Episode 10: The Millennials, part 2
This is the second part of the story of two civilizations. It’s about family, technology, crime, and the betrayal that was the beginning of the end.
All the quotes from the Bible for the main story were were taken from the English Standard Version or the New King James Version. For the other sources, including commentaries, websites, or articles, you can find links and references in the show notes below in the order they appeared. If you have any questions, there’s a place to contact me at the bottom of the page.
Show notes:
The word, “nephilim” is used only three times in the Bible, once in Genesis 6:4 and twice in Numbers 13:33. It is translated “giants” by Strong’s concordance and refers to two different groups of people, one before the Flood and one after. For more, see here. For the related verb that means “violent death” see here as well as Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1978). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 865). Review and Herald Publishing Association.
We don’t know where Methuselah lived, but it makes sense that he would’ve stayed away from the influences of Cain’s metropolis and near the gate to the Garden of Eden where, as scholars have speculated, the offerings to God were probably presented. That said, these are only reasonable guesses. We know very few actual details. For the sources supporting the idea that the followers of God lived near the gate to the Garden of Eden, see WiderBible Episode 8, and for reasons to think Methuselah was a follower of God, and not just a member of the family tree, see WiderBible Episode 9.
To be clear, as mentioned in the last episode, both Methuselah’s son and Methuselah’s distant uncle are named Lamech. Same name, different people, different genealogies. See Genesis 4:17-18 and Genesis 5:25.
We don’t know how famous Lamech’s kids were early on, but certainly by the end of Methuselah’s life, their accomplishments were probably common knowledge or they wouldn’t be singled out and listed as they are in Genesis.
Assuming the genealogy of Cain’s family found in Genesis 4:17-22 doesn’t skip generations, then Lamech, Cain’s descendant, is the same distance from Adam as Enoch, Methuselah’s father. By the same extension, Lamech’s kids would be Methuselah’s distant cousins. Furthermore, if the generation gaps are about the same in each branch of the family, Methuselah and Lamech’s kids should be about the same age.
For Jabal’s name meaning “wanderer,” see here. It also might mean “a stream” (from Easton, M. G. (1893). In Easton’s Bible dictionary. New York: Harper & Brothers.) though this could be another way of referring to a wandering life.
We know Abel was a shepherd, but at least one commentary suggested that Abel stayed near home, perhaps with a local pasture, and Jabal was the first to move flocks around the countryside as a nomad. For more, see here.
“Jubal” could mean “music-player” according to this reference. Another possible meaning of “Jubal” is “joyful sound” according to Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1978). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 243). Review and Herald Publishing Association. His name might be related to the the word, “jubilee,” (see Easton, M. G. (1893). In Easton’s Bible dictionary. New York: Harper & Brothers.) but the etymology is complicated (see here).
For the suggestion that we really don’t know what instruments Jubal invented, see here, but they could refer to some version of string instrument and some version of wind instrument. For more, see here and here. For the reference to “pipe” being “Pan’s pipe” see Easton, M. G. (1893). In Easton’s Bible dictionary. New York: Harper & Brothers. Alternatively, the instrument may have been a flute as referenced in Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1978). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 243). Review and Herald Publishing Association..
The instruments we find in Ur and Egypt in the early layers of world history would be reproductions of previous instruments designed or built prior to the Flood unless they survived by riding in the Ark which is probably unlikely. For the history of musical instruments, see the article here. For the reference to instruments in Ur, see here. Note that the timeline is not accurate to a Biblical timeline. The reference to 2600 BC should be somewhat more recent.
The word “Tubal” appears as a name in other places in the Old Testament. The addition of the “Cain” to the end of his name may have been just to indicate that this Tubal was a descendant of Cain. See Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1978). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 243). Review and Herald Publishing Association.
In Persian, “Tubal” means copper. In addition, in Ezekiel 27:13 “Tubal” brings copper to the market in Tyre. This leads some to think Tubal-Cain refers to working with copper instead of bronze as mentioned here. The ESV translates the word as “bronze” as shown in the link, but Strong’s concordance says either copper or bronze is accurate (see here). Beyond these observations, there’s also an argument that the “Cainites” from before the Flood and the “Kenites” from afterward are the same people. The Arabic word means ‘smith,’ but this parallel doesn’t mean some of Cain’s descendants survived the Flood. Instead, both the Cainites and the Kenites were perhaps known for being “smiths,” who worked with metal. For more, see Kidner, D. (1967). Genesis: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 84). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press,.],
For the suggestion that Jabal’s occupation was evidence that the descendants of Cain were both numerous and prosperous, see note Genesis 4:20, here.
Supporting the idea that Jubal’s music making shows that life was easy, see note on Genesis 4:21 here.
For music bringing order to the world in some versions of the Egyptian creation story, see here.
The stone, bronze, and iron age definitions of history started as a way to organize things for a museum exhibit, and only came to be seen as a timeline of human development later on. For details, see here as well as the introduction to the book here. For copper being found in a fairly pure state in nature, see the comment here as well as here. For bronze as an alloy of copper and tin, see here. For the timing of Homer and the start of the Iron age, see here and here. According to one commentary iron was so rare in Homer’s time that it was considered quite valuable.
For more on the Roman author who talked about primitive humans progressing gradually to the use of iron tools, see Lucretius here. and his comment here.
For more about Hesiod, see here. For his list of ages, see here (as well as the next two pages of the text). As far as Hesiod’s description of the ages goes, it doesn’t line up perfectly with the history in the Bible, but there are some parallels. In my opinion, the Golden Age matches best with Adam and Eve, though they weren’t perfect but sinned. His Silver Age aligns in some ways with the time before the Flood that this episode deals with since it talks about a time when people might still be a child at the age of one hundred but were foolish, kept sinning, and didn’t bring sacrifices to the gods. For the parallels of the later ages, it’s hard to know how the Bronze, Heroic, and Iron periods are divided over the time from the Flood to Hesiod’s own day. As mentioned on pg. 70 here, the phrase “Golden Age” doesn’t come directly from Hesiod, but through Latin, where it can be translated as either “Golden Age” or “Golden Race.”
To be fair to modern science, the concept of a progression human technology from stone to bronze to iron might hold true from the time period after the Flood through the modern age, but that’s only if the pre-Flood advances were completely forgotten. This memory-loss is possible, but not necessarily the case. Iron artifacts, perhaps from meteorites, show up in the earliest periods of recorded history in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East suggest it wasn’t a wholly unknown material as mentioned by Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1978). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 243). Review and Herald Publishing Association. Proponents of the modern idea of human progress through time might suggest there’s no evidence for a past golden age, but it depends what evidence you have to account for. The pyramids of Egypt and Central America, the monoliths found in the Incan empire, and places like Stonehenge all suggest that we don’t have as good a grasp of what people were capable of in the past as we sometimes like to believe.
Today, we often use fossil fuels to manufacture tools and products from iron. If fossil fuels were largely generated during the Flood, Tubal-Cain may not have had that resource, but he could still employ other sources of power, including wind, solar, water, geothermal energy, heat from burning wood, or power gained by harnessing animals or slaves.
For the history of musical instruments, and the doubts about the idea that instruments only evolved over time from simple to complex forms, see this article.
If you think we are more advanced at making instruments today people were in the past, you only have to go back about 400 years to question that assumption. In the late 1600s and early 1700s, Antonio Stradivari made around 1200 stringed instruments, and we still can’t figure out why they sound the way they do. Researchers have investigated both the wood — part of each violin came from slow growing spruce trees in the alps — and the chemicals in the wood to see if either give the instruments their character, but they can’t find the answer. Today, people aren’t sure if the violins really are better, or if it’s just our perception. Music is complex, and the fact that, even long ago, humans invented instruments that could play on the octave or pentatonic scale shows that human intelligence isn’t a recent phenomena. For details about Stradivarius violins, see this article. For different types of music scales, see octaves here and the pentatonic scale here.
For “cattle” referring to “possession” in the verse about Jabal, see Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1978). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 243). Review and Herald Publishing Association.
For a statement that cattle, including cows, sheep, and camels, were one of the earliest, if not the earliest, form of money, see here. For cattle as wealth in the Bible you can use Abraham or Jacob as examples, but perhaps the most succinct statement comes from Job (see Job 1:1-3). For cattle as a sign of wealth in ancient Egypt, see here. For the suggestion that “capital” and “cattle” have the same ancient root, see here.
