Yahwist Notes: Gen 5-8 Noah & The Flood
/The following are rough notes as I read through the Yahwist. I’m using Tzemah Yoreh’s source attribution for the Yahwist. You can view all of my notes of the Yahwist series here. Some ideas presented here may seem ridiculous, but no idea is too stupid during this phase. I’m not that concerned with grammar or spelling either. My thoughts and ideas will likely alter significantly by the time I produce a full mirror-reading of the Yahwist, but this gives you an idea of “how the sausage is made”. Feel free to share comments and/or links you think I might find helpful.
Lamech one of Sumerian kings?
Lamech father son, mirrored would make Noah a girl
Noah name meaning and name explanation don’t match
Gen 2 alternative explanation for Noah’s name?
Emphasis on Yahweh destroying humankind (and animals) 2x
Emphasis on Yahweh making humankind 2x
Why an ark and not a boat like other Mesopotamian flood accounts?
J seems to be stressing that no other than Noah and family survived the flood - Abel too
Emphasis on soil, ground, earth
Flood under whole heave = no distant survivors
Shift family line before flood, now they are part of another family
Why raven and dove? Raven does not return, has to use dove to confirm?
Emphasis on Noah being the one who made the ark
Emphasis on birds not returning anymore
Why an olive leaf?
Yahweh doesn’t realize that humans are continuously evil, as if they could have paused from being evil?
Yahwist concerned to show that Yahweh was justified in flood
Humankind was alternative reason for ground being cursed?