The Skeptics Annotated Bible (21 page)

(11.10-11) Shem lived 600 years.

11 And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

12 And
Arphaxad
lived five and thirty years, and
begat Salah:

(11.12)
“Arphaxad … begat Salah.”
44 Who was Salah’s father?

(11.12-13) Arphaxad lived 438 years.

13 And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

14 And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:

15 And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

(11.14-15) Salah lived 433 years.

16 And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg:

17 And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.

(11.16-17) Eber lived 464 years.

18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu:

19 And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.

(11.18-19) Peleg lived 239 years.

20 And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug:

21 And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.

(11.20-21) Reu lived 239 years.

22 And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor:

23 And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

(11.22-23) Serug lived 230 years.

24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah:

25 And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.

(11.24-25) Nahor lived 148 years.

26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

27 Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.

28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.

29 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.

30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child.

31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.

32 And
the days of Terah were two hundred and five years
: and Terah died in Haran.

(11.32)
“The days of Terah were two hundred and five years.”
46 How old was Terah when he died?
47 How old was Abraham when he left Haran?
48 How old was Abraham when Ishmael was born?

12
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3 And
I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee
: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

(12.3)
“I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
The Religious Right claims that this verse requires the U.S. to support Israel.

4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and
Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

(12.4)
“Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.”
46 How old was Terah when he died?
47 How old was Abraham when he left Haran?

A NOTE ABOUT ABRAHAM AND SARAH’S NAMES
Abraham and Sarah were originally named Abram and Sarai, but for some strange reason, God changed their names to Abraham and Sarah in chapter 17 (17.5, 15). To avoid confusion, I’ll use their newer, more familiar, God-given names in the notes.

5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.

6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

7 And
the LORD appeared unto Abram
, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

(12.7)
“The LORD appeared unto Abram.”
49 Can God be seen?

8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.

9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.

10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.

11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: