What does the original Hebrew text reveal about Genesis 1-11? - Dr. Steve Boyd

Summary

The video features a discussion between Del and Steve, where Steve explores the historical and theological significance of Genesis, focusing on its creation narrative, genealogies, and poetic elements. He explains that Genesis presents creation from a phenomenological perspective and describes how it builds a foundation for understanding humanity's relationship with God. Steve emphasizes the continuity between Genesis and later biblical texts, particularly in how genealogies connect to Jesus. He asserts that Christianity has a strong historical basis rooted in these scriptures, and the creation narrative is integral to understanding Christian faith.

Takeaways

• 📝 The early chapters of Genesis are seen not as a scientific text, but as a historical narrative with theological significance.
• 🔭 Genesis presents a phenomenological perspective, describing what can be experienced through the senses.
• 📜 The Leningrad Codex is used for study as it's a complete and familiar Hebrew text.
• 🌍 The creation account in Genesis is purposeful and structured, showing God's intentional design in creating a world for humans.
• 👤 Humans are created in the image of God, and this image is reflected in the verbs of the text, such as creating, naming, and blessing.
• 🪶 The narrative switches between prose and poetry, particularly during the creation of man, emphasizing the importance of human beings.
• 🌊 The Flood narrative is seen as an un-creation, where the world returns to a water-covered state, and parallels are drawn with the creation account.
• 🗣️ The Tower of Babel explains the origin of languages and demonstrates humanity's folly in trying to rival God.
• 👑 Genealogies in Genesis and beyond form a structural backbone, connecting key figures like Abraham, David, and ultimately Jesus to historical events.
• ✝️ Christianity has a strong historical basis, with key events such as Jesus' death and resurrection rooted in historical Scriptures.

Q & A

What is the primary accusation against the early chapters of Genesis as mentioned by Del?

The primary accusation is that the Bible is not a science textbook, so it cannot be referred to when looking at the universe around us.

How does Steve describe the nature of the early chapters of Genesis?

Steve describes the early chapters of Genesis as a historical narrative, a magisterial literary presentation, a foundational theological treatise, and having a phenomenological perspective based on human sensory experience.

What perspective does Steve suggest the text of Genesis takes?

Steve suggests that the text of Genesis takes a phenomenological perspective, which means it describes what is seen and experienced with the five senses.

What text does Steve use for his explanation and why?

Steve uses the Leningrad Codex because it is complete and the easiest to read, with which he is most familiar.

What is the significance of Genesis 1:1-2:3 according to Steve?

According to Steve, Genesis 1:1-2:3 serves as a preface to the rest of Genesis, outlining the creation account and setting the stage for the genealogies and the narrative that follows.

How does Steve explain the creation process described in Genesis?

Steve explains that the creation process is purposeful and organized, with God creating everything from nothing, setting physical laws, creating light, and then progressively filling and organizing the universe to prepare it for human life.

What does Steve mean by the 'Image of God' in Genesis?

Steve interprets the 'Image of God' as being reflected in the verbs used in the text, indicating humans' ability to communicate, create, evaluate, name, and bless, similar to God's actions, but on a human level.

What structural role do genealogies play in Genesis according to Steve?

Genealogies form the structure for Genesis, embedding the narratives and providing a historical framework that continues throughout the book and into other parts of the Bible.

What is the significance of the Flood narrative in Genesis?

The Flood narrative signifies an 'un-creation' and subsequent 're-creation' of the world, emphasizing the global judgment on mankind's sin and the purposeful preservation of life through Noah's Ark.

How does Steve address the continuity of the historical narrative in Genesis?

Steve asserts that the genealogies and narratives in Genesis, such as the story of Terah and Abraham, form a continuous historical narrative that connects the early chapters with the rest of the book, demonstrating the coherence and purpose of the text.

How does Steve link the genealogies in Genesis to the New Testament?

Steve links the genealogies in Genesis to the New Testament by showing that they establish Jesus' pedigree as both the son of David and the son of Adam, fulfilling prophecies and demonstrating his qualifications as the Messiah.

What is the importance of the historical narrative in Genesis to Christianity according to Steve?

