Genesis 5

I was fortunate enough to be in the room when my daughters were born. A distinct memory of the second one being born was the sound of her coming out.

Splat!

is the closest I can describe it.

When I read Gen 5 in the KJV I experience a bit of that.

Begat!

Adam… begat… Seth
Seth… begat… Enos
Enos… begat… Cainan
Cainan begat… Mahaleel
Mahaleel… begat… Jared
Jared… begat… Enoch
Enoch… begat… Methuselah
Methuselah… begat… Lamech
Lamech… begat… Noah
Noah… begat… Shem, Ham and Japheth

The truth is that none of the patriarchs actually gave birth. The women did all the work. So ‘begat’ through its sound allows me to think of the women who birthed all these men.

Splat!

The KJV has a different sound environment than its descendant versions. Possibly because it originated at the dawn of printing where meaning and sound had a more intimate relationship. Ong’s Orality and Literacy gives us a few ways of understanding this.

Lamech, Noah’s father lives

Seven hundred and seventy seven years.

Is there an echo with his ancestor Lamech who promised vengeance

… seventy-seven times?

Is vengeance somehow being overturned by life? After all the chapter starts

God created

…male and female he created them…

…they were created.