Posts Tagged ‘Genesis’
Which of Noah’s three sons did the Gentiles come through?
Question: Which of Noah’s three sons did the Gentiles come through? Answer: All three sons. “Gentiles” means “nations” and was used for anyone who wasn’t an Israelite (a descendant of Jacob). Abraham descended from Shem, but through Ishmael came the Arabs, and the Edomites came through Esau. Abraham’s nephew, Lot, was the father of the…
Read MoreDid God clothe Adam and Eve with feathers?
Question: Hi. The Bible does not specify what God used to clothe Adam and Eve with. Jewish commentary mentions the idea that the Nachash molted and that God used this to cover their nakedness. Answer: “Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). The Hebrew word…
Read MoreIf God doesn’t show favoritism, then why was Abel’s sacrifice accepted and Cain’s was rejected?
Question: The Bible says that God does not show favoritism toward anyone. So how is it that He favored Abel over Cain, and accepted Abel’s offering while rejecting Cain’s? Answer: By saying that God is impartial (Romans 2:11), what is being said is that God doesn’t favor one person over another based on external attributes.…
Read MoreWhy didn’t Lot turn down his daughters’ advances?
Question: Why did Lot in Genesis 19, get drunk, have sex with his daughters, and get them pregnant? I wondered what was the purpose? Couldn’t he have just said no to his daughters? Answer: A major problem with all drugs, including alcohol, is that they impair a person’s judgment. Things that normally would be rejected somehow become “reasonable” to…
Read MoreDid Eve commit adultery with the serpent?
Question: Is it true that Eve committed adultery with the serpent? Where was Adam when this sin was committed? If the serpent was a beast why was Cain a proper human being? What is the biblical position on this issue? Answer: Questions like these wouldn’t even come up if people read their Old Testaments. The…
Read MoreWhy is the creation of man mentioned twice in Genesis?
Question: Can you shed some light on the account of the creation in the Book of Genesis? In Genesis 1 you have man being created and then in Genesis 2 you have man being created again. Answer: Though attributed to Moses, the Bible never states that Moses was the original author (unlike the other four…
Read MoreHow do you know that Ham was the youngest son?
Question: How do you know that Ham was the youngest son? Answer: “So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him” (Genesis 9:24). The word “younger,” or “youngest” depending on your translation, comes from the Hebrew word qatan. It is an adjective which can be translated as “small,” “insignificant,”…
Read MoreWas Cain fathered by Satan?
Question: I was told by a Sunday school teacher that Cain was fathered by Satan. I cannot find this in the Bible. Can you help me with the answer? Answer: “Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the LORD”” (Genesis 4:1). For…
Read MoreI’ve been enjoying your Genesis study
Question: I’ve been enjoying your Genesis study. Thanks for the hard work to bring God’s Word to people! Answer: I really appreciate the kind words.
Read MoreYour argument that the Nephilim came first is wrong
Question: Your argument that the Nephilim came first after the sons of God had children is wrong. It is one sentence. The Nephilim were in the earth in those days when the sons of God came and had children with the daughters of men. If it was two sentences then you would be right, but it…
Read MoreWhat is the significance of a vow taken with the hand under the thigh?
Question: In Genesis 24:2 it reads, “And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:” Why did he have to put his hand under his thigh? Was is the meaning of this? Answer: We know very little about…
Read MoreHow long did it take for Jacob’s children to be born?
Question: At our Wednesday evening class, the teacher said all of Leah and Rachael’s children were born within 7 years. Another man in the class, who is very intelligent, was puzzled by that and asked several questions for clarity. After about 5 minutes of discussion with the teacher, who is also very intelligent, was convinced,…
Read MoreWhy wasn’t Rachel buried with Jacob but Leah was?
Question: Why wasn’t Rachel buried with Jacob but Leah was? Answer: Rachel died shortly after childbirth during a journey from Bethel to “The Tower of the Flock”, which is believed to have been in the area Bethlehem. “Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel…
Read MoreWhy was Canaan punished for his father’s indiscretion?
Question: In the book of Genesis, why was Canaan punished for his father’s indiscretion? It was Ham who was laughing and making shameful comments about Noah, not his son. It seems that God has a way of punishing future generations for mistakes made by the ancestors. Eve’s mistake was punished by women having pain during…
Read MoreWhere did Cain get his wife?
Question: As I continue my journey through Genesis I find myself asking a new question. I understand Adam and Eve. I get that they had two sons, Cain and Abel, but after Cain killed his brother he was cast over to another part of the land. How did Cain meet another woman? I thought God…
Read MoreHow do we know Pharaoh did not have relations with Sarai?
Question: How do we know Pharaoh did not have relations with Sarai? Answer: “So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house. He treated Abram…
Read MoreHow did Simeon and Levi manage to wipe out Shechem?
Question: I have a question regarding Genesis 34:29. I was wondering how the two sons, Simeon and Levi, were able to carry captive all the women after they killed all the male Hivites? Would these two persons have enough binding material to bind a whole town? Also, how did Simeon and Levi kill all of…
Read MoreWhere does the Bible mention Joseph providing for his father?
Question: I heard a preacher say that Joseph told his father when he was reunited with him in Egypt to not worry, that he would provide for him all the days of his life. I am unable to find that scripture. Do you know if he did say that and if so, where? I’m working on a…
Read MoreDid people normally tie a scarlet cord on a twin at birth?
Question: Why did midwife tie a scarlet thread around Zerah’s wrist? Was this a common action for twins? surely if it was custom to tie a ribbon surely this would have been done once the baby had been ‘birthed’. This whole procedure seems unlikely and extremely messy. Answer: “Now it came to pass, at the…
Read MoreDid God intend for Adam to have children before the fall?
