This book is so called from its treating of the GENERATION, that is, of the creation and the beginning of the world. The Hebrews call it BERESITH, from the Word with which it begins. It contains not only the history of the Creation of the world; but also an account of its progress during the space of 2369 years, that is, until the death of JOSEPH.
God createth Heaven and Earth, and all things therein, in six days.
1:1. In the beginning God created heaven, and earth.
1:2. And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God moved over the waters.
1:3. And God said: Be light made. And light was made.
1:4. And God saw the light that it was good; and he divided the light from the darkness.
1:5. And he called the light Day, and the darkness Night; and there was evening and morning one day.
1:6. And God said: Let there be a firmament made amidst the waters: and let it divide the waters from the waters.
A firmament.... By this name is here understood the whole space between the earth, and the highest stars. The lower part of which divideth the waters that are upon the earth, from those that are above in the clouds.
1:7. And God made a firmament, and divided the waters that were under the firmament, from those that were above the firmament, and it was so.
1:8. And God called the firmament, Heaven; and the evening and morning were the second day.
1:9. God also said; Let the waters that are under the heaven, be gathered together into one place: and let the dry land appear. And it was so done.
1:10. And God called the dry land, Earth; and the gathering together of the waters, he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
1:11. And he said: let the earth bring forth green herb, and such as may seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, which may have seed in itself upon the earth. And it was so done.
1:12. And the earth brought forth the green herb, and such as yieldeth seed according to its kind, and the tree that beareth fruit, having seed each one according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
1:13. And the evening and the morning were the third day.
1:14. And God said: Let there be lights made in the firmament of heaven, to divide the day and the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years:
1:15. To shine in the firmament of heaven, and to give light upon the earth, and it was so done.
1:16. And God made two great lights: a greater light to rule the day; and a lesser light to rule the night: and the stars.
Two great lights.... God created on the first day, light, which being moved from east to west, by its rising and setting, made morning and evening. But on the fourth day he ordered and distributed this light, and made the sun, moon, and stars. The moon, though much less than the stars, is here called a great light, from its giving a far greater light to the earth than any of them.
1:17. And he set them in the firmament of heaven to shine upon the earth.
1:18. And to rule the day and the night, and to divide the light and the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
1:19. And the evening and morning were the fourth day.
1:20. God also said: let the waters bring forth the creeping creature having life, and the fowl that may fly over the earth under the firmament of heaven.
1:21. And God created the great whales, and every living and moving creature, which the waters brought forth, according to their kinds, and every winged fowl according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
1:22. And he blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the waters of the sea: and let the birds be multiplied upon the earth.
1:23. And the evening and morning were the fifth day.
1:24. And God said: Let the earth bring forth the living creature in its kind, cattle and creeping things, and beasts of the earth, according to their kinds. And it was so done.
1:25. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, and cattle, and every thing that creepeth on the earth after its kind. And God saw that it was good.
1:26. And he said: Let us make man to our image and likeness: and let him have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts, and the whole earth, and every creeping creature that moveth upon the earth.
Let us make man to our image.... This image of God in man, is not in the body, but in the soul; which is a spiritual substance, endued with understanding and free will. God speaketh here in the plural number, to insinuate the plurality of persons in the Deity.
1:27. And God created man to his own image: to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them.
1:28. And God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon the earth.
Increase and multiply.... This is not a precept, as some Protestant controvertists would have it, but a blessing, rendering them fruitful; for God had said the same words to the fishes, and birds, (ver. 22) who were incapable of receiving a precept.
1:29. And God said: Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed upon the earth, and all trees that have in themselves seed of their own kind, to be your meat:
1:30. And to all beasts of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to all that move upon the earth, and wherein there is life, that they may have to feed upon. And it was so done.
1:31. And God saw all the things that he had made, and they were very good. And the evening and morning were the sixth day.
God resteth on the seventh day and blesseth it. The earthly paradise, in which God placeth man. He commandeth him not to eat of the tree of knowledge. And formeth a woman of his rib.
2:1. So the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the furniture of them.
2:2. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made: and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done.
He rested, etc.... That is, he ceased to make or create any new kinds of things. Though, as our Lord tells us, John 5.17, “He still worketh”, viz., by conserving and governing all things, and creating souls.
2:3. And he blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
2:4. These are the generations of the heaven and the earth, when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the heaven and the earth:
2:5. And every plant of the field before it sprung up in the earth, and every herb of the ground before it grew: for the Lord God had not rained upon the earth; and there was not a man to till the earth.
2:6. But a spring rose out of the earth, watering all the surface of the earth.
2:7. And the Lord God formed man of the slime of the earth: and breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living soul.
2:8. And the Lord God had planted a paradise of pleasure from the beginning: wherein he placed man whom he had formed.
