When the King James translation of the Bible was produced in 1611, nothing was known of geology. James Hutton, the father of geology, wasn’t born until 1726. Anthropology was an unknown science, and the history of the ancient Near East has come to light only in the last 160 years. So the translators labored in a vacuum of mitigating evidence that would have helped them immensely. The result is that Genesis in the KJV is virtually stuck in the 17th century.
One would think that modern versions would have corrected any discrepancies in Genesis 1-11 imbedded in the KJV by now. Such is not the case. Although some words are updated, the overall impression Genesis gives in all versions has remained virtually unchanged. Although some Genesis commentaries have paid lip service and acknowledged that certain parallel accounts predate the Genesis narrative, this has not been reflected in modern Bible versions due largely to the fact that not enough evidence had been accumulated to alter a biblical scenario that has become time honored and ingrained in Christian theology.
Now, enough documented evidence has been compiled in an easily readable form to permit the necessary changes to the original King James Version and usher Genesis 1-11 into the 21st century. This proposed retranslation of Genesis is based upon the book, Historical Genesis from Adam to Abraham. (Your library may have a copy.)
The following proposed retranslation of the King James Version takes into account the context of the ancient Near East from approximately 7,000 years ago to 4,000 years ago which encompasses the Genesis 2-11 narrative. There is no deviation here in cosmological or geologic time as commonly understood and incorporated in typical science text books. Likewise, there is no deviation in anthropological terms from what is commonly understood concerning the length of time human beings have dwelt on earth.
Adam is understood as a historic personality, the first of the covenant race, the federal head of mankind, and was introduced by God to usher in a new period of accountability. He lived no earlier than 7,000 years ago in southern Mesopotamia, present-day Iraq.
The flood occurred approximately 2900 BC and was judgment on the Adamic race. The Nephilim, for example, (Gen. 6:4) survived the flood as they were ancestral to the Anakim (Num. 13:33). The nearby Sumerians suffered collateral damage but some survived to rebuild their flood ravaged cities.
The dispersion in Genesis 10 precedes the Tower of Babel incident described in Genesis 11. At least two languages were spoken in Shinar, or Sumer, one Akkadian, the other Sumerian. So the writer did not intend to convey that one universal language was spoken throughout the world. Furthermore, after the incident there was no change in basic language as recovered cuneiform texts prove Semitic nations continued to speak in Semitic dialects.
The starting point of understanding Genesis is that what Moses passed down to the children of Israel beginning in Genesis 2 was an abbreviated history of their race, the covenant race, not the whole human race as it has been popularly misinterpreted.
Proposed changes to the original King James Version appear in bold letters, and have endnotes for each proposed change.
Genesis 1
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. 6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. 9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth vegetation1, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth vegetation2, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And the evening and the morning were the third day. 14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16 And God ordained3 two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he ordained4 the stars also. 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. 20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and flying creatures5 that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven6. 21 And God created great sea creatures7, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged creature8 after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds9multiply in the earth. 23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. 24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 26 And God said, Let us make man10 in our image11, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created Adam12 in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill13 the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. 31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Genesis 2
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth14 when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens15 5 And every plant of the field before it was in the land16, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God did not cause17 it to rain upon the land18, and no man was there to till the ground. 6 But there went up a fountain19 from the land20, and watered the whole face of the ground. 7 And the LORD God formed Adam21 of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and Adam22 became a living soul. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. 11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; 12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. 13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. 14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. 15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. 18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. 19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.23 20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every
beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. 21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. 25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Genesis 3
1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. 17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. 20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. 21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. 22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: 23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Genesis 4
1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. 2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. 8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. 9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? 10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. 11 And now art thou cursed from the land24, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; 12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the land25. 13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the land26; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the land27; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. 15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. 16 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. 17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch28. 18 And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech. 19 And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. 21 And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. 22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. 23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. 24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold. 25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. 26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enosh: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.
Genesis 5
1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; 2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. 3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: 4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: 5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. 6 And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos: 7 And Seth lived after he begat Enosh eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters: 8 And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died. 9 And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan: 10 And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters: 11 And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died. 12 And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel: 13 And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters: 14 And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died. 15 And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared: 16 And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters: 17 And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died. 18 And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch: 19 And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 20 And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died. 21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: 22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. 25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech: 26 And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters: 27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died. 28 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: 29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed. 30 And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters: 31 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died. 32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Genesis 6
1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. 4 There were nephilim29 in the land30 in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. 5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of the Adamite31 was great in the land32, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And it repented the LORD that he had made the Adamites33 on the land34, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And the LORD said, I will destroy the Adamites35 whom I have created from the face of the land36; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 The land37 also was corrupt before God, and the land38 was filled with violence. 12 And God looked upon the land39, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the land40. 13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the land41 is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with theland42. 14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. 15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. 16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. 17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the land43, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the land44 shall die. 18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. 20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. 21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. 22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
Genesis 7
1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. 2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. 3 Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the land45. 4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the land46. 5 And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him. 6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the land47. 7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, nd of every thing that creepeth upon the land48, 9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep49 broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12 And the rain was upon the land50 forty days and forty nights. 13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; 14 They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing51 that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. 15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. 16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in. 17 And the flood was forty days upon the land52; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the land53. 18 And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the land54; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the land55; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. 20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the hills56 were covered. 21 And all flesh died that moved upon the land57, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every Adamite58: 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. 23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the land59: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. 24 And the waters prevailed upon the land60 an hundred and fifty days.
