Most commentators believe that the authorship of Genesis began some time during the ninth century BCE, with several authors following until about the time of the Exile (6th century BCE).
Instead of proposing a JEDP-R theory (Yahwist, Elohist, Deuteronomist, Priestly, and Redactor OR Judean, etc.), I shall declare that most of Genesis 1-11 is a literary unit, although its text was marked by several additions and at least one omission. The first author was familiar with early Mesopotamia, including certain cities that were prominent then but not later. Although Egypt was known to the first author, he mentioned few Egyptian cognate names, ignored any place names, and instead merely listed the nations of peoples that also descended from Mizraim (ch. 10). A genealogical record, written on stone tablets, was probably used as a source for the lineages given herein.
With this rendering, I am willing to contend that while the oral tradition clearly goes back further, the first author of what we now know as the early sections of Genesis lived during the time of Abraham, c. 2000 - 1900 BCE and probably dwelt in Mesopotamia. That first author may have been a close associate of Abraham. The events of chapter 14 appear to have been recent enough that the reader was supposed to recognize the king and the locations given. With a succeeding generation adding more stories of Abraham's descendants, the first form of the book was probably finished before 1750 BCE. Genesis then serves as a history of the ancestry of humanity, and most particularly deals with the family of Abraham, through the life of Yosef.
A few additions, made in the same literary tradition,
occurred somewhat later, probably during the time of Moses (c. 1550 BCE) and
possibly by Moses himself. These tended
to point out small details that would have been useful to the later reader
(such as the current names of tribes or their locations).
The second creation story, with different
priorities, may have emerged at that time.
Shortly thereafter, chapter 9 may have been rewritten, with one omission
and a short addition that predicts and justifies the taking of the land from
the Kana'anites (Fulistines).
Sometime after the death of Moses, possibly during the time of the judges or during the monarchy, the work was gathered into what was almost its final form. Sections were added that bore on later generations, including mention of Noach taking different numbers of "clean animals"into the chest (ark) with him. This may have been the time when the rest of the Torah and the story of Yoshua were written, collecting previous information that had been carried around by the formerly wandering Israelites through the desert. Collecting this document into a final form was probably important during the reign of David and for the priests under Solomon.
By the time of the divided kingdoms, the writings were so ancient that they had basically been forgotten. During the time of Yosiah (7th century BCE), the documents of the earlier era had been buried for so long that they had completely been neglected and indeed forgotten. Quite possibly, the reforms of Yosiah brought the documents back into focus, allowing the Torah to be smoothed over into its final form. For the faithful, the Exile caused the Torah to achieve a level of utmost importance, and from that point on – at least – it has been regarded with the same level of reverence it receives today.
The first chapters, addressing the time before Abraham, read far more realistically than does the Babylonian account of related events. Instead of legendary figures consulting with gods, the patriarchs here are all human. The fabled epic of Gilgamesh circulated orally as a legend from about 2500 BCE and may have been written in its first complete form during the 18th century BCE, in direct competition with this version. Apparently, as time passed the more historical of the two accounts – this one – became the dominant form of the story. Aside from a few drawings and what may be citations, the Gilgamesh Epic exists only on a set of twelve tablets from Ashur-bani-pal's 7th century (BCE) library.
In the beginning, God made the sky and the land.
Now the land was unsightly and unfurnished, and darkness was over the depths of space, and God’s spirit moved over the fluid.
3 And God said, "Let there be light," and light happened.
And God saw the light, that it was nice.
And God divided between the light and the darkness.
And God called the light "day," and he called the darkness "night."
And evening happened, and morning happened: a first day.
6 And God said, "Let there be a solid place in the middle of the fluid, and let it be a division between fluid and fluid," and it happened that way.
And God made the solid place, and God divided between the fluid that was under the solid place and the fluid that was above the solid place.
And God called the solid place "sky."
And God saw that it was nice.
And evening happened, and morning happened: a second day.
9 And God said, "Let the fluid that is under the sky be collected into one gathering, and let dry ground appear," and it happened that way.
And the fluid that was under the sky was collected into its gatherings, and the dry ground appeared.
And God called the dry ground "land," and he called the systems of waters "seas."
And God saw that it was nice.