2:9. And the Lord God brought forth of the ground all manner of trees, fair to behold, and pleasant to eat of: the tree of life also in the midst of paradise: and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
The tree of life.... So called because it had that quality, that by eating of the fruit of it, man would have been preserved in a constant state of health, vigour, and strength, and would not have died at all. The tree of knowledge.... To which the deceitful serpent falsely attributed the power of imparting a superior kind of knowledge, beyond that which God was pleased to give.
2:10. And a river went out of the place of pleasure to water paradise, which from thence is divided into four heads.
2:11. The name of the one is Phison: that is it which compasseth all the land of Hevilath, where gold groweth.
2:12. And the gold of that land is very good: there is found bdellium, and the onyx stone.
2:13. And the name of the second river is Gehon: the same is it that compasseth all the land of Ethiopia.
2:14. And the name of the third river is Tigris: the same passeth along by the Assyrians. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
2:15. And the Lord God took man, and put him into the paradise of pleasure, to dress it, and to keep it.
2:16. And he commanded him, saying: Of every tree of paradise thou shalt eat:
2:17. But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat. For in what day soever thou shalt eat of it, thou shalt die the death.
2:18. And the Lord God said: It is not good for man to be alone: let us make him a help like unto himself.
2:19. And the Lord God having formed out of the ground all the beasts of the earth, and all the fowls of the air, brought them to Adam to see what he would call them: for whatsoever Adam called any living creature the same is its name.
2:20. And Adam called all the beasts by their names, and all the fowls of the air, and all the cattle of the field: but for Adam there was not found a helper like himself.
2:21. Then the Lord God cast a deep sleep upon Adam: and when he was fast asleep, he took one of his ribs, and filled up flesh for it.
2:22. And the Lord God built the rib which he took from Adam into a woman: and brought her to Adam.
2:23. And Adam said: This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man.
2:24. Wherefore a man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they shall be two in one flesh.
2:25. And they were both naked: to wit, Adam and his wife: and were not ashamed.
The serpent’s craft. The fall of our first parents. Their punishment. The promise of a Redeemer.
3:1. Now the serpent was more subtle than any of the beasts of the earth which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman: Why hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every tree of paradise?
3:2. And the woman answered him, saying: Of the fruit of the trees that are in paradise we do eat:
3:3. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of paradise, God hath commanded us that we should not eat; and that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we die.
3:4. And the serpent said to the woman: No, you shall not die the death.
3:5. For God doth know that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened: and you shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil.
3:6. And the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold: and she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her husband, who did eat.
3:7. And the eyes of them both were opened: and when they perceived themselves to be naked, they sewed together fig leaves, and made themselves aprons.
And the eyes, etc.... Not that they were blind before, (for the woman saw that the tree was fair to the eyes, ver. 6.) nor yet that their eyes were opened to any more perfect knowledge of good; but only to the unhappy experience of having lost the good of original grace and innocence, and incurred the dreadful evil of sin. From whence followed a shame of their being naked; which they minded not before; because being now stript of original grace, they quickly began to be subject to the shameful rebellions of the flesh.
3:8. And when they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in paradise at the afternoon air, Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord God, amidst the trees of paradise.
3:9. And the Lord God called Adam, and said to him: Where art thou?
3:10. And he said: I heard thy voice in paradise; and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.
3:11. And he said to him: And who hath told thee that thou wast naked, but that thou hast eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat?
3:12. And Adam said: The woman, whom thou gavest me to be my companion, gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
3:13. And the Lord God said to the woman: Why hast thou done this? And she answered: The serpent deceived me, and I did eat.
3:14. And the Lord God said to the serpent: Because thou hast done this thing, thou art cursed among all cattle, and beasts of the earth: upon thy breast shalt thou go, and earth shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.
3:15. I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.
She shall crush.... Ipsa, the woman; so divers of the fathers read this place, conformably to the Latin: others read it ipsum, viz., the seed. The sense is the same: for it is by her seed, Jesus Christ, that the woman crushes the serpent’s head.
3:16. To the woman also he said: I will multiply thy sorrows, and thy conceptions: in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children, and thou shalt be under thy husband’s power, and he shall have dominion over thee.
3:17. And to Adam he said: Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee, that thou shouldst not eat, cursed is the earth in thy work: with labour and toil shalt thou eat thereof all the days of thy life.
3:18. Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herbs of the earth.
3:19. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return to the earth out of which thou wast taken: for dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return.
3:20. And Adam called the name of his wife Eve: because she was the mother of all the living.
3:21. And the Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skins, and clothed them.
3:22. And he said: Behold Adam is become as one of us, knowing good and evil: now therefore lest perhaps he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever.
