[net.origins] A Genesis Puzzle

dubois@uwmacc.UUCP (Paul DuBois) (05/07/85)

Well, I try to stay away from Genesis, but here goes...

I have seen it mentioned here that the geneologies in Genesis are not
necessarily complete, which has been taken to imply that timescales
computed on the basis of those geneologies would be somewhat
inaccurate.  That the geneologies are incomplete seems to me untrue,
for at least one particular segment, as I will now demonstate.

Genesis 5:21 Enoch begat Methuselah
          25 And Methuselah live to 187 years and begat Lamech
          27 And Methuselah died at 969 years old.
          28 And Lamech had a son when he was 182
          29 And called his name Noah
        7:11 In the 600th year of Noah's life, the Flood began

Consider that Methuselah's name means "at my death the waters shall
come."

Ask yourself - how many years after Methuselah was born did the Flood
occur, according to this geneology?  Given that answer, does it seem
reasonable to you that this portion of the geneology contains missing
pieces?

-- 
                                                                    |
Paul DuBois     {allegra,ihnp4,seismo}!uwvax!uwmacc!dubois        --+--
                                                                    |
"The presence of weeds in the garden is not explained by            |
  saying that the gardener has not pulled them yet."