For the connection between Jabal and wealth or the seeking of wealth by accumulating flocks and herds, see note on Genesis 4:20 here.
For the history of steam engines, see here.
For the history of telegraphy, see here
The first telegraph line across the Atlantic was laid in 1858 but failed soon after due to bad insulation. The first long-term successful telegraph lines across the ocean came in 1866. For the speed of communication on early telegraph lines, see here. For Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone patent in 1876, see here. For the first voice and music over radio in 1906, see here.
For the first automobile, see here. For the first flight, see here.
For a general description of robber barons and several examples, see here. For where the term “robber barons” come from, see this article that describes their origins as illegal river traffic toll-takers on the Rhine during the middle ages.
For details about Leland Stanford, see here for a description of his completion of the transcontinental railway, here for his founding of Stanford University, and here for Stanford’s ranking as the 2nd best engineering school in the U.S. For Leland Stanford’s more questionable activities, see a summary here.
For the history of Black Friday, see here. For Charles M. Schwab’s Russian railroad bribery, see here.
Neither Rockefeller or Carnegie was perfect, but they don’t exemplify the greed of other industrialists of their day. J.D. Rockefeller built the Standard Oil monopoly and was worth about 1.5% of the US economy by the time he died, but he was also devoutly religious and one of modern history’s greatest philanthropists. Andrew Carnegie sold his company and founded a university, donated to libraries, and gave thousands of church organs to buildings all around the world. For details on J.D. Rockefeller, see here, here, and here. For Andrew Carnegie, see here.
For the Hebrew root of the names Jabal, Jubal, and Tubal-Cain, see Barker, K. L. (2002) NIV Study Bible. Genesis 4:20-22, note. Zondervan.
One commentary sees the inventions of Cain’s descendants and notes that Cain’s children were not necessarily all bad (see note on Genesis 4:23, here). For the idea that mentioning positive aspects of Cain’s family is evidence that Genesis is giving an unbiased history, see Kidner, D. (1967). Genesis: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 83). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
For the idea that this section on Lamech’s children says nothing about God or His service, see here.
The suggestion that Tubal-Cain sharpened or hammered the metal can be found in Easton, M. G. (1893). In Easton’s Bible dictionary. New York: Harper & Brothers. as well as Kidner, D. (1967). Genesis: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 83). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press., here, and here. The connection between Tubal-Cain and the manufacturing of arms is also speculated here along with references to things like “whetter” mentioned here.
For the suggestion that Tubal-Cain might have been a reference to Tubal of the spear or lance, see note on Genesis 4:22, here.
Josephus makes the reference that Tubal-Cain was, “expert and famous in martial performances” in section 2.2 here. I simplified that phrase to “expert in war” based on the definition of martial, found here.
For positive references to shepherds in the Bible, see 2 Samuel 5:3 for David, a shepherd that God called to be king, Exodus 3 for Moses, a shepherd that God called to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, and here where Jesus applies the analogy of a shepherd to Himself. For the etymology of the word “pastor,” see here.
For the idea that Jabal was the father of those who bred and kept flocks and herds for the sake of wealth, see here.
For references to music in the Bible, see tambourines and singing in Exodus 15:20-21 and trumpets and harps in 2 Chronicles 20:27-28. For the, perhaps poetic, reference to the morning stars singing together in celebration of creation, see Job 38:4-7.
For the use of musical instruments in ancient history, see the article here. For the reference to instruments in Ur, see here.
For the uses of music in ancient Egypt, see here.
For the reference to the use of music in modern religious ceremonies, save some types of Islam and the Eastern Orthodox church, see here.
For research into music’s relationship to dopamine, see here.
Comparing Jubal’s music to something used to manipulate people makes me think of the sirens in Homer’s Odyssey. These sirens would sing and sailors, curious about the sound would sail toward them to investigate, only to have their ships destroyed when they ran aground on the Rocks of Scylla. For more, see here.
