Dating the Book of Job

7/27/2019 Dating the Book of Job

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Dating the Book of Job

G. L. Bartholomew

Abstract

This article actually started out as a couple of paragraphs in my article The Lore of the

Light-Bearer. I was just going to add up the birth dates from Noah to Jobab which works out

to be somewhere between 600 and 700 years. Then, while googling for some information, I

came across Stephen E. Franklins online book Alignment of Hebrew, Egyptian, and Assyrian

Chronologies which contains a theory that has some rather drastic implications in regard to the

dates and lengths of time of many of the records found in the Bible. As I continued my research

in an attempt to either prove or disprove (from a biblical perspective) Stephens hypothesis, this

material grew to become a lengthy appendix to my Light-Bearer article and now a full article

(or small book) on its own. This article contains a lot of number crunching, but the conclusion

of it all has some fairly significant theological implications. As a perhaps less tedious and more

theologically interesting bonus, the appendix to this article discusses how Stephen Franklins

hypothesis regarding the change of the Hebrew calendar may help to provide an answer to

the riddle of who the Azazyel goat represents and why and how he came to be a part of the

Atonement ceremony of Leviticus 16.
http://www.lordbalto.com/neros/default.htmhttp://www.lordbalto.com/neros/default.htm


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Dating the Book of Job

The book of Job does not explicitly state when it was written in relation to the flood, but it does

contain sufficient clues to derive an approximate date. Dating the book of Job relative to Noahs

flood is important to showing that the environment described in the background of the book of Job

is consistent with what the hot-oceans cold-ice-caps model of the earth for the post-flood centuriespredicts as is discussed in Appendix A of my earlier article: The Lore of the Light-Bearer.

The first thing that we are told about Job is that he dwelt in the land of Uz. The land of Uz

is associated with Edom (Lamentations 4:21). Edom is an alias for Esau the son of Issac (Gene-

sis 25:30).

Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, you who dwell in the land of Uz! (Lamentations 4:21 NKJV)

And Esau said to Jacob, Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary. Therefore his name was

called Edom. (Genesis 25:30 NKJV)

Edom/Esau is said to have dwelt in Mount Seir (Genesis 36:8). Mount Seir is very near the

popular tourist site Petra, south of the land of Canaan. Edoms territory extended southward fromPetra/Seir to the Gulf of Aqaba/The Red Sea and eastward. Forty years after the Exodus, the

descendants of Esaus grandson Amalek fought against the Israelites as they approached the boarder

of the land of Canaan (Exodus 17:8-16; Deuteronomy 25:17-19; I Samuel 15). The Amalekites

attacked the Israelites from behind and struck down many of the tired and weary stragglers and

they were, thereafter, cursed by . Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the persons of his household, his cattle and all his

animals, and all his goods which he had gained in the land of Canaan, and went to a country away from the

presence of his brother Jacob. For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together, and the land

where they were strangers could not support them because of their livestock. So Esau dwelt in Mount Seir.

Esau is Edom. (Genesis 36:6-8 NKJV)

Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, Choose us some men and

go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand. So

Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of

the hill. And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand,

Amalek prevailed. But Moses hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it.

And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were

steady until the going down of the sun. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

Then the LORD said to Moses, Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua,

that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar and called

its name, TheLORDIsMyBanner; for he said, Because the LORD has sworn: the LORD will have war with

Amalek from generation to generation. (Exodus 17:8-16 NKJV)

Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, how he met you on the way

and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear

God. Therefore it shall be, when the LORD your God has given you rest from your enemies all around, in the

land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, that you will blot out the remembrance

of Amalek from under heaven. You shall not forget. (Deuteronomy 25:17-19 NKJV)

Samuel also said to Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore,

heed the voice of the words of the LORD. Thus says the LORD of hosts: I will punish Amalek for what he did to

Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly

destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox

and sheep, camel and donkey. (I Samuel 15:1 NKJV)


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4 Dating the Book of Job

Figure 1 below shows a partial genealogical tree containing a probable overlay of the main

characters of Job with the genealogies found elsewhere in the Bible. In the below genealogical

tree, the main characters Job, Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu are highlighted in red. Sec-

ondary/background characters are highlighted in blue. A few other significant biblical characters

are included to help give a sense of the timing.

Figure 1: Partial Genealogical Tree of Job/Jobab and His Friends

Nahor

BuzJokshan

Sheba

era

Abram

Shuah

Bildad

Issac

DedanEsau

Eliphaz

TemanAmalek

Reuel

Zerah

Jobab

Jacob

Benjamin

Bela

Naaman

Zophar

TamarJudah

Perez

Hezron

Ram

Amminadab

Nahshon

Salmon

Boaz

Obed

Jesse

David

Solomon

Barachel

Elihu

Rahab

Ruth

Elihu

Tamar

Levi

Kohath

Moses

Amram

?

In Figure 1, Job and Jobab the son of Zerah are overlapped as being likely the same person.

The reasons for this are as follows:

1. Job is a short form of Jobab (the names are actually pronounced Yov and Yovav, respectively,

in Hebrew) and it is not uncommon for people to be referenced by names spelt in slightly

varied ways in the Old Testament both in the Hebrew text and in translations (e.g. the

Septuagint of I Chronicles 2:9-10 refers to one person using both of the names Ram and

Aram)1.

2. Jobab lived at the right time and in the right place with respect to what we are told about

Job (Jobab is younger than Eliphaz but older than Elihu and he, being a descendant of Esau,

would likely have lived in the land of Uz).

3. Jobab was a very prominent man among Esaus descendants as evidenced by his being awarded

the kingship of the land after Bela (Genesis 36:33).

4. Jobab is a great-nephew of Eliphaz which would help to explain how Eliphaz knew Jobs

father, even the birth date of Jobs father so as to be able to say the aged are among us,

much older than your father. (Job 15:10).

Though Job does not reveal his age in his book, he seems to indicate that he is older than Zophar

when he argues against Zophars first charge that wisdom is with aged men (Job 12:12 NKJV).

I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Indeed, who does not know such things asthese? Wisdom is with aged men, and with length of days, understanding. my eye has seen all this, my

ear has heard and understood it. What you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you. Man decays like a

rotten thing, like a garment that is moth-eaten. Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble.

1Google Books: Old Testament Textual Criticism Page 164
http://books.google.com/books?as_isbn=0801010659


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Dating the Book of Job 5

He comes forth like a flower and fades away; he flees like a shadow and does not continue. And do You open

Your eyes on such a one, and bring me to judgment with Yourself? (Job 12:3-14:3 NKJV)

After Jobs remark to Zophar that wisdom is with aged men, Eliphaz responded to Job saying

that both the gray-haired and the aged are among us which suggests that the other two of

Jobs friends were older than Job.

Are you the first man who was born? Or were you made before the hills? Have you heard the counsel of God?Do you limit wisdom to yourself? What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is

not in us? Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, much older than your father. (Job 15:7-10 NKJV)

Elihu was the youngest of those who have significant dialog recorded in the book of Job and

he was the last to speak. Elihu seems to have been so young at the time that the events of Job were

recorded that his name was not worthy of mention in the opening chapters. One gets the impression

that Elihu was perhaps a teen or in his early twenties, not a direct friend of Job but probably tagging

along with Zophar the youngest of Jobs three friends and the closest relation to Elihu.

Of some significance is the possible relation between Elihu and king David. King David was a

descendant of Ram and Elihu is said to be the son of Barachel and a member of the family of Ram(Job 32:2). Though Barachel is also said to be a Buzite, such is probably a reference to the area of

his residence rather than his ancestry just as Eliphaz was said to be a Temanite because he dwelt in

the land of his firstborn son chief Teman.

Then the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was aroused against Job (Job 32:2 NKJV)

The book of Job has come down to us in modern times through preservation by the Jews along

with the rest of the Old Testament. It is not as easy to see in the English translations, but there are

many references to the book of Job embedded in the written works of kings David and Solomon.

As an example, Table 1 shows several cross references between Psalms 104 and the book of Job.