Question: Had God any intention of having children for Adam? Adam was cursed only after he was driven away from paradise. That too was a curse. Answer: Before the fall of man, God told Adam and Eve, “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue…
Read MoreWhy didn’t God allow Adam to eat of the Tree of Life?
Question: Why did God not allow Adam to eat the fruit from the Tree of Life? Instead, He cast him away fearing that Adam will eat the fruit and live forever. Is this God a loving God or a jealous God? Answer: God is both loving and jealous. See “God is Love” and “The Lord…
Read MoreHow could people live to be so old?
Question: In the Old Testament, when people lived to be hundreds of years old — did they really live years as we know it or did they count seasons as years? How could anyone have lived to be 400 years old? Answer: The word used for “years” did not change meaning in the Old Testament.…
Read MoreDid Isaac come off of the mountain with Abraham after the sacrifice of the ram?
Question: Did Isaac come off of the mountain with Abraham after the sacrifice of the ram? Answer: The answer is logically “yes.” Isaac is mentioned many times after the sacrifice recorded in Genesis 22, so he must have come down from the mountain. In addition, before climbing the mountain, Abraham made a promise. “And Abraham…
Read MoreWhat did Leah’s son find that Rachel wanted?
Question: Leah’s son found something that Rachael wanted? Could you explain this? Answer: “Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” But she said to her, “Is it…
Read MoreWhen did Adam, Eve, and the Bible come into existence?
Question: My girlfriend and I were discussing things in the Bible, and we were wondering when did Adam and Eve come into existence, and when did the Bible come into existence? We were just wondering. I have heard this question asked before in other people’s conversations and didn’t get a satisfactory answer. So, please help…
Read MoreWhat is the difference between a birthright and a blessing as in the story of Esau and Jacob?
Question: What is the difference between a birth right and a blessing as in the story of Esau and Jacob? Answer: Birthright: A birthright referred to a person’s inheritance. For most of the world’s history, the firstborn child of a family would receive an extra inheritance from his father. What would happen is that when…
Read MoreWho were the sons of God in Genesis 6:4?
Question: Please explain Genesis 6:1-8. Who were the sons of God? Answer: “There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown” (Genesis…
Read MoreWasn’t Abraham’s offering of Isaac because of pagan beliefs?
Question: Abraham “offered” Isaac to the mighty one (elohim) because he was still acting under a basic ancient pagan or heathen culture. This was a culture that believed that a great gift, such as one’s only child late in life, or any great blessing deserved thanks to one’s mighty one (elohim). The pagans thought that…
Read MoreWhy did God put the forbidden tree in the garden?
Question: I have a couple of doubts and am hoping to get an answer from you. Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the forbidden tree, which was a sin. Why did God has created that tree? If there is no tree, then there would have been no sin. Why do the innocent suffer? Answer:…
Read MoreWhy are there two different stories of creation in Genesis?
Question: Why are there two different stories of creation in Genesis? Answer: Let’s start with a basic observation: two people observing the same events will not give the same account. For example, an accident happens and the police gather information from the multiple witnesses, yet even if every witness told the absolute truth, none of…
Read MoreWho did Adam and Eve’s children marry?
Question: Just recently I have heard a question that has been circulated among many different mediums. Just the other night this same question came up in my history class and I would like to know how to answer it. Forgive me if I have somehow missed the logic in this question, but I am writing…
Read MoreHow were the nations scattered and was the world one continent that was divided in the days of Peleg?
Question: I read the page titled “Gog and Magog” and found it very interesting, as well as helpful. But there is one thing I question: I thought, according to the Bible, that Egyptians and Libyans came from Mizraim, Ham’s son, not from Put. Could you clarify this for me? Also, would you comment on how…
Read MoreAre we all descendants of Adam and Eve and all related?
Question: Did God only create Adam and Eve? Does that mean we are all descendants of Adam and Eve, and if so are we all related? Answer: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God…
Read MoreWhere did Cain get his wife?
Question: Where did Cain get his wife? Answer: Genesis 5:3-4 tells us, “And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters.” Though Cain and…
Read MoreWho was the angel that Jacob wrestled with at Jabbok?
Question: Who was the angel that Jacob wrestled with at Jabbok? Answer: “Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of…
Read MoreWhat are the consequences of sin?
Question: What are the consequences of sin? Answer: Whenever we sin, there are consequences that come as a result of sin. Some of those consequences are spiritual and some are physical. When Adam and Eve sinned they experienced both physical and spiritual consequences (Genesis 3). The first result of their sin was their awareness of…
Read MoreWas there a world before Genesis?
Question: Was there a world before Genesis? Answer: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). Approximately 4,000 years after this event, Jesus stated, “And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ ” (Matthew 19:4). The…
Read MoreWhere are Cush and Havilah today?
Question: Where are the land of Cush and the land of Havilah today, and what are their names today? Answer: The first mention of Cush is in Genesis 2:13 where the Gihon, one of the four mighty rivers flowing from the land of Eden, encompassed this particular region. Because the great flood of Noah’s day wiped…
Read MoreWhere is the Tower of Babel?
Question: Where is the Tower of Babel Answer: The city of Babel is first mentioned in Genesis 10:8-10, “Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.” And the beginning of his…
Read MoreWhere is the garden of Eden?
Question: Where is the garden of Eden located? Answer: The garden of Eden is described in Genesis 2 as being located on the eastern edge of a region known as Eden (Genesis 2:8). Eden was the source of a mighty river that watered the garden and as it exited the garden, it divided into four…
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