CONTRADICTIONS! Rome is trying to control your mind on paper! Get out now while there’s still time! LOL.

The Bible supposedly begins that way, don’t it? With one big fat juicy contradiction. Not really, but let’s just go with the flow. You may have noticed it for yourself. There are seemingly two different versions of the same creation account in Genesis. The first creation account can be found in chapter one. The second creation account immediately follows in the proceeding chapter. Compare the two and nothing lines up quite right. Uh-oh. Sounds like the “Editor” couldn’t quite decide which Hebrew narrative he should go with—but not really. The Aramaic Targum clears all that up and then some. But before it does, let’s simmer in the tension of contradictions a little longer.

The account in Genesis chapter one offers six days of creation, whereas the second account has depleted its budget and provides us with little to nothing—as days go. Not good. Now follow along with the events of the creation week.

Elohim creates light—day one. The second day is wholly devoted to the hammering out of the firmament. Water is separated. Dry land appears. Evening and morning. Days 1-3 are complete. Then, he brings forth plants, followed by the sun and the moon and the luminaries of the heavens. Impressive, herbage grew before the sun. He then fills the seas and the sky with life. Next, land animals. And finally, men and women arrive at the same time. Days 4-6 are complete. On the seventh day Elohim rests. End of the creation week. Or is it…?

As if to confuse an already established matter, Genesis chapter 2 delves right back into the creation account again, only it follows a different order. Elohim, here identified as Yahuah, doesn’t create men and women.  From the dust he creates Adam (the man) alone. Many commenters will quickly tell you that Adam was created before there was any plant life, but that’s misdirection, as the Masoretic makes clear that the fields had yet been tilled. Still, there is yet one more noted divergent ahead, as Yahuah personally plants a garden and places the man there to work it. It is only after placing the man in the garden that Yahuah creates animals for him as helpers. Wait, hadn’t animals already been created on the fifth day?

You will recall that man and woman were created together in the first account. Here we are treated to another variant. Adam meanders among the animals (created after him, mind you), but no suitable helper is found. This chain of events sees Yahuah putting Adam to sleep for the first-ever recorded operation, whereas he forms a woman out of his side.

And now, you have been caught up to speed. Joints stiff? Muscles knotted up? Does your skull throb? Dizzy yet? You tell me. Or perhaps you are ready for the challenge ahead. If so, then I like your attitude. Moving forward, you shall see that these are not two variants of the same creation account. They’re simply different linear events on a singular timeline.

Compare the Hebrew Masoretic and Aramaic Targum top to bottom. We shall reconvene afterwards.

Masoretic.

⁵ And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for Yahuah Elohiym had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no a man to till the ground.

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Genesis 2:5 [Cepher]

Targum.

⁵ And all the trees of the field were not as yet in the earth, and all the herbs of the field had not as yet germinated, because Yahuah Elohim had not made it to rain upon the earth, and man was not to cultivate the ground.

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Genesis 2:5-9 [Targum]

Immediately, and not to be missed, we read that man was never intended to till the ground. I highlighted it for you. That’s quite a difference than simply stating that there was no man to yet till the ground. Something tells me Moshe was well aware of the lost text which the first and second books of Adam and Eve are based upon. If you read my paper on the some 20 different toledoth marks in Genesis, each sourcing a different writer, then you can see for yourself how everything from Genesis 2:5 onwards to 5:1 was sourced from Adam. Consider the following passage from The Second Book of Adam and Eve.

¹⁰ Seth and his children dwelt on the mountain below the garden; they sowed not, neither did they reap; they wrought no food for the body, not even wheat; but only offerings. They ate of the fruit and of trees well flavored that grew on the mountain where they dwelt.

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Second Adam and Eve 11:10

Second witness. Even after Adam and Havah’s expulsion from the garden, the sons of Seth were never intended to sow and reap. But how can that be so—you ask. I have already given you the answer in the same verse. It’s marked in red. Seth and his children dwelt on the mountain below the garden. Hopefully, that doesn’t create more questions than answers. Hold them until the end, because we’re moving on.

Masoretic.

⁶ But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

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Genesis 2:6 [Cepher]

Targum.

⁶ But a cloud of glory descended from the throne of glory, and was filled with waters from the ocean, and afterward went up from the earth, and gave rain to come down and water all the face of the ground.

