WHEN IS A MYTH NOT A MYTH?

By GRET RACINE Recently, I read an interesting book by a writer I'd previously heard little about, one Zecharia Sitchin. The book was called "Genesis Revisited." Genesis? I thought to myself. Hm, the first book of the Bible. Who in their right mind would ever bother sitting down to read that? And revisited? What the hell did that mean? Well, I soon found out what it meant all right, and it sent me scuttling back to my Bible so fast that I nearly tripped over myself in the process. How dare this man make such allegations, I thought angrily. How dare anyone say things that would belittle the word of God! I was outraged. Don't get me wrong; I'm not a very religious kind of person, and the God I believe in is certainly not the God of the Bible, but that still doesn't give anyone the right to tamper with the truth. Hang on . . . truth? What truth? I knew very well that the early Genesis stories were all based on much older versions which had been floating around the middle eastern area for millennia in some cases, so who was I to question the ‘truth'? Which is what sent me scuttling back to my own long unused Bible to do a little detective work of my own. My Bible, I should explain, is a two volume set published some years ago now by the Jewish Publication Society in the US. It's printed in parallel columns, Hebrew on the right, English on the left. The Hebrew uses the traditional Masoretic text of the eighth and ninth centuries of the common era, while the English is a new translation by the Society. And I should also explain just briefly that because Hebrew is normally written without vowels, the use of the ‘traditional Masoretic text of the eighth and ninth centuries' simply means the insertion of the vowels used in common practice by the Masorites, a scholarly group whose prose became the accepted one after the Diaspora caused the previously oral tradition to die out. I've chosen two of the myths in the early chapters of Genesis to pull apart in my own analysis which will only refer to the above-mentioned edition of my Bible, not the Sitchin book. Firstly, I've dealt with the creation story where it refers to the first aboriginal mortals on earth, namely Adam and Eve. There are two creation stories in the Bible, the first in chapter one, rather dry and straightforward, and the second a charming little anthropomorphic tale with a little colour thrown in, this latter almost certainly descending from the Enuma Elish ("When in the heavens above . . ."), the grand Sumerian epic, later Babylonian version, of the creation story, discovered on a series of clay tablets in the ruins of the library of Asshurbanipal in Nippur. It should be noted, before I continue, that the Bible, or certainly that part known to us today as the Torah or Pentateuch, was not written down until the exile in Babylonia, so we're looking at the middle of the sixth century before the common era here. Moses didn't really have too much to do with it, so I apologise for offending anyone's sensibilities, because God probably didn't either. The Enuma Elish, which was no doubt freely available during the Babylonian captivity, plus many other earlier versions of stories found today in the Bible, was used as the basis of those early Genesis tales. Hang on, how could anyone, myself included, utter such words, words that only a short time ago would still have been considered blasphemous? And how could anyone deny the beautiful poetry of the traditional King James' Bible? Well, my source goes back a great many centuries before King James and I also used the original text, so I can and I will. And the second word of the Bible is the first clue to the mystery’elohim.’ In the King James version, the real significance of this word is entirely lost, exactly as it is with any other English version I've seen. It's just translated ‘God'. However, in Hebrew, it actually means ‘gods' plural. It's also male plural, so we can assume male gods. Many of them. And in Babylon, this would hardly have raised an eyebrow, since the Babylonian pantheon was certainly a descendant of the earlier Sumerian one. And yet, the Hebrew scholars, writing all this down during the captivity in a so-called ‘cleaned-up' version for Jewish eyes only, left that plural word. Several times, as it happens. Enough for that particular usage of ‘God' to become known in what used to be called the ‘priestly' style, or ‘P' version of the Torah. The second clue comes a moment later, in verse two. The word tihom is usually translated as ‘the deep' which had a ‘surface'. I've absolutely no idea what ‘the deep' actually means’it could be anything—but I can tell you that ‘tihom' comes from the name Tiamat, one of the primal figures—she was a goddess, a monster or giant—of the original Sumerian pantheon, adopted wholesale into Babylonian mythology. I'd like to talk about Tiamat and the others of her age sometime in the future, because she, and they, have a very interesting history. Back to Genesis proper and the second creation story. Gone is the rather dry rendition of repeatedly intoning ‘God said . . . and there was evening and there was morning, one day'. Not only do we meet a new character, but we get straight into the story by being told that nothing grew on earth as the rains were yet to come and the creator had a little problem in that there was ‘no man' to till the soil. So who was this new character? Well, all traces of elohim, the gods, seem to have disappeared, to be replaced by Adonai elohim. ‘Adonai,' meaning ‘master' or ‘lord', is not really the word used. Here, for the first time, the famous Tetragrammaton, the so-called ‘name' of God is used—yod, he, vav, he, or YHWH, which has erroneously been corrupted to spell ‘Jehovah' or, more recently, simply ‘Yahweh'. Because no-one was permitted to utter the name of God, the vowels for ‘adonai' were always substituted, thus leading to the aforementioned corruption. Whatever the pronunciation of God's name, this usage of the word for ‘God' became known as the ‘J' version, for ‘Jehovah', in the same way as the previous ‘P' version, above; or Adonai elohim, the preferred name here—Lord God, or rather, lords gods. The later actual spelling out by God shimself of the name—Ehyeh–Asher–Ehyeh; "I am that I am"—during the episode of the burning bush is something else I'd like to return to at a later date. Right