After reading chapter 6:
*Yaweh says now Moses will see what he will do to Pharoah to make him let the Israelites go. Oh, and by the way, he is the same God that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob worshipped. They just called him something else, "God almighty," not Yahweh. He's the god that made the covenant to give them the land of Canaan. After hearing the trouble the Israelites were in, he remembered the covenant.
*The word God in God almighty is another form of El, the Canaanite high God. Of course the God of the land of Canaan could decide who he wanted to live in that land, right? What the bible does not tell you is that many gods in ancient times were generally fixtures of geography. Egyptian gods would be worshipped in Egypt, Canaanite gods would be worshipped in Canaan. There were also times when one people group would say to another, hey this particular God of yours looks just like that particular God of mine, they must be the same God! This happened to the Greeks and Romans, because the Romans happened to admire Greek culture. Yahweh says he's the same God as El. We will see later that Israelites definitely do not admire Canaanite culture, but they claim the land as their own, and generally speaking, the land comes with its own God. What we see from a purely historical point of view is that gods evolve along with culture.
*Continuing on with the story, Yahweh tells Moses to tell the Israelites that he is going to be their God and will take them out of Egypt to the land he promised their forefathers. Moses told them, but they did not listen to him. Can you blame them? Then Yahweh tells Moses to go talk to Pharoah again. Moses does not want to go. Can you blame him? Why doesn't God talk directly to the Israelites or Pharoah? Why go through all this nonsense? Why can't they worship him in Egypt? These questions are unanswerable, unless you make up your own answers. Faith supplies answers that don't exist.
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Friday, August 28, 2015
Exodus chapter 5
After reading chapter 5:
*Moses and Aaron go to Pharoah and tell him Yahweh wants his people to go to the desert and have a big party for him. Pharoah doesn't see why he should obey Yahweh, a God of whom he has never heard. They tell Pharoah they must go or bad things might happen. Pharoah tells them to stop wasting time and get back to work. Then, he arranges for the Hebrews' labor to be even more difficult so they will stop paying attention to Moses. The Israelite foremen complain to Pharoah about the harsh treatment. Pharoah says it is because they are lazy and gives them even more work. Then the people blame Moses and Aaron for their troubles. Moses goes back to Yahweh and complains about the situation.
*Today, the same question that Pharoah asks is still relevant. "Who is Yahweh that I should obey him?" Why should I take the word of a book written about 2,500 years ago that tells me a man named Moses once talked to Yahweh in the desert about 1,000 years before that? What does that have to do with me? My answer is: nothing.
*Moses and Aaron go to Pharoah and tell him Yahweh wants his people to go to the desert and have a big party for him. Pharoah doesn't see why he should obey Yahweh, a God of whom he has never heard. They tell Pharoah they must go or bad things might happen. Pharoah tells them to stop wasting time and get back to work. Then, he arranges for the Hebrews' labor to be even more difficult so they will stop paying attention to Moses. The Israelite foremen complain to Pharoah about the harsh treatment. Pharoah says it is because they are lazy and gives them even more work. Then the people blame Moses and Aaron for their troubles. Moses goes back to Yahweh and complains about the situation.
*Today, the same question that Pharoah asks is still relevant. "Who is Yahweh that I should obey him?" Why should I take the word of a book written about 2,500 years ago that tells me a man named Moses once talked to Yahweh in the desert about 1,000 years before that? What does that have to do with me? My answer is: nothing.
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Exodus chapter 4 part 2
*Now the story turns weird, in case you didn't already think so. When Moses and his family stopped at some place on the way to Egypt, yahweh met Moses and was about to kill him. To prevent that, Moses's wife whips out a knife and cuts off her son's foreskin! Then, she touches Moses's feet with it and declares," you are a bridegroom of blood to me, " which is a phrase referring to circumcision, according to my study bible. This saved Moses's life.
*There all sorts of things to say about this passage. First of all, my study bible says " feet" here is a euphamism for genitals. The weirdness continues. Was Moses himself ever circumcised? Why did God want to kill him after he gave him a job to do? Some people seem to think Zipporah acted in anger, even though the text does not say that. Maybe she knew that's what God wanted. Why does circumcising a child and touching his father's genitals, or feet, with the cut off piece of skin save Moses's life? Also, according to verse 20, there is more than one son. As usual, there are dozens of traditional and speculative answers to these questions, none of them in the text. By modern standards, this is crazy stuff.
*Yahweh tells Aaron to go to the desert to meet Moses. They meet at "the mountain of God" and Moses tells Aaron about everything. They go together and tell the elders of the Israelites and show them the magic tricks. They all believed and worshipped Yahweh when Moses told them God was concerned about them.
*What I notice about this story: the Israelites are collectively called Yahweh's "first born son" implying that they are the first worshippers of that God. If the mountain of God was such an important place why is there no way to know for sure where it actually was?
*There all sorts of things to say about this passage. First of all, my study bible says " feet" here is a euphamism for genitals. The weirdness continues. Was Moses himself ever circumcised? Why did God want to kill him after he gave him a job to do? Some people seem to think Zipporah acted in anger, even though the text does not say that. Maybe she knew that's what God wanted. Why does circumcising a child and touching his father's genitals, or feet, with the cut off piece of skin save Moses's life? Also, according to verse 20, there is more than one son. As usual, there are dozens of traditional and speculative answers to these questions, none of them in the text. By modern standards, this is crazy stuff.
*Yahweh tells Aaron to go to the desert to meet Moses. They meet at "the mountain of God" and Moses tells Aaron about everything. They go together and tell the elders of the Israelites and show them the magic tricks. They all believed and worshipped Yahweh when Moses told them God was concerned about them.
*What I notice about this story: the Israelites are collectively called Yahweh's "first born son" implying that they are the first worshippers of that God. If the mountain of God was such an important place why is there no way to know for sure where it actually was?
Exodus chapter 4 part 1
After reading chapter 4:
*Moses very practically asks what he should do if the Israelites don't believe him. So, Yahweh shows him how to magically turn his staff into a snake and back again. Then he learned how to turn his hand leprous and back again, as well as turning water into blood. These magic tricks were supposed to convince the people Moses had talked to God.
*Moses's next big objection was his lack of public speaking skills. God says he is personally responsible for whether people can speak, hear and see! (Don't complain if you are deaf, mute, or blind. God did it, no matter what the doctor says.) Moses really doesn't want to speak to the Israelites and tries to beg off. God suggests Aaron, Moses's brother, do the speaking. God will tell Moses what to say and Moses will tell Aaron. Gee, why couldn't God speak straight to Aaron?
*So, Moses, asked his father- in- law for permission to go back to Egypt. Then he loaded his wife and sons on a donkey. He also took the magical staff, which is now called "the staff of God" but had once been just a plain old staff.
*Yahweh tells Moses to perform the miracles for Pharoah. However, Pharoah will not let the people go because God will harden his heart! This heart hardening is the subject of lots of speculation and theological debate. We will not philosophize, but assume that it means what it says: God was responsible for Pharoah's heart being hardened and everything else that followed. Nevertheless, Pharoah is to be held responsible for not letting the Israelites, God's metaphorical "firstborn son," go to worship him. So, God will kill Pharoah's literal first born son. Harsh.
*Moses very practically asks what he should do if the Israelites don't believe him. So, Yahweh shows him how to magically turn his staff into a snake and back again. Then he learned how to turn his hand leprous and back again, as well as turning water into blood. These magic tricks were supposed to convince the people Moses had talked to God.
*Moses's next big objection was his lack of public speaking skills. God says he is personally responsible for whether people can speak, hear and see! (Don't complain if you are deaf, mute, or blind. God did it, no matter what the doctor says.) Moses really doesn't want to speak to the Israelites and tries to beg off. God suggests Aaron, Moses's brother, do the speaking. God will tell Moses what to say and Moses will tell Aaron. Gee, why couldn't God speak straight to Aaron?
*So, Moses, asked his father- in- law for permission to go back to Egypt. Then he loaded his wife and sons on a donkey. He also took the magical staff, which is now called "the staff of God" but had once been just a plain old staff.
*Yahweh tells Moses to perform the miracles for Pharoah. However, Pharoah will not let the people go because God will harden his heart! This heart hardening is the subject of lots of speculation and theological debate. We will not philosophize, but assume that it means what it says: God was responsible for Pharoah's heart being hardened and everything else that followed. Nevertheless, Pharoah is to be held responsible for not letting the Israelites, God's metaphorical "firstborn son," go to worship him. So, God will kill Pharoah's literal first born son. Harsh.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Exodus chapter 3
After reading chapter 3:
*In Chapter 2, Moses's father- in-law's name was Reuel, here it is Jethro. There us no Biblical explanation for the name change, it is just assumed to be the same person, because he was the priest of Midian. Anyway, Moses was tending his father- in- law's flocks when he came to Horeb "The mountain of God." Nobody today knows the exact location of Horeb, if it existed. There is only speculation. At the mountain, the angel of the lord ( yahweh) appeared to him in a bush that appeared to be burning, yet didn't burn up.
* God speaks to Moses from the bush. He tells Moses to take off his sandals because he is standing on holy ground. This seems very silly to me. How is ground made holy? What does that mean? And what difference do shoes make? God tells Moses who he is, then Moses is afraid to look at him. He wasn't afraid before that. Then God tells Moses he has seen the plight of the Israelites and he wants to rescue them and give them a bunch of land that currently belongs to other people. God is sending Moses to the Pharoah to take his people, the Israelites, out of Egypt. So here we have it. Out of all the people in the world, the Israelites are God's people. They now have favored nation status. Where was God for the four hundred years before that time?
