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by Infirmity or sickness , they began to consider themselves as gods , and to hold themselves forth as such to the world , thus claiming" the submission and homage of their fellow-mortals . Moses mentions this circumstance as the origin of idolatry , and proceeds to
state the shortening of the period of human life , and the destruction of the world by a fload , vas the consequences of it . But i * mSfyi £ kJ ^ $ purpo se to relate the I > e # t | Wj £ Adam , who reiuained in thQ ^ HHpe dge and worship
of the true <(« , jpieduced . by the impious presuoiffrfftm of their degenerate brethren , he digresses to . fulfil tkat purpose ; and after exhausting it , he returns to the ^ subject . Thus , " Then men began to assume the name of Jehovah . —And it came to
pass when men began to multiply on the face of the earth , and daughters were born unto them , that the sons of the Gods saw the daughters of men tkat they were fair , they made them their wives whomsoever each might choose . And the Lord said , My breath shall not for ever remain in man , for
he is . himself but flesh , so that * his days shall be a hundred aud twenty years . Thus there were marauders in those days : for after the sons , of the gads had commerce with the daughters of men , they bare them children who became violent and mighty men , the same with , those who of old were
men of renown . " The passage thus brought into one point of view , and more faithfully translated , is clear and consistent . Some of the descendants of Cain , who having forsaken the true God , and who living for ages probably with great
bodily strength , began to consider themselves iminpnal , and to hold themselves forth as gods to be worshiped by their inferiors in rank , might and years . God beholding thpir impiety , removes the foundation of \ fa thus sayiog , " These men think that
they have the principle qf life in the jj ^ selves , and that they , ^ U for evni \ live independent of ., me ; I will , correct their presumption ; and as tjiey breathe only in the breath which I gave them , I will recall it , and thus teach them humility and wisdom by shortening their days /\ This passage owes its obscurity to the misconception of two words in the
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brigirial j The : phras , e D > tt 7 ±$ Jt ya translated sons of God . in , our common version ,, means ; "Sons Qf the Opels , *' that is , the sons or descendants # f those who m ^ de themselvesgo 4 % , : <« % according to tfce language of-Moses , who called themselves by the name of
Jehovah . Xhese men , instead of confining themselves to a faithful union with one woman , agreeebly to itjhie marriage , institution appointed andrecommended to Adam by GodLhia ^ £ l £ indulged themselves in promiscuous intercourse with , the daughters of men , that is , women in the lower classes of
life , and thus gave birth to a race of chil 4 ren who , possessing vast stature and great bodily strength , and withal abandoned on the world , without virtuous example or education , livecLby violence and plunder , the terror and disturbers of society . Many tales respecting these marauders , who in after
days were , called . Giants , were . doubtless handed down to posterity by th $ family of Noah ; and it is to the ^ e traditional taleg , current in his days , that Moses alludes when . he says ^ " They became violent and mighty men , the same with those who of old
were men of renown . " The other mistat ^ e lies in the verb pT * itfun , which our translators hay £ rendered by " shall strive , " while the
Syriac aud Arabic Versions , the Chair dee Paraphrase , the Septuagjnt * and even the Latin Vi ^ l g ^ te , have rendered it by terms expressive , of the meaning I give to it , viz . *' , shall remain . " Vtqw is this to be accounted for ? . The
Chaldeans often changed the final 0 into f , such as the k termination , of plural nouns D * um 9 , into \\ un ^ Thus the verb Dli dum , to continue perpetuate , became changed into p * j dun , the same in , form with < mo \ h $ F
verb already existing in Hebrew , un ^ ef the sense of € t striving , contending :, litigating . " This acc ^ aei ^ tul corruption n >^ y have taken ftl ace . in the tiq ^ of Mose 3 or upwards , \ yjho has consecrated the vujgair coriruu ^ ion with tl ^ 3
primary meaning , of " continjuii | g »; . or 1 : ^ 91 ainnng . " . Tjie corrupted yerb && % is tfye parent o ^ tb « 0 ree ^ &jj ^ % mpwc » . ^•« tJj » 8 u ?» 5 . while 4 un to cq ^ tenfjl gave birth to Se * vo ^ , d $ vyu % co 9 fk $ \ -: X ^ confusion having taken place , * it way natural that the int ^ prij ter ^ of Mo $ e a should have been divided , sQme adapt
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er . 3 . Jones on G&n . iv . 26 . 353
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¦ W W rf ^ . w — ~ " \ vol . xviii . 2 z
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), June 2, 1823, page 353, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1785/page/41/
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