Genesis 8
1 And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the land61, and the waters assuaged; 2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; 3 And the waters returned from off the land62 continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. 4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the hills63 seen. 6 And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: 7 And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the land64. 8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; 9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole land65: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. 10 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; 11 And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the land66. 12 And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more. 13 And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the land67: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. 14 And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was theland68 dried. 15 And God spake unto Noah, saying, 16 Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. 17 Bring forth with thee every living 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 the earth. 18 And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him: 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark. 20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savor; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for Adam’s69 sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. 22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
Genesis 9
1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the land70. 2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. 3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. 4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. 5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. 6 Whosoever sheddeth an Adamite's71 blood, by an Adamite72 shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He Adam73. 7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein. 8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, 9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; 10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. 11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the land74. 12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. 14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: 15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. 17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth. 18 And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. 19 These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread. 20 And Noah began to be a husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: 21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. 23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness. 24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. 25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. 26 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. 27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. 28 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. 29 And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.
Genesis 10
1 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. 2 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. 3 And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. 4 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. 5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. 6 And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. 7 And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan. 8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, 12 And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city. 13 And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim, 14 And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim. 15 And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth, 16 And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite, 17 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite, 18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad. 19 And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha. 20 These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations. 21 Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born. 22 The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram. 23 And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash. 24 And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber. 25 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan. 26 And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah, 27 And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah, 28 And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba, 29 And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan. 30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east. 31 These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations. 32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.
Genesis 11
1 And the whole land75 was of one lip76, and of one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and tar77 had they for morter. 4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. 5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children ofAdam78 builded. 6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people are as79 one, and they have all one conversation80; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their speech81, that they may not understand one another's speech. 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the land82: and they left off to build the city. 9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the speech83 of all the land84: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the land85. 10 These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood: 11 And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 12 And Arphaxad lived an hundred and thirty-five years, and begot Cainan. 13 And Arphaxad lived after he had begotten Cainan, four hundred years, and begot sons and daughters, and died. And Cainan lived a hundred and thirty years and begot Salah; and Canaan lived after he had begotten Salah three hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters, and died86. 14 And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber: 15 And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 16 And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg: 17 And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters. 18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu: 19 And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters. 20 And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug: 21 And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters. 22 And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor: 23 And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah: 25 And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters. 26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. 27 Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. 28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. 29 And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. 30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child. 31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. 32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.
Notes
1. Hebrew deshe', meaning “grass” or “vegetation.” NIV translates “vegetation.”
2. See note 1.
3. Hebrew `asah, translated “made” in the KJV. The word for create, bara in Hebrew, is not in the text, and the heavenly bodies were created on Day One when God created heaven and earth. On Day Four these were commissioned or appointed by God to be timekeepers for the sighted creatures that would appear on Day Five and Day Six.
4. See note 3.
5. This may be too soon for literal birds or “fowls” as they appear in the fossil record after dinosaurs which are land creatures and don’t appear until later in sequence on Day Five. Flying insects would be necessary to pollinate some of the vegetation created on Day Three, and here `owph, translated “flying creatures” appears more appropriate leaving it open to interpretation as to whether or not the writer intended birds or insects.
6. “Sky,” Hebrew shamayim, would work here.
7. “Whales” in the KJV are mammals and would be out of order here. “Great creatures of the sea” appears in the NIV.
8. See note 5.
9. “Birds” from the NIV or “flying creatures” would be appropriate here although “fowl” in the KJV certainly is not out of place.
10. Although generic mankind is conceivable possibly this is Adam persona.
11. The entire phrase could be understood as: Let mankind be allowed to enjoy some degree of kinship with the deity, or let us delegate some authority to man to operate on earth.
12. Hebrew, adam. Although “man” is used in the KJV, the phrase following says, “in the image of God created he him,” indicating a single, individual male. Who could that have been besides “Adam”? With Adam’s continued obedience, perhaps, all mankind could have followed his example, obtained the “image” of God, and become accountable to God.
13. Hebrew male', meaning “to fill,” rendered “replenish” in the KJV. NIV uses “fill.”
14. “Sky” and “land” are options here rather than heavens and earth.