And God said, Let the land produce the herb of the field (which sows seed according to its kind and according to its likeness) and the fruit tree (which makes fruit whose seeds are inside it, according to its kind on the land)," and it happened that way.
And the land brought forth the herb of the field (which sows seed according to its kind and according to its likeness) and the fruit tree (which makes fruit whose seeds are inside it, according to its kind on the land).
And God saw that it was nice.
And evening happened, and morning happened: a third day.
14 And God said, "Let there be luminaries in the solid place called the sky to shine on the land, and to divide between day and night. And let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years. And let them exist to shine in the solid place called the sky, so as to shine on the land," and it happened that way.
And God made the two great luminaries – the greater luminary to rule the day, and the lesser luminary to rule the night. God also made the stars. And God placed them in the solid place called the sky, so as to shine on the land, and to rule the day and night, and to divide between the light and the darkness.
And God saw that it was nice.
And evening happened, and morning happened: a fourth day.
20 And God said, "Let the waters bring forth living amphibian animals and winged creatures that fly over the land within the solid place called the sky," and it happened that way.
And God made great fish, and every living amphibian animal, which the waters brought forth according to their kinds, and every creature that flies with wings according to its kind.
And God saw that they were nice.
And God blessed them, saying, "Increase and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the flying creatures be multiplied on the land."
And evening happened, and morning happened: a fifth day.
24 And God said, "Let the land bring forth the living animal according to its kind: quadrupeds, and crawling things, and wild animals of the land according to their kinds," and it happened that way.
And God made the wild animals of the land according to their kind, and the herd animals according to their kind, and all the land’s crawling things according to their kind.
And God saw that they were nice.
26 And God said, "I will make humanity according to my image, and according to my likeness. And let them have rulership over the fish of the sea, and over the flying creatures of the sky, and over the herd animals and all the land, and over the crawling things that crawl on the land."
And God made humanity. According to God’s image he made it; male and female he made them. And God blessed them, saying, "Increase and multiply, and fill the land, and subdue it, and have rulership over the fish of the seas, and over the flying creatures of the sky, and over all the herd animals and the land, and over all the crawling things that crawl on the land."
And God said, "Look, I have given you every seed-bearing herb (that sows seed which falls on the land), and every tree (which has inside its fruit the seed that is sown). It will be food for you, and for all the wild animals of the land, and for all the flying creatures of the sky, and for every crawling thing that crawls on the land – whatever has a living being in itself. I have also given every green plant for food," and it happened that way.
And God saw the things that he had made, and look, they were very nice.
And evening happened, and morning happened: a sixth day.
2:1 And the sky and the land were finished, and all the universe of them.
And on the sixth day God finished the deeds that he was doing, and he stopped on the seventh day from all the deeds that he was doing.
And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because during it he stopped all his deeds that he had set out to do.
4 This is the scroll of lineage of the sky and the land, when they happened.
It was the day when Yahweh God made the sky and the land, and it was before any herb of the field happened on the land. For God had not made it rain on the land, and no human being existed to work it. But a fountain rose up from the ground and watered all the face of the land.
7 And God formed the human being out of dust from the ground and breathed into his face the breath of life. And it happened that the human being was a living being. And God planted a garden in Edem, in the East, and there he placed the human being whom he had formed. And God brought forth on the land every type of tree that was beautiful to look at and nice for food, and he brought forth the tree of life in the middle of the garden, and he brought forth the tree of learning knowledge of good from evil.
Now a river goes out from Edem to water the garden. From there it separates into four sources. The name of the first is Fison, the one that encircles all the land of Euilat, where there is gold. Now the gold of that land is nice, and also there are ruby and emerald stone. And the name of the second river is Gaion. This is the one that encircles all the land of Kish. And the third river is Tigris. This is the one that flows over to the Assurians. Now the fourth river is Eufrates.
16 And Yahweh God took the human being whom he had formed, and he set him in the delightful garden, to work it and to guard it. And Yahweh God instructed Adam, saying, "You all may eat freely from any tree in the garden, but you will not eat from the tree of knowing good from evil. Now in whatever day you eat from it, you will die a death."