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Table 1: Cross References between Psalms 104 and Job

Psalms 104 Job

1a 36:26

1b 40:10b; 37:22-24

2a 37:212b 9:8a; 26:7

3 9:8b-9; 26:13a

4 Ex 3:2

5-9 38:4-11

10 38:25a

11 39:5-8

12 38:41; 39:26-30

13a 38:37b

14 38:26-27

17 39:13-18

18 39:1-4

19 9:7; 38:1220a 38:15a

21-22 38:39-40

24a 9:10

24c 34:13

26 41

29a 34:29

29b 34:14-15

30a 33:4

Psalms 104:1b and Job 40:10b make a good illustration of how hard it can be to see the parallel

between two sections of text when viewed after translation.

You are clothed with honor and majesty (Psalms 104:1b NKJV)

array yourself with glory and beauty (Job 40:10b NKJV)

Both of the above are translations of the same Hebrew phrase: . This phraseis unique to these two verses.

Other parallels are more obvious. For example, Bildad referred to mankind as being like a

worm in comparison to (Job 25:6) long before Davids famous remark I am a worm and noman (Psalms 22:6).

Longer forms of some parallels are found in the book of Job which indicates that the book of

Job contains the original statements. For example, the phrase He drew a circle on the face of thedeep (Proverbs 8:27) is found in its full form in Job 26:10 He drew a circular horizon on the

face of the waters, at the boundary of light and darkness.

These are just a few examples of the many references to the book of Job that exist in the written

works of kings David and Solomon. These references show that both these kings were familiar

with the book of Job and, hence, that it predates them. Because Jesse, Davids father, named one of

his sons Elihu, it appears that the book of Job came into the possession of the Jewish royal archives

through king David himself.


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Because Elihu was five generations from Eliphaz, Eliphaz would have been over 100 years old

when the events of the book of Job took place. Job lived 140 years after his trial and saw four

generations of his children born during those years. Abraham was born about 292 years after the

flood.2 Abraham was 100 years old when he begot Issac (Genesis 21:5). Issac was 60 years old

when he begot Esau (Genesis 25:26). Esau was about 40 years old when he begot Eliphaz his

firstborn (Genesis 26:34). 292 + 100 + 60 + 40 = 492 years after the flood that Eliphaz was born.Because Eliphaz would have been over 100 years old at the time, we can roughly estimate that the

events recorded in the book of Job took place between 600 and 700 years after the flood well

as straight forward as that math might seem, there are a few curve balls that the Bible throws at

us that need to be accounted for.

Have you noticed in the numbers cited thus far how long people are living? Have you noticed

that they are not having children until fairly old ages? Most of those who have noticed these

numbers attribute them to divine blessings or a rather gradual decline in whatever environmental

condition caused those of the pre-flood generations to live so long, but there is another explanation

that deserves serious consideration.

Stephen E. Franklin in Alignment of Hebrew, Egyptian, and Assyrian Chronologies pointsout that the Hebrew calendar of ancient times had two new years (in the Fall and Spring each

corresponding with the first new moon after the autumnal and vernal equinoctes respectively) and,

if the ancient Hebrews were using both of these new-years in the calculation of their spans of time,

several things start to make a lot more sense; both internally with respect to the Bible and externally

in aligning the dates of significant events as recorded in the Bible with some of the more ancient

records from nearby civilizations.

Consider a few of the more notable events recorded in the Bible, prior to king Solomons time,

for which we are given durations in years. Is it more reasonable that Abram left home at age 75

or 37? Is it more reasonable that Abram was concerned about being killed because of the beautiful

countenance of his 68 year old wife or his 34 year old wife? Is it more reasonable that Sarah bore

Issac at 90 or 45? Did Moses choose a 40 year old man to go and spy out the land of Canaan or a20 year old? Was Caleb boasting of being as strong at 85 as he was at 40 or at 42 as he was at 20?

The case that I personally feel puts the nail in the coffin, so to speak, for the ancients having used a

six-month year is that the birth dates recorded for all of Abrahams ancestors back to Noah (8 gen-

erations) are consistently in the 30 to 35 year range with respect to the parent (Genesis 11:10-26).

It is highly improbable that so many people over such a long period of time under such circum-

stances would all wait until such an old age to have children. There should be at least a few, if

not most of them, who have children by sometime in their mid-twenties; especially when the need

to repopulate the earth is taken into account. If, however, those who lived in ancient times were

using a six-month year such that the durations would have to be halved to be equal to our modern

definition of years, then it is no surprise that none of them were marrying and having children much

before 30 years as 30 years, in their reckoning, would be equivalent to what we modernly recognize

as 15 years. The incredible consistency in the recorded ages at which they married is then because

they couldnt physically have children prior to that age. Marrying at 15 years of age might seem

a bit outrageous to some of us modernly,3 but there is archaeological evidence that even those of

nobility married in their early teens in ancient times (e.g. the pharaohnen of ancient Egypt).

2ICR: How Young Is the Earth?3It is not unheard of in modern times, however.[The Sun: Baby-faced boy Alfie Patten is father at 13]
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2233878.ecehttp://www.icr.org/article/4124/http://www.lordbalto.com/neros/default.htm


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This [is] the genealogy of Shem:Shem [was] 100 years old, and begot Arphaxad 2 years after the flood

Arphaxad lived 35 years, and begot Salah

Salah lived 30 years, and begot Eber

Eber lived 34 years, and begot Peleg

Peleg lived 30, and begot Reu

Reu lived 32 years, and begot Serug Serug lived 30 years, and begot Nahor

Nahor lived 29 years, and begot Terah

Terah lived 70 years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran

(Genesis 11:10-26 NKJV)

To be clear, Stephen Franklin believes that there was also a 12-month calendar with twelve

named months in use all along and that the double counting of the years that is evident in the

biblical accounts was probably due to editorial or translational error. I am personally less certain

that there was a 12-month year originally because there are only four named months that are referred

to throughout the Old Testament of the Bible and because the ancients of other civilizations are

rumored to have lived prolonged lives as well (e.g. the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors

of China4) and because I am convinced, primarily by Walter Browns book In The Beginning:

Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood, that the earth before the flood was a tropical

paradise world-wide without seasons of hot summer and cold winter (hence there would have been

no strong reason to distinguish between the two equinoxes as beginning two distinct halves of one

cycle/year).

There is more intra-biblical support for the case of a six-month year having been used in ancient

times. The support can be seen in the number of generations that are listed from the time of the

Exodus to the beginning of the construction of the Temple. We are told that there were 480 years

between the Exodus and the start of the Temple (I Kings 6:1), but there are only 6 generations listed

for that span of time (Ruth 4:22). This gives us 7 consecutive segments of time that the 480 yearsmust be divisible into. The segments are: Nahshon to Salmon (1), Salmon to Boaz (2), Boaz to

Obed (3), Obed to Jesse (4), Jesse to David (5), David to Solomon (6), Solomon to the start of the

Temple (7). If we were to divide these segments equally, 480 7 = 68.5 which is quite a large value

for the average age of the parent at the birth of the child over so many generations. But the average

age is even greater when it is factored in that Nahshon was already old enough to be declared the

leader of his tribe at the time of the Exodus (Numbers 1:7) and Solomon was called young and

inexperienced by his father 4 years prior to the beginning of the Temple (I Chronicles 29:1) and

he referred to himself as a little child (I Kings 3:7) at that time. If we are generous and suppose

that Solomon was 30 when he referred to himself as a little child and that Nahshon begot Salmon

a full 20 years after the Exodus, then we are left with 480 - 30 - 4 - 20 = 426 years to divide among

the remaining 5 segments. 426 5 = 85.2 years for the average age of the parent at the birth of the

child. Such results are unreasonable. If, however, it is the case they were counting double for what

we would call a years time, then the 85.2 value would be equal to what we would modernly call

42.6 years. While still excessive, 42.6 years for the average age of the parent at the birth of the child

at least falls within the range of feasible values (~14 to ~60). That Boaz had young men who

served him (Ruth 2:15) and that he blessed Ruth for choosing him over younger men (Ruth 3:9-13)

4Note that 3 Sovereigns + 5 Emperors = 8 and there were 8 who survived the flood.
http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Sovereigns_and_Five_Emperors


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suggests that he may have been a contributing factor to the somewhat large number for the average.