Behold Adam, etc.... This was spoken by way of reproaching him with his pride, in affecting a knowledge that might make him like to God.
3:23. And the Lord God sent him out of the paradise of pleasure, to till the earth from which he was taken.
3:24. And he cast out Adam: and placed before the paradise of pleasure Cherubims, and a flaming sword, turning every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
The history of Cain and Abel.
4:1. And Adam knew Eve his wife; who conceived and brought forth Cain, saying: I have gotten a man through God.
4:2. And again she brought forth his brother Abel. And Abel was a shepherd, and Cain a husbandman.
4:3. And it came to pass after many days, that Cain offered, of the fruits of the earth, gifts to the Lord.
4:4. Abel also offered of the firstlings of his flock, and of their fat: and the Lord had respect to Abel, and to his offerings.
Had respect.... That is, shewed his acceptance of his sacrifice (as coming from a heart full of devotion): and that, as we may suppose, by some visible token, such as sending fire from heaven upon his offerings.
4:5. But to Cain and his offerings he had no respect: and Cain was exceeding angry, and his countenance fell.
4:6. And the Lord said to him: Why art thou angry? and why is thy countenance fallen?
4:7. If thou do well, shalt thou not receive? but if ill, shall not sin forthwith be present at the door? but the lust thereof shall be under thee, and thou shalt have dominion over it.
4:8. And Cain said to Abel his brother: Let us go forth abroad. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and slew him.
4:9. And the Lord said to Cain: Where is thy brother Abel? And he answered: I know not: am I my brother’s keeper?
4:10. And he said to him: What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth to me from the earth.
4:11. Now therefore cursed shalt thou be upon the earth, which hath opened her mouth and received the blood of thy brother at thy hand.
4:12. When thou shalt till it, it shall not yield to thee its fruit: a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be upon the earth.
4:13. And Cain said to the Lord: My iniquity is greater than that I may deserve pardon.
4:14. Behold thou dost cast me out this day from the face of the earth, and from thy face I shall be hid, and I shall be a vagabond and a fugitive on the earth: every one therefore that findeth me, shall kill me.
Every one that findeth me shall kill me.... His guilty conscience made him fear his own brothers and nephews; of whom, by this time, there might be a good number upon the earth; which had now endured near 130 years; as may be gathered from Gen. 5.3, compared with chap. 4.25, though in the compendious account given in the scriptures, only Cain and Abel are mentioned.
4:15. And the Lord said to him: No, it shall not so be: but whosoever shall kill Cain, shall be punished sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, that whosoever found him should not kill him.
Set a mark, etc.... The more common opinion of the interpreters of holy writ supposes this mark to have been a trembling of the body; or a horror and consternation in his countenance.
4:16. And Cain went out from the face of the Lord, and dwelt as a fugitive on the earth at the east side of Eden.
4:17. And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived, and brought forth Henoch: and he built a city, and called the name thereof by the name of his son Henoch.
His wife.... She was a daughter of Adam, and Cain’s own sister; God dispensing with such marriages in the beginning of the world, as mankind could not otherwise be propagated. He built a city, viz.... In process of time, when his race was multiplied, so as to be numerous enough to people it. For in the many hundred years he lived, his race might be multiplied even to millions.
4:18. And Henoch begot Irad, and Irad begot Maviael, and Maviael begot Mathusael, and Mathusael begot Lamech,
4:19. Who took two wives: the name of the one was Ada, and the name of the other Sella.
4:20. And Ada brought forth Jabel: who was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of herdsmen.
4:21. And his brother’s name was Jubal: he was the father of them that play upon the harp and the organs.
4:22. Sella also brought forth Tubalcain, who was a hammerer and artificer in every work of brass and iron. And the sister of Tubalcain was Noema.
4:23. And Lamech said to his wives Ada and Sella: Hear my voice, ye wives of Lamech, hearken to my speech: for I have slain a man to the wounding of myself, and a stripling to my own bruising.
I have slain a man, etc.... It is the tradition of the Hebrews, that Lamech in hunting slew Cain, mistaking him for a wild beast; and that having discovered what he had done, he beat so unmercifully the youth, by whom he was led into that mistake, that he died of the blows.
4:24. Sevenfold vengeance shall be taken for Cain: but for Lamech seventy times sevenfold.
4:25. Adam also knew his wife again: and she brought forth a son, and called his name Seth, saying: God hath given me another seed for Abel, whom Cain slew.
4:26. But to Seth also was born a son, whom he called Enos: this man began to call upon the name of the Lord.
Began to call upon, etc.... Not that Adam and Seth had not called upon God, before the birth of Enos; but that Enos used more solemnity in the worship and invocation of God.
The genealogy, age, and death of the Patriarchs, from Adam to Noe. The translation of Henoch.
