Restored English Translation of Genesis: Chapter 5

 

Hello!  Here is the belated 5th chapter of my Restored English Translation (RET) of the Book of Beresheet (Genesis).  Once again, this post contains the Hebrew names.  A glossary of those names will be provided at the end.  I will continue to use the Aleph Tavs, although I am no longer certain about them.  It appears that they may well be purely grammar after all.  A friend of mine wrote in an email:
“On another note, the word את is explained in a Hebrew textbook thus:

‘A direct, definite object of a verb is preceded by the particle את. 

             David takes a book.               .דוד לוקח ספר

            David takes the book.   .   דוד לוקח את הספר

            Whom do you love.          ?את מי אתה אוהב

Proper nouns are considered definite. Thus, when they are used as direct objects of a verb, the particle את is required. 

              I see David.                             אני רואה את דוד.’

(Ha-Yesod – Fundamentals of Hebrew, by Luba Uveeler et al., 1989, p. 25).

So, the Aleph/Tav is apparently used frequently in everyday Hebrew grammar to indicate object or something like that.  I will continue to show the Aleph/Tav in my translation – partly for consistency, partly for “just in case” – but I’m no longer so confident about it.

This translation of Genesis 5 is quite different from most.  It is the first genealogy in Scripture, along the lines of “_____ lived ___ years and fathered ____, and afterwards lived ____ years and died.  And all his years were ____.”  Problem is, the main surviving manuscript traditions of Genesis – Masoretic, Samaritan and Septuagint – all disagree on the ages of the patriarchs (this passage has not survived in the Dead Sea Scrolls).  With no real way to “prove” which one is right (other than that the Septuagint numbers – which are much higher than the others – have Methuselah live beyond the Flood without being on the Ark), most translators simply use the Masoretic Text’s numbers.

However, when one is aware of the Book of Jubilees, this problem is quickly solved.  It’s precise chronology – on which there are no known manuscript variations – pinpoint, in each individual case, which Genesis manuscript got an age right and which one got it wrong.  The resulting numbers are sometimes different from the traditional Masoretic ones, often agreeing with the Samaritan.  The biggest consequence of this is the discovery that Methuselah was NOT the oldest human that ever lived, living to 720 years (not 969, like in most translations).  Noah was actually the oldest person in the Bible, living to 950 (as in the traditional translations).  [Note: this is not altering Genesis to make it fit Jubilees; it is simply using Jubilees to determine which manuscript variation is the correct one.]

CHAPTER 5

1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that ELOHIM created human, He created it in the likeness of ELOHIM; 2 He created them male and female. And He blessed them and called את their name human in the day when they were created. 3 And Adam lived 130 years and fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and called את his name Shet. 4 And the days of Adam after he had fathered את Shet were 800 years; and he fathered sons and daughters. 5 And all the days of Adam that he lived were 930 years, and he died.

6 And Shet lived 105 years and fathered את Enosh. 7 And Shet lived 807 years after he fathered את Enosh, and he fathered sons and daughters. 8 And all the days of Shet were 912 years, and he died.

9 And Enosh lived 90 years and fathered את Keynan. 10 And after he father את Keynan, Enosh lived 815 years, and he fathered sons and daughters. 11 And all the days of Enosh were 905 years, and he died.

12 And Keynan lived 70 years and father את Mahalalel. 13 And after he fathered את Mahalalel, Keynan lived 840 years, and he fathered sons and daughters. 14 And all the days of Keynan were 910 years, and he died.

15 And Mahalalel lived 65 years and fathered את Yered. 16 And after he fathered את Yered, Mahalalel lived 830 years, and he fathered sons and daughters. 17 And all the days of Mahalalel were 895 years, and he died.

18 And Yered lived 62 years and fathered את Chanok. 19 And after he fathered את Chanok, Yered lived 785 years and fathered sons and daughters. 20 And all the days of Yered were 847 years, and he died.

21 And Chanok lived 65 years and fathered את Metushelach. 22 And pleased Chanok את The ELOHIM 300 years after he fathered את Metushelach, and he fathered sons and daughters. 23 And all the days of Chanok were 365 years. 24 And walked Chanok with את The ELOHIM, then he was not, for ELOHIM took him.

25 And Metushelach lived 67 years and fathered את Lemek. 26 And Metushelach lived 653 years after he fathered את Lemek, and he fathered sons and daughters. 27 And all the days of Metushelach were 720 years, and he died. 28 And Lemek lived 53 years and fathered a son. 29 And he called את his name Noach, saying, “This one will comfort us from our work and the toil of our hands from the ground which YEHOVAH has cursed.” 30 And Lemek lived 600 years after he fathered את Noach, and he fathered sons and daughters. 31 And all the days of Lemek were 653 years, and he died.

32 And Noach was a son of 500 years. And fathered Noach את Shem, את Cham and את Yefet.

Glossary

ELOHIM – God

Shet – Seth

Enoch – Enos

Keynan – Cainan

Yered – Jared

Chanok – Enoch

Metushelach – Methuselah

Lemek – Lamech

Noach – Noah

YEHOVAH – The Lord

Cham – Ham

Yefet – Japheth