Also, David was the youngest of eight brothers (I Samuel 16:10-11).

A similar situation exists in the case of the years of sojourning in a strange land that are given

for Abrahams descendants only a few generations are listed for a relatively long span of time.

Before we can count the number of generations that are listed for the 400 year period of sojourning,

however, we need to know when, relative to the birth dates of Abraham and his descendants, theperiod begins and ends.

There are three spans of time given in the Bible which concern the time in question and there is

only one way that the three spans can be seen to work together as detailed in The 400 Years and

430 Years Time Puzzle. The spans and verses which cite them are: 400 Genesis 15:13-14 &

Acts 7:6-7, 430 Exodus 12:40-41 & Galatians 3:15-17, and 450 Acts 13:16-21 5. Table 2 lists

the significant events and their relative times in years.

Table 2: The Years of Sojourning

Event 1: Time: 000 Abraham offers IssacConfirmation of the promise (Passover)

Event 2: Time: 030 Jacob is born

The fathers of the people of Israel (Abraham, Issac, and Jacob) are chosen (Acts 13:17)

Beginning of the sojourning period

Event 3: Time: 430 The Exodus from Egypt (Passover)

Event 4: Time: 470 The entrance into Canaan

Event 5: Time: 480 The 7 nations conquered and the land divided among the Israelites

The above explanation places Abrahams descendants in Egypt for 270 years (400 years be-

tween Jacobs birth and the Exodus from Egypt less 130 years for Jacobs age at the time of the

entrance into Egypt). Now that we have the significant events, their durations, and their startingand ending points in years relative to the birth dates of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, we can count

the number of generations of Abrahams descendants that lived during those years.

Exodus 6:16-20 lists there being 4 generations from Levi to Moses (Levi, Kohath, Amram,

Moses).

These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Andthe years of the life of Levi were one hundred and thirty-seven. The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimi

according to their families. And the sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. And the years

of the life of Kohath were one hundred and thirtythree. The sons of Merari were Mahali and Mushi. These

are the families of Levi according to their generations. Now Amram took for himself Jochebed, his fathers

sister, as wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses. And the years of the life of Amram were one hundred and

thirty-seven. (Exodus 6:16-20 NKJV)

When we combine the information given in Exodus 6:16-20 with what we are told in Gene-

sis 46:11-27, however, we find a bit of a problem.

The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. All the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt, whocame from his body, besides Jacobs sons wives, were sixty-six persons in all. And the sons of Joseph who

5The NIV and most other translations interpret the 450 years as being 400 + 40 + 10, but it should be noted that the

King James links the period of 450 years to the time leading up to the arrival of Samuel.
http://www.bibleinsight.com/crn1p5.htmlhttp://www.bibleinsight.com/crn1p5.html


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were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were

seventy. (Genesis 46:11-27 NKJV)

Genesis 46:11-27 tells us that Kohath was among the 67 men (66 of Jacobs male descendants

plus Jacob himself) who were born prior to and participated in the entrance into Egypt. We also

know that Moses was 80 years old at the time of the Exodus (Exodus 7:7). This gives us only 2spans of time to divide among 190 years (270 - 80). This gives us an average of 80 (190 2) for the

ages of Kohath and Amram at the birth of their sons (assuming the best-case scenario that Kohath

was born just prior to the entrance into Egypt). With just 2 generations, such an average might not

seem beyond the realm of possibility. However, the Dead Sea Scrolls give us additional information

which causes the numbers to exceed the realm of possibility. According to the Dead Sea Scrolls6,

Jacob was 65 when he fathered Levi, Levi was 35 when he fathered Kohath, and Kohath was 29

when he fathered Amram. Because 65 + 35 + 29 = 129 and because Jacob was 130 at the time

of the entrance into Egypt (Genesis 47:9), Amram would have had to have been born right about

the time of the entrance into Egypt and, consequently, would have had to have begotten Moses at

190 years of age! We are told, however, that Amram only lived 137 years (Exodus 6:16-20)!

The Dead Sea Scrolls also tell us that Amram fathered Aaron at 110 years of age and, becausewe are told that Aaron was 3 years older than Moses (Exodus 7:7), this would mean that Amram

fathered Moses at 113. 113 + 80 = 193 which is significantly less than the 270 year figure that was

calculated earlier. At least one number somewhere must be incorrect. Of the numbers cited thus

far, the 110 figure for the age of Amram at the birth of Aaron is the most suspect because it is a lone

figure from a long lost text that is significantly out of proportion with the ages of those of several

generations prior at the birth of their children (even Abraham was only 100 at the birth of Issac). It

looks a bit like someone recognized the problem of Amram begetting Moses and simply inserted

as large a number as they thought they could get away with.

Throwing out the 110 figure still leaves the problem of Moses being born long after the death

of Amram. Stephen Franklin proposes an interesting theory that Moses intentionally left out a few

generations along the lineage of his forefathers because such information would have revealed a

close relationship between the Levites and the throne of Egypt and Moses was trying to sever all

ties with Egypt and begin a new nation. Darren Thompson7 points out that there are a few instances

in the Bible where begat is used in reference to an adoption and explains how the wording in the

genealogies may be hinting that Amram was adopted into the family of Levi.

The six cases in point that Darren Thompson cites are:

1. We are told that Josiah begat Jeconiah 11 years after Josiah died, and that Jeconiah was

18 years old at the time. (Matthew 1:11 and II Kings 24)

2. King Zerubabbel had 2 fathers. (I Chronicles 3:17-19 and Nehemiah 12:1)3. Machir begat his brother Gilead. (Numbers 26:29)

4. Israel adopted his grandsons Manasseh and Ephraim. (Genesis 48:5)

5. Special wording is used in the description of the begottal of Amram to Kohath.

(Numbers 26:58)

6Google Books: The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered Pages 92-937Darren Thompson: Biblical Chronology Were the Israelites in Egypt for 430 Years?
http://ezinearticles.com/?Biblical-Chronology---Were-the-Israelites-in-Egypt-for-430-Years?&id=846096http://books.google.com/books?as_isbn=1852303689


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6. The Hebrew wording which describes Jochebed Amrams wife is peculiar and can be

interpreted to mean that she was adopted into the family of Levi and hence that Amram may

have married into the family of Levi. (Numbers 26:59)

Whether the missing years are because generations were left out by Moses to prevent later

descendants from claiming a right to the Egyptian throne or because Amram was adopted into thefamily of Kohath long after Kohath had died, it is clear that the 4 generations given from Levi to

Moses are suspect and cannot be used to tally the generations that transpired over the 270 years

that the Israelites were in Egypt. Stephen Franklin uses I Chronicles 7:20-27 to argue that there

were 12 generations from Ephraim to Joshua. Darren Thompson uses Matthew 1:3-4 to argue that

there were 6 generations from Judah to Nahshon. There is another way to get an estimate of the

number of generations from Jacob to the end of the Exodus. Because a census was taken only

2 years after they had left Egypt and the numbers recorded, we can use those numbers to figure

out what the average branching factor (b) would have to be for so many people (p) to be born into

the generation (g) in question. If, for example, the average person has 2 children (a branching

factor of 2) then the first generation will consist of 2 children, the second generation will consist

of 4 children, and so on. Mathematically this is expressed as p = bg where p is for people, b is forbranching factor, and g is for the generation. We are given p = 603550 in Numbers 1:46 and we

want to know whether 12 generations (I Chronicles 7:20-27) or 6 generations (Matthew 1:3-4) are

more reasonable to achieve such a number. Solving for b we get: b = gp.