now, God, whoever or whatever he/she/they were, was busy ‘planting a garden' in Eden, describing quite minutely the rivers which surrounded it and ‘the man' (‘adam' is a generic word for ‘man', or more properly, ‘mankind', which stems from the word ‘ha-adamah'—'the ground', ‘the clay', or ‘the earth', as in soil. It also contains the word for ‘blood'—'dam'). He was given his instructions about how to look after the garden and told what he could and could not eat. In this version of the creation story, Adam is created BEFORE the animals, who follow immediately, so that he can name them all. However, none of these beasts meet Adam's need for a companion, so, rather surprisingly, God ‘casts a deep sleep on the man', whips out a rib, closes up the flesh and fashions the rib into a female companion before waking Adam again. Excuse me? Are we really observing the first cloning operation here under a full anæsthetic? Five thousand years before Dolly? It does seem very likely. Modern Hebrew certainly uses the root letters of ‘a deep sleep' to form the more recent word which means anæsthetic, and quite suddenly, I began to see where Zecharia Sitchin was coming from. In just a single word, I was likewise suddenly wondering which came first—the chicken or the egg, or in this case, modern Hebrew borrowing something that was already known in ancient times? Finally, the name of Adam's companion, Eve. She's actually not named until chapter three, because in chapter one, only the generic form of ‘mankind' (‘ha-adam') is used—'male and female he/she/they created them'. In chapter two, she becomes an individual, ‘ishshah', meaning ‘woman' or ‘wife', and, as it is in English, deriving from the word for ‘man', ‘ish.' By chapter three, she has a name, Eve, or Chava, meaning ‘mother of all the living' and deriving from the word for life, ‘chayim'. Now to the second myth, which is perhaps even more fantastic than the story of Adam and Eve. It comes just before the well-known Noah story, and scholars agree that it's a left-over from earlier times and is also only half reported. I'm speaking of those tantalising few verses traditionally known as the story of the fallen angels. To begin with, they're not angels. Malachim is the word for angels, or, strictly speaking, for ‘messengers', which is what it really means. There's no word in Hebrew for ‘angels' per se, only malachim, or messengers. That word is nowhere used in this story. Enter the Nephilim. This word, which is indeed associated with the word ‘to fall', is what gave rise to the above translation except that ‘naphal' also has other meanings, including ‘birth' in the sense of a premature baby. So no angels, no fall and no rebellion in heaven to cause it. The other group of characters in this rather mysterious tale are the ‘sons of the gods'—benai elohim. They apparently went a bit feral and began living with the ‘daughters of man' or mankind—binot ha-adam. This incident was the one which gave rise to the rebellion story which actually took place here on earth. Whoever the ‘sons of the gods' were, they were not supposed to mix with the ‘daughters of mankind'. One can immediately see the problem; with totally different genetic backgrounds, it remained a vast unknown as to the type or types of offspring that could result from such matings. Indeed, we are told within the next few verses that what resulted from these unions were ‘the mighty heroes of old, the men of renown'. Becoming mixed up with the Nephilim again, these phrases are often translated as ‘giants', from n'fil, except that the Nephilim were NOT the offspring of these mixed marriages. They were more likely the police or their equivalent brought in by ‘the gods' to try and bring their unruly sons to order. Why? Because of just one more word. This time, I defer to Sitchin for an alternative translation, but only this time. The word used for ‘renown' is ha-shem. It means ‘the name', in the sense of someone who has made a great name for him- or herself. Interestingly, it's also the word used by Orthodox Jews instead of ‘adonai' in place of the holy Tetragrammaton. Rather than trying to substitute the vowels of one word over the consonants of another that's not even allowed to be uttered, they simply prefer to use a non word that poses no problems at all, hence ‘the Name'—'Hashem.' Sitchin, however, throws an entirely different light on this word, based on the much earlier Sumerian language and the accompanying carvings which look surprisingly like space vehicles or rockets. Yes, you heard me right—space ships and rockets. And studying those same pictures in the book, I can vouch for Sitchin's accuracy—the carvings DO resemble crude drawings of what could only be a space vehicle or rocket. Superimposed over the Nephilim, this would make them more than the police of the gods; this would make them the pilots and/or navigators as well, maybe with some policing duties too, at least where the ‘sons of the gods' were concerned, anyway. They would have arrived on earth in pursuit of these naughty boys in an effort to bring them into line. Too late, perhaps, since the sons were already married with offspring, causing the ‘gods', no doubt, to heave great sighs—as do all parents from time to time at the often outlandish exploits of their young—and comment that ‘ha-ruach, or ‘the breath—of life, understood; or maybe more to the point in this case, the genetic inheritance imparted through their offspring—would not last forever, gradually declining in each generation until it was gone altogether, leaving ‘mankind' bereft to live out a normal life span rather than retain the abilities and previous longevity bestowed by the aforesaid ‘godly' genes. In closing, I'd like to mention just one more word of interest. When I was bat mitzvah, the so-called ‘coming of age' or attainment of adulthood for Jewish girls and boys, the portion of the Torah I had to read, and directly from the scroll in unvocalised Hebrew at that, was the story of Noah, which immediately follows that of the Nephilim, indeed, which surrounds it. Re-reading it whilst doing this little piece of research for myself, I came to the part where God tells Noah that he/she/they have made up his/her/their mind/s to destroy the earth because of all the violence that has overrun it. What do you think the word is for violence? Hamas. Food for thought. Thank-you.

