "broader place" while the next period of judgment overwhelms the earth. Every flying creature: it may include everything from insects to the pterodactyl, at least one of which has reportedly been seen in Zimbabwe in very recent years. 15. And they came into the ark to Noach, two by two of all [kinds of] flesh, in which is the breath of life, 16. and those that went in were male and female of all [kinds of] flesh, as Elohim had commanded him. And YHWH shut the door tightly behind him. Behind him: at his heels, thus separating him from everything outside. This imagery relates to the later closing of the Temple gates on the Day of Atonement; both picture the end of the opportunity for salvation in the latter days. While Noach might have hesitated to shut the door, YHWH's grace period does have a limit. 17. And the deluge continued upon the earth for 40 days, and the waters increased, and carried away the ark, and it was lifted up from its position on the land. 18. And the waters grew more forceful, and were greatly increased upon the earth, and the ark moved on the surface of the waters. 19. And the waters swelled on the earth, stronger and stronger, until all the high mountains which are under the whole heavens were concealed. Concealed: overwhelmed, inundated, engulfed. 20. The waters rose up yet another 15 cubits, hiding the mountains. This seems redundant, or perhaps would seem to say the ark had a 15-cubit clearance above the highest mountains. But if, as it will be in the "Time of the Restitution of All Things", the holy mountain which would be the site of the House of YHWH (and thus the site of Eden), was higher than all other hills (Micha 4:1), these would be worthy of another mention. There were 15 steps from the Court of Women to the Court of Priests. But the entrance to the Temple was 14.5 cubits (29 steps, ½ cubit each) above the level of the Court of Women, meaning that the level of the Holy of Holies would also have been washed clean by this giant immersion. These 15 cubits also correlate with the 15 songs of ascent sung during pilgrimages to the Temple. One of them, Psalm 124, seems to allude to this deluge: "Had it not been for YHWH who was on our side, ...the waters would have engulfed us; the raging waters would have swept over our soul"; the Temple Mount was only covered by half a cubit (9 or 10 inches) of water--not an overwhelming inundation as in the rest of the earth. Yeshayahu 43:2 could read, "Because you pass...through the waters, they will not engulf you" just as well as "when you pass". 21. And all flesh that moved about on the earth perished--everything among the fowl and the beasts and the living creatures and the swarming insects and all mankind. This massive "mikveh" or "baptism" would cleanse the earth of the bacteriological results of the "corruption of all flesh", and ritually purify it again for the blood shed since Qayin's day. 22. Everything on the dry land, in whose nostrils breathed the spirit of life, died. 23. And everything that lived on the surface of the earth was wiped out, from humankind to the beasts to the creeping things to the flying creatures of the sky. They were washed off the earth; nothing survived except Noach and the ones who were with him in the ark. 24. And the waters exerted themselves violently upon the earth for 150 days CHAPTER 8 1. But Elohim kept Noach in mind, along with every living thing and all the beasts that were with him in the ark. And Elohim caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. Kept in mind: or "remembered". Wind to pass over: or "spirit to sweep across", recalling the wind or spirit that passed over the scene of an earlier destruction at the creation account in 1:2, hinting again at the theme of re-creation. 2. And the fountains of the deep and the windows of Heaven were stopped up, and the rain from the heavens was restrained. Deep: or "abyss"--another correlation with chapter 1. The waters separated at creation had been brought back together again, creating another "chaos"; now they were separated again. "Sky" and "heavens" are the same word in Hebrew as well. 3. And the waters retreated from upon the earth, continually advancing and returning, and the waters had diminished by the end of the 150 days. They "emptied out", probably into the newly-formed ocean trenches. Not until the fifth month did this happen, so some external gravitation force kept the processes churning for that long or aggravated them again just before this time. Patten's calculations suggest a second flyby of the comet that became Mercury. 4. And in the seventh month, on the 17th day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat, Ararat: a range along the borders of Turkey, Armenia, and Iran; its name means "the curse reversed". The date is very significant, for it often relates to the supernatural preservation of Elohim's plan of redemption, and new beginnings: on the same day of the year (Aviv 17), the Israelites emerged unscathed from Egypt and the Reed Sea; Haman and his sons were sentenced to be hung, ending the attempt at Semitic genocide; and the Messiah rose from the dead as the fulfillment of the feast of Firstfruits which also fell on that day, three days after Passover. This was considered the seventh month until the time of the Exodus, when YHWH changed it to the first. (Ex. 12:2) 5. And the waters were moving and going down until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first of the month, the tops of the mountains could be seen. 6. And it so happened that after 40 more days, Noach also opened a window which he had made in the ark, As per v. 4, 40 days after Y'shua's resurrection a "window" was opened for him to be taken up into heaven. This would be the 27th of Iyar, and the 40th day of Counting the Omer. 7. and he sent forth a raven, and it went out, flying to and fro until the waters had dried up from upon the earth The raven could live off floating carcasses as a scavenger. (cf. Mat. 24:28) It is a crafty bird, and very selfish, reminding us of the serpent in chapter 3, and of haSatan who roams to and fro throughout the earth seeking someone to devour. (1 Kefa 5:8) 8. He also sent forth from himself a dove, to see whether the waters had receded from off the earth's surface. 9. But the dove found no resting place for her foot, so she came back into the ark to him, because there was still water over the whole surface of the earth. So he stretched out his hand and received her, and brought her back into the ark to himself. Dove: This clean animal would not alight on a corrupted surface. There would be no pagan grove of trees on the top of the holiest mountain from which she could pluck any food. In English we miss the play on words: "resting place" in Hebrew is M'noach, very similar to Noach, which means "rest". 10. And he waited anxiously yet another seven days, and once again he sent the dove forth from the ark. Waited anxiously: different from the word for "waited" in v. 12. The root means to writhe, dance, or tremble, or be intent about something to the point of mental strain. Perhaps it denotes pacing back and forth. 11. And the dove came back in to him at the set time in the evening, and behold! There was a freshly plucked olive branch in her mouth. So Noach knew that the waters had receded from off the earth. "Flood" is an idiom for the raging armies of the Gentile nations, often called the "sea", and the raven, an unclean bird, is a picture of the counterfeit Messiah, sent seven years before the Holy Spirit could find a place of true peace. From this event, the dove and olive leaf have come to symbolize peace and hope in the midst of a situation where one might despair. Since the highest mountain prior to this had been the Temple Mount, did the dove find this branch on the nearby Mount of Olives? 12. And he waited another seven days, and sent forth the dove again, and she did not return to him any more. Seven days: Noach was acting according to a cycle of sabbaths--times of completeness or satisfaction--also related to the waiting period required to verify that unclean bodies or items had been purified. 13. By the beginning of the 601st year, on the first of the month, the waters were drying up from off the earth. And Noach stripped away the sealed covering of the ark and looked, and [lo and] behold! the surface of the ground had begun to dry up! The 601st year suggests the 6001st year since creation, which is upon us or nearly so, when there is also a new beginning. The first of the year is when the gates to the Temple are opened as well. 14. By the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was completely dry. This was 370 days after the flood began, or one year and ten days--the interval between one Feast of Trumpets until Yom Kippur the following year. Perhaps this indicates the length of time the Messiah's bride is with him in the "inner chambers", hidden away until YHWH's indignation is past (Yeshayahu/Isa. 26:20). Since a bridegroom may not go to war for the first year of his marriage (Deut. 24:5), this time must last at least one year. Since Trumpets is the day of calling away and Yom Kippur the Day of Judgment, it makes sense that He would add this extra interval for repentance, as that is what is rehearsed each year during these festivals. 15. And Elohim spoke to Noach, saying, 16. "Go out from the ark, you and your wife and your sons, and their wives who are with you. 17. "Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh: of the fowl, and the quadrupeds, and of every reptile that crawls on the earth, and let them breed abundantly, and bear young, and multiply on the earth." 18. So Noach went out, and his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives with him; 19. every living creature, and every flying creature, and everything that crawls on the ground: they went forth out of the ark according to their families. The advantage in this re-creation after the flood is that this time there were seven times as many of the clean animals as there were of the unclean ones. 20. Then Noach built an altar to YHWH, and took some of every clean animal and every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21. And YHWH smelled the soothing aroma, and YHWH said in His heart, "Never again will I curse the ground on humankind's account, because the inclination of his heart is evil from his youth, nor will I again strike down every living thing as I have just done; I.e., "Though I have washed everything clean, I know mankind has not changed." The evidence of this shows up shortly hereafter. Though Adam (mankind) has not changed, the Adamah (feminine form of Adam, meaning the ground) is no longer cursed. This hints at the fact that Adam can be redeemed by the virgin birth of a second Adam. Soothing aroma: representing satisfied justice, restored relationship, and recovered purity--atonement for the blood of Hevel. The word is closely related to Noach's name. this takes place during the month following the fall festivals, when normally the harvest has been brought in, and we settle into quietness and rest with no fear. 22. "Until the earth's days are filled up, Seeding-time and harvest, Cold and heat, Summer and winter, and day and night shall not fail to recur [on schedule]." This again suggests a polar shift (which could also explain the back-and-forth motion of the waters in 8:3), as there would have been no changing of seasons before the axis was tilted to its current position. |
