Introduction
Compassion for children can inspire cultural change. Care for little children fueled Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream that
“…my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers” (NPR, 2010).
Moved by compassion in 1968 MLK gave his life for the freedom of…little children.
MLK’s namesake, Martin Luther, passionately defied abuse with 95 theses. One of Luther’s many 16th century salvos challenged institutional pedophilia. He took exception with clergy assaulting children in pastoral care (Wilson, 2007).The sexual health and safety of little children played a significant role in Martin Luther’s 1517 culture changing insurrection. Christ’s first century reformation also touched sexual health. The entire chapter of Matthew 18 dedicates to elevating the status and protection of little children.
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the king- dom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will nev- er enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people (children) to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!” (Matthew 18:1-6)
Christ’s two millennia rebellion still places safety and sexual health of children at the message center. Jesus, consistent with the Book of Genesis, blessed children with clear protective boundaries guarding both their spiritual and sexual health. In the same way, the first blessings by God in Genesis targeted sexual health for families (Genesis 1:22, 28). Christ’s passion for the safety of children parallels the first 11 chapters of Genesis in what the author calls, the big picture of sexual health for children. Genesis teaches families and children about intimacy with God and human sexuality. Specifically chapters 1-5 mirror positive sexual health and chapters 6-11 reflect decline from intimacy with God resulting in abuse.
Caregivers for nearly four millennia have told sexual health stories incorporated into the Bible to their children and grandchildren about the compassion of God. Bowlby (1969) and Harlow (1960) proved caregiver nurture physically changes the structure of a child’s brain. Young minds shaped for love and kindness assist the child to calm herself. Healthy caregivers sharing stories of God’s compassionate presence alter brain chemicals so he can reason, make meaning of pain, and soothe anxious thoughts.
The parents of history’s revolutionaries connected to the same Bible stories of God’s intimacy with humankind. Jesus’ mother, Mary, and step-father Joseph, nurtured the compassion of Christ with Old Testament stories of a benevolent God liberating oppressed Israel. Known for her ability to communicate spiritual matters with excellent language skills, historians credit Martin Luther’s mother, Margarethe Lindemann, for the reformer’s eloquent speech. MLK’s parents and grandmother, Jennie, told, exciting stories from the Bible giving shape to the non violent rebellion of the 60’s (Oates, 1983). Cultural transformation rarely takes place within political institutions, genesis of social change historically begins within the warm embrace of nurturing caregivers. The result? Culture and history change.
The rebellions of MLK and Martin Luther connect to a bigger picture or what literary artists call a meta narrative. Each reformer found Christ’s compassionate non violent revolution the base for their movements. Specifically, the big picture of sexual health in Genesis has guided caregivers teaching their children about spiritual intimacy and human sexuality for over three thousand years. The Bible mandates that caregivers take primary responsibility to teach children about life and sexuality.
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
(Deuteronomy 6:4-10; 4:9-10; 11:19; Psalm 34:11; 78:5)
The parents and grandparents of history’s rebel leaders seemed to follow this track.
Genesis paints the beautiful picture of graceful symmetry transforming chaos (Genesis 1-2). This cosmological connection between Maker and the created reflects beauty, pleasure, compassionate presence, balance, reconciliation, and sexual health. Genesis declares that both creation and human sexuality are not only good but “extremely good” and without shame in every conceivable way (Genesis 1:31). Christ too moved through the early first century embracing these truths. Jesus, single, celibate, and without sex scandal held sexual health in high regard connecting to the Genesis big picture.
Every Biblical covenant, or God’s intimate connection with humankind, begins with the sexual health-positive phrase, “be fruitful and increase”. Sexual health language and images weave through the entire Bible except the single page documents of Obadiah, and John 2 and 3. All books of the Bible with developed themes convey specific connection to the sexual health-positive big picture of Genesis 1-11. The Bible treats sexual health as foundation for God’s intimacy with humankind.
The big picture of sexual health flows from the omni benevolence of God. Human sexuality is only good, and in fact excellent in every way according to Genesis 1-5.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” God saw all that he had made, and it was very good (excellent in every way). And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. (Genesis 1:28-31)
Christ’s preaching career began with the Beatitudes, the blessing of God for humankind. His first sermon series in Matthew 5-7 threads blessing and sexual health throughout. He blesses those who have survived abuse, forms sexual health boundaries, and directs the early Christian community to live life without spiritual condemnation of others’ sexuality (Matthew 5-7).
Sexuality as evil, dirty, or shameful does not appear in the first two chapters of the Bible. Jesus follows this same pattern by never declaring sexual health sinful or shameful. Sexual shame occurs in Genesis 3 as human perception rather than divine intention. No data indicates reproductive systems changed in form or function in the Fall of humankind. Erotic violence does not appear until chapters 6-11 emerging as loss of intimacy between God and humans. Jesus’ interaction with sexual abuse survivors shows only compassion and hope (John 4; John 7). No contradiction appears in the sexual health positive big picture of Genesis 1-5 throughout the Old Testament, the life of Christ, and the first century church.
Part One of this work features the Genesis big picture of sexual health in chapters 1-11. Intimacy with the Creator and sexual health-positive images frame chapters 1-5. Chapters 6-11 contrast sexual health with the decline of intimacy between God and humankind leading to abuse. One can think of Genesis 1-5 as foundation for teaching sexual health to children and Genesis 6-11 as boundaries to protect children from abuse. Part Two follows the sexual health big picture through the family of Abraham to Joseph. Part Three summarizes the sexual health big picture of Genesis for clergy and counselors in light of Biblical theology, neuroscience and clinical sexology.
The method uses Biblical theology or the “Scripture interpreting Scripture” model for translation of sexual health texts. Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic, Koine Greek and Classical Greek with other Near Eastern languages are useful in defining sexual health vocabulary. In addition to Biblical theology current neuroscience and clinical sexology explain reproductive science and sexual function. All Bible citations come from the The New International Version (NIV). Unless otherwise stated the NIV is the current preferred English translation of the Bible (Rainer, 2021). The Hebrew text reflects the Westminster Leningrad Codex (WLC) and the Greek New Testament bases on the Morphological Greek New Testament (MGNT).
The term “big picture” defines sexual health themes in Genesis chapters 1-5 and 6-11. The author uses the words “snap shot” to discussion smaller stories within the “big picture”. The reader will find this work organizes and highlights all sexual health images with vocabulary as the terms appear. Biblical passages appear in italics. The purpose both honors The Bible and alerts the reader to alternate reflections of the text.
In this post modern era chapter headings, indentation of paragraphs and punctuation organize literature. Ancient texts have neither punctuation nor chapter headings. Biblical authors utilized one of many literary devices called, inclusio to organize their thoughts (Abrahamson, 2018). One can think of the inclusio as the start and stop of a snap shot highlighting a complete thought. Dorsey (1999) in his book, The Literary Structure of the Old Testament, calls the snap shots, “literary units…arranged by a sandwich structure called the inclusio” (Dorsey, pp. 21-26). The inclusio features repetition, identical vocabulary, images, or themes linking a snap shot with “beginning and end markers” rather than punctuation (Dorsey, pp. 21-22) The inclusio appears not well known to the translators who edited the Bible with chapter headings. Therefore, artificial chapter headings crafted by translators may not represent original author intent. This work attempts to identify the inclusio with beginning and end markers to assist the reader with original organization and author intent.
Unmatched global unrest revolves around this work. A worldwide pandemic threatens to annihilate the very old and weak. Politicians, court justices, and clergy stand accused of sexual misconduct on historic scales. Anti facist insurrection, decades of escalating opioid fatalities, and political hatred intensify with shared global trauma. 74% of males and 41% of females within faith communities regularly use pornography for sexuality education. Since the dawn of the internet, the primary instructional model for children has been the porn industry often featuring coercive sex with erotic violence. Research shows that pornography use worldwide increased as much as 25 percent during the isolation of quarantine mandates (Zattoni, 2020). This may mean that children follow the pandemic trend with escalation in exposure to coercive violent sexual content as primary sexual health educator.
This virulent era however, may offer hope. What if the next rebellion ushers not pandemic terror, but dissidents take up arms for children? What if cohorts of caring parents, clergy, and counselors weaponize sexual health for the sake of the small child? What might the next generation become if human sexuality reflects spiritual intimacy with God rather than shame and fear?
This work humbly attempts to usher a quiet revolt of sexual health for caregivers, clergy, and counselors. The rebellion takes up arms of compassionate narratives prayerfully hoping to inoculate sexual health with “content of character” for the sake of little children (Martin Luther King Jr., 1962).
Part One
The Genesis Big Picture of Sexual Health: Chapters 1-11
Sexual health positive education for children begins with Genesis 1-11. The themes found in this “meta narrative” or big picture connect throughout both the Old and New Testaments. Sexuality and its reproductive science reflect the image of God at creation. The organization, intricacy and beauty of sexual health mirror the Author who declares the artwork, most excellent (Genesis 1:31).
Be Fruitful and Increase
The sexual health-positive big picture takes shape in Genesis 1-2. All vocabulary and images paint a positive view of human sexuality. Unhealthy sexuality does not exist within these chapters. The education of children begins with the mandate for earth to “bring forth” (Genesis 1:11). Then, the command directs at all creation with “be fruitful and increase” appearing seven times in the book of Genesis (Genesis 1:22, 28; 8:17; 9:1,7; 17:20; 35:11). Seven often appears as a perfect or complete number in ancient culture reflecting spiritual wholeness. One can see the explanation of Hebrew numbers and specifically “seven” in the Biblical literary device section of Part Three. The sexual health phrase “be fruitful and increase” affirms sexually reproducing animals, the families of Adam and Eve, Noah, and finally the family of Abraham to Joseph. No negative images connect to the “be fruitful and increase” sexual health statements throughout the entire Bible. Every intimate relationship God formed with humans in Genesis begins with this sexual health affirmation. The reader may see connection between spirituality and human sexuality. The blending of spiritual intimacy with physical sexuality forms an ongoing thread through this work.
Within Genesis 1-5 the “be fruitful and increase” sexual health-positive phrase appears twice. Genesis 1:22 reveals the first pronouncement of God in the Bible blessing sexuality of the animal kingdom. The second blessing directs at humans, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” (Genesis 1:28) The first blessing for humankind emerges as a sexual health-positive mandate. No unhealthy sexual images appear in Genesis 1-5 except for the sexual shame humankind experienced in loss of intimacy with God. The hiding of genitalia and distancing from God may foreshadow the loss of intimacy with decline to sexual abuse of Genesis 6-9.
Genesis 2 moves from the sexual health positive images in chapter 1 to specifics of sexual intimacy. Before genital sexual intercourse occurs, the big picture paints broad brush strokes of God connecting to humankind. The Creator sees, talks, and walks with the first family. The attachment of God with creation mirrors spirituality, beauty, pleasure, compassion, balance, sexual health, and reconciliation. Spiritual intimacy with physical sexuality is unique among all ancient literature.
Seven Types of Intimacy with God and Sexual Health
Spiritual intimacy forms a composition of love greater than divine mandates or human emotion. While Creator transforms matter, Spirit hovers over chaos darkness as a mother tenderly nurtures her young (BLB, Genesis 1:2, ,רחף Strong’s, H7363). The Creator “sees” and declares the creation “good” seven times in Genesis 1-2. This use of the number seven may mean completion or wholeness. Spiritual wholeness sets the foundation for sexual health as one piece of intimacy with God and humans. Creator sees humankind and the creation experiences God. Sexual health with spiritual intimacy weave unbroken design throughout.
