Posted on 01/25/2014 2:08:46 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
It was a vast boat that saved two of each animal and a handful of humans from a catastrophic flood.
But forget all those images of a long vessel with a pointy bow - the original Noah's Ark, new research suggests, was round.
A recently deciphered 4,000-year-old clay tablet from ancient Mesopotamia - modern-day Iraq - reveals striking new details about the roots of the Old Testament tale of Noah....
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
Hmm, who to believe---the British Museum or the Bible?
Yeah, I think I have the answer.
“Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.”
Worldwide is right, not just Eurasia. Flood story exists in ancient south american legends too. Since South America was isolated from the Eurasian landmass for all of recorded history, this is either amazing coincidence or the flood story goes back way longer than most would imagine. Or as a third alternative, it originated in Mesopotamia and people of Eurasia had means of spreading their civilization and their oral traditions to the Americas a few thousand years ago then lost it. Pick your poison: coincidence, pre-historic origin, or everything we know about the ancient world is wrong.
How would a 450 foot long vessel of any shape stay together without any nails or metal fasteners in raging flood waters?
Good start, but let’s go back to the drawing board. Humans and animals live in the 3rd, not the 2nd dimension. So following your logic we would have a cube if we followed the exact dimensions. Clearly, the directions contained within the written word of the Bible are insufficient to build an ark. At least not the kind we’ve been groomed to believe via artist misrepresentation.
Verse 6:14 contains the following unknowns or poorly translated words:
Gopher-wood, Gopher is an unknown type of tree (When I say unknown, even Hebrew scholars are uncertain);
ark, ark is another unusual word it means chest or box, but more likely basket and one stable enough to float life in it as Moses’ “basket” is the same word, perhaps implying a curved lozenge-like basket with a lid;
rooms, this word is nearly always poorly translated as it really means nest/cells/cubicles (cubicles in the sense of the kind found on an antique roll top desk).
One word is absolutely clear and that is “pitch” or tar. The verb “cover over” gives reference to the Atonement and sin offering at the altar. It is a very interesting word choice, no?
The pitch is to cover the entire Ark inside and out. At the very least the Ark is black on the outside, not raw or stained wood as shown in photos.
In verse 15, the word you highlight as “length” is used in reference to the tabernacle, the Hebrew desert temple. It also implies forbearance and self-restraint. Interesting, no?
Long/length is something at its greatest dimension, so that the Ark image God must have shown Noah could end at a point or a semi-major axis like an ellipse. The width being the semi-minor axis. A lozenge-shape would float on or under the water, depending on the load, and would be pitched inside and out, forming a water-tight seal.
What about interior light?
The phrase in verse 16 translated as “opening for daylight” is very bad Hebrew. It is most likely a lighted or miraculously illuminated stone. Challôwn stated later in chpt. 8 is the accurate Hebrew for window. If it hung from a roof, then it would be a roof 18” above the gunwale, if the ark had a toe kick or a deck. I don’t believe it had a deck at all. The Bible gives no evidence that Noah walked outside or around a deck on the Ark.
The opening needn’t be a regular door either. Placing it directly in the side doesn’t make sense, nautically speaking, but it might if it were the top hatch on a lozenge-shaped craft. It’s the same with the levels. Your translation calls them decks, but that word doesn’t appear in the Hebrew. It does say depth, beside or another or second, and third which can also mean 1/3.
Take a look here: http://biblehub.com/text/genesis/6-16.htm
It’s a great resource so as not to misinterpret what the Scriptures really say. I believed just like you that the Ark looked like it’s been drawn or made over the years. Then I found out the Bible says different, when I researched it for myself.
The most shocking thing is the pitch. It’s all black all over.
Nonsense see my account here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3115493/posts?page=25#25
The Bible doesn’t say what you’ve been lead to believe it says. Take a look at the original Hebrew here:
http://biblehub.com/text/genesis/6-14.htm
http://biblehub.com/text/genesis/6-15.htm
http://biblehub.com/text/genesis/6-16.htm
Click through on the STR (Strong’s) word # to see the true definitions of the words. It’s a great resource to use if you’re really interested in understanding the Bible.
Keep in mind that length, width and height only determine its maximums, there’s no reason to believe that the text is sufficient to build the Ark. God must have shown Noah something in Noah’s own mind, not contained in the Bible.
I believe the Bible and it isn’t in conflict with the coracles theory. It was likely lozenge-shaped.
See here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3115493/posts?page=25#25
Lol. Make up your mind. That is not "round." That is a rectangle with rounded corners.
I guess the Tent of Meeting was also shaped like this?
What about the Ark of the Covenant? The Holy of Holies? The Temple itself?
All of these have specific dimensions defined in scripture. Width and Height by definition do not define something "round" as described in the article above.
No argument there.
The article is poorly written, which is not surprising given the quality of government education.
A coracle is not necessarily round:
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Coracles&FORM=HDRSC2
I suspect your top image is the closest one to the actual Ark seen from above. How about the fact that it’s black all round? That blew my mind. I’d always believed those drawings, etc. They’re totally off on that score.
The ratio of the ark of length to width is 6:1. So it had to have had a rectangular shape. However, I see your point on the shape you envision and agree the article is either very poorly written or misleading. I have seen several of these article on the web, and none of them even mention the description in Genesis. The comments from people are shocking. Most of them don't even know that we know what the approximately length of cubit is/was.
Good link on the Hebrew - I must learn more about that.
Possibly. I do not underestimate Noah's (and others) ability to grasp difficult concepts. I once read a book called "Did Genesis man conquer space" that was interesting to say the least. Other than that, I can not read Hebrew. I won't say it's all Greek to me, because that is the New Testament , but Hebrew looks like chicken scratches to me.
These idiots need to just go up and look at the Ark, it is definitely not round!
>> “Who knows what the shape of the ark was” <<
.
Anyone who goes up and looks at it.
Clue: its not round.
Thanks for sharing. The amount of ignorance in the world is shocking. I think, as FReepers, we don’t realize how much we know or learn here versus the average “educated” person, let alone the average American.
I am often stunned at how ignorant young people are. A fellow I know flew jets for the East German Air Force. Kids often ask him if he served in WW1 or 2. Take care.
That’s why I use those sources and even Strong’s isn’t the best. You might like, at least for the OT, the Jewish Study Bible. http://www.amazon.com/The-Jewish-Study-Bible-Publication/dp/0195297512/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390699378&sr=8-1&keywords=Jewish+study+bible
It’s a fascinating read and clarifies the Jewish interpretation and view of the OT scriptures. It also show just how apostate they were by the time Jesus Christ arrived. At the same time, they got first crack at it and were God’s special people. They certainly can pick a point apart. Have you ever heard the joke: when two Jews are arguing there are three opinions?
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