| Portion NOACH, Part 2 (9-11) CHAPTER 9 1. And Elohim blessed Noach and his sons. And He told them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth. He repeats what He told Adam and Chavvah, as in a sense this is a new creation. 2. "And the fear and dread of you shall [henceforth] be upon all the land animals and upon every bird of the heavens, on all that crawls on the ground, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hands. This again is a repetition of the dominion granted in 1:28 (compare Psalm 8:6; Hebrews 2:8, 9), with the added dimension of fear, undoubtedly due to the new dispensation that allowed the eating of animals (v. 3). 3. "Every crawling thing that is alive shall be food for you; I have given you all things, just as I gave you the green plant. In the context of the Nefilim as the chief occasion for the Deluge, it may be insightful that Hindus claim a body fluid which facilitates communion with spirits can be replenished through abstinence from meat. The demons seem to believe this, as they are endorsing vegetarian diets through spiritist mediums. Elohim may have deliberately initiated meat-eating for this reason, and to guarantee a shorter lifespan for mankind, though it appears that when Messiah binds the demons' ability to communicate with man, both will be reversed to some extent (Yeshayahu/Isa. 11:6; 65:20; Yechzq./Ezek. 45). The flip side is that, in the right context, Daniel's abstinence may be related to his spiritual perceptiveness, though his intent was only to obey. Food: or prey. The context seems to say this, yet we do see animal sacrifices and the knowledge of which animals were "clean" even before this allowance is made. All through Scripture we see the separate categories of livestock, beasts, flying creatures, fish, and "crawling things"--as used here. It does not appear to be an overarching term for all animals, but more of a reference to reptiles, amphibians, and insects, very few of which are kosher. This type of animal is left out of the covenant with "every living soul" in v. 10, while other categories are listed, so we might read "food" here rather as "an object of devouring or consuming", as by fire or judgment. In any case, anyone who is part of Israel may only eat particular types of meat. 4. "But you shall not eat its flesh while it is alive, nor shall you eat its blood. While it is alive: or, more literally, in its life, or "with its soul, its blood, you shall not eat" (i.e., both phrases refer to eating meat with the blood not removed). We do not wish to ingest another species' soul into us This was specifically reiterated for those (re)turning to YHWH from among the Gentiles (Acts 15:20), as it is commonly disobeyed, though given here to all mankind. Dogs are fed bloody meat to make them more vicious, and men who have stopped eating unbled meat have become more spiritual and less violent. 5. "And I will surely demand satisfaction for the blood of your lives as well: at the hand of every animal will I require satisfaction, and at the hand of man. I will demand the life of every man at the hand of every man's brother. 6. "Whoever sheds man's blood, his own blood shall also be shed by man--because He made man in Elohim's image. From the start, YHWH makes it clear that He will not tolerate another "Qayin and Hevel" event. Rather than evidencing a callous disregard for human life, capital punishment demonstrates how valuable one human life is. If someone presumes to take it, he must pay the ultimate penalty. The blood is where His image resides. 7. "And you, be fruitful and multiply. Populate the earth abundantly, and become numerous upon it." These are the laws that are binding upon all mankind; Elohim gave additional ones to the people of Israel to teach them deeper things of His nature and about the Messiah He would send. Others may follow these laws if they choose to draw nearer to Elohim. 8. And Elohim spoke to Noach, and to his sons with him, saying, 9. "I--mark My words--I am causing My covenant [agreement] with you to be established, and with your descendants after you, 10. "and with every living soul that is with you, among the fowl, and the beasts, and every living creature that is with you on the earth, from all that are leaving the ark, to every living things of the earth: 11. "I have also established My covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, nor shall there ever again be a deluge to destroy the world." 12. And Elohim said, "This is the sign I am giving you of the covenant between Me and you, and every living soul which is with you, for the generations of the age: 13. "I have set my bow in the cloud, and it will be for a pledge of a covenant between Myself and the earth. Bow: The new atmospheric conditions produced this beautiful phenomenon, which could not have been seen in the antediluvian firmament. But He never actually says "rainbow", but only "bow"; in another sense, He has hung up one of his weapons, promising never to destroy the earth in this way again. 14. "And when I gather the clouds over the earth, then the bow shall be seen in the clouds, 15. "and I will recall to mind My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living soul among all kinds of flesh. 16. "And the bow will be visible in the clouds; I will see it, and remember the age-long covenant between Elohim and every living soul, in all flesh which is on the earth." Noach built the first altar in the new world, as Hevel had in the former, and a reparation was made in YHWH's heart. Noach's righteous sacrifice showed Him that it was possible for a man to do the right thing. This was a foreshadowing of Y'shua, who would remedy all that the first man, Adam, had ruined. 17. And Elohim told Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant which I have made between Myself and all flesh which is on the earth." 18. Now the sons of Noach who went out of the ark were named Shem, Cham, and Yefeth. Now Cham is the one who was the father of Kanaan. 19. These are the three sons of Noach, and from them the whole earth was overspread [populated]. 20. And Noach began [again] to be a man of the soil, and planted a vineyard, Began again: or "started over/made a new start": i.e., he "broke through again", the same word translated "profaned" in 10:8, with the nuance of desecrating or polluting (by the use of fruit again)--restarting the kind of problems Elohim had done away with. Soil: "ground"--i.e., he let himself become common (or allowed profaning to begin again), no longer acting as a spiritual man. His becoming a gardener reminds us of Adam's and Qayin's downfall. 21. and he drank of the wine, and became drunk, and he uncovered himself inside his tent. The atmospheric changes probably made the juice ferment more quickly than he had been used to it doing before the Deluge. Lev. 19:23-25 specifies that fruit should not be eaten from a plant until its fifth year. His grandson's age also suggests that a significant amount of time had elapsed since the Flood. 22. And Cham, the father of Kanaan, gazed upon his father's nakedness, and he exposed [him] to his two brothers outside. Cham also "restarted" another sin pattern that had gone haywire before the Deluge. "Kanaan" means either "one who bends the knees", "one brought low", or "one who trafficks". Gazed upon: i.e., stared, with a sexual connotation, as in the Torah's prohibitions (Lev. 18 et al). Exposed him: made him conspicuous; presented him; brought him forward. 23. But Shem and Yefeth took a garment, laid it on both of their shoulders, and walked backwards and covered their father's nakedness, with their faces in the direction from which they came, so they did not see their father's nakedness. A tent is the symbol of a place of religious learning, and wine a symbol of joy. Too much of it correlates with Y'shua's parable of the mustard plant (the present form of the Kingdom) which grew into a monstrosity in which the birds of the air--an idiom for demons--nested in its branches. The errors of well-meaning ecclesiastics will be covered up (atoned for) when the sons of Shem and of Yefeth turn their backs on the lies both inherited from their fathers and return together to the Elohim of Israel. 24. But when Noach, upon awaking from his wine, found out what his grandson had done to him, Grandson: literally, small or young son, but Cham does not appear to have been the youngest. That Kanaan did not just look, but actually did something himself makes Noach's cursing of him rather than Cham more understandable, though in cursing Cham far too many people might be affected. It appears that Cham did not merely see his father's nakedness in a cursory sense, but exposed his most vulnerable part, and Kanaan actually sodomized him. Note that it never says Noach was asleep; rather, he sobered up and realized this. 25. He said, "Cursed be Kanaan. A servant of servants shall he be to his brothers. Servant of servants: the lowest, meanest, most degraded of slaves. Compare Yehoshua/Joshua 9:21-23, where those of his descendants smart enough to take advantage of Yehoshua's compassion did become just this. 26. And he said, "Blessed be YHWH, the Elohim of Shem, and may Kanaan be his servant. 27. "Elohim shall enlarge Yefeth, and he shall live in Shem's tents, And Kanaan shall be a slave to them both." Enlarge: Heb., yaft, related to Yefeth's name, which means to open up, broaden, or grant an entrance. Numbers 24:5 and Yeshayahu/Isaiah 54:3 associate "tents" with the spread of Israel's influence through the Messiah. Thus, the religious culture of Europeans--which most of Yefeth's children became--has been strongly influenced by the knowledge and love of Shem's Elohim. But there is much more to this prophecy. If both righteous sons were to be blessed, why does the rest of Scripture only speak of the religious blessings to Shem? The key is that, beginning at 10:5, we see that Yefeth was counted the ancestor of the "Gentile" inhabitants of the "coastlands" or "islands" in a special sense. This particular configuration of wording is utilized numerous times throughout Scripture (e.g., Yeshayahu/Isa. 42:4, 10; 51:5) in conjunction with the House of Israel (the northern tribes) and Efrayim, the tribe that led them astray into admixture with the Gentiles. (Yaaqov used prophesied that Efrayim would be greatly multiplied, 48:19-22, and that his seed would in particular be the "fullness of the Gentiles" of which Sha'ul/Paul wrote in Romans 11:25.) It was specifically the "lost sheep of the House of Israel" to which Y'shua said He was sent (Mat. 10:6; 15:24) as Kinsman-Redeemer (the Consolation of Israel for which Shim'on was waiting, Luk. 2:25) , and Sha'ul says it was precisely this mixture which set the stage for any of the far-off Gentiles to be redeemed as well, since their proximity with the "Lost Sheep" whom Y'shua sent His followers to seek out, would afford them the opportunity to hear about the Elohim of Israel and enter into a relationship with Him, thus becoming part of the "commonwealth of Israel". Yeshayahu builds on Noach's promise very directly (Yesh.49:6; 54:2). Since it was these children of Yefeth with which the greatest part of the House of Yoseyf or Efrayim mingled themselves (Hoshea 7:8), YHWH indeed kept His promise to bless Yefeth in this way, and the evidence of how far this has reached is only now beginning to come to our awareness. 28. And Noach lived 350 years after the Flood. The word "dust" in Hebrew has the numeric value of 350--and it appears the rest of his days were just that. 29. And all the days of Noach were 950 years, and he died. |
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Portion LEKH L'KHA, Part 1 (12-14) CHAPTER 12 1. Then YHWH told Avram, "Proceed for yourself [lekh l'cha] from your land and your native people and your father's household, and go to the land that I will show you. Your land: essentially Bavel (Babylonia), which, with Nimrod as its founder, has come to represent the antithesis of the new nation Avraham was being called to found. We can see the rest of Scripture as "a tale of two cities": Babylon and Yerushalayim (Jerusalem). Proceed for yourself: Avram had come the first leg on his father's terms, but now he is called to act on his own and totally leave familiar territory. So the second stage of the journey to Kanaan begins. There was still a land of promise to enter. Today, each of the temporary "holding tanks" where his descendants assemble in each location before returning all the way home is called an "ekklesia", the Greek word for "called-out".(cf. Yirm./Jer. 16:9) If he had stayed behind in order to "be a light" to those around him who would now have no light, he would be compromising, and would prove he did not really believe his message. 2. "Then I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, and you will be a blessing. Note the contrast already with Bavel, whose citizens tried to make their own name great. Avram's prospects for advancement seemed greatly weakened by his move away from all he knew, yet the whole theme of his new nation was "not by might, not by power [the arm of the flesh], but by My Spirit, says YHWH." A great nation: based on Deut. 1:10-11, Rabbi Moshe Koniuchowsky calculates that by the time all is said and done, Avram's descendants would number 4-5 billion! 3. "I will bless those who bless you, and curse the one who despises you, and into you shall all the families of the earth be grafted." "Be grafted": or "bless themselves", but the former is borne out by such usage of this tense (Nif'al) in the Mishnah, and forms the basis for Sha'ul/Paul's discourse in Romans 11. So as to fulfill His promise to bless Shem, yet not to show favoritism to any of the 70 nations, YHWH took a man away from his own land and created a new culture, a counter-history that put men's plans to shame and was an exception to the rule that "under the sun, all is vanity". The one who despises you: perhaps any individual, but probably an allusion to haSatan (the adversary), whose malice toward Avram underlies everyone else's. 4. So Avram went, just as YHWH had told him, and Lot went with him. And Avram was 75 years old when he departed from Charan. Having no son of his own, Avram may have adopted his orphaned nephew--much like the laws of levirate marriage (Deut. 25:5). 