Intimacy reflects beauty. This world can stun senses with chromatic panoramas, balanced eco systems, and tenacity of reproduction. The Psalmist states in 139:14 that, humankind and the beautiful orb they dwell upon are “fearfully and wonderfully made, your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” The connection of the Maker to the creation reflects graceful allure. Seven times in Genesis 1 the Creator claims the created is good, טוֹב, pronounced TOVE (Strong’s, H2895). The meaning of TOVE spans beautiful, best, better, at ease, fine, glad, gracious, kindness, loving, pleasant, pleasure, precious, and healthy. When the text reads “good”, the meaning captures the richest sense of beauty, pleasure, and health.
Intimacy balances relationship with rest. God blesses six creative snap shots with repose from labor (Genesis 2:3). Scripture treats human anxiety, with the Sabbath rest, or שבת, in Hebrew (Strong’s, H7673). From the sexual health big picture of Genesis, to the Ten Commandments with cessation from labor, through the life of Christ who “rests” the weary, and finally to the New Heavens and Earth snap shots of Revelation, God intends humankind to regulate neurological balance by resting. One theory in this work proposes that intimacy regulates the anxiety of human sexuality, an essential feature of relationships. The reader can find detailed conversation in the Neuroscience and Clinical Sexology section on anxiety reaction for the sexual health of children.
The architecture of intimacy appears pleasurable. The word for “Eden”, עדן, means “pleasure” (Strong’s, H5731, Genesis 2:8). When God speaks to Christ at baptism, the fatherly declaration states, “This is my beloved son, in whom I take pleasure” (Matthew 12:18; 17:5; Mark 1:11; 2 Peter 1:17). Eden mirrors the omni benevolent image of God and is only beautiful and pleasant. The intent seems to be pleasure of connection to both world and one another. Theologians have not always disdained pleasure. The Westminster Shorter Catechism begins with the question, “What is the chief end of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever” (Bible Presbyterian Church Online, 2019). Bessel van der Kolk states that from a neural scientific perspective, no true neurological learning takes place without…pleasure (van der Kolk, 2016). When the Hebrew term TOVE meaning “good” is used with the garden name Eden, does this mean that the world of humankind is extremely good? Perhaps Eden as “pleasure” shapes the understanding of a child that procreation is not the only purpose for human sexuality? Can these snap shots mean that sexual intimacy is extremely good fashioned in the image of God?
Intimacy between God and humankind reflects compassionate presence. The first evil emerges at Genesis 2:18, “It is not good (evil) for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable helper for him.” Merciful God commutes the sentence of isolation with compassionate presence. The words “suitable helper” may need definition for some readers. The word “suitable” describes the helper as one who becomes the object of affection and nurture (Strong’s, H5048, Isaiah 49:16, Jeremiah 49:5). The word helper appears throughout the Old Testament as a name for God (Strongs, H5828). The “suitable helper” phrase may seem demeaning to the casual reader. The original intent perhaps brought humankind out of the first evil, isolation, into compassionate intimacy of relationship. A more accurate translation may be, “I will make a creative nurturing partner for you.” The word, EZER or helper, never minimizes women in the Bible. Intimacy reflects an affectionate presence delivering humankind from the slavery of isolation’s pain.
Intimacy frees the object of love with forgiveness. One boundary separated God and humankind. Creator desired creation to be free. This monolithic boundary prevents pursuit of “being like God” resulting in loss of intimacy with its freedom. Slavery is not the opposite of freedom. A prisoner can transcend barbed wire bonds with the consciousness of compassion. Antithesis of freedom may instead be hardness of heart. Hegel the philosopher believed world history reduces to pursuit of the consciousness of freedom (Heschel, p.191). The Biblical theologian, Abraham Heschel might reflect that Adam and Eve’s fall is more the pursuit of hardening of heart.
“Freedom is not a natural disposition, but God’s precious gift to man. Those in whom viciousness becomes second nature, those in whom brutality is linked with haughtiness forfeit their ability and therefore their right to receive that gift. Hardening of heart is the suspension of freedom. Sin becomes compulsory and self destructive. Guilt and punish- ment become one” (Heschel, p. 191).
Humankind yields under the anxious urge to be like God and falls. Shame then drives the first family to isolate. In this shame state humans make vegan clothing for themselves covering pain hiding from the presence of God. Intimacy suspends.
Creator restores the fallen family, “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). God sacrifices an animal exchanging a life for the pain of sin. The Creator, now tailor, crafts “royal robes” with leather skins to cover shame (Strong’s, H3801). Perhaps this forms an inclusio with the sacrifice of Christ and the covering of shame at Golgotha? The word for “royal robes” appears as the identical term for Joseph’s pricey princely garment of Genesis 37:3. Shame hides by isolating. Intimacy with God restores relationship covering sexual shame. The immediate context following this passage references the first specific act of genital sexual intercourse in the Bible, Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” Later she gave birth to his brother Abel (Genesis 4:1). Eve sees spiritual connection with God stating that the “Lord helped” her conceive and deliver a son. Perhaps this snap shot foreshadows the birth of Christ? Mary, the mother of Jesus, exudes similar enthusiasm in the conception snap shot in what Luke simply calls, Mary’s Song.
Mary’s Song
And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name…He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descen- dants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.” (Luke 2:46-56)
Mary, too was helped to become a mother. Mary like Eve saw the Creator’s presence in the birth of her son who would one day offer to reverse hardness of heart.
The big picture of Genesis 1-5 reflects sexual health as one aspect of relationship with God. This intimacy emerges as spiritual, beautiful, pleasurable, compassionate, balanced, sexually healthy, and reconciling relationships.
Little children learn visually and the images of Genesis speak with pictures. The first sexual health Genesis snap shot paints a kind canvas for children.
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was soGod saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. (Genesis 1:26-31)
Neither negative language nor unhealthy image connect to the design and function of human sexuality in chapters 1-2.
Sexual health education includes the reflection of essential being or image of God. Skilled teachers use repetition to educate children. The Genesis narrator emphasizes the essential being or image terms four times in two verses. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them (Genesis 1:27-28). Immediately following these declarations Genesis introduces the sexual health-positive phrase, “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it’” (Genesis 1:28). These positive images may wire young brains to perceive how human sexuality reflects the goodness of God. The first pictures of sexual health in Genesis feature neither sexual act nor genitalia, but rather the benevolent consciousness of God, the character of Creator for the created. A child may learn from these opening words that sexuality emerges in safe connection with compassionate Creator.
One Flesh, Naked Without Shame, Give Birth To
Genesis 2 again illustrates specifics of intimacy with God and humans.
Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.The man said,“This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh, she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. (Genesis 2:22-25)
Children eventually ask caregivers, “Where do babies come from?” These Genesis sexual health-positive images craft a teaching-learning process based on the essential being of God rather than sexual performance. Before caregivers unpack the explanation of reproductive acts Genesis paints a compassionate picture of human sexuality showing spiritual connection with God, beauty, pleasure, compassion, balance, and reconciliation. Human sexuality seems safe from coercion or violence within these images. Children may begin to build a belief system that sexual health is not only good, but safe.
Two images teaching children about sexual shame form an inclusio in Genesis 1-3. “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.” (Genesis 2:25) In this piece sexual intercourse mirrors spiritual oneness between partners. Human sexuality and the naked body bare no shame. Piaget (1929) calls the development of a child’s brain, the schema. Bowlby (1969) identifies this neurological upgrowth as the attachment system. According to Piaget between the ages of two to seven, a child’s value system shapes according to the nurture of caregivers. Bowlby takes this theory a step further demonstrating that a child’s brain volume physically grows and shapes according to caregiver intimacy. It seems reasonable that a child’s sexuality can form both structure and function on the intimacy of spirituality, beauty, compassion, balance, and healthy relationships. On the other hand can shame and fear also shape the sexual system of the brain in specific ways? If shame and fear shape the schema or attachment system of the brain, then sexuality may trigger fear based responses. Genesis 1-5 may have potential to wire a child’s sexual health schema or attachment system with compassionate boundaries, reason, and social awareness.
Shaping the sexual schema of a child, or attachment system can involve subtle yet neurologically powerful messages. Reproductive science labels the bundle of axons connecting genitalia to the brain the pudendal nerve. This neural pathway receives and sends electrochemical signals to external genitalia, perineum, and the tissue around the anus. The term “pudendal” comes from a late 14th century Latin word, pudendum. This modern medical term means male and female external genitalia. The original literal Latin usage however is, ”the thing to be ashamed of.” Pudendum also has a primitive Indo European meaning, “to punish or repulse.” The Old English version of this word translates as scamlin or “shame limb” (Etymonline, 2021). These messages of shame, punishment, and repulsion may shape the schema and attachment system of children to respond to sexuality with fear.
When caregivers communicate to children that compassion of benevolent Creator formed sexual health, this wiring instantly sprouts new connections in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The PFC governs and regulates the entire biological system. When a child thinks about sexuality, the response based on this PFC wiring can be healthy, compassionate, and regulated. If shame shapes a child’s brain so sexuality is feared, punished for, or repulsed from, then neural connections form from the fear or shame center of the brain. This can mean that if a child believes male genitalia is scamlin, or a shame limb, then she may have a different neurological experience than a child who views anatomy as most excellent creation in the image of omni benevolent God.
The snap shot bringing the sexual shame inclusio to an end pictures the covering of shame (Genesis 3:21). Shameless sexuality appears in Genesis 1:28 beginning the snap shot and 3:21 ends the scene with the covering of shame. The result of humans seeking equality with God is loss of freedom. Reproductive systems with dopamine arousal, adrenaline, and hormone transfer do not appear to change in the Fall. Perception of sexuality shifts. Instead of seeing genitalia as bearing the image of God humans assign fear to body parts. In response, the first family covers genitalia with self made vegan clothing hiding from the presence of God. After awareness of and consequence for their sin, Creator gives humankind gifts of meaning making, pain, labor, and childbirth. Then the climax of the snap shot appears, The Maker tailors leather clothing, majestic royal garments, to replace the vegetable attire. Shame diminishes. Following this immediate context the first mention of genital sexual intercourse in the Bible records. The word used to paint the first sexual intimacy snap shot is YDA, genital sexual intercourse, the intimate knowing of body, mind, and spirit. The inclusio at 1:28 begins the snap shot with shameless sexuality and the 3:21 inclusio ends the scene with the covering of shame followed by the intimacy of sexual health, YDA.
The Intimacy of Genital Sexual Intercourse
Genesis 4:1 introduces for the first time the sexual health term, genital sexual intercourse, YDA, ידע, pronounced ya-DAH ( Strong’s, H3045). The word YDA, sexual intimacy, appears three times within the big picture of sexual health in Genesis 1-5 (Genesis 4:1,17, 25). Nine times the sexual health use of YDA appears in the Book of Genesis (Genesis 4:1,17, 25; 19:5, 8, 33, 35, 24:16, 38:26). The range of usage includes: sexual intimacy between Adam and Eve of 4:1, 25, Cain’s intercourse with his wife in 4:17; the threat of gang rape of 19:5, the description of virginity 19:8 and 24:16, the incestuous intercourse of Lot’s daughters in 19:33, 35, and as the narrator explains Judah ceased intercourse with his daughter-in-law, Tamar in 38:16.
Heschel (1962) affirms the depth of the term, YDA , as not only the primary Semitic terms for genital sexual intercourse, but also,
“…mental and spiritual activity. In Hebrew YDA means more than the possession of ab- stract concepts. Knowledge encompasses inner appropriation, feeling, a reception into the soul. It involves both an intellectual and emotional act” (Heschel, p. 57).