5:1. This is the book of the generation of Adam. In the day that God created man, he made him to the likeness of God.
5:2. He created them male and female; and blessed them: and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
5:3. And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begot a son to his own image and likeness, and called his name Seth.
5:4. And the days of Adam, after he begot Seth, were eight hundred years: and he begot sons and daughters.
5:5. And all the time that Adam lived, came to nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.
5:6. Seth also lived a hundred and five years, and begot Enos.
5:7. And Seth lived after he begot Enos, eight hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters.
5:8. And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.
5:9. And Enos lived ninety years, and begot Cainan.
5:10. After whose birth he lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and begot sons and daughters.
5:11. And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years, and he died.
5:12. And Cainan lived seventy years, and begot Malaleel.
5:13. And Cainan lived after he begot Malaleel, eight hundred and forty years, and begot sons and daughters.
5:14. And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.
5:15. And Malaleel lived sixty-five years and begot Jared.
5:16. And Malaleel lived after he begot Jared, eight hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters.
5:17. And all the days of Malaleel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.
5:18. And Jared lived a hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Henoch.
5:19. And Jared lived after he begot Henoch, eight hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.
5:20. And all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.
5:21. And Henoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Mathusala.
5:22. And Henoch walked with God: and lived after he begot Mathusala, three hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.
5:23. And all the days of Henoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.
5:24. And he walked with God, and was seen no more: because God took him.
5:25. And Mathusala lived a hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech.
5:26. And Mathlusala lived after he begot Lamech, seven hundred and eighty-two years, and begot sons and daughters.
5:27. And all the days of Mathusala were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.
5:28. And Lamech lived a hundred and eighty-two years, and begot a son.
5:29. And he called his name Noe, saying: This same shall comfort us from the works and labours of our hands on the earth, which the Lord hath cursed.
5:30. And Lamech lived after he begot Noe, five hundred and ninety-five years, and begot sons and daughters.
5:31. And all the days of Lamech came to seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died. And Noe, when he was five hundred years old, begot Sem, Cham, and Japheth.
Man’s sin is the cause of the deluge. Noe is commanded to build the ark.
6:1. And after that men began to be multiplied upon the earth, and daughters were born to them,
6:2. The sons of God seeing the daughters of men, that they were fair, took to themselves wives of all which they chose.
The sons of God.... The descendants of Seth and Enos are here called sons of God from their religion and piety: whereas the ungodly race of Cain, who by their carnal affections lay grovelling upon the earth, are called the children of men. The unhappy consequence of the former marrying with the latter, ought to be a warning to Christians to be very circumspect in their marriages; and not to suffer themselves to be determined in their choice by their carnal passion, to the prejudice of virtue or religion.
6:3. And God said: My spirit shall not remain in man for ever, because he is flesh, and his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.
His days shall be, etc.... The meaning is, that man’s days, which before the flood were usually 900 years, should now be reduced to 120 years. Or rather, that God would allow men this term of 120 years, for their repentance and conversion, before he would send the deluge.
6:4. Now giants were upon the earth in those days. For after the sons of God went in to the daughters of men, and they brought forth children, these are the mighty men of old, men of renown.
Giants.... It is likely the generality of men before the flood were of a gigantic stature in comparison with what men now are. But these here spoken of are called giants, as being not only tall in stature, but violent and savage in their dispositions, and mere monsters of cruelty and lust.
6:5. And God seeing that the wickedness of men was great on the earth, and that all the thought of their heart was bent upon evil at all times,
6:6. It repented him that he had made man on the earth. And being touched inwardly with sorrow of heart,
It repented him, etc.... God, who is unchangeable, is not capable of repentance, grief, or any other passion. But these expressions are used to declare the enormity of the sins of men, which was so provoking as to determine their Creator to destroy these his creatures, whom before he had so much favoured.
6:7. He said: I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth, from man even to beasts, from the creeping thing even to the fowls of the air, for it repenteth me that I have made them.
6:8. But Noe found grace before the Lord.
6:9. These are the generations of Noe: Noe was a just and perfect man in his generations, he walked with God.
6:10. And he begot three sons, Sem, Cham, and Japheth.
6:11. And the earth was corrupted before God, and was filled with iniquity.
6:12. And when God had seen that the earth was corrupted (for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth),
6:13. He said to Noe: The end of all flesh is come before me, the earth is filled with iniquity through them, and I will destroy them with the earth.
6:14. Make thee an ark of timber planks: thou shalt make little rooms in the ark, and thou shalt pitch it within and without.
6:15. And thus shalt thou make it. The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits: the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
Three hundred cubits, etc.... The ark, according to the dimensions here set down, contained four hundred and fifty thousand square cubits; which was more than enough to contain all the kinds of living creatures, with all necessary provisions: even supposing the cubits here spoken of to have been only a foot and a half each, which was the least kind of cubits.
