†. Gen 4:16b . . and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
The Hebrew word for "Nod" is from nowd (node) and means: wandering,
vagrancy or exile. Precisely how Nod got its name, or where it was located is
unknown; and this is the only place in the entire Old Testament where nowd
is found so we can't compare it with other uses.
†. Gen 4:17a . . Cain knew his wife,
According to Gen 3:20 and Acts 17:26, all human beings-- regardless of
race, color and/or ethnic identity --are Adam's and Eve's biological progeny.
Ergo: Cain married his kin; whether a sister or a niece is difficult to know for
sure.
Prehistoric inbreeding was apparently common; and in point of fact quite
necessary if humanity was to be fruitful and increase and fill the Earth. (Gen
1:28)
Take for example Noah and his three sons and their wives. Nobody else
survived the Flood; ergo: Shem's, Ham's, and Japheth's children married
amongst themselves-- brothers with sisters and/or cousins with cousins.
(Gen 9:18-19)
Obviously the human genome was very pure back in those days, and very
resistant to aberrations. The proof of it is prehistoric human life's amazing
longevity-- Adam lived to be 930, and Noah to 950.[/size][/font]
NOTE: Scientists have identified 100,000 pieces of retrovirus DNA in human
genes, making up eight percent of the genome. As to whether those
retroviruses have contributed to the shortening of the human life span, I
don't know; but I'd bet that those bugs were not in the human genome at
first. I think it safe to say that the current human genome is a
malfunctioning genome, and has been for quite a number of years; possibly
several millennia.
Now, as to the "sin" of incest; according to Deut 5:2-4, Rom 4:15, Rom
5:13, and Gal 3:17, divine laws enacted ex post facto are too late; viz: they
aren't enforced until after they're codified. Well, incest wasn't prohibited
until the covenant that Moses' people agreed upon with God as per Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
†. Gen 4:17b . . and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he then
founded a city, and named the city after his son Enoch.
The "city" probably wasn't the kind of city we're used to thinking. The word
for it is from 'iyr (eer) and simply means a community-- a place guarded by
waking or a watch --in the widest sense; even of a mere encampment or
post.
Whether Cain actually lived in a permanent settlement is doubtful since he
was stuck with vagrancy and wandering. Cain's city was very likely nothing
more than a rudimentary village like the towns in the Old West and the
Klondike that grew up around rail heads and mining camps. Some of those
were little more than a village of tents, and that's probably all that
Enochville amounted to. Just a nomadic assembly of Cain's clan where they
could pool their resources, and watch each other's back as they wandered
from place to place in the land of Nod searching for sustenance.
†. Gen 4:18-19 . .To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad begot Mehujael,
and Mehujael begot Methusael, and Methusael begot Lamech.
Lamech took to himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah,
and the name of the other was Zillah.
Adah is from 'Adah (aw-daw') and means: ornament. It's not unusual for
people to name their little girls after jewelry like Pearl, Ruby, Jade, Sapphire,
and Amber. Zillah is from Tsillah (tsil-law') which is derived from tsel (tsale)
and means: shade (or shadow), whether literal or figurative. Shade is a good
thing in sunny locales so Zillah's name may have been associated with
shelter, protection, peace, serenity, and rest-- as in Song 2:3.
Lamech's marriages are the very first incidence of polygamy in the Bible,
and I have yet to see a passage where God either approved or disapproved
of it other than the restrictions imposed upon New Testament church
officers. (e.g. 1Tim 3:2, 1Tim 3:12, and Titus 1:6)
Aside from the obvious sensual benefits men derive from harems; polygamy
does have its practical side. The gestation period for human beings is nine
months. At that rate, it would take a man many years to build up his clan to
a respectable size. But with multiple wives, he could speed things up
considerably. In primitive cultures, large families are very influential, an
their numbers crucial to survival and self preservation.
†. Ps 127:4-5 . . Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are sons born to a man
in his youth. Happy is the man who fills his quiver with them; they shall not
be put to shame when they contend with the enemy in the gate.