YDA as the premier Genesis term for genital sexual intercourse carries the spiritual intimacy nuance of sharing inner awareness. YDA more than any other Biblical term connects the physical pleasure of sexuality with the beauty of spirituality. In other words, the neuroscience of sexual health connects genitalia with the executive function of compassion, awareness, reason, and gratitude within the pre frontal cortex. The earliest Biblical iterations of human sexuality merge higher consciousness with genital sexual intercourse.
YDA appears within the sexual health positive big picture of Genesis 1-5 with neither prohibition nor negativity. The Sodom gang rape snap shot of Chapter 19 may be the use of YDA as a literary device called paradox (Giordano, 2017). The Biblical Theology section explains the many uses of literary devices in the Bible. Paradox seems to be a favored tool by literary artists to emphasize deeper meaning. Chapter 19 uses the word, YDA, sexual intercourse four times. The Genesis author may be contrasting the sexual health-positive term, YDA, of chapter 4 with a paradox of unhealthy sexuality. Specifically chapter 19 uses YDA within the threatening assault of gang rapists. YDA, then describes Lot’s daughters intent on incest who dope their father, then sexually assault him on two occasions. So with the use of Biblical literary device, chapter 19 may be communicating a paradox contrasting sexual health of Genesis 4 with sexual abuse. Finally chapter 36 reflects the use of YDA in a sex trade seduction scene of Judah with his daughter-in-law, Tamar. The word, YDA, as a sexual health term is used nine times in Genesis breaking down this way:
- Sexual health: 5 x’s
- Sexual abuse: 4 x’s
Another Biblical inclusio begins Genesis 5. Chapter one paints the image of God in creation. All flows from this benevolent act including sexuality. The entirety of creation reflects only good. Sexual health too is exceptionally good. God blesses healthy sexuality as Creator intimately walks and talks with humanity. In the same way Genesis 5 begins with the image of God in creating humankind. The writer details the record of families. In this piece Enoch walks with God as Adam and Eve walked in the garden. The sexual health big picture syncs chapters 1 with 5 using precise themes and vocabulary bringing this section to conclusion. All images in the big picture of sexual health reflect intimacy with God and humankind. Even though humankind fails and falls, sexual health does not suffer sin’s effect until the pathogenesis or decline of intimacy in Genesis 6. The sexual health context according to Genesis 1-5 is spiritual, beautiful, pleasurable, compassionate, brings balance, and reconciles relationship.
Sexual Health Creation Stories in the Ancient Near East
When the Genesis sexual health creation story emerged, competing creation accounts with sexual health narratives existed. These stories taught the children of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece about the origin of life and human sexuality. The creation stories of the ancient Near East wired the schema or attachment system of children in the same way as the Genesis big picture of sexual health can form neurology of children. The sexual health creation stories of the ancient Near East merged together in approximately the era. The Merneptah Stele or Israel Stele is an ancient Egyptian inscription credited to the Pharaoh Merneptah circa 1213-1203 BCE (Redmount, 1998; Sparks, 1998). The text speaks of Merneptah’s military victories over the people and allies of both Libya and the region of modern day Israel. The stele not only mentions specific geographical locales in Palestine, but the name of Israel appears within the final six lines. It seems reasonable the Genesis big picture of sexual health emerged pre 13th century as an oral tradition.
The princes are prostrate, saying, “Peace!”
Not one is raising his head among the Nine Bows.
Now that Tehenu (Libya) has come to ruin,
Hatti is pacified;
The Canaan has been plundered into every sort of woe:
Ashkeon has been overcome;
Gezer has been captured;
Yano’am is made non-existent.
Israel is laid waste and his seed is not;
Hurru is become a widow because of Egypt (Redmount, 1998; Sparks, 1998).
Mesopotamian Sexual Health Creation Story
The Mesopotamian Enuma Elish appears to be the oldest creation story from approximately 7th century BCE. This sexual health narrative features 1,000 Sumero Akkadian cuneiform lines written on seven clay tablets of 115-117 lines on each. This is the approximate number of lines for the Genesis big picture of sexual health in the Hebrew text. The name, Enuma Elish means, ”When on High,” found in the opening phrase. The account features two creative deities: Apsu the male fresh water god combines fluids with the female sea goddess, Tiamat, to generate creation. Other deities form ensuing chaos. When Tiamat’s husband is murdered, the snake goddess wreaks revenge by creating titanic monsters to put down divine insurrection. Tiamat mobilizes 11 weapons of mass destruction including fanged serpents, hell hounds, she monsters, and scorpion men. In the following battle the god Marduk vanquishes Tiamat in a violent act of erotic rage. Tiamat’s defeat has been interpreted by some scholars as a murder-rape narrative. Their logic follows the ancient storyline; Marduk blows a mighty wind bursting Tiamat’s uterus. He pierces her internal viscera up to the heart. Casting her body down, Marduk smashes the goddesses’ serpent skull cleaving the corpse. With half of her dismembered body Marduk creates the heavens, and with the other half he makes the earth. The final act of Marduk forms humankind sounding much like Genesis,
Blood to blood I join,
Blood to bone I form,
an original thing, its name is MAN,
Aboriginal man is mine in making (NWE, 2021).
Egyptian Sexual Health Creation Story
Egyptian supernatural deities attest as early as the Predynastic Period in Egypt circa 6000-3150 BCE. Scholars generally agree oral traditions are much earlier than written (Mark, 2016).
Sexual health themes for Egyptians often orbited adultery and incest. The purpose of marriage fidelity preserved royal blood lines. Punishment for adultery resulted in emasculation or death in some cases (Baber, 1935). Numerous Egyptian deities married biological family members. A few of the incestuous unions were: She and Tefnut; Geb and Nut; Osiris and Isis; Seth and Nephthys. One thread in this work highlights the ancient use of creation stories in the teaching of children about sexuality. A 2010 DNA study of sixteen Egyptian mummies demonstrates that King Tutunkhamen’s parents were biological brother and sister. The researchers believe at least two successive generations may have intermarried contributing to the poor health of King Tutunkhamen with early death (Hawas et al., 2010). These findings may support the idea that the Egyptian sexual health stories contributed to the practice of incest by royals.
Greek Sexual Health Creation Story
The Greek sexual health creation story appears to be the youngest of the Near Eastern origin narratives. The Hellenic god Zeus is mentioned in Biblical literature three times (Acts 14:8-13; Acts 28:11; 2 Maccabees 6:1). Zeus is the sky deity in ancient Greek mythology, represented by lightning bolts and the eagle. Bearded Zeusbiologically fathered half the pantheon of Greek gods and humankind. The earliest manuscript citing Zeus is called the Derveni Theogony. In 1962 in Derveni near Salonica, Greece within funeral pyre remains archeologists discovered a papyrus scroll. Some of the text attributes to Orpheus dating from 340-320 BCE. The text itself may be from as early as 500-400 BCE. The Derveni Theogony is the earliest manuscript containing the Zeus sexual health origin story (Bernabe, 2002). If Zeus were presented as a case study to clinicians, his sexual history might look like this.
The chief complaint of his wife, Hera, was partner infidelity. Zeus groomed Hera’s priestess, Lo, for sex. When Hera stalked her promiscuous husband, Zeus turned Lo into a white cow avoiding Hera’s rage. Hera was no fool she had been gaslighted many times. She intuited the bovine to be Zeus’ lover. When Hera took possession of the paramour, Zeus sent Hermes to rescue Lo from his enraged wife. Hera returned the favor by inflicting a gadfly to chase and torture Lo around the globe without rest.
Zeus impregnated Semele, a lovely mortal princess. When Hera discovered this new sexual betrayal, the enraged partner disguised herself to coerce the princess to believe that the father may not in fact be the lightning god, Zeus. Semele, feeling the threat of a possible deception, asked Zeus to appear in the fullness of his glory proving his divinity. When Zeus appeared, Semele, the mortal, burst into flames at the sight of a deity. He then sewed the fetus, Dionysus, into his thigh until birth.
In Homer’s version, Zeus and Dione produced Aphrodite, the goddess of love. On the island of Cyprus Zeus, overcome by his daughter’s beauty, attempted to rape Aphrodite. She escaped the assault at the expense of the earth mother goddess, Gaia. When Aphrodite pulled out from the violent rape of her father, Zeus’ semen spilled on the earth goddess Gaia who then gave birth to bizarre offspring. Later Aphrodite herself repeats the seduction narrative by having a sexual affair with her own father. As punishment, Hera cursed Aphrodite with hideous mutant offspring.
Zeus coerced Leda the queen of Sparta for sex by disguising himself as a swan. After his seduction success, the queen returned to Sparta to make love to her royal husband, King Tyndareus. Swan seduction produced royal confusion. Leda became pregnant with quadruplets. The Greek sexual health narrative explains that two offspring belonged to Zeus-Pollux and Helen, and the other two children-Castor and Clytemnestra-belonged to Tyndareus.
Zeus coerced his sister, Demeter, for intercourse. After she rebuffed this seduction, Zeus raped Demeter by shape shifting into a bull or a snake depending on the version. The incestuous offspring from this assault produced Persephone. Later, Zeus appearing in the form of a serpent seduced his virgin daughter Persephone. The Titans first murdered then dismembered their incestuous son, Zagreus. Persephone was then forced to marry Zeus’ brother, the underworld god, Hades. After the coerced marriage to his brother, Zeus stalked his daughter once again for sex. Becoming enraged at the incestuous relationship, Demeter threatened to destroy all humankind if Zeus did not return Persephone to her mother.
When Zeus impregnated Leto, a Titan goddess, his enraged partner Hera exiled her, and she wandered the earth searching for a safe place to give birth to her offspring gods, Artemis and Apollo (Putri, 2020).
The ancient Near Eastern sexual health stories reflect coercion, incest, and erotic violence by their deities. The Genesis sexual health positive big picture differs. Sexuality forms one piece of spiritual intimacy with God and humankind reflecting beauty, pleasure, balance, and reconciliation. All deities of the ancient Near East have sexual intercourse with other gods and or humans. The Creator of Genesis desires compassionate connection rather than sexual intercourse with humankind. The spiritual connection of the Creator seems to reflect in the sexual intimacy of humankind rather than deity participating sexually with humans. The ancient Near Eastern narratives feature deities coercing sexual intercourse with humans. The Genesis narrative promotes both the goodness and excellence of human sexuality and at the same time maintains sexually safe boundaries between the Creator and created.
All four sexual health creation accounts describe a snake in chaos. Ancient Near Eastern snake narratives often have sexual overtones of erotic violence and abuse. The Genesis sexual health big picture features a snake as antagonist violating God’s boundaries. Although no sexual component can be overtly seen in the Genesis snake snap shot, the immediate response of the first family is to cover genitalia hiding in shame. TheEnuma Elishsnake appears as Tiamat, the warrior sea goddess. The creation story of Genesis uses the similar sounding Hebrew word TOHUM for the salt waters of chaos over which the Spirit hovers (Genesis 1:2). The Egyptian origin snake, Nehebkau, devoured his parents along with the Hehu chaos deities. Hehu sounds similar to the Hebrew creation terms TOHU and BOHU meaning formless and void. Early Egyptian myths describe the snake as an evil agent guarding the gates of hell and devouring human souls in the afterlife. The Egyptian snake’s incestuous sex partner is Serket, his rage filled biological mother. Zeus shape shifts into a snake for the incestuous seduction of his sister, Demeter, and daughter Persephone (Hendology, 2021).