The term “mighty men” meaning warriors or heroes is often used in a good sense, as mentioned here, and talks about people who are risk-takers (see here), but the context of this section might imply that this term is meant in a negative way in this passage. For the idea that these “mighty men” were oppressive and violent, see Genesis 6:4 notes here, here, here, and here. For the suggestion that “nephilim” refers to “violent ones” rather than physical “giants,” see Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1978). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 251). Review and Herald Publishing Association. For references to “fallen ones” or “mighty ones” in the sense of violence, see Seventh-day Adventist International Bible Commentary (p. 137). Pacific Press Publishing Association).
As I mentioned when talking about snakes and trees in the stories of other cultures, (see WiderBible Episode 5), if the Bible is telling the truth about the origins of Earth and humans, an assumption I make in this podcast, the mythology you hear around the world could be some sort of telephone game based off of that original resource, …but there’s a lot of guess-work here. It can be dicey trying to untangle ancient mythology, and I’m no expert. Most, if not all, of a given myth could be a complete fabrication. Instead of being twisted versions of history, it may have been passed down to convey a lesson. If that myth is based on real events, there’s no way to know whether the core story overlaps with the few stories we have from this time period in the Bible or are records of events the Bible doesn’t mention. Take this section comparing mythology to the history in the Bible with a grain of salt. It’s interesting to think about humanity’s common origins, and see what different cultures remember that might be from the same history, but the stories in the Bible are the reliable facts.
Memories of Tubal-Cain, Jabal, and Jubal as gods was also, perhaps, bolstered by the Flood. The Flood likely wiped out many of the advancements of this first civilization and significantly shortened human lifespans, making it easier for those living afterward to imagine the pre-Flood times, and the men who lived during them, it as gods or demigods rather than regular humans.
For the background of Tammuz, as first a shepherd god and later a god of agriculture, see here. The article suggests the “multiplier of pasture” title refers to the ability to grow grass, but I wonder, given this parallel to Jabal, if there is either a nomadic connection (someone who always finds more pasture) or a business one (someone who multiplies pastures by buying them up or seizing them from others). For raising animals as a thing that came from the gods in ancient Mesopotamian beliefs, see Zondervan,. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, eBook (Kindle Locations 7543-7546). Zondervan. Kindle Edition
For the idea that Jabal and Pales are the same, see pg. 38 here. For the background of “Pales,” see here which refers to it as two gods, male and female, and here which suggests that the deity is referred to as both a god and a goddess, but androgynously, not necessarily two separate entities. The second source also makes reference to “Pales” as a possible root for the name “Palestine,” but goes on to suggest that the name probably comes from reference to the Philistines who once lived there, not to this shepherd god, though from the etymology given here, “Pales” as a root appears at least as plausible as “Phillistia.”
For the belief in cultures around the world that music came from the gods, see here. For the belief in Greece that Apollo invented the harp, see pg. 38 here. For details on the mythology of Apollo, see here. For Orpheus, who, with his magical skill with a lyre given by Apollo persuaded even the animals and rocks to dance, see here.
The list of metalsmith gods in ancient cultures includes the Greek Hephaestos, the Roman Vulcan, and possibly the Egyptian Ptah whom the Greeks connected with their own Hephaestos.
The idea that Tubal-Cain and Vulcan recall the same person or god can be found on pg. 38 here which makes a reference to the idea that their names are similar. For the ability to swap “b” and “v” sounds in Hebrew, see here. For the same swap in Spanish, see here.
For the reference to Vulcan making thunderbolts for his father Jupiter in Roman mythology, see pg. 38 here.
For Gilgamesh’s proportions of god to man and a description of his appearance, see Zondervan,. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, eBook (Kindle Location 7628). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. and Zondervan,. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, eBook (Kindle Locations 7653-7656). Zondervan. Kindle Edition
The occupation of each son of Lamech is mentioned, but nothing is said about Naamah. This leads one commentary to suggest that Naamah was famous, but the stories about her have been lost. To me, that might imply that she was well known at the time Genesis was written.