12

603550 = 3.03

6

603550 = 9.19

Both of the above results are plausible for the average number of children per household during

the time in question. There are a couple more things that need to be factored in though. One ofthe things that needs to be accounted for is that the census was only of the males over 20 years

of age and fit for war. This means that the 603550 value needs to be doubled to account for the

women (assuming the likely fifty-fifty ratio of men and women). The other thing that needs to be

accounted for is the known values for the number of children in the first and second generations. We

know that Jacob had 12 children. Because 12 is roughly 4 times the average for the 12-generation

model, and it occurs at the first level of the branching tree, the results for a branching factor of

3.03 are about 4 times larger than 603550 which is 2 times larger than the number we want when

the women are also accounted for. Because a branching factor of 3.03 results in there being too

many children being in the 12th generation once the extra children of the first generation are

factored into the equation, the braching factor must be further reduced to make the 12-generation

model come out to the required 603550 figure. In the case of the 6 generation figure, because 12is roughly 1 the computed average, the end result of the equation for the number of descendants

are 1 times more than 603550 which is a bit short of the number that we need once the women

are also accounted for (1 < 2). We also know the number of children in the second generation

because of Genesis 46:11-27. Genesis 46 tells us that Jacob had 69 descendants after 2 generations.

69 less the 12 which were of the first generation leaves 57 children born in the second generation.

57 children divided among their 12 parents gives an average of 4.75 children per parent. Because

the 4.75 figure for the average branching factor at the second level of the tree is higher than the


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3.03 average for the tree overall, it will increase the final result for the 12 generation equation even

further from the desired value; meaning that the braching factor would have to be reduced yet again

to get the 12-generation model to work out. Because the 4.75 figure is less than the 9.19 average for

the 6 generation equation, it will reduce the final result in that equation meaning that the average

number of children for the remaining 4 generations would have to be greater to compensate for

the smaller family size of the second generation. Another thing that is difficult to account for isintermarriage. It is much less likely that the Israelites were marrying among themselves for the first

four generations because there were so few of them and plenty of Egyptians to choose from. In the

latter three generations, however, there were significantly more of them and more intermarriage

is likely. Intermarriage reduces the actual numbers from what the equations would predict. The

equation is only accounting for the number of people born into the last generation, however, so the

smaller number is good because it allows room for some of the 603550 soldiers to be from the two

generations prior. Adoption is another issue that is difficult to estimate. Seeing that the storyline

depicts the Egyptians and the Hebrews as being distinctly different and even rival social classes,

I personally suspect that adoption was quite rare. Gary North, in the appendix of his Sanctions

and Dominion: An Economic Commentary on Numbers, argues that adoption must have been

a major factor but he is trying to fit the 603550 descendants into a 4 generation model and is

completely ignoring the 6 generation model that is suggested by Matthew 1:3-4. One bias that I

have against the mass-adoption theory is that it seems, to me, to run contrary to s promise(Genesis 15). sent Abrahams descendants into Egypt for the express purpose of increasingtheir numbers while simultaniously reducing the numbers of the surrounding nations by means of

famine (Genesis 41:28-36, 46:1-4).

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, Do not be afraid, Abram. I amyour shield, your exceedingly great reward. But Abram said, Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go

childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus? Then Abram said, Look, You have given me no

offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir! And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying,This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir. Then He

brought him outside and said, Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.

And He said to him, So shall your descendants be. And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him

for righteousness. Then He said to him, I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give

you this land to inherit it. And he said, Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it? So He said to him,

Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young

pigeon. Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite

the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove

them away. Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great

darkness fell upon him. Then He said to Abram: Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a

land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation

whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. Now as for you, you shall

go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall returnhere, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete. And it came to pass, when the sun went down and

it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces.

On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying:To your descendants I have given this land,

from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites,

the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

(Genesis 15 NKJV) {note that both Jacob and Esau refer to themselves as pilgrims and strangers but not

Issac indicating that Jacob and Esaus lifespans were part of the 400 years but not Issacs (Genesis 36:7, 47:9)}

{note also that the fourth generation terminology is a re-statement of the 400-years duration in a different unit

of measurement (100 years per generation), not a count of the iterations that would transpire along his lineage}
http://www.garynorth.com/freebooks/docs/html/gnsd/table_of_contents.htmhttp://www.garynorth.com/freebooks/docs/html/gnsd/table_of_contents.htm


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The question of whether the 12-generation or the 6-generation model is more likely for the

Israelites stay in Egypt boils down to a question of whether it seems more reasonalbe that the

Hebrews were, on average, having family sizes of 2-point-something children or over 10 children.

An average of 2 or 3 children per family is more typical of modern western cultures, but not for

the culture of the time in question. Consider that Jacob, the forefather of the Israelites, had 12 sons

(Genesis 35:22-26) and, after the Israelites had been delivered from Egypt, when they dwelt in thepromised land during the time of the Judges, Ibzan and Abdon, the 10th and 12th judges of Israel

respectively, had 60 and 40 children respectively. Consider also that we are told that the Israelites

were having large families during their stay in Egypt (Exodus 1:7). That the Israelites were having

large families is important to the storyline of the Exodus as it is given as the reason for the Egyptians

turning on the Israelites (Exodus 1:8-22).

And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation. But the children of Israel were fruitful and increasedabundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them. Now there arose a new

king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, Look, the people of the children of Israel

are more and mightier than we; come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the

event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land. Therefore they

set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom

and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread

of the children of Israel. So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. And they made their

lives bitter with hard bondagein mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service

in which they made them serve was with rigor. Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of

whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; and he said, When you do the duties of a

midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is

a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded

them, but saved the male children alive. So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, Why

have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive? And the midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the

Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come

to them. Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty. And

so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them. So Pharaoh commandedall his people, saying, Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save

alive. (Exodus 1:6-22 NKJV)

All other environmental conditions being equal (e.g. available food, housing, weather condi-

tions, &c.), the average family size will be a cultural trend and will tend to be consistent over many

generations. The account of the Israelites behavior shortly after they had left Egypt also gives us

a glimpse into their culture.

Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people satdown to eat and drink, and rose up to play. (Exodus 32:6 NKJV)

Exodus 32:9-10, 34:14-17 and I Corinthians 10:7 make it clear that the eating and playingas used in the above passage are euphemisms for idolatry and harlotry.

And the LORD said to Moses, I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! Now therefore,let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a

great nation. (Exodus 32:9-10 NKJV)

(for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), lest you make a

covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot with their gods and make sacrifice to their

gods, and one of them invites you and you eat of his sacrifice, and you take of his daughters for your sons, and


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his daughters play the harlot with their gods and make your sons play the harlot with their gods. You shall make

no molded gods for yourselves. (Exodus 34:14-17 NKJV)

And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink,

and rose up to play. (I Corinthians 10:7 NKJV)

This background information about the Israelites of the time suggests that they were havinglarge families and therefore favors the 6 generation model. The 12 generation model was supported

by the genealogy given in I Chronicles 7:20-27.

The sons of Ephraim were Shuthelah, Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eladah his son, Tahath his son, Zabad hisson, Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elead. The men of Gath who were born in that land killed them because

they came down to take away their cattle. Then Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren

came to comfort him. And when he went in to his wife, she conceived and bore a son; and he called his name

Beriah, because tragedy had come upon his house. Now his daughter was Sheerah, who built Lower and Upper

Beth Horon and Uzzen Sheerah; and Rephah was his son, as well as Resheph, and Telah his son, Tahan his

son, Laadan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, Nun his son, and Joshua his son. (I Chronicles 7:20-

27 NKJV)

It is evident in the wording of the passage that the pronoun in the phrase his son does not

always refer to the previously listed name. If it were the case that his son always referred to the

previously listed name then the passage would be telling us that Ephraim outlived 8 generations

of his descendants and subsequently fathered Beriah. Such a long lifespan for Ephraim is not

reasonable. Unfortunately, it is not possible to tell who exactly was the son of whom from the

genealogy given in I Chronicles 7:20-27.