CREATION; THE LAND OF NOD; GIANTS

By GRET RACINE Here are my comments on a few enigmas in the Bible: "Genesis 1:14-15 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth."(The enigma here is that these verses suggest that God created the stars AFTER he created the earth). The word used for earth (in this instance) is "olam", in the sense of earth being a planet. The same word is used for "universe," in the sense of "planet," since that was the extent of the universe for most people in those days. Therefore, the sun and moon were indeed created after the stars, which in turn, were created after the universe! Modern astronomy upholds this position today. "Genesis 4:16-17 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch."(The enigma: how could Cain visit the land of Nod when up to this point only Adam and Eve and their sons Cain and Abel had been mentioned?) These two verses can be explained just by looking at the names of Adam and Eve. A-dam = ha-adamah = the red earth (soil in this sense) = humanity or mankind. "Dam" also = blood and "am" = people, as in a nation. So the whole could be translated as: (God fashioned) an earthling from blood and clay (earth) and created humanity (or the people(s) of the earth). To back this up, we have Eve = Chavah (ch as in Scottish loch) = living (in the sense of living now) = the mother of all the living ("e" short for "ema", mother) = the female element of worship -- Mother Earth, Gaia, etc. -- which dominated the earth before the masculine took over (monotheism in general, Judaism, Christianity). So while Cain escaped to Nod (somewhere in the region of Iran), it's perfectly feasible for him to find a wife there "out of all humanity" and / or from "the mother of all the living." "Genesis 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare [children] to them, the same [became] mighty men which [were] of old, men of renown." (The enigma: how did these ‘giants’ and ‘sons of God’ come into being?). This was originally known as the episode of the "fallen angels", except there's no word in Hebrew for angel. The closest is "messenger", and you will always find angel translated as such in Hebrew. The "nefilim" (male pl.) were divine beings, the sons of God. The word comes from "n'fal", to fall, hence the "fallen" angels. (Which makes a lot of sense later in the story -- see below). In reality, they were the "sons of the gods", not God, as the word "elohim" (male pl.) is used. The daughters of man means "mankind" (humanity), as the word "adam -- ha-adam" -- is used. Hebrew is a very "male" language, especially in the plural. A group of men, for instance = male plural. A group of women = female plural. But a group of females + one man = MALE plural, as does a mixed group of equal numbers. So the translation could just as easily read "children of the gods" or "sons and daughters of the gods" which then raises another problem. These "children" had unions with the "daughters of mankind (Adam)", which poses the problem of whether the daughters of the gods, if such there were, initiated lesbian relationships with the daughters of mankind. Nothing is said about the sons of mankind, even in Hebrew! This would be very logical if God, only two or three verses on, wishes he hadn't created humanity at all, and would now punish the lot of 'em by drowning "for their wickedness." The offspring of these mixed unions were the "giants" or "men (and women!) of renown" in the sense of greatness, of being all-powerful. They were also of great stature, as was Goliath, another giant who appears later in the Bible, but that's a whole new ball game.

THE TWO ACCOUNTS OF NOAH

By GRET RACINE If there's anything in the Bible I know something about, then it's Noah. This was my "portion" for my bat mitzvah, which I not only had to learn in ancient Hebrew, but had to read it the traditional way without vowels! I'm hopeless without vowels, but there you are! The two stories of Noah are quite likely allegory, certainly they're myth, but they do tell us something quite extraordinary. The first story, where Noah gathers everything by twos, is the earlier one. However, in the second story, where he gathers the clean animals in sevens and everything else in twos tells us that this version was only extant after the kosher food laws were given at Mount Sinai, hundreds of years after the supposed flood. Taking on board enough extra "clean" (in the sense of pure, or purity) food to feed themselves and the other animals was a sure sign that this particular version knew of the food laws of Leviticus, the reason clean and unclean animals are spoken about. There are several earlier versions of this story in middle eastern culture, mainly from Babylon, Mesopotamia and Sumeria. These are mostly extremely ancient, dating to long before the Bible version/s, and it seems that, like many of the other early Genesis stories, this one was also taken from those of the surrounding cultures and adapted by the Hebrews for their own use.

IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN

By GRET RACINE The story of the garden of Eden originally comes from much older sources than our Bible. It's even believed by some scholars that we borrowed quite heavily from Sumerian lore, two or three thousand years before the events of early Genesis, and that the serpent was originally a Sumerian god by the name of Enki. I am not familiar with ancient Sumerian, as it is not a Semitic language, and others with far more scholarship than myself have figured it all out anyway, writing a good many heavy tomes on the subject. However, the Tree of all Knowledge is likened to learning about adult sexuality. Knowledge = know, and this word is used throughout the Bible when speaking about sex -- so-and-so knew his wife, etc. and she bore a son / daughter. The derivation of the Hebrew word is the same in both instances. Occasionally, the sense of "knowledge" will also mean intellect or experience, but it's easy to picture Adam and Eve (humanity and the mother of all the living) starting life as sexually innocent "children" and growing to maturity, or adulthood -- with the help of the serpent, which is a phallic symbol in many cultures -- and gaining intellect or experience via the sexual act.

CONTRADICTIONS IN THE BIBLE

NOTE: This list was compiled by non-Christians and so does not take into consideration the differences between the first covenant and the new covenant. GE 1:3-5 On the first day, God created light, then separated light and darkness. GE 1:14-19 The sun (which separates night and day) wasn't created until the fourth day. GE 1:11-12, 26-27 Trees were created before man was created. GE 2:4-9 Man was created before trees were created. GE 1:20-21, 26-27 Birds were created before man was created. GE 2:7, 19 Man was created before birds were created. GE 1:24-27 Animals were created before man was created. GE 2:7, 19 Man was created before animals were created. GE 1:26-27 Man and woman were created at the same time. GE 2:7, 21-22 Man was created first, woman sometime later. GE 1:28 God encourages reproduction. LE 12:1-8 God requires purification rites following childbirth which, in effect, makes childbirth a sin. (Note: The period for purification following the birth of a daughter is twice that for a son.) GE 1:31 God was pleased with his creation. GE 6:5-6 God was not pleased with his creation. (Note: That God should be displeased is inconsistent with the concept of omniscience.) GE 2:4, 4:26, 12:8, 22:14-16, 26:25 God was already known as "the Lord" (Jahveh or Jehovah) much earlier than the time of Moses. EX 6:2-3 God was first known as "the Lord" (Jahveh or Jehovah) at the time of the Egyptian Bondage, during the life of Moses. GE 2:17 Adam was to die the very day that he ate the forbidden fruit. GE 5:5 Adam lived 930 years. GE 2:15-17, 3:4-6 It is wrong to want to be able to tell good from evil. HE 5:13-14 It is immature to be unable to tell good from evil. GE 4:4-5 God prefers Abel's offering and has no regard for Cain's. 2 CH 19:7, AC 10:34, RO 2:11 God shows no partiality. He treats all alike. GE 4:9 God asks Cain where his brother Abel is. PR 15:3, JE 16:17, 23:24-25, HE 4:13 God is everywhere. He sees everything. Nothing is hidden from his view. GE 4:15, DT 32:19-27, IS 34:8 God is a vengeful god. EX 15:3, IS 42:13, HE 12:29 God is a warrior. God is a consuming fire. EX 20:5, 34:14, DT 4:24, 5:9, 6:15, 29:20, 32:21 God is a jealous god. LE 26:7-8, NU 31:17-18, DT 20:16-17, JS 10:40, JG 14:19, EZ 9:5-7 The Spirit of God is (sometimes) murder and killing. NU 25:3-4, DT 6:15, 9:7-8, 29:20, 32:21, PS 7:11, 78:49, JE 4:8, 17:4, 32:30-31, ZP 2:2 God is angry. His anger is sometimes fierce. 