5. And Avram took his wife Sarai, and his brother's son, Lot, and all their possessions which they had gained, and the persons whom they had gathered in Charan, and they left to go to the land of Kanaan. Then they entered the land of Kanaan, 6. and Avram traveled across the land as far as the site of Sh'khem, to the Oak Tree of the Teacher [Elon Moreh]; and the Kanaanite was in the land at that time. Sh'khem was the "extra" parcel of land that Avram's grandson Yaaqov would later deed to his son Yoseyf. Sh'khem means "shoulder" or "upper back"--the part of the body that would later bear the high priest's breastplate, with all the chosen tribes inscribed on it. The onyx stones on the shoulderpieces--which "upheld the entire congregation"--would correspond to Yoseyf's. To Yoseyf's son Efrayim was passed the birthright. The "tree of the Teacher" reminds us of Y'shua's cross (cf. Yochanan/John 11:28). So from this angle we see Avraham passing on to Efrayim the responsibility of carrying the whole house of Israel to the cross. Today Elon Moreh is a settlement completely surrounded by hostile Palestinians, the sole foothold preventing them from controlling the whole Tirtzah Valley from the Yarden to Sh'khem. 7. And YHWH appeared to Avram and said, "I will give this land to your seed." And he built an altar there to YHWH, who appeared to him. This promise was later narrowed to specific descendants of his. Little by little, YHWH was indicating through whom the promised "Seed" of the woman would be born, for "seed" is a singular word. An altar: as a testimony to the promise that was made there. Later, as the Israelites would travel through the wilderness back to this land, they would build a base for the brazen altar of sacrifice at each stopping point, and these were left behind to mark the route back to the Land. There have always been spiritual milestones of this sort as well. Each of our forebears who had faith in YHWH has left us a legacy to strengthen us. Now as we move back toward the Land again, we are called to be the altars built of uncut stones, no longer shaped by men's doctrines, but held together by the mortar of love for one another. 8. And he moved on from there to a mountain on the east of Beyth-El, and pitched his tent with Beyth-El toward the sea and Ay to his east. And he built an altar there to YHWH, and invoked YHWH by Name. He was in sight of Beyth-El, the "House of Elohim". Ay means "Twisted ruin" (see Yehoshua 8:3). East also means "ancient" in Hebrew, so in the context of tents (a symbol of religious study), we see him at the place of decision between the "water" of YHWH's word versus the ruins of the tower of Bavel. Since Beyth-El is thought to be the site of the Temple, pitching his tent there may refer to learning from Shem, the son of Noach, who tradition says established such a center for study. Here at the crossroads between good and evil, Avram learned to call on Elohim by the name of YHWH. 9. Then Avram pulled up his tents, to proceed and set forth toward the south [Negev]. 10. And there was a famine in the Land, so Avram went down into Egypt [Mitzrayim] to sojourn there, for the famine in the Land was severe. Sojourn: live as an outsider. "Went down": To this day in Hebrew, entering the Land of Israel by whatever means is referred to as "ascending". Conversely, to leave--even to a place of higher elevation--is to descend, because one is going to a place of lesser holiness. He also lowered himself to the standards of Egypt (see 13:4), reacting to them rather than living deliberately as the man he actually was becoming: 11. And when he got close to Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, "Please, now, I know that you are a woman who is beautiful to look upon; 12. "and what will happen is that when the Egyptians notice you, they will say, 'This is his wife', and they will kill me, but let you live. This was a practice among pharaohs as described by contemporary papyri. 13. "Please say that you are my sister, in order that it may go well with me for your sake, and my soul shall remain alive on account of you." This was not quite a lie, but only a half-truth (see 20:12). Having descended into the Land that pictures the church of today, he used a loophole and just did not mention the part about her being his wife also. He said, in essence, "I love you, but I do not want to die for you!" Those who stay in the church, already knowing they are intimately connected to the Torah, are tempted to compromise like this, though not forsaking it altogether. They feel they dare not appeal to YHWH's instruction lest they be "stoned" for following it too closely. Instead of declaring their commitment to it, they may just call it "wisdom", our "sister". (Prov. 7:4) 14. And sure enough, it happened, when Avram had come into Egypt, that the Egyptians noticed the woman, because she was very beautiful. 15. And the Pharaoh's princes saw her, and they were praising [bragging about] her in Pharaoh's presence. So the woman was taken into Pharaoh's household. Household: that is, out of Avram's tent and into Pharaoh's harem. Sarai was just one of many to him, and likewise the church has said the Torah is her property now, yet considers it only one of many options, not its one true love, which it is to Israel. Sarai means "my princess", and she was probably taken for a Babylonian princess, and Babylon was the only other major power in the world at that time, so of course Pharaoh would want to establish a military and economic treaty through marriage--a common practice among kings, as we see with Shlomo (Solomon). 16. And he treated Avram well on account of her. And he had given to him sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels. 17. But YHWH smote Pharaoh and his household with great plagues upon the word of Sarai, Avram's wife. What the plagues may have been is suggested in a similar incident in 20:18. 18. And Pharaoh summoned Avram and said, "What is this that you have done to me? Why didn't you tell me she is your wife? 19. "Why did you say, 'She is my sister', so that I was taking her to myself as a wife? Now then, here is your wife! Take her, and go!" Was taking: or took--a common Hebrew term for the betrothal stage of marriage, but there was as yet no consummation. 20. And the Pharaoh gave his men orders regarding him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had. This scenario is a picture of the Bride of the Messiah being held in a pagan household, because it is not realized that she belongs to a Hebrew. Though both the Jews and the dispersed of the Northern Kingdom are enriched by the sojourn, once it is recognized who both are, it is clear that they do not belong in their place of exile, and together they will all return to the Land promised to both houses of Israel. The Egyptians also recognized that by having such a beautiful wife, Avram had put them to shame, and they sent him away to save face. It is an embarrassment to the church to have within its midst those who truly keep YHWH's commandments when everyone else is counting on YHWH's grace holding out a little longer, so they must disown them. CHAPTER 13 1. And Avram went up out of Egypt into the south of the land of Israel—he and his wife and all that was his, and Lot was with them. 2. And Avram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. 3. And he broke camp and moved from the south, all the way to Beyth-El, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning—between Beyth-El and Ay— 4. the place of the altar he had made there the first time. And Avram invoked the name of YHWH there. Apparently he had not been calling on YHWH's name while having "descended" or "backslidden" into Egypt. But like his descendants who would return from the land of Egypt, and those later who would come back from an Egyptian lifestyle in all nations, he returned to his own spiritual roots. 5. And Lot, who went with Avram, also had flocks, herds, and tents. 6. And the land was not able to sustain them all if they lived together, because their possessions were too numerous that they were unable to remain together. They had too many possessions to live in community. The early believers in Y'shua seem to have kept this in mind and dealt with the problem that had haunted their forefathers, by selling their possessions and having everything in common instead. (Acts 2:40ff; compare 2 Tim. 6:6-7) 7. And there was disputing between those tending Avram's livestock and those tending Lot's livestock. And the Kanaanite and the Peritzite inhabited the land at that time. It is not the relatives themselves who are at odds, but their hireling shepherds. We are called the "dust" of Avram's descendants as well, and dust makes up a land. So it is really a picture of people who are being fought over by those who think Avram's descendants are only food for their sheep and not something holy in themselves. Peritzite: They are added to the list of who lived in the Land since before Avram left. Peritzite means "dweller in unwalled villages". 8. And Avram said to Lot, "Please don't let there be disputes between me and you, or between my shepherds and yours, for we are grown men and we are brothers. Brothers: the term applies also to cousins or other relatives in Semitic languages. 9. "Isn't the whole land here awaiting you? Please spread out away from me. If you go to the left, then I will go to the right—or if you go to the right, then I'll go to the left. Avram allowed Lot to choose this world's best, but he inherited something better. 10. So Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the whole plain of the Yarden River as you come to Tsoar was well-watered (this was before YHWH destroyed S'dom and Ghamorah), like the Garden of YHWH and the land of Egypt. Yarden River: At that time it flowed all the way to the Red Sea. It was a beautiful place, but Yarden means "descender"--again, a bad sign. He also had to go downhill in order to get to it. 11. Then Lot chose all the plain of the Yarden for himself, and set forth toward the east. For himself: this was where his downfall began. 12. And Avram settled in Kanaan, but Lot lived in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward S'dom. Toward S'dom: with the hint of beginning to lean toward their philosophy of life. 13. But the men of S'dom were evil and sinners before YHWH—exceedingly so. Lot would have been better off to have stayed with Avram. No possessions are worth separating brothers, but now he was going to lose both. 14. And after Lot had separated from him, YHWH said to Avram, "Lift up your eyes now and look toward the north, south, east, and west from the place where you are, He would inherit "the east”--the part Lot had chosen; Lot had to move further eastward. "Lift up your eyes" is a phrase often linked to prophecy, and indeed the promise reached its full borders only in a token sense for a short time during the reign of Shlomoh; so there is more yet to come. 15. "for all the land which you see I will give to you and to your seed forever. Elohim compensated for his selflessness with a far richer promise. But for the first time Avram had also completely fulfilled the commandment to leave his native people (12:1). Today, however, his descendants who live in the Land are not considering it valuable enough to hold onto it all. 16. "And I will make your seed like the dust of the earth—that is, if a person is able to count the dust of the earth, then also your seed will be able to be counted. Like the dust of the earth: of course the main parallel is with inability to count, but Adam was also created from the dust of the earth, and again "seed" is singular (though it can refer to all his descendants). Paul applied this concept to Y'shua in particular, and anyone who shares Avram's faith is considered his "seed" as well, since they become part of Messiah's "Body" even if not from Avram's physical line (Galatians 3:29), though most who have been reborn through history will probably prove to have been his descendants through the Northern Kingdom without realizing it. Y'shua is "like" Adam in being the one who began the reconstitution of the image of YHWH. So Avram's seed are used to bring the shattered Adam back together! 17. "Get up! Walk through the land—its length and its breadth—because I will give it to you." The Land had already been deeded to him, but YHWH told him to also go stake it out. "The Land" that is our inheritance includes all that belongs to Israel--holiness, purity, etc., and we need to claim these for ourselves. 18. Then Avram moved his tent, and came and settled among the Oaks of Mamre [Gk., Ogyges], which are in Hevron, and there he built an altar to YHWH. Hevron: highest in elevation of all cities in Israel. The city's name comes from "friendship", alliance, or unification in Hebrew. Avram staked it out for this purpose, yet it is a city of strife today. Today Muslims (most of whom are Avram's descendants also) by preventing Jews from praying at the tombs of Avram and the next two generations of their ancestors. David's reign, which first united all of Israel into one nation, began here at Hevron. Mamre is related to fatness or strength; olive oil is often associated with fatness in the sense of plenty; in the context of unity, the juxtaposition of trees,oil, and unificationsuggest the symbolism of the two olive trees (Zech. 4) from Avraham's stock that are reunited into one nation again (Y'chezqel/Ezekiel 37) at the end of this age. |
