How To Read & Profit from Genealogies - Myths & Genealogies (Part 5)

HOW TO READ AND PROFIT FROM GENEALOGIES REVISION HOW DO WE USUALLY RESPOND WHEN WE ENCOUNTER A GENEALOGY IN SCRIPTURE? ‣ disappointment ‣ boredom ‣ bewilderment ‣ avoidance ‣ resignation GOD SAYS THAT GENEALOGIES ARE PROFITABLE 2 Timothy 3:16–17 (ESV) fi All Scripture is breathed out by God and pro table for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. Genealogies Are Like Bridges. Genealogies Are Like Bridges that connect . . . the reader to the historicity of the Bible the original audience to their own history the persons listed to their family trees certain family trees to God’s promises certain family trees to speci c consequences the original audience to God’s purpose(s) for them at that stage of human and redemptive history the current readers to the message of that book of the Bible fi the reader to God’s character 1 CHRONICLES 1-9 & THE CHESAPEAKE BAY BRIDGE-TUNNEL THE CHESAPEAKE BAY BRIDGE-TUNNEL 28.3 km (17.6 miles) long HOW DO I PROFIT FROM GENEALOGIES? 1. Stop reading genealogies like other genres of scripture. Genealogies are not . . . stories/narratives arguments poetry prophecies coded messages What is the “coded message” view of genealogies called? imaginative interpretation mathematical rabbit trails linguistic straws Mathematical rabbit trails Chuck Missler’s book The Creation Beyond Space and Time drawing on Ivan Panin From Matthew’s genealogy The number of words which are nouns is exactly 56, or 7 x 8. The Greek word "the" occurs most frequently in the passage: exactly 56 times, or 7 x 8. Also, the number of different forms in which the article "the" occurs is exactly 7. There are two main sections in the passage: verse 1-11 and 12-17. In the first main section, the number of Greek vocabulary words used is 49, or 7 x 7. From Matthew’s genealogy Three women are mentioned-Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth. The number of Greek letters in these three names is 14, or 7 x 2. The number of compound nouns is 7. The number of Greek letters in these 7 nouns is 49, or 7 x 7. Only one city is named in this passage, Babylon, which in Greek contains exactly 7 letters. Is the point of Matthew’s genealogy that God is a clever writer who can embed a heptadic structure in a list of ancient names? No! What is the point of Matthew’s genealogy in Matthew 1:1-17? Open to Matthew 1 What is the point of any genealogy in the Bible? Every genealogy in the Bible points to something (e.g., a truth, a promise, a doctrine) or someone (e.g. a human or a divine person) that comes either before or after the genealogy What is the point of Matthew’s genealogy in Matthew 1:1-17? Matthew 1:1, 17-18 (ESV) The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 17So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. 18Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. The point of Matthew’s genealogy in Matthew 1:1-17 is to show that the baby born in Matthew 1:18-25 is the biological descendant of Abraham and David. Matthew 1:1 (ESV) The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. What is the “coded message” view of genealogies called? imaginative interpretation mathematical rabbit trails linguistic straws BIRTH NAMES AND THEIR MEANING: Adam ========== Man Set ======== Appointed Enosh ========== Mortal Kenan ======== Sorrow Mahalalel == The Blessed God Jared ====== Shall Come Down Enoch ============ Teaching Methuselah ===== His Death Shall Bring Lamech ========== The Despairing Noah ============ Rest And Comfort h http://www.gmp777.net/d---is-there-hidden-messages-found-in-the-genealogyof-genesis-chapter-5.html. accessed 21 September 2022 For those of you who may not have seen the hidden, yet profound message above, carefully read again below! Let us put the meanings of these names into ONE flowing sentence below, with the appropriate articles, adjectives, pronouns, nouns, and etc. attached accordingly, that will now make clear sense, to the above Genealogical Records of Birth: BIRTH NAMES AND THEIR MEANING: Adam ========== Man Set ======== Appointed Enosh ========== Mortal Kenan ======== Sorrow Mahalalel == The Blessed God Jared ====== Shall Come Down Enoch ============ Teaching Methuselah ===== His Death Shall Bring Lamech ========== The Despairing Noah ============ Rest And Comfort h http://www.gmp777.net/d---is-there-hidden-messages-found-in-the-genealogyof-genesis-chapter-5.html. accessed 21 September 2022 ----------------------MAN was APPOINTED to MORTAL SORROW, but the BLESSED GOD SHALL COME DOWN from Heaven, TEACHING HIS DEATH SHALL BRING THE DESPAIRING, REST and COMFORT ------------------------ Wow!! The Mathematical probabilities that ALL these REAL PERSONS of earth History, were NAMED and RECORDED with such NAMES in THIS EXACT ORDER, with these MEANINGS, in a book that is literally named BEGINNINGS or ORIGINS, all by MERE CHANCE, which also reveals the CENTRAL THEME and GOSPEL MESSAGE of the Bible as a WHOLE Psa 118: ), long before God's Plan of Salvation through the death of His Son Jesus was clearly understood, is simply amazing and quite astounding! The ODDS of ALL this being COINCIDENTAL is so overwhelming, it can safely be determined, that the mathematical probability is easily, the number 10, with infinite zero's behind it. 8 ( http://www.gmp777.net/d---is-there-hidden-messages-found-in-the-genealogy-of-genesischapter-5.html. accessed 21 September 2022 If you are seeing something in scripture where “the mathematical probability is easily, the number 10, with infinite zero's behind it,” the text better call it a miracle. Otherwise, you are eisegeting the text. What is eisegesis? eisegesis: the interpretation of a text (as of the Bible) by reading into it one's own ideas — compare exegesis https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ eisegesis. accessed 23 September 2022 What is a more reliable interpretation of Scripture that shows us the Gospel early in Genesis? ----------------------MAN was APPOINTED to MORTAL SORROW, but the BLESSED GOD SHALL COME DOWN from Heaven, TEACHING HIS DEATH SHALL BRING THE DESPAIRING, REST and COMFORT ------------------------ What is a more reliable interpretation of Scripture that shows us the promise of the Gospel early in Genesis? Genesis 3:15 (ESV) I [God] will put enmity between you [the Serpent] and the woman [Eve], and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” What are the problems with using genealogies this way? ----------------------MAN was APPOINTED to MORTAL SORROW, but the BLESSED GOD SHALL COME DOWN from Heaven, TEACHING HIS DEATH SHALL BRING THE DESPAIRING, REST and COMFORT ------------------------ What are the problems with using genealogies this way? 1. Tortures the Hebrew 2. Relies upon tenuous “name meanings” 3. Eisegetes scripture 4. Gets ahead of scripture BIRTH NAMES AND THEIR MEANING: h Adam ========== Man Set ======== Appointed Enosh ========== Mortal Kenan ======== Sorrow Mahalalel == The Blessed God Jared ====== Shall Come Down Enoch ============ Teaching Methuselah ===== His Death Shall Bring Lamech ========== The Despairing Noah ============ Rest And Comfort Enosh ========== Mortal “Enosh means ‘man' in Hebrew. Despite attempts to prove the contrary, the term is virtually synonymous with the Hebrew root underlying the name of Adam (Maass TWAT 1: 373–75).” Richard S. Hess, “Enosh (Person),” ed. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 526. Jared ====== Shall Come Down “slave of”, but understood under 1 as defamatory from ‫ירד‬ Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994–2000), 435. 1— ‫ירד‬. mostly (as in Ug.) to go down, occasionally to go up Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994–2000), 434. Jared ====== Shall Come Down Explanations for the name Jared include: the Hebrew word for “rose” (Noth IPN, 231); the Akkadian word for “servant,” (w)ardu (HALAT 2: 416); the Arabic word for “courageous”; the Hebrew root, yrd, “to descend.” Richard S. Hess, “Jared (Person),” ed. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 644. Mahalalel == The Blessed God ‫ מַהֲלָל‬+ ‫“ אֵל‬the praise of God” (KBL), or ‫“ מְהַּלֵל‬God is shining” (Noth 31, 169, I ) ‫הלל‬ KBL → Koehler-B. Lexicon Ludwig Koehler et al., (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994–2000), 553. Methuselah = His Death Shall Bring ‫ ׁשֶלַח‬+ ‫ = ?( מת‬I, javelin), Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994–2000), 654. 4. Gets ahead of Scripture. Romans 16:25 (ESV) Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 4. Gets ahead of Scripture. Ephesians 3:4–5 (ESV) When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 4. Gets ahead of Scripture. 