18 And Yahweh God said, "It is not a nice thing for the human being to be alone. I will make him a partner of his own kind. And God formed from the ground, still, all of the wild animals of the field, and all of the birds of the sky, and he led them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living being, this was its name. And Adam called the names of all the herd animals, and of all the birds of the sky, and of all the wild animals of the field. But Adam did not find a partner like himself.
21 And God brought a trance to Adam, and he slept, and God took one of his side pieces and refilled his flesh for him. And God constructed the side that he had taken from Adam into a woman, and he led her to Adam. And Adam said, "This now is a bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh. She will be called woman because she was taken out of a man." (And so this: a person leaves his father and mother, and he joins himself to his wife, and the two will be one flesh.) And the two were naked, both Adam and his wife, and they were not ashamed.
3:2 Now the serpent was craftier than any other field animal that Yahweh God had made. And it said to the woman, "So, did God say, 'You will not eat from any tree of the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, but God said, 'You will not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, neither will you touch it; otherwise you will die.'" And the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die a death. For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods, knowing good from evil."
7And when the woman saw that the tree was nice for food, and that it was
a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to think about, she took
from its fruit and ate. And she also gave some to her husband who was with her,
and they ate. And the eyes of both were opened, and they realized they were
naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin cloths to
wrap around them.
And they heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden in the afternoon
breeze, and both Adam and his wife hid themselves from Yahweh God's presence
among the trees of the garden. And Yahweh God called to the man, saying to him,
"Adam, where are you?" And he said, "I heard the sound of you
walking in the garden, and I was afraid because I am naked. And I hid
myself."
And God said, "Who told you that you are naked, unless you ate from the
tree, the only one from which I instructed you not to eat?" And Adam said,
"The woman that you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree,
and I ate it." Then Yahweh God
said to the woman, "Why did you do this?" And the woman said,
"The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
21 And Adam called his wife's name Life, because she was the mother of all the living. And Yahweh God made garments for Adam and his wife out of skins, and he clothed them. And Yahweh God said, "Look, the man has become like one of us, knowing good from evil. And now, so that he will not stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live into the next age."
=And
it happened that Abel was a shepherd of sheep, while Kain was a worker of the
ground. And after some days it happened
that Kain brought a sacrifice to Yahweh from the fruit of the ground, and Abel
also brought him from the firstborn of his sheep and from the healthiest.
And God looked on Abel favorably, and on his
gifts, but he did not look favorably on Kain or on his sacrifices.
And Kain was very sorrowful, and his face was
crestfallen.
And Yahweh God said to Kain, "Why are you very sorrowful, and why is your face crestfallen? If you brought it rightly but you did not rightly divide it, haven’t you sinned? Be in quietness. He looks up to you, and you are his ruler."
And Kain said to Abel his brother, "Let’s go out into the plain." And it happened that while they were in the plain, Kain rose up against his brother, Abel, and he killed him. And Yahweh God said to Kain, "Where is your brother, Abel?" And he said, "I don’t know. I am not my brother’s guardian."
And Yahweh said, "What have you done? The sound of your brother’s blood is calling out to me from the ground. And now I am cursing you from that ground that has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hands. When you work the ground, also it will not continue to give its strength to you, as you groan and tremble over the ground."
And Kain to Yahweh God, "My crime is too great for me to be forgiven! If you throw me out today from the presence of the land, and if I am hidden from your presence, then I will be groaning and trembling on the land, and it will be that the one who finds me will kill me."
And Yahweh God said, "Not so. Anyone who kills Kain will pay seven penalties." And Yahweh God placed a sign for Kain, so that no one who found him would kill him.
Now Kain went out from God’s presence, and he dwelt in the land of Naid, opposite Edem. And Kain slept with his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Henoch. And he constructed a city, which city he named after the name of his son, Henoch. Now to Henoch was born Ga’idad, and Ga’idad fathered Malele-El, and Malale-El fathered Methuselah, and Methuselah fathered Lamech.
And Lamech took two wives for himself: the name of the first was Adah, and the name of the second was Zellah. And Ada gave birth to Yob-El. This one was the ancestor of those who dwell in tents and feed herd animals. And his brother’s name was Yubal. He was the one who popularized the psaltery and harp. Now also, Zellah herself gave birth to Tobel. And he was a smith, a forger of brass and iron. Now Tobel’s sister was Na’amah.
