Interpretative Key 3: There Are Thirty Days in a Biblical Month

[Credit: general theology]

In the Bible, the standard Hebrew year is 12 months x 30 days / month = 360 days. Note that there must have been occasional adjustments to keep the calendar in sync with the seasons, given the 365-day orbit of the earth around the sun.

Calculations

1656: The Flood (Genesis 7:6)

The Flood began on the 17^th day of the second month of 1656 (Genesis 7:11) and ended on the 17^th day of the seventh month (Genesis 8:4). That means the 150 days the waters were completely covering the earth (Genesis 7:24; Genesis 8:3) were exactly five 30-day months and included the forty days of flooding (Genesis 7:17).

1556: Birth of Shem

There is some confusion around the birth of Shem. Genesis 11:10 can easily be taken to mean that Shem was 100 when he begot Arphaxad two years after the flood. In this thinking (which appears to be James B. Jordan’s), Shem wasn’t the oldest, Noah’s three children are given out of order in Genesis 5:32, and Noah was 100 when he birthed whoever was the oldest.

The problem with this is that it renders Genesis 5:32, and especially the similar verse Genesis 11:26, completely meaningless. Why would the author of Genesis record those numbers if they didn’t have any impact on the chronology?

A simple fix is to interpret 11:10 as such: “Shem was 100 years old (at the time of the Flood) and begot Arphaxad two years after the Flood.” This means that Shem was born when Noah was 500, that the children are listed in birth order (as are Terah’s), and that Genesis 5:32 and Genesis 11:26 mean exactly what they appear to mean.

The numerological implications of adopting this interpretation (discussed later) are confirming evidence for its truth.

1657: Noah leaves the ark (Genesis 8:13-18)

1658: Birth of Arphaxad (Genesis 11:10)

1693: Birth of Salah (Genesis 11:12)

1723: Birth of Eber (Genesis 11:14)

1757: Birth of Peleg (Genesis 11:16)

1757: Tower of Babel (Genesis 10:25)

1787: Birth of Reu (Genesis 11:18)

1819: Birth of Serug (Genesis 11:20)

1849: Birth of Nahor (Genesis 11:22)

1878: Birth of Terah (Genesis 11:24)

1996: Death of Peleg (Genesis 11:19)

1997: Death of Nahor (Genesis 11:25)

2006: Death of Noah (Genesis 9:29)

2026: Death of Reu (Genesis 11:21)

2049: Death of Serug (Genesis 11:23)

2083: Death of Terah (Genesis 11:32)

2096: Death of Arphaxad (Genesis 11:13)

2126: Death of Salah (Genesis 11:15)

2158: Death of Shem (Genesis 11:11)

2187: Death of Eber (Genesis 11:17)

Commentary

Point 1

Methuselah died the year of the Flood. While it’s possible he was wicked and was killed in the Flood accordingly, it’s more likely (especially given his long lifespan) that he was the last righteous man on earth left besides Noah. At the time Noah was commanded to build the ark, Methuselah (Noah’s grandfather) would still have been another living righteous man, but the grace found in God’s eyes for Noah (Genesis 6:8) wasn’t relevant to Methuselah because he was so unbelievably old and wouldn’t be part of the new world Noah would build. Instead, God waited until Methuselah’s death to send the flood waters upon the earth.

Point 2

The true meaning of Genesis 11:10 foreshadows the format used for kings later, i.e., “Seth was 100 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years (before he began a co-reign with Arphaxad).” I believe this was done intentionally, as God authorized kingly rule after the flood (signaled by the introduction of capital punishment in Genesis 9:6).