For the connection between Ishtar and goddesses in other cultures, see here. For Inanna, see here. For Aphrodite, see here. For the connection between Tubal-Cain and Naamah in the Bible and Vulcan and Venus in Roman mythology, see here and here. The second source also notes that “Naamah” was the Phoenician name for the goddess the Babylonians called “Ishtar” and further speculates, as I mentioned earlier with respect to the brothers, that “Naamah” was likely connected with the idea of luxury and was famous with associated stories that have now been lost. It’s interesting that Naamah was Tubal-Cain’s sister in the Bible and Venus was Vulcan’s wife in Roman lore (see here. For “Naamah” meaning “beauty” or “pleasant” or “lovely” see references here, here, here, and here. Jewish tradition suggests Naamah was Noah’s wife, but given that the main sin referenced at the time of Noah was the intermarriages between the Godly descendants of Seth and the ungodly descendants of Cain, this seems unlikely. See Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1978). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 243). Review and Herald Publishing Association.
For the comparison between Eve and Naamah, suggesting that the different names illustrate the degeneracy of humans, see comment made here.
Josephus, along with several early commentators, says the “sons of God” were angels who had children with women in section 3.1 here and the idea is taken up by this commentary, but the same commentary notes that if the “sons of God” were angels committing crimes by having children with human women, why were the humans punished with a Flood but the angels weren’t? See also Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1978). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 250). Review and Herald Publishing Association. The next theory, the idea that the “sons of God” are nobles who intermarried with commoners, doesn’t quite work as at least one reference points out that it’s not clear why marriages between different levels of society would be considered evil (see Zondervan,. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, eBook (Kindle Locations 7634-7635). Zondervan. Kindle Edition). This leaves the theory that the “sons of God” are those who obeyed God, or at least the descendants of men who did, and the “daughters of men” were the descendants of men who rebelled against God. This last idea is most likely and is widely accepted among scholars (see here, here, here, here, here, and a fairly thorough summary here. There are also comments in Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1978). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 250). Review and Herald Publishing Association. Beyond all of this, it’s valuable to realize that the “nephilim” discussed earlier are not the descendants of these mixed marriages (or at least not only the descendants of those marriages), a point Genesis 6:4 makes it clear since the nephilim were on the Earth both before and after these mixed marriages took place, a point which is established by comments on that verse both here and here.
For the idea that the children of Seth were only interested in the attractiveness of potential wives rather than any truly valuable aspects or virtues, see here.
For the idea that the phrase “all they chose” implies they engaged in polygamy as well as Lamech, Cain’s descendant known for it, see Doukhan, J. B. (2016). Seventh-day Adventist International Bible Commentary (p. 136-137). Pacific Press Publishing Association).
For the idea that the problematic intermarriages occurred to increasing degree after Enoch went to heaven, see here, and here, as well as Josephus who suggests that Seth’s descendants followed God for 7 generations before things went amiss, here.
For Naamah being remembered as Ishtar or Inanna see earlier show note. For those goddesses remembered for both love and war, see the articles here and here. This connection to a vengeful deity is also made on pg. 38 here where some scholars connect Naamah to the Roman god Minerva (see here.
While we don’t have demographic data to know how many people were alive at the end of Methuselah’s life, the fact that the whole world was inundated by a Flood in order to cleanse it from the wickedness man had spread across it’s surface suggests there were enough people to spread evil far and wide. If there were only a few thousand people on the Earth, which seems unlikely, something less than a global Flood could’ve wiped them out. Admittedly, this is speculation. It is also possible part of the value of the global Flood was in making the Earth less habitable thereby forcing men to focus on survival rather than luxury and vice. Before that time, and despite God’s curse of the ground in Genesis 3:17-19, survival was probably easy enough (given by the references to parties during this era in Matthew 24:38) that people frequently turned their attentions to things of a wicked nature, and perhaps a less habitable Earth would remove that blessing so they couldn’t twist it for evil purposes.
For a book about Stephen Hopkins and all the historical events he took part in, see Here Shall I Die Ashore. Comments in support of his shipwreck inspiring Shakepeare’s The Tempest is on pgs. 57-58. The possibility of Hopkins going back to England on the same ship with Pocahontas is mentioned on pg. 61. For references to the Mayflower and Plymouth experiences, see the back cover as there is no preview for those pages.
Update: I clarified a show note on 11/8/22 to make it clear that it is my opinion that Hesiod's golden and silver ages align best with the time before the Flood. I imagine I am not the only one to make this connection, but I haven't found a reference to point to.