The Greek sexual health creation story features exile by an enraged marriage partner. Hera excommunicates Lo and Leto because of their sexual relationship with her husband, Zeus. Sarah exiles Hagar for a forced surrogacy. Partner infidelity, revenge, exile, and rage form common themes among the ancient Near Eastern sexual health narratives. Enraged by the incest of her daughter and Zeus, Demeter threatened to destroy all humankind if Zeus did not return Persephone to her mother. Genesis 6-9 too features global extinction for sexual abuse.
The Genesis big picture of sexual health may have been given to counter the threat of erotic violence of the ancient Near East. The Genesis account, not only a sexual health guide for families, may help form boundaries protecting children from sexual abuse specifically incest. The healthy boundaries of Genesis contrast all other ancient narratives promoting sexual intercourse with close family members. The teaching goal appears to be, “the Genesis Creator is sexually safe”. The deities of Mesopotamia violently assaulted one another in bloody dismemberment scenes. The Egyptian pantheon modeled incestuous sexuality producing genetic mutations with high mortality among Egypt’s elite. Zeus the Greek originator relentlessly preyed upon and seduced his own children for sex. The Creator of Genesis does not sexually coerce the created. Genesis is the only ancient literary source framing human sexuality with intimacy terms. The sexual health big picture of Genesis reflects spiritual intimacy with God and humans as beautiful, pleasurable, compassionate in presence, balanced, and reconciliatory.
Noah and the Flood: Pathogenesis or Decline of Sexual Health; Genesis 6-11
After the Genesis 1-5 big picture of sexual health, chapters 6-11 contrast with the pathogenesis or decline to unhealthy sexuality perhaps to prevent child abuse. This too may be a literary device of paradox highlighting the stark contrast of sexual health with sexual assault. The flood account of Noah and his family paints loss of intimacy between God and humankind. Spiritual distance from God parallels decline of sexual health. Genesis 1-5 sets the sexual health-positive big picture and chapters 6-10 detail the pathogenesis to the incestuous sexual assault of Noah’s wife by their biological son, Ham. The Flood snap shot pictured as an unhealthy sexuality teaching piece is new technology and may be counter intuitive for the reader. The teaching learning theory thus far looks like this: Genesis 1-5 teaches children the foundations of sexual health with kind positive images. Genesis 6-11 teaches children about boundaries for sexual health. The decline of sexual health to abuse in chapter 6 shows the impact of loss of intimacy with God. This can be thought of as not only a boundary statement for children warning about coercive sexuality but also may teach children the origin of sin and sexual abuse. Chapters 1-5 teaches foundational principles and chapters 6-11 frame boundaries preventing abuse specifically incest.
Pathogenesis or Decline From Intimacy with God-HLL, Coercive Sexuality
The pathogenesis section or decline of sexual health, begins with the Hebrew word, HLL (Strong’s, H2490). HLL, חָלַל, pronounced ha-LAL, means to profane, defile, pollute, desecrate, to begin, to defile oneself sexually, to wound, to pierce. The majority of uses for the Hebrew word HLL connect to decline of intimacy with God. HLL can mean “to begin”, but the majority use of the word appears as a term of pathogenesis or the decline of intimacy with God. As a term of decline, HLL can mean profaning, defiling, polluting, desecrating, wounding, or unhealthy sexuality. HLL as a word signaling decline of sexual health adds clarity to the flood snap shot of Genesis 6-9. The Biblical Theology section treats all the sexual health uses of HLL in detail.
When human beings began (HLL) to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.” (Genesis 6:1)
The passage does not make coherent sense without the translation of HLL as decline of sexual health. Why would God lament the mortality of humans and exterminate the human race without cause? The reason for global judgement ? The decline to sexual abuse.
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. (Genesis 6:4)
This translation struggles. The term Nephilim, נְּפִלִים, pronounced nu-fil-EEM is the Hebrew word meaning “to fall upon or attack” with alternate meanings of “ to bully” or “tyrant” (Strong’s, H5303). The Greek text uses the word, gigantes, γίγαντες, pronounced GEE-gan-tays. The gigantes were Greek mythological snake-footed giants born of the blood spatter from the castration gore of Uranus, the heaven deity (Mussies, 2021). The most ancient Greek origin stories cite Uranus’ wife Gaia as his incestuous mother. Hesiod states in the Theogony that Gaia the mother-wife of Uranus coerced Cronus to castrate her husband for imprisoning her children. Cronus ambushed the unwary Uranus then violently castrated him throwing the testicles into the sea. Aphrodite emerged from the bloody sea foam (Hesiod Theogony). Perhaps the Hebrew to English translators of Genesis purposely used the back story of the gigantes? Could it be that Uranus’ incestuous relationship with his mother Gaia and the bloody castration add depth to the Nephilim snap shot ending with the incest of Ham and his mother? The term in Genesis 6:4 for sexual intercourse, BO, always means unhealthy sexuality in Genesis. The word, heroes, too is unfortunate and can also mean, “warrior tyrants”. An Arabic equivalent for heroes, جَبَّارً , means one who acts proudly, magnifies himself, or an audacious bold-tyrant (Strong’s, H1368). Men of renown may not have the flattering intention of the author, but rather may mean, “infamously bad reputation.”
The Book of Enoch is a non canonical ancient Near East text dating from 200 BCE to 100 AD which gives helpful insight into this pathogenesis text.
“And it came to pass that the children of men had multiplied in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of heav- en, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: ‘Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children… ’ [They] took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught tyrants… And there arose much godlessness, and they com- mitted fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways” (Enoch, Book 6.1-2).
The NIV translation uses warm words like “going into”, “beautiful women”, “marriage to heroes of renown”. These terms seem to craft a romantic narrative perhaps? Enoch sets the tone for a more accurate translation based on context and language study. Enoch uses the words “lusted”, “defile”, “charms and enchantments” meaning perhaps the use of sorcery, “tyrants”, “godlessness”, “fornication”, and “corrupt”. These unhealthy sexuality descriptors are dramatically different than the NIV’s Hallmark movie rendition.
The following reflects a possible translation based on Hebrew textual analysis and the ancient source of Enoch with the big picture of sexual health in Genesis. The alternate Biblical theological translation appears without italics so the reader can compare the (NIV) text with the proposed translation.
“When (unhealthy sexuality increased, HLL) among human beings on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and married any of them they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spir- it will not (fight) with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years. (Sexual predators coerced, BO) the daughters of humans and impregnated them. They were the (infamous tyrants of history).” (Genesis 6:1-4)
The reader can note that HLL, unhealthy sexuality, of verse one can connect to form an inclusio with verse four, “sexual predators coerced.” This proposed translation not only connects more closely to the Enoch version but seems to make coherent transition to the next section.
The Lord saw how great the (violent abuse, RA, רע) of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only (coercive sexuality, RA, רע) all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. (Genesis 6:5-8)
Sexual Nihilism, Evil
The cause for terminating the human race? Loss of spiritual intimacy leading to sexual nihilism with abuse. This pathogenesis or decline of sexual health snap shot starting in Genesis 6:1-8 forms a fitting inclusio with the assault of Noah’s wife by her son Ham in Genesis 9:21-25. Sexual nihilism underlies the philosophy that sexuality has no values and nothing can be truthfully known or communicated. Nihilism connects with extreme pessimism and radical skepticism condemning existence. True nihilism trusts nothing, possesses neither loyalty nor purpose and anarchy is impulse. Nihilism associates with Friedrich Nietzsche who projected nihilism’s destructive effects would undermine moral, religious, and metaphysical convictions creating the greatest crisis in human history (Nietzsche, 2010). In the 20th and 21st centuries nihilistic value destruction and purposelessness preoccupy politics, arts, and sexual media. By the beginning of the 21st century, existential despair transitioned to indifference, as seen in escalating suicide statistics across all age groups, school shootings without national policy, political insurrection, and multi trillion dollar indebtedness. A sexual nihilist then may have no boundaries, no loyalties, no purpose, and present a “nothing matters” destructive pattern in sexual relationships (Pratt, 2021). Global sexual nihilism with abuse seems to be more just judgement for the flood sequence of Genesis 6-9 than a regretful deity who arbitrarily annihilates humanity on whim.
The word for wickedness and evil, RA, רע in Genesis 6:5 is the same word used in the Genesis creation snap shot of 2:17 (Strong’s, H7451). Evil, RA, in Genesis 2:17 forms the one boundary statement God draws for humankind, “You must not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of God and Evil (RA) for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil according to von Rad (1967) means omniscience, to be like God in knowledge. Perhaps another possible translation may be, “You must not confuse intimacy with coercion, for when you do, you will no longer be free.” What immediately follows this boundary is the coercive temptation of the snake with Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, Cain’s premeditated ambush murder of his brother in Genesis 4, and the sexual assault snap shots of Genesis 6-9. Trace each of these events to the pathogenesis of decline and the reader may see that loss of intimacy with God begins the movement from sexual health to abuse with loss of freedom. The idea of evil in the first 11 chapters of the Genesis sexual health big picture has clear connection to sexual coercion with decline from intimacy with God.
Covenant Intimacy of Relationship, Incest Boundaries
The Noah inclusio snap shot ends in chapters 9 and 10. The ark maker’s family survives the pathogenesis. The text reads,
Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil (RA, רע) from childhood (NAR, נער). And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. “God blessed Noah and his sons saying to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase, and fill the earth.’” (Genesis 8:20)
The Creator reconciles distance with humankind through intimacy of forgiveness mirroring the covering of sexual shame in Genesis 3:21. Sacrificial life once again exchanges for the pain of unhealthy sexuality.
The statement, “even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood” may need clarity. The term childhood is the Hebrew word, NAR, נער, pronounced, NAH-ar (Strong’s, H5271). This word appears 46 times in the Hebrew Old Testament for pubescent adolescents and once for little children in this passage. The usage of NAR may not permit the translation to be “childhood” found only in this verse. Perhaps a more accurate translation could be, “sexually mature young adults” connecting to the introduction with the abuse of the tyrants. This statement “even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood” too forms an inclusio at the opening of chapter 6 with the decline of sexual health. A more contextual translation may be, “even though every inclination of the human heart can be coercive from onset of puberty.”
The repetition of the “be fruitful and increase” phrase of Genesis 8:20 mirrors the first blessing of God in Genesis for humans reconnecting to the big picture of sexual health. The word for covenant or intimate relationship, BRT, appears seven times in chapter 9. Seven is a perfect number in Hebrew numerology and the author may be emphasizing the point for God’s comprehensive compassion toward humans. The Creator once again takes responsibility for the distance of humankind with intimacy of reconciliation.
Immediately after the “be fruitful and increase” sexual health reconciliation snap shot, the story picks up the sexual abuse theme from the introduction of chapter 6. This forms a succinct literary inclusio.
The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the whole earth.
Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their fa- ther’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.
When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, he said,
“Cursed be Canaan!
The lowest of slaves
will he be to his brothers.”
He also said,
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the slave of Shem.
May God extend Japheth’s territory;
may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,
and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”
After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 29 Noah lived a total of 950 years, and then he died. (Genesis 9:18-29)
So, the English translation reads that God eternally cursed Canaan because his father, Ham, saw his naked grandfather, Noah, blacked out from a binge drinking bender. A more accurate version leans on another Hebrew literary device called euphemism. Jewish writers used words carefully, more comfortable speaking of bodily functions in terms of “covering the feet or watering the feet” instead of defecating or urinating. Today incest is a difficult topic not spoken of lightly. So it was with the Biblical writers. In Leviticus 18 laws prohibiting sexual intercourse between family members appear. Each time the word for incest occurs, a Hebrew euphemism softens the conversation perhaps protecting young ears. The words used for incest are “to uncover the nakedness of” beginning with Leviticus 18:6. The literal translation of this Hebrew verse is “Oh man, oh man, do not come near to any of your blood relatives to uncover the nakedness, I am the Lord.”