*Moses is understandably dismayed. God promises to be with him and a special sign will be that when they people are brought out of Egypt, they will worship God on that very mountain. This seems like a very easily manufactured sign. Moses doesn't think the Israelites know who God is! He wants to know how to explain God to them. God says, "Just tell them I am who I am. ' I am ' has sent me to you. " Very convincing. So, God says "I am" is his forever name and how he wants to be remembered. He is rarely called that again in the whole bible. Instead he is called yahweh . My study bible says it mean "he is."
*So, Moses was to go to the elders of the Israelites and explain that the God of their long, long ago ancestors has been watching over them and has promised to help them get out of Egypt and move to the land of Canaan. They will believe him, and will go with him to the Pharoah to ask to be let go for a three day journey into the desert to sacrifice to their God, Yahweh. Because Yahweh can't be worshipped in Egypt? God already knows Pharoah will not agree to this, so he will strike the Egyptians with wonders. Then the Israelites will be let go. When the Israelites leave, the Egyptians, who are their neighbors and members of their households, will be happy to give them all their wealth.
*In Chapter 2, Moses's father- in-law's name was Reuel, here it is Jethro. There us no Biblical explanation for the name change, it is just assumed to be the same person, because he was the priest of Midian. Anyway, Moses was tending his father- in- law's flocks when he came to Horeb "The mountain of God." Nobody today knows the exact location of Horeb, if it existed. There is only speculation. At the mountain, the angel of the lord ( yahweh) appeared to him in a bush that appeared to be burning, yet didn't burn up.
* God speaks to Moses from the bush. He tells Moses to take off his sandals because he is standing on holy ground. This seems very silly to me. How is ground made holy? What does that mean? And what difference do shoes make? God tells Moses who he is, then Moses is afraid to look at him. He wasn't afraid before that. Then God tells Moses he has seen the plight of the Israelites and he wants to rescue them and give them a bunch of land that currently belongs to other people. God is sending Moses to the Pharoah to take his people, the Israelites, out of Egypt. So here we have it. Out of all the people in the world, the Israelites are God's people. They now have favored nation status. Where was God for the four hundred years before that time?
*Moses is understandably dismayed. God promises to be with him and a special sign will be that when they people are brought out of Egypt, they will worship God on that very mountain. This seems like a very easily manufactured sign. Moses doesn't think the Israelites know who God is! He wants to know how to explain God to them. God says, "Just tell them I am who I am. ' I am ' has sent me to you. " Very convincing. So, God says "I am" is his forever name and how he wants to be remembered. He is rarely called that again in the whole bible. Instead he is called yahweh . My study bible says it mean "he is."
*So, Moses was to go to the elders of the Israelites and explain that the God of their long, long ago ancestors has been watching over them and has promised to help them get out of Egypt and move to the land of Canaan. They will believe him, and will go with him to the Pharoah to ask to be let go for a three day journey into the desert to sacrifice to their God, Yahweh. Because Yahweh can't be worshipped in Egypt? God already knows Pharoah will not agree to this, so he will strike the Egyptians with wonders. Then the Israelites will be let go. When the Israelites leave, the Egyptians, who are their neighbors and members of their households, will be happy to give them all their wealth.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Exodus chapter 2
After reading chapter 2:
*At this time, a Levite man married a woman, also from the tribe of Levi. This will be important later. My question is, how did a bunch of illiterate shepherds keep track of who belonged to which of the original 12 tribes, especially over a span of 400 years? Think of the difficulty we have today tracing our ancestors back even 200 years. That is with physical records and technology.
*The Levite woman had a baby boy and hid him for three months. Then she put him in a waterproofed basket and set him in the river among the reeds. His sister stayed nearby to watch what happened. The Pharoah's daughter came to the river to bathe, and saw the baby. She felt sorry for him. The baby's sister volunteered to go get someone to nurse him, then ran off and got her mother. Clever! So the baby's mother was paid to nurse her own child. When he grew old enough, he was taken to the Pharoah's daughter and became her adopted son. She named him Moses.
*When Moses was grown, he apparently knew he was an Israelite. When he saw one of his own people being beaten, he secretly killed the offender, or so he thought. Later, when he tried to break up a fight between two Israelites, they asked why they should listen to him, a murderer. Pharoah heard of it and tried to kill Moses, but he ran away to Midian. There he met seven shepherd girls at a well and defended them from some rude shepherd men. (Wells were obviously a great place to meet women in ancient times.) When the girls got home, they told their father Reu-el a Midianite priest, about Moses. He was invited to eat with the family and ended up staying and marrying Ruel's daughter Zipporah. They had a son together.
*Meanwhile the Pharoah died and was replaced. The Israelites were still being oppressed and cried out to God, who remembered his promise to Abraham and became concerned. It was about time!
*The el at the end of Reuel's name tells which God he worshipped. Sticking the name of your God at the end of people and place names was common throughout that whole region. We see it in Egypt as well with names that end in ra, aten, and amun.
*At this time, a Levite man married a woman, also from the tribe of Levi. This will be important later. My question is, how did a bunch of illiterate shepherds keep track of who belonged to which of the original 12 tribes, especially over a span of 400 years? Think of the difficulty we have today tracing our ancestors back even 200 years. That is with physical records and technology.
*The Levite woman had a baby boy and hid him for three months. Then she put him in a waterproofed basket and set him in the river among the reeds. His sister stayed nearby to watch what happened. The Pharoah's daughter came to the river to bathe, and saw the baby. She felt sorry for him. The baby's sister volunteered to go get someone to nurse him, then ran off and got her mother. Clever! So the baby's mother was paid to nurse her own child. When he grew old enough, he was taken to the Pharoah's daughter and became her adopted son. She named him Moses.
*When Moses was grown, he apparently knew he was an Israelite. When he saw one of his own people being beaten, he secretly killed the offender, or so he thought. Later, when he tried to break up a fight between two Israelites, they asked why they should listen to him, a murderer. Pharoah heard of it and tried to kill Moses, but he ran away to Midian. There he met seven shepherd girls at a well and defended them from some rude shepherd men. (Wells were obviously a great place to meet women in ancient times.) When the girls got home, they told their father Reu-el a Midianite priest, about Moses. He was invited to eat with the family and ended up staying and marrying Ruel's daughter Zipporah. They had a son together.
*Meanwhile the Pharoah died and was replaced. The Israelites were still being oppressed and cried out to God, who remembered his promise to Abraham and became concerned. It was about time!
*The el at the end of Reuel's name tells which God he worshipped. Sticking the name of your God at the end of people and place names was common throughout that whole region. We see it in Egypt as well with names that end in ra, aten, and amun.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Exodus chapter 1
After reading chapter 1:
*We are reminded of the twelve sons of Jacob (Israel) and his seventy direct descendents, who all ended up in Egypt. They all died, but their descendents continued to multiply and prosper. A new king who did not remember Joseph came into power. It is no wonder he didn't remember; according to Exodus 12:40, 430 years went by before the Israelites left Egypt, making it approximately 1337 B.C.E. (If you count from the date that the Israelite clan was supposed to have entered Egypt and use Bishop Ussher's problematic year of creation, 4004 B.C.E. ) This was the time of Amenhotep IV, commonly known as Akhenaten. However, he is not one of the popular choices for the possible Pharaoh of Exodus. Sigmund Freud connected the exodus with Akhenaten in his book Moses and Monotheism. The events of this first chapter would have been about 80 years before the exodus. The Pharoah is never named in the book of Exodus.
*This new king was worried about how numerous the Israelites were becoming. He didn't want them to join forces with an enemy and start a war. So, he decided to enslave them and force them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses. The more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied, the more they multiplied, the more they were oppressed. Then the king spoke to the Hebrew midwives,( who are named even though the Pharoah is not ) and told them to kill all the male babies that were born to the Hebrews when they were in attendance.
*The midwives did not kill the baby boys because they were afraid of God. They told Pharoah that Hebrew women easily bore healthy children without the help of midwives. The people continued to increase in number. Then the Pharoah gave an order to all his people to throw every boy that was born into the Nile River. The text doesn't say every Hebrew boy, but that is assumed.
*There is no concrete historical evidence of a large group of Israelites living in Ancient Egypt, or being enslaved by the Egyptians.
*We are reminded of the twelve sons of Jacob (Israel) and his seventy direct descendents, who all ended up in Egypt. They all died, but their descendents continued to multiply and prosper. A new king who did not remember Joseph came into power. It is no wonder he didn't remember; according to Exodus 12:40, 430 years went by before the Israelites left Egypt, making it approximately 1337 B.C.E. (If you count from the date that the Israelite clan was supposed to have entered Egypt and use Bishop Ussher's problematic year of creation, 4004 B.C.E. ) This was the time of Amenhotep IV, commonly known as Akhenaten. However, he is not one of the popular choices for the possible Pharaoh of Exodus. Sigmund Freud connected the exodus with Akhenaten in his book Moses and Monotheism. The events of this first chapter would have been about 80 years before the exodus. The Pharoah is never named in the book of Exodus.
*This new king was worried about how numerous the Israelites were becoming. He didn't want them to join forces with an enemy and start a war. So, he decided to enslave them and force them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses. The more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied, the more they multiplied, the more they were oppressed. Then the king spoke to the Hebrew midwives,( who are named even though the Pharoah is not ) and told them to kill all the male babies that were born to the Hebrews when they were in attendance.
*The midwives did not kill the baby boys because they were afraid of God. They told Pharoah that Hebrew women easily bore healthy children without the help of midwives. The people continued to increase in number. Then the Pharoah gave an order to all his people to throw every boy that was born into the Nile River. The text doesn't say every Hebrew boy, but that is assumed.