According to Steve, the historical narrative in Genesis provides a strong historical basis for Christianity, showing that it is grounded in actual historical events and that Jesus, the Savior, is also the Creator.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 Exploring the Creation Narrative in Genesis

Del and Steve discuss the perspective of the Bible as a historical and theological text, rather than a science textbook. Steve explains that the early chapters of Genesis present a structured, phenomenological perspective of creation, designed to be a foundational theological treatise. He walks through Genesis 1:1-2:3, where God creates the universe, and describes it as an organized process leading up to the creation of man. Steve emphasizes the purposeful nature of God’s actions, with man being the pinnacle of creation, made in God's image.

05:10

🎨 Artistic Creation of Man and the Fall

Steve elaborates on the creation of man, which shifts from Elohim to Yahweh Elohim, marking a more intimate, covenantal relationship. Man is created artistically, as a potter molds clay, and life is breathed into him. The narrative continues with the creation of woman and the institution of marriage. Steve highlights the Fall of man and how, despite its tragic consequences, it ultimately leads to Christ's redemption. The judgment on Adam and Eve sets up the broader theological context of sin, judgment, and hope through death, leading to a series of genealogies and the descent of man, contrary to evolutionary ideas.

10:10

🌀 The Global Flood and Genealogies in Genesis

Steve discusses the Flood narrative as a form of ‘un-creation,’ returning the world to a state of watery chaos, similar to Genesis 1:2. He stresses that the flood was global, not regional, evidenced by the use of the Hebrew word ‘Kol’ (all) and the submerging of the highest mountains. The story of Noah leads to a judgment on mankind, as well as the preservation of life through the Ark. Steve points out the genealogies from Noah’s descendants in Genesis 10, which establish nations and languages, explaining the origin of language as a divine judgment at the Tower of Babel.

15:11

🔗 The Historical Basis of Christianity

Del asks about the importance of the historical narrative in Genesis for Christianity. Steve argues that the genealogies and historical events in Genesis are crucial for establishing Christianity’s foundation. He connects the genealogical records in Genesis to the lineage of David and Jesus, highlighting the historical basis of the Gospel message as presented in I Corinthians 15. The genealogies not only confirm Jesus' royal lineage but also affirm that Christianity is grounded in real historical events, with Jesus being both Creator and Savior.

Keywords

💡Genesis

Genesis is the first book of the Bible, central to the video’s discussion on creation and the origins of humanity. The speaker, Steve, refers to Genesis as both a historical narrative and theological treatise that outlines the creation of the universe and humanity, underscoring its foundational role in Christian doctrine.

💡Toledot

Toledot refers to the genealogical sections within Genesis, marking different generations and family lines. Steve explains that Genesis 2:4 begins the first Toledot, highlighting its importance in tracing the lineage from Adam to significant figures like Noah and Abraham, which ties biblical events together as one historical narrative.

💡Phenomenological Perspective

The phenomenological perspective, as described by Steve, is an interpretation of biblical events based on human experience and sensory perception. It emphasizes how the biblical text presents creation from a human, observational standpoint, rather than from a scientific one, making the narrative accessible to its ancient audience.

💡Image of God

The 'Image of God' is a key theological concept discussed in the video. Steve argues that this image is not an abstract metaphysical concept but is embedded in human actions such as communication, creation, and evaluation. These human abilities reflect God's actions in creation, highlighting the unique role of humans in the biblical account.

💡Creation Account

The Creation Account in Genesis 1:1-2:3 is a narrative about how God created the universe. Steve refers to this as the ‘introductory encapsulation’ of the Bible, emphasizing its purposefulness in organizing creation, ultimately leading to the creation of humanity as the pinnacle of God's work.

💡Flood

The Flood is described in Genesis as a global event of judgment that 'uncreates' the world, returning it to a water-covered state like in Genesis 1:2. Steve argues for a literal global flood, citing repeated uses of the Hebrew word 'Kol,' meaning 'all,' to support his view that the Flood narrative affects the entirety of creation, not just a local area.

💡Historical Narrative

The concept of historical narrative is central to Steve’s argument that Genesis is a real historical account rather than allegory or myth. He stresses that the genealogies and events are meant to be read as factual history, forming the foundation of both the Old and New Testaments and linking the narrative directly to Christian theology.

💡Yatsar

Yatsar is the Hebrew verb used to describe God's creation of man, meaning 'to form' or 'to shape,' akin to how a potter shapes clay. Steve explains this term to highlight the artistic and intentional manner in which God created humanity, emphasizing the personal, intimate nature of God's act of creation.

💡Genealogy

Genealogy in Genesis serves to trace the lineage of key biblical figures, connecting historical events with theological significance. Steve explains that these genealogies structure the book of Genesis, tracing the descendants from Adam to Noah, Abraham, and later to Christ, grounding Christian theology in historical events.

💡Fall

The Fall refers to the event in Genesis 3 where Adam and Eve disobey God, leading to sin and death entering the world. Steve emphasizes that the Fall is not merely a metaphor but a real historical event with theological consequences, affecting all of humanity and setting the stage for Christ’s redemptive work.

Highlights

The Bible is often viewed not as a science textbook, but it offers a foundational theological and historical narrative.

Genesis 1:1-2:3 serves as a preface to the rest of the book and provides the Creation account, starting with 'In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.'

There is no Hebrew word for 'universe,' which means the term 'heavens and the earth' refers to the creation of everything.

The Creation account is structured purposefully, showing how the universe is filled and organized, leading to the creation of man.

The 'Image of God' can be found in the actions described in Genesis, such as communicating, creating, and evaluating.

God's name shifts from Elohim to Yahweh Elohim, emphasizing a shift from the pre-eminent Creator to the covenant relationship with man.

Man is created artistically, with God forming him from the ground and breathing life into him, marking an intimate creation.

The prohibition in the Garden of Eden not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil foreshadows the Fall, which results in judgment and death.

In Genesis, man is not cursed, but the ground and the serpent are cursed; man's judgment leads to death, which becomes the means for redemption through Christ.

The genealogy in Genesis serves as a narrative structure, showing the descent of man and the eventual redemption through Noah's lineage.

The Flood in Genesis is seen as an un-creation, returning the Earth to a water-filled state as it was in Genesis 1:2.

The frequent use of the Hebrew word 'kol,' meaning 'all,' suggests that the Flood was a global event, covering the entire Earth.

The tower of Babel account in Genesis 11 reflects humanity's folly in attempting to elevate themselves to God's level, resulting in the confusion of languages.

Genealogies in Genesis serve to highlight significant figures and events, including the descent of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, emphasizing his connection to both David and Adam.

Christianity is based on historical events, as demonstrated by the genealogies and narratives in Genesis, underscoring that faith is rooted in historical data.

Transcripts

>> DEL: There are a lot of people

who look at those early chapters

in Genesis and one of the accusations is

that the Bible is not a science textbook.

So therefore we can't really refer to that when we look

at the universe around us.

What's your perspective as a scientist and a Hebraist?

>>STEVE:

I would say, well,

it's clearly historical — again, historical narrative,

it's a magisterial literary presentation,

and it's a foundational theological treatise.

It also has an interesting perspective.

It's what we call a phenomenological perspective.

It's what do you see.

It's what do you experience with your five senses.

And so and that's the perspective of the text.

>> DEL: Well, can you take me through it and show me what you're talking about?

>> STEVE: Absolutely.

We’ll work here with the Leningrad Codex because it is complete.

It's the easiest to read.

I’m most familiar with this.

>> DEL : It’s the easiest to read for YOU.

>> STEVE: But it begins with Genesis 1:1-2:3 as a preface to Genesis and the rest of the book.

And then we have Genesis 2:4 is the beginning of the Toledot sections.

I mentioned the Toledot has to do with the genealogy and giving birth and all that.

And so Genesis 1:1-2:3, that is the Creation account.

And it actually starts I think very interesting that, what I call an introductory encapsulation —

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." And the details are given in subsequent verses.

It starts with “in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

There's no word in Hebrew for universe. That means He created everything.

And then the next thing we find in Genesis 1:2, we find a water ball, and it's empty and unfilled.

God, in the subsequent days, is going to fill that universe.

Before that His first act of creation, because it's the mind of God bringing from nothing everything,

everything so that the physical laws, so that the light can work. So that life processes can develop.

All those things God puts those into place and then He creates light and so forth.

Then He creates and spreads out the heaven. It's very purposeful the way in which creation is presented.

For instance, in Genesis 1:9, the best way to translate that is that "in order that the dry land would appear."

We don't have — in the Hebrew it's not two parallel things.

That the gathering… let the waters gather together into one place in order that the dry land might appear.

Why? Because the dry land is where man will live. Its purposeful.

It's all moving towards the creation of man and creating a world where man will live.

And so it's very purposeful, God's creation is that way — very organized as you would expect.

And so His Word is the same way. And that's why it has all these characteristics, why it's so creative,

why it's beautiful literature, magnificent theology, all building from real historical events.

And then we get to the fifth day of Creation and He creates life. First with the fish and the birds.

And then, the sixth day, animals and then man. And man is created in His image and we go then, as we go through Genesis 1:1-2:3,

by that preface we also find in there a little section of poetry. And so it goes from poetry — it goes from narrative to poetry to narrative —

I call it a narrative-poetry switch. And because that little section of poetry is used to punctuate

the prose at the point of the creation of man in God's Image.

And now there's a lot of ideas about the Image of God — what does that mean? I think that the Image of God is found in the verbs itself.

Because what we find is — what does God do? And we do the same thing, but at a lower level.

We can communicate. Of course He speaks things into existence. We can't do that. But He communicates.

We can create. We can create a place like this with lights and so forth and so on. Of course, He creates out of nothing.

He pronounces things good. We evaluate and do things like that.

We label — science is all about labeling. We name things like that. We bless as He blessed.

I think the Image of God is right in the text. It's not some metaphysical thing like Augustine said of mind, will, and emotions.

No, it's right in the verbs in the text.

And then we move from Genesis 1:1 -2:3 then into the details of the creation of man and how the name of God changes.

It changes from Elohim which means the premier one, the pre-eminent one. Elohim.

And we move from there to Elohim, Yahweh Elohim. Yahweh, which is the covenant name.

It's then about the creation of man and the way the creation of man is described is that God created man artistically.

The verb is Yatsar. A yatsar is a potter. And so he's created artistically and then we have the intimate action of God breathing into him the breath of life.

And then He creates man, He puts him in the garden, beautiful garden that He made for him.

We have the prohibition not to eat a certain fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

And then, of course, woman was created. Marriage and, of course, we have another wonderful poetic section in which

Adam waxes poetic when Eve was brought to him.

Just like every man does when he finds his wife — all of a sudden he can start to recite poetry out of nowhere.

And then we have the Fall. There are those who want to deny the Fall.

They'll say, "Well, this is just an account of why man's afraid of snakes." That's all they say it is. It's obviously much more than that.

Apostle Paul says in Romans 16:20, he talks about "may the Lord crush...may the Lord Jesus crush Satan under your feet."

This is obviously a reference back to Genesis. With the Fall...we have the...Man is actually not cursed.

The ground is cursed and the Serpent is cursed. But man is judged. Adam is judged and Eve is judged.

We have the expulsion from the Garden and death comes. But death becomes the means of life.

Because man can die, Adam can die, then Christ one day can die. And die for our sins. And so God turns things always-

turns things around like that way. And then we have in Chapter 4, we have just the opposite of what evolutionary biologists and anthropologists are saying.

The ascent of man. We have the descent of man. The first man who was cursed is Cain for murdering his brother.

In his line we come upon one of his descendants by the name of Lamech. And Lamech, what he does — and again,

in one of those N.P.N. switches, he boasts to his wives in poetry that he murdered a man. Taking the wonderful idiom of poetry,

which is to be used to express the most sublime things, to use it to boast of murder. It shows how man has descended.

And then we come to Chapter 5 of Genesis which begins a series of 10 genealogies that go from 5:1-9:29.

Here we have a Toledot, the book of the Toledot of Adam. And what we find here is the record of the death of Adam.

God said when you eat you're going to die. And here we have the death of Adam — and we have that like a hammer blow, over and over again.

And he died. And he died. Except Enoch. So we have in these 10 genealogies there's four that are different.

Enoch’s is different. Adam's is different because it talks about that he had a son in his image.

Lamech’s is different — the good Lamech — because he prays that his son Noah will deliver mankind from the results of the Curse. And that's in Genesis 5:28.

And then in Noah's genealogy, we have the entire Flood account. And the Flood — is a un-creation. It's an un-creation of the world.

Until it gets to the point that the Ark is traveling no longer above the Earth, but upon the water.

You can see that it's returned to a complete water ball, going back to what it started at in Genesis 1:2.

When the waters are receding, the same wording is used when the mountaintops appear, the same wording that is used in Hebrew that is used in Genesis 1:9 —

that the dry land ... In order that the dry land might appear. So we find these deliberate allusions to Creation that the Lord is remaking the Earth.

And the Flood — is it a global flood? Well, I, mean, I don't know how many times, I think 35 times or so,

the word Kol, which is "all", occurs in the Flood narrative. If this is a judgement on mankind then it has to be global,

for the sin of mankind.

The way it's described, the mountains being submerged,

the highest mountains being submerged under water —

this is a global flood.