It looks like the 6 generations from Jacob to Nahshon as given in Matthew 1 is the more reliable

genealogy (Jacob, Judah, Perez, Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon). Because we are told that

Hezron was born before the entrance into Egypt (Genesis 46) and we are told that Nahshon was the

leader of the tribe of Judah when the Israelites left Egypt (Numbers 1:7), we have 4 consecutive

segments of time to divide the 270 years that the Israelites were in Egypt into. The segments are:the entrance into Egypt to the birth of Ram (1), the birth of Ram to the birth of Amminadab (2),

the birth of Amminadab to the birth of Nahshon (3) and the birth of Nahshon to the Exodus (4).

270 4 = 67.5 years. Again, such an average for the age of the parent at the birth of the son is

not reasonable (especially given the nature of the culture). Half the computed value 67.5 2

= 33.75 is very reasonable however; especially when one realizes that it is unlikely that all the

decendents along Nahshons ancestry were firstborn. While 33.75 years is perfectly reasonable for

the average age of the parent at the birth of the son along Nahshons ancestry, it is a little high for

the average overall unless the Israelites were having a lot of children late in life. We know from

historical documents of the time that it was common for parents to start having children when they

were as young as 15 years of age. And we would expect, given the cultural background information

that is provided in the book of Exodus, that they continued having children until at least their latetwenties (though they probably had fewer and fewer children later in life). So we would expect

the average age of the parent at the birth of the child to be somewhere around 20. If we divide the

135 years that the Israelites were in Egypt by this expected average age of the parent at the birth of

the child we get 135 20 = 6.75 for the average number of generations that transpired while the

Israelites were in Egypt. Feeding this number back into the equation for the average family size,

we get6.75

603550 = 7.18 for the average number of males born into each family (simply double

this number to get the average including women). These numbers again support the conclusion that


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the people of the time were using a six-month year the Israelites were in Egypt 135 years, not

270.

There is yet further evidence embedded in the story of the blessing of Josephs 2 sons.

Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, Indeed your father is sick; and he took with himhis two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. And Jacob was told, Look, your son Joseph is coming to you; and

Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed. Then Jacob said to Joseph: God Almighty appeared to me at

Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, and said to me, Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you,

and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting

possession. And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before

I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. Your offspring whom you beget

after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. But as for me,

when I came from Padan, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was but a little

distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). Then Israel saw

Josephs sons, and said, Who are these? And Joseph said to his father, They are my sons, whom God has

given me in this place. And he said, Please bring them to me, and I will bless them. Now the eyes of Israel

were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and

embraced them. And Israel said to Joseph, I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown

me your offspring! So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the

earth. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israels left hand, and Manasseh with

his left hand toward Israels right hand, and brought them near him. (Genesis 48:1-13 NKJV)

We are told both here in Genesis 48 and in Genesis 46 that Ephraim and Manasseh were born

prior to the entrance into Egypt. Genesis 47:28 tells us that Jacob lived in Egypt for 17 years and

died at 147 years of age. Put together, these scriptures indicate that Josephs children whom he

brought from beside his knees to Jacob were at least 17 years old! Either Ephraim and Manasseh

were extremely stunted in their growth or, more likely, they were much younger by our modern

reckoning of years. Again, if the Israelites were using a six-month year, then the 17 years in their

reckoning would be equivalent to 8.5 years in our reckoning which fits the story perfectly.

A similar case can be seen in the story of Abrahams sacrifice of Issac. According to the figures,

Issac was 30 and Abraham was 130. It is hard to imagine a 30-year-old grown man submitting to

a 130-year-old in the way that the story indicates. A 15-year-old youth submitting to the command

of his 65-year-old father is at least a little more plausible.

Also, Genesis 47:9 records that Jacob said to the pharaoh of Egypt at the time of his entrance

into Egypt that the years of his pilgrimage were 130 and few and evil. It is hard to imagine a

130-year-old referring to the years of his life as few, but ask anyone that is in their 60s today and

they will testify that their life, in hindsight, has been short.

The numbers cited thus far all indicate that a six-month year was in use by most if not all

of mankind from the time of Noah to the time of king Solomons reign. We must also examine

whatever contrary evidence may be present in the same texts.

Table 3 shows the tallies and locations of the references to the months of the year in the booksof the Bible which chronicle events prior to king Solomons time (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,

Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I & II Samuel, Job, Psalms).


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Table 3: Tallies of Month References Prior to King Solomon

Month Ref. Count Verse(s)

Fi rst 12 Ge 8:13, Ex 12:2, Ex 12:18, Ex 40:2, Ex 40:17,

Le 23:5, Nu 9:1, Nu 9:5, Nu 20:1, Nu 28:16,

Nu 33:3, Jos 4:19Second 7 Ge 7:11, Ge 8:14, Ex 16:1, Nu 1:1, Nu 1:18,

Nu 9:11, Nu 10:11

Third 1 Ex 19:1

Fourth 0

Fifth 1 Nu 33:38

Sixth 0

Seventh 11 Ge 8:4, Le 16:29, Le 23:24, Le 23:27, Le 23:34,

Le 23:39, Le 23:41, Le 25:9, Nu 29:1, Nu 29:7,

Nu 29:12

Eighth 0

Ninth 0

Tenth 1 Ge 8:5

Eleventh 1 De 1:3Twelfth 0

As shown in Table 3, there are 6 sections of the Bible which could counter the six-month-year

theory (Ge 8:4-5, Le 16:29, Le 23:23-44, Le 25:9, Nu 29:1-12, De 1:3).

The first section that needs to be examined contains the story of Noahs flood. The story does

fit a six-month-year interpretation as shown in Table 4.

Table 4: Noahs Flood

Offset Y/M/D Description

E1 600/2/10 Enter Ark

E2 E1 + 007 Days 600/2/17 Flood Begins

E3 E2 + 040 Days 600/3/27 End of Forty Days of Continuous? Rain

E4 E2 + 150 Days 601/1/17 Ark Rests on Mt. Ararat

E5 E4 + 040 Days 601/2/27 Dove 1 Returns

E6 E5 + 007 Days 601/3/05 Dove 2 Returns w/ Olive Leaf

E7 E6 + 007 Days 601/3/12 Dove 3 Dove does not Return

Table 4 is counting every month as consisting of exactly 30 days as indicated by Genesis 8:3-4in combination with Genesis 7:11.

In the six hundredth year of Noahs life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day allthe fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. (Genesis 7:11 NKJV)

And when the waters had swelled on the earth one hundred and fifty days, God remembered Noah The

fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the sky were stopped up the waters then receded steadily from

the earth. At the end of one hundred and fifty days the waters diminished, so that in the seventh month, on the

seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. (Genesis 7:23-8:4 NJPS)


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Because we are told that the flood began on the 17th day of the 2nd month and that 150 days

later was the 17th day of the 7th month, we can derive that Noah was counting a month as being

exactly 30 days in length (150 days divided by 5 months).

The six-month-year interpretation of the flood story makes more sense than the twelve-month-

year interpretation because, in the six-month-year version, every day from when they entered the

ark until when they left is accounted for. With the twelve-month-year version, six months of timehave to be inserted somewhere

Also, the six-month-year interpretation of Noahs flood recognizes the repetition in the story.

Notice in particular the parallel between Genesis 8:3-6 and Genesis 8:13-14.

At the end of one hundred and fifty days the waters diminished, so that in the seventh month, on the sev-enteenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. At the end of forty days, Noah

opened the window of the ark that he had made. (Genesis 8:3-6 NJPS)

And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first, the first of the month, that the waters were

dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of

the ground was dry. And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dried.

(Genesis 8:13-14 NKJV)

Notice the bad grammar in the above excerpt from Genesis 8:13-14. They have been omitted

from the above excerpt to illustrate the point, but the NKJV translation adds the words month

and day to attempt to make sense of the peculiar wording (you will probably see them italicized

in your Bible). The Hebrew word for month (chodesh) is used 9 times from Genesis 7:11to 8:14. Why should it be left out here? Likewise, the Hebrew word for day (yom) is used15 times from Genesis 7:4 to 8:22. Why should the word be omitted here? The peculiar wording

here in 8:13 and earlier in 8:5 is an indication of possible corruption of the original text (more to

come about Genesis 8:5).

