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...did Abraham marry his sister?
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the Scriptural Sin Series
Involving Incest
by haRold Smith
a citizen of the Commonwealth (Ephesians 2:19)
"This is eternal life,
that they know You
the only true Elohim, and Yeshua haMashiach whom You have sent." John 17:3
"Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
but you are the same
and your years have no end." Hebrews 1:10 (quoting Psalm 102:25-27)
Most of the religious world has been taught either explicitly or informally that since Adam and Eve were the first of mankind, the only way the earth was populated was through their offspring having sexual relations with one another - brothers with sisters. However, we have a serious problem with that approach when it is measured against the Nature of YaHoVeH presented to us throughout scripture - specifically in
Leviticus 18:6-11 (click on highlighted words to view content)
which calls for capital punishment against such behaviors. So, did YaHoVeH's Nature change between creation and Sinai? There are many scholarly proponents who think so. But, the one thing scripture reliably upholds and is the one definitive characteristic about Him that we are told we can trust is that His Nature never changes!!
(Malachi 3:6,
Numbers 23:19,
James 1:17,
2Timothy 2:13).
That there were other people on the planet when
Adam was formed
is evidenced in several ways but, primarily, with the mark of protection placed on Cain that he not be killed by others and that he took a wife from the land of Nod - outside of the land of Eden before Adam and Eve had given birth to other sons and daughters as recorded in
Genesis 5
- thereby, eliminating the possibility of an incestual marriage to a sister. If there is no one else around, then how can Cain be afraid of other people retaliating for the murder of his brother
(Genesis 4:14-16)?
And if Adam and Eve are not mentioned as having other children until after Cain's banishment - he could not have taken a sister with him because there was none to be had at the time he was driven out of Eden. If Adam was the first of mankind, then why is the lineage in that chapter (and expanded on in
Luke 3:23-38)
descriptive only of Hebrews? You have to admit, at the very least, these questions place that Christian theology (for that is where it originates) in some real murky waters.
The Hebrew perspective of
"uncovering nakedness"
is not about exposing genitals but is an idiomatic euphemism for incestual sexual relations
within YaHoVeH's family
which, again, calls for capital punishment. Although the following is about Abraham, in it you will find the consistency of YaHoVeH's Nature of Spirit.
"And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah,
the daughter of Haran,
the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah."
Genesis 11:29
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Now, let's take a look at two verses dealing with Abram and Lot:
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"And they took Lot,
Abram's brother's son,
who dwelt in Sodom, ...and departed." Genesis 14:12
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"And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again
his brother Lot,
and his goods,
and the women also, and the people." Genesis 14:16
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...Abraham and Lot
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Did you notice that in Genesis 14:12 Lot is called Abram's brother's son or his nephew, as we would say today, and then in Genesis 14:16 Lot is called Abram's brother. So one might suggest that in Abram's day the word brother could be understood to also include other members of the family, i.e., nephews. Let me suggest that the same is true for the word sister and nieces.
Hebrew is different from English in that in the Hebrew language a noun can be singular or plural based on the context and who it is that is being addressed. The Hebrew word for daughter in
Genesis 11:29
is bath.
But, if you do an Englishman's search for this word you will see that quite a number of the instances are translated as
"daughters",
plural - as well as some being translated "daughter", singular. So, now here is Genesis 11:29 with the word daughters instead of the singular daughter: "And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughters of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah."
Interesting! Now let's get a second source for this idea.
The Book of Jasher, Part 1, bookmark Chapter 12:44
(while not included in the Roman Catholic Canon we call "the bible") is mentioned twice in scripture so that we should look at it. Here is what it says:
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"And at that time Nahor and Abram took unto themselves wives,
the daughters of their brother Haran;
the wife of Nahor was Milca and the name of Abram's wife was Sarai. And Sarai, wife of Abram, was barren; she had no offspring in those days." Jasher 12:44
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Haran had just died before they took his daughters as wives. Abram then also took upon himself the care of his nephew, Lot. Also according to Jasher, Abram spent a number of years living in the house of Shem (Noah's son) being taught the ways of YaHoVeH. So Abraham knew YaHoVeH's Nature very well and would have known it was improper for him to marry or have relations with his sister. Consequently, we see in
Genesis 26:5
where the Nature of Spirit was manifested because Abraham kept YaHoVeH's "charge, commandments, statutes and laws", 430 years before they were written down. How could that happen? Because Abraham spent enough time in the Presence of YaHoVeH that he knew YaHoVeH's Nature - which, ultimately, became known through His
Ten Words.
