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An Interpretation of Genesis, Including a Translation Into Present-Day English

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An Interpretation of Genesis, Including a Translation Into Present-Day English JAN 5 rii39 ^ Ml SV! AN INTERPRETA OF GENESIS Including a Translation INTO Present-day English BY REV. F. P. RAMSAY, Ph.D. Pastor Third Presbyterian Church, Omaha, Nebraska NEW YORK AND WASHINGTON THE NEALE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1911 AN INTERPRETATION OF GENESIS N' Copyright, 1911, by THE NEALE PUBLISHING COMPANY To My Wife ——— " CONTENTS PAGB Preface 9 Introduction 13 Chapter I the text of genesis 19 The Autograph and Its Transmission 19 Reliability of Translations 24 Chapter II the origin of genesis ....... 27 Criticism and Critical Method 2y The Anti-Mosaic Theory of the Origin of the Penta- teuch 30 The Theory of the Mosaic Authorship of the Pentateuch 40 The Origin of Genesis 46 Conclusions 48 Chapter III the literary form and structure of genesis 50 Form and Method of Composition 50 The Compiler's Sections 53 Translation and Notes 57 Preface to the Translation 59 Section i (i. 1-2.8), The Seven Days d}. Notes to Section i , . 06 Section 2 (2.4-4.26), "The Descendants of the Heavens and the Earth " "j^ Notes to Section 2 79 Section 3 (5.1-6.8), "The Descendants of Adam" . 90 Notes to Section 3 92 " Section 4 (6.9-9.29), The Descendants of Noah" . 97 Notes to Section 4 103 Section 5 (10.1-11.9), "The Descendants of the Sons of Noah" 108 Notes to Section 5 no Section 6 (11.10-11.26), "The Descendants of Sheni 112 Notes to Section 6 113 The Names of God 114 " Section 7 (11. 27-25. 11), "The Descendants of Terah 117 Notes to Section 7 I49 7 ———— " 8 CONTENTS PAGE Section 8 (25.12-25.18), "The Descendants of Ishmael 161 Notes to Section 8 161 Section 9 (25.19-35.39), "The Descendants of Isaac*' 163 Notes to Section 9 194 Section 10 (36.1-36.8), "The Descendants of Esau" . 201 Notes to Section 10 201 Section 11 (36.9-37-1), "The Descendants of Esau in Mount Seir" 203 Notes to Section 11 205 Section 12 (37.2-50.26), "The Descendants of Jacob" 207 Notes to Section 12 247 Chapter IV the facts of genesis 257 Geography 2':^] Chronology 261 Wealth 270 Culture 271 Society 272 Religion 2^^ Biography 277 Chapter V the teachings of genesis 287 Revelation 287 God 290 Man 294 Covenant 298 Worship 305 Fellowship 308 Future Life 309 Chapter VI progress of doctrine 312 The Main Heads 312 The Silences 318 Conclusions 319 Chapter VII the value of genesis 320 Relation to Later Revelation 320 Method of Teaching 322 Modern Pertinence of Particular Doctrines . z^z Appendix difficuties and objections Z^ Historical 328 Scientific 331 Philosophical and Theological 335 Index of Biblical Passages . 337 Index of Topics 343 PREFACE Three convictions lie back of this effort to inter- pret Genesis. The first is the conviction that there is a science of interpretation. It is not meant that this science is as well understood and formulated as the sciences of astronomy and geology, or that any two men obeying the principles of the science will see the same meanings in a piece of literature, as no two astronomers or geologists see altogether the same phenomena in the heavens or in the earth; nor is it meant that, this science being once understood and applied to the Scriptures, there would then remain nothing new for future students to discover, as there is now no thought that there remains nothing new for future astronomers and geologists to discover. Rather it is meant that students using the correct methods of such a science would all come to agree- ment in the main interpretations, and would move on with scientific precision and certainty to new apprecia- tions. The second conviction is that the Scriptures do bring us in an intelligible literature an intelligible revelation from God. In all nature and in other literatures we may learn much that God intended for us to learn therefrom; but in the Scriptures God speaks, so that we can hear him and understand him. The third conviction is that I am appointed to help a little toward establishing this science of interpreta- tion, and in applying it to the interpretation of the 10 PREFACE Scriptures. Many have already wrought, and many are now at work, in this direction, and much has been accomplished and is being accomplished. I claim only a place among the workers, seeking to serve. To Genesis my mind has been directed by certain particular circumstances, and by the perception that the interpretation of Genesis lies at the basis of the interpretation of the Scriptures generally, as well as by the just now existing demand for a new study of Genesis. Can Genesis be understood