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The Lineage Message

The original pronunciations and sometimes even the spellings of the names of peoples in history have usually been a problem in the Bible and other historical documents in antiquity.   Over time we have sometimes transliterated the meanings by the pronunciations, what has resulted in spelling changes and possibly the original meaning being lost. 

The definition of "transliterated" is " write or print (a letter or word) using the closest corresponding letters of a different alphabet or language."  Given time, we have often lost the original meaning and can only speculate the meaning in many of the names in the Book of Genesis. 

Fortunately, when working with Hebrew, albeit some of the letters have changed, the letters carry meanings unlike any other language in the earth.  A distant but not equal comparison is the Chinese Mandarin (along with dialects) that have pictographic letters.

In Genesis 5, the lineage of Adam is given:

If we put the meaning of the Hebrew Names together liberally: "Man is appointed mortal sorrow but the Blessed God shall come down teaching His death shall bring the despairing comfort."

Many scholars have pointed out that it would have been impossible for the ancient Rabbis, along with Moses, to have conspired and put the message of the Christian Gospel in the highly venerated Torah, which means God put it there.  It is the "finger prints" of the Holy Spirit behind the Scriptures.  This is just one of many types of hidden messages, encryptions, micro and macro codes in the entire Old and New Testament.

Argument Against

There are some Hebrew Scholars that believe there is no meaning in all or part of the names to form a message.  In order for the names to not have a message, then either one or both of the following two statements must be true:

1. The names took on new meanings later which may have that interpretation, or
2. The author, Moses by the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit, did not mean this interpretation at all and the people at that time of Genesis saw the person as someone with a name, and not a person that has a name with a meaning.  For example, Noah didn't mean "Comfort or Rest".

Arguments Against, Applies Equally to Both Sides

Note that there are great books on Biblical Words and their meanings, but these books suffer the same arguments against them that can be applied to the Adam hidden lineage message.  There is no one alive in present day to refute or verify what some present-day Hebrew Scholars believe on all of the historical Biblical names are accurate.  In other words, with deep respect for many great Hebrew Scholars, who have done years of research, in the end after the research, the work product is still at best an educated hypothetical theory. 

There are many Biblical names that are very discernable and the meanings almost 100% guaranteed to be accurate, but in the case of Adam's lineage, no one can be 100% positive on every name.  The Hebrew language and alphabet has changed many times and significantly around the time of the Babylonian Captivity, but that did not affect the names of people. 

Evidence Points

Regarding the aspect that a name at one time did not mean something, but later it took on that meaning after the death of the person, is a possibility.  Most if not, everyone would agree that Adam, or Adama, meant "man formed from the dust of the earth".  When Adam heard God or Eve calling him, did that mean:

• Adam heard a generic adjective to describe a male person of the human race made out of the dust of the earth; or,
• Adam heard his personal name?

This question is meant rhetorically and the answer, in this author's mind, is Adam most likely heard his name as something uniquely identifying him even though he most likely knew his name meant something.

This topic is not a point to divide or argue over in the Christian Faith.  It is close enough to be very interesting, and most likely true.  It is the belief of many Biblical Scholars that it was put there as an authentication of the Word Of God. 

As many Christians know, there are hidden encryptions and double meanings in the Scriptures that defy explanation and are being increasingly discovered through the use of Computer algorithms.  If you are walking in Faith with sincere desire to know and love God more and more each day, then this little hidden lineage in the names of Adam to Noah is a little golden treasure.