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Portion YA-YERA, Part 1 (18-20) |
| Portion VA-YERA, Part 2 (21-22) |
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Portion CHAYEI SARAH (23:1-25:18) |
| Portion TOLDOTH (25:19-28:9) |
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Portion VA-YETZEI (28:10-32:2) |
| Portion VA-YISHLACH (32:3-36:43) 32:3. Then Yaaqov sent [yishlach] messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, in the region of Edom. Edom is southeast of the Dead Sea. On the way from Gil'ad to Hevron, where he had left his father, Yaaqov would not have to pass through Seir. But he was told to go back not just to the Land but to the one born with him, and though he had been able to put his fears of Esau out of his mind for twenty years, he now knew he had to again face what he had done to him. His righteous and evil inclinations (Rom. 7-8) alternately witnessed for and against him. (Rom. 2:15) So the double camp was like his own soul at this time--a single camp but with internal conflict. 4. And he gave them orders, saying, "Tell to my master (to Esau), 'Your servant Yaaqov says this: I have lived with Lavan as an outsider, and remained there until now. The numerical value of this word is 613, the total number of positive and negative commands in the Torah. The rabbis consider Edom (Esau) to be figurative of the Roman Catholic Church. Lavan was his provider to some degree, though he proved an enemy, much as the church that nurtured us to a point then wanted to withhold our further growth. But now he is presenting this to Esau as credentials. Esau is still the son of Yitzhaq and has some promises from Elohim, but Yaaqov instinctively recognizes that at this point he needs to keep his distance. Living with Lavan had prepared him to know how to deal with Esau. 5. "'Yet now my condition is such that I have oxen and donkeys and flocks and male and female slaves. And I have sent word to tell my lord this, in order to find favor in your sight.'" He thought Esau would respect him more if he mentioned his possessions, since Esau was that kind of man. Yet he is also making it clear to Esau that he has plenty, and is not out to get anything more from him. 6. But when the messengers returned to Yaaqov, they said, "We managed to reach your brother, and he is coming to meet you--but 400 men are with him!" Meet: a different word from that in v. 1. Here it has more of the sense of a surprise, and running up against a wall. 400 men: Every time this phrase appears in Scripture it is in a military context. The Hebrew letter with the value of 400 is tav, and it means a "mark" set on the forehead. (Yehezqel 9:4-6) YHWH also had set a mark on Qayin, an elder brother who had murdered his younger brother. When Yaaqov, a man of studies, heard about his elder brother coming with 400 men, what else could he expect but that he wanted to kill him? 7. Then Yaaqov was afraid; indeed, he was greatly distressed. So he divided the people who were with him, as well as the flocks, herds, and camels, into two companies. Afraid: not as much of Esau as of YHWH, since though he has seen that YHWH is with him, and has His promises, he still senses a need for forgiveness for what he did to Esau. (v. 20) "Two companies": from the same root as Machanayim (the "double camp" in v. 2). It has a military nuance to it in Hebrew as in English. Both camps of YHWH have to be together, or they are weakened. The two parts of Yaaqov can function separately, for a time, as the two kingdoms of Israel later would be. Y'shua said "He who does not gather with ME scatters"; but also "He who is not against you is for you." 8. And he said, "If Esau comes upon the one company and attacks it, then [at least] the company that is left will escape." 9. Then Yaaqov said, "O Elohim of my ancestor Avraham, and Elohim of my father Yitzhaq, O YHWH, You are the One who said to me, 'Go back to your land and your relatives, and I will deal well with you'. After one prays, acknowledging the need for His intervention, we take whatever steps we can to show that we trust Him to act. While careful not to rush ahead of YHWH, once He says to move, start the process, however inadequate our resources, and He will ensure our success. How can we expect Him to fight for us if we are not serious about moving forward toward the goal? Here Yaaqov finally recognizes Him as YHWH; invoking him as the Elohim of another is no longer adequate, as He is in a true crisis. 10. "I am not worthy of any of the mercies and faithfulness that you have shown to Your servant, for I crossed over this Yarden with only my walking-stick, and now I have become two companies! If he were alone, he would not care so much about what happened to him, but now he had much more to lose. Yaaqov's pride was diminished by his regrets about his actions toward Esau, but Yoseyf's glory will be like the horns of the unicorns (Deut. 33:17) and at that time it will not make him a corrupted person because he will have learned its proper place in the scheme of righteousness. Zecharyah 11 speaks of a stick divided into two companies, which Yehezqel 37 says YHWH will bring back into one. 11. "Now deliver me, I beg You, from the hand of my brother (from the hand of Esau) because I am afraid he might come and attack me, mother to children! Mother is singular, yet he had four mothers with him. His heart was inclined only to one wife. But this also parallels Hoshea 2, in which both mother and children are called to account for their guilt when YHWH meets them like a wall from which they, too, cannot escape. 12. "You also said, 'I will certainly deal well with you, and I will make your descendants like the sand of the sea which is too much to count--because they are so many!'" If the mother and children are killed, where will these descendants come from? 13. And he remained there that night, then selected a present for his brother Esau from what had come into his possession: Remained: can also mean complained. Didn't YHWH say He would protect Yaaqov? Yet he now has misgivings because of how things look. That night: "ha laila ha-hu", which recalls the equivalent phrase "ha laila ha-zeh" (this night) used so much during Passover, which is the only festival specifying a particular commemoration at night. And "pass over" is just what he and his family were doing. But first he has to face the world (the spirit of Esau) with no one to back him up, so he tries to appease Esau (v. 20) with the kind of wealth he likes--animals. He ends up feeling like he has to give away his flocks--those that are under his care--to one who will not care for them, but will drive them hard. (33:13) Yet if it comes to a choice between possessions and his heritage, the animals are not as important as the family. He feels he is "rendering unto Caesar" what belongs to him, for Esau is a man of the field. 14. 200 she-goats and 20 he-goats; 200 ewes and 20 rams; 15. 30 nursing camels with their 30 colts; 40 cows and 10 bulls; 20 she-asses and 10 young [or rare Lybian] donkeys. There were 550 animals in all. Interestingly, Edom's kingdom would begin in the year the last of Yaaqov's sons died, 550 years before Israel's under Saul. So he was actually in a sense giving the birthright back to Esau for that amount of time. Some link Edom with the Palestinians of today (especially as used in Ovadyah 18), in which case we could definitely draw a parallel of modern Israel giving them more power than they would have originally demanded. 16. And he put each drove separately into the custody of his servants, and he told his servants, "Cross over ahead of me, drove by drove, leaving a space between them." A space: so that they would arrive in wave after wave of gifts and soften Esau's heart, if possible. "Cross over": ivru, from the same root from which "Hebrew" comes. None of those in his entourage had crossed the Yarden before, so he now made "Hebrews" out of them; he remained for one more experience on his journey to identification with his ancestors. 17. And he gave the ones in front orders, saying, "When my brother Esau meets you and asks, 'Who are you with? Where are you going? And to whom do these ones in front of you belong?', 18. "Then tell him, 'To your servant Yaaqov. This is a gift being sent to my master (to Esau) and he himself is right behind us!'" 19. And he gave the same orders to the second and third, and all the ones driving the herds, saying, "This is what you shall say to Esau when you encounter him, 20. "and you shall also say, 'Look! Your brother Yaaqov is following us.'" For he said to himself, "I will appease his anger with the gift that arrives before me, and after that I will be able to look him in the face; maybe he will forgive me." Appease: literally, cover, the same word used for atonement offerings in the Temple. They do not remove sin, but give us a point of closure for our guilt, and through a definite act put us in a place of being ready to accept forgiveness. Yaaqov was always expecting to be punished for what he did, and now he expects that judgmenbt to fall on his family as well. His thought was that maybe he just deserved whatever might happen to him, not recognizing that it was YHWH's choice that removed the birthright from Esau and gave it to the one who pleased Him better, and that it is YHWH's worthiness that counts, not his own. 21. And the tribute passed on ahead of him, but he remained in the camp that night. 22. But he got up later that same night and took his two wives, his two servant-girls, and his eleven boys, and crossed the ford of the Yabboq. The Yabboq flows westward through Gil'ad into the Yarden halfway between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee. Later it would be the northern border of the lands of Moav and then of Ammon. Yabboq means "emptying out", and this is truly what happened to Yaaqov here. He left his old self behind and gained a new identity. (v. 28) At this point it appears that it was under Esau's control, showing just how powerful he had become, as this is a great distance from the land of Seir proper. 23. Now he brought them there and sent them across the river, and sent all that belonged to him over along with them. He removed from himself everything that mattered to him, and spent one final night in an alien land. He could not go any further until he dealt with this one pressing matter. Just before his "passover", this was his "Gath Shmaney", when he would be stretched to his limits as Y'shua was the night before a Passover many years later.. 24. And Yaaqov was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until the ascending of the dawn. He was alone (compare Numbers 23:9), yet he wrestled with someone. How could this be? The numerical value of "alone" is 613--the number of commandments in the Torah, YHWH's word. So he was wrestling with Y'shua, the living Word that would later become flesh, but often appeared in the form of a man prior to this. In 48:16, this "man" is called an angel, and Y'shua as this "man" was often called the "Angel of YHWH". He was also wrestling with himself (his own inclinations, Rom. 7). He had to come to terms with what he truly believed: what kind of man was he, now that he was all alone against the world unless he would have faith that this Elohim was truly who He said He was? Was he really the right one to receive the birthright? Was he really ready to be the leader of a nation? He was wrestling with the spirit of his twin Esau, the philosophy of caring only for one's belly, which now threatened him in a very real way as everything hung in the balance. Would he become like him? Or would he remain Yaaqov? Neither. He would become a third option. Tradition says this angel was Samael--"the poison of the Elohim"--the evil inclination (the flesh), an adversary (Heb., "satan") who was connected with Esau/Edom (much like the angelic Princes of Persia and Greece mentioned by Daniel). Further, he was wrestling with Adam, the prototypical man, and also with the second Adam who awaited Yaaqov's cooperation in order to be reconstituted through his descendant, the Messiah. And he was wrestling with Elohim Himself (see below). All of this took place in the spirit realm, whether or not anyone else was physically present. And all of these aspects of his wrestling are really one and the same. Dawn means "that which is sought" in Hebrew. He wanted to wrestle until what he was seeking came to light. But it can also mean "blackness". As he fought against selfishness, the "black cloud was lifted", and his earnest seeking reached the heavenlies. Angels also strengthened Y'shua after his wrestling. 