The Osceola times., 1882-05-27
OLD INHABITANTS.
Investigations as to the Ages Of the Pa
triarchs.
Popular Science.

Popular Science.
On full examination of the question
of patriarchal longevity the disparity OF
their ages to those of latter times disap-
pears, A very slight error in the trans
iation ofkthe Hebrew numbers had led
to all this apparent disparity. The age
of the antidiluvians was not to exceed
l2O years. Genesis vi, 8: "And the Lord
said, My spirit shall not always strive
with man, for that he is also flesh, yet
his days shall be l20." This was the reg
ular good old age of men, with special
variations, both before and for some
time after the days of Abraham.
In reading concrete numbers the He
brews gave the large number first, thus:
Ninety and seven for 81, forty and seven
for AZ. The reversal of this rule in the
translation of Genesis v, 80, was an II.
lustration, will show the error in all
similar cases. adam lived l30 years
and begat son." etc. This is correct,
according to the rule. Seth was born
when Adam was 1870 years old, and was
his last child. But if the rule was here
reversed, as it is in the authorized yer.
sion, in the fifth verse, it would read
thus: Adam lived 5000 years, and tegat
a son! This shocked the consciousness
of the Christian translator and he was
driver to the true rule of the Hebrew
uses in cases OF concrete numerals.
In the fifth verse we have the force Of
the violated rule, thus: "And all the
days that Adam lived were $50 years
and he died?' A. V. The true reading
of the rule would be "and all the days o
ADAM which he lived, were hundred
years, and thirty and nine years, and ht
died, making the entire age OF Adam
l39 years, instead of 932 years
It will be seen, en- examination, thai
concrete numeral adjectives in Hebrew
as in other languages, agree in number
with their noHns. In the case cited II
| the A. V. the nine is made to agree Will
hundred in the singular and not witt
years in the plural The error Is seen a
a glance, for the difference between
"nine years" and mine hundred years
is too great to be overlooked in any care
full translation of a sacred book. The
translator assumed that nine here agreed
with the hundred, when it had no such
agreement; hundred in the text is itsel
a concrete numeral and separately agreei
with years, meaning a hundred of years
at the date of this writing mine hun
dred,n or any number of hundreds above
one, without repetition or circum.ocu
ton. There were none of the masoretit
points in use. In the case OF the age o
Terah, the father of Abraham, the trans
lators have made the attempt to make
two hundred out of one hundred in the
word mathim, used in the plural as j
might be to agree with years, thus max
ing Terah 205 instead of l05 years old a
his death; holding the theory that the
word mae Tor 1907 would in the plural
mathim, make 200. This is contrary tC
all rule. The Hebrews could, by plural
izing numeral less than 10, add tenfold
t. the unit, thus Hemosh, >; hemoshim
80. This rule. applied in case of Terah
would make him ten times l05 years old
OF ,050 years old. In the case of Terat
the historic record conclusively contra
diets the translation, and hence demon
strates the rule that pluralizing 100 doe'
not, in the Hebrew tongue, make 200
while as to the numerals between snC
10 the rule might apply thus; Shelesb, B
sheleshim, 80. and in like manner to 10
With these corrections, referring to the
ages of the patriarchs before the Noach
ian deluge, the article Of NJ. de Solaville
vould show wonderful uniformity in
the age of man since the dawn OF his
tory.
From Adam tp the flood the ages
would read as in the table below, subject
to few uncertainties in the numbers
below 100, as the numerals are some
times pluralized for purposes OF agree
ment, when they were not increased ten
fold. The cases are not always certain
the table to the food is substantially
true. The table is added, giving thu
ages Of each at the time of his death.
|. Adam, l30 years, and not $50 years
. Seth, l2l years, and not 9l2 years.
3. Enos, ia years, and not 935 years
4. Cain, ll9 years, and not 9l0y years.
3. Mahalaleel, l22 years, and not SO
years.
6. Jared, III years, and not 962 years
I. Enoch, l2i years, and not 365 years
8. Methuselab, 1913 years, and not 96
years.
.. Lamech, III years, and not II
years.
10. Noah, l59 years, and not $50 years