2SA 22:7-8 (KJV) "I called to the Lord; ... he heard my voice; ... The earth trembled and quaked, ... because he was angry. Smoke came from his nostrils. Consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it." EZ 6:12, NA 1:2, 6 God is jealous and furious. He reserves wrath for, and takes revenge on, his enemies. "... who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and rocks are thrown down by him." 2 CO 13:11, 14, 1 JN 4:8, 16 God is love. GA 5:22-23 The fruit of the Spirit of God is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. GE 4:16 Cain went away (or out) from the presence of the Lord. JE 23:23-24 A man cannot hide from God. God fills heaven and earth. GE 6:4 There were Nephilim (giants) before the Flood. GE 7:21 All creatures other than Noah and his clan were annihilated by the Flood. NU 13:33 There were Nephilim after the Flood. GE 6:6. EX 32:14, NU 14:20, 1SA 15:35, 2SA 24:16 God does change his mind. NU 23:19-20, 1SA 15:29, JA 1:17 God does not change his mind. GE 6:19-22, 7:8-9, 7:14-16 Two of each kind are to be taken, and are taken, aboard Noah's Ark. GE 7:2-5 Seven pairs of some kinds are to be taken (and are taken) aboard the Ark. GE 7:1 Noah was righteous. JB 1:1,8, JB 2:3 Job was righteous. LK 1:6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous. JA 5:16 Some men are righteous, (which makes their prayers effective). 1 JN 3:6-9 Christians become righteous (or else they are not really Christians). RO 3:10, 3:23, 1 JN 1:8-10 No one was or is righteous. GE 7:7 Noah and his clan enter the Ark. GE 7:13 They enter the Ark (again?). GE 11:7-9 God sows discord. PR 6:16-19 God hates anyone who sows discord. GE 11:9 At Babel, the Lord confused the language of the whole world. 1 CO 14:33 Paul says that God is not the author of confusion. GE 11:12 Arpachshad [Arphaxad] was the father of Shelah. LK 3:35-36 Cainan was the father of Shelah. Arpachshad was the grandfather of Shelah. GE 11:26 Terah was 70 years old when his son Abram was born. GE 11:32 Terah was 205 years old when he died (making Abram 135 at the time). GE 12:4, AC 7:4 Abram was 75 when he left Haran. This was after Terah died. Thus, Terah could have been no more than 145 when he died; or Abram was only 75 years old after he had lived 135 years. GE 12:7, 17:1, 18:1, 26:2, 32:30, EX 3:16, 6:2-3, 24:9-11, 33:11, NU 12:7-8, 14:14, JB 42:5, AM 7:7-8, 9:1 God is seen. EX 33:20, JN 1:18, 1JN 4:12 God is not seen. No one can see God's face and live. No one has ever seen him. GE 10:5, 20, 31 There were many languages before the Tower of Babel. GE 11:1 There was only one language before the Tower of Babel. GE 15:9, EX 20:24, 29:10-42, LE 1:1-7:38, NU 28:1-29:40, God details sacrificial offerings. JE 7:21-22 God says he did no such thing. GE 16:15, 21:1-3, GA 4:22 Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. HE 11:17 Abraham had only one son. GE 17:1, 35:11, 1 CH 29:11-12, LK 1:37 God is omnipotent. Nothing is impossible with (or for) God. JG 1:19 Although God was with Judah, together they could not defeat the plainsmen because the latter had iron chariots. GE 17:7, 10-11 The covenant of circumcision is to be everlasting. GA 6:15 It is of no consequence. GE 17:8 God promises Abraham the land of Canaan as an "everlasting possession." GE 25:8, AC 7:2-5, HE 11:13 Abraham died with the promise unfulfilled. GE 17:15-16, 20:11-12, 22:17 Abraham and his half sister, Sarai, are married and receive God's blessings. LE 20:17, DT 27:20-23 Incest is wrong. GE 18:20-21 God decides to "go down" to see what is going on. PR 15:3, JE 16:17, 23:24-25, HE 4:13 God is everywhere. He sees everything. Nothing is hidden from his view. GE 19:30-38 While he is drunk, Lot's two daughters "lie with him," become pregnant, and give birth to his offspring. 2PE 2:7 Lot was "just" and "righteous." GE 22:1-12, DT 8:2 God tempts (tests) Abraham and Moses. JG 2:22 God himself says that he does test (tempt). 1 CO 10:13 Paul says that God controls the extent of our temptations. JA 1:13 God tests (tempts) no one. GE 27:28 "May God give you ... an abundance of grain and new wine." DT 7:13 If they follow his commandments, God will bless the fruit of their wine. PS 104:15 God gives us wine to gladden the heart. JE 13:12 "... every bottle shall be filled with wine." JN 2:1-11 According to the author of John, Jesus' first miracle was turning water to wine. RO 14:21 It is good to refrain from drinking wine. GE 35:10 God says Jacob is to be called Jacob no longer; henceforth his name is Israel. GE 46:2 At a later time, God himself uses the name Jacob. GE 36:11 The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. GE 36:15-16 Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz. 1 CH 1:35-36 Teman, Omar, Zephi, Gatam, Kenaz, Timna, and Amalek. GE 49:2-28 The fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel are: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, and Benjamin. RE 7:4-8 (Leaves out the tribe of Dan, but adds Manasseh.) GE 50:13 Jacob was buried in a cave at Machpelah bought from Ephron the Hittite. AC 7:15-16 He was buried in the sepulchre at Shechem, bought from the sons of Hamor. EX 3:1 Jethro was the father-in-law of Moses. NU 10:29, JG 4:11 (KJV) Hobab was the father-in-law of Moses. EX 3:20-22, DT 20:13-17 God instructs the Israelites to despoil the Egyptians, to plunder their enemies. EX 20:15, 17, LE 19:13 God prohibits stealing, defrauding, or robbing a neighbor. EX 4:11 God decides who will be dumb, deaf, blind, etc. 2CO 13:11, 14, 1JN 4:8, 16 God is a god of love. EX 9:3-6 God destroys all the cattle (including horses) belonging to the Egyptians. EX 9:9-11 The people and the cattle are afflicted with boils. EX 12:12, 29 All the first-born of the cattle of the Egyptians are destroyed. EX 14:9 After having all their cattle destroyed, then afflicted with boils, and then their first-born cattle destroyed, the Egyptians pursue Moses on horseback. EX 12:13 The Israelites have to mark their houses with blood in order for God to see which houses they occupy and "pass over" them. PR 15:3, JE 16:17, 23:24-25, HE 4:13 God is everywhere. He sees everything. Nothing is hidden from God. EX 12:37, NU 1:45-46 The number of men of military age who take part in the Exodus is given as more than 600,000. Allowing for women, children, and older men would probably mean that a total of about 2,000,000 Israelites left Egypt. 1 KI 20:15 All the Israelites, including children, number only 7000 at a later time. EX 15:3, 17:16, NU 25:4, 32:14, IS 42:13 God is a man of war--he is fierce and angry. RO 15:33, 2 CO 13:11, 14, 1 JN 4:8, 16 God is a god of love and peace. EX 20:1-17 God gave the law directly to Moses (without using an intermediary). GA 3:19 The law was ordained through angels by a mediator (an intermediary). EX 20:4 God prohibits the making of any graven images whatsoever. EX 25:18 God enjoins the making of two graven images. EX 20:5, 34:7, NU 14:18, DT 5:9, IS 14:21-22 Children are to suffer for their parent's sins. DT 24:16, EZ 18:19-20 Children are not to suffer for their parent's sins. EX 20:8-11, 31:15-17, 35:1-3 No work is to be done on the Sabbath, not even lighting a fire. The commandment is permanent, and death is required for infractions. MK 2:27-28 Jesus says that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (after his disciples were criticized for breaking the Sabbath). RO 14:5, CN 2:14-16 Paul says the Sabbath commandment was temporary, and to decide for yourself regarding its observance. EX 20:12, DT 5:16, MT 15:4, 19:19, MK 7:10, 10:19, LK 18:20 Honor your father and your mother is one of the ten commandments. It is reinforced by Jesus. MT 10:35-37, LK 12:51-53, 14:26 Jesus says that he has come to divide families; that a man's foes will be those of his own household; that you must hate your father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and even your own life to be a disciple. MT 23:9 Jesus says to call no man on earth your father. EX 20:13, DT 5:17, MK 10:19, LK 18:20, RO 13:9, JA 2:11 God prohibits killing. GE 34:1-35:5 God condones trickery and killing. EX 32:27, DT 7:2, 13:15, 20:1-18 God orders killing. 2 KI 19:35 An angel of the Lord slaughters 185,000 men. EX 20:14 God prohibits adultery. HO 1:2 God instructs Hosea to "take a wife of harlotry." EX 21:23-25, LE 24:20, DT 19:21 A life for a life, an eye for an eye, etc. MT 5:38-44, LK 6:27-29 Turn the other cheek. Love your enemies. EX 23:7 God prohibits the killing of the innocent. NU 31:17-18, DT 7:2, JS 6:21-27, 7:19-26, 8:22-25, 10:20, 40, 11:8-15, 20, JG 11:30-39, 21:10-12, 1SA 15:3 God orders or approves the complete extermination of groups of people which include innocent women and/or children. EX 34:6, DT 7:9-10, TS 1:2 God is faithful and truthful. He does not lie. NU 14:30 God breaks his promise. EX 34:6, DT 7:9-10, TS 1:2 God is faithful and truthful. He does not lie. 1 KI 22:21-23 God condones a spirit of deception. EX 34:6, DT 7:9-10, TS 1:2 God is faithful and truthful. He does not lie. 2 TH 2:11-12 God deludes people, making them believe what is false, so as to be able to condemn them. (Note: some versions use the word persuade here. The context makes clear, however, that deception is involved.) EX 34:6-7, JS 24:19, 1CH 16:34 God is faithful, holy and good. IS 45:6-7, LA 3:8, AM 3:6 God is responsible for evil. EX 34:6-7, HE 9:27 God remembers sin, even when it has been forgiven. JE 31:34 God does not remember sin when it has been forgiven. LE 3:17 God himself prohibits forever the eating of blood and fat. MT 15:11, CN 2:20-22 Jesus and Paul say that such rules don't matter--they are only human injunctions. LE 19:18, MT 22:39 Love your neighbour [as much as] yourself. 