25. When He saw that He was not prevailing over him, He touched him on the socket of his hip, and Yaaqov's hip-socket was dislocated while he grappled with him. Touched: struck, violently gripped. 26. Then He said, "Let go of Me, because the morning has dawned." But he said, "I will not let You go until You bless me!" Let Me go: lit., "send Me away". Dawn is the time for something new to begin, and for yesterday to become past history. And Yaaqov knew he could not see His face and live. Yet He wanted to receive the blessing the right (legitimate) way this time. Until: or "unless". But the pronouns here are deliberately ambiguous. We can read them as Yaaqov speaking first or as the "man" speaking first. Bless means to bend the knee to, so until Yaaqov “knuckled under†and confessed what he had been doing, he could not be sent into the Land. But the angel also blessed him. 27. So He said to him, "What is your name?" And he said , "Yaaqov." This was a confession: "I'm a swindler after all." This is the first time he is recorded as ever using his own name (of which he may have been ashamed). Even his mother never used it in the recorded text. And his descendants through Efrayim also cannot return to their homeland until they admit that they have been partly pagan (Yirmeyahu/Jer. 16:9; 31:19) 28. Then he said, "Your name shall no longer be Yaaqov, but Isra-El, because you have striven with both Elohim and men, and have prevailed." No longer: when you live up to it, that is. Yaaqov's name was changed. Israel means "Striving (persistently exerting oneself) with Elohim" or "One who has overcome and become a prince with Elohim". (Y'shua said we could sit with Him on His throne if we overcome, Rev. 3:21.) The confession was the prevailing, just as Gid'on's action, though done in fear, was recognized by YHWH as strength. (Judg. 6:14) Prevailed: conquered or become able (i.e., to be a prince of a new nation). He was no longer fooling himself as to who he was. ("If we judge ourselves rightly, we would not need to be judged." --1 Cor. 11:31) YHWH also dealt with him, and his identity changed. There was now an entity called "Israel", the one big exception to the rule that "under the sun, all is vanity". He allowed to be born in him a rebirth for all of mankind, a direction and goal for history, and a remedy for all the evils of the whole world. The undoing of the curse on Adam's race took another major leap forward. YHWH's response to Efrayim's admission is similar. (Yirm. 31:20) YHWH wants us to become one man again, and to become indeed what "messengers" in our own day are revealing we really are: Israel. We may still see how far we have to go to be what we are meant to be, but when YHWH looks at us, He sees a beloved son, who is not lacking in anything. The obstacle is in our own heads and hearts. Double-mindedness (depicted by the double camp he saw) Striven with men: Lavan, Esau, and Yaaqov's own flesh. 29. And Yaaqov inquired and said, "Now You divulge Your name, please." But He said, "Why do you [still need to] ask about My name?" Then He blessed him there. Manoach, the father of Shimshon (Samson), also asked this question of YHWH's messenger, and received the same answer, with the added detail, "because it is wonderful" (or "beyond your comprehension", Judg. 13:15ff) Messiah's name is also called "wonderful" (Yeshayahu/Isaiah 9:6). Another reason he may not have received an answer is that even YHWH is a name for only that part of His infinitude that He can reveal to us. There is more to Him that we cannot know, and indeed, as Paul says in I Cor. 13, all that we know is "in part", that is, by partitioning and distinguishing things from one another. However, YHWH is "echad"--one, unified, indivisible, the "all in all", so how can His truest name be known? But He does reveal Himself by His attributes and in the fullest sense possible, in His "Word", Y'shua the Messiah, also who called himself his Father's messenger. In Hebrew mysticism, YHWH can be represented as a man's body, and each part or attribute is connected to a different name. The Head, of course, is Y'shua, the first part of the restoration of His image to mankind. By tradition, when YHWH's complete name (over 200 letters long) is discovered, Messiah will come! Psalm 139 ties several aspects of this together: When YHWH's hand was laid on him, David said that the way YHWH knew him was beyond his understanding--or too wonderful for him. Even if he descended into She'ol (the place of the dead), He was somehow there! This was only possible through Y'shua's death, but the word she'ol is based on the word "to ask". Yaaqov battled his evil inclination, but that too could have good results if he, unlike Qayin, mastered it. It is there for us to inquire what it is there for, but not to participate in; to learn from, but not to serve. We should be glad it is within us to drive us toward being our best by the knowledge of what we could otherwise be. Thus the messenger from YHWH reveals to us who we really are--and that messenger could be anyone. 30. And Yaaqov named the place P'ni-El ["Face of Elohim"], "because I saw Elohim face to face, and yet my life was spared." My life was spared: literally, "my soul has been snatched away unto deliverance". His former identity as one whose name is related to "heel" would put him in direct line for being bruised in the destriction of the serpent. (Gen. 3:15) He still was bruised (v. 32), but not destroyed. By changing Yaaqov's name, the angel changed his identity. Yaaqov owed Esau something, but Israel did not. So he was not free. 31. And the sun rose upon him as he crossed over P'nu-El , but he was limping on account of his hip. P'nu-El-- an alternate, less personal rendering of P'ni-El. ("Turn your face toward Elohim" or "His face toward Elohim" in contrast to "My face toward Elohim".) Hip: the sinew which was benumbed. His walk (Hebraically, a metaphor for how one lives) was permanently altered. Once you come up against the true Word, the real Torah (Y'shua), you have to weigh everything else in light of Him. Nothing can ever be the same afterwards. Yet, like Paul's thorn in the flesh (2 Cor. 12:7), now that he had been given extraordinary revelation, he had to have a constant reminder that he, as himself, was not worthy of it. 32. (This is why the children of Israel do not eat the sinew of an animal's thigh which is over the hip-socket, because He touched Yaaqov's hip-socket on the sinew of the thigh.) The sinew: the sciatic nerve. This is a vivid reminder that our walk, too, has been changed, as we, too, are Israel. CHAPTER 33 1. Then Yaaqov raised his eyes and looked, and, behold, Esau was coming, accompanied by 400 men! So he divided the children to both Leah and Rachel, as well as to the two slave-girls. Raised his eyes: often an idiom for seeing as in a vision. I.e., Yaaqov came to a clear understanding that although he had already fought this battle with the evil inclination (whom Esau also represents as the twin of the one now declared righteous), Esau was still coming. Only now he had a weapon with which to brace for him: his new name. 2. And he put the slave-girls and their children first, and Leah and her children next behind them, then Rachel and Yoseyf last. Whom he kept safest shows who was most important to him. His setting Yoseyf in a separate category from his other children would turn out to be a lifelong pattern. He knew from his fathers that other men might want to take their wives. According to the pattern by which the matriarchs had married, Leah should have been Esau's wife anyway, so he may have reasoned that if Esau wanted to take his wife, he was willing to give up Leah, since he put her ahead of Rachel. 3. And he went over ahead of them and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he had come all the way to where his brother was. He was not capitulating to the evil inclination, but neither did he pretend it was not there. He recognized its power, and kept his eye on it. It is a witness of what is true about us, but we can use those negative traits against it and thus defeat it. 4. But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they both wept. Notice that he did not embrace Esau back. He was very selective in whom he showed affection to--only Rachel and her sons, and later Yoseyf's sons. The evil inclination may take either a positive or negative face, but its intent is always to undermine confidence in YHWH. First it may tell us that we really do not need to be forgiven, but after we defeat that side of it, it comes back and tells us that we are not really forgiven after all. In the Hebrew text, there are two "tooth-marks" above the word "embraced", which the Rabbis say indicates that he really meant to bite him, much like Judas' kiss. But because, after years in the field, tending animals, he looked and smelled exactly like Esau, who thought he had conquered him because now they appeared to be the same kind of men. Both wept: compare 33:10; Zech. 12:10. 5. And he looked up and saw the women and children, and he said, "Who are these with you?" And he said, "The children with whom Elohim has graciously favored your servant." 6. Then the slave-girls came forwardâ€â€they and their childrenâ€â€and bowed [in respect]. 7. Next Leah and her children came up and bowed, and after this, Yoseyf and Rachel came near and bowed. Unlike verse 2, Yoseyf is now ahead of Rachel. Though probably still only a toddler, he was already acting according to his calling as a provider, protector, and defender of Israel. His descendants are also called to act on behalf of their "mother". (Hoshea 2:2ff) Edom is another name for Esau, and Yoseyf's descendants will play a special role in Edom's final defeat. (Ovadyah 18) 8. And he said, "Whose is all this company which I met?" And he said, "It was to gain favor in my master's sight." 9. But Esau said, "I have plenty, my brother! Let what you have be kept for yourself." Plenty: literally, in excess. I.e., "You have become materially wealthy like me; stay that way!" 10. But Yaaqov replied, "No, please, if I have found favor in your sight, take my present from my hands! For I have seen your face, and it was as if I were seeing the face of Elohimâ€â€and you have received me favorably. From my hands: If I am going to have possessions, they will be those YHWH has granted me, and I will not empower the demon Security, because I know it is an enemy and a liar. As if seeing the face of Elohim: At that time, he was also relieved because his life was spared. (32:30) In any case, what he did give his brother--the "remnant of Edom" will again be possessed by Yaaqov's descendants (Amos 9:12). 11. "Please take my token of blessing which has been brought to you, because Elohim has been gracious to me, and I have everything." And he urged him, so he accepted. Everything: as contrasted with Esau's "plenty" (v. 9). 12. Then he said, "Let's keep moving--and I'll go before you." Go before you: i.e., lead the way. There was somewhere he still wanted to take Yaaqov, but Yaaqov had learned his lesson about who he really was, and knew he could no longer follow someone else's agenda. 13. But he told him, "My master is aware that the children are still tender, and the flocks and herds with me are nursing. If they are overdriven even for one day, the flocks will all die. The evil inclination indeed knows our weak spots. Yaaqov wisely does not lead them into temptation--i.e., taking them where only the more mature can survive. He is not thinking of himself, but of them, and we too must make our choices based not only on what will affect us, but on what will affect those who take us as their examples. Paul also spoke of deferring to the "speed" of the "weaker brothers"--staying back with them to teach at their pace and help them catch up. (Romans 14) If they could take our liberties as an excuse to become slack, we must not use those liberties. (Gal. 5:13) And we must not forget that we are all weak in one area or another. (Gal. 6:1) 14. "Please let my master go on ahead of his servant, and I will make my way by stages as it is comfortable according to the pace the stock that are before me can take, and whatever pace the children are ready for, until I reach my lord at Mount Seir." Y'shua did something reminiscent of this when He said, "I'm not going to the feast [yet]; you go on ahead." And indeed He will follow later. When Yaaqov does reach Edom's territory in the latter days, however, the results will not be beneficial to Esau, as this portion's parallel "haftarah" (the book of Ovadyah) reveals. Whatever pace the children are ready for: compare Zech. 2:11; 8:23. 