23 Now Lamech said to his wives, Adah and Zellah, "Listen to my voice, wives of Lamech. Pay attention to my statements, because I have killed a man (to my wounding); that is, a young man (to my pain). Because revenge was carried out on Kain’s behalf seven times, on Lamech’s behalf it will be seventy times seven."
26 Now Adam slept with Eva his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. And she called his name Sheth, saying, "For God has raised up for me another seed, in the place of Abel, whom Kain killed." And it happened that a son was born to Sheth. Now he called his name Enosh. That one had enough hope to call on Yahweh God’s name.
5:1 This is the scroll of human lineage. In the day when God made Adam, he made him according to God’s image. Male and female he made them, and he blessed them. And he named him with the name "Adam" during the day when he made them.
Now Adam lived for two hundred thirty years, and he fathered someone according to his likeness and according to his image, and he called his name Sheth. Now it happened that those days of Adam that he lived after fathering Sheth were seven hundred years, and he fathered sons and daughters. And it happened that all of Adam’s days that he lived were nine hundred thirty years. And he died.
6 Now Sheth lived for two hundred five years, and he fathered Enosh. And after his fathering of Enosh, Sheth lived for seven hundred seven years, and he fathered sons and daughters. And it happened that all of Sheth’s days were nine hundred twelve years. And he died.
And Enosh lived for one hundred ninety years, and he fathered Kainan. And after his fathering of Kainan, Enosh lived for seven hundred fifteen years, and he fathered sons and daughters. And it happened that all of Enosh’s days were nine hundred five years. And he died.
And Kainan lived for one hundred seventy years, and he fathered Malele-El. And after his fathering of Malele-El, Kainan lived for seven hundred forty years, and he fathered sons and daughters. And it happened that all of Kainan’s days were nine hundred ten years. And he died.
And Malele-El lived for one hundred sixty-five years, and he fathered Yared. And after his fathering of Yared, Malele-El lived for seven hundred thirty years, and he fathered sons and daughters. And it happened that all of Malele-El’s days were eight hundred ninety-five years. And he died.
And Yared lived for one hundred sixty-two years, and he fathered Henoch. And after his fathering of Henoch, Yared lived for eight hundred years, and he fathered sons and daughters. And it happened that all of Yared’s days were nine hundred sixty-two years. And he died.
And Henoch lived for one hundred sixty-five years, and he fathered Methuselah. Now Henoch was a delight to God after his fathering of Methuselah for two hundred years, and he fathered sons and daughters. And it happened that all of Yared’s days were three hundred sixty-five years. And since Henoch was a delight to God, also he was not found, because God took him away.
And Methuselah lived for one hundred sixty-seven years, and he fathered Lamech. And after his fathering of Lamech, Methuselah lived for eight hundred two years, and he fathered sons and daughters. And it happened that all of the days that Methuselah lived were nine hundred sixty-nine years. And he died.
And Lamech lived for one hundred eighty-eight years, and he fathered a son. And he named his name Noach, saying, "This one will have us rest from our deeds, and from the labor of our hands, and from the ground that Yahweh God cursed." And after his fathering of Noach, Lamech lived for five hundred sixty-five years, and he fathered sons and daughters. And it happened that all of Lamech’s days were seven hundred fifty-three years. And he died.
And by the time Noach was five hundred years old, he had fathered three sons: Shem; Kham; and Yafeth.
6:2 And when the people became many on the land, and daughters were being born to them, the following happened. Now God’s sons were noticing the human daughters because they were beautiful. They took women for themselves, all that they chose. And Yahweh God said, "By no means will my breath remain among these people for the age, since they are flesh, but their days will be one hundred twenty years."
Now the titans were on the land during those days – and after that – when God's sons had intercourse with human daughters, and they gave birth for them. These children were the titans of the age – the people of renown.
6 Now when Yahweh God noticed that the bad deeds of human beings were being multiplied on the land, and that each one in his heart was considering evil every day, then also God was deeply emotional because he had made humanity on the land, and he considered it. And God said, "I will blot out humanity, which I made, from the face of the land: from people to herd animals, and from crawling things to the birds of the sky – because I have become deeply emotional because I made them." But Noach found favor in the presence of Yahweh God.
