0085 In chapter six, Mark Smith asks, “Where does human evil begin in Genesis?”
In Genesis 3, Eve takes the fruit.
In Genesis 6, divine sons take beautiful daughters.
0086 Genesis 6:2 describes divine males commandeering human females.
What does this mean?
An extrapolation from Lamech offers an answer. These men are “divine” in name only. These wealthy and powerful “gods” have designs on women who attract their attention.
Does this sound vaguely contemporary?
0087 Then, there is the word for design, “yester”.
In Genesis 6:5, God admits that every design of the thoughts of civilized hearts is only evil, continually.
In Genesis 8:21, God, having let loose the civilization-destroying flood, regrets the act, but does not change the diagnosis. The design (yester) of the human heart is to evil from its youth.
Its youth?
Think of the start of the Ubaid.
Unconstrained social complexity is a condiiton2H.
0088 Yes, evil in Genesis, associates to design.
The same word, “yester”, appears in Genesis 2:7, when God designs a man from earthen materials.
Smith notes that “yester”, design, typically applies to craftsmanship. With the story of Noah, craftsmanship applies to thoughts. So I ask, “What tool shapes thought?” The answer is spoken words. This is an insight2V.
0089 Various origin myths of the ancient Near East mention the Great Flood of Mesopotamia as a civilization-changing event. By the time of the flood, evil and design are already joined. Everyone knows it.
0090 As far as Mark Smith is concerned, by the end of chapter six, he covers the genesis of “evil”, “sin” and the fall(out). He has only “good” and “original sin” left.