6:16. Thou shalt make a window in the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish the top of it: and the door of the ark thou shalt set in the side: with lower, middle chambers, and third stories shalt thou make it.
6:17. Behold, I will bring the waters of a great flood upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life under heaven. All things that are in the earth shall be consumed.
6:18. And I will establish my covenant with thee, and thou shalt enter into the ark, thou and thy sons, and thy wife, and the wives of thy sons with thee.
6:19. And of every living creature of all flesh, thou shalt bring two of a sort into the ark, that they may live with thee: of the male sex, and the female.
6:20. Of fowls according to their kind, and of beasts in their kind, and of every thing that creepeth on the earth according to its kind: two of every sort shall go in with thee, that they may live.
6:21. Thou shalt take unto thee of all food that may be eaten, and thou shalt lay it up with thee: and it shall be food for thee and them.
6:22. And Noe did all things which God commanded him.
Noe with his family go into the ark. The deluge overflows the earth.
7:1. And the Lord said to him: Go in, thou and all thy house, into the ark: for thee I have seen just before me in this generation.
7:2. Of all clean beasts take seven and seven, the male and the female.
Of all clean.... The distinction of clean and unclean beasts appears to have been made before the law of Moses, which was not promulgated till the year of the world 2514.
7:3. But of the beasts that are unclean two and two, the male and the female. Of the fowls also of the air seven and seven, the male and the female: that seed may be saved upon the face of the whole earth.
7:4. For yet a while, and after seven days, I will rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights: and I will destroy every substance that I have made, from the face of the earth.
7:5. And Noe did all things which the Lord had commanded him.
7:6. And he was six hundred years old, when the waters of the flood overflowed the earth.
7:7. And Noe went in and his sons, his wife and the wives of his sons with him into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
7:8. And of beasts clean and unclean, and of fowls, and of every thing that moveth upon the earth,
7:9. Two and two went in to Noe into the ark, male and female, as the Lord had commanded Noe.
7:10. And after the seven days were passed, the waters of the flood overflowed the earth.
7:11. In the six hundredth year of the life of Noe, in the second month, in the seventeenth day of the month, all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the floodgates of heaven were opened:
7:12. And the rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
7:13. In the selfsame day Noe, and Sem, and Cham, and Japheth, his sons: his wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, went into the ark.
7:14. They and every beast according to its kind, and all the cattle in their kind, and every thing that moveth upon the earth, according to its kind, and every fowl according to its kind, all birds, and all that fly,
7:15. Went in to Noe into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein was the breath of life.
7:16. And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in on the outside.
7:17. And the flood was forty days upon the earth: and the waters increased, and lifted up the ark on high from the earth.
7:18. For they overflowed exceedingly: and filled all on the face of the earth: and the ark was carried upon the waters.
7:19. And the waters prevailed beyond measure upon the earth: and all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered.
7:20. The water was fifteen cubits higher than the mountains which it covered.
7:21. And all flesh was destroyed that moved upon the earth, both of fowl and of cattle, and of beasts, and of all creeping things that creep upon the earth: and all men.
7:22. And all things wherein there is the breath of life on the earth, died.
7:23. And he destroyed all the substance that was upon the earth, from man even to beast, and the creeping things and fowls of the air: and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noe only remained, and they that were with him in the ark.
7:24. And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days.
The deluge ceaseth. Noe goeth out of the ark, and offereth a sacrifice. God’s covenant to him.
8:1. And God remembered Noe, and all the living creatures, and all the cattle which were with him in the ark, and brought a wind upon the earth, and the waters were abated:
8:2. The fountains also of the deep, and the floodgates of heaven, were shut up, and the rain from heaven was restrained.
8:3. And the waters returned from off the earth going and coming: and they began to be abated after a hundred and fifty days.
8:4. And the ark rested in the seventh month, the seven and twentieth day of the month, upon the mountains of Armenia.
8:5. And the waters were going and decreasing until the tenth month: for in the tenth month, the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains appeared.
8:6. And after that forty days were passed, Noe opening the window of the ark, which he had made, sent forth a raven:
8:7. Which went forth and did not return, till the waters were dried up upon the earth.
Did not return.... The raven did not return into the ark; but (as it may be gathered from the Hebrew) went to and fro; sometimes going to the mountains, where it found carcasses to feed on: and other times returning, to rest upon the top of the ark.
8:8. He sent forth also a dove after him, to see if the waters had now ceased upon the face of the earth.
8:9. But she not finding where her foot might rest, returned to him into the ark: for the waters were upon the whole earth: and he put forth his hand, and caught her, and brought her into the ark.