There is also the problem of the earth being declared dry on two occasions that are well over a

month apart in Genesis 8:13-14. The NJPS translation addresses this latter problem by translatingthe text In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the waters

began to dry from the earth; and when Noah removed the covering of the ark, he saw that the surface

of the ground was drying. And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the

earth was dry. The NJPS translation is obviously more sensible unless severe flooding of which

we are not told occurred between the first and second drying of the earth. So, Genesis 8:13-14

is telling us that at some point (the exact time of which is uncertain due to the corruption of the

text) the waters began to dry from the earth until the 27th day of the 2nd month of Noahs 601st

year when the earth was dry. Genesis 8:3-6 also tells us that on the 17th day of the 7th month the

waters began diminishing and 40 days later Noah opened the window of the ark to send out birds

to test the land. Coincidently, when the 40 days of Genesis 8:6 are subtracted from the 601/2/27

of Genesis 8:14 the result is 601/1/17 which just happens to be the 17th day of the 7th month on asix-month per year calendar! This means that Genesis 8:13-14 is a reiteration of the 40 days from

when the ark landed on the mountain to when the earth was dry (dry enough to start sending out

the birds that is). It is likely that the fist part of Genesis 8:13 originally read And it came to pass

in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the seventeenth day of the month .

The removal of the covering of the ark, as stated in Genesis 8:13 was probably a one-time

event. The covering was probably some massive sheet over the top of the ark to prevent any of

the immense quantity of rain water that poured down over the 150 days from getting into the ark. It


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wouldnt take much of a leak, after all, over that great of a length of time with that much downpour

to begin to fill and capsize the ark. It makes sense that Noah removed this covering at the end of

the 150 days (601/1/17) when the ark first came to rest and the floodgates of the sky were stopped

up (as opposed to 6 months later8).

The NKJV translation of the latter part of Genesis 8:13 is quite poor. The word Indeed does

not correspond to any of the Hebrew text. Also, the 4 Hebrew words tacked on to the end of Gene-sis 8:13 (translated by NJPS as he saw that the surface of the ground was drying) are probably an

explanatory addition that was not original to the text. The original point of Genesis 8:13 was prob-

ably that Noah removed the covering, not that he saw anything of significance. Genesis 8:13-14 is

just a reiteration of the timing of the main events of the story.

As was mentioned earlier, the wording of Genesis 8:5 is also peculiar to the point that corruption

of the text might be suspected. As was the case with Genesis 8:13, the words for month and day are

missing from the text of Genesis 8:5. The context does help us to piece together what the original

text probably said however. Verses 3-6 are part of a continuous line of thought. Verse 3 tells us

that the waters began decreasing at the end of 150 days. Verse 4 is a parenthetical note stating that

the ark came to rest as soon as the waters started abating. Verse 5 tells us that the waters continueddecreasing steadily until the tops of the mountains were seen (the time given is suspect because of

the missing words for month and day). Verses 6 onward then tell us that after 40 days Noah started

sending out birds to see if the ground was dry enough to dwell on. All one needs to realize is that

the 40 days begin from where the 150 days left off. One does not switch from counting days to

counting in months and then back to days because such a switch would cause a loss in accuracy.

The way the story is told, one can easily envision Noah marking off the days on the interior wall of

the ark. Because the rest of the story is told in a linear fashion, we can conclude that the date given

in Verse 5 must fall between the dates given in verses 4 and 6. Therefore, it could not have been

during the 10th month that the tops of the mountains started to show. It had to have been sometime

during the 8th month because the 8th is the only month that would have begun during the 40 day

period that began on the 17th day of the 7th month.Some might think that 40 days would be insufficient for all that water to go away. Such people

are thinking purely in terms of evaporation, however, and the majority of the water was removed

not because of evaporation, but rather because the waters went down to the place which

the LORD founded for them (Psalms 104:6-8 NKJV). The places which the L ORD founded for the

oceans are the modern ocean basins of the earth. Evidence that these basins formed quite quickly

can be seen in the formation patterns of some of the worlds mountain ranges.9 It is evident that the

mountains formed very quickly because their deformation patterns show that they were still soft

when they were formed. They could not have remained soft for long, however, and their upward

displacement/buckling would have corresponded almost directly with the downward displacement

of the ocean floors.

The story of Noahs flood does fit a six-month-year time frame and even makes more sense

when such a time frame is taken into account. Such a time frame also correlates better with Islamic

tradition which holds that Noah spent five or six months aboard the Ark.10

Note that it is not a problem that the story of Noahs flood refers to months 7 and 8 while the year

8Noah had pigs in the Ark after all :-)9Walter Brown: In the Beginning Figure 49

10Wikipedia: Noahs Ark In Islamic tradition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noah%27s_Ark#In_Islamic_traditionhttp://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/HydroplateOverview4.html#wp1374058


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of the time had only 6 months. When one wants to be both accurate and brief, it is not uncommon,

even today, to refer to spans of time using only the smaller units (e.g. It is not uncommon for a

child of 1 year and 3 months to be referred to as a 15-month-old even though our modern calendar

has only 12 months to its year).

The next 5 sections of the biblical text which make reference to months beyond the 6th and

before the time of king Solomon Leviticus 16:29, 23:23-44, 25:9, and Numbers 29:1-12 doso in the context of the religious ceremonies that were ordained by to be kept annually as areminder of things past and/or a type of things to come.

Consider what would happen if it were suddenly decided and decreed that our modern year

was to be doubled from its current 12 months per cycle to 24 months per cycle. In particular,

how would people continue to celebrate annual events like Christmas, Earth Day or whatever they

traditionally celebrated every 12 months? People are reluctant to change their long held traditions,

so most would insist on continuing to hold the events every 12 months just as they had always done.

This would cause the events to be celebrated twice every 24-month year. What is important is how

the doubled events would be distributed through the new 24-month year. What was celebrated on

the 25th day of the 12th month before would, on the new calendar, be celebrated on the 25th day

of the 12th and 24th months. Table 5 shows how the dates of the religious ceremonies recorded in

the passages in question do show just such a doubled distribution.11

Table 5: Doubled Distribution of Holy Day Festivals

Date (6m/yr) Date (12m/yr) Event

1/10 1/10 sheep or goat chosen (Ex 12:3-5)

1/14 1/14 8 Day Festival (1+7 Ex 12:6-20)

+50 +50 Feast of Weeks (Le 23:15-16)

1/10 7/10 goats chosen (Le 16)1/14 7/15 8 Day Festival (7+1 Le 23:33-36)

+50 +50 Feast of Weeks [Wikipedia: Sigd]

The situation is a bit more complex than just a doubling of the feasts though as can be seen by

examining Exodus 23:14-17.

Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shalleat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you

came out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty); and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors

which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered

in the fruit of your labors from the field. Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the LordGOD. (Exodus 23:14-17 NKJV)

That the Feast of Ingathering occurs at the end of the year is repeated in Exodus 34:22.

Some confuse the Feast of Ingathering (Exodus 23:16, 34:22) with the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviti-

cus 23:33-34, Deuteronomy 16:16), but the Feast of Tabernacles occurs in the middle of the 1st or

7th month depending on what calendar you are using, neither of which is the end of the year.

11A festival 50 days after Atonement is still observed by Ethiopian Jews. [Wikipedia: Sigd]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigdhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigd


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The three festivals to the LORD that are mentioned in Exodus 23:14-17 are repeated in Exo-

dus 34:18-23. These are the only feasts that are mentioned throughout the book of Exodus and

no mention of a 7th month is ever made in the book of Exodus. Leviticus 23 gives a different list

of festivals. Leviticus 23 adds a Feast of Weeks which is to be observed 50 days after the Feast

of Harvest/Feast of Firstfruits, drops any mention of a Feast of Ingathering, and adds three more

feasts Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles. Trumpets (the Jewish new year) is instructed tobe observed at the beginning of the month (none of the previous festivals occurred on the 1st of the

month). Atonement and Tabernacles occur at about the same time as the choosing of the Lamb

(Exodus 12:3) and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, respectively, but in the 7th month rather than the

1st. Numbers 28-29 gives yet another list. Numbers 28-29 differs from Leviticus 23 in that it adds

that a sacrifice is to be made at the beginning of every month, renames the Feast of Harvest/Feast

of Firstfruits to the Feast of Weeks, and drops any mention of the Feast of Weeks that was to be

observed 50 days after the Feast of Harvest. Deuteronomy 16 then differs from Numbers 28-29 in

that it omits the Feast of Harvest/Feast of Firstfruits but reinstates the Feast of Weeks which was to

be kept 50 days after the Feast of Harvest. Deuteronomy 16:16 then gives a new list of three fes-

tivals when the males are to appear before the LORD at the place which He chooses Unleavened

Bread, Feast of Weeks, and Feast of Tabernacles.

Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at theFeast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear

before the LORD empty-handed. (Deuteronomy 16:16 NKJV)

It should be obvious that Moses would not have been given such a disparate set of instructions

as to when the holy festivals were to be observed; especially when one realizes that the issue would

have been of absolutely no concern to Moses himself while he was alive because he and the rest

of the Israelites were living on manna which had no harvest seasons or firstfruits. The series of

changes that are evident from Exodus to Deuteronomy appear to be the result of seasonal preces-

sion. Originally, there were two harvest seasons per six-month-year. The earths climate was stillundergoing very gradual but drastic changes due to the Flood. The Harvest of Ingathering grad-

ually drifted from the end of the year until it overlapped the Feast of Unleavened Bread which

was not observed based on season but rather was observed on a fixed date with respect to the He-

brew calendar. This precessional effect is illustrated in Figure 2. Figure 2 shows the earths orbit

around the Sun as viewed from the north. The vernal and autumnal equinoctes are positioned at

the bottom and top of Figure 2 respectively. The equinoctes divide the orbit of the earth around the

Sun into two halves and each of these halves were seen as a complete year by the ancients. This

six-month-per-year calender system was carried over from before the Flood when there were no

seasons of summer and winter as we have today but rather the weather was moderate year-round

and at all latitudes on the earth. There is archaeological evidence of such a world-wide moderate

climate in the past as demonstrated by the presence of delicate plant foliage buried under the ice

of earths modern polar ice caps.12 Also, ,s post-flood statement, While the earth remainsseedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease (Gen-

esis 8:22) can be interpreted to mean that the seasons of summer and winter began to be formed

after the flood (the seasons mentioned in Genesis 1 may have been festival/harvest seasons not

necessarily seasons of hot summers and cold winters like we have today).

12Walter Brown: In the Beginning Frozen Mammoths
http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/FrozenMammoths.html


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Figure 2: Before & After Seasonal Precession from Moses to King Solomon

Before After

Even Years Odd Years

1

23

4

Even Years Odd Years

1

2

3

4

In Figure 2, there are two perpendicular lines which have been overlaid such that they intersect

the earths orbit at four evenly spaced positions. These intersections are meant to indicate theplace/time where a harvest seasons occurred. Positions 1 and 3 in the before diagram mark what

would have been the Feast of Harvest during Moses day. Positions 2 and 4 mark what would

have been the Feast of Ingathering which occurred at the end of the six-month-year of Moses day.

The after diagram of Figure 2 shows how the seasons appear to have shifted as demonstrated by the

varied instructions as to when the festivals were to be held. Notice in particular the black line which

is present in the before diagram but which has been overlapped by the line representing the Feast

of Ingathering in the after diagram. The overlapped black line represents the Feast of Unleavened

Bread which was fixed to always occur during the first month. Some of the harvest seasons which

existed in ancient times no longer exist today because more extreme winters and summers have

since taken hold during those times of year.

There are several factors which influence how quickly the seasons drift around the Hebrewcalendar. One factor is the accuracy of the Hebrew calendar itself. Other factors relate to the

physical precession of the earths rotational axis and orbit over time. Anomalistic precession alone

causes the seasons to advance by 1 day every 58 years.13

The Hebrews were no doubt in disarray when the festival seasons commanded by beganto overlap. King Solomon or other prophets appear to have resolved the issue by renaming the

festivals and retroactively editing some of the details recorded in the ancient texts. This may well

have been done at s instruction. The original command appears to have simply been that theIsraelites keep a feast to the LORD at the times of harvest from year to year as recorded in the book

of Exodus.

It is significant to note that there is a mirroring of the meanings of the festivals in additionto the mirroring of their yearly timming. Passover and Atonement both deal with the issue of

mankind being united with its savior (the sacrificial goat). The Feast of Unleaved Bread and the

Feast of Tabernacles dipict comming out of Egypt/Babylon/sin and going into the promised land/the

Kingdom of God/righteousness respectively which are flip sides of the same coin so to speak.

Because there is evidence that the texts pertaining to the feasts of the LORD were retroactively

edited, they do not present counter evidence to the six-month-year theory. Again, the six-month-

13Wikipedia: Precession (astronomy) Anomalistic Precession
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precession_(astronomy)#Anomalistic_precession


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year theory is actually able to resolve a hitherto unresolved issue the description of the Feast of

Ingathering occurring at the end of the year.

The last of the sections which potentially present counter evidence to the six-month-year theory

is Deuteronomy 1:3. The event associated with the date given in Deuteronomy 1:3 is Moses last

speech to the children of Israel. Most of the rest of the book of Deuteronomy is presented as one

long dictation apparently given over the course of a single day. In Deuteronomy 31:1-2 Moses says,I am one hundred and twenty years old today. In Deuteronomy 32:48-52 the LORD tells Moses

that he must die for his trespass just as his brother Aaron died. Deuteronomy 34:8 then indicates

that the Israelites mourned for Moses for thirty days. We are then told that Israel crossed the Jordan

on the tenth day of the first month (Joshua 4:19).

Now it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoketo the children of Israel according to all that the LORD had given him as commandments to them. (Deuteron-

omy 1:3 NKJV)

Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. And he said to them: I am one hundred and twenty

years old today. I can no longer go out and come in. Also the LORD has said to me, You shall not cross over

this Jordan. (Deuteronomy 31:1-2) Then the LORD spoke to Moses that very same day, saying: Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo,

which is in the land of Moab, across from Jericho; view the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of

Israel as a possession; and die on the mountain which you ascend, and be gathered to your people, just as Aaron

your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people; because you trespassed against Me among the

children of Israel at the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the Wilderness of Zin, because you did not hallow Me in

the midst of the children of Israel. Yet you shall see the land before you, though you shall not go there, into the

land which I am giving to the children of Israel. (Deuteronomy 32:48-52 NKJV)

And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. So the days of weeping and

mourning for Moses ended. (Deuteronomy 34:8 NKJV)

Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the

east border of Jericho. (Joshua 4:19 NKJV)

It is doubtful that the Israelites would have waited many days after they had finished mourning

to cross the Jordan and take their promised land. Subtracting the thirty days of mourning from

the date they crossed the Jordan puts them in the eleventh month of the previous year as indicated

in Deuteronomy 1:3. On a six-month calendar, however, the subtraction would indicate the fifth

month of the previous year. Interestingly, Numbers 33:38-49 indicates that the Israelites left Mount

Hor bound for Acacia Grove in the plains of Moab across from Jericho on the first day of the

fifth month. Numbers 20:23-29 speaks of the death of Aaron which occurred at Mount Hor. Num-

bers 21-31 then details the events that happened to the Israelites at Mount Hor and afterward. Note

that Moses sent messengers to the king of Edom requesting passage through their land while they

were still at Kadesh before they had gone to Mount Hor (Numbers 20:14-17).

