PART ONE - GENESIS - KEY BIBLICAL CONCEPTS

Genesis 1 – Creation of Heavens and Earth - 1.1 – In the beginning Elohim created – In Hebrew literally reads, “In the beginning Elohim, Aleph Tov created… Aleph Tov are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet—this depicts the presence of both the Father and the Son at creation (John 1.1-3). This also parallels Alpha Omega in the Greek as found in Revelation.

Elohim – appears 2597 times in the OT. Conveys the meaning of “mighty ones” and can also denote the singular “mighty one.” Most often used in reference to Yahweh, but also applies to false deities, angels, and mankind. Today the word God is used in its place—this is a poor replacement word.

Created – from the Hebrew bara, which refers to original or new creation. Only Elohim can create in the sense implied by bara. The verb expresses creation out of nothing, an idea seen clearly in passages having to do with creation on a cosmic scale (Gen 1.1; 2.3; Isaiah 40.26; 42.5). It also supports “The Big Bang” theory.

Genesis 1.2 – without form – Heb tow-hoo, to lie waste. Void – Heb emptiness or void. The Hebrew sense is that there is no time gap between Gen 1.1 and 1.2

Genesis 1.6 – firmament – which was between the water canopy above (atmosphere) and the oceans below. The three heavens = the atmosphere, outer space, and heaven. Elohim’s abode is heaven.

Genesis 1.14 – seasons = Hebrew moed = primarily refers to Yahweh’s appointed times (Lev 23.1). The word moed means = “an appointed time, festival, or congregation.” See Ps 104.19 (moedim = seasons). Also Gen 17.21 set time.

Genesis 1.26 – man in our image = Yahweh makes His people after His nature and physical likeness. The form Yashua came in was the likeness of Yahweh.

Genesis – Creation of Man and Woman - 2.3 – sanctified = Hebrew kaw-dash = set apart, dedicate; to make special. This is the first mention of the Sabbath. Yahweh rested on this seventh day blessing it and setting it apart. This is a special sign between Him and His people (Ex 31.13).

Genesis 2.4 – LORD GOD = Yahweh is the personal and proper name of the “Mighty One of Israel” as close as we can tell from the tetragramon of YHVH. Some use Jehovah but Yahweh seems closer. Yahweh means, “Self- Existent” or “Eternal.”

Genesis 2.7 – man became a living soul = soul = nephesh same word as in Gen 1.20 “life” and in 1.21 “creature”. The soul or nephesh occurs 754 times in the OT. In Greek the word = Psuche = man and the life of man that can be lost, destroyed or saved. It is also rendered “self, mind, heart.” The soul that sins shall die (Ezekiel 18.4, 20). It is often used as man being mortal and subject to death…the wages of sin is death.

Genesis 2.17 –“… the day you eat thereof thou shalt surely die.” The process of human (soul) death would begin once sin was introduced to the earth. No longer would man be able to live forever in paradise = gan edan in Hebrew.

Genesis 2.24 – “…shall cleave unto his wife.” To be joined, hold fast. They shall be one flesh. Not literally one person but one in purpose and mind – bound together.

Genesis 3 – Satan’s Deception - 3.1 – “The serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field. Serpent = Hebrew = nachash, meaning, “to hiss”, i.e. a whisperer, spell, prognosticate, enchantment”. Nachash also means, “to shine”.  Satan is often referred to as “an angel of light” (2 Cor 11.14). Was the serpent a shining being which captivated Eve?

Genesis 3.4-5 – “…you shall surely not die…but shall be as the mighty ones.” The first lie in the Bible was that Eve would not die but that she would become as a mighty one (God). This was a direct contradiction of Yahweh’s promise of death if they ate of the fruit of this tree.

Genesis 3.15 – enmity between…this is a prophetic statement predicting the future destruction of Satan by Yahshua the Messiah (Rom 16.20; Ps 91.13).

Genesis 3.16-17 – sorrow = toil. Conception = pregnancy. Rule = dominion, have power…first concept of marriage.