The prohibitions which follow Leviticus 18:6 address uncovering the nakedness of or genital sexual intercourse with one’s mother, stepmother, sister, grand daughter, half sister, aunt, uncle’s wife, daughter in law, and sister in law. Ham’s sexual assault of his biological mother seems to be a better explanation for the curse against the incestuous offspring, Canaan. The territory belonging to Canaan along with its inhabitants will be a source of pain and conflict for the family of Israel throughout the Old Testament. The negative undertone of the Land of Canaan may connect to the incestuous assault of Ham with his mother.
The Genesis 6-10 pathogenesis snap shot ends with a genealogy of Noah, the ark maker’s family. The Noah snap shot transitions with reconciliation and reconnection to the big picture of sexual health in chapters 1-5. Noah’s family is blessed by God. The Creator repeats the command for human beings to be “fruitful and increase” connecting with the opening passages of Genesis. Genesis 1-5 paints the picture of foundation for sexual health and Genesis 6-11 illustrates boundaries protecting children from abuse. Now humankind has awareness of not only the intimacy of sexual health from Genesis 1-5, but clarity on the pathogenesis or decline to unhealthy sexuality of Genesis 6-11. When humans move away from intimacy with God and one another, sexuality trends toward coercion, violence, and nihilism. When humans engage God intimately, sexual health appears spiritual, beautiful, pleasurable, compassionate, balanced, and reconciliatory.
Introduction
Compassion for children can inspire cultural change. Care for little children fueled Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream that
“…my fourlittle children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers” (NPR, 2010).
Moved by compassion in 1968 MLK gave his life for the freedom of…little children.
MLK’s namesake, Martin Luther, passionately defied abuse with 95 theses. One of Luther’s many 16th century salvos challenged institutional pedophilia. He took exception with clergy assaulting children in pastoral care (Wilson, 2007).The sexual health and safety of little children played a significant role in Martin Luther’s 1517 culture changing insurrection. Christ’s first century reformation also touched sexual health. The entire chapter of Matthew 18 dedicates to elevating the status and protection of little children.
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the king- dom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will nev- er enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people (children) to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!” (Matthew 18:1-6)
Christ’s two millennia rebellion still places safety and sexual health of children at the message center. Jesus, consistent with the Book of Genesis, blessed children with clear protective boundaries guarding both their spiritual and sexual health. In the same way, the first blessings by God in Genesis targeted sexual health for families (Genesis 1:22, 28). Christ’s passion for the safety of children parallels the first 11 chapters of Genesis in what the author calls, the big picture of sexual health for children. Genesis teaches families and children about intimacy with God and human sexuality. Specifically chapters 1-5 mirror positive sexual health and chapters 6-11 reflect decline from intimacy with God resulting in abuse.
Caregivers for nearly four millennia have told sexual health stories incorporated into the Bible to their children and grandchildren about the compassion of God. Bowlby (1969) and Harlow (1960) proved caregiver nurture physically changes the structure of a child’s brain. Young minds shaped for love and kindness assist the child to calm herself. Healthy caregivers sharing stories of God’s compassionate presence alter brain chemicals so he can reason, make meaning of pain, and soothe anxious thoughts.
The parents of history’s revolutionaries connected to the same Bible stories of God’s intimacy with humankind. Jesus’ mother, Mary, and step-father Joseph, nurtured the compassion of Christ with Old Testament stories of a benevolent God liberating oppressed Israel. Known for her ability to communicate spiritual matters with excellent language skills, historians credit Martin Luther’s mother, Margarethe Lindemann, for the reformer’s eloquent speech. MLK’s parents and grandmother, Jennie, told, exciting stories from the Bible giving shape to the non violent rebellion of the 60’s (Oates, 1983). Cultural transformation rarely takes place within political institutions, genesis of social change historically begins within the warm embrace of nurturing caregivers. The result? Culture and history change.
The rebellions of MLK and Martin Luther connect to a bigger picture or what literary artists call a meta narrative. Each reformer found Christ’s compassionate non violent revolution the base for their movements. Specifically, the big picture of sexual health in Genesis has guided caregivers teaching their children about spiritual intimacy and human sexuality for over three thousand years. The Bible mandates that caregivers take primary responsibility to teach children about life and sexuality.
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
(Deuteronomy 6:4-10; 4:9-10; 11:19; Psalm 34:11; 78:5)
The parents and grandparents of history’s rebel leaders seemed to follow this track.
Genesis paints the beautiful picture of graceful symmetry transforming chaos (Genesis 1-2). This cosmological connection between Maker and the created reflects beauty, pleasure, compassionate presence, balance, reconciliation, and sexual health. Genesis declares that both creation and human sexuality are not only good but “extremely good” and without shame in every conceivable way (Genesis 1:31). Christ too moved through the early first century embracing these truths. Jesus, single, celibate, and without sex scandal held sexual health in high regard connecting to the Genesis big picture.
Every Biblical covenant, or God’s intimate connection with humankind, begins with the sexual health-positive phrase, “be fruitful and increase”. Sexual health language and images weave through the entire Bible except the single page documents of Obadiah, and John 2 and 3. All books of the Bible with developed themes convey specific connection to the sexual health-positive big picture of Genesis 1-11. The Bible treats sexual health as foundation for God’s intimacy with humankind.
The big picture of sexual health flows from the omni benevolence of God. Human sexuality is only good, and in fact excellent in every way according to Genesis 1-5.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” God saw all that he had made, and it was very good (excellent in every way). And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. (Genesis 1:28-31)
Christ’s preaching career began with the Beatitudes, the blessing of God for humankind. His first sermon series in Matthew 5-7 threads blessing and sexual health throughout. He blesses those who have survived abuse, forms sexual health boundaries, and directs the early Christian community to live life without spiritual condemnation of others’ sexuality (Matthew 5-7).
Sexuality as evil, dirty, or shameful does not appear in the first two chapters of the Bible. Jesus follows this same pattern by never declaring sexual health sinful or shameful. Sexual shame occurs in Genesis 3 as human perception rather than divine intention. No data indicates reproductive systems changed in form or function in the Fall of humankind. Erotic violence does not appear until chapters 6-11 emerging as loss of intimacy between God and humans. Jesus’ interaction with sexual abuse survivors shows only compassion and hope (John 4; John 7). No contradiction appears in the sexual health positive big picture of Genesis 1-5 throughout the Old Testament, the life of Christ, and the first century church.
Part One of this work features the Genesis big picture of sexual health in chapters 1-11. Intimacy with the Creator and sexual health-positive images frame chapters 1-5. Chapters 6-11 contrast sexual health with the decline of intimacy between God and humankind leading to abuse. One can think of Genesis 1-5 as foundation for teaching sexual health to children and Genesis 6-11 as boundaries to protect children from abuse. Part Two follows the sexual health big picture through the family of Abraham to Joseph. Part Three summarizes the sexual health big picture of Genesis for clergy and counselors in light of Biblical theology, neuroscience and clinical sexology.
The method uses Biblical theology or the “Scripture interpreting Scripture” model for translation of sexual health texts. Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic, Koine Greek and Classical Greek with other Near Eastern languages are useful in defining sexual health vocabulary. In addition to Biblical theology current neuroscience and clinical sexology explain reproductive science and sexual function. All Bible citations come from the The New International Version (NIV). Unless otherwise stated the NIV is the current preferred English translation of the Bible (Rainer, 2021). The Hebrew text reflects the Westminster Leningrad Codex (WLC) and the Greek New Testament bases on the Morphological Greek New Testament (MGNT).
The term “big picture” defines sexual health themes in Genesis chapters 1-5 and 6-11. The author uses the words “snap shot” to discussion smaller stories within the “big picture”. The reader will find this work organizes and highlights all sexual health images with vocabulary as the terms appear. Biblical passages appear in italics. The purpose both honors The Bible and alerts the reader to alternate reflections of the text.
In this post modern era chapter headings, indentation of paragraphs and punctuation organize literature. Ancient texts have neither punctuation nor chapter headings. Biblical authors utilized one of many literary devices called, inclusio to organize their thoughts (Abrahamson, 2018). One can think of the inclusio as the start and stop of a snap shot highlighting a complete thought. Dorsey (1999) in his book, The Literary Structure of the Old Testament, calls the snap shots, “literary units…arranged by a sandwich structure called the inclusio” (Dorsey, pp. 21-26). The inclusio features repetition, identical vocabulary, images, or themes linking a snap shot with “beginning and end markers” rather than punctuation (Dorsey, pp. 21-22) The inclusio appears not well known to the translators who edited the Bible with chapter headings. Therefore, artificial chapter headings crafted by translators may not represent original author intent. This work attempts to identify the inclusio with beginning and end markers to assist the reader with original organization and author intent.
Unmatched global unrest revolves around this work. A worldwide pandemic threatens to annihilate the very old and weak. Politicians, court justices, and clergy stand accused of sexual misconduct on historic scales. Anti facist insurrection, decades of escalating opioid fatalities, and political hatred intensify with shared global trauma. 74% of males and 41% of females within faith communities regularly use pornography for sexuality education. Since the dawn of the internet, the primary instructional model for children has been the porn industry often featuring coercive sex with erotic violence. Research shows that pornography use worldwide increased as much as 25 percent during the isolation of quarantine mandates (Zattoni, 2020). This may mean that children follow the pandemic trend with escalation in exposure to coercive violent sexual content as primary sexual health educator.
This virulent era however, may offer hope. What if the next rebellion ushers not pandemic terror, but dissidents take up arms for children? What if cohorts of caring parents, clergy, and counselors weaponize sexual health for the sake of the small child? What might the next generation become if human sexuality reflects spiritual intimacy with God rather than shame and fear?
This work humbly attempts to usher a quiet revolt of sexual health for caregivers, clergy, and counselors. The rebellion takes up arms of compassionate narratives prayerfully hoping to inoculate sexual health with “content of character” for the sake of little children (Martin Luther King Jr., 1962).
Part One
The Genesis Big Picture of Sexual Health: Chapters 1-11
Sexual health positive education for children begins with Genesis 1-11. The themes found in this “meta narrative” or big picture connect throughout both the Old and New Testaments. Sexuality and its reproductive science reflect the image of God at creation. The organization, intricacy and beauty of sexual health mirror the Author who declares the artwork, most excellent (Genesis 1:31).
Be Fruitful and Increase
The sexual health-positive big picture takes shape in Genesis 1-2. All vocabulary and images paint a positive view of human sexuality. Unhealthy sexuality does not exist within these chapters. The education of children begins with the mandate for earth to “bring forth” (Genesis 1:11). Then, the command directs at all creation with “be fruitful and increase” appearing seven times in the book of Genesis (Genesis 1:22, 28; 8:17; 9:1,7; 17:20; 35:11). Seven often appears as a perfect or complete number in ancient culture reflecting spiritual wholeness. One can see the explanation of Hebrew numbers and specifically “seven” in the Biblical literary device section of Part Three. The sexual health phrase “be fruitful and increase” affirms sexually reproducing animals, the families of Adam and Eve, Noah, and finally the family of Abraham to Joseph. No negative images connect to the “be fruitful and increase” sexual health statements throughout the entire Bible. Every intimate relationship God formed with humans in Genesis begins with this sexual health affirmation. The reader may see connection between spirituality and human sexuality. The blending of spiritual intimacy with physical sexuality forms an ongoing thread through this work.
