consistent with the Mosaic History. 35 



in the margin the creeping creature. This word is from a verb, 

 which signifies to bring forth or to increase, or to multiply abundant- 

 ly, being the very verb which is rendered bring forth abundantly in 

 the 20th verse, " Let the waters bring forth abundantly," (is heretzu 

 hamaim). We find the verb obviously having this meaning in other 

 passages, of which we shall quote examples : Gen. viii. 17, " That 

 ihey may breed abundantly (vesharetzu) in the earth, and be fruitful 

 and multiply in the earth ;" Exod. i. 7, "And the children of Israel 

 were fruitful and increased abundantly (vaisheretzu), and multiplied, 

 and waxed exceeding mighty, and the land was filled with them ;" 

 Exod. viii. 3, " And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly 

 (vesharatz), * * * and the frogs shall come up both on thee 

 and on my people, and upon all thy servants." 



From all this it appears that the proper translation of the noun 

 sheretz is not the creeping but the rapidly multiplying creature. 

 The creatures expressed by this noun were part of those which were 

 created during the fifth epoch. 



The other word translated creeping thing is (remes), and the 

 creatures expressed by the noun were created during the sixth epoch. 

 We shall afterwards shew that it has a very different meaning from 

 sheretz. 



In the history of the fifth day's work the translators have render- 

 ed the Hebrew word (oph), by fowl. This limits its meaning so 

 as to include only the birds. But the term includes also the winged 

 insects, as is evident from Leviticus xi. 20, " All fowls (haoph) that 

 creep, going upon four." — The proper translation of the term is not 

 fowl but flying thing, including the tribes of all kinds that can raise 

 themselves up into the air ; as is indeed rendered obvious by the 

 expression in the 21st verse of the 1st chapter of Genesis itself 

 (cal oph canaph), " every flying thing that hath wings." 



In the 21st verse it is said, " God created (hathananim hagedolim)," 

 which Hebrew words, our translators, following the Septuagint, which 

 has given for them ra xriTr\ ra fxsyaXa, have rendered great whales. 

 We have abundant resources to shew that this translation is erroneous. 

 In fact, neither the Greek nor the English translators have been 

 consistent with themselves in translating the Hebrew word (than) or 

 (thanim), for it occurs in both these forms. We find them in other 

 places translating it severally by the term (5paKwv, and dragon. It would 

 be tedious to quote the passages where they have thus varied from 

 themselves. We shall refer to Ezekiel xxix. 3. for the latter sense. 