Genesis 3.20 – Mother of all living…Eve = Hebrew = Chavvah = life spring. Her name, “Mother of all living,” contradicts the notion that a separate race existed apart from mankind.

Genesis 4 – Cain Murders Abel - 4.1 – Cain = “acquired” the first born of Adam and Eve. He was a tiller of the ground. Abel = breath or vapor; second son was a keeper of sheep.

Genesis 4.3 – “…in the process of time…” The time, place, and offering were apparently a moedim (appointed time), which would have been a shadow of Passover. Cain brought his offering from the ground, which Yahweh had cursed in Gen 3.17. Abel brought from the flock a blood offering—the first born of the flock = firstling. Yahweh was not pleased with Cain’s offering.

Genesis 4.7 – “If thou do well shall you not be accepted?” God is telling Cain to rethink his offering. This is a shadow of Yahshua’s death on the cross—offering up His blood for our sins.

Genesis 4.8-11 – “…your brother’s blood cries out from the earth…” Not literally but figuratively or symbolically of Cain’s guilt. Also see: Cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12.1) and Souls under the altar (Rev 6.11) for figurative speech.

Genesis 4.19 – Lamech was the first biblical person to have two wives. Note: Yahweh never instructed man to have more than one wife.

Genesis 4.26 – “…then began men to call upon the name of the LORD (Yahweh).” The Jewish Targums say that at this time men began to call their idols by the name Yahweh or Baali, which means master. The word “began” in the Hebrew is chalal and means = “to profane, defile, pollute, desecrate, begin to violate (a covenant) to profane (the name of Yahweh).

Genesis 5 – Generations of Adam through Noah - 5.21 – Enoch = “dedicated one, follower.” Enoch walked with Yahweh.

Genesis 5.24 – “Enoch walked with Elohim (Gen 6.9) and Elohim took him. Hebrews 11.5 says that Enoch was translated or transferred so that he should not see death. The Greek word “translated” = Metatithemi and means, “carried over” which is how it is used in Acts 7.16 when describing how Jacob died in Egypt and was carried over to Sychem  to be buried. The tense in Hebrew is conditional future, so that “he should not die” in a temporary sense. Later, in Hebrews 11.13 Enoch is included with the other saints as those having died and not received the promise (of everlasting life).

Genesis 5.27 – Methuselah in the Hebrew means “When he is dead it shall be sent.” His name was a prophecy about the coming flood…he died just before it began.

Genesis 6 – Evil of Man - 6.2 –“…the sons of Elohim saw the daughters of men…took them for wives.” This has been interpreted various ways. 1. Fallen angels made marriages with women of earth. Yahshua, in Matt 22.30, says angels are not given in marriage. 2. Higher classes made marriage with lower class. 3. The line of righteous Seth made marriages with wicked line of Cain. This view is the most favored because the passage only refers to man’s sins and evil thoughts. Nothing is said about angels. A similar passage is Deut 7.1-5, where Israel is warned about intermarriage with pagan nations. “Sons of Elohim” is a common reference to mankind = Matt 5.9; Luke 3.38; Rom 8.14; Gal 3.26. Sometimes, however, it does refer to angels (Job 38.7). In Jewish writings the third opinion is accepted.

Genesis 6.4 – “…giants in the earth….” In Hebrew the word “giants” is nefel = apostates, or tyrants, giants…derived from Hebrew Nephilim = “bullies or tyrants”. It says these giants existed after the sons of Elohim came unto the daughters of men. The Nephilim were also found after the flood in Numbers 13.33. They most likely are not a marriage of angels and mankind—but just a society of large men who were bullies and tyrants—perhaps a mutant tribe.

Genesis 6.10 – Noah’s sons become the fathers of the generation after the flood. Abraham is from Shem’s line…also the word “Semite” comes from Shem.

Genesis 6.16 – A cubit is the measure from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. It is estimated to be 18 inches. The ark then was 450 ft. long. 75 ft. wide, and 45 ft. high, about the size of a modern oil tanker.

Genesis 6.19 – Noah commanded to take a pair of all animals. This would include what would later be clean and unclean animals.