*There is no concrete historical evidence of a large group of Israelites living in Ancient Egypt, or being enslaved by the Egyptians.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Introduction to Exodus
Before we begin, I would encourage you to read the Wikipedia article on Exodus.
Note that the author is unknown and the book was probably compiled in the 6th century B.C.E.
Exodus is full of cultural symbolism. However, I will continue to try to make the discussion as simple and straightforward as possible, focusing on practical observations and objections.
Note that the author is unknown and the book was probably compiled in the 6th century B.C.E.
Exodus is full of cultural symbolism. However, I will continue to try to make the discussion as simple and straightforward as possible, focusing on practical observations and objections.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Now that we've come this far...
I want to thank everyone who visits this site and reads along. By now, you've noticed that I am anonymous. That is from personal necessity. One reason I have taken the time time to write out my thoughts about the bible in this format is my inability to do so publically without seriously consequences to my personal life.
I have been a member of a fundamentalist Christian sect for over 35 years. During that time, I studied the bible diligently, just as I was told to. On my own, I also studied history, science, philosophy, psychology, and ethics. I read dozens of books about the bible from many perspectives. I've read books by Karen Armstrong, Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan, Bart Ehrman, Elaine Pagels, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennet, Michael Shermer, and many others. I've also read C.S.
Lewis, Lee Strobel, Josh McDowell, and many other apologists. I've watched dozens of TED talks, documentaries, and debates on YouTube. I've also watched many episodes of the Atheist Experience, and read blogs by well known atheists.
I did all this to fulfill the command to "test the spirits to see if they are true." After over five years of research, I realized the bible was the "spirit" that wasn't true. Not only that, as Ursula LeGuin has said, " the clothes have no emperor." I realized that at the center of all the trappings of christianity everything was invisible, incomprehensible, and literally non-existent. I saw that the nothingness is made of pure imagination, indoctrination, and fervent hopes based on a fear of the reality of life and death.
This blog is my chance to go through the bible one more time, this time with the christian blinders removed, and read it as though it were just another book, which it is. Doing it online is my way of leaving a personal legacy that will hopefully influence others.
On to Exodus.
I have been a member of a fundamentalist Christian sect for over 35 years. During that time, I studied the bible diligently, just as I was told to. On my own, I also studied history, science, philosophy, psychology, and ethics. I read dozens of books about the bible from many perspectives. I've read books by Karen Armstrong, Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan, Bart Ehrman, Elaine Pagels, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennet, Michael Shermer, and many others. I've also read C.S.
Lewis, Lee Strobel, Josh McDowell, and many other apologists. I've watched dozens of TED talks, documentaries, and debates on YouTube. I've also watched many episodes of the Atheist Experience, and read blogs by well known atheists.
I did all this to fulfill the command to "test the spirits to see if they are true." After over five years of research, I realized the bible was the "spirit" that wasn't true. Not only that, as Ursula LeGuin has said, " the clothes have no emperor." I realized that at the center of all the trappings of christianity everything was invisible, incomprehensible, and literally non-existent. I saw that the nothingness is made of pure imagination, indoctrination, and fervent hopes based on a fear of the reality of life and death.
This blog is my chance to go through the bible one more time, this time with the christian blinders removed, and read it as though it were just another book, which it is. Doing it online is my way of leaving a personal legacy that will hopefully influence others.
On to Exodus.
Biblical marriage
Since this has been a hot topic in recent years, I thought we could cover marriage a la Genesis before we move on.
* Adam and Eve are never formally married. After them, marriage is called "taking a wife" which implies that it is a man's decision.
*Cain had to have married either his sister or a supernatural being, if we are to believe that Adam and Eve were the first male and female humans ever. Seth would have had the same choices as Cain. Anyone in the second generation would have had to marry a sibling or the child of two siblings. A third generation person might have had three generations to choose from: the second, third, and fourth, depending on how many children each generation produced.
*Abraham married his half-sister. Nahor married his niece. Isaac, Esau, and Jacob married cousins. Jacob's first two wives were sisters. I don't suppose we should count the relationship of Lot and his daughters. The children of Shem, Ham, and Japheth would have had extremely limited choices in spouses.
*A bride was purchased with material goods in the case of Rebekah, and seven years of labor in the cases of Rachel and Leah. Jacob was given two more wives by Rachel and Leah. These women had been slaves. Sarah also gave her slave to Abraham.
*We have examples of love and consent with Rebekah and Isaac, and Rachel and Jacob. Abraham loved Sarah. Jacob did not consent to marry Leah and did not love her. I don't imagine he loved his wives' slaves either since he was willing to sacrifice them first if there was an attack. The slave wives don't appear to have had any choice in matter.
*Abraham, Esau, and Jacob, each had more than one wife or partner at a time.
*Isaac and Esau did not marry their wives until the age of forty. Jacob was around fifty..
*When Tamar's husband Er died, she was expected to marry the next unmarried brother and produce an heir for her dead husband. When the second one died, she was expected to wait for the next unmarried brother, a child, to grow up so she could marry him and produce an heir for her dead husband.
*Many of Abraham's descendants married Canaanites, which was generally frowned upon. For some reason, relatives back in Haran were more acceptable, even though they were not Yahweh worshippers. Joseph married the daughter of an Egyptian priest of Ra, and that appears to have been okay.
* Adam and Eve are never formally married. After them, marriage is called "taking a wife" which implies that it is a man's decision.
*Cain had to have married either his sister or a supernatural being, if we are to believe that Adam and Eve were the first male and female humans ever. Seth would have had the same choices as Cain. Anyone in the second generation would have had to marry a sibling or the child of two siblings. A third generation person might have had three generations to choose from: the second, third, and fourth, depending on how many children each generation produced.
*Abraham married his half-sister. Nahor married his niece. Isaac, Esau, and Jacob married cousins. Jacob's first two wives were sisters. I don't suppose we should count the relationship of Lot and his daughters. The children of Shem, Ham, and Japheth would have had extremely limited choices in spouses.
*A bride was purchased with material goods in the case of Rebekah, and seven years of labor in the cases of Rachel and Leah. Jacob was given two more wives by Rachel and Leah. These women had been slaves. Sarah also gave her slave to Abraham.
*We have examples of love and consent with Rebekah and Isaac, and Rachel and Jacob. Abraham loved Sarah. Jacob did not consent to marry Leah and did not love her. I don't imagine he loved his wives' slaves either since he was willing to sacrifice them first if there was an attack. The slave wives don't appear to have had any choice in matter.
*Abraham, Esau, and Jacob, each had more than one wife or partner at a time.
*Isaac and Esau did not marry their wives until the age of forty. Jacob was around fifty..
*When Tamar's husband Er died, she was expected to marry the next unmarried brother and produce an heir for her dead husband. When the second one died, she was expected to wait for the next unmarried brother, a child, to grow up so she could marry him and produce an heir for her dead husband.
*Many of Abraham's descendants married Canaanites, which was generally frowned upon. For some reason, relatives back in Haran were more acceptable, even though they were not Yahweh worshippers. Joseph married the daughter of an Egyptian priest of Ra, and that appears to have been okay.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Genesis wrap up
What have we learned from the book of Genesis?
*We don't know who wrote this book or exactly when. Historians place its origin long after Moses would have lived. Nowhere does the book of Genesis claim it is God's word, or is inspired by God. Nor does it claim to be the words of Moses. The Hebrew language in which Genesis is written comes from approximately the 6th century B.C.E., about a thousand years after the last events recorded in the book. There are few place name anachronisms.
*We are not told anything about an afterlife, Hell, Satan, or demons. Everybody died and stayed dead, except Enoch.
*The God of Genesis is very powerful but not omnicient or omnipresent. He is able to do human activities like walking, talking, seeing, smelling, wrestling, and eating. He comes down to earth from some unknown place in the sky where he lives with some unknown others and angels. He likes dead animals, and the smell of roasting meat. He doesn't like grain sacrifices, tall towers, or clueless Pharoah's and kings. He doesn't seem to mind deceit, slavery, or the mistreatment of women. He needs to be reminded of his promises. His powers seem to be limited to being able to manipulate people and nature. He can be overpowered by a man. (Jacob) After God wrestles with Jacob, he no longer appears in physical form as a man. For the rest of the book, he is only seen in visions.
*Nothing derogatory is said about other gods. There are no prohibitions against worshiping other gods. Yahweh ( the lord) is said to be "Abraham's God, " not the only God.
*Angels look and act like regular people. They have a few powers. Sometimes they speak for God. We aren't told why he can't speak for himself.
*Circumcision is an everlasting covenant with all of Abraham's descendants who want to be part of the family and in on the promise of owning the land of Canaan. I underlined everlasting because about 2,000 years in the future a person named Paul will claim it is no longer necessary, and that it was actually just a metaphor. There is no indication in Genesis that circumcision is a metaphor for a spiritual state. It is an act of obedience, pure and simple.
*Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are all enriched, with God's support, at the expense of others, by deceit.
*We are given the supposed names of dozens of rulers of petty Canaanite kingdoms, who lack any proof of their existence. We are not given any of the names of the at least three Pharoah's of Egypt mentioned in Genesis. This is in spite of the fact that Hebrew writing would not have existed in the time frame of Genesis and that Egypt is a rich source of recorded ancient history.
*The first few chapters are obviously mythological, containing completely unrealistic and magical creation events.
