Post on 30-Mar-2015
E-SWORD
E-SWORD: Parallel Bible
E-SWORD: Create Study Notes
E-SWORD: Strong’s
E-SWORD: Commentaries & Dictionaries
E-SWORD: Explore Translations
E-SWORD: Search Capabilities
E-SWORD Graphics Viewer
E-SWORD: Step Reader
E-SWORD: Step Reader
Early Church Fathers – Nicene and Post-Nicene set, Series 1
All Free
E-SWORD: Commentaries
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary of the Whole Bible
Free
E-SWORD: Commentaries
Jamieson Fausset Brown Complete Commentary,
3 Volumes
Free
E-SWORD: Commentaries
Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament,
10 Volumes
Free
E-SWORD: Commentaries
Word Pictures in the New Testament 6 Volumes
By: A.T. Robertson
Free
E-SWORD: Commentaries
The Treasury of David, 3 Volumes
By: Charles H. Spurgeon
Free
E-SWORD: Commentaries
Vincent's New Testament Word Studies,
4 VolumesBy: Marvin R. Vincent
Free
E-SWORD: Dictionaries
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions
E-SWORD: Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Fausset's Bible Dictionary
Both are OOP (Out Of Print) resources.
They are not always conservative concerning dates (e.g., Isaiah) or creation details but are worthy resources.
Free
E-SWORD: Dictionaries
American Dictionary of the English Language
(1828)
Free
E-SWORD: Encyclopedia
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
Not always conservative (e.g. Isaiah)
Great for locations and people!
Free
E-SWORD: Bibles
Nave's Topical Bible
Free
E-Sword: Greek & Hebrew
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Coded with Strong's Concordance Numbers
Free
E-Sword: Greek & Hebrew
Greek New Testament
Free
E-Sword: Greek & Hebrew
Hebrew Old Testament (w/ Strong's)
Free
E-Sword: Greek & Hebrew
Greek Old Testament (Septuagint)
Free
E-Sword: Graphics
American Bible Society Maps
Classic Bible Maps
Free
E-Sword: Graphics
E-Sword: Graphics
Timelines
Atlases
Charts
All Free
Gustave Doré New Testament Woodcuts
NASA Satellite Images Bible Lands
Free
E-Sword: “Extras”
Antiquities of the Jews(Flavius Josephus)
First century Jewish Historian
Free
E-Sword: “Extras”
Fox's Book of Martyrs(John Fox, 1516-1587)
Free
E-Sword: “Extras”
History of The Christian Church
(Philip Schaff, 1819-1893)
Free
E-Sword: “Extras”
Institutes of the Christian Religion
(John Calvin, 1509-1564)
Free
E-Sword: “Extras”
Sketches of Jewish Social Life
(Alfred Edersheim,1825-1889)
Free
E-Sword: “Extras”
St. Paul the Traveler(William M. Ramsay,
1851-1939)
Free
E-Sword: “Extras”
The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah(Alfred Edersheim)
Free
E-Sword: “Extras”
The Temple - Its Ministry and Service
(Alfred Edersheim)
Free
Now let’s do a bit of biblical exegesis based on the text of Genesis
OF INTEREST TO WOMEN: “desire” in Genesis 3:16 and 4:7
Gen. 3:16 What is the “desire” that a wife will have for her husband?
“The way to a proper understanding of this passage is through making a comparison of Genesis 3:16 and 4:7. These Hebrew texts are precisely the same except for appropriate changes in person and gender.”
(Laney, Answers to Tough Questions)
Gen. 3:16 What is the “desire” that a wife will have for her husband?
“Yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” Gen. 3:16
“And its [sin’s] desire is for you, but you [Cain] must master it.” Gen. 4:7
“A comparison [of these verses] suggests that the wife has the same sort of desire for her husband that sin has for Cain – a desire to possess or control” (Laney)
Toledoth – Signatures?
Toledoth of Noah: Genesis 6:9
“These are the generations of Noah.”
This statement, like those at Genesis 2:4, 5:1a, 10:1, 11:10, 36:1, 36:9, and 37:2 seem to mark the end of an historical account.
Toledoth means ‘generation.’
Gen. 2:4 “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.”
Gen. 5:1a “This is the book of the generations of Adam.”
Gen. 6:9a “These are the generations of Noah.” Contrary to modern writing practices, these
colophons are found at the end of a text, not the beginning.