8:10. And having waited yet seven other days, he again sent forth the dove out of the ark.
8:11. And she came to him in the evening carrying a bough of an olive tree, with green leaves, in her mouth. Noe therefore understood that the waters were ceased upon the earth.
8:12. And he stayed yet other seven days: and he sent forth the dove, which returned not any more unto him.
8:13. Therefore in the six hundredth and first year, the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were lessened upon the earth, and Noe opening the covering of the ark, looked, and saw that the face of the earth was dried.
8:14. In the second month, the seven and twentieth day of the month, the earth was dried.
8:15. And God spoke to Noe, saying:
8:16. Go out of the ark, thou and thy wife, thy sons and the wives of thy sons with thee.
8:17. All living things that are with thee of all flesh, as well in fowls as in beasts, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, bring out with thee, and go ye upon the earth: increase and multiply upon it.
8:18. So Noe went out, he and his sons: his wife, and the wives of his sons with him.
8:19. And all living things, and cattle, and creeping things that creep upon the earth, according to their kinds went out of the ark.
8:20. And Noe built an altar unto the Lord: and taking of all cattle and fowls that were clean, offered holocausts upon the altar.
Holocausts, ... or whole burnt offerings. In which the whole victim was consumed by fire upon God’s altar, and no part was reserved for the use of priest or people.
8:21. And the Lord smelled a sweet savour, and said: I will no more curse the earth for the sake of man: for the imagination and thought of man’s heart are prone to evil from his youth: therefore I will no more destroy every living soul as I have done.
Smelled, etc.... A figurative expression, denoting that God was well pleased with the sacrifices which his servant offered.
8:22. All the days of the earth, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, night and day, shall not cease.
God blesseth Noe: forbiddeth blood, and promiseth never more to destroy the world by water. The blessing of Sem and Japheth.
9:1. And God blessed Noe and his sons. And he said to them: Increase, and multiply, and fill the earth.
9:2. And let the fear and dread of you be upon all the beasts of the earth, and upon all the fowls of the air, and all that move upon the earth: all the fishes of the sea are delivered into your hand.
9:3. And every thing that moveth, and liveth shall be meat for you: even as the green herbs have I delivered them all to you:
9:4. Saving that flesh with blood you shall not eat.
9:5. For I will require the blood of your lives at the hand of every beast, and at the hand of man, at the hand of every man, and of his brother, will I require the life of man.
9:6. Whosoever shall shed man’s blood, his blood shall be shed: for man was made to the image of God.
9:7. But increase you and multiply, and go upon the earth and fill it.
9:8. Thus also said God to Noe, and to his sons with him:
9:9. Behold I will establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you:
9:10. And with every living soul that is with you, as well in all birds, as in cattle and beasts of the earth, that are come forth out of the ark, and in all the beasts of the earth.
9:11. I will establish my covenant with you, and all flesh shall be no more destroyed with the waters of a flood, neither shall there be from henceforth a flood to waste the earth.
9:12. And God said: This is the sign of the covenant which I give between me and you, and to every living soul that is with you, for perpetual generations.
9:13. I will set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be the sign of a covenant between me and between the earth.
9:14. And when I shall cover the sky with clouds, my bow shall appear in the clouds:
9:15. And I will remember my covenant with you, and with every living soul that beareth flesh: and there shall no more be waters of a flood to destroy all flesh.
9:16. And the bow shall be in the clouds, and I shall see it, and shall remember the everlasting covenant, that was made between God and every living soul of all flesh which is upon the earth.
9:17. And God said to Noe: This shall be the sign of the covenant, which I have established, between me and all flesh upon the earth.
9:18. And the sons of Noe, who came out of the ark, were Sem, Cham, and Japheth: and Cham is the father of Chanaan.
9:19. These three are the sons of Noe: and from these was all mankind spread over the whole earth.
9:20. And Noe a husbandman began to till the ground, and planted a vineyard.
9:21. And drinking of the wine was made drunk, and was uncovered in his tent.
Drunk.... Noe by the judgment of the fathers was not guilty of sin, in being overcome by wine: because he knew not the strength of it.
9:22. Which when Cham the father of Chanaan had seen, to wit, that his father’s nakedness was uncovered, he told it to his two brethren without.
9:23. But Sem and Japheth put a cloak upon their shoulders, and going backward, covered the nakedness of their father: and their faces were turned away, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.
Covered the nakedness.... Thus, as St. Gregory takes notice L. 35; Moral. c. 22, we ought to cover the nakedness, that is, the sins, of our spiritual parents and superiors.