Now Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. Thus says your brother Israel: You know allthe hardship that has befallen us, how our fathers went down to Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time, and

the Egyptians afflicted us and our fathers. When we cried out to the LORD, He heard our voice and sent the

Angel and brought us up out of Egypt; now here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your border. Please

let us pass through your country. We will not pass through fields or vineyards, nor will we drink water from

wells; we will go along the Kings Highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have

passed through your territory. (Numbers 20:14-17 NKJV)

Now the children of Israel, the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. (Num-


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bers 20:22 NKJV)

They moved from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the boundary of the land of Edom. Then Aaron the

priest went up to Mount Hor at the command of the LORD, and died there in the fortieth year after the children

of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month. Aaron was one hundred and

twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor. Now the king of Arad, the Canaanite, who dwelt in the

South in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel. (Numbers 33:37-40 NKJV)

And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying: Aaron shall

be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you

rebelled against My word at the water of Meribah. So Moses did just as the L ORD commanded Aaron

died there on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. The king

of Arad, the Canaanite, who dwelt in the South, heard that Israel was coming on the road to Atharim. Then he

fought against Israel and took some of them prisoners. So Israel made a vow to the L ORD, and said, If You will

indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities. And the L ORD listened to the

voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites, and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. So the name of

that place was called Hormah. Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around

the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. (Numbers 20:23-21:4)

While they were still camped at Mount Hor, the Israelites fought and defeated the king of Arad

(Numbers 21:1-4). After they left Mount Hor, the Israelites fought and defeated Sihon king of the

Amorites (Numbers 21:23-24), Og king of Bashan (Numbers 21:33-34), Balak king of Moab, and

the five princes of Midian (Numbers 31:6-8). Note that the Israelites were already at Acacia Grove

when the Balaam incident and the subsequent war with the Midianites occurred (Numbers 25:1). If

a twelve-month-year was being used by the Israelites at the time, then it took the Israelites about six

months to win these victories from the fifth month of the fortieth year to the eleventh month. But

if the Israelites were using a six-month-year, then the Isrealites won these victories in about a weeks

time (it could have been as much as a month longer if the thirty days of mourning overlapped the

entrance into the promised land). From the brevity of the details about the conflicts that are given

in Numbers 21-31, the shorter time span seems more reasonable.

Notice that chapters 28 and 29 of the book of Numbers are wedged, out of context, into themiddle of the story about the war with the Midianites. The Midianite incident begins in chapter

25. As a consequence of the Midianite incident, the LORD struck Isreal with a plague. Partially as

a consequence of the plague, a new census was taken (Numbers 26). The census lead to some de-

bate about inheritance issues among women (Numbers 27). The inheritance issues are tangentially

related to marriages and vows which are discussed in Numbers 30. Chapter 31 then resumes the

recount of the war with the Midianites. That they occur out of context supports the theory that the

festivals commanded in Numbers 28 and 29 were retroactively inserted into the storyline.

Notice also that there is no mention of Joshua throughout the course of the war with the Midian-

ites as detailed in Numbers 31; but the details of Joshuas inauguration are given in Numbers 27:15-

23. It appears that the inauguration of Joshua happened after the war with the Midianites but before

the events detailed in chapter 32. It may be that the block of text that is in Numbers 28-29 was in-serted after the fact and that this editing caused Numbers 27:15-23 to be shuffled just in front of the

insertion. If Numbers 27:15-23 is moved after chapter 31 but before chapter 32 and Numbers 28-29

are omitted, then Numbers 27:12-14 meshes neatly with the opening verses of chapter 31.

Now the LORD said to Moses: Go up into this Mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given to thechildren of Israel. And when you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother

was gathered. For in the Wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against My

command to hallow Me at the waters before their eyes. [These are the waters of Meribah, at Kadesh in the


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Wilderness of Zin.] (Numbers 27:12-14 NKJV)

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Take vengeance on the Midianites for the children of Israel. Afterward

you shall be gathered to your people. So Moses spoke to the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves for war,

and let them go against the Midianites to take vengeance for the L ORD on Midian. (Numbers 31:1-3 NKJV)

Note that the phrases These are the waters of Meribah, at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zinand And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying in the above excerpts are explanatory glosses14 added

at a later time. Without these glosses, the original, continuous text of Numbers 27:12-14 and Num-

bers 31:1-2 would have read as follows:

Go up into this Mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the children of Israel. And when you haveseen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered. For in the Wilderness of

Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against My command to hallow Me at the waters before

their eyes. Take vengeance on the Midianites for the children of Israel. Afterward you shall be gathered to your

people. (Numbers 27:12-14 & Numbers 31:1-2 combined)

To illustrate the point, Figure 3 is given below. The figure depicts how several fragments of

papyrus containing the text of Numbers 27-32 appear to have been altered. Block A representssome text up to and including Numbers 27:11. Block B represents Numbers 30. Block C represents

Numbers 27:12-14. Block D represents Numbers 31. Block E represents Numbers 27:15-23. Block

F represents Numbers 32 on. Block G represents the text of Numbers 28 and 29 which appears to

have been added at a later date.

Figure 3: Shuffling of the Text of Numbers 27 - 32

Before

1 2

B

3

D

4

A

C E

5

F

6

After

1

A F

63

C E

5

D

42

B

G

14Wikipedia: Glosses to the Bible - Hebrew Bible
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glosses_to_the_Bible#Hebrew_Bible


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Table 6: Partial List of Explanatory Glosses in the Book of Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 1:1-5 Deuteronomy 3:13b-14

Deuteronomy 2:10-12 Deuteronomy 3:17 the Salt Sea

Deuteronomy 2:20-23 Deuteronomy 4:41-49

Deuteronomy 3:9 Deuteronomy 10:6-9

Deuteronomy 3:11 Is it not in Rabbah of the people of Ammon? Deuteronomy 34:10-12

As illustrated in Figure 3 above, fragments 3 and 5 appear to have been shuffled up in the

ordering and the text that is now Numbers 28 and 29 appears to have been appended to fragment 5.

It is left to the reader to read the verses in question in the hypothesized original order and judge for

him/her-self how much better the text flows. Seeing that the Pharisees of Jesus day were notorious

for adding to the law, it should not be considered out of the question that such was done at earlier

times in history as well.

It is important to notice that the text of the book of Deuteronomy is riddled with several ex-planatory glosses which were added to the text by later scribes. Because of the transition from third

person to first between verses 5 and 6 in the opening chapter of Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy 1:1-

5 should be considered one of the explanatory glosses which were written long after the events

transpired. A good translation will have most of the explanatory glosses of Deuteronomy clearly

marked as parenthetical inserts. Upon inspection, one should be easily convinced that these paren-

thetical remarks were added at a much later date. Table 6 lists several of the explanatory glosses

that are scattered throughout the text of the book of Deuteronomy.

Note that because the fortieth year was an even year, the eleventh month and the fifth month

would be the same month depending upon whether one was using a twelve-month or six-month

calendar; so Deuteronomy 1:3 isnt necessarily inaccurate it is just using a different calendarbecause it was written at a later date.

Because the story of Noahs flood refers to months of higher ordinal value than six in a relative-

offset context and not a absolute-date context, it does not contradict the six-month-year theory.

Because there is evidence that the texts which reference the festivals of the seventh month were

retroactively edited, they do not contradict the six-month-year theory. Because Deuteronomy 1:3

is part of an explanatory gloss and because the parallel accounts of the events leading up to the oc-

casion spoken of in Deuteronomy 1:3 which are given in Numbers 20:14-22:1 and Numbers 33:37-

49 suggest a shorter time frame than what the combination of Deuteronomy 1:3 with the parallel

accounts would indicate if a twelve-month calendar were being used in both accounts, Deuteron-

omy 1:3 does not conclusively contradict the six-month-year theory. Because there is strong sup-

port for the six-month-year theory and no strong evidence against it, the six-month-year theory willbe used in deriving the dates and lengths of time for relevant events discussed henceforth.

Stephen Franklin also suspects that the ages of some of the more ancient biblical characters

have been multiplied by factors even greater than two. He introduces his theory as a mathematical

extension of the doubling that has been discussed thus far. While the doubling theory has a basis

in the structure of the Hebrew calendar and a great deal of corroborating evidence in the text of

the Bible itself, the theory that the ages of the patriarchs who lived prior to Abraham have been

inflated by factors larger than two appears to h

Dating the Book of Job

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Transcript of Dating the Book of Job