The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1883-05-09
Hawaiian Gazette Supplement- May 9, 1889
Old Inhabitants.


On a fun examination Of the question Of
patuarChal longevity, the disparity Of their
ages 10 those of latter times disappears A
very light error in the translation Of the
Hebrew numbers had led TO all this apparent
disparity. The age Of The antediluyian was
not 10 exceed l2O years Genesis, vi, 3.
IS And the Lord said, my spirit shall not
always strive with man, for that he is also
flesh, yet his days shall be l2O." This was
the regular good old age Of men, with special
variations, both before aud for some time after
the days Of Abraham.
In reading concrete numbers the Hebrews
gave the large number first, thus: Ninety
and seven for 81, forty and seven for H. The
reversal OF this rule in the translation Of
Genesis v, 3, 5, as an illustration, will show
the error IN all similar cases. Adam lived
$50 years, and bCgat a son" etc. This is cor
rect according 10 the rule Seth was born
when Adam was 1870 years old, aud was his
last child But if the rule were here reversed
as it is in the authorized version, in the fifth
verse, it would read thus: adam lived 5000
years, and begat son - This shocked the
consciousness Of the Christian translator, and
he was driven TO the true rule Of the Hebrew
uses in case 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,
Aud all the days of Adam, which he lived,
were hundred years, and thirty and nine
years, and be died, . making the entire age Of
Adam 1879 instead Of $50 years.
II will be seen on examination that concrete
numcral adjoCtiycs in Hebrew, as in other
languages, agree in number with nouns. In
the case cited in the A. V. the nine is made 10
agree with hundred in the singular, and no
with years in the plural The error is seen
at a glance, for the difference between nine
years and "ninC hundred years is too
great to he overlooked in any careful transla-
ton of a sacred book The translator as
sumod that nine here agreed with the hundred
when il had no such agreement; hundred in
the text is itself q concrete numeral, and sep
arately agrees with years, meaning hundred
Of years: at the date of this writing " nine
hundred, or any number Of hundreds above
one, without repetition or circumlOcutiOn.
There were uonc Of the masoretic points in use.
In the case Of the age Of Terah, the father
Of Abraham, the translators have made the
attempt 10 make two hundred out of one hun
dred in the word mathim, used in the plural
as il might be to agree with years, thus max
ing Terah POS instead Of l0j years old at his
death holding the theory that the word mae
Cor 1000 would IN the plural, ntabti,', make
twenty. This is contrary % oil rule. The
Hebrews could, by pluraliging a numcral less
than 10, add tonfold to the unit thus: hcmosh,
5. hemoshim, so. This rule, applied in case
of Terah, would make him ten times los
years old, or $50 years old. In tle case Of
Terah the historic record conclusivcly con-
tradicts the translation, and hence demon
strates the rule that pluralizing 100 doc not,
in the Hebrew tongue, make 200, while as TO
.he numerals between and 10 the rule might |
apply thus: Sholesh, 3, sheloshim, 80, and
in like manner to 100. With these corrections,
referring to the ages Of the patriarchs before |
the Noachian deluge, the article OF NJ. dc |
Solaville would show a wonderful uniformity |
in the age Of man since the dawn of history. |
From Acam to the Food the ages would |
read as in the table below, subject to few |
uncertainty in the numbers below 100, as the |
numerals arc sometimes pluralizcd for pur-
pose Of agreement, when they were not in
creased tcnfold. The cases are not always
certain: The table 10 The flood is substantially
true. The table is added, giving The ages Of
each at tue time Of his death;
/. Adaul, 1870 years, and not $50 years.
,. Seth, l2l years, and not 9l2 years.
3. Enos, III years, and not 935 years
4. Cain, ll9 years, and not 9lO years.
5. Mahalalccl, l22 years, and not o35 yrs
9. Jared, liz years, and not 962 years.
:. Enocl, ia years, and not 3G5 years
S. Methuselah, l2l years, and not go yrs.
@. Lamech, III years, and not 179 years.
10. Noah, l59 years, and not $50.