9:24. And Noe awaking from the wine, when he had learned what his younger son had done to him,
9:25. He said: Cursed be Chanaan, a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
Cursed be Chanaan.... The curses, as well as the blessings, of the patriarchs, were prophetical: And this in particular is here recorded by Moses, for the children of Israel, who were to possess the land of Chanaan. But why should Chanaan be cursed for his father’s faults? The Hebrews answer, that he being then a boy, was the first that saw his grandfather’s nakedness, and told his father Cham of it; and joined with him in laughing at it: which drew upon him, rather than upon the rest of the children of Cham, this prophetical curse.
9:26. And he said: Blessed be the Lord God of Sem, be Chanaan his servant.
9:27. May God enlarge Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Sem, and Chanaan be his servant.
9:28. And Noe lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.
9:29. And all his days were in the whole nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.
The genealogy of the children of Noe, by whom the world was peopled after the flood.
10:1. These are the generations of the sons of Noe: Sem, Cham, and Japheth: and unto them sons were born after the flood.
10:2. The sons of Japheth: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Thubal, and Mosoch, and Thiras.
10:3. And the sons of Gomer: Ascenez and Riphath and Thogorma.
10:4. And the sons of Javan: Elisa and Tharsis, Cetthim and Dodanim.
10:5. By these were divided the islands of the Gentiles in their lands, every one according to his tongue and their families in their nations.
The islands.... So the Hebrews called all the remote countries, to which they went by ships from Judea, to Greece, Italy, Spain, etc.
10:6. And the Sons of Cham: Chus, and Mesram, and Phuth, and Chanaan.
10:7. And the sons of Chus: Saba, and Hevila, and Sabatha, and Regma, and Sabatacha. The sons of Regma: Saba, and Dadan.
10:8. Now Chus begot Nemrod: he began to be mighty on the earth.
10:9. And he was a stout hunter before the Lord. Hence came a proverb: Even as Nemrod the stout hunter before the Lord.
A stout hunter.... Not of beasts but of men: whom by violence and tyranny he brought under his dominion. And such he was, not only in the opinion of men, but before the Lord, that is, in his sight who cannot be deceived.
10:10. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babylon, and Arach, and Achad, and Chalanne in the land of Sennaar.
10:11. Out of that land came forth Assur, and built Ninive, and the streets of the city, and Chale.
10:12. Resen also between Ninive and Chale: this is the great city.
10:13. And Mesraim begot Ludim, and Anamim and Laabim, Nephthuim.
10:14. And Phetrusim, and Chasluim; of whom came forth the Philistines, and the Capthorim.
10:15. And Chanaan begot Sidon his firstborn, the Hethite,
10:16. And the Jebusite, and the Amorrhite, and the Gergesite.
10:17. The Hevite and Aracite: the Sinite,
10:18. And the Aradian, the Samarite, and the Hamathite: and afterwards the families of the Chanaanites were spread abroad.
10:19. And the limits of Chanaan were from Sidon as one comes to Gerara even to Gaza, until thou enter Sodom and Gomorrha, and Adama, and Seboim even to Lesa.
10:20. These are the children of Cham in their kindreds and tongues, and generations, and lands, and nations.
10:21. Of Sem also the father of all the children of Heber, the elder brother of Japheth, sons were born.
10:22. The sons of Sem: Elam and Assur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.
10:23. The sons of Aram: Us, and Hull, and Gether; and Mes.
10:24. But Arphaxad begot Sale, of whom was born Heber.
10:25. And to Heber were born two sons: the name of the one was Phaleg, because in his days was the earth divided: and his brother’s name Jectan.
10:26. Which Jectan begot Elmodad, and Saleph, and Asarmoth, Jare,
10:27. And Aduram, and Uzal, and Decla,
10:28. And Ebal, and Abimael, Saba,
10:29. And Ophir, and Hevila, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Jectan.
10:30. And their dwelling was from Messa as we go on as far as Sephar, a mountain in the east.
10:31. These are the children of Sem according to their kindreds and tongues, and countries in their nations.
10:32. These are the families of Noe, according to their people and nations. By these were the nations divided on the earth after the flood.
The tower of Babel. The confusion of tongues. The genealogy of Sem down to Abram.
11:1. And the earth was of one tongue, and of the same speech.
11:2. And when they removed from the east, they found a plain in the land of Sennaar, and dwelt in it.
11:3. And each one said to his neighbour: Come let us make brick, and bake them with fire. And they had brick instead of stones, and slime instead of mortar:
11:4. And they said: Come, let us make a city and a tower, the top whereof may reach to heaven; and let us make our name famous before we be scattered abroad into all lands.
11:5. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of Adam were building.
11:6. And he said: Behold, it is one people, and all have one tongue: and they have begun to do this, neither will they leave off from their designs, till they accomplish them in deed.
11:7. Come ye, therefore, let us go down, and there confound their tongue, that they may not understand one another’s speech.