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Genesis 2:6 [Targum]

Tell me the Aramaic Targum doesn’t clarify the confusion. Because it most certainly clarifies. The mystery mist which watered the whole face of the ground is here identified as a cloud of glory, descending from the heavenly throne room above. And where have we seen that before? At Mount Saini, for starters. But even Yahusha returns in a cloud of glory. The cloud of glory is manifested wherever the Shekinah of Yahuah is made known.

What is the cloud of glory doing? Watering. Seems like the Earth is being rinsed and lathered with something holy. I can’t help but suspect we are once again gazing in upon the Ruach Ha-Qodesh, as I have already established that creation, as well as the salvation story, is an ongoing family affair. Father. Mother. Son. The Ruach Ha-Qodesh has already been reported hovering over the waters during the creation week. Brewing. Fermenting. Preparing all life to grow. And so, the tending to continues. Getting the Earth off to a good start, it seems.

Masoretic.

⁷ And Yahuah Elohiym formed the man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living soul.

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Genesis 2:7 [Cepher]

Targum.

⁷ And Yahuah Elohim created man in two formations; and took dust from the place of the house of the sanctuary, and from the four winds of the world, and mixed from all the waters of the world, and created him red, black, and white; and breathed into his nostrils the inspiration of life, and there was in the body of Adam the inspiration of a speaking ruach, unto the illumination of the eyes and the hearing of the ears.

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Genesis 2:5-9 [Targum]

The two formations being spoken of here may simply be referring to Adam and Havah. Or it may be describing two tribes of people. Meaning, mankind was created on the sixth day, whereas Adam was specially created sometime after the seventh. For sake of argument, we’ll call him the Eighth-Day Man. Before this is over, you shall see that there is no Eighty-Day Man. Certainly not in Canon. And not in any Scriptural text that I have ever found. One thing that seems certain however is that Adam was intended as a High Priest over all of creation—including humanity. That case is only strengthened when coming to learn that his dust was selected from the Tabernacle in heaven, according to the Targum. Satan didn’t like that.

Masoretic.

⁸ And Yahuah Elohiym planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

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Genesis 2:8 [Cepher]

Targum.

⁸ And a garden from the Eden of the just was planted by the Word of Yahuah Elohim before the creation of the world, and He made there to dwell the man when He had created him.

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Genesis 2:8 [Targum]

AH, see…? Clarity. Also, the timeline is linear rather than parallel and contradictory. We are simply filling in the pieces as we go along. The Garden of Eden was created before the world. You will tell me that’s impossible, but is it? The Chronicles of Jerahmeel tell us there were seven things created prior to the creation of the world. Are you curious? I am. Let’s see what they are.

Seven things were created prior to the creation of the world: the Law, repentance, the throne of glory, the Garden of Eden, Gehinnom, the site of the temple and the name of the Messiah, and for all these things proof is to be found in the Scriptures.

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Chronicles of Jerahmeel: 2

There it is. The Garden of Eden. Paradise. Also, apologies go out to the dispensationalists, as the Law pre-existed everything. It even predated the very idea of dispensationalism. Think about that long and hard. Take all the time you need. Try not to let cognitive dissonance win the day. But we’ll save that topic for another time, as this is written as the hopeful first of many more Torah portions to come. We still have an entire year ahead to discuss Yahuah’s instructions.

Notice how I keep marking “the name of the Messiah” in red. That is because Yahusha HaMashiach, or rather, the Word of Yahuah, has just made his first confirmed entrance into the Genesis Targum narrative. It is the Word who planted Eden. And anyways, I have already established that creation, as well as the salvation story, is an ongoing family affair. Father. Mother. Son. Yahusha created the garden. And then the cloud of glory, presumably the feminine Ruach Ha-Qodesh, watered it, while the Father administered Torah from the throne.

For a better picture of Eden’s geographical location, let’s quickly turn to the opening paragraph in The Legend of the Yehudim.

In the beginning, two thousand years before the heaven and the earth, seven things were created: the Torah written with black fire on white fire, and lying in the lap of Elohim; the Divine Throne, erected in the heaven which later was over the heads of the Hayyot; Paradise on the right side of Elohim, Gehinnom on the left side; the Celestial Sanctuary directly in front of Elohim, having a jewel on its altar graven with the Name of the Messiah, and a Voice that cries aloud, “Return, ye children of men.”