1 Peter 1:10–11 (ESV) Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. What is the right mindset for reading a genealogy? Not a gold miner but a data miner. The mining processes of digging and sifting apply to genealogies. Photo:Alexander Macduff “Data mining is the process of sorting through large data sets to identify patterns and relationships.” bolding mine; https://www.techtarget.com/ searchbusinessanalytics/definition/data-mining. accessed 22 September 2022 Why should I care about data mining? “Matthew Granade, Point72’s chief market intelligence officer, bragged that they scrutinise 80m credit card transactions every day. Coupled with satellite images that can scan car parks and geolocation data from mobile phones to show how many people are visiting various stores, the investment group can get a real-time idea of how companies are doing, long before their results are released.” (bolding mine; Lindsay Fortado, Robin Wigglesworth and Kara Scannell “Hedge Funds See a Gold Rush in Data Mining” Financial Times AUGUST 29, 2017; accessed 30 December 2017). In other words . . . The data by itself is not the gold. The pattern(s) within the data is what we’re looking for because the pattern leads us to the gold. Genealogies lead us to the gold. Psalm 19:10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Psalm 119:72 The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver. Turn to Genesis 10 See Handout How to data mine a genealogy 1. Observe the opening A. How does the preceding paragraph/chapter end? Genesis 9:24–29 (ESV) When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, 25he said, “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.” 26He also said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant. 27May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.” How to data mine a genealogy 1. Observe the opening A. How does the preceding paragraph/ chapter end? B. Who does the genealogy start with? C. Does it go up the tree or down the tree? D. Does it start with the firstborn or someone else? Why? E. How does that person fit into the storyline of the book? How to data mine a genealogy 2. Examine the ending A. Who does it end with? fl Genesis 10:31–32 (ESV) These are the sons of Shem, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations. 32These are the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations, and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the ood. How to data mine a genealogy 2. Examine the ending A. Who does it end with? B. How does that person fit into the storyline of the book? How to data mine a genealogy 3. Analyse who makes the list A. Mark the main clan heads (if any). K. A. Mathews, Genesis 1-11:26, vol. 1A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 440. K. A. Mathews, Genesis 1-11:26, vol. 1A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 444. How to data mine a genealogy 3. Analyse who makes the list A. Mark the main clan heads (if any). B. Who gets color commentary/description in the list? C. What is said about them? Genesis 10:8–12 (ESV) rst on earth to be a mighty man. 9He was a mighty hunter before the LORD. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD” 10The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and 12Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. fi 8Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the How to data mine a genealogy 3. Analyse who makes the list A. Mark the main clan heads (if any). B. Who gets color commentary/description in the list? C. What is said about them? D. How does that contribute to the overall message of the book? E. Is someone put on the list out of birth order? Why? Does that point to the emphasis of the book or the next section? How to data mine a genealogy 4. Consider who does not make the list A. Who doesn’t make the list that you might be expecting based on the narratives? B. Which branches (i.e. clans/ tribes/families) of the tree get left off? Why? K. A. Mathews, Genesis 1-11:26, vol. 1A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 458. How to data mine a genealogy 5. Ponder the placement of the list/genealogy A. Could it have been placed elsewhere with equal effect? B. Does it form a bridge between 2 sections? If so, how?