11:8. And so the Lord scattered them from that place into all lands, and they ceased to build the city.
11:9. And therefore the name thereof was called Babel, because there the language of the whole earth was confounded: and from thence the Lord scattered them abroad upon the face of all countries.
Babel.... That is, confusion.
11:10. These are the generations of Sem: Sem was a hundred years old when he begot Arphaxad, two years after the flood.
11:11. And Sem lived after he begot Arphaxad, five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.
11:12. And Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and begot Sale.
11:13. And Arphaxad lived after he begot Sale, three hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters.
11:14. Sale also lived thirty years, and begot Heber.
11:15. And Sale lived after he begot Heber, four hundred and three years: and begot sons and daughters.
11:16. And Heber lived thirty-four years, and begot Phaleg.
11:17. And Heber lived after he begot Phaleg, four hundred and thirty years: and begot sons and daughters.
11:18. Phaleg also lived thirty years, and begot Reu.
11:19. And Phaleg lived after he begot Reu, two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters.
11:20. And Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot Sarug.
11:21. And Reu lived after he begot Sarug, two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters.
11:22. And Sarug lived thirty years, and begot Nachor.
11:23. And Sarug lived after he begot Nachor, two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.
11:24. And Nachor lived nine and twenty years, and begot Thare.
11:25. And Nachor lived after he begot Thare, a hundred and nineteen years, and begot sons and daughters.
11:26. And Thare lived seventy years, and begot Abram, and Nachor, and Aran.
11:27. And these are the generations of Thare: Thare begot Abram, Nachor, and Aran. And Aran begot Lot.
11:28. And Aran died before Thare his father, in the land of his nativity in Ur of the Chaldees.
11:29. And Abram and Nachor married wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai: and the name of Nachor’s wife, Melcha, the daughter of Aran, father of Melcha and father of Jescha.
11:30. And Sarai was barren, and had no children.
11:31. And Thare took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Aran, his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, the wife of Abram his son, and brought them out of Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Chanaan: and they came as far as Haran, and dwelt there.
11:32. And the days of Thare were two hundred and five years, and he died in Haran.
The call of Abram, and the promise made to him. He sojourneth in Chanaan, and then by occasion of a famine, goeth down to Egypt.
12:1. And the Lord said to Abram: Go forth out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and out of thy father’s house, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.
12:2. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and magnify thy name, and thou shalt be blessed.
12:3. I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee, and IN THEE shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
12:4. So Abram went out as the Lord had commanded him, and Lot went with him: Abram was seventy-five years old when he went forth from Haran.
12:5. And he took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all the substance which they had gathered, and the souls which they had gotten in Haran: and they went out to go into the land of Chanaan. And when they were come into it,
12:6. Abram passed through the country unto the place of Sichem, as far as the noble vale: now the Chanaanite was at that time in the land.
12:7. And the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him: To thy seed will I give this land. And he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
12:8. And passing on from thence to a mountain, that was on the east side of Bethel, he there pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: he built there also an altar to the Lord, and called upon his name.
12:9. And Abram went forward, going and proceeding on to the south.
12:10. And there came a famine in the country: and Abram went down into Egypt, to sojourn there: for the famine was very grievous in the land.
12:11. And when he was near to enter into Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife: I know that thou art a beautiful woman:
12:12. And that when the Egyptians shall see thee, they will say: She is his wife: and they will kill me, and keep thee.
12:13. Say, therefore, I pray thee, that thou art my sister: that I may be well used for thee, and that my soul may live for thy sake.
My sister.... This was no lie; because she was his niece, being daughter to his brother Aran, and therefore, in the style of the Hebrews, she might truly be called his sister, as Lot is called Abram’s brother, Gen. 14.14. See Gen. 20.12.
12:14. And when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians saw the woman that she was very beautiful.
12:15. And the princes told Pharao, and praised her before him: and the woman was taken into the house of Pharao.
12:16. And they used Abram well for her sake. And he had sheep and oxen and he asses, and men servants, and maid servants, and she asses, and camels.
12:17. But the Lord scourged Pharao and his house with most grievous stripes for Sarai, Abram’s wife.
12:18. And Pharao called Abram, and said to him: What is this that thou hast done to me? Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?
12:19. For what cause didst thou say, she was thy sister, that I might take her to my wife? Now therefore there is thy wife, take her, and go thy way.
12:20. And Pharao gave his men orders concerning Abram: and they led him away and his wife, and all that he had.
Abram and Lot part from each other. God’s promise to Abram.
13:1. And Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him into the south.
13:2. And he was very rich in possession of gold and silver.
13:3. And he returned by the way, that he came, from the south to Bethel, to the place where before he had pitched his tent between Bethel and Hai,