I've been looking at this week's notes, and I'm just pondering some questions about the genealogy you spoke about this week.

I'm not a Hebrew scholar but I do have interests in language, and can read simple Koine Greek.

• The message seems to rely on the meaning of Hebrew words, but in the time of Moses, there was no codified Hebrew language, and I can find no evidence for any Hebrew based writings for about 300 years after Moses. The Semitic languages were by now separate from each other. Jacob's descendants had over 300 years to develop a distinctive language, The language continued to change into a distinctively "Hebrew" language until its codification in Babylon. Is there a suggestion that Moses wrote this genealogy in such a way that it would work out when finally it was translated into a fully "Hebrew" language?

• The meaning in the coded sentence is open to interpretation, depending on the extra words and grammar chosen. Without these we are left with being able to create something "Man appointed miserable sorrow. Praised of God come down teaching his death shall bring lament -rest." This is not something I could agree with, but it shows how important the interpreter's role is

• While the exact meaning of these men's names are not all clear, I can't find any evidence for the translations of several names, although I have no trouble at all with the others.

Enosh The same word is used in Isa 24v6? Ps 8v4? Job 28v13 to mean "man" (as in "What is man that though art mindful of him?") I can find no translations as "miserable" or "frail" etc

Kenan?? The closest meaning I can find is "from Cain"

Enoch also doesn't a definitive meaning

Methusalah - Jewish concordance translates tis "Man of the dart (or javelin)"

Lamech - I can't find any connection with "lament" It's from the Latin lamentum, but there is no suggestion to a former Hebrew meaning. The only meanings of Lamech I can find are vigourous, youthful, powerful, or wild man.

Can you please tell me how you came about the meanings that you've attributed to these?

Words and languages are my "thing". I'd really like to know how the other meanings are derived. I can't read Hebrew, but I did learn the alef bet some years ago, so I can understand a little.

Thank you

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On Fri, 7 Aug 2020 at 23:08, Ray Sarlin wrote:

Hi ___,

Thanks for your email and for the feedback.

I’m not a Hebrew scholar either, although I have taken some courses on Biblical Hebrew and Koine Greek.?

I’m afraid that you’ll likely find my answers to your questions simplistic because I’m a few years away from anything that could be called serious study or academic rigor.? But you ask in good faith and that’s the way I’ll try to answer.? Rather than get in the weeds discussing proto-Sinaitic, proto-Canaanite, or proto-Hebraic inscriptions and their relationships to Egyptian or Summerian hieroglyphics, I’ll concede your bullet points and just address the names you mentioned.? God certainly knew what He was doing by having Alexander the Great spread Greek, Ptolemy Philadelphus commission the Septuagint and the Romans build roads during the Pax Romana to spread the Word.

You’d be aware that Hebrew words are derived from Hebrew root words.? Addressing the relationship of words to their roots and the culture in which the words were used can aid in interpreting the meaning of biblical passages.

Adam and Enos (or Enosh) are just two of many Hebrew words for “man,” which come with often subtle differences.? For example:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·???????? <!--[endif]-->Adam as the name of the first man means “red” but also is widely used to mean the singular “man,” “a man,” or “Man”.? Its root word H119 explicitly means “man” or “men”.? Adam was a created being (son of God; “ben Elohim”) while all that followed were (sons or daughters of man, “ben ‘adam” or “bath ’adam”).

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·???????? <!--[endif]-->Per Gesenius’ Lexicon, "enosh" when not a proper name is generally a collective term, like covering the whole human race or the common people – hence the term “mortal”.? It comes from a primitive root H605 which means “to be weak, sickly, or frail” – again consistent with the term “mortal”.? This fits your meaning in Job (“What is (sickly, mortal) man that….”).? Enos refers to wicked men in Psalms 8:29, 56:2, and 66:12.

Cainan (or kenan) comes from a root word H7064 for a fixed dwelling like a nest or chamber, so the word is given to mean “possession”.? Qeynan (????) can mean to possess and it can mean to mourn, lament or sorrow after (see Ezekiel 27:32 and Amos 8:10).

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Enoch (“dedicated”) is formed from the primitive root H2596, which means to train, dedicate, inaugurate, or discipline.? The prime meaning “to narrow” as in narrow down.? Unsurprisingly, Enoch was the first of four generations of preachers.

Methuselah.? Per Matthew Henry (and elsewhere): “Methuselah signifies, he dies, or there is a dart, or, a sending forth, namely, of the deluge, which came the very year that Methuselah died.

Lamech (“conqueror?”) – “the despair” comes from the wicked life and tales of woe in of Lamech in Genesis 4:23-24.? Not only was he apparently the first to practice bigamy (Gen 4:19) and a murderer, but his arrogance was manifest. And because of his sin, he complained about, “... the calamitous state of human life. By the entrance of sin, and the entail of the curse for sin, our condition has become very miserable.” (Matthew Henry again.? I haven’t referred to him, for ages.)? Perhaps Lamech was lamenting that he didn’t speak Latin. <!--[endif]-->

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It's true that some of the Hebrew words in this genealogy (and others) can be translated in many ways, most of them gibberish, but far more importantly, it's also true that the ten names from Adam to Noah can be translated as a gospel message in Genesis 5.

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BTW, God is also mentioned in Genesis 5:1, so the eleven names in the genealogy can begin, "Per God, man was appointed...." or the like if one wishes.

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So that's a fairly superficial analysis of the widely written about and discussed identification of the gospel message in Genesis 5.? Most of the meanings of names come directly from Strong's Concordance but a few names may require a Hebrew etymological dictionary.? I use the Blue Letter Bible (along with Bible Gateway and others) online because I can easily access the original languages and, in the case of Hebrew, the roots.

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Thanks again for the query, Gary.? It's great to meet someone with a love of words and language.?

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You may be interested in this "Bible Names Code" that suggests that there is a prophecy from the meanings of all 72 names from Adam to Jesus ().? I personally haven't studied it in any detail, and so would be interested in your observations should you chose to do so.

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Blessings,

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Ray

On Saturday, 8 August 2020, 11:58:39 am AEST, ___ wrote:

Thank you for your time and efforts Ray.

I hadn't been expecting such a quick or detailed response -Thanks again.

I've taken a look at an exhausting list of "codes" by GLAZERSON MATITYAHU, and am amazed at what he can make the torah say.

See you on Thursday.

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On Saturday, 8 August 2020, 12:21:52 pm AEST, Ray Sarlin wrote:

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Hi ___,

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I don't know much about Glazerson, but I do tend to side with those who believe that the Bible Codes are meant to authenticate God's Word, not predict forthcoming events.? However, as Glazerson is wont to say, "But who knows."

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Glazerson would do well to remember that the biblical punishment for a false prophet is death by stoning (Deuteronomy 13:1-5, 10).? Perhaps that's the reason he so frequently says, "But who knows." <!--[endif]-->

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Blessings,

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Ray