Whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. 4:15
Whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. 4:15
"Leah conceived, and ... said, Surely the LORD hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me." 29:32-34
Leah conceives and bears four sons. And it's a good thing, too, since her husband hated her until then for not giving him any sons.
"Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him." 4:8
Because God liked Abel's animal sacrifice more than Cain's vegetables, Cain kills his brother Abel in a fit of religious jealousy.
"And Lamech took unto him two wives." 4:19
Lamech is the first of a long line of biblical men with more than one wife. It seems that God approves of such marriages.
"Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren." 9:20-25
The "just and righteous" Noah (6:9, 7:1) plants a vineyard, gets drunk, and lies around naked in his tent. His son, Ham, happens to see his father in this condition. When Noah sobers up and hears "what his young son had done unto him" (what did he do besides look at him?), he curses not Ham, who "saw the nakedness of his father," but Ham's son, Canaan. "A servant of servants shall he [Canaan] be unto his brethren." This is a typical case of biblical justice, and is one of many Bible passages that have been used to justify slavery.
"And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him." 9:24
What did Ham do? Did he just look at his naked father or was there something more to it than that? Some commentators have suggested that Ham committed homosexual rape on his drunken father, and that this was why Ham's descendants were eternally punished with slavery.
Abraham's brother, Nahor, married his niece, Milcah, the daughter of his brother Haran. 11:27-29
This is condemned in Leviticus 18:13.
"Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister." 12:13
Abram makes his wife lie for him, by telling the Egyptians that she is his sister. But at least it was half-true, since she was his half-sister. Such incestuous marriages are condemned elsewhere in the Bible, but god makes an exception for Abram and Sarai. (See Genesis 17:15-16 where God blesses their marriage.) 12:13
"Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children." 16:1-4
Sarai is the first of a long line of barren women who were desperate for children. (In the Bible, it is the women who are barren, never the men.) She sends Abram into her handmaid, Hagar, so that she can "obtain children by her." Abram gladly complies.
"And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled." 16:6
Hagar conceives, making Sarai jealous. Abram tells Sarai to do to Hagar whatever she wants.
"The uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people." 17:14
An uncircumcised boy is to be abandoned by his parents and community.
"I will not destroy it for ten's sake." 18:32
I guess God couldn't find even ten good Sodomites because he decides to kill them all in Genesis 19. Too bad Abraham didn't ask God about the children. Why not save them? If Abraham could find 10 good children, toddlers, infants, or babies, would God spare the city? Apparently not. God doesn't give a damn about children." I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes." 19:8
Lot refuses to give up his angels to the perverted mob, offering his two "virgin daughters" instead. He tells the bunch of angel rapers to "do unto them [his daughters] as is good in your eyes." This is the same man that is called "just" and "righteous" in 2 Peter 2:7-8.
"The LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven." 19:24
God kills everyone (men, women, children, infants, newborns) in Sodom and Gomorrah by raining "fire and brimstone from the Lord out of heaven." Well, almost everyone -- he spares the "just and righteous" Lot and his family.
"But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt." 19:26
Lot's nameless wife looks back, and God turns her into a pillar of salt.
"Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father." 19:30-38
Lot and his daughters camp out in a cave for a while. The daughters get their "just and righteous" father drunk, and have sexual intercourse with him, and each conceives and bears a son (wouldn't you know it!). Just another wholesome family values Bible story.
"Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah." 20:2
Honest Abe does the same "she's my sister" routine again, for the same cowardly reason. And once again, the king just couldn't resist Sarah -- even though by now she is over 90 years old. (See Gen.12:13-20 for the first, nearly identical, episode.)
"God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man." 20:3-18
God gets angry with king Abimelech, though the king hasn't even touched Sarah. He says to the king, "Behold, thou art but a dead man," and threatens to kill him and all of his people. To compensate for the crime he never committed, Abimelech gives Abraham sheep, oxen, slaves, silver, and land. Finally, after Abraham "prayed unto God," God lifts his punishment to Abimelech, "for the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah."
"She is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife." 20:12
Abraham married his sister (well, half sister, anyway), and God blessed their marriage. (17:15-16).
"The LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife." 20:18
God "closed all the wombs" because Abimelech believed Abe's lie.
"Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son." 21:10-14
Sarah, after giving birth to Isaac, gets angry again at Hagar (see 16:5-6) and tells Abraham to 'cast out this bondwoman and her son." God commands Abraham to "hearken unto her voice." So Abraham abandons Hagar and Ishmael, casting them out into the wilderness to die.
"God said unto Abraham ... in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called." 21:12
God tells Abraham to abandon Hagar and her son Ishmael to die in the desert. But God has chosen Isaac, not Ishmael, to be Abraham's "seed."
"Let me not see the death of the child." 21:14-20
After the water ran out, Hagar left Ishmael alone to die. But God heard the infant crying, so he had an angel cry to Hagar from heaven, telling her not to worry. God heard the child's cry and opened Hagar's eyes so she could see a well, filled with water. God said he'd make Ishmael a great nation, and the child became an archer.
"Take now thy son ... and offer him there for a burnt offering." 22:2-13
God orders Abraham to kill Isaac as a burnt offering. Abraham shows his love for God by his willingness to murder his son. But finally, just before Isaac's throat is slit, God provides a goat to kill instead.
"Abraham stretchedforth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son." 22:10
Abraham shows his willingness to kill his son for God. Only an evil God would ask a father to do that; only a bad father would be willing to do it.
"Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me." 22:12
Abraham passed God's test. He was willing to kill his son for God.
