Paul Seely wrote:
>According to your theory, the Noahic covenant is just for the descendants
of
>Noah and his sons. But, in the Bible after the Flood, every nation, every
>people that they knew of, were considered descendants of Noah and his sons
>(Gen 10:1, 32) and every nation, every people they knew of, were considered
>"sons of Adam" (Deut 32:8; Ps 14:2). Every nation on earth after the Flood
>was made up of "Adamites" as far as the Bible is concerned: Midianites (Nb
>31:35, 40), Egyptians (Isaiah 31:3), Elamites (Isaiah 22:6), and the heathen
>in general, the "goim," have idols made with adamic hands (2Kgs 19:17,18).
It is a great temptation to take ancient Hebrew words, translate them
directly
into English, and then make an interpretation based upon what modern
English-speaking peoples might have meant had they used such words.
In Hebrew "all" and "every" are used similarly to the way we would say
"much," "many, " or "some."
In Gen. 41:41,47, Pharaoh set Joseph over the land of Egypt and there were
seven plentiful years. "And he gathered up all the food of the seven
years, which were in the land of Egypt ..." (Gen. 41:48). All the food? The
resident Egyptians ate none of it in seven years?
"And the famine was over all the face of the earth ..." (Gen. 41:56). Were
the Americas similarly affected? Australia? China? "And all countries came
into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn ..." (Gen. 41:57). That would be a long
trip
for someone living in Scandinavia.
Look at Gen. 8:17: "Bring forth with thee every thing that is with thee, of
all
flesh,
both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon
the
earth;
that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply
upon
he earth."
"Every beast" and "every fowl" that Adam named (Gen. 2:19) were the ones in
this special area of habitation. The same requirement fits Noah's
circumstances.
"Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl" that Noah brought off the
ark
in Genesis 8:19 were likely from "all" the animals Adam named.
Likewise "every nation" can mean "many nations."
>You can disallow the Australians, Chinese, American Indians, and any other
>people they did not mention, but only because the Israelites did not know
>these lands and peoples existed. If these people had been known, it seems
>probable that they would have been mentioned as descendants of Noah and as
>"Adamites."
Here are examples where the "men" in question emanate from Adam.
Gen. 6:1: “And it came to pass, when men (‘adam) began to multiply on the
face of the earth ...”
Gen. 11:5: “And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the
children of men (‘adam) builded.
‘adam means man, mankind
a. man, human being
b. man, mankind (much more frequently intended sense in OT)
c. Adam
Here are examples where the men either are not from Adam or they are not in
a covenant relationship.
Gen. 12:20: “And Pharaoh commanded his men (‘enowsh) concerning him ...”
Gen. 13:13: “But the men (‘enowsh) of Sodom were wicked and sinners ...”
‘enowsh means man, mortal man, person, mankind
a. of an individual
b. men (collective)
c. man, mankind
In the case of the "Egyptians" in Isaiah 31:3, the word used is Mitsrayim.
Refer
to Gen 10:6: "And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan."
The "Elamites" in Isa. 22:6 also can be traced to Noah. Gen. 10:22: "The
children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram."
You also cited 2 Kings 19:17,18: "Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have
destroyed the nations and their lands, And have cast their gods into the
fire:
for they were no gods, but the work of men's ('adam) hands ...."
Assyrians come from Asshur. He also is the son of Shem in Gen.10:22.
I won't say you can't find some exception that 'adam refers to Adamites, or
covenant man, and 'ish or 'enowsh are outside the line of Adam or the
covenant
(except where the phrase includes men and women where the word for "men" is
always 'ish or 'enowsh, and where 'adam is always used in the expression "man
and beast"), but you haven't found one yet.
Dick Fischer - The Origins Solution - www.orisol.com
"The answer we should have known about 150 years ago."
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Mar 08 2000 - 12:42:54 EST