*There are no concrete extra biblical evidences for any of the main characters in the stories contained in Genesis. Many of the place names and people groups are also unknown to history, with a few notable exceptions. The events themselves are also impossible to verify. In fact, it is very reasonable to accept Genesis as an etiological story, written as folk lore for a people (Israelites) trying to forge an identity and explain how their world came to be the way it was at the time of the story's writing. Other people groups had their own explanations of the world and humanity. Today, we know that the history of humanity didn't really revolve around the Middle East. It just happened to have very effective propaganda.
*We don't know who wrote this book or exactly when. Historians place its origin long after Moses would have lived. Nowhere does the book of Genesis claim it is God's word, or is inspired by God. Nor does it claim to be the words of Moses. The Hebrew language in which Genesis is written comes from approximately the 6th century B.C.E., about a thousand years after the last events recorded in the book. There are few place name anachronisms.
*We are not told anything about an afterlife, Hell, Satan, or demons. Everybody died and stayed dead, except Enoch.
*The God of Genesis is very powerful but not omnicient or omnipresent. He is able to do human activities like walking, talking, seeing, smelling, wrestling, and eating. He comes down to earth from some unknown place in the sky where he lives with some unknown others and angels. He likes dead animals, and the smell of roasting meat. He doesn't like grain sacrifices, tall towers, or clueless Pharoah's and kings. He doesn't seem to mind deceit, slavery, or the mistreatment of women. He needs to be reminded of his promises. His powers seem to be limited to being able to manipulate people and nature. He can be overpowered by a man. (Jacob) After God wrestles with Jacob, he no longer appears in physical form as a man. For the rest of the book, he is only seen in visions.
*Nothing derogatory is said about other gods. There are no prohibitions against worshiping other gods. Yahweh ( the lord) is said to be "Abraham's God, " not the only God.
*Angels look and act like regular people. They have a few powers. Sometimes they speak for God. We aren't told why he can't speak for himself.
*Circumcision is an everlasting covenant with all of Abraham's descendants who want to be part of the family and in on the promise of owning the land of Canaan. I underlined everlasting because about 2,000 years in the future a person named Paul will claim it is no longer necessary, and that it was actually just a metaphor. There is no indication in Genesis that circumcision is a metaphor for a spiritual state. It is an act of obedience, pure and simple.
*Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are all enriched, with God's support, at the expense of others, by deceit.
*We are given the supposed names of dozens of rulers of petty Canaanite kingdoms, who lack any proof of their existence. We are not given any of the names of the at least three Pharoah's of Egypt mentioned in Genesis. This is in spite of the fact that Hebrew writing would not have existed in the time frame of Genesis and that Egypt is a rich source of recorded ancient history.
*The first few chapters are obviously mythological, containing completely unrealistic and magical creation events.
*There are no concrete extra biblical evidences for any of the main characters in the stories contained in Genesis. Many of the place names and people groups are also unknown to history, with a few notable exceptions. The events themselves are also impossible to verify. In fact, it is very reasonable to accept Genesis as an etiological story, written as folk lore for a people (Israelites) trying to forge an identity and explain how their world came to be the way it was at the time of the story's writing. Other people groups had their own explanations of the world and humanity. Today, we know that the history of humanity didn't really revolve around the Middle East. It just happened to have very effective propaganda.
Genesis chapter 50
After reading chapter 50:
*Joseph mourned his father Jacob and embalmed him in the Egyptian way. Then, he asked Pharoah for permission to take his father's body back to Canaan to be buried. Pharoah gave permission. All the dignitaries of Egypt, Joseph's household, and Joseph's brothers went to bury Jacob. The children and flocks were left behind. I'm guessing the women were too.
*When they got near the Jordan River, they began a period of loud mourning. The locals noticed. Jacob was buried as he had asked to be, in the cave with his other relatives. After the burial, everyone returned to Egypt.
*Joseph's brothers began to worry that Joseph might be holding a grudge for what they did to him. Perhaps he hadn't acted on it because of their father. Now that dad was dead, what was he planning to do? So they sent a message to Joseph asking for forgiveness. Then, they went to Joseph and offered themselves as his slaves. Joseph said he was convinced God had planned everything that way on purpose so they would all live. He told them not to be afraid, he would continue to take care of them. I wonder how many people who weren't related to Jacob died in the famine. I guess God wasn't as concerned about their welfare.
*Joseph lived 110 years and became a great great grandfather. When he was about to die, he talked to his brothers, most of whom were older than he was. He made them swear an oath and told them that eventually God would come to their aid and help them leave Egypt to go to the land promised to their forefathers. When they did, they were to carry his bones with them. He died, was embalmed and put in a coffin in Egypt. The year would have been approximately 1696 B.C.E.
THE END
*Joseph mourned his father Jacob and embalmed him in the Egyptian way. Then, he asked Pharoah for permission to take his father's body back to Canaan to be buried. Pharoah gave permission. All the dignitaries of Egypt, Joseph's household, and Joseph's brothers went to bury Jacob. The children and flocks were left behind. I'm guessing the women were too.
*When they got near the Jordan River, they began a period of loud mourning. The locals noticed. Jacob was buried as he had asked to be, in the cave with his other relatives. After the burial, everyone returned to Egypt.
*Joseph's brothers began to worry that Joseph might be holding a grudge for what they did to him. Perhaps he hadn't acted on it because of their father. Now that dad was dead, what was he planning to do? So they sent a message to Joseph asking for forgiveness. Then, they went to Joseph and offered themselves as his slaves. Joseph said he was convinced God had planned everything that way on purpose so they would all live. He told them not to be afraid, he would continue to take care of them. I wonder how many people who weren't related to Jacob died in the famine. I guess God wasn't as concerned about their welfare.
*Joseph lived 110 years and became a great great grandfather. When he was about to die, he talked to his brothers, most of whom were older than he was. He made them swear an oath and told them that eventually God would come to their aid and help them leave Egypt to go to the land promised to their forefathers. When they did, they were to carry his bones with them. He died, was embalmed and put in a coffin in Egypt. The year would have been approximately 1696 B.C.E.
THE END
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Genesis chapter 49
After reading chapter 49:
*Jacob gathers his sons around to predict their futures, and the futures of their descendants. Reuben will not excel because he slept with his father's slave wife, Bilhah. Simeon and Levi, who killed all the men in Shechem, will be cursed and scattered in Israel. Judah will be a ruler, and is blessed. Zebulon will live by the sea. Issachar will be forced to labor. Dan will provide justice for the tribes of Israel. Gad will be attacked. Asher will be a gourmet. Naphtali will have beautiful offspring. Joseph is given many blessings and called the prince among his brothers. Benjamin is described as a ravenous wolf.
*Here is the first time we encounter symbolic references to the lion of Judah and God as a shepherd and a rock.
*For people, like me, who do not belive in being able to see the future, passages like this are assumed to have been written with hindsight, with knowledge of certain events having already happened. Therefore, it had to have been written some time after the first king of Israel in the lineage of Judah, David. That would be a good 700 years or so after these events.
*Jacob asks his sons to have him buried in the same place as Abrahaham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah, in the cave on land bought from the Hittites. Then he dies.
*Jacob gathers his sons around to predict their futures, and the futures of their descendants. Reuben will not excel because he slept with his father's slave wife, Bilhah. Simeon and Levi, who killed all the men in Shechem, will be cursed and scattered in Israel. Judah will be a ruler, and is blessed. Zebulon will live by the sea. Issachar will be forced to labor. Dan will provide justice for the tribes of Israel. Gad will be attacked. Asher will be a gourmet. Naphtali will have beautiful offspring. Joseph is given many blessings and called the prince among his brothers. Benjamin is described as a ravenous wolf.
*Here is the first time we encounter symbolic references to the lion of Judah and God as a shepherd and a rock.
*For people, like me, who do not belive in being able to see the future, passages like this are assumed to have been written with hindsight, with knowledge of certain events having already happened. Therefore, it had to have been written some time after the first king of Israel in the lineage of Judah, David. That would be a good 700 years or so after these events.
*Jacob asks his sons to have him buried in the same place as Abrahaham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah, in the cave on land bought from the Hittites. Then he dies.
Friday, August 14, 2015
Genesis chapter 48
After reading chapter 48:
* Later, Jacob became ill. So, Joseph took his two sons to visit Jacob. Jacob told Joseph how God had appeared to him in the past and told him the land of Canaan would be given to his descendants. He claims Joseph's sons as his own, so that they will inherit part of the territory promised. Then Jacob does something strange and asks who Joseph's sons are, which historians think is because of the meshing of two traditional stories into one, which also accounts for the names Jacob and Israel not being consistently used.
*Israel can hardly see,like Isaac of old. So, Joseph brings his children to his father and he kisses and hugs them. Joseph led Manasseh, the oldest, to Israel's right hand. He put Ephraim at Israel's left. These were the proper birth order blessing places. (These things don't work right unless you do them properly.) However, Israel crossed his arms, putting his hands on the opposite heads, the younger brother receiving the blessing of the first born. Joseph was displeased and tried to correct his father, but Israel said the younger would be greater than the older. In this manner, he continued the younger brother theme that we will see again. Why can't we still give our children prophetic blessings with our hands that will come true?
*Israel says God will be with Joseph and will take him back to Canaan. The ridge of land that Jacob took from the Amorites would belong to Joseph.
* Later, Jacob became ill. So, Joseph took his two sons to visit Jacob. Jacob told Joseph how God had appeared to him in the past and told him the land of Canaan would be given to his descendants. He claims Joseph's sons as his own, so that they will inherit part of the territory promised. Then Jacob does something strange and asks who Joseph's sons are, which historians think is because of the meshing of two traditional stories into one, which also accounts for the names Jacob and Israel not being consistently used.
