Hi everyone! First time posting here! I am struggling with the genealogies of Genesis as they seem literal. For example you would get something like this: “when person A was X years old they gave birth to person B.”
It is not necessarily the ages which are the problem but actually the fact that person A gave birth to person B. Going by an old earth method, this just wouldn’t make sense. I was wondering what your thoughts are on this.
Welcome! I’m not sure exactly what the question is if it’s not the numbers that are a problem. Is it just reconciling Adam as the very first human on the planet with a certain number of generations?
Many interpreters think there are gaps. Many interpreters don’t think Adam was the very first human ever.
Have you seen this article?
What happens if the perception of time on Earth doesn’t start until humanity is created? Does that solve anything?
Yeah it is hard to describe. In Genesis 4, we are given a list of people and their descendants, “Cain had sex with his wife and gave birth to Enoch.” Something like this seems to be literal. So I hope this sort it clears things up.
Could you explain further?
I have not got to read the article that was shared but these are my thoughts.
In the descendants of Seth they mention the ages and the lifespans are all really long. In Cain’s you’ll notice it leaves the ages out. The reason why is because the purpose of the genealogies was to show that God blesses people and is the source of life. While Cain’s genealogy shows several bad traits and no ages giving the impression they did not last as long.
Off the top of my head? No. I learned pretty early that there are a lot of very, very smart people here that will challenge you. That is a good thing if you are seeking the truth. Not so good if you are paraphrasing or regurgitating something you “think” you know.
Your particular problem is one I have considered and put to rest. Not with a solid answer but with the thought that it isn’t important enough for me to keep agonizing about.
I could go back and see what allowed me to move on if that would help you over the stumbling block?
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