Abram and Moses Dates of Birth
We don't know the dates of Abram or Moses with certainty, but we have a good idea of approximate dates. Most likely, the Exodus occurred around 1447 BC. Moses was 80 years old at the time, so he…
Who purchased Joseph, the Ishmaelites or the Midianites?
Genesis 37:28 So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites , who took him to Egypt. Genesis…
Young Earth vs. Old Earth
Appropriately, the "young earth" view holds that the world is only thousands of years old, whereas the "old earth" view holds that it is probably millions of years old. The difference between the two…
Is Genesis 1:28 a blessing or command?
Genesis 1:28 is both a blessing and a command. Along with the surrounding verses in Genesis 1, it explains the purpose for which man was created, and the obligations that man has because of that…
Bible and Racial Issues
Everyone who is now living is descended from Noah and his wife, through Noah's three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth (Gen. 10:32). But there is no indication anywhere in the Bible that Ham was any darker…
West Wing Hermeneutics
This e-mail that has been around for a couple of years at least is a clever and winsome attack on Dr. Laura, on Christianity, and on Judaism. It succeeds as an attack because it is very funny and…
Was Ishmael saved?
Let's look at Paul's argument in: Galatians 4:22-23 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the freewoman. 23 Howbeit the son by the handmaid is born after the…
Biblical Rape?
There are many mentions of types of rape in the Bible, but part of the problem in distinguishing them is that the Bible generally uses the normal word for "have sex with" to describe "rape."…
Ishmael and Esau
Hebrews 12:15-16 states that Esau was a godless man who fell short of God's grace. This paints a pretty dark picture of him. Hebrews 12:17 speaks of Esau's repentance, but also says that it was not…
Can Christians eat apples?
Apples appear in many religious traditions as the forbidden fruit. The book of Genesis, however, does not actually describe the forbidden fruit (Gen. 2:16-17; 3:1-6). According to Wikipedia, the…
Elapsed Time between Verses
There are many different theories of interpretation of Genesis 1. Those that speak of millions of years between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 try to take very seriously the evidence from general…
The Abrahamic Covenant
I wouldn't count Genesis 12 as part of the Abrahamic covenant. There's no real covenant there (no promise, no oath, no ceremony, no covenant language, etc.). There's only an offer. I would, however…
Why Unleavened Bread?
There are at least two reasons why God made the stipulation that bread intended for sacrifice at the altar had to be without yeast (or "unleavened"). We see one of the reasons in the depiction of the…
Polygamy OK?
You're right, the Bible doesn't seem to shame Old Testament patriarchs for having multiple wives. In fact, in Chronicles it actually seems to have been a blessing for a king to have many wives…
What is JEDP?
JEDP, or the Documentary Hypothesis, is a theory that states that the first five books of the Bible, called the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), were not written…
Esau Got Cheated
On the subject of Jacob's deception, there are two main issues: inheritance blessings, and lies. The issue of the blessing is somewhat easier. Basically, Isaac covenanted with Jacob even though he…
Nephi-What?
The identity of the nephilim is a fascinating subject to ponder. They are mentioned only twice in Scripture (Gen. 6:4; Num. 13:33). In Numbers 13:32-33 they may be of gigantic stature, or perhaps…
When is a bat a bird? Leviticus 11:13-19
The Bible did not look forward and use modern biological categories, just like we in this century do not look 8000 years into the future and use names they will use then. In 8000 more years a bird…
Laws in Effect Today
Which laws are still applicable today is a debated issue. In my tradition (Reformed), it is common to say that laws pertaining to the civil organization of Israel's theocracy are no longer broadly…
Todah: Sacrifice of Thanksgiving?
Todah is Hebrew for "praise" or "confession." Scripture sometimes speaks of offerings of todah, and modern Bibles generally translate this as "thank offering," "sacrifice of thanksgiving," or some…
Japheth and the Gentiles
You're right, I didn't include any generations prior to Abraham because prior to Abraham there was no category "Jew." He was the first. "Gentiles" just means "nations." Prior the Abraham, the whole…
False Prophets
In both questions there is a similar problem: If God says (through a prophet) that he's going to do something, then he either says (through the prophet) that he isn't, or in fact he does not do it…
New Covenant Vassal Treaty
Yes, the new covenant is also a suzerain-vassal treaty. We don't have it laid out as explicitly in all its details, at least not in updated form, but it has all the same parts. Also, it's important…
Male and Female Authority
Yes, in Genesis 1:28 mankind as a whole was the mandate to fill, subdue and rule, meaning that mankind as a whole has authority over the earth. But of course, we don't discern from this, for example…