15. So Esau said, "Please, let me leave with you some of the people that are with me." But he said, "To what purpose? Just let me find favor in the eyes of my master." Leave with you: or station, permanently attach, assign to you. I.e., "Let me put some spies in your camp so I can see if you are really what you seem to be." If we hang onto any of the pagan principles that had mixed themselves in with the church, the evil inclination will still have us where it wants us. No, we are Israel, and we are not walking by anyone else's rules; we have our own path to take. What he tells him, though, is, “What need is there? Please indulge me just this onceâ€Â, and thus escapes any obligation to Esau. 16. So Esau started that day on his way back to Mount Seir. Like Lavan, he recognized that YHWH was indeed with Yaaqov, and let him go. Seir means "goat". Started back: literally, he turned, or "repented on his way to the goats". (Goats juxtaposed with repentance clearly suggest Yom Kippur, when one repents and becomes either one of the two identical goats or the other, like the twins Yaaqov and Esau). Symbolically, here, Esau became Yaaqov. If we repent at the right season, we can go on to the next festival, the season of our joy (Sukkoth): 17. But Yaaqov traveled on to Sukkoth, and built himself a house, and made temporary shelters for his livestock; that is why he named the place Sukkoth. Sukkoth means "booths", "sheds, "stables", or "temporary dwellings". Why did he call it this, instead of, for example, "Beyth-Yaaqov"? Sukkoth is also the Festival that falls on the 15th day of the first civil month--directly across earth's orbit from Passover, the 15th of the other first month (that is, on the religious calendar), and recalls the temporary dwellings in the wilderness with Moshe after the Passover. But it also pictures the future day when it will be safe again to dwell in open structures. In Hebrew, we would say that Y'shua was born in a sukkah (singular form, used also of "stable" or "manger"), and there is much evidence that He may have been born during that festival. Today we hear the ownership of the "West Bank" disputed; Sukkoth would later be King David's "East Bank" military headquarters. 18. When Yaaqov arrived safely at the city of Sh'khem (which is in the land of Kanaan), upon coming from Paddan-Aram, he encamped within sight of the city. He had built a permanent dwelling at Sukkoth, yet continued to live as a sojourner. Israel dwells in tents so that it can move when the Ark of the Covenant moves. He left a "house of promise" at Sukkoth, which symbolizes the final ingathering of the whole nation. "Safely" here means in completeness. Y'shua is preparing a place for us which we will inhabit once the Kingdom is fully established. But how can we live in paneled houses while YHWH's House is not yet restored? (Haggai 1:4) As the other Y'hoshua would tell Yaaqov's descendants, the tribes of Reuven and Gad, who wanted to settle on that side of the Yarden since it was a place for livestock, they still had other duties to fulfill within the Land proper before they could settle down. Sh'khem was his entry point into the Land, and Y'shua used it to open His mission to the "lost sheep of the House of Israel" by seeking His "bride" first at Yaaqov's well in this town (Yochanan 4), just as Moshe, Yitzhaq, and Yaaqov had done. 19. And he bought that parcel of land upon which he had pitched his tent from the hand of the sons of Chamor, the father of Sh'khem, for 100 coins. 100 coins: or possibly, pearls or lambs. Yaaqov bought the place where Yoseyf's tomb is, and thus his descendants still own it, though the Palestinians are trying to drive them away. 20. And he set up an altar there, and called it "El Elohey-Yisra'el". Set up: or established; El Elohey-Yisrael: "El is the Elohim of Israel", or, Mighty is the Elohim of Israel. CHAPTER 34 1. Now Dinah (the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Yaaqov) went out to learn about the daughters of the Land. Perhaps she just wanted to see what kind of clothes they wore, as would interest a girl of her age (by the foregoing chronology she is certainly under ten years old). Instead of staying and caring for her own people, her curiosity about "the ways of the Gentiles" became her downfall. In the same way, Yerushalayim (also described as a daughter in Yeshayahu 10:32) today is making her decisions not based on what is best for the nation, but what the rest of the world thinks. Their opinion does not matter; Israel is called to be a set-apart nation, and to be the influencer, not the influenced. 2. And Sh'khem, the son of Chamor the Chivvite, the prince of the region, saw her, took her by force, and lay with her, violating her. Sh’khem menas a shoulder or the part of the back that bears a burden. Chamor means "donkey". So both of them are “beasts of burdenâ€. Violating her: literally, "he humbled her." Likewise, everyone wants a piece of Yerushalayim, but by owning parts of it they defile it. Dinah is the feminine form of the word “judgeâ€. When those who do not understand true justice want to control the court system, they also bring corruption. 3. But his soul clung to Dinah, the daughter of Yaaqov, and he loved the girl and spoke to her heart. Spoke to her heart: spoke soothing words, appealed to her emotions, comforted her with words of peace. 4. And Sh'khem said this to Chamor, his father: "Get me this girl to be my wife!" 5. Then Yaaqov heard that he had defiled his daughter Dinah, but his sons were out in the field with the livestock, so Yaaqov kept quiet until they had come in. Defiled: rendered her unclean, which in Scripture is a picture of selfishness. By taking away her innocence, this uncircumcised man made her self-conscious. His daughter: whereas in v. 1 she was described as Leah’s, now that a man has his eye on her, he takes chief responsibility. 6. When Chamor (Sh'khem's father) had come out of the city to Yaaqov to discuss the matter with him, 7. Yaaqov's sons arrived back from the field. When they heard what had happened, they were distressed and extremely angry, because he had done an outrage to Israel by lying with Yaaqov's daughter—such a thing [as] should not be done! Distressed: deeply offended. An outrage: a senseless, disgraceful act, partly because she was so young. While this may have been tolerated among other peoples, it went against what was proper for the holiest. 8. Then Chamor spoke with them, saying, "My son Sh'khem's soul is bound [attached] to your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife. 9. Then you all can form an alliance with us through intermarrying with us: give us your daughters, and take our daughters for yourselves. 10. "Dwell with us, too, and the whole land will be before [open to] you; settle in it, trade in it, and acquire property in it!" This would give them an instant "in" with the people over whom Chamor was prince. He offers them wealth as an incentive. 11. Sh'khem also said to her father and her brothers, "Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you tell me, I will give. 12. "Pile on me ever so high a bride price or a present, and I will give you whatever you say—just give me the girl as a wife!" "The girl": a letter is missing from the Hebrew spelling here, indicating that though he made it sound like she was still a "maiden", she was not. Bride price: It was not as though they were paying for her as chattel. But the family was compensated for raising her to be a good wife, and since they would have one less pair of hands to help in their own household. She was given a dowry by which to survive in case she were to be divorced or widowed. 13. But the sons of Yaaqov replied to Sh'khem and his father Chamor in a misleading way since he had defiled their sister Dinah: In a misleading way: cleverly, shrewdly, even deceitfully—just like their father had. But Rahav, who lied to Israel’s enemies, was called righteous, so we cannot fault them for tricking a people who had already wronged them. 14. They told them, “We couldn't do such a thing—give our sister to a man who is uncircumcised, for this would be a disgrace to us. 15. "Only on this condition would we consent to you: if you will become as we are, having every male among you circumcised, Like those who were influencing the non-Jewish Galatians, they said, “Be circumcised and you will be one of us.†Even the rabbinic authorities agree with Paul’s insistence that circumcision is not the first step to becoming YHWH’s people. 16. "Then we would give you our daughters, or take your daughters unto ourselves, and would live with you and become like one people." One people: a single socioeconomic entity. But they really wanted these men to feel pain for what they had done to Dinah. "Our daughters" (plural)? There was only one. But the servants they brought back from Lavan would have had some children as well, and they also expected this to go on for several generations. 17. "If you will not agree to be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and leave." They thought this would be too high a price and discourage Sh'khem. They underestimated the enemy. A simple “no†would have been better. They had no more obligation to them than Israel of today has to negotiate with terrorists. Later YHWH would mandate that Israel must not make a treaty with the inhabitants of Kanaan. (Ex. 23:32; Deut. 7:2) They made things more difficult for themselves. 18. But their proposal seemed reasonable to Chamor and his son Sh'khem, 19. and the young man did not delay in doing the thing, because he enjoyed Yaaqov's daughter so much, and he carried more weight than all [the rest of] his father's household. 20. So Chamor and his son Sh'khem came to the gate of their city, and they spoke with the men of their city, saying, The gate: where the city elders made legal decisions. 21. "These men are peaceable toward us, so let them live in the land and trade in it, because, look! The land has opened its hands wide to them! Let's take their daughters for ourselves as wives, and let's give them our daughters as wives— 22. "except that only on these terms will the men consent to become one with us: that every male among us be circumcised as they are. 23. "Won't their livestock and their property and their beasts of burden then become ours? Let us just consent to them, and they will settle among us." They offered Yaaqov their wealth, but their true motives are showing. They really want Yaaqov’s wealth. Or was this simply a bribe on Chamor's part to make the men willing? 24. So all those who went out of the gate of the city listened to Chamor and his son Sh'khem, and every male—everyone who went out through the city's gate—was circumcised. 25. But it so happened that on the third day—when they were in their greatest pain—two of Yaaqov's sons, Shim'on and Levi (Dinah's [full] brothers), each got out his sword, and came upon the city confidently, and killed every male. Confidently: raising no one's suspicions, as they were now to become relatives. Killed: not the Hebrew word for murdered. These people deserved to die for what they had done. Shim’on means “hearing very well (and supremely obedient)â€, and Levi means “joined to Meâ€. When Yaaqov did not do what was right, these two knew what had to be done to avenge their sister’s honor. 26. They even killed Chamor and Sh'khem at swordpoint. Then they took Dinah from Sh'khem's house and left. The root word of Chamor means “heapâ€, and is related to the term “chomerâ€, a measurement of which an eyfah (which symbolizes a complete congregation) is a tithe. Thus a chomer symbolizes the whole world. As the whole world, which seeks to unite but not on the basis of YHWH’s truth continues to turn against Israel, it will be the responsibility of those who truly hear YHWH and those who are attached to Him to end the reign of the “world†and its system. At swordpoint: literally, "by the mouth of the sword". It appears that Dinah had never come home, but either due to her disgrace or being held hostage, she remained in Sh'khem's household. 27. Yaaqov's sons came to strip the slain, and they plundered the city because they had defiled their sister. They: only one had, but as their prince he represented the whole community. 