Within Genesis 1-5 the “be fruitful and increase” sexual health-positive phrase appears twice. Genesis 1:22 reveals the first pronouncement of God in the Bible blessing sexuality of the animal kingdom. The second blessing directs at humans, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” (Genesis 1:28) The first blessing for humankind emerges as a sexual health-positive mandate. No unhealthy sexual images appear in Genesis 1-5 except for the sexual shame humankind experienced in loss of intimacy with God. The hiding of genitalia and distancing from God may foreshadow the loss of intimacy with decline to sexual abuse of Genesis 6-9.
Genesis 2 moves from the sexual health positive images in chapter 1 to specifics of sexual intimacy. Before genital sexual intercourse occurs, the big picture paints broad brush strokes of God connecting to humankind. The Creator sees, talks, and walks with the first family. The attachment of God with creation mirrors spirituality, beauty, pleasure, compassion, balance, sexual health, and reconciliation. Spiritual intimacy with physical sexuality is unique among all ancient literature.
Seven Types of Intimacy with God and Sexual Health
Spiritual intimacy forms a composition of love greater than divine mandates or human emotion. While Creator transforms matter, Spirit hovers over chaos darkness as a mother tenderly nurtures her young (BLB, Genesis 1:2, ,רחף Strong’s, H7363). The Creator “sees” and declares the creation “good” seven times in Genesis 1-2. This use of the number seven may mean completion or wholeness. Spiritual wholeness sets the foundation for sexual health as one piece of intimacy with God and humans. Creator sees humankind and the creation experiences God. Sexual health with spiritual intimacy weave unbroken design throughout.
Intimacy reflects beauty. This world can stun senses with chromatic panoramas, balanced eco systems, and tenacity of reproduction. The Psalmist states in 139:14 that, humankind and the beautiful orb they dwell upon are “fearfully and wonderfully made, your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” The connection of the Maker to the creation reflects graceful allure. Seven times in Genesis 1 the Creator claims the created is good, טוֹב, pronounced TOVE (Strong’s, H2895). The meaning of TOVE spans beautiful, best, better, at ease, fine, glad, gracious, kindness, loving, pleasant, pleasure, precious, and healthy. When the text reads “good”, the meaning captures the richest sense of beauty, pleasure, and health.
Intimacy balances relationship with rest. God blesses six creative snap shots with repose from labor (Genesis 2:3). Scripture treats human anxiety, with the Sabbath rest, or שבת, in Hebrew (Strong’s, H7673). From the sexual health big picture of Genesis, to the Ten Commandments with cessation from labor, through the life of Christ who “rests” the weary, and finally to the New Heavens and Earth snap shots of Revelation, God intends humankind to regulate neurological balance by resting. One theory in this work proposes that intimacy regulates the anxiety of human sexuality, an essential feature of relationships. The reader can find detailed conversation in the Neuroscience and Clinical Sexology section on anxiety reaction for the sexual health of children.
The architecture of intimacy appears pleasurable. The word for “Eden”, עדן, means “pleasure” (Strong’s, H5731, Genesis 2:8). When God speaks to Christ at baptism, the fatherly declaration states, “This is my beloved son, in whom I take pleasure” (Matthew 12:18; 17:5; Mark 1:11; 2 Peter 1:17). Eden mirrors the omni benevolent image of God and is only beautiful and pleasant. The intent seems to be pleasure of connection to both world and one another. Theologians have not always disdained pleasure. The Westminster Shorter Catechism begins with the question, “What is the chief end of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever” (Bible Presbyterian Church Online, 2019). Bessel van der Kolk states that from a neural scientific perspective, no true neurological learning takes place without…pleasure (van der Kolk, 2016). When the Hebrew term TOVE meaning “good” is used with the garden name Eden, does this mean that the world of humankind is extremely good? Perhaps Eden as “pleasure” shapes the understanding of a child that procreation is not the only purpose for human sexuality? Can these snap shots mean that sexual intimacy is extremely good fashioned in the image of God?
Intimacy between God and humankind reflects compassionate presence. The first evil emerges at Genesis 2:18, “It is not good (evil) for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable helper for him.” Merciful God commutes the sentence of isolation with compassionate presence. The words “suitable helper” may need definition for some readers. The word “suitable” describes the helper as one who becomes the object of affection and nurture (Strong’s, H5048, Isaiah 49:16, Jeremiah 49:5). The word helper appears throughout the Old Testament as a name for God (Strongs, H5828). The “suitable helper” phrase may seem demeaning to the casual reader. The original intent perhaps brought humankind out of the first evil, isolation, into compassionate intimacy of relationship. A more accurate translation may be, “I will make a creative nurturing partner for you.” The word, EZER or helper, never minimizes women in the Bible. Intimacy reflects an affectionate presence delivering humankind from the slavery of isolation’s pain.
Intimacy frees the object of love with forgiveness. One boundary separated God and humankind. Creator desired creation to be free. This monolithic boundary prevents pursuit of “being like God” resulting in loss of intimacy with its freedom. Slavery is not the opposite of freedom. A prisoner can transcend barbed wire bonds with the consciousness of compassion. Antithesis of freedom may instead be hardness of heart. Hegel the philosopher believed world history reduces to pursuit of the consciousness of freedom (Heschel, p.191). The Biblical theologian, Abraham Heschel might reflect that Adam and Eve’s fall is more the pursuit of hardening of heart.
“Freedom is not a natural disposition, but God’s precious gift to man. Those in whom viciousness becomes second nature, those in whom brutality is linked with haughtiness forfeit their ability and therefore their right to receive that gift. Hardening of heart is the suspension of freedom. Sin becomes compulsory and self destructive. Guilt and punish- ment become one” (Heschel, p. 191).
Humankind yields under the anxious urge to be like God and falls. Shame then drives the first family to isolate. In this shame state humans make vegan clothing for themselves covering pain hiding from the presence of God. Intimacy suspends.
Creator restores the fallen family, “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). God sacrifices an animal exchanging a life for the pain of sin. The Creator, now tailor, crafts “royal robes” with leather skins to cover shame (Strong’s, H3801). Perhaps this forms an inclusio with the sacrifice of Christ and the covering of shame at Golgotha? The word for “royal robes” appears as the identical term for Joseph’s pricey princely garment of Genesis 37:3. Shame hides by isolating. Intimacy with God restores relationship covering sexual shame. The immediate context following this passage references the first specific act of genital sexual intercourse in the Bible, Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” Later she gave birth to his brother Abel (Genesis 4:1). Eve sees spiritual connection with God stating that the “Lord helped” her conceive and deliver a son. Perhaps this snap shot foreshadows the birth of Christ? Mary, the mother of Jesus, exudes similar enthusiasm in the conception snap shot in what Luke simply calls, Mary’s Song.
Mary’s Song
And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name…He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descen- dants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.” (Luke 2:46-56)
Mary, too was helped to become a mother. Mary like Eve saw the Creator’s presence in the birth of her son who would one day offer to reverse hardness of heart.
The big picture of Genesis 1-5 reflects sexual health as one aspect of relationship with God. This intimacy emerges as spiritual, beautiful, pleasurable, compassionate, balanced, sexually healthy, and reconciling relationships.
Little children learn visually and the images of Genesis speak with pictures. The first sexual health Genesis snap shot paints a kind canvas for children.
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was soGod saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. (Genesis 1:26-31)
Neither negative language nor unhealthy image connect to the design and function of human sexuality in chapters 1-2.
Sexual health education includes the reflection of essential being or image of God. Skilled teachers use repetition to educate children. The Genesis narrator emphasizes the essential being or image terms four times in two verses. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them (Genesis 1:27-28). Immediately following these declarations Genesis introduces the sexual health-positive phrase, “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it’” (Genesis 1:28). These positive images may wire young brains to perceive how human sexuality reflects the goodness of God. The first pictures of sexual health in Genesis feature neither sexual act nor genitalia, but rather the benevolent consciousness of God, the character of Creator for the created. A child may learn from these opening words that sexuality emerges in safe connection with compassionate Creator.
One Flesh, Naked Without Shame, Give Birth To
Genesis 2 again illustrates specifics of intimacy with God and humans.
Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.The man said,“This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh, she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. (Genesis 2:22-25)
Children eventually ask caregivers, “Where do babies come from?” These Genesis sexual health-positive images craft a teaching-learning process based on the essential being of God rather than sexual performance. Before caregivers unpack the explanation of reproductive acts Genesis paints a compassionate picture of human sexuality showing spiritual connection with God, beauty, pleasure, compassion, balance, and reconciliation. Human sexuality seems safe from coercion or violence within these images. Children may begin to build a belief system that sexual health is not only good, but safe.
Two images teaching children about sexual shame form an inclusio in Genesis 1-3. “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.” (Genesis 2:25) In this piece sexual intercourse mirrors spiritual oneness between partners. Human sexuality and the naked body bare no shame. Piaget (1929) calls the development of a child’s brain, the schema. Bowlby (1969) identifies this neurological upgrowth as the attachment system. According to Piaget between the ages of two to seven, a child’s value system shapes according to the nurture of caregivers. Bowlby takes this theory a step further demonstrating that a child’s brain volume physically grows and shapes according to caregiver intimacy. It seems reasonable that a child’s sexuality can form both structure and function on the intimacy of spirituality, beauty, compassion, balance, and healthy relationships. On the other hand can shame and fear also shape the sexual system of the brain in specific ways? If shame and fear shape the schema or attachment system of the brain, then sexuality may trigger fear based responses. Genesis 1-5 may have potential to wire a child’s sexual health schema or attachment system with compassionate boundaries, reason, and social awareness.
Shaping the sexual schema of a child, or attachment system can involve subtle yet neurologically powerful messages. Reproductive science labels the bundle of axons connecting genitalia to the brain the pudendal nerve. This neural pathway receives and sends electrochemical signals to external genitalia, perineum, and the tissue around the anus. The term “pudendal” comes from a late 14th century Latin word, pudendum. This modern medical term means male and female external genitalia. The original literal Latin usage however is, ”the thing to be ashamed of.” Pudendum also has a primitive Indo European meaning, “to punish or repulse.” The Old English version of this word translates as scamlin or “shame limb” (Etymonline, 2021). These messages of shame, punishment, and repulsion may shape the schema and attachment system of children to respond to sexuality with fear.
When caregivers communicate to children that compassion of benevolent Creator formed sexual health, this wiring instantly sprouts new connections in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The PFC governs and regulates the entire biological system. When a child thinks about sexuality, the response based on this PFC wiring can be healthy, compassionate, and regulated. If shame shapes a child’s brain so sexuality is feared, punished for, or repulsed from, then neural connections form from the fear or shame center of the brain. This can mean that if a child believes male genitalia is scamlin, or a shame limb, then she may have a different neurological experience than a child who views anatomy as most excellent creation in the image of omni benevolent God.
The snap shot bringing the sexual shame inclusio to an end pictures the covering of shame (Genesis 3:21). Shameless sexuality appears in Genesis 1:28 beginning the snap shot and 3:21 ends the scene with the covering of shame. The result of humans seeking equality with God is loss of freedom. Reproductive systems with dopamine arousal, adrenaline, and hormone transfer do not appear to change in the Fall. Perception of sexuality shifts. Instead of seeing genitalia as bearing the image of God humans assign fear to body parts. In response, the first family covers genitalia with self made vegan clothing hiding from the presence of God. After awareness of and consequence for their sin, Creator gives humankind gifts of meaning making, pain, labor, and childbirth. Then the climax of the snap shot appears, The Maker tailors leather clothing, majestic royal garments, to replace the vegetable attire. Shame diminishes. Following this immediate context the first mention of genital sexual intercourse in the Bible records. The word used to paint the first sexual intimacy shot is YDA, genital sexual intercourse, the intimate knowing of body, mind, and spirit. The inclusio at 1:28 begins the snap shot with shameless sexuality and the 3:21 inclusio ends the scene with the covering of shame followed by the intimacy of sexual health, YDA.