THE TABLET THEORY
During his tour of duty in Mesopotamia, where much of the earliest Bible activity took place, Air Commodore P.J. Wiseman became interested in the archaeology of that area, and especially in the many ancient clay tablets that had been dated to long before the time of Abraham. He recognized that they held the key to the original writings of the early Bible, and especially to the Book of Genesis.
THE TABLET THEORYHe published his book in
1936. More recently his son, Professor of Assyriology D.J. Wiseman, updated and revised his father’s book: P.J. Wiseman, “Ancient Records and the Structure of Genesis” (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1985)
He found that most of the old clay tablets had “colophon phrases” at the end; these named the writer or owner of the tablet; they had words to identify the subject, and often some sort of dating phrase. If multiple tablets were involved, there were also “catch-lines” to connect a tablet to its next in sequence. Many of these old records related to family histories and origins, which were evidently highly important to those ancient people. Wiseman noticed the similarity of many of these to the sections of the book of Genesis.
Many scholars have noticed that Genesis is divided into sections, separated by phrases that are translated “These are the generations of ... ” The Hebrew word used for “generation” is toledoth, which means “history, especially family history ... the story of their origin.” Wiseman, op.cit., pg.62. Wiseman took this quotation from the pioneer Hebrew lexicographer Gesenius.
Most scholars have recognized that these “toledoth phrases” must be important, but they have been misled by assuming incorrectly that these are the introduction to the text that follows. (Several modern translations have even garbled these phrases.) This has led to serious questions, because in several cases they don’t seem to fit. For example, Genesis 37:2 begins, “These are the generations of Jacob. ...” But from that spot on, the text describes Joseph and his brothers, and almost nothing about Jacob, who was the central character in the previous section.
However, Wiseman saw that the colophons in the ancient tablets always were at the end, not the beginning. He applied this idea to the toledoth phrases in Genesis, and found that in every case it suddenly made good sense. The text just before the phrase “These are the generations of ... ” contained information about events that the man named in that phrase would have known about. That person would have been the logical one to write that part.
In other words, each toledoth phrase contains the name of the man who probably wrote the text preceding that phrase. Or, in still other words, the book of Genesis consists of a set of tablets, each of which was written by an actual eye-witness to the events described therein. These tablets were finally compiled by Moses.
Modern scholars who accept this as probably include the late Dr. Henry Morris and Dr. Ruth Beechick.
Doing the Math for Abraham’s Birth
1 Kings 6:1 identifies Solomon’s reign as 480 years post-Exodus from Egypt.
The Temple was built in 966 BC, the 4th year of Solomon’s reign.
Thus 1446 BC is the date of the Exodus.
480 + 966 = 1446
Doing the Math for Abraham’s Birth
Per Exodus 12:40, Jacob went into Egypt 430 years before the Exodus and was 130 years old.
Thus Jacob was born in 2006 BC.
1446 + 430 + 130 = 2006 (Jacob’s birth)
Doing the Math for Abraham’s Birth
Jacob was born in Isaac’s 60th year, thus Isaac was born in 2066 BC.
2006 + 60 = 2066 (Isaac’s birth)
Show the Math for Abraham’s Birth
Isaac was born in 2066 BC. Isaac was born when Abraham was 100 years old.
Thus Abraham’s birth was in 2166 BC.
2066 + 100 = 2166 (Abraham’s birth)
Pharaoh Shosheng (Shishak)
Discovered Egyptian records allow scholars to arrive at a good fix on the years of King Solomon's reign.
Sample Student Dating
Abraham Assignment
WORLD EMPIRES
Let’s learn how to divide the world of Abraham through Jesus into four, 500-year sections!
Assyria falls to Babylon and Medes in 612 BC
Babylon falls to Persia in 539 BC
Persia falls to Alexander the Great in 331 BC
The Greeks are conquered by the Romans in 146 BC with the destruction of Corinth.
ASSYRIA/ASSHUR: 4000 BC to 612 BC
Assyrian Nineveh falls in 612 BC
In 612 BC the Assyrian capital city of Nineveh was defeated by the armies of the Medes and the Neo-Babylonians. During the time of the decline of Assyria, the Neo-Babylonian (that is, Chaldean) Kingdom was founded in southern Mesopotamia (625-539 BC).
The most notorious king of that kingdom was Nebuchadnezzar.
Babylon falls in 539 BC
In 539 BC, Babylon was conquered by the Persian King Cyrus.
Persian rule continued through the Near East until 331 BC, when it was replaced by the Greek empire of Alexander the Great.
Persia falls in 331 BC to Alexander the Great (Greek)
146 BC Greece falls to Rome when the Romans destroy Corinth