28. They took their flocks and herds and donkeys, and whatever was in the city, and whatever was in the field; 29. thus they seized all their wealth, took captive all their little ones and their wives, and looted all that was in the house. They did take what the men of the city had promised anyway. (v. 21) Our mission is to rescue many from teachers who have proven to have false motives, and make them part of Israel as they were meant to be. 30. But Yaaqov told Shim'on and Levi, "You have gotten me in trouble by making me odious among the inhabitants of the land—the Kanaanites and the Perizzites. I am so few in number—if they unite against me, I and my household will be annihilated!" Making me odious: or obnoxious, i.e., giving me a bad name. Note that his name Yaaqov is used again, showing that he has lapsed into thinking of things from the natural, fleshly standpoint (Everything is first person: "What will happen to ME?"), rather than a spiritual one, symbolized when his name "Israel" is used. They do not even answer this aspect of his complaint. If weknow better, we never have an obligation to compromise. There may be consequences, but there is never no way out. If he does not consider his Elohim adequate to protect him, what else can they say? 31. But they replied, "Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?" He was still seeing himself as an individual; his sons were thinking of themselves corporately, as a people. They were acting for each other. This was not a crime only against Dinah, but against all Israel. They saw this before he did. They thought more highly of her dignity than to let such a wrong go unpunished, and didn't seem to care what the consequences might be. This ended the discussion, yet Yaaqov always considered it an extreme act (49:5ff). But YHWH vouched for them being in the right by keeping others from attacking them. (35:5) Perhaps they too wished to be rid of this child-molesting people. We, too, need to rebuke those who hold back from doing what is right because it will not make us popular with others. The “Gospel†many are taught is that “Jesus†is embracing “Chamor†(the whole world). This is not wisdom (our sister, as per Prov. 7). He said He came for a select few. Old ideas and church ideals constantly want to have a say in what Israel is to turn out to be like. As wisely as serpents, we, like Yaaqov’s sons, must make war on those who have defiled Y’shua’s true wisdom. CHAPTER 35 1. Then Elohim said to Yaaqov, "Arise and go up to Beyth-El, and settle there, and make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau". YHWH tells him to elevate himself. This gave Yaaqov a more respectable reason to leave. When outward-bound, Yaaqov had set up a single "cornerstone" there for the future Temple that would be on this site, representing his own commitment to YHWH as a single man. But now he had brought back a nation. He had been "saved", but there remained a community to be built for the glory of the Name of YHWH. 2. So Yaaqov told his household and all those who were with him, "Get rid of the foreign gods which are in your midst, and purify yourselves, and change your clothing, Foreign gods: those Rachel stole from her father, and perhaps some they acquired when plundering Sh'khem--YHWH's altar was to be shared by no other. 3. "and let us arise and go up to Beyth-El, and I will make an altar there to El, the One who answered me in the day of my distress. He was also with me on the journey on which I went." With me: as my support. The day of my distress: This is a prophetic link with "the time of Yaaqov's trouble" (Yirmeyahu 30:1-7) , when both "camps" of his descendants come back into the Land and are in dire straits, yet are rescued from them. 4. So they gave all the foreign gods that were in their possession to Yaaqov; they also gave him the earrings that were in their ears, and Yaaqov buried them under the oak tree which was at Sh'khem. Earrings: used as amulets for idol-worship. Oak: or terebinth, held sacred by Kanaanite tree worshippers . Possibly it was even a pine, because it is sometimes translated the turpentine tree, and turpentine comes from the pine tree. This would possibly explain the continuing connection between the evergreen tree and idolatry, as seen at Christmas, etc. However, humans were sometimes buried under them (v. 8) and prophets were often seen sitting under them. There was a perceived connection between them and divine oracles. Why did he bury them rather than destroying them? Was he leaving himself an "out" just in case following YHWH didn't work? This "burial" uses the word for "concealed" rather than piled up in a memorial mound. Later in the valleys of Qidron and Hinnom (Ge-Henna) outside Yerushalayim, there were similar dumping-grounds for idols. 5. Then they pulled up their stakes and set off. And the terror of Elohim came upon the cities that were all around them; they did not pursue the sons of Yaaqov. None of the boys could have been much more than twelve years old, considering that Yaaqov had been gone twenty years and the first seven he worked for Lavan before being given a wife. Perhaps this is another reason his people were so feared. 6. So Yaaqov arrived at Luz (which is in the land of Kanaan), that is, Beyth-El--he and all the people with him as well. 7. And he built an altar there, and called the place El Beyth-El, because it was there that Elohim had revealed Himself to him when he had fled from his brother. El Beyth-El: "The El of the House of Elohim". Previously, when he was alone, he had set up a single stone there (28:18). Now that he is a clan and on the way to becoming a nation, he now has enough "building materials" (on which the word "stone" is based in Hebrew) to make a whole altar, showing that he is no longer a loner before Elohim. 8. Rivqah's nurse Devorah also died there, and was buried below Beyth-El, beneath the oak, so he named it "the Oak of Weeping". Below Beyth-El, beneath the oak: or "under the plateau whose edge is at Beyth-El". 9. Now Elohim had appeared to Yaaqov again when he had come out of Paddan-Aram, and blessed him. Again: for the second time in this same place. 10. And Elohim had said to him, "Your name is Yaaqov, but you shall no longer [always] be called Yaaqov; rather, Israel shall be your name." Thus He named him Israel. Wasn't he already named Israel? (32:28) The messenger had done his job. He was given a promise of being called Israel. Spiritually, he already was Israel, as for those who place their confidence in Messiah, "by one offering he has[already] forever perfected those who are [still] being made holy" (Heb. 10:14) But, as another Yaaqov ("James") says, it is because of our visible deeds that we are declared to be righteous; YHWH Himself did not call Yaaqov Israel until he had changed his walk and gotten rid of his family's idols. It was also a process to grow into the person represented by this name. 11. And Elohim said to him, "I am El Shaddai; be fruitful and multiply. A nation and an assembly of nations shall come from you, and kings shall issue from your loins, Now that he is addressed as Israel, the first command given to him is the same as the first given to Adam and Chavvah. This is the beginning of a new creation, because through this nation, mankind would be restored and the world "repaired". Her, in both mystical and literal senses, the procreative organs are associated in mystical terms with the idea of a "foundation". And Yaaqov did procreate once more shortly hereafter. The root of the name "Shaddai" may be traceable to "devastation" and "ruin". Yaaqov is warned that now that much has been given to him, much is required of him, and he must take his new role seriously or a worse prospect of judgment may await him. (Hebrews 6:4-8) Or it may be from the word for "breasts", and indeed it is linked here to nurturing children. The particular nation would then be divided into two, and because one kingdom would go astray from the covenant and be scattered among and mixed with the other nations, an eclectic company from many nations could also be attached to Yaaqov and be drawn in to share in his inheritance. "Assembly" here in the Septuagint is "synagogue" or "congregation". "Nations" could read "Gentiles". Imagine...a synagogue of Gentiles! Yet this is exactly what Ephrayim will be! 12. "and the Land which I gave to Avraham and Yitzhaq, I will give to you, and I will give the Land to your seed after you." The promise narrows further from the descendants of Avraham and Yitzhaq to Yaaqov. Now not even Edom (ancestor of many of today's Arabs, through intermarriage with Yishmael's seed) has any claim to this inheritance. To acknowledge this is the only solution for the Middle East peace crisis. But "land" can also read "earth" in Hebrew, and his special Descendant, the Messiah, will inherit that as well. 13. Then Elohim ascended from him at the place where He had spoken with him, 14. and Yaaqov set up a memorial pillar (one made of stone) where He had spoken with him, and he poured a drink offering on top of it, and anointed it with oil. Messiah is called an anointed stone, and Yaaqov "set him up": in a very real sense, his obedience made it possible for him to be born. 15. And Yaaqov called the place where Elohim had spoken with him "Beyth-El". 16. Now they pulled up from Beyth-El, and while there was still a considerable stretch of land to go before they came to Efrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had great difficulty in the delivery of her baby. There was still a stretch [or shoulder] of land to go before: or, "or, it was still the peak of the land's harvest season when". This foreshadows the Messiah's birth in Beyth-Lechem, Efrath (Micha 5:2). It is only a few miles from Jerusalem, adding credibility to the idea that this Beyth-El was the site of the Temple Mount. Efrath means "fruitfulness". The time for her fruitfulness was near, but her descendants would not become "doubly fruitful" until the sod who "adds" (Yoseyf) had a son named "doubly fruitful" (Efrayim). Great difficulty: probably precipitated by tehir having to pick up stakes and leave Sh'chem so quickly. Perhaps he blamed Shim'on and Levi for her death, as he apparently never forgave their behavior there. 17. And it came to pass that, when her labor became most difficult, the midwife told her, "Don't be afraid, because this child is also a son for you!" Don't be afraid: i.e., "Rest assured in the fact that your desire that Elohim "add another" is being fulfilled." It was a breach birth, because she could tell that he was male before he was fully born. He was born feet first, and she died in the process--a symbol of what is happening to the paganized church as her children come out of her to walk in the biblical festivals, which is what the "feet" symbolize (as in the three "pilgrim festivals", called "feet" in Hebrew). She also died because Yaaqov prophesied it due to her association with idolatry; the same must happen to the parts of the church that remain in idolatry. His antetype Y'shua also prophesied (Rev. 2-3) that those who did not overcome and come out from under the influence of the harlot or kept tolerating compromise would have their menorah removed from its place. 18. But what happened was that as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she named him Ben-Oni, but his father called him Binyamin instead. Ben-Oni: "Son of my agony/misfortune/trouble/sorrow". Binyamin: "Son of the right hand", i.e., his favorite wife Rachel, or, "Son of days" (i.e., my old age). Part of the tribe of Binyamin stayed with Yehudah, and part did not. The Temple Mount and some other parts of Yerushalayim actually belong to his tribal land. 19. And Rachel died and was buried on the way to Efrath, that is, Beyth-Lechem. The small nation of Israel was indeed on its way to fruitfulness, which is embodied in two ways by Beyth-Lechem. Israel's first truly-rightful king (that is, from the tribe of Yehudah, who was promised the throne) as well as her Messiah were both born there. Beyth-Lechem means "house of bread" (or, more anciently, simply "food"--i.e., the staple), and indeed, the Messiah called himself the "bread of life". 20. And Yaaqov set up a monument over her grave; that is the marker of Rachel's grave to this day. And thus it remains, now with a more elaborate mausoleum near the entrance to Beyth-Lechem, and it is one of the most hotly-disputed sites in the war with the Palestinians.. 21. Then Israel pulled up stakes and pitched his tent beyond the Tower of the Flocks. This tower was the boundary of a perimeter around Yerushalayim within which all lambs to be slain for Temple sacrifice (by the priests) had to be born--a major reeason it is also mentioned in Micha 4:8 in conjunction with the more precise location of "the first dominion". This could refer to the birth of David, the first king in the line promised to Yehudah (and the first king at all came from Binyamin, who was just born here, and who was Rachel's descendant); it could also refer to its being the birthplace of Messiah (the king) at his first coming. The Aramaic targum identifies it as the place where Messiah would reveal Himself at the end of days. That Yaaqov stretched his tent "beyond it" may allude to the directive given to Messiah in Yeshayahu/Isaiah 54:2, 3. In context, Micha also says "assemble the lame (which Yaaqov now is), and gather the outcasts (Leah?). 