1 CO 10:24 Put your neighbour ahead of yourself. LE 21:10 The chief priest is not to rend his clothes. MT 26:65, MK 14:63 He does so during the trial of Jesus. LE 25:37, PS 15:1, 5 It is wrong to lend money at interest. MT 25:27, LK 19:23-27 It is wrong to lend money without interest. NU 11:33 God inflicts sickness. JB 2:7 Satan inflicts sickness. NU 15:24-28 Sacrifices can, in at least some case, take away sin. HE 10:11 They never take away sin. NU 25:9 24,000 died in the plague. 1 CO 10:8 23,000 died in the plague. NU 30:2 God enjoins the making of vows (oaths). MT 5:33-37 Jesus forbids doing so, saying that they arise from evil (or the Devil). NU 33:38 Aaron died on Mt. Hor. DT 10:6 Aaron died in Mosera. NU 33:41-42 After Aaron's death, the Israelites journeyed from Mt. Hor, to Zalmonah, to Punon, etc. DT 10:6-7 It was from Mosera, to Gudgodah, to Jotbath. DT 6:15, 9:7-8, 29:20, 32:21 God is sometimes angry. MT 5:22 Anger is a sin. DT 7:9-10 God destroys his enemies. MT 5:39-44 Do not resist your enemies. Love them. DT 18:20-22 A false prophet is one whose words do not come true. Death is required. EZ 14:9 A prophet who is deceived, is deceived by God himself. Death is still required. DT 23:1 A castrate may not enter the assembly of the Lord. IS 56:4-5 Some castrates will receive special rewards. DT 23:1 A castrate may not enter the assembly of the Lord. MT 19:12 Men are encouraged to consider making themselves castrates for the sake of the Kingdom of God. DT 24:1-5 A man can divorce his wife simply because she displeases him and both he and his wife can remarry. MK 10:2-12 Divorce is wrong, and to remarry is to commit adultery. DT 24:16, 2KI 14:6, 2CH 25:4, EZ 18:20 Children are not to suffer for their parent's sins. RO 5:12, 19, 1 CO 15:22 Death is passed to all men by the sin of Adam. DT 30:11-20 It is possible to keep the law. RO 3:20-23 It is not possible to keep the law. JS 11:20 God shows no mercy to some. LK 6:36, JA 5:11 God is merciful. JG 4:21 Sisera was sleeping when Jael killed him. JG 5:25-27 Sisera was standing. JS 10:38-40 Joshua himself captured Debir. JG 1:11-15 It was Othniel, who thereby obtained the hand of Caleb's daughter, Achsah. 1SA 8:2-22 Samuel informs God as to what he has heard from others. PR 15:3, JE 16:17, 23:24-25, HE 4:13 God is everywhere. He sees and hears everything. 1 SA 9:15-17 The Lord tells Samuel that Saul has been chosen to lead the Israelites and will save them from the Philistines. 1 SA 15:35 The Lord is sorry that he has chosen Saul. 1 SA 31:4-7 Saul commits suicide and the Israelites are overrun by the Philistines. 1 SA 15:7-8, 20 The Amalekites are utterly destroyed. 1 SA 27:8-9 They are utterly destroyed (again?). 1 SA 30:1, 17-18 They raid Ziklag and David smites them (again?). 1 SA 16:10-11, 17:12 Jesse had seven sons plus David, or eight total. 1 CH 2:13-15 He had seven total. 1 SA 16:19-23 Saul knew David well before the latter's encounter with Goliath. 1 SA 17:55-58 Saul did not know David at the time of his encounter with Goliath and had to ask about David's identity. 1 SA 17:50 David killed Goliath with a slingshot. 1 SA 17:51 David killed Goliath (again?) with a sword. 1 SA 17:50 David killed Goliath. 2 SA 21:19 Elhanan killed Goliath. (Note: Some translations insert the words "the brother of" before Elhanan. These are an addition to the earliest manuscripts in an apparent attempt to rectify this inconsistency.) 1 SA 21:1-6 Ahimalech was high priest when David ate the bread. MK 2:26 Abiathar was high priest at the time. 1 SA 28:6 Saul inquired of the Lord, but received no answer. 