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The Legend of the Yehudim 1:1

The next logical question you have is how fleshly bodies like yours and mine might inhabit a spiritual realm. They wouldn’t. If we were to inhabit Paradise this very hour, we would need to be transformed. After Adam and Havah were expelled from Paradise, they were transformed, but in a reverse nature.

⁵ Of your own free will have you transgressed through your desire for divinity, greatness, and an exalted state, such as I have; so that I deprived you of the bright nature in which you then were, and I made you come out of the garden to this land, rough and full of trouble.

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First Adam and Eve 6:5

See what I mean? They were humbled. Messiah would later do the same on a voluntary basis, but you probably know that already. Continuing.

Masoretic.

And Yahuah Elohim took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to guard it.

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Genesis 2:15 [Cepher]

Targum.

And Yahuah Elohim took the man from the mountain of worship, where he had been created, and made him dwell in the garden of Eden, to do service in the law, and to keep its commandments.

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Genesis 2:15[Targum]

Found it. The mountain of worship. I knew it was in here somewhere. More confirmation that Moshe was familiar with Adamic literature. Is that even a genre—Adamic? If not, no worries. I just made it one. The mountain of worship is where they returned after their expulsion from Paradise. Fun story. While waking up to their first morning on Earth, Adam and Havah believe the sun was rising to harm them.

Then Adam began to come out of the cave.  And when he came to the mouth of it, and stood and turned his face towards the east, and saw the sunrise in glowing rays, and felt the heat thereof on his body, he was afraid of it, and thought in his heart that this flame came forth to plague him.

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Adam and Eve 16:3

For there is no need for a sun and a moon in heaven, you see. And as you likely know by now, the first three days of creation did not require them either, as Yahusha is the light of the world.

In conclusion, the contradictory two creation account is debunked. Satisfied? I am. You will tell me I didn’t get around to the part where the animals were created after Adam. Fine. Let’s have a go at it.

Masoretic.

¹⁸ And Yahuah Elohiym said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet suitable for him.

¹⁹ And out of the ground Yahuah Elohiym formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them: and whatsoever the man called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

²⁰ And the man gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for the man there was not found a help meet for him.

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Genesis 2:18-20 [Cepher]

Targum.

¹⁸ And Yahuah Elohim said, It is not right that Adam should be sleeping alone: I will make unto him a wife who may be a helper before him.

¹⁹ And Yahuah Elohim created from the earth every beast of the field, and every fowl of the heavens, and brought them to Adam, to see by what name he would call it. And whatever Adam called the living animal, that was its name.

²⁰ And Adam called the names of all cattle, and all fowl of the heavens, and all beasts of the field. But for Adam was not found as yet a helper before him.

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Genesis 2:18-20 [Targum]

Contradictions! It’s over. They got me. Rome finally won.

The problem of course with any language leap from Hebrew or Aramaic into English is that we are left with translator bias. In Hebrew, there is no distinction made between the past and pluperfect tense. Do we tell the reader Yahuah Elohim “created from the earth” the animals or “had created from the earth” the animals? Oh dear. Such indecision. Sure, we could say the final “Editor” of Genesis was attempting to please the fan boys from two separate Hebrew creation accounts, but why? The much more logical deduction is that Yahuah had intended to make Adam a help-meet from the get-go, through spirited conversation with his divine council, and Moshe is simply reminding us of a separate but interrelated action committed earlier on the linear timeline. It’s certainly not the last time such a narrative will be unraveled in Scripture.

To furthermore erase any doubt, I am reminded of Yahusha’s own recounting of the creation story.

³ Then the Perushim approached him, tempting him and asking him if a man is able to divorce his wife because of any matter. ⁴ So he answered and said, “Have you never read that at your beginning he made a man and a woman, ⁵ and he said, ‘On account of this a man will leave his father and his mother and cling to his wife, and the two will become one flesh?

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The Hebrew Gospel of Matthew 19:3-5

Notice how Yahusha said ‘your beginning’ rather than his own? It’s the little details. Speaking of which, Yahusha has just taken both creation accounts and blended them into one singular account. The first highlighted sentence, “he made a man and a woman,” can be found in Genesis 1:26. The second, “and the two will become one flesh,” is quoted from Genesis 2:24. And that can mean only one thing…

Noel