22. But this is what happened while Israel was living in that region: Reuven went and had relations with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and Israel heard [about] it. As he heard about Dinah's rape before any of his sons came home, it seems he "heard" because he was a prophet. This cost him his birthright. (49:3,4) 23. Now the sons of Yaaqov were twelve; the sons of Leah were: Reuven, Yaaqov's firstborn; then Shim'on and Levi, Yehudah, Issachar, and Zevulun; 24. The sons of Rachel: Yoseyf and Binyamin; 25. The sons of Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant: Dan and Nafthali; 26. The sons of Zilpah, Leah's maidservant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Yaaqov, who were born to him in Paddan-Aram. Binyamin was not born in Paddan-Aram, but was probably conceived there. 27. Then Yaaqov came to Yitzhaq his father at Mamre (Kiryath-Arba, which is Hevron), where Avraham and Yitzhaq had lived. 28. And the days of Yitzhaq were 180 years, 29. then Yitzhaq expired and died, and was gathered to his people, old and having fulfilled his days. And his sons Esau and Yaaqov buried him. Having fulfilled his days: i.e., he was contented. CHAPTER 36 1. Now these are the genealogies of Esau (who is [also called] Edom). We have seen that as twins, Esau depicts the evil inclination, and Yaaqov the inclination to do right. To the Rabbis, Edom is both the literal and symbolic father of Rome (v. 43). Notice in how many ways this son of Yitzhaq who marries pagan wives parallels the church. Most of us entered it for selfish reasons—so we would not perish. While this is legitimate at first, it is inadequate in the long run. Yet as Peter warned, the church has twisted Paul’s teachings to appear lawless (anti-Torah), so that those in it could continue to serve self. King Herod was half-Idumean (Edomite) and half-Jewish, and remained a paranoid fence-sitter all his life. As the quintessential politician, always one step ahead of changes in Roman powers through bribery, He greatly embellished YHWH’s Temple, but built pagan temples for his other constituency, even having pigs sacrificed for their sakes. But as we saw on the deeper-level reading of 33:16-17, Esau must repent in order for Yaaqov to journey on. I.e., those in the church who truly belong to YHWH must change their course in order for Israel (His greater wish, a unified people among whom He can make His home) to be brought to maturity. 2. Esau took his wives from the daughters of Kanaan—Adah, the daughter of Eylon the Chittite; Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Tziv'on the Chivvite; Adah means "ornament"; Eylon, "mighty oak". Whereas Yaaqov got rid of pagan ornaments under a mighty oak, Esau joined himself to them. Oholibamah means “my tent is a cultic platformâ€; i.e., she symbolizes pagan worship and knowledge. No wonder Yitzhaq and Rivqah recognized that it would be the end of the line for their family if Yaaqov also married such women, and sent him to other Semitic women, also daughteyrs of Ever, and Hebrews in that sense. (Hebrew, or Ivrit, stems from the name Ever.) Anah ("answer/poor") was a man; Rashi explains that Tziv'on adulterously cohabited with his daughter-in-law, and so was the actual father, while Anah was her assumed/legal father. Tziv'on: "colored" or "dyed". 3. he also married Bas'math the daughter of Ishmael (the sister of Nevayoth). Bas'math: "Spicy fragrance". See 26:34; 28:8. 4. And Adah bore Elifaz to Esau, and Bas'math bore Re'u-El [Raguel]. Elifaz: "My Elohim is refined gold"—another indication that Esau’s family represents the church, which became the richest organization on earth through its political intrigues and compromises; Re'u-El: "friend of Elohim". 5. And Oholibamah bore Ye'ush, Ya'alam, and Qorach: these were the sons of Esau, who were born to him in the land of Kanaan. Ye'ush: or Ye'ish, "assembler"; Ya'alam: "concealed"; Qorach: "bald". 6. Then Esau took his wives, his sons and daughters, and all the members of his household, as well as his livestock and beasts of burden, and all the property which he had acquired in the land of Kanaan, and moved from his brother Yaaqov's presence into another land— Members: literally, "souls". Moved: foreshadowing what will happen to any Edomites who survive the slaughter described in Ovadyah 18. This also pictures the church after the era of persecution, when in order to become the unifying factor of the Roman Empire, cut all its ties to Yaaqov (its Hebraic roots), even forbidding the practice of holy days YHWH had commanded. 7. for their possessions had become too abundant for them to dwell together, and the land of their sojournings could not support them because of all the livestock they had. This is a reiteration of what happened with Avraham and Lot. Sojournings: Esau did not consider the Land his own, but even Yaaqov was still only living there; it was really not his own in the fullest sense until his descendants dispossessed it; the sins of the Emorites were not yet complete. (15:16) The more we recognize that we are Israel, the less common ground we find with the “brother†entity we now realize is Edom. 8. Then Esau settled in the mountain range of Seir (Esau who is Edom, that is). Esau who is Edom: reiterated so that there is no doubt who Edom is, because this indicates that nation’s character. 9. And these were the genealogies of Esau, the father of the people of Edom on Mount Seir: 10. The names of Esau's sons were: Elifaz the son of Adah, [one] wife of Esau, [and] Re'u-El the son of Bas'math, [another] wife of Esau; 11. And the sons of Elifaz [Iyov/Job 2:11] were: Theyman [southward, on the right side, the Hebrew name for Yemen], Omar [eloquent speaker], Tzefo [spy or watchtower], Ga'tham [a burnt valley], and Qenaz [hunter]. 12. and Thimna was a concubine to Elifaz, son of Esau, and she bore to him Amaleq; these were the descendants of Esau's wife Adah. Descendants: grandsons. Though Thimna ["restrained"] was from a royal family (v. 22), she preferred to become even a concubine to a descendant of Avraham. Yet her mother was a Chorite, whose land Edom had seized. Amaleq ["valley-dweller"] was to become Israel's--and Elohim's--arch-enemy; Ex. 17:16. Again, the theme plays out that his mother is not a wife in the full sense of the word, but more of a slave-woman. True to this scenario, Amaleq attacked the weak, sickly, and slack. Failure to destroy this nation spelled the demise of King Sha’ul’s reign. It survived to produce Haman. As a strong parallel, Hitler’s birthplace was in the Roman Church. We need to look for the final attack of Amaleq to come not so much from a government as from the church. 13. And the sons of Re'u-El were: Nahath [quiet rest], Zerach [rising], Shammah [astonishment, horror], and Mizzah [fainting from fear]. These were the descendants of Esau's wife Bas'math. 14. And these were the descendants of Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Tziv'on—Esau's wife: she bore Ye'ush, Ya'lam, and Qorach. 15. These were the chiefs of the descendants of Esau: Chiefs: chieftains, patriarchs, uncrowned heads among them. Of the sons of Elifaz, Esau's firstborn: Chief Theyman, Chief Omar, Chief Kenaz, 16. Chief Qorach, Chief Ga'tam, and Chief Amaleq. These were the chiefs of Elifaz in the land of Edom; these were the descendants of Esau's wife Adah. 17. And these were the sons of Re'u-El, Esau's son: Chief Nahath, Chief Zerah, Chief Shammah, and Chief Mizzah. These were the chiefs of Re'u-El in the land of Edom; these were the descendants of Bas'math, Esau's wife. 18. And the sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah: Chief Ye'ush, Chief Yalam, and Chief Qorach. These were the chiefs of Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah—Esau's wife. 19. These were the descendants of Esau (who is Edom), and these were their chiefs. “Esau, who is Edom" is repeated three times. It is important to know whom we are up against. 20. These [next] were the sons of Seir the Chorite, who lived in the same land: Lotan [covering], Shoval [flowing (skirt)], Tziv'on [dyed with color], Anah [response], 21. Dishon [thresher], Etzer [stored-up treasure], and Diyshan [antelope or mountain goat]; these were the chiefs of the Chorites—the sons of Seir—in the land of Edom. Chorite: from Mt. Chor, near Petra. Literally a "cave dweller". Same land: Edom, where Esau also settled. 22. And the sons of Lotan were: Chori [my cave] and Heymam [exterminating, confusion], and Lotan's sister was Thimna. 23. And these were Shoval's sons: Alwan [tall], Manachath [rest], Eyval [bare stone mountain], Sh'fo [bold or wind-swept], and Ownam [strong, vigorous]. 24. And these were the sons of Tziv'on: Ayah and Anah. (He is the Anah who found the hot springs in the desert while he was feeding the donkeys for his father Tziv'on.) Found the hot springs...donkeys: or, who discovered how to breed mules. 25. And these were the sons of Anah: Dishon, and Oholibamah was the daughter of Anah. [Be'eri, 26:34] 26. And these were the sons of Dishon: Chemdan [desire, delight], Eshban [fire of discernment], Yithran [having an advantage] and Kh'ran [lyre]. 27. These were the sons of Etzer: Bilhan [their troubling], Zaavan [quaking from terror], and Aqan [sharp-sighted]. 28. These were the sons of Diyshan: Uwtz [wooded or counselor] and Aran [overcome with joy]. 29. These were the chiefs of the Chorites: Chief Lotan, Chief Shoval, Chief Tziv'on, Chief Anah, 30. Chief Dishon, Chief Etzer, and Chief Diyshan. These were the chieftains of the Chorites, chief by chief, in the land of Seir. 31. And these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before there was any king reigning over the children of Israel: 32. Bela the son of Be'or reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Dinhavah. Bela means "devouring". The prophet Bilaam, who knew for whom he worked, but used his influence against Israel, was also a son of Be'or. Dinhavah means "Give judgment!" 33. When Bela died, Yovav the son of Zerah from Botzrah reigned in his place. Botzrah, an Edomite city southeast of the Dead Sea, will figure prominently in the Messiah's return with power and glory: Yeshayahu/Isaiah 34:6; 63:1; Yirmiyahu/Jeremiah 48:24; 49:13; Amos 1:12. 34. When Yovav died, Chusham from the land of the Theymanites reigned in his place. Yovav: could possibly be translated "Father Iyov (Job)". Chusham means "haste". 35. When Chusham died, Hadad the son of B'dad, who struck down Midyan in the fields of Moav, reigned in his place, and the name of his city was Aviyth. Hadad means "mighty"; B'dad, "solitary" or "isolated". Aviyth means "distorted ruins". 36. When Hadad died, Samlah from Masreqah reigned in his place. Samlah means "outer garment"; Masreqah, "vineyard of noble vines". 37. When Samlah died, Sha'ul from Rechovoth on the [Euphrates] River reigned in his place. So there was a King Sha'ul before Israel's. His name means "asked for". Rechovoth means "wide open spaces". 38. When Sha'ul died, Ba'al-Chanan the son of Akhbor reigned in his place. Ba'al-Chanan: "Ba'al (the lord) showed favor"; this is the first mention of the Ba’als in Scripture. Akhbor: "mouse". 39. When Ba'al-Chanan the son of Akhbor died, Hadar reigned in his place, and the name of his city was Pa'u; his wife's name was Mehetavel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mey-Zahav Pa'u means "crying out"; Mehetavel: "pleasing to El"; Matred: "pushing forward" or "chasing"; Mey-Zahav: waters of gold, or "the goldsmith". 40. So these are the names of the chiefs of those who came from Esau, according to their families and regions, by name: Chief Thimna [restrained], Chief Alvah [injustice], Chief Yetheth [nail], 41. Chief Oholibamah [my tent is a cultic platform], Chief Elah [an oak], Chief Piynon [darkness], 42. Chief Q'naz [hunter], Chief Teyman [south], Chief Mivtzar [fortified], 43. Chief Magdi-El [El is my excellence], and Chief Iyram [urbane]. These were the chiefs of Edom (that is Esau, the father of the Edomites), according to their settlements, in the land of their possession. This fourth time, Esau is called the father (the builder of the house) of the Edomites. Like these very opposite twins, two “men†are being built, one a Body of whom Messiah is the head, and another pseudo-unified entity of whom Babylon is the head. The Messiah spoke of two houses being built, one on a solid foundation and th eother on mere sand. Magdi-El is the traditional ancestor of the Romans, leaving no doubt as to which house Esau was building. |
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