Sarah was actually Abraham's niece.
Leviticus 18
does not prohibit the marriage of a man and his niece. So it is helpful to remember how Abraham understood the word "sister" when reading the following:
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"And yet indeed
she is my sister;
she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife." Genesis 20:12
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Therefore, in the vernacular of Abraham's day, his "father" would be those men found in the lineage from Noah's son, Shem (as seen in
Joshua 24:2-3)
from whom was born Terah, Abram's father. Abraham's mother was Amthelo
(Jasher, Part 1, bookmark Chapter 7:50-51).
We are not told who Sarah's mother is, only that Haran wed her when he was thirty-nine years old
(Jasher, Part 1, bookmark Chapter 9:1-4).
So, again from the vernacular of Abraham's day, since Sarah was of the lineage of Terah she would be considered a "daughter" of Shem. Thus, just as the nephew Lot was considered a "brother" to Abraham, so is the niece, Sarah, consider a "sister" of Abraham - but not of the lineage as Abraham's mother (meaning whoever Haran's wife was, she came from outside that linage).
In the same regard, because
the blood
of YaHoVeH's family had been corrupted by the disobedience of Adam to His Father's Words causing
a separation
from echad
with Him; the eight survivors of the flood, Noah and his family, being
descendants of Adam
- they, too, carried that same corrupted blood. Since there is no restriction mentioned in scripture prohibiting the marrying of first cousins (only prohibited culturally), every person on the repopulated earth today carries with them that corrupted blood - impure, but still carrying a spark of the Life,
the Light,
of YaHoVeH enabling everyone to hear the Voice of the Creator calling them into His Kingdom at some point in their lives. How they respond whenever that spark ignites within them determines whether they will allow themselves to be
drawn by the Father
further into His Kingdom - or not.
There is another element involved in this discussion that takes precedent - a second witness
(John 8:17,
Numbers 35:30,
Hebrews 10:28,
2Corinthians 13:1).
There is no other manuscript that purports incestual relationships ever being sanctioned by YaHoVeH - although the promoters of the Book of Jubilees maintain such relationships are outlined therein. What is factual about the book of Jubilees is that, as nearly as one can tell, the book was composed in approximately 160-150 BCE - centuries after the original Genesis account was penned. Perhaps the most obvious reason for the book of Jubilees was the author’s preoccupation with advocating a solar calendar based on days and months rather than on the Hebraic, lunar-based calendar. In fact, some scholars have pointed out that it appears the book was written exactly for that purpose - to push the author’s idea that the solar-based calendar more accurately represents
the 49 years
spoken of in the book of Daniel and provided for a better understanding of prophecy. If that is true, then the Book of Jubilees may well have merely been an attempt to show how the solar calendar better fits in the biblical account of time and prophecy - not as an actual representation of the events of Genesis. While the author of Jubilees often reproduces the scriptural text from Genesis word for word, he also transforms it at numerous points by means of omissions and especially additions, providing what he takes to be the "proper" interpretation of Genesis-Exodus and applying their teachings to the issues of his day. But, there is no corroboration of these additions to be found anywhere else apart from the book of Jubilees.
The First Book of Enoch,
while also not contained in the "official canon" developed by the Roman Catholic Church, is still considered a vital part of Hebrew literature and speaks of a pre-Adamic age. It is even referenced in
Jude 1:14-15
and contains various passage quotes from Daniel, Genesis 6 and Zechariah 14 which mentions the evil of mankind that became prevalent in the world after creation, thus necessitating YaHoVeH's desire to demonstrate in a select people a more excellent way of Life - His manifested Nature in His family to be
a Light to the Nations.
Anyone,
whether naturally born or adopted
(grafted)
into YaHoVeH's Hebrew family of Israel, is allowed entrance into
the Present Presence
by keeping the Covenant contained in YaHoVeH's Words. Until Yeshua's Resurrection restoring the Kingdom to its state before the separation, however, that relationship had only been
external
- it was not echad. Yeshua's purpose for being sent as
the Kinsman Redeemer
to YaHoVeH's family of Israel was to redeem with His Pure Blood of obedience the relationship of echad with His Father that had been lost through the separation. Yeshua's Pure Blood was the means, the vehicle of exchange by which YaHoVeH used to open the door through which that transfusion of blood
internally
could take place in all who receive Yeshua as the Hebrew Messiah to Israel
and
keep the Words of His Father.
???Questions???
Please feel free to email me at harold@hethathasanear.com.
While not claiming to have all
the answers, it would be an honor to partake with you of what Spirit is uncovering.
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