The Intimacy of Genital Sexual Intercourse
Genesis 4:1 introduces for the first time the sexual health term, genital sexual intercourse, YDA, ידע, pronounced ya-DAH ( Strong’s, H3045). The word YDA, sexual intimacy, appears three times within the big picture of sexual health in Genesis 1-5 (Genesis 4:1,17, 25). Nine times the sexual health use of YDA appears in the Book of Genesis (Genesis 4:1,17, 25; 19:5, 8, 33, 35, 24:16, 38:26). The range of usage includes: sexual intimacy between Adam and Eve of 4:1, 25, Cain’s intercourse with his wife in 4:17; the threat of gang rape of 19:5, the description of virginity 19:8 and 24:16, the incestuous intercourse of Lot’s daughters in 19:33, 35, and as the narrator explains Judah ceased intercourse with his daughter-in-law, Tamar in 38:16.
Heschel (1962) affirms the depth of the term, YDA , as not only the primary Semitic terms for genital sexual intercourse, but also,
“…mental and spiritual activity. In Hebrew YDA means more than the possession of ab- stract concepts. Knowledge encompasses inner appropriation, feeling, a reception into the soul. It involves both an intellectual and emotional act” (Heschel, p. 57).
YDA as the premier Genesis term for genital sexual intercourse carries the spiritual intimacy nuance of sharing inner awareness. YDA more than any other Biblical term connects the physical pleasure of sexuality with the beauty of spirituality. In other words, the neuroscience of sexual health connects genitalia with the executive function of compassion, awareness, reason, and gratitude within the pre frontal cortex. The earliest Biblical iterations of human sexuality merge higher consciousness with genital sexual intercourse.
YDA appears within the sexual health positive big picture of Genesis 1-5 with neither prohibition nor negativity. The Sodom gang rape snap shot of Chapter 19 may be the use of YDA as a literary device called paradox (Giordano, 2017). The Biblical Theology section explains the many uses of literary devices in the Bible. Paradox seems to be a favored tool by literary artists to emphasize deeper meaning. Chapter 19 uses the word, YDA, sexual intercourse four times. The Genesis author may be contrasting the sexual health-positive term, YDA, of chapter 4 with a paradox of unhealthy sexuality. Specifically chapter 19 uses YDA within the threatening assault of gang rapists. YDA, then describes Lot’s daughters intent on incest who dope their father, then sexually assault him on two occasions. So with the use of Biblical literary device, chapter 19 may be communicating a paradox contrasting sexual health of Genesis 4 with sexual abuse. Finally chapter 36 reflects the use of YDA in a sex trade seduction scene of Judah with his daughter-in-law, Tamar. The word, YDA, as a sexual health term is used nine times in Genesis breaking down this way:
- Sexual health: 5 x’s
- Sexual abuse: 4 x’s
Another Biblical inclusio begins Genesis 5. Chapter one paints the image of God in creation. All flows from this benevolent act including sexuality. The entirety of creation reflects only good. Sexual health too is exceptionally good. God blesses healthy sexuality as Creator intimately walks and talks with humanity. In the same way Genesis 5 begins with the image of God in creating humankind. The writer details the record of families. In this piece Enoch walks with God as Adam and Eve walked in the garden. The sexual health big picture syncs chapters 1 with 5 using precise themes and vocabulary bringing this section to conclusion. All images in the big picture of sexual health reflect intimacy with God and humankind. Even though humankind fails and falls, sexual health does not suffer sin’s effect until the pathogenesis or decline of intimacy in Genesis 6. The sexual health context according to Genesis 1-5 is spiritual, beautiful, pleasurable, compassionate, brings balance, and reconciles relationship.
Sexual Health Creation Stories in the Ancient Near East
When the Genesis sexual health creation story emerged, competing creation accounts with sexual health narratives existed. These stories taught the children of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece about the origin of life and human sexuality. The creation stories of the ancient Near East wired the schema or attachment system of children in the same way as the Genesis big picture of sexual health can form neurology of children. The sexual health creation stories of the ancient Near East merged together in approximately the era. The Merneptah Stele or Israel Stele is an ancient Egyptian inscription credited to the Pharaoh Merneptah circa 1213-1203 BCE (Redmount, 1998; Sparks, 1998). The text speaks of Merneptah’s military victories over the people and allies of both Libya and the region of modern day Israel. The stele not only mentions specific geographical locales in Palestine, but the name of Israel appears within the final six lines. It seems reasonable the Genesis big picture of sexual health emerged pre 13th century as an oral tradition.
The princes are prostrate, saying, “Peace!”
Not one is raising his head among the Nine Bows.
Now that Tehenu (Libya) has come to ruin,
Hatti is pacified;
The Canaan has been plundered into every sort of woe:
Ashkeon has been overcome;
Gezer has been captured;
Yano’am is made non-existent.
Israel is laid waste and his seed is not;
Hurru is become a widow because of Egypt (Redmount, 1998; Sparks, 1998).
Mesopotamian Sexual Health Creation Story
The Mesopotamian Enuma Elish appears to be the oldest creation story from approximately 7th century BCE. This sexual health narrative features 1,000 Sumero Akkadian cuneiform lines written on seven clay tablets of 115-117 lines on each. This is the approximate number of lines for the Genesis big picture of sexual health in the Hebrew text. The name, Enuma Elish means, ”When on High,” found in the opening phrase. The account features two creative deities: Apsu the male fresh water god combines fluids with the female sea goddess, Tiamat, to generate creation. Other deities form ensuing chaos. When Tiamat’s husband is murdered, the snake goddess wreaks revenge by creating titanic monsters to put down divine insurrection. Tiamat mobilizes 11 weapons of mass destruction including fanged serpents, hell hounds, she monsters, and scorpion men. In the following battle the god Marduk vanquishes Tiamat in a violent act of erotic rage. Tiamat’s defeat has been interpreted by some scholars as a murder-rape narrative. Their logic follows the ancient storyline; Marduk blows a mighty wind bursting Tiamat’s uterus. He pierces her internal viscera up to the heart. Casting her body down, Marduk smashes the goddesses’ serpent skull cleaving the corpse. With half of her dismembered body Marduk creates the heavens, and with the other half he makes the earth. The final act of Marduk forms humankind sounding much like Genesis,
Blood to blood I join,
Blood to bone I form,
an original thing, its name is MAN,
Aboriginal man is mine in making (NWE, 2021).
Egyptian Sexual Health Creation Story
Egyptian supernatural deities attest as early as the Predynastic Period in Egypt circa 6000-3150 BCE. Scholars generally agree oral traditions are much earlier than written (Mark, 2016).
Sexual health themes for Egyptians often orbited adultery and incest. The purpose of marriage fidelity preserved royal blood lines. Punishment for adultery resulted in emasculation or death in some cases (Baber, 1935). Numerous Egyptian deities married biological family members. A few of the incestuous unions were: She and Tefnut; Geb and Nut; Osiris and Isis; Seth and Nephthys. One thread in this work highlights the ancient use of creation stories in the teaching of children about sexuality. A 2010 DNA study of sixteen Egyptian mummies demonstrates that King Tutunkhamen’s parents were biological brother and sister. The researchers believe at least two successive generations may have intermarried contributing to the poor health of King Tutunkhamen with early death (Hawas et al., 2010). These findings may support the idea that the Egyptian sexual health stories contributed to the practice of incest by royals.
Greek Sexual Health Creation Story
The Greek sexual health creation story appears to be the youngest of the Near Eastern origin narratives. The Hellenic god Zeus is mentioned in Biblical literature three times (Acts 14:8-13; Acts 28:11; 2 Maccabees 6:1). Zeus is the sky deity in ancient Greek mythology, represented by lightning bolts and the eagle. Bearded Zeusbiologically fathered half the pantheon of Greek gods and humankind. The earliest manuscript citing Zeus is called the Derveni Theogony. In 1962 in Derveni near Salonica, Greece within funeral pyre remains archeologists discovered a papyrus scroll. Some of the text attributes to Orpheus dating from 340-320 BCE. The text itself may be from as early as 500-400 BCE. The Derveni Theogony is the earliest manuscript containing the Zeus sexual health origin story (Bernabe, 2002). If Zeus were presented as a case study to clinicians, his sexual history might look like this.
The chief complaint of his wife, Hera, was partner infidelity. Zeus groomed Hera’s priestess, Lo, for sex. When Hera stalked her promiscuous husband, Zeus turned Lo into a white cow avoiding Hera’s rage. Hera was no fool she had been gaslighted many times. She intuited the bovine to be Zeus’ lover. When Hera took possession of the paramour, Zeus sent Hermes to rescue Lo from his enraged wife. Hera returned the favor by inflicting a gadfly to chase and torture Lo around the globe without rest.
Zeus impregnated Semele, a lovely mortal princess. When Hera discovered this new sexual betrayal, the enraged partner disguised herself to coerce the princess to believe that the father may not in fact be the lightning god, Zeus. Semele, feeling the threat of a possible deception, asked Zeus to appear in the fullness of his glory proving his divinity. When Zeus appeared, Semele, the mortal, burst into flames at the sight of a deity. He then sewed the fetus, Dionysus, into his thigh until birth.
In Homer’s version, Zeus and Dione produced Aphrodite, the goddess of love. On the island of Cyprus Zeus, overcome by his daughter’s beauty, attempted to rape Aphrodite. She escaped the assault at the expense of the earth mother goddess, Gaia. When Aphrodite pulled out from the violent rape of her father, Zeus’ semen spilled on the earth goddess Gaia who then gave birth to bizarre offspring. Later Aphrodite herself repeats the seduction narrative by having a sexual affair with her own father. As punishment, Hera cursed Aphrodite with hideous mutant offspring.
Zeus coerced Leda the queen of Sparta for sex by disguising himself as a swan. After his seduction success, the queen returned to Sparta to make love to her royal husband, King Tyndareus. Swan seduction produced royal confusion. Leda became pregnant with quadruplets. The Greek sexual health narrative explains that two offspring belonged to Zeus-Pollux and Helen, and the other two children-Castor and Clytemnestra-belonged to Tyndareus.
Zeus coerced his sister, Demeter, for intercourse. After she rebuffed this seduction, Zeus raped Demeter by shape shifting into a bull or a snake depending on the version. The incestuous offspring from this assault produced Persephone. Later, Zeus appearing in the form of a serpent seduced his virgin daughter Persephone. The Titans first murdered then dismembered their incestuous son, Zagreus. Persephone was then forced to marry Zeus’ brother, the underworld god, Hades. After the coerced marriage to his brother, Zeus stalked his daughter once again for sex. Becoming enraged at the incestuous relationship, Demeter threatened to destroy all humankind if Zeus did not return Persephone to her mother.
When Zeus impregnated Leto, a Titan goddess, his enraged partner Hera exiled her, and she wandered the earth searching for a safe place to give birth to her offspring gods, Artemis and Apollo (Putri, 2020).