*Israel can hardly see,like Isaac of old. So, Joseph brings his children to his father and he kisses and hugs them. Joseph led Manasseh, the oldest, to Israel's right hand. He put Ephraim at Israel's left. These were the proper birth order blessing places. (These things don't work right unless you do them properly.) However, Israel crossed his arms, putting his hands on the opposite heads, the younger brother receiving the blessing of the first born. Joseph was displeased and tried to correct his father, but Israel said the younger would be greater than the older. In this manner, he continued the younger brother theme that we will see again. Why can't we still give our children prophetic blessings with our hands that will come true?
*Israel says God will be with Joseph and will take him back to Canaan. The ridge of land that Jacob took from the Amorites would belong to Joseph.
Genesis chapter 47
After reading chapter 47:
*So, Joseph tells Pharoah his brothers are shepherds and they will be staying in Goshen. Pharoah repeats this like it is his idea. Joseph presents his father to the Pharoah who asks how old he is. Jacob says he is 130 short and difficult years old. (Since Joseph would have been about 39, Jacob was 91 when he was born. ) Then Jacob blesses Pharoah and leaves. Joseph gives his family property in the best part of the land, plus all the food they need. The property was said to be in the "district of Rameses" which is an anachronism. No Rameses had been Pharoah yet, and would not be for a few hundred years. This would have been approximately 1767 B.C.E., if we follow biblical chronology.
*Here I have to say a word about chronology. I have departed from Bishop Ussher since Abraham was born and am doing my own calculations based solely on the information given in the text of Genesis. While researching, I found that many adjustments to the chronology were made based on traditions and other books of the bible, even from the New Testament. There was an assumption that this is the chronology of the lineage of the messiah, and that all the scriptures must not contradict each other. I make no such assumptions.
*The famine raged on. People from all over Egypt and Canaan gave their money to Joseph for food, til there was no money left. They begged for food, so Joseph began to take livestock in payment until there was no livestock left. They begged for food again, so Joseph began to take land in payment, until Pharoah owned all the land in Egypt. Joseph reduced the people to servitude. (Nice guy.) The priests were the only ones left with land because they received an allotment of food from Pharoah and did not need to sell their land.
*After Pharoah owned all the land, Joseph gave the people seed and said from whatever they harvested, one-fifth would belong to Pharoah and four-fifths to them. This became a permanent law. You may have heard the phrase " the king's fifth." The priests were exempt. Apparently, so were the Israelites. They had plenty to eat, acquired property, and increased in numbers.
*When Jacob was 147, he called Joseph to him to swear that he would not be buried in Egypt when he died. Joseph swore as his father asked with his hand under Jacob's "thigh." (Read: genitals. )
*So, Joseph tells Pharoah his brothers are shepherds and they will be staying in Goshen. Pharoah repeats this like it is his idea. Joseph presents his father to the Pharoah who asks how old he is. Jacob says he is 130 short and difficult years old. (Since Joseph would have been about 39, Jacob was 91 when he was born. ) Then Jacob blesses Pharoah and leaves. Joseph gives his family property in the best part of the land, plus all the food they need. The property was said to be in the "district of Rameses" which is an anachronism. No Rameses had been Pharoah yet, and would not be for a few hundred years. This would have been approximately 1767 B.C.E., if we follow biblical chronology.
*Here I have to say a word about chronology. I have departed from Bishop Ussher since Abraham was born and am doing my own calculations based solely on the information given in the text of Genesis. While researching, I found that many adjustments to the chronology were made based on traditions and other books of the bible, even from the New Testament. There was an assumption that this is the chronology of the lineage of the messiah, and that all the scriptures must not contradict each other. I make no such assumptions.
*The famine raged on. People from all over Egypt and Canaan gave their money to Joseph for food, til there was no money left. They begged for food, so Joseph began to take livestock in payment until there was no livestock left. They begged for food again, so Joseph began to take land in payment, until Pharoah owned all the land in Egypt. Joseph reduced the people to servitude. (Nice guy.) The priests were the only ones left with land because they received an allotment of food from Pharoah and did not need to sell their land.
*After Pharoah owned all the land, Joseph gave the people seed and said from whatever they harvested, one-fifth would belong to Pharoah and four-fifths to them. This became a permanent law. You may have heard the phrase " the king's fifth." The priests were exempt. Apparently, so were the Israelites. They had plenty to eat, acquired property, and increased in numbers.
*When Jacob was 147, he called Joseph to him to swear that he would not be buried in Egypt when he died. Joseph swore as his father asked with his hand under Jacob's "thigh." (Read: genitals. )
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Genesis chapter 46
Afte reading chapter 46:
*So, Jacob and his descendants living in Canaan, sixty-four males and two females, plus the wives of the males, packed up all their belongings and began the trek to Egypt. If Judah's two dead sons plus Joseph's sons in Egypt are counted, Jacob had 70 direct descendants, only two of them female. What are the odds?
*The daughters were apparently not married. Remember what happened when a Canaanite wanted to marry Dinah? One wonders where the wives of all the sons came from. Only Judah and Simeon are said to have had Canaanite wives.
*They stopped at Beersheba, where Jacob made a sacrifice to the God of his father Isaac. God appeared to him in a vision at night (a dream) and told him not to be afraid of going to Egypt. Then Jacob sent Judah ahead to ask Joseph for directions to Goshen. Joseph went to Goshen in his chariot to meet his father. When they saw each other, they had a very tearful reunion.
*Joseph said Pharoah would be told that they were shepherds which were detestable to the Egyptians. For some reason this would guarantee them a place to settle in Goshen. If we count all the wives and the unmentioned slaves, there must have been well over a hundred people in the group.
*So, Jacob and his descendants living in Canaan, sixty-four males and two females, plus the wives of the males, packed up all their belongings and began the trek to Egypt. If Judah's two dead sons plus Joseph's sons in Egypt are counted, Jacob had 70 direct descendants, only two of them female. What are the odds?
*The daughters were apparently not married. Remember what happened when a Canaanite wanted to marry Dinah? One wonders where the wives of all the sons came from. Only Judah and Simeon are said to have had Canaanite wives.
*They stopped at Beersheba, where Jacob made a sacrifice to the God of his father Isaac. God appeared to him in a vision at night (a dream) and told him not to be afraid of going to Egypt. Then Jacob sent Judah ahead to ask Joseph for directions to Goshen. Joseph went to Goshen in his chariot to meet his father. When they saw each other, they had a very tearful reunion.
*Joseph said Pharoah would be told that they were shepherds which were detestable to the Egyptians. For some reason this would guarantee them a place to settle in Goshen. If we count all the wives and the unmentioned slaves, there must have been well over a hundred people in the group.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Genesis chapter 45
After reading chapter 45:
*After Judah pleads with Joseph, Joseph orders all his attendants to leave the room. He emotionally reveals himself to his brothers and they are terrified. He tells them not to worry about what they did to him in the past, God planned it that way so Joseph could save them from the famine that God created. (Gen. 21:28-32) God's ultimate goal was to "preserve a remnant" of this family, a theme that is echoed in other bible books.
*Joseph tells them that he is ruler over all of Egypt. The brothers must go get their father and bring him back, along with all their family members and possessions. They will live in the land of Goshen and Joseph will take care of them because there are still five years of famine left. He charges them to tell their father everything about his high position. Then everyone weeps and hugs and kisses each other.
*Pharoah is told of these events and is pleased. He offers the brothers help traveling to Canaan to get their father, and promises them everything they need and more. Everyone was loaded with gifts and sent on their way with an admonition not to quarrel along the way. When they got back to Canaan and told Jacob everything, he was stunned. At first he didn't believe them, but the rich gifts convinced him. He agreed to go to Egypt.
*This continues the pattern of each of the patriarchs of this family spending time in Egypt during famines, first Abraham, then Isaac, now Jacob (Israel). Abraham and Isaac were asked to leave. Joseph has been asked to stay.
*After Judah pleads with Joseph, Joseph orders all his attendants to leave the room. He emotionally reveals himself to his brothers and they are terrified. He tells them not to worry about what they did to him in the past, God planned it that way so Joseph could save them from the famine that God created. (Gen. 21:28-32) God's ultimate goal was to "preserve a remnant" of this family, a theme that is echoed in other bible books.
*Joseph tells them that he is ruler over all of Egypt. The brothers must go get their father and bring him back, along with all their family members and possessions. They will live in the land of Goshen and Joseph will take care of them because there are still five years of famine left. He charges them to tell their father everything about his high position. Then everyone weeps and hugs and kisses each other.
*Pharoah is told of these events and is pleased. He offers the brothers help traveling to Canaan to get their father, and promises them everything they need and more. Everyone was loaded with gifts and sent on their way with an admonition not to quarrel along the way. When they got back to Canaan and told Jacob everything, he was stunned. At first he didn't believe them, but the rich gifts convinced him. He agreed to go to Egypt.
*This continues the pattern of each of the patriarchs of this family spending time in Egypt during famines, first Abraham, then Isaac, now Jacob (Israel). Abraham and Isaac were asked to leave. Joseph has been asked to stay.
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Genesis chapter 44
After reading chapter 44:
*After the feast, Joseph's steward filled the brothers' sacks with food and put back their silver. Joseph told the steward to also put his personal silver cup in Benjamin's sack. After they had left in the morning, the steward was sent after them to accuse them of stealing the cup Joseph used for "divination." I wonder which school of witchcraft and wizardry Joseph attended.