Genesis 7 – The Great Flood - 7.2 – Now we see Noah is also commanded to take in the clean animals by sevens, literally seven sevens which could mean seven pairs or 49 of the clean—one extra. We also see an awareness of clean and unclean. We will see later why Yahweh told Noah to take extra clean animals into the ark.

Genesis 7.6 – Noah spent 100 years building the ark (Gen 5.32).

Genesis 7.12 – Forty days and nights the rains came. Forty is the number of testing…we see Yahshua tested in the desert for 40 days and the children of Israel tested in the wilderness for 40 years.

Genesis 8 – The Flood Waters Abate - 8.20 – Noah now makes an offering to Yahweh with the extra clean animals he was told to bring on board. Note it was a blood offering---just as righteous Abel offered.

Genesis 9 – Elohim Makes a Covenant with Noah - 9.3 – “Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat (food) for you….” Before Adam’s sin all mankind and animals subsisted on plant life, as found in the Garden of Eden (Gen 1.29-30).

Genesis 9.4 – Yahweh commands Noah to abstain from eating the blood (Lev 3.17 and Acts 15.20) which was later confirmed in the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai.

Genesis 9.5-6 – Man is to abstain from murder…Yahweh was already making His law known to the righteous…death is the penalty for sin...sin is lawbreaking (1 John 3.4).

Genesis 9.7 – Be fruitful and multiply…have children. Only a man and a woman can be “fruitful” in this way.

Genesis 9.8-17 – Describes the Noahic Covenant…earth would not be destroyed by water again.

Genesis 9.18 – Ham is the father of Canaan. This was the land Israel would later inherit. Canaan became a pagan tribe given over to idols and child sacrifice.

Genesis 9.22 – Ham saw the nakedness of his father Noah…the rabbis believe this was more than seeing his father naked but perhaps incest—the reason for the harsh penalty in 9.25.

Genesis 10 – The Generations of Noah’s Sons - 10.1-8 – List’s the generations of the sons of Noah. In Jewish writings these are the original 70 nations of mankind in the earth. Note: Numbers 29:12-34 details the offerings for the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles. 13 Bulls are offered the first day, twelve on the second, eleven on the third, etc. 13+12+11+10+9+8+7=70. It has been suggested that this is for atonement of the seventy nations. More on this in chapter 46.

Genesis 10 details the 70 nations that were born after the flood. “These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations; and out of these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood.” Genesis 10:32. Note: the word Semite comes from the root Shem.

Genesis 10.8-9 – Nimrod = rebel, as “in your face”. Known to be an opponent of Yahweh. Great-grandson of Noah’s son Ham. His rule extended across what was Assyria and Babylonia. Said to have built the tower of Babel.

Genesis 10.21 – Eber = regions beyond the river. Hebrew means = “one who has crossed over”. Abraham was called by God and “crossed over” the Euphrates River. Eber is the root for the name Hebrew. Abraham is the first one to be called Hebrew. Eber lived 430 years and was related to Abraham and would have known Abraham and Isaac (ref 11.16-26).

Genesis 11 – The Confounding of Language - 11.1 – “…the whole earth was of one language. It is assumed here that “Hebrew” was the world’s language at the time as Hebrew is considered the language of Yahweh (ref: Acts 26.14 and 1 Corinthians 13.1).

Genesis 11.3-4 – “Make bricks and burn them….” Bricks are all the same size and shape verses stones which are of many sizes and shapes…this is the first New World Order and attempt at one world government.

“Let us make a name” is a declaration of independence from Yahweh. Babel means = “confusion” and Babylon becomes the mother of all false religion and deception (Rev 17.5) which will be destroyed at Yahshua’s second coming (Rev18.21).

Genesis 11.31-32 – Ur of the Chaldees (Babylon). Known for commerce and idolatry. Moon goddess was worshiped here. Abraham’s father and family were told to leave. They were to separate from idolatry and deception and go to the promised land of Canaan a shadow of Yahweh’s kingdom.