1 CH 10:13-14 Saul died for not inquiring of the Lord. 1 SA 31:4-6 Saul killed himself by falling on his sword. 2 SA 1:2-10 Saul, at his own request, was slain by an Amalekite. 2 SA 21:12 Saul was killed by the Philistines on Gilboa. 1 CH 10:13-14 Saul was slain by God. 2 SA 6:23 Michal was childless. 2 SA 21:8 (KJV) She had five sons. 2 SA 24:1 The Lord inspired David to take the census. 1 CH 21:1 Satan inspired the census. 2 SA 24:9 The census count was: Israel 800,000 and Judah 500,000. 1 CH 21:5 The census count was: Israel 1,100,000 and Judah 470,000. 2 SA 24:10-17 David sinned in taking the census. 1 KI 15:5 David's only sin (ever) was in regard to another matter. 2 SA 24:24 David paid 50 shekels of silver for the purchase of a property. 1 CH 21:22-25 He paid 600 shekels of gold. 1 KI 3:12 God made Solomon the wisest man that ever lived, yet .... 1 KI 11:1-13 Solomon loved many foreign women (against God's explicit prohibition) who turned him to other gods (for which he deserved death). 1 KI 3:12, 4:29, 10:23-24, 2CH 9:22-23 God made Solomon the wisest king and the wisest man that ever lived. There never has been nor will be another like him. MT 12:42, LK 11:31 Jesus says: "... now one greater than Solomon is here." 1 KI 4:26 Solomon had 40,000 horses (or stalls for horses). 2 CH 9:25 He had 4,000 horses (or stalls for horses). 1 KI 5:16 Solomon had 3,300 supervisors. 1 KI 7:15-22 The two pillars were 18 cubits high. 2 CH 3:15-17 They were 35 cubits high. 1 KI 7:26 Solomon's "molten sea" held 2000 "baths" (1 bath = about 8 gallons). 2 CH 4:5 It held 3000 "baths." 1 KI 8:12, 2 CH 6:1, PS 18:11 God dwells in thick darkness. 1 TI 6:16 God dwells in unapproachable light. 1 KI 8:13, AC 7:47 Solomon, whom God made the wisest man ever, built his temple as an abode for God. AC 7:48-49 God does not dwell in temples built by men. 1 KI 9:28 420 talents of gold were brought back from Ophir. 2 CH 8:18 450 talents of gold were brought back from Ophir. 1 KI 15:14 Asa did not remove the high places. 2 CH 14:2-3 He did remove them. 1 KI 16:6-8 Baasha died in the 26th year of King Asa's reign. 2 CH 16:1 Baasha built a city in the 36th year of King Asa's reign. 1 KI 16:23 Omri became king in the thirty-first year of Asa's reign and he reigned for a total of twelve years. 1 KI 16:28-29 Omri died, and his son Ahab became king in the thirty- eighth year of Asa's reign. (Note: Thirty-one through thirty-eight equals a reign of seven or eight years.) 1 KI 22:23, 2CH 18:22, 2TH 2:11 God himself causes a lying spirit. PR 12:22 God abhors lying lips and delights in honesty. 1 KI 22:42-43 Jehoshaphat did not remove the high places. 2 CH 17:5-6 He did remove them. 2 KI 2:11 Elijah went up to heaven. JN 3:13 Only the Son of Man (Jesus) has ever ascended to heaven. 2 CO 12:2-4 An unnamed man, known to Paul, went up to heaven and came back. HE 11:5 Enoch was translated to heaven. 2 KI 4:32-37 A dead child is raised (well before the time of Jesus). MT 9:18-25, JN 11:38-44 Two dead persons are raised (by Jesus himself). AC 26:23 Jesus was the first to rise from the dead. 2 KI 8:25-26 Ahaziah was 22 years old when he began his reign. 2 CH 22:2 He was 42 when he began his reign. [Note: Some translations use "twenty-two" here in an attempt to rectify this discrepancy. The Hebrew is clear, however, that 2CH 22:2 is 42. The Hebrew words involved are Strong's H705 and H8147, "forty" and "two," respectively.] 2 KI 9:27 Jehu shot Ahaziah near Ibleam. Ahaziah fled to Meggido and died there. 2 CH 22:9 Ahaziah was found hiding in Samaria, brought to Jehu, and put to death. 2 KI 16:5 The King of Syria and the son of the King of Israel did not conquer Ahaz. 2 CH 28:5-6 They did conquer Ahaz. 2 KI 24:8 Jehoiachin (Jehoiakim) was eighteen years old when he began to reign. 2 CH 36:9 He was eight. (Note: This discrepancy has been "corrected" in some versions.) 2 KI 24:8 Jehoiachin (Jehoiakim) reigned three months. 2 CH 36:9 He reigned three months and ten days. 2 KI 24:17 Jehoiachin (Jehoaikim) was succeeded by his uncle. 2 CH 36:10 He was succeeded by his brother. 1 CH 3:11-13 The lineage is: Joram, Ahaziah, Joash, Amaziah, Azariah, Jotham. MT 1:8-9 It is: Joram, Uzziah, Jotham, etc. 1 CH 3:19 Pedaiah was the father of Zerubbabel. ER 3:2 Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel.