The Free Thinkers guide to the Bible

Part 4 #2 - The Flood

The establishment of the Priesthood

Welcome back to the Free Thinkers guide to the bible. I created this series so that ‘anyone’ can explore and understand the bible. You don’t need to be a biblical scholar; all you need is a desire to see what is written. I will present to you several biblical examples and demonstrate the process of sifting the accounts to reveal the hidden. This process is very similar to archeology, where the layers are excavated and analyzed. Just not the dirty part, though you will be digging up some dirt along the way.

Warning:

The series unfolds like a story in a book. Please study the content in the order it is presented in order to have the best experience. (The study series begins with Part 1 #1 – The Flood)

Preface

In the fourth study we build upon the knowledge we acquired in the first three studies. We have found that there are at least two distinct authors and a superb redactor(s) that created, edited and merged accounts and stories in the books of Genesis, Exodus and Numbers. In the second study we highlighted accounts that diminished or promoted Moses and Aaron. In the third study we highlighted accounts that revealed that the “A” account writer(s) focused on Aaron and priestly matters. The “B” account writer(s) focused on telling stories and made no mention of priestly matters, Aaron was revealed to be a leader of the people and he and Hur were in charge when Moses went up to the Mount.

In this portion of the study our focus will be on Clean and Unclean animals. We will revisit the Flood account and use the information we gathered in the first three studies to dig deeper and explore the areas that may have been hidden from our eyes during our first examination of the account.

The Flood “B”

Gen 6:5 And GOD (יהוה) saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And it repented the LORD (יהוה) that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And the LORD (יהוה) said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD (יהוה).

7:1 And the LORD (יהוה) said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. 2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. 3 of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. 4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

5 And Noah did according unto all that the LORD (יהוה) commanded him. 6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth. 7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.

***10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. *** 12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. ***16b and the LORD (יהוה) shut him in. 17 and the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. 18 And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. *** 20b and the mountains were covered. 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. 23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.

8:2a and the rain from heaven was restrained; 3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually: 6 And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: 8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground 9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. 10 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; 11 and the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. 12 And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more. ***

8:13b and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. *** 20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD (יהוה); and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the LORD (יהוה) smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD (יהוה) said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I have done. 22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

The “B” Flood account is a typical “B” writer(s) story with the exception of a few areas. There is one redactor insertion which I have highlighted in orange - chapter 7:5. The numbers seven and forty are each repeated several times and we have of course; the elephant in the room…

In the “B” and the “A” flood accounts we have animals referred to as clean and unclean. If you have participated in the studies from the beginning you know that the “B” account writings do not contain priestly matters. With this in mind we must ask ourselves “why” there are references to clean and unclean animals in this account. Ritually clean food statutes wouldn’t be addressed until the “A” writer(s) Leviticus and Deuteronomy writings. Please briefly review the three references regarding clean/unclean animals.

Lev 20:25 Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean.

Deu 14:3 Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing. 4 These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat, 5 the hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois. 6 And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat. 7 Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you. 8 And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase. 9 These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat: 10 and whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you. 11 Of all clean birds ye shall eat. 12 But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, 13 And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind, 14 And every raven after his kind, 15 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, 16 The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan, 17 And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant, 18 And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. 19 And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten. 20 But of all clean fowls ye may eat.

As an experiment for you, I have placed the Leviticus and Deuteronomy accounts together. Try reading the two accounts as a continuous flow rather than two separate accounts…

Clean/Unclean together

Lev 11:41 And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten. 42 Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination. 43 Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth; neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby. 44 For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 45 For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. Deu 14:3 Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing. 4 These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat, 5 the hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois. 6 And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat. 7 Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you. 8 And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase. 9 These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat: 10 and whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you. 11 Of all clean birds ye shall eat. 12 But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, 13 And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind, 14 And every raven after his kind, 15 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, 16 The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan, 17 And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant, 18 And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. 19 And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten. 20 But of all clean fowls ye may eat. Lev 11:46 This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth: 47 to make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.

When you read the two together, do they complement each other? Does each account address a particular clean/unclean topic and between the two you have a complete picture? I leave it to you to determine if the two accounts complement each other and decide if it was possibly one account split in two and strategically placed by the “A” writer(s).

Please note that the flood account is the first and only account in the first five books that refer to clean and unclean animals in a story. The other references are used in priestly statutes. Also note that (טָהוֹר – Tahor – ceremonially clean) primarily refers to leprosy and ritual cleanliness in its usage.

With this information in mind I want to address the problematic verses. We know that the “A” writer’s account was likely inserted into the “B” flood account framework, so there should be little surprise that the priestly clean/unclean statutes are referred to in the “B” account. Let’s focus on the “B” account and attempt to resolve the issues…

7:1 And the LORD (יהוה) said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. 2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. 3 Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.

Since we realize that there are likely insertions we can remove the additions and read the account as it was originally written…

7:1 And the LORD (יהוה) said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. 2 Of every ~~clean~~ beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: ~~and~~ ~~of beasts that~~ ~~are~~ ~~not clean~~ by ~~two~~~~, the male and his female~~. 3 of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. 4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

I have highlighted the problematic portions. Now we will remove them and read the account without the scribal additions…

7:1 And the LORD (יהוה) said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. 2 Of every beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: 3 of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. 4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

Without the additions the account flows smoothly and makes perfect sense. Seven pair of all animals and birds were taken aboard the ark. This would be a perfect number of creatures to ensure that the animal and bird populations would thrive after being released from the ark. I think we can agree that one pair of animals and birds would not guarantee the survival of a species! Also note that we did not have an insertion for the “fowls of the air”.

We can now move on to the next portion of the account that refers to clean/unclean…

8:13b and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. *** 20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD (יהוה); and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the LORD (יהוה) smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD (יהוה) said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I have done. 22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

In these verses not only do we have the first clean (טָהוֹר – Tahor) reference, we also have the first occurrence in the first five books of altar (מזבּח - mizbêach), burnt offering (עולה - ‛ôlâh – ascension offering) and sweet savour (ריח ניחח - nı̂ychôach rêyach).

Is this coincidence or purposeful planning? The first occurrence of clean/unclean, altar, ascension offering and sweet savour occurring in the ‘ancient’ flood account gives these priestly matters precedence, authority and validity. What if we remove them from the account?

8:13b and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.

8:20 ~~And~~ ~~Noah builded an altar unto~~ ~~the LORD~~ (~~יהוה~~); ~~and took of every clean beast~~~~, and of~~ ~~every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar~~. 21 ~~And~~ ~~the LORD~~ (~~יהוה~~~~) smelled~~ ~~a sweet savour~~; and the LORD (יהוה) said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I have done. 22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

Once again I have highlighted the problematic portions. Now we will remove them and read the account without the scribal additions…

The Account without additions

8:13b and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. And the LORD (יהוה) said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I have done. 22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

When we read the account without the priestly “A” additions we read a typical “B” account story that flows smoothly.

Summary

The addition of priestly matters into the flood account grants precedence and authority to the priesthood; its rites, statutes and ceremonies. Most readers automatically assume that these additions are true and use the insertions to validate the priestly matters that are written in the four scrolls that come after it.

Word Occurrences:

The LORD/GOD (יהוה) – 10X

Seven days – 4X

Forty days – 4X

Dove – 4X

We continue the study with a review of the “A” Flood account…

The Flood “A”

Gen 6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God (אלהים). 10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 The earth also was corrupt before God (אלהים), and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God (אלהים) looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. 13 And God (אלהים) said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. 15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. 16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. 17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and everything that is in the earth shall die. 18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. 20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. 21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. 22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God (אלהים) commanded him, so did he.

7:8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of everything that creepeth upon the earth, 9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God (אלהים) had commanded Noah. *** 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. *** 13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; 14 They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. 15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. 16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God (אלהים) had commanded him. 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. 20a fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; *** 21 and all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: 24 and the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.

8:1 And God (אלהים) remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God (אלהים) made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged; 2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. 3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. 4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen. 7 And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. 13 And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: 14 And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried. 15 And God (אלהים) spake unto Noah, saying, 16 Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. 17 Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. 18 And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him: 19 every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.

9:1 And God (אלהים) blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. 2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. 3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. 4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. 5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. 6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God (אלהים) made he man. 7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein. 8 And God (אלהים) spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, 9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; 10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. 11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there anymore be a flood to destroy the earth. 12 And God (אלהים) said, this is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. 14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: 15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh 16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God (אלהים) and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. 17 And God (אלהים) said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

Summary

In the “A” flood account we read the Creator (God) tasked Noah with building an ark and bringing two pairs of each type of creature aboard. Please note that the typical “A” writer(s) accounts frequently use names, genealogies, dates and measurements. The use of these ‘facts’ gives the account(s) validity and authority. When you read an account with these types of information added to them, most minds automatically assign a higher level of authenticity to the subject matter. The use of ‘facts’ is a common tool of the “A” writer(s) that you should look for when reading or studying the bible. As an exercise; re-read the “A” flood account and consciously look for the ‘facts’ that the writer has added. I have highlighted many of them.

The account refers to the priestly matters of clean/unclean animals and eating meat with the blood within it. The main focus of the account appears to be on the covenant; which the writer(s) refer to eight times. The covenant in this account is the first occurrence of covenant in the five scrolls.

Word Occurrences:

God – 16X

Covenant – 8X (בְּרִית - berı̂yth)

Month – 11X

Day(s) – 10X

Year(s) – 3X

Cubit – 4X

Bow – 3X

Hundred and fifty days – 3X

Token – 3X (אוֹת - 'ôth - sign)

Conclusion

Only a supremely skilled scribe(s) could intermix a priestly account into an existing older flood account and add verses that support priestly matters into the other account so elegantly.

The “A” Creation account introduced the seventh day Sabbath.

The “A” writer(s) then introduced covenant, Clean/unclean animals, the Altar, Olah offerings, a sweet savour, and the prohibition against eating meat with the blood in the Flood account.

We will continue to demonstrate the gradual introduction of priestly matters into the Genesis accounts which pave the way for the Israelite priesthood.

Please continue with us in the next study:

Part #4 #3 - Melchizedek King and Priest of Shalem (peace)

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The Flood “B” (Insertions removed)

7:1 And the LORD (יהוה) said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. 2 Of every beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female 3 Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. 4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

5 And Noah did according unto all that the LORD (יהוה) commanded him. 7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. 10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. 12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. 6b and the LORD (יהוה) shut him in. 17 and the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. 18 And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. 20b and the mountains were covered. 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. 23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.

8:13b and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. And the LORD (יהוה) said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I have done. 22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.