10 Now these are the generations of Noach. Noach was a just person who was complete among those of his generation. Noach was well-pleasing to God.
Now Noach fathered three sons: Shem; Kham; Yafeth. Now the land was corrupt in God’s presence, and the land was filled with wrong. And Yahweh God saw the land, and it was totally corrupt, because all flesh had totally corrupted its way on the land. And Yahweh God told Noach, "All humanity’s season has come before me, because the land has been filled with wrong from them. And look, I am destroying them and the land.
"Therefore, make for yourself a chest out of rectangular wood. You will make the chest in living quarters, and you will use pitch on the interior and exterior. And you will make the chest as follows: three hundred pecus for the chest’s length; and fifty pecus for its width; and thirty pecus for its height. As you collect wood, make the chest, and complete it from above in one additional pecu. Now make the door of the chest exit from the side. Make it with a second tier and a third tier.
"Now look, I am bringing a flood of water upon the land to destroy all flesh under the sky in which there is the breath of life. And whatever things there are on the land will die. And I will set up my covenant with you. Now you -- and your sons, and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you -- will enter the chest. And from all the herd animals, and from all the crawling things, and from all the wild animals, and all flesh you will lead into the chest in pairs, so that you may feed them along with yourself; they will be male and female. From all of the winged birds (according to species), and from all the herd animals (according to species), and from all of the crawling things that crawl along the ground (according to their species), a pair from each of them will enter toward you to be fed along with you – male and female. Now you will take for yourself from all of the foodstuffs that you consume, and you will gather them to yourself, and it will be for you and for them to eat." And Noach did all of the things that Yahweh God had instructed him; he did it that way.
7:1 And Yahweh God said to Noach, "You and your household enter the chest, because in this generation I have seen you justified in my presence. For in only seven days I am bringing rain upon the land, for forty days and forty nights, and I will blot out each one of the offspring (which I made) from the presence of all the land."
And Noach did all of whatever things Yahweh God had instructed him. Now Noach was six hundred years old, and the flood of water happened to the land. Now Noach, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, entered the chest on account of the flood water.
And after the seven days, it happened; that is, the flood water happened to the land. During the six hundredth year of Noach’s life, during the second month, on the twenty-seventh of the month, on that day all the fountains of the deep waters were dispersed, and the cataracts of the sky were opened. And rain happened to the land for forty days and forty nights. On that day, Noach – Shem, Kham, Yafeth (Noach’s sons), and Noach’s wife and the three wives of his sons, entered with him into the chest. And all of the wild animals according to species, and all of the herd animals according to species, and all of the crawling things according to species, and every flying bird according to species, entered into the chest to Noach in pairs, male and female – from all flesh in which there is the breath of life. And those who entered were going in male and female, of all flesh, just as God had instructed Noach. And Yahweh God closed the chest from outside of him.
17 And the flood happened to the land for forty days and forty nights, and water was overwhelming, and it lifted the chest. And it was lifted high above the land. And the water was in control and was greatly overwhelming on the land, and the chest was carried on top of the water. Now the water was greatly in control over the land, and it covered all of the rocks, the high ones. And all flesh that moved on the land died: flying things; and herd animals; and wild animals; and every crawling thing that moved across the land; and every human being. And all of the things that had the breath of life; that is, everything on dry land, died. And he blotted out all of the offspring that was on the face of the land, from people to herd animals, and crawling things, and the birds of the sky, and they were blotted out from the land, and Noach and those who were with him in the chest remained alone. And the water was elevated over the land for one hundred fifty days.
8:1 And God remembered Noach, and all of the wild animals, and all of the herd animals, and all of the birds, and all of the crawling things that crawl – as many as were with him in the chest. And God brought a wind over the land, and the water stopped rising. And the fountains of the deep waters were closed, and the sky’s flood gates were closed, and the rain from the sky was held back. And the water subsided and went away from the land. And after the one hundred fifty days the water level receded, and on the twenty-seventh day of the seventh month, the chest came to rest on the mountains of Ararat [holy ground]. Now the water was receding until the tenth month, and during the tenth month – on the first day of the month – the heads of the mountains were seen.
