For example the BKC talked about how when God saved the world with Noah the Bible ties the event back to Adam. First there is a garden in both accounts. That surprised me, and when I checked it said that Noah did plant a "vineyard" which is sort of a garden. The was nudity in both, but the nudity in the Garden is neutral while Noah's nudity is disgraceful. They are both commanded to "replenish" the Earth. Another tie back, although it’s not mentioned, is that the Lord again says that man is in the image of God(Gen 9:6).
The BKC is pointing out many things that I’ve missed. For example I’ve always thought that when Noah offered sacrifices he offered a sheep, a ram or a bull. However it says that he offered one of every clean animal. That was a massive offering. The BKC really stressed that only the animals on land died. That caught me by surprise because I’ve always thought that all animals died including the fish. I was thinking about why I thought that and I think the reason is because my Mom told me they died. However, the fact is that most of the water in the world is salt and if it was all mixed together then the fresh water were no more. I’m pretty sure that the salt water wouldn’t be so – whatever salt water is supposed to be – and those fish would have problems as well. However, I’m not really committed to either version. I mean I certainly wouldn’t say that fish would be able to survive a world wide inundation, but if they did OK as well.
I was hoping there would be some insight into why Noah curses Cannan but there isn’t any.
There is another tol’dot in Gen 10. It is the tol’dot of Japeth, Shem and Ham. The BKC points out that this is a horizontal genealogy meaning that it applies to the nations that arise from the sons of Noah. Of course ultimately all peoples arise from these sons so I guess that these are the main groups that will be interacting with the Isrealites. That is what the book sounds like, but I really don’t pay attention to parts like this usually. I usually just skimmed the parts talking about the nations. The BKC did point out that Nimrod was the first empire builder, so I paid attention to when he came up in the Bible and he did have an amazing number of cities or nations. When I looked in the KJV version it is not apparent that he was such a great empire builder.
Gen 10:8-11
8 Cush was the father of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD.” 10 The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh, in Shinar. 11 From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah 12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah—which is the great city. (NIV)
8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.
10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
11 Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,
12 And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city. (KJV)
To me, in the KJV, it’s not clear that Asshur isn’t a different person than Nimrod. So Nimrod is a much greater empire builder in the NIV than the KJV.
Another thing that surprised me is that the BKC said that when the “earth was divided” in the time of Peleg, it meant the division of mankind into different nations and tounges, and not that the Earth itself was divided. If you look at a map of the world, it’s pretty obvious that at one time all the continental land masses fit together into one super continent, and it’s called Peleg because of this scripture. I’ve just always accepted that this scripture was talking about the splitting of the Earth. Which reminds me of another thing. The BKC says that the splitting of the continents happened during the flood.
“On the other hand there were corresponding gigantic upheaval and shiftings of the earth’s crust which caused the oceans’ floors to rise and break up their reservoirs of subterranean waters.”
OK that’s reading a little more into the text than is there.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. (Gen 7:11, NIV)
It doesn’t really matter when it happened. I would be good either way, but I think believers in the Bible get into trouble when they read more into the text than is there.
Finally there is another tol’dot starting Chapter 11, the tol’dot of Shem. The BKC points out that this is a vertical genealogy that show Abram’s descent from Shem. There is also another tol’dot near the end of Chapter 11, the tol’dot of Terah, who is the father of Abram, so it is basically the story of Abram.
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