Cont.
/
The Hebrew word for "Nod" is from nowd (node) and means: wandering,
vagrancy or exile. Precisely how Nod got its name, or where it was located is
unknown; and this is the only place in the entire Old Testament where nowd
is found so we can't compare it with other uses.
†. Gen 4:17a . . Cain knew his wife,
According to Gen 3:20 and Acts 17:26, all human beings-- regardless of
race, color and/or ethnic identity --are Adam's and Eve's biological progeny.
Ergo: Cain married his kin; whether a sister or a niece is difficult to know for
sure.
Prehistoric inbreeding was apparently common; and in point of fact quite
necessary if humanity was to be fruitful and increase and fill the Earth. (Gen
1:28)
Take for example Noah and his three sons and their wives. Nobody else
survived the Flood; ergo: Shem's, Ham's, and Japheth's children married
amongst themselves-- brothers with sisters and/or cousins with cousins.
(Gen 9:18-19)
Obviously the human genome was very pure back in those days, and very
resistant to aberrations. The proof of it is prehistoric human life's amazing
longevity-- Adam lived to be 930, and Noah to 950.[/size][/font]
NOTE: Scientists have identified 100,000 pieces of retrovirus DNA in human
genes, making up eight percent of the genome. As to whether those
retroviruses have contributed to the shortening of the human life span, I
don't know; but I'd bet that those bugs were not in the human genome at
first. I think it safe to say that the current human genome is a
malfunctioning genome, and has been for quite a number of years; possibly
several millennia.
Now, as to the "sin" of incest; according to Deut 5:2-4, Rom 4:15, Rom
5:13, and Gal 3:17, divine laws enacted ex post facto are too late; viz: they
aren't enforced until after they're codified. Well, incest wasn't prohibited
until the covenant that Moses' people agreed upon with God as per Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
†. Gen 4:17b . . and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he then
founded a city, and named the city after his son Enoch.
The "city" probably wasn't the kind of city we're used to thinking. The word
for it is from 'iyr (eer) and simply means a community-- a place guarded by
waking or a watch --in the widest sense; even of a mere encampment or
post.
Whether Cain actually lived in a permanent settlement is doubtful since he
was stuck with vagrancy and wandering. Cain's city was very likely nothing
more than a rudimentary village like the towns in the Old West and the
Klondike that grew up around rail heads and mining camps. Some of those
were little more than a village of tents, and that's probably all that
Enochville amounted to. Just a nomadic assembly of Cain's clan where they
could pool their resources, and watch each other's back as they wandered
from place to place in the land of Nod searching for sustenance.
†. Gen 4:18-19 . .To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad begot Mehujael,
and Mehujael begot Methusael, and Methusael begot Lamech.
Lamech took to himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah,
and the name of the other was Zillah.
Adah is from 'Adah (aw-daw') and means: ornament. It's not unusual for
people to name their little girls after jewelry like Pearl, Ruby, Jade, Sapphire,
and Amber. Zillah is from Tsillah (tsil-law') which is derived from tsel (tsale)
and means: shade (or shadow), whether literal or figurative. Shade is a good
thing in sunny locales so Zillah's name may have been associated with
shelter, protection, peace, serenity, and rest-- as in Song 2:3.
Lamech's marriages are the very first incidence of polygamy in the Bible,
and I have yet to see a passage where God either approved or disapproved
of it other than the restrictions imposed upon New Testament church
officers. (e.g. 1Tim 3:2, 1Tim 3:12, and Titus 1:6)
Aside from the obvious sensual benefits men derive from harems; polygamy
does have its practical side. The gestation period for human beings is nine
months. At that rate, it would take a man many years to build up his clan to
a respectable size. But with multiple wives, he could speed things up
considerably. In primitive cultures, large families are very influential, an
their numbers crucial to survival and self preservation.
†. Ps 127:4-5 . . Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are sons born to a man
in his youth. Happy is the man who fills his quiver with them; they shall not
be put to shame when they contend with the enemy in the gate.
Cont.
/