And after forty days, it happened that Noach opened the window of the chest that he had made, and he sent a raven out [to see whether the water was gone]. And it went out and did not return until the water had dried off of the land.
And then he sent out a dove after it to see if the water had left the land. And after it did not find a place of rest for its feet, the dove returned to him in the chest, because water was on all the surface of the land. And he stretched out his hand and took her, and he led her into the chest with him. And after waiting for still seven other days, he sent the dove out again, and it did not proceed to return to him anymore.
13 And it happened that during the six hundred first year of Noach’s life, on the first day of the first month, the water had left the land. And Noach opened up the canopy of the chest that he had made, and he saw that the water had left the surface of the land.
Now during the second month, on the twenty-seventh of the month, the land was dry. And Yahweh God spoke to Noach, saying, "Exit the chest: you, and your wife, and your sons, and your sons wives with you. And all of the wild animals (as many as are with you), and all flesh – from birds to herd animals, and every crawling thing that crawls on the ground, lead them out with you. And increase, and multiply on the land." And all of the wild animals, and all of the herd animals, and every bird, and every crawling thing that crawls on the ground (according to their kind), they went out of the chest.
20 And Noach constructed an altar to Yahweh, and he offered a burnt offering on the altar, and Yahweh God smelled a sweet odor. And Yahweh God thought about this, and he said, "I will no longer let the ground be cursed on account of humans’ deeds, because the human mind leans strongly toward evil things from his youth. Therefore, I will no longer cause striking to all living flesh, just as I have done. All of the days of the land – sowing and harvest, cold and warm, summer and spring, day and night – will not cease."
And God blessed Noach and his sons, and he said to them, "Increase, and multiply, and fill the land, and be its lords. And the trembling and fear of you will be in all the wild animals of the land, in all the birds of the sky, and in all the things that crawl on the land, and in all the fishes in the sea. I have given them under your hands. And everything that crawls – whatever is living – will be yours for food; I have given all things to you like the herbs of the field. Except that you will not eat meat with the blood of life in it. For also, I will seek out your necessary blood at the hands of the wild animals, and I will seek out the life of a human being at the hands of a human brother. The one who draws human blood, his own will be shed instead of that blood, because I made humanity in God’s image. Now increase, and multiply, and fill the land, and be its lords."
And God spoke to Noach and his sons who were with him, saying, "Now look, I am raising up my covenant with you and with your descendants after you, and with every living being after you (from birds, and from herd animals, to all of the wild animals of the land – as many kinds as are with you; all of those that exited the chest). And I am establishing my covenant with you, that not all flesh will die from flood water, and there will no longer be a flood of water to wipe out the whole land." And Yahweh God said to Noach, "This is the sign of the covenant that I am giving between myself and you all, and between myself and every living being that is with you – for ageless generations. I am placing my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be for a sign of the covenant between myself and the land. And when I am gathering clouds on the land, it will be that the rainbow is seen in the cloud. And I will remember my covenant – which is between myself and you, and between myself and every living being in all flesh – and there will no longer be water for a flood to blot out all flesh. But my rainbow will be in the cloud, and I will look at it to remember an eternal covenant between myself and the land – between myself and every living being in all flesh that is on the land." And God said to Noach, "This is the sign of the covenant that I have set up between myself and all flesh that is on the land."
18 Now the sons of Noach who exited the chest were Shem, Kham, and Yafeth. Now Kham was the father of Kana’an. These three are Noach’s sons, and from these people were scattered over all the land.
And Noach to become a man who tilled the ground, and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank from the wine and became drunk, and he was naked in his house. [[At this point, a portion of the text appears to be missing.]]
And Kana’an’s father, Kham, noticed his father’s genitals, and he went out and told his brothers who were outside. And Shem and Yafeth took a garment, placed it on their two backs, and they went in backwards, and together they covered their father’s genitals. And they were facing backwards, so that they did not see their father’s genitals. Now Noach recovered from the wine, and it was made known what his youngest descendant had done to him. And he said, "The boy Kana’an is cursed. He will be a house-servant to his brothers."
28 Now after the flood, Noach lived for three hundred fifty years. And it happened that all the days of Noach were nine hundred fifty years. And he died.
Now these are the generations of Noach’s sons, Shem, Kham, Yafeth; sons were born to them after the flood.
The sons of Yafeth were Gimir, and Magog, and Medoi, and Yawan, and Alashiah, and Thabel, and Musochi, and Theiras.
And Gimir’s sons were Ashkenuz, and Rhifath, and Thogarama. And Yawan’s sons were Alisha, and Tharseis, Kiti, and Rhodians. [From these people, the islands of the nations were divided in their lands, each according to the languages of their tribes and their nations.]
The sons of Kham were Kish, and Mizraim, Pount, and Kana’an.
Now Kish’s sons were Shaba, and Euila, and Shabawat, and Rhegma, and Sabathaka. And the sons of Rhegma were Sabah and Dadan.
And Kish fathered Nin-Maradda; this one began to be a giant on the land. This one was a giant hunter in Yahweh God’s presence; on account of this, they say, "he’s a giant hunter in Yahweh’s presence like Nin-Maradda." And it happened that he began his kingdom at Bab-ilu and Uruk, and Akkad, and Khalanne, in the land of Sumer. From that land came Assur, who constructed Nineveh (also called the city of wide streets) and Kalhu, and Dasa (between Nineveh and Kalhu, this city is great).
And Mizraim was the ancestor of the Ludians, the Naputians, the Anamiteians, and the Labites, and the Pathrosites, and the Khasmonians, and the ones from whom came the Fulistines – the Kaftorians.
And Kana’an fathered Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth. He was an ancestor also of the Yebusites, and the Amorites, and the Gergeshites, and the Euites, and the Arukites, and the Asennites, and the Arabian, and the Samarian, and the Amathian. And after this, the tribes of the Kana’anites were dispersed, and it happened that the Kana’anite boundaries were from Sidon until one comes to Gerara and Gaza, until one comes to Sodom and Gomorrah, Adama and Seboim, as far as Dasa.
These were Kham’s sons in their tribes, according to their languages, and in their nations.
And also children were born to Shem himself, the ancestor of all the descendants of Heber, brother to Yafeth the older. The sons of Shem were: Elam, and Assur, and Arfach-shad, and Lud, and Aram, and Kana’an.
And the sons of Aram were Uz, and Ul, and Gater, and Mosoch.
And Arfach-shad fathered Kainan, and Kainan fathered Shelah. Now Shelah fathered Heber. And Heber fathered two sons. The name of one was Peleg because during his days the land was divided, and his brother’s name was Yektan.
And Yektan fathered Elmodad, and Saleth, and Sarmoth, and Yarach, and Odorra, and Aibel, and Dekla, and Eual, and Abima-El, and Saba, and Ufer, and Eue’ila, and Yobab. All of these were sons of Yektan.
And it happened that their domain was from Masseh until one comes to Safira, a mountain in the east. These were Shem’s sons in their tribes, according to their languages, and in their nations.
These were the tribes of Noach’s sons, according to their languages, according to their nations. From these people the islands of the nations were scattered over the land after the flood.
And all of the land was one in speech, and there was one language for all. And as they moved from the east, it happened that they found a plain in the land of Sumer, and they stayed there. And people said to their neighbors, "Hey, let’s form bricks and bake them with fire." And it happened that the brick was used for stone, and their mortar was bitumen. And they said, "Hey, let’s construct for ourselves a city, and a ziqquratu the head of which will be in the sky. And let’s make a name for ourselves before we are scattered across the face of all the land."
And Yahweh came down to see the city and the ziqquratu that the mortals had constructed. And Yahweh said, "Look at the one race and the one speech for all of them. They have begun to do this, and now in all that they have tried to do nothing will fail them. Hey, I will go down there and confuse their language, so that each one will not hear the voice of his neighbor."
And Yahweh scattered them from there across the face of all the land, and they stopped constructing the city and the ziqquratu. On account of this, its name is Confusion, because that is where Yahweh confused the speech of all the land, and from there Yahweh scattered them across the face of all the land.
© 2003 Frank DanielsClick here to return to the Religious Concepts page.