15. See note 14.
16. Hebrew 'erets, meaning “land” or “earth” depends on situation. In the narrow context of southern Mesopotamia where Adam lived the word “land” is more appropriate.
17. There is no verb tense in Hebrew, and this is an example of where knowing the history of the ancient Near East would have been beneficial not only to the original translators but to subsequent translators. NIV “for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth,” a case in point. This region of Mesopotamia, present-day Iraq, was desert, although somewhat wetter than it is today, and received only infrequent rainfall. It would be inconceivable to imagine rain had not occurred from the time of the creation of the earth until God created Adam. What caused the rivers to flow in Genesis 2:10-14?
18. See note 16.
19. From the Septuagint. This pertains to the irrigation system in southern Mesopotamia. “Fountains” in Akkadian and Sumerian refers to the dykes, levies and constructed equipment that was part of their canal system.
20. See note 16.
21. Hebrew 'adam, meaning “Adam” or “man” depending on context. In this instance the creation of a man to be placed in the Garden of Eden applies specifically to Adam.
22. See note 16.
23. The emphasis is on Adam’s naming animals that had been brought into existence by God. These would be the animals Adam would encounter on a daily basis, not every creature in the entire earth.
24. See note 16.
25. See note 16.
26. See note 16.
27. See note 16.
28. Sumerian unug. This city was located north and east of the Euphrates River adjacent to Erech and was watered by canal.
29. Translated ‘giants” in the KJV, nephilim in the Hebrew text comes from the root word “to fall,” and is in the NIV.
30. See note 16.
31. The Hebrew ‘adam was translated “man” in the KJV yet mankind in general did not perish in the flood. Even the nearby Sumerians had survivors who rebuilt destroyed cities after the flood. Those located in other parts of the world were unaffected. The target of the flood was the Adamite population who had been accountable and transgressed.
32. See note 16.
33. Hebrew 'adam, or “Adam.” The nation of Israel was (and is) called “Israel,” and the people are “Israelites.” Those from Adam can be termed “Adamites.” History books refer to these people as “Akkadian.” The descendants of Noah are Semites, Hamites and Japhethites, according to the Bible, although those who lived in Mesopotamia and spoke a Semitic language are called “Akkadian” or “Semite” by historians regardless of whether they descended from Ham or Shem. Japhethites generally lost their identity when they headed west after Noah’s sons disbursed.
34. See note 16.
35. Those from Adam were accountable and were to be judged by the ensuing flood.
36. See note 16.
37. See note 16.
38. See note 16.
39. See note 16.
40. See note 16.
41. See note 16.
42. See note 16.
43. See note 16.
44. See note 16.
45. See note 16.
46. See note 16.
47. See note 16.
48. See note 16.
49. The phrase “fountains of the deep” appears in Atrahasis. In the epic version a period of drought precedes the great flood during which time the fountains dry up such that the fields are not nourished with water. Here in Genesis the reference also is to irrigation.
50. See note 16.
51. The words “all” and “every” in typical Hebrew parlance are less expansive than what the English words normally mean to us. Thus when the psalmist declares “all my bones are out of joint” (Psa. 22:14), we need not ponder how 206 bones could get out of joint.
52. See note 16.
53. See note 16.
54. See note 16.
55. See note 16.
56. Hebrew har, meaning “hills” or “mountains,” depending on context. At this location the word “hills” best fits the surroundings.
57. See note 16.
58. See note 22.
59. See note 16.
60. See note 16.
61. See note 16.
62. See note 16.
63. See note 56.
64. See note 16.
65. See note 16.
66. See note 16.
67. See note 16.
68. See note 16.
69. Hebrew ‘adam for Adam.
70. See note 16.
71. Hebrew ‘adam. The entire phrase is a warning to those outside the Adamic race that God’s chosen race may be judged by God but are not to be harmed by outsiders.
72. Hebrew ‘adam.
73. See note 72.
74. See note 16.
75. See note 16.
76. Hebrew saphah, meaning “lip,” and in Septuagint This word was translated “lip” 162 times by the KJV translators, only seven times did they use the word “language.” Although tradition has fallen on the side of one universal language being spoken, this doesn’t fit the facts. The nearby Sumerians spoke an unrelated language. So at least two languages were spoken in Shinar, or Sumer, at this time, notwithstanding there were unrelated languages spoken in other parts of the world. In the context of the Ancient Near East this was the period of ziggurat building in southern Mesopotamia and must have been a frequent topic of conversation.
77. From the NIV. Hebrew chemar, meaning a thick petroleum substance such as pitch, asphalt, or bitumen.
78. See note 69.
79. Corrected for grammar.
80. Hebrew saphah, for lip, speech, language or in this case, conversation. The sense here is that God must put an end to this conversation or topic of conversation by confounding their speech.
81. See note 80.
82. See note 16.
83. See note 80.
84. See note 16.
85. See note 16.
86. From the Septuagint, and in accord with Luke 3:36.