And why would you need the animals? ...

save the animals?

After the Flood they come out of the Ark

and then we have the… they come out of the Ark

and we have the first words of Noah in which he actually

curses his son Ham.

So, there are the first words of Noah. Noah says nothing during the Flood narrative.

He just obeys God, whatever God tells him to do, you know,

make this boat 450 feet long and, you know, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. Make that boat, make that boat.

Says Noah did whatever God told him to do.

And as we continue through these first 11 chapters of Genesis, we come to Chapter 10, which is called the table of nations,

which are the sons of Noah.

It mentions in that chapter that the people are

in their different nations and their languages.

So, we now go back,

Moses goes back to Genesis 11:1-9 and explains how the languages developed.

This is one of the — again, one of the issues that evolutionists have a hard time. Where does language come from?

They can't explain,

they can't explain human consciousness,

they can't explain language.

And so we understand that all the languages come

from a judgment of God against a rebellious people

who are trying to make a name for themselves.

Now the word in Hebrew for “name” is Shem.

Only God can make a Shem, you see.

And they're trying to make a name for themselves,

and again it's a text which has certain sounds in it.

And as you read through the text in Hebrew,

you keep hearing these certain sounds, and when you string them together,

it spells the word Nebelah, which is the word "folly".

And so this is not a tower which is going to establish them as these great people,

but it's a tower of folly.

This is a task of folly to try to reach heaven,

to be as great as God.

Then it continues,

the narrative continues in Chapter 11.

The genealogy continues with the genealogy of Shem.

The difference between Chapter 5 genealogy however 5:1-9:29 is

that in each geneological generation there's

no mention of death.

Of course, people died. But it's no longer mentioned

so it's like a new beginning again and the age starts

to shrink of the Patriarchs.

We don't know exactly why.

And that's something that the biologists

and so forth are going to have to deal with.

You know, why that happened.

And then as we move to chapter 11,

we come to the Toledot of Terah.

And the Toledot of Terah is not going to be about Terah.

It's going to be about his famous son Abraham.

And then from then on in Genesis,

Moses always will, first of all,

give a brief genealogy of the rejected line.

So, after Abraham we don't go to Isaac,

we go to Ishmael for a brief section,

then we go to Isaac. And then with Isaac,

we don't go directly to Jacob, we go to Esau,

and then to Jacob.

And then Genesis ends — actually ends with Joseph,

a descendant of Jacob, and he is buried in Egypt.

All of God's promises are for the land of Canaan.

So, it sets us up perfectly —

the perfect cliffhanger for the Book of Exodus.

>> DEL: Steve, when you just walked through that with me, it just seems so apparent that

the latter parts of Genesis and all

of the genealogy

and the story of Terah leading up even to Abraham —

that there is no disconnect between all of that

and everything that we see in the beginning.

It's just one long historical narrative,

is it not?

>>STEVE: It is. As a matter of fact, the genealogies form the structure not just for Genesis,

but the narratives are embedded in the genealogies.

The genealogies are picked up — it's actually called

the Toledot — in the book of Ruth to establish

that David is a descendant of Judah,

which is required by Jacob's prophecy

that the scepter shall not depart from Judah,

nor a law giver between his feet

until Shiloh comes — the Messiah comes.

So, this is a prophecy having to do with a monarchy

that must be in Judah.

So, it's established in the Book of Ruth

and it uses the Toledot formula.

And then we move into the New Testament,

how is the pedigree of Jesus established

but with two genealogies

— one going back through Mary's line all the way back to Adam,

showing that he is a descendant of Adam.

And then we have in the Book

of Matthew the genealogy goes back to David.

And the important thing is

that it goes back to David through Solomon,

that's the royal line.

But Jesus’ actual physical descent is not through Solomon,

it's through another son of David — Nathan.

But we have these genealogies,

two genealogies establishing Jesus as Messiah,

as both the son of David and also the son of Adam.

>>DEL: Let's just step back

for a second How important is the historical narrative

that we find throughout Genesis including all of the generations

that are laid out?

How important is that to Christianity?

>>STEVE: It shows that Christianity has a historical basis.

The way the Gospel is presented in I Corinthians 15 is

that Jesus died according to the Scriptures.

It's what the Scriptures say

and the Scriptures represent actual historical data,

historical events.

And that He rose again according to the Scriptures.

So, Christianity is not a leap in the dark.

It is an understanding

that has a very strong historical basis

and that our Savior is also our Creator.