*The brothers were confused and protested their innocence. They said that anyone who possessed the cup would become a slave. The steward agreed. The cup was found in Benjamin's sack and the brothers were horrified. They all went back to the city. ( Which Egyptian city was it, by the way?) The brothers told Joseph they could not prove their innocence, so they would all become his slaves. He said that wasn't necessary, only Benjamin would be his slave.
*Judah went up to Joseph and explained what Benjamin's capture would do to their father. They told him the story of how upset his father had been at the loss of Joseph. Judah told Joseph his father's life was at stake and offered to remain in Benjamin's stead, in order to prevent such misery.
*After the feast, Joseph's steward filled the brothers' sacks with food and put back their silver. Joseph told the steward to also put his personal silver cup in Benjamin's sack. After they had left in the morning, the steward was sent after them to accuse them of stealing the cup Joseph used for "divination." I wonder which school of witchcraft and wizardry Joseph attended.
*The brothers were confused and protested their innocence. They said that anyone who possessed the cup would become a slave. The steward agreed. The cup was found in Benjamin's sack and the brothers were horrified. They all went back to the city. ( Which Egyptian city was it, by the way?) The brothers told Joseph they could not prove their innocence, so they would all become his slaves. He said that wasn't necessary, only Benjamin would be his slave.
*Judah went up to Joseph and explained what Benjamin's capture would do to their father. They told him the story of how upset his father had been at the loss of Joseph. Judah told Joseph his father's life was at stake and offered to remain in Benjamin's stead, in order to prevent such misery.
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Genesis chapter 43
After reading chapter 43:
* When Jacob's family ran out of grain, he told them to go back to Egypt and get some more. Judah reminded him that they had to bring Benjamin with them or they wouldn't be given any more grain. Jacob was against it, but they would starve otherwise. Judah offered to bear the responsibility for Bejamin's safety. Jacob relented and told them to take gifts with them and double the silver, in case getting the silver back last time was a mistake.
* So the brothers hurried back to Egypt with Benjamin. When Joseph saw them, he ordered a meal prepared for them at his house. The brothers were afraid this was a trick to capture and enslave them for non- payment. They explained their situation to the steward, who told them not to be afraid. He had received payment for the last load of grain.
*The brothers went to Joseph's house with the gifts they had brought and bowed down to Joseph. He asked them about their father. When he saw Benjamin, he had to leave the room to hide his tears. When he came back the food was served but Joseph did not eat at the same table. The Egyptians also ate at separate tables because eating with Hebrews was detestable to them. The brothers were seated in order from oldest to youngest and Benjamin was given five times as much food as every one else.
*Exactly what a Hebrew was at that time is unclear. Abraham was called a Hebrew back in chapter 14, so he can't have been the first, if we take the story as fact. It is possible that it just meant a class of shepherding nomads.
* When Jacob's family ran out of grain, he told them to go back to Egypt and get some more. Judah reminded him that they had to bring Benjamin with them or they wouldn't be given any more grain. Jacob was against it, but they would starve otherwise. Judah offered to bear the responsibility for Bejamin's safety. Jacob relented and told them to take gifts with them and double the silver, in case getting the silver back last time was a mistake.
* So the brothers hurried back to Egypt with Benjamin. When Joseph saw them, he ordered a meal prepared for them at his house. The brothers were afraid this was a trick to capture and enslave them for non- payment. They explained their situation to the steward, who told them not to be afraid. He had received payment for the last load of grain.
*The brothers went to Joseph's house with the gifts they had brought and bowed down to Joseph. He asked them about their father. When he saw Benjamin, he had to leave the room to hide his tears. When he came back the food was served but Joseph did not eat at the same table. The Egyptians also ate at separate tables because eating with Hebrews was detestable to them. The brothers were seated in order from oldest to youngest and Benjamin was given five times as much food as every one else.
*Exactly what a Hebrew was at that time is unclear. Abraham was called a Hebrew back in chapter 14, so he can't have been the first, if we take the story as fact. It is possible that it just meant a class of shepherding nomads.
Genesis chapter 42
After reading chapter 42:
*The famine reached Canaan. Jacob told ten of his sons to go to Egypt to buy grain. Benjamin, the youngest son of Rachel, was left behind. When Joseph's brothers arrived in Egypt, they went to Joseph and bowed down to ask for grain, without knowing who he was. He knew them and remembered his dreams that he would one day rule over them. He accused them of being spies even though he knew they were not. They explained who they were and why they were there, but Joseph continued to act suspicious. He put them in custody for three days and told them that one of them needed to go back and get the youngest brother to prove they were not lying. After the three days, he changed that to one remaining and the others going back.
* The brothers discussed why this had happened and became convinced it was because of the way they had treated Joseph when he was young. Unknown to them, Joseph overheard and began to cry. Then he had Simeon taken and tied up. He had their sacks loaded with grain and their silver put back in the sacks. When they stopped to camp, they discovered the silver and were afraid. They thought God was punishing them 27 years after the fact.
*When they got home, they told Jacob everything that had happened. He was very upset. Reuben offered to have his two sons put to death if Bejamin was not brought back safely. ( nice) Jacob was not going to allow Benjamin, the only surviving child of Rachel, to go to Egypt. He would surely die if Benjamin left.
* Notice that the brother's three days in prison echoes the three days between the interpretation of the cupbearer's and baker's dreams and their release from prison.
*The famine reached Canaan. Jacob told ten of his sons to go to Egypt to buy grain. Benjamin, the youngest son of Rachel, was left behind. When Joseph's brothers arrived in Egypt, they went to Joseph and bowed down to ask for grain, without knowing who he was. He knew them and remembered his dreams that he would one day rule over them. He accused them of being spies even though he knew they were not. They explained who they were and why they were there, but Joseph continued to act suspicious. He put them in custody for three days and told them that one of them needed to go back and get the youngest brother to prove they were not lying. After the three days, he changed that to one remaining and the others going back.
* The brothers discussed why this had happened and became convinced it was because of the way they had treated Joseph when he was young. Unknown to them, Joseph overheard and began to cry. Then he had Simeon taken and tied up. He had their sacks loaded with grain and their silver put back in the sacks. When they stopped to camp, they discovered the silver and were afraid. They thought God was punishing them 27 years after the fact.
*When they got home, they told Jacob everything that had happened. He was very upset. Reuben offered to have his two sons put to death if Bejamin was not brought back safely. ( nice) Jacob was not going to allow Benjamin, the only surviving child of Rachel, to go to Egypt. He would surely die if Benjamin left.
* Notice that the brother's three days in prison echoes the three days between the interpretation of the cupbearer's and baker's dreams and their release from prison.
Friday, August 7, 2015
Genesis chapter 41
After reading Genesis chapter 41:
*Two years after chapter 40, Pharoah had a dream with seven fat cows and seven skinny cows. The skinny cows ate up the fat cows. The dream woke him up. He managed to get back to sleep and had another dream with seven thin heads of grain swallowing seven fat heads of grain. Then he woke up again. He sent for all the (crackpot) magicians and (pretend) wise men in Egypt. They couldn't tell him what the dreams meant. Then the chief cupbearer remembered Joseph and told Pharoah how he had interpreted dreams in prison.
*Pharoah sent for Joseph and asked him to interpret the dreams. Joseph said God could interpret dreams, not him, but he proceeded to do so anyway. The seven fat things represented seven years of plenty, the seven lean things were seven years of famine that were to come. God would be the one causing these events. Pharoah should prepare ahead of time for the lean years, following the plan Joseph laid out.
* Pharoah was impressed with Joseph and his relationship with God. He put Joseph in charge of the palace and made him second in command. He gave Joseph all the royal paraphernalia necessary for being in charge of all the land of Egypt: a signet ring, fine linen robes, a gold chain, and a chariot. Joseph was also given the daughter of a priest of Ra to marry. Now Pharoah was free to go fishing and if anything went wrong, it would be Joseph's fault. Joseph was 30 years old by this time.
*Joseph, however, continued to be the go- getter he always was. He made sure that an abundance of grain was stored during the years of plenty in preparation for the coming famine. Before the famine came, he fathered two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. When the famine hit and people ran out of food, Joseph distributed the grain he had stored. The famine spread to the surrounding countries and they also came to Joseph for grain.
*Two years after chapter 40, Pharoah had a dream with seven fat cows and seven skinny cows. The skinny cows ate up the fat cows. The dream woke him up. He managed to get back to sleep and had another dream with seven thin heads of grain swallowing seven fat heads of grain. Then he woke up again. He sent for all the (crackpot) magicians and (pretend) wise men in Egypt. They couldn't tell him what the dreams meant. Then the chief cupbearer remembered Joseph and told Pharoah how he had interpreted dreams in prison.
*Pharoah sent for Joseph and asked him to interpret the dreams. Joseph said God could interpret dreams, not him, but he proceeded to do so anyway. The seven fat things represented seven years of plenty, the seven lean things were seven years of famine that were to come. God would be the one causing these events. Pharoah should prepare ahead of time for the lean years, following the plan Joseph laid out.
* Pharoah was impressed with Joseph and his relationship with God. He put Joseph in charge of the palace and made him second in command. He gave Joseph all the royal paraphernalia necessary for being in charge of all the land of Egypt: a signet ring, fine linen robes, a gold chain, and a chariot. Joseph was also given the daughter of a priest of Ra to marry. Now Pharoah was free to go fishing and if anything went wrong, it would be Joseph's fault. Joseph was 30 years old by this time.
*Joseph, however, continued to be the go- getter he always was. He made sure that an abundance of grain was stored during the years of plenty in preparation for the coming famine. Before the famine came, he fathered two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. When the famine hit and people ran out of food, Joseph distributed the grain he had stored. The famine spread to the surrounding countries and they also came to Joseph for grain.