The ancient Near Eastern sexual health stories reflect coercion, incest, and erotic violence by their deities. The Genesis sexual health positive big picture differs. Sexuality forms one piece of spiritual intimacy with God and humankind reflecting beauty, pleasure, balance, and reconciliation. All deities of the ancient Near East have sexual intercourse with other gods and or humans. The Creator of Genesis desires compassionate connection rather than sexual intercourse with humankind. The spiritual connection of the Creator seems to reflect in the sexual intimacy of humankind rather than deity participating sexually with humans. The ancient Near Eastern narratives feature deities coercing sexual intercourse with humans. The Genesis narrative promotes both the goodness and excellence of human sexuality and at the same time maintains sexually safe boundaries between the Creator and created.
All four sexual health creation accounts describe a snake in chaos. Ancient Near Eastern snake narratives often have sexual overtones of erotic violence and abuse. The Genesis sexual health big picture features a snake as antagonist violating God’s boundaries. Although no sexual component can be overtly seen in the Genesis snake snap shot, the immediate response of the first family is to cover genitalia hiding in shame. TheEnuma Elishsnake appears as Tiamat, the warrior sea goddess. The creation story of Genesis uses the similar sounding Hebrew word TOHUM for the salt waters of chaos over which the Spirit hovers (Genesis 1:2). The Egyptian origin snake, Nehebkau, devoured his parents along with the Hehu chaos deities. Hehu sounds similar to the Hebrew creation terms TOHU and BOHU meaning formless and void. Early Egyptian myths describe the snake as an evil agent guarding the gates of hell and devouring human souls in the afterlife. The Egyptian snake’s incestuous sex partner is Serket, his rage filled biological mother. Zeus shape shifts into a snake for the incestuous seduction of his sister, Demeter, and daughter Persephone (Hendology, 2021).
The Greek sexual health creation story features exile by an enraged marriage partner. Hera excommunicates Lo and Leto because of their sexual relationship with her husband, Zeus. Sarah exiles Hagar for a forced surrogacy. Partner infidelity, revenge, exile, and rage form common themes among the ancient Near Eastern sexual health narratives. Enraged by the incest of her daughter and Zeus, Demeter threatened to destroy all humankind if Zeus did not return Persephone to her mother. Genesis 6-9 too features global extinction for sexual abuse.
The Genesis big picture of sexual health may have been given to counter the threat of erotic violence of the ancient Near East. The Genesis account, not only a sexual health guide for families, may help form boundaries protecting children from sexual abuse specifically incest. The healthy boundaries of Genesis contrast all other ancient narratives promoting sexual intercourse with close family members. The teaching goal appears to be, “the Genesis Creator is sexually safe”. The deities of Mesopotamia violently assaulted one another in bloody dismemberment scenes. The Egyptian pantheon modeled incestuous sexuality producing genetic mutations with high mortality among Egypt’s elite. Zeus the Greek originator relentlessly preyed upon and seduced his own children for sex. The Creator of Genesis does not sexually coerce the created. Genesis is the only ancient literary source framing human sexuality with intimacy terms. The sexual health big picture of Genesis reflects spiritual intimacy with God and humans as beautiful, pleasurable, compassionate in presence, balanced, and reconciliatory.
Noah and the Flood: Pathogenesis or Decline of Sexual Health; Genesis 6-11
After the Genesis 1-5 big picture of sexual health, chapters 6-11 contrast with the pathogenesis or decline to unhealthy sexuality perhaps to prevent child abuse. This too may be a literary device of paradox highlighting the stark contrast of sexual health with sexual assault. The flood account of Noah and his family paints loss of intimacy between God and humankind. Spiritual distance from God parallels decline of sexual health. Genesis 1-5 sets the sexual health-positive big picture and chapters 6-10 detail the pathogenesis to the incestuous sexual assault of Noah’s wife by their biological son, Ham. The Flood snap shot pictured as an unhealthy sexuality teaching piece is new technology and may be counter intuitive for the reader. The teaching learning theory thus far looks like this: Genesis 1-5 teaches children the foundations of sexual health with kind positive images. Genesis 6-11 teaches children about boundaries for sexual health. The decline of sexual health to abuse in chapter 6 shows the impact of loss of intimacy with God. This can be thought of as not only a boundary statement for children warning about coercive sexuality but also may teach children the origin of sin and sexual abuse. Chapters 1-5 teaches foundational principles and chapters 6-11 frame boundaries preventing abuse specifically incest.
Pathogenesis or Decline From Intimacy with God-HLL, Coercive Sexuality
The pathogenesis section or decline of sexual health, begins with the Hebrew word, HLL (Strong’s, H2490). HLL, חָלַל, pronounced ha-LAL, means to profane, defile, pollute, desecrate, to begin, to defile oneself sexually, to wound, to pierce. The majority of uses for the Hebrew word HLL connect to decline of intimacy with God. HLL can mean “to begin”, but the majority use of the word appears as a term of pathogenesis or the decline of intimacy with God. As a term of decline, HLL can mean profaning, defiling, polluting, desecrating, wounding, or unhealthy sexuality. HLL as a word signaling decline of sexual health adds clarity to the flood snap shot of Genesis 6-9. The Biblical Theology section treats all the sexual health uses of HLL in detail.
When human beings began (HLL) to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.” (Genesis 6:1)
The passage does not make coherent sense without the translation of HLL as decline of sexual health. Why would God lament the mortality of humans and exterminate the human race without cause? The reason for global judgement ? The decline to sexual abuse.
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. (Genesis 6:4)
This translation struggles. The term Nephilim, נְּפִלִים, pronounced nu-fil-EEM is the Hebrew word meaning “to fall upon or attack” with alternate meanings of “ to bully” or “tyrant” (Strong’s, H5303). The Greek text uses the word, gigantes, γίγαντες, pronounced GEE-gan-tays. The gigantes were Greek mythological snake-footed giants born of the blood spatter from the castration gore of Uranus, the heaven deity (Mussies, 2021). The most ancient Greek origin stories cite Uranus’ wife Gaia as his incestuous mother. Hesiod states in the Theogony that Gaia the mother-wife of Uranus coerced Cronus to castrate her husband for imprisoning her children. Cronus ambushed the unwary Uranus then violently castrated him throwing the testicles into the sea. Aphrodite emerged from the bloody sea foam (Hesiod Theogony). Perhaps the Hebrew to English translators of Genesis purposely used the back story of the gigantes? Could it be that Uranus’ incestuous relationship with his mother Gaia and the bloody castration add depth to the Nephilim snap shot ending with the incest of Ham and his mother? The term in Genesis 6:4 for sexual intercourse, BO, always means unhealthy sexuality in Genesis. The word, heroes, too is unfortunate and can also mean, “warrior tyrants”. An Arabic equivalent for heroes, جَبَّارً , means one who acts proudly, magnifies himself, or an audacious bold-tyrant (Strong’s, H1368). Men of renown may not have the flattering intention of the author, but rather may mean, “infamously bad reputation.”
The Book of Enoch is a non canonical ancient Near East text dating from 200 BCE to 100 AD which gives helpful insight into this pathogenesis text.
“And it came to pass that the children of men had multiplied in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of heav- en, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: ‘Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children… ’ [They] took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught tyrants… And there arose much godlessness, and they com- mitted fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways” (Enoch, Book 6.1-2).
The NIV translation uses warm words like “going into”, “beautiful women”, “marriage to heroes of renown”. These terms seem to craft a romantic narrative perhaps? Enoch sets the tone for a more accurate translation based on context and language study. Enoch uses the words “lusted”, “defile”, “charms and enchantments” meaning perhaps the use of sorcery, “tyrants”, “godlessness”, “fornication”, and “corrupt”. These unhealthy sexuality descriptors are dramatically different than the NIV’s Hallmark movie rendition.
The following reflects a possible translation based on Hebrew textual analysis and the ancient source of Enoch with the big picture of sexual health in Genesis. The alternate Biblical theological translation appears without italics so the reader can compare the (NIV) text with the proposed translation.
“When (unhealthy sexuality increased, HLL) among human beings on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and married any of them they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spir- it will not (fight) with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years. (Sexual predators coerced, BO) the daughters of humans and impregnated them. They were the (infamous tyrants of history).” (Genesis 6:1-4)
The reader can note that HLL, unhealthy sexuality, of verse one can connect to form an inclusio with verse four, “sexual predators coerced.” This proposed translation not only connects more closely to the Enoch version but seems to make coherent transition to the next section.
The Lord saw how great the (violent abuse, RA, רע) of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only (coercive sexuality, RA, רע) all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. (Genesis 6:5-8)
Sexual Nihilism, Evil
The cause for terminating the human race? Loss of spiritual intimacy leading to sexual nihilism with abuse. This pathogenesis or decline of sexual health snap shot starting in Genesis 6:1-8 forms a fitting inclusio with the assault of Noah’s wife by her son Ham in Genesis 9:21-25. Sexual nihilism underlies the philosophy that sexuality has no values and nothing can be truthfully known or communicated. Nihilism connects with extreme pessimism and radical skepticism condemning existence. True nihilism trusts nothing, possesses neither loyalty nor purpose and anarchy is impulse. Nihilism associates with Friedrich Nietzsche who projected nihilism’s destructive effects would undermine moral, religious, and metaphysical convictions creating the greatest crisis in human history (Nietzsche, 2010). In the 20th and 21st centuries nihilistic value destruction and purposelessness preoccupy politics, arts, and sexual media. By the beginning of the 21st century, existential despair transitioned to indifference, as seen in escalating suicide statistics across all age groups, school shootings without national policy, political insurrection, and multi trillion dollar indebtedness. A sexual nihilist then may have no boundaries, no loyalties, no purpose, and present a “nothing matters” destructive pattern in sexual relationships (Pratt, 2021). Global sexual nihilism with abuse seems to be more just judgement for the flood sequence of Genesis 6-9 than a regretful deity who arbitrarily annihilates humanity on whim.
The word for wickedness and evil, RA, רע in Genesis 6:5 is the same word used in the Genesis creation snap shot of 2:17 (Strong’s, H7451). Evil, RA, in Genesis 2:17 forms the one boundary statement God draws for humankind, “You must not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of God and Evil (RA) for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil according to von Rad (1967) means omniscience, to be like God in knowledge. Perhaps another possible translation may be, “You must not confuse intimacy with coercion, for when you do, you will no longer be free.” What immediately follows this boundary is the coercive temptation of the snake with Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, Cain’s premeditated ambush murder of his brother in Genesis 4, and the sexual assault snap shots of Genesis 6-9. Trace each of these events to the pathogenesis of decline and the reader may see that loss of intimacy with God begins the movement from sexual health to abuse with loss of freedom. The idea of evil in the first 11 chapters of the Genesis sexual health big picture has clear connection to sexual coercion with decline from intimacy with God.
Covenant Intimacy of Relationship, Incest Boundaries
The Noah inclusio snap shot ends in chapters 9 and 10. The ark maker’s family survives the pathogenesis. The text reads,
Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil (RA, רע) from childhood (NAR, נער). And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. “God blessed Noah and his sons saying to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase, and fill the earth.’” (Genesis 8:20)
The Creator reconciles distance with humankind through intimacy of forgiveness mirroring the covering of sexual shame in Genesis 3:21. Sacrificial life once again exchanges for the pain of unhealthy sexuality.
The statement, “even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood” may need clarity. The term childhood is the Hebrew word, NAR, נער, pronounced, NAH-ar (Strong’s, H5271). This word appears 46 times in the Hebrew Old Testament for pubescent adolescents and once for little children in this passage. The usage of NAR may not permit the translation to be “childhood” found only in this verse. Perhaps a more accurate translation could be, “sexually mature young adults” connecting to the introduction with the abuse of the tyrants. This statement “even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood” too forms an inclusio at the opening of chapter 6 with the decline of sexual health. A more contextual translation may be, “even though every inclination of the human heart can be coercive from onset of puberty.”