as a literary unit? If taken as a literary unit, and scientifically interpreted, does it show itself to be a credible record, and does it come to the open mind with a teaching of divine truth and authority? Or has it been settled that Genesis is a compilation of largely inconsistent and untrustworthy documents, and still contains not only legendary and mythical elements, but also ele- ments that were originally intended to deceive ? These are urgent questions, and their urgency justifies a fresh attempt to understand and interpret the book by one who believes in its full historicity, and therefore in its divine authority. The author submits his work to the candid examina- tion and criticism of scholars of all schools of belief, as well as to the practical use of ministers and other teachers and students of the Bible. He will endeavor by their friendly criticisms and counsels to do better work in future, and especially by any complaint that may reach him from such as desire help in the study of Scripture. Holding his mind open, or endeavoring so to do, that new light may come in from any source, he would be false to his own profoundest convictions if he did PREFACE II not gratefully acknowledge the revealing and appeal- ing power of Genesis ever growing upon him as he pursued his study. May the same power affect his readers also. I cannot close without acknowledging my large in- debtedness to my son, Robert L. Ramsay, Ph. D., who has aided me otherwise, and especially in putting the translation into present-day English. If that shall commend itself as measurably successful in turning the original into appropriate and idiomatic English of the twentieth century, the credit belongs so largely to his patience, taste, and English scholarship that I know not what to claim for myself. But I am the responsible author of the translation, and he is not to be blamed for any- of its defects or infelicities. F. P. R. INTRODUCTION The basal issue concerning the Bible is whether its statements of fact are true. For the historicity of the else. Bible, once established, carries with it everything Whoever accepts the Bible's statements of fact will of revela- necessity accept its miracles, its authority as a of tion, and the truth of its religion. The opponents Christianity, unless they utterly overthrow the his- the toricity of the Bible, are already defeated. On other hand, although Christianity may well be accepted fail as substantially true, even if the Biblical records historical basis of full historicity, it will have for its only such facts as can be sifted from their mistakes and misrepresentations. Before all our other answers about Christianity, then, must come our answer to this full historicity— controlling question : Has the Bible his- the position of the orthodox Christian; or partial a Chris- toricity—the position of those who hold to historicity in its tianity more or less modified ; or no deny distinctive facts—the position of those who Christianity? This issue concerning historicity finds a decisive Genesis battlefield in Genesis. If even the first part of the making of is truly historical, with its account of flood, and of all things, of the Garden of Eden, of the see the dispersion from Babel, no one who comes to with and believe so will have any serious difficulty are other Bible narratives; but if these first narratives myth and legend, if they are untrustworthy records, one who has come to see and believe so will be pre- 13 : 14 INTRODUCTION pared to find some degree of this unreliability in all later Bible narratives. Here, then, in the earlier Genesis narratives must the advocates of historicity make good, and here the opponents of historicity have the best chance for their fight against it. But it would not be a wise method to take up these earlier narratives alone, and still less to take up any one of them by itself, and endeavor to determine their or its credibility apart from the credibility of the book as a whole. How to understand these earlier state- ments is a question that cannot well be answered except in the light and atmosphere of the whole book. To determine the crucial question of the historical trust- worthiness of Genesis, or of any part of it, we must first be certain that we understand the book whose his- torical trustworthiness we are attempting to judge; and to this end we need to study the book until we understand every part in connection with the whole and the whole in connection with every part. It is to such study of Genesis, rather than to studies more or less pertaining to Genesis, that the reader is in- vited to proceed. In the study of any book of the Bible, there are seven steps I.
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