Allow Me to Explain (51 of 439) – Esau’s Harem

February 24, 2012 in TheyReasoned with 2 Comments

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51. Who was Bashemath’s father? Genesis 26:34 vs. Genesis 36:2-3

It’s kind of like asking who Julie’s father is, isn’t it?

Genesis 26:34
When Esau was forty years old he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite;

Genesis 36:3
Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite; Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; and Basemath, Ishmaels daughter, sister of Nebajoth.

So let’s do a quick wife head-count, for ease of reference:

  1. Judith, daughter of Beeri the Hittite
  2. Basemath, daughter of Elon the Hittite
    .
  3. Adah, daughter of Elon the Hittite
  4. Aholibamah, daughter of Anah/Zibeon the Hivite
  5. Basemath, daughter of Ishmael

We’ve looked at the concept that names, in the ancient civilizations the Old Testament records, are not non-negotiable like they are today. Heritage was important; names could change.

Since the heritage of the two “Basemath”s are different, an ancient reader would naturally infer that they are different women.

Gill’s Exposition notes that first-century secular Jewish historian, Josephus, and distinguished 12th-century Jewish scholar, Aben Ezra agree that the Basemath from Genesis 26 (Wife #2) and Adah from Genesis 36 (Wife #3) are probably the same woman. Which analysis again demonstrates the importance of heritage over names.

Short answer: Elon was the father of one, and Ishamel was the father of another.

And scores more fathers for scores more Basemaths could probably be found, if we only had more six thousand year-old family records.

Free Bible Study Book Club

February 23, 2012 in Torrey with 4 Comments

Anybody want to do a little Blog Tour Book Club … thing?

I decided I need to read through R.A. Torrey’s What the Bible Teaches again. Casually.

The chapters are concises, and I think there around 50 of them, which would make it a year-long project at the very easy pace of one short chapter each week. So that’s my plan.

It will come up here, I’m sure, whether I plan on it or not, and could spark some good thoughts and conversation.

If any of you other bloggers want to come along, we could move the party over to your place on whatever frequency of rotation suits you.

Leave a comment and let me know if you’re interested.

There’s a newish edition of the book available, with some extended thoughts and notes, but there’s a free PDF of the 2006 edition here, too. So you don’t even need to buy a book for our book club. How’s that for “no barriers”?

Whose in?

Allow Me To Explain (50 of 439) – Finger Pointing

February 16, 2012 in Pauline Epistles, TheyReasoned with 3 Comments

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50. Who was to blame for original sin? 1 Timothy 2:14 vs. Romans 5:12

You know not what you ask …

1 Timothy 2:14
And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

Romans 5:12
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned

C. Neither of the above!

If we’re really taking the question at face value, since the question is taking the text at face value, the answer is Satan. He did the tempting, and the deceiving, so Satan is “to blame” for original sin.

Or are we asking which of the two people is responsible for the first sin? Or which of the two people is responsible for sin entering the world?

Because the questions have different answers, as clearly explained by the two verses given.

Of course there really is no question, because no one is genuinely asking. There’s just an accusation that the scriptures given contradict one another.

But they can’t contradict, because they’re not really talking about the same thing.

1 Timothy 2:14 recounts the story as a mechanism for explaining to Pastor Timothy (Paul is writing) why women who are deceived are not to teach in the church. (Anyone who is deceived should not be teaching in the church, but Paul is addressing Timothy’s concerns.) A better, more literal, translation of the verse would read:

and Adam was not deceived, but the woman, having been deceived, into transgression came

We all know the story. Eve was deceived, and so she sinned. That was the point Paul was making in his letter to his prodigy, and so that’s where his example ended. Adam sinned, of course, it just didn’t suit his lesson.

In Romans 5, Paul is contrasting Jesus with Adam.

Adam brought sin into the world, Jesus defeated it.

Adam and Eve both sinned, but Adam – as we’re told – was not deceived. Adam sinned willfully. And while God gave dominion of the earth to both Adam and Eve, Adam was the head of his wife, so the dominion was ultimately his to maintain or give away. And he gave it away.

The two verses given reference the same event, but both incompletely, because their purposes are different. If we know the story, and we keep the verses in context, it’s pretty clear.

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