What kind of monster god would ask a father to kill his son for him - and then reward him for being willing to do so?
"By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son ... I will bless thee." 22:16-17
Why did God love Abraham so much? Because he was willing to murder his son for him. (Greater evil hath no man than this, that he is willing to kill his own son for God.)
And why does God call Isaac Abraham's only son? Abraham's first son was Ishmael, whom Abraham abandoned with God's blessing. Then God commanded him to murder his second son. Christ! What a monster God!
"And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her." 24:67
Rebekah became Isaac's wife when he "took" her and had sex with her. No marriage ceremony was performed, no vows were exchanged.
"Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah." 25:1
Abraham had several wives and concubines.
"Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac." 25:5
Abraham gave everything he had to Isaac, ignoring his other sons (Ishmael, Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian,Ishbak, and Shuah), as well as all of his nameless and unmentioned daughters, along with God knows how many other children he had with his other concubines.
"The concubines, which Abraham had" 25:6a
Abraham had several concubines.
"Abraham ... sent them [all of his sons (and daughters) except Isaac] away from Isaac his son." 25:6b
Abraham sent all of his sons (and daughters?) away from his "only son" Isaac.
"Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob." 25:28
Isaac loved Esau because Esau was a hunter and Isaac loved venison. Rebekah loved Jacob, but God hated Esau (see Romans 9:13). No reason is given for why one son is loved while the other is hated. But since God chose to act this way, it must have been as an example for parents to follow. Have you decided which of your children to hate?
"She is my sister." 26:7
Isaac uses the same "she's my sister" lie that his father twice used so effectively. (Once on the same King Abimelech) (see 12:13, 20:2).
"Esau ... took to wife Judith ... and Bashemath." 26:34
Esau "takes" two wives.
"Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy first born." 27:19
Jacob, with coaching from his mother, obtains Isaac's blessing by lying. God seems to have been fooled as well.
"Esau ... took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife. 28:9
Esau, who already had two wives (26:34), "takes" another.
"Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel." 29:18-30
Jacob offers to work for seven years to pay for Rachel. But then he is tricked into having sex with her sister, Leah, instead, so he has to work for another seven years so in order to pay for them both.
"And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah." 29:21-30
Jacob is tricked by Laban, the father of Rachel and Leah. Jacob asks for Rachel so that he can "go in unto her." But Laban gives him Leah instead, and Jacob "went in unto her [Leah]" by mistake. Jacob was fooled until morning -- apparently he didn't know who he was going in unto. Finally they worked things out and Jacob got to "go in unto" Rachel, too.
"And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah." 29:30
Jacob finally gets to "go in unto" Rachel. He loved Rachel more than Leah.
"And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren." 29:31
Since Jacob hated Leah, God decided to "open her womb" and make Rachel barren. (Like he did to Sarah and Rebekah.)
"Give me children or else I die." 30:1-4
Rachel considers herself worthless if she can't produce children for her husband. But luckily she has an idea. She says to Jacob, "Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her." She solved the problem the same way as did Sarah (16:2). "And Jacob went in unto her. And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son." (These arrangements rarely produce daughters.)
"When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife. And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a son." 30:9
Leah, not to be outdone, gives Jacob her maid (Zilpah) "to wife." And Zilpah "bare Jacob a son."
"Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son's mandrakes." 30:15-16
Rachel trades her husband's favors for some mandrakes. Presumably God, by telling us this edifying story, is teaching us something about sexual ethics.
"Now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons." 30:20
Leah thinks her husband will live her now that she has given him six sons.
"Then Jacob ... set his ... wives upon camels." 31:17
Jacob had four wives (or two wives and two concubines -- this distinction is not clear in the Bible): Rachel, Leah, Billah, and Zilpah. There is no indication that God disapproves of this arrangement.
"And he [Jacob] ... took his two wives, and his two womenservants...." 32:22
Jacob has two wives and two concubines, continuing the biblical tradition of polygamy.
"And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel." 34:1-31
Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, is "defiled" by a man who seems to love her dearly. Her brothers trick all of the men of the town and kill them (after first having them all circumcised), and then take their wives and children captive.
"Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine." 35:22
Jacob's oldest son, Reuben, had sex with his father's concubine, Bilhah.
Esau (Isaac's son) had several wives, continuing the tradition of polygamy, with no editorial comment from the Bible. 36:2, 6
"Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children." 37:3-4
Jacob [Israel] loved Joseph more than his other children, and he made it pretty obvious. So the other kids in the family hated Joseph. (God didn't seem to mind; he liked Joseph best, too.)
"Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her." 38:2-4
Judah has casual sex with a Canaanite woman which results in two sons, Er and Onan.
"Onan ...spilled it on the ground ... And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.38:8-10
After God killed Er, Judah tells Onan to "go in unto thy brother's wife." But "Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and ... when he went in unto his brother's wife ... he spilled it on the ground.... And the thing which he did displeased the Lord; wherefore he slew him also." This lovely Bible story is seldom read in Sunday School, but it is the basis of many Christian doctrines, including the condemnation of both masturbation and birth control.
Tamar (the widow of Er and Onan, who were killed by God) dresses up as a prostitute and Judah (her father-in-law) propositions her, saying: "Let me come in unto thee .... And he ... came in unto her, and she conceived by him." 38:13-18
"Bring her forth, and let her be burnt."38:24
After Judah pays Tamar for her services, he is told that she "played the harlot" and "is with child by whoredom." When Judah hears this, he says, "Bring her forth, and let her be burnt."