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Genesis chapter 40
After reading chapter 40:
*While in prison, the warden assigned Joseph to serve the king's chief cupbearer and the king's chief baker. The king was angry with them and had them imprisoned. One morning Joseph found them both in a dejected state of mind. They had dreamt weird dreams and could not interpret them. (Because weird dreams always mean something, right?)
*Joseph said the interpretation of dreams belongs to God. He must be god, because he proceeded to interpret those dreams himself. The chief cupbearer's dream meant that he would get his old job back. (His head would be lifted up.) Joseph asked him to mention Joseph to Pharoah when he was back in Pharoah's employ. He wanted out of prison. The chief baker's dream meant that he would be hung from a tree and eaten by birds. ( His head would be lifted off.)
*On his birthday, three days later, Pharoah gave a feast for all his officials and released the cupbearer and baker. Joseph's predictions for them both came true. However, the cupbearer forgot all about Joseph.
* Herod Antipas is the next biblical king that has a birthday party with all his officials. John the Baptist was in prison at the time and Herod had him beheaded, an interesting coincidence.
*While in prison, the warden assigned Joseph to serve the king's chief cupbearer and the king's chief baker. The king was angry with them and had them imprisoned. One morning Joseph found them both in a dejected state of mind. They had dreamt weird dreams and could not interpret them. (Because weird dreams always mean something, right?)
*Joseph said the interpretation of dreams belongs to God. He must be god, because he proceeded to interpret those dreams himself. The chief cupbearer's dream meant that he would get his old job back. (His head would be lifted up.) Joseph asked him to mention Joseph to Pharoah when he was back in Pharoah's employ. He wanted out of prison. The chief baker's dream meant that he would be hung from a tree and eaten by birds. ( His head would be lifted off.)
*On his birthday, three days later, Pharoah gave a feast for all his officials and released the cupbearer and baker. Joseph's predictions for them both came true. However, the cupbearer forgot all about Joseph.
* Herod Antipas is the next biblical king that has a birthday party with all his officials. John the Baptist was in prison at the time and Herod had him beheaded, an interesting coincidence.
Genesis chapter 39:
After reading chapter 39:
*So, after Joseph's second cousins sold him to Potiphar, one of the Pharoah's officials, Yahweh was with him and gave him success. Joseph became a great favorite with Potiphar, who gave him lots of responsibility and privileges.
*Potiphar's wife found Joseph very attractive and actively tried to seduce him. Joseph resisted strenuously. One day Potiphar's wife managed to catch him alone and tried to force herself on him. Joseph ran away, but she was left holding his cloak. She used that cloak to accuse Joseph of attempted assault. Her husband was furious and had Joseph thrown in the king's prison.
*While Joseph was in prison Yahweh was with him again and he became a great favorite of the warden, who gave him responsibilities and privileges.
* The one thing I notice about this passage is that all the good things that happen to Joseph are attributed to Yahweh's favor, not Joseph's abilities and hard work. The bad things are just bad luck. Another thing is that Potiphar is named but the Pharoah is not.
*So, after Joseph's second cousins sold him to Potiphar, one of the Pharoah's officials, Yahweh was with him and gave him success. Joseph became a great favorite with Potiphar, who gave him lots of responsibility and privileges.
*Potiphar's wife found Joseph very attractive and actively tried to seduce him. Joseph resisted strenuously. One day Potiphar's wife managed to catch him alone and tried to force herself on him. Joseph ran away, but she was left holding his cloak. She used that cloak to accuse Joseph of attempted assault. Her husband was furious and had Joseph thrown in the king's prison.
*While Joseph was in prison Yahweh was with him again and he became a great favorite of the warden, who gave him responsibilities and privileges.
* The one thing I notice about this passage is that all the good things that happen to Joseph are attributed to Yahweh's favor, not Joseph's abilities and hard work. The bad things are just bad luck. Another thing is that Potiphar is named but the Pharoah is not.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Genesis chapter 38
After reading chapter 38:
*In which we interrupt the story of Joseph to learn about Judah and Tamar. The story will be important later, so it had to be stuck into the narrative of the Israelites somewhere.
*Judah went off and married a Canaanite woman. They had three sons, Er, Onan, and Shela. Er grew up and married Tamar. Er was wicked so Yahweh killed him. Judah told Onan to get Er's wife pregnant so Er would have an heir. (Tamar's opinion on this matter didn't matter) Onan didn't want to produce a son that would not be his, so he practiced primitive natural birth control. Yahweh thought Onan's behavior in this regard was wicked, so he killed Onan. These verses have been the cause of much consternation for people of the bible for centuries. Is using birth control worthy of death? Does God hate birth control? As usual, the opinions on this topic are many and varied. We will not go into them, other than to say that for thousands, from Catholics to fundamentalists, the answer is yes. Plus, they would prefer the whole world refrained from using birth control, so they attempt to affect public policy and the medical profession.
*Judah sent Tamar back to her father's house to wait for Shela to grow up, presumably so he could impregnate her. Meanwhile, Judah's wife died. Shela had grown up, but Tamar had not been married to him. Tamar got tired of waiting around with no husband and no child so she took matters into her own hands. She heard that her father-in-law would be passing by a certain spot and went to sit by the road dressed like a prostitue. When Judah passed by, he offered to give her a young goat in exchange for her services. She requested his seal and staff as proof of his pledge. He complied and so did she.
*Later, Judah sent the goat, expecting to get his staff and seal back, but Tamar was nowhere to be found. He didn't pursue the matter because he didn't want to look like a fool. Three months later, Tamar was discovered to be pregnant and was accused of prostitution, which was apparently considered wicked, even though we haven't seen God make any rules about it yet. We saw earlier, in the case of Shechem and Dinah, that treating a woman like a prostitute was also considered wicked.(Maybe it was only Israelite women that mattered. ) In spite of this fact, when he heard the news, Judah condemned Tamar to death by burning, exhibiting the double standard that men all over the world have operated under for as long as recorded history.
*When she was being brought to her execution, Tamar sent Judah his seal and staff, showing who was the person responsible for her condition. Judah recognized his responsibility in the matter and Tamar was not killed. Tamar had twin sons. One put out a hand first and was marked with a scarlett thread as the first born, then he withdrew and his other brother was born. This is to follow the younger brother theme. The boy with the scarlett thread was Zerah. The other was Perez.
*In which we interrupt the story of Joseph to learn about Judah and Tamar. The story will be important later, so it had to be stuck into the narrative of the Israelites somewhere.
*Judah went off and married a Canaanite woman. They had three sons, Er, Onan, and Shela. Er grew up and married Tamar. Er was wicked so Yahweh killed him. Judah told Onan to get Er's wife pregnant so Er would have an heir. (Tamar's opinion on this matter didn't matter) Onan didn't want to produce a son that would not be his, so he practiced primitive natural birth control. Yahweh thought Onan's behavior in this regard was wicked, so he killed Onan. These verses have been the cause of much consternation for people of the bible for centuries. Is using birth control worthy of death? Does God hate birth control? As usual, the opinions on this topic are many and varied. We will not go into them, other than to say that for thousands, from Catholics to fundamentalists, the answer is yes. Plus, they would prefer the whole world refrained from using birth control, so they attempt to affect public policy and the medical profession.
*Judah sent Tamar back to her father's house to wait for Shela to grow up, presumably so he could impregnate her. Meanwhile, Judah's wife died. Shela had grown up, but Tamar had not been married to him. Tamar got tired of waiting around with no husband and no child so she took matters into her own hands. She heard that her father-in-law would be passing by a certain spot and went to sit by the road dressed like a prostitue. When Judah passed by, he offered to give her a young goat in exchange for her services. She requested his seal and staff as proof of his pledge. He complied and so did she.
*Later, Judah sent the goat, expecting to get his staff and seal back, but Tamar was nowhere to be found. He didn't pursue the matter because he didn't want to look like a fool. Three months later, Tamar was discovered to be pregnant and was accused of prostitution, which was apparently considered wicked, even though we haven't seen God make any rules about it yet. We saw earlier, in the case of Shechem and Dinah, that treating a woman like a prostitute was also considered wicked.(Maybe it was only Israelite women that mattered. ) In spite of this fact, when he heard the news, Judah condemned Tamar to death by burning, exhibiting the double standard that men all over the world have operated under for as long as recorded history.
*When she was being brought to her execution, Tamar sent Judah his seal and staff, showing who was the person responsible for her condition. Judah recognized his responsibility in the matter and Tamar was not killed. Tamar had twin sons. One put out a hand first and was marked with a scarlett thread as the first born, then he withdrew and his other brother was born. This is to follow the younger brother theme. The boy with the scarlett thread was Zerah. The other was Perez.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Genesis chapter 37
After reading chapter 37:
*This chapter begins by telling us it is the account of Jacob. When we read it, we see it begins the story of Joseph, Jacob's son by his beloved wife Rachel.
* Joseph, the youngest son, is seventeen. He is tending the flocks with his brothers by Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's slave wives. He tattles.
*Joseph is Jacob's (The text can't decide whether to call him Jacob or Israel. This may be because it is a mash up of two different texts and traditions.) favorite son. Israel personally makes Joseph a fancy robe. The other sons are jealous because they know Joseph is their father's favorite child. They despise him and let him know it. Then Joseph has a dream which makes them hate him even more. His dream obviously means that he will rule over his brothers. Then, he has another similar dream. This time it includes his mother and father. (His mother died back in chapter 35!?) His father publicly rebukes him but privately wonders if there is any truth in it. His brothers become even more jealous.
*The brothers are grazing their father's flocks near Shechem, which should not exist any more because they destroyed it back in chapter 34. Israel sends Joseph from Hebron to check up on his brothers. When he gets to Shechem, a man tells him they have moved on to Dothan. He goes after them. His brothers see him coming and begin to plot to kill him. When you have killed a whole village of men, what's one more, even if it is your brother. Reuben, the oldest, convinces them just to throw him in a cistern. He plans to come back and rescue Joseph later.
*So they take off his fancy robe and throw him into the empty cistern. They see some Ishmaelite travelling merchants coming along on their way to Egypt. Judah convinces the rest of the brothers to sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites. (They are also called Midianites in the next few verses. Ishmael and Midian were both sons of Abraham. That would make the traders their second cousins.) They sell him for twenty shekels of silver. Later, in Leviticus 27, we will see that God sets the value of a male between the ages of 5 and 20 at twenty shekels. Reuben was not present at the time. When he gets back he is in despair. What's he going to do now?
*The brothers kill a goat and paint Joseph's fancy coat with blood to make Jacob think he is dead. It works. Jacob goes into deep mourning. Joseph is sold to Potiphar, Pharoah's captain of the guard.
*This chapter begins by telling us it is the account of Jacob. When we read it, we see it begins the story of Joseph, Jacob's son by his beloved wife Rachel.
* Joseph, the youngest son, is seventeen. He is tending the flocks with his brothers by Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's slave wives. He tattles.
*Joseph is Jacob's (The text can't decide whether to call him Jacob or Israel. This may be because it is a mash up of two different texts and traditions.) favorite son. Israel personally makes Joseph a fancy robe. The other sons are jealous because they know Joseph is their father's favorite child. They despise him and let him know it. Then Joseph has a dream which makes them hate him even more. His dream obviously means that he will rule over his brothers. Then, he has another similar dream. This time it includes his mother and father. (His mother died back in chapter 35!?) His father publicly rebukes him but privately wonders if there is any truth in it. His brothers become even more jealous.
*The brothers are grazing their father's flocks near Shechem, which should not exist any more because they destroyed it back in chapter 34. Israel sends Joseph from Hebron to check up on his brothers. When he gets to Shechem, a man tells him they have moved on to Dothan. He goes after them. His brothers see him coming and begin to plot to kill him. When you have killed a whole village of men, what's one more, even if it is your brother. Reuben, the oldest, convinces them just to throw him in a cistern. He plans to come back and rescue Joseph later.
*So they take off his fancy robe and throw him into the empty cistern. They see some Ishmaelite travelling merchants coming along on their way to Egypt. Judah convinces the rest of the brothers to sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites. (They are also called Midianites in the next few verses. Ishmael and Midian were both sons of Abraham. That would make the traders their second cousins.) They sell him for twenty shekels of silver. Later, in Leviticus 27, we will see that God sets the value of a male between the ages of 5 and 20 at twenty shekels. Reuben was not present at the time. When he gets back he is in despair. What's he going to do now?
*The brothers kill a goat and paint Joseph's fancy coat with blood to make Jacob think he is dead. It works. Jacob goes into deep mourning. Joseph is sold to Potiphar, Pharoah's captain of the guard.
Genesis chapter 36
After reading chapter 36:
*This chapter is dedicated to Esau and his descendants. The main take away is that he was the founding father of the Edomites. They are associated with an area south of the Dead Sea. Later Edomites would be called Idumeans.
*Notice that verses 31-39 talks about kings of Edom, "before any Israelite King reigned." The wording suggests that this passage had to have been written after any Israelite kings reigned, which would have been long after Moses, the supposed author of the book of Genesis.
*This chapter is dedicated to Esau and his descendants. The main take away is that he was the founding father of the Edomites. They are associated with an area south of the Dead Sea. Later Edomites would be called Idumeans.
*Notice that verses 31-39 talks about kings of Edom, "before any Israelite King reigned." The wording suggests that this passage had to have been written after any Israelite kings reigned, which would have been long after Moses, the supposed author of the book of Genesis.
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Genesis chapter 35
After reading chapter 35:
*After the Dinah episode, God conveniently tells Jacob to move to Bethel. Before they leave, Jacob gathers up all the idols and earrings his household has and buries them under the oak at Shechem. Remember his household now contains all the women and children of Shechem as slaves. The tree is most likely one of the "great trees" that were found near each town. They were where the people of those places went to consult their gods.
*As they pass through the land, nobody bothers them because the "terror of God" was upon them. If this actually happened, it would be more likely they had heard about the massacre and were afraid they would be next. When they got to Bethel, Jacob built an altar. Then Deborah, Rebekah's nurse dies and is buried. What she is doing with them is anybody's guess.
* Verses 9-15 are weirdly redundant and don't seem to fit in the story. There is reiteration of Jacob being named Israel, the promise of the land of Canaan for his descendants, and Jacob naming the place where God talked to him Bethel.
*The storyline continues with verse 16. They are on the move from Bethel when Rachel gives birth to another son named Benjamin. The birth was difficult and Rachel died. She was buried and Jacob set up a pillar to mark her tomb. They moved on again and while they are in Migdal Eder, Reuben sleeps with his father's concubine Bilhah. Bilhah had been Rachel's slave and was the mother of two of Reuben's brothers, Dan and Naphtali. Here it says she was a concubine, before she was described as a wife.
*Jacob finally reaches his father in Hebron. Isaac had lived 180 years when he dies and Esau and Jacob bury him. The year would be about 1777 B.C.E. , if we attempt to follow biblical chronology.
*After the Dinah episode, God conveniently tells Jacob to move to Bethel. Before they leave, Jacob gathers up all the idols and earrings his household has and buries them under the oak at Shechem. Remember his household now contains all the women and children of Shechem as slaves. The tree is most likely one of the "great trees" that were found near each town. They were where the people of those places went to consult their gods.
*As they pass through the land, nobody bothers them because the "terror of God" was upon them. If this actually happened, it would be more likely they had heard about the massacre and were afraid they would be next. When they got to Bethel, Jacob built an altar. Then Deborah, Rebekah's nurse dies and is buried. What she is doing with them is anybody's guess.
* Verses 9-15 are weirdly redundant and don't seem to fit in the story. There is reiteration of Jacob being named Israel, the promise of the land of Canaan for his descendants, and Jacob naming the place where God talked to him Bethel.
*The storyline continues with verse 16. They are on the move from Bethel when Rachel gives birth to another son named Benjamin. The birth was difficult and Rachel died. She was buried and Jacob set up a pillar to mark her tomb. They moved on again and while they are in Migdal Eder, Reuben sleeps with his father's concubine Bilhah. Bilhah had been Rachel's slave and was the mother of two of Reuben's brothers, Dan and Naphtali. Here it says she was a concubine, before she was described as a wife.
*Jacob finally reaches his father in Hebron. Isaac had lived 180 years when he dies and Esau and Jacob bury him. The year would be about 1777 B.C.E. , if we attempt to follow biblical chronology.
Brutality in the Bible
Now that we have read the story of Dinah, it would be a good time to talk about brutality in the Bible. There will be a lot more to come.
If we take this story as an isolated incident contained within the book if Genesis, what do we see? The first thing I notice is that, so far, God has given no universal commands that apply to all humans, other than: 1. Be fruitful and multiply 2. Do not eat meat with blood in it. 3. Whoever sheds the blood of another man, by man shall his blood be shed.(Genesis 9:4-7) Levi and Simeon murdered all the men in the city of Shechem. They were never made to pay for their crime by Jacob or God.
By modern standards, this killing spree is disturbing to say the least. In first world countries today, the killers would be incarcerated, given psychiatric examinations, put on trial, and probably jailed for life or put in an institution for the criminally insane. I dare say that there has been no place in the world at any time where any group of people would choose to be slaughtered because one of their men assaulted a woman from another tribe.(If we read the story as factual, it is not even clear that Dinah was assaulted.) At most, they would give up the man for punishment, pay her bride price, or give one of their own women as restitution.
The argument that this was a cultural thing has no precedent in Genesis. Obviously, the people of Shechem had no idea that they had done anything worthy of annihilation. There is no big picture here, just psychotic rage. The argument that this "just goes to show that they were human" is based on the assumption that all humans are essentially depraved. I reject that assumption.
I recommend The History Of Violence with Steven Pinker
If we take this story as an isolated incident contained within the book if Genesis, what do we see? The first thing I notice is that, so far, God has given no universal commands that apply to all humans, other than: 1. Be fruitful and multiply 2. Do not eat meat with blood in it. 3. Whoever sheds the blood of another man, by man shall his blood be shed.(Genesis 9:4-7) Levi and Simeon murdered all the men in the city of Shechem. They were never made to pay for their crime by Jacob or God.
By modern standards, this killing spree is disturbing to say the least. In first world countries today, the killers would be incarcerated, given psychiatric examinations, put on trial, and probably jailed for life or put in an institution for the criminally insane. I dare say that there has been no place in the world at any time where any group of people would choose to be slaughtered because one of their men assaulted a woman from another tribe.(If we read the story as factual, it is not even clear that Dinah was assaulted.) At most, they would give up the man for punishment, pay her bride price, or give one of their own women as restitution.
The argument that this was a cultural thing has no precedent in Genesis. Obviously, the people of Shechem had no idea that they had done anything worthy of annihilation. There is no big picture here, just psychotic rage. The argument that this "just goes to show that they were human" is based on the assumption that all humans are essentially depraved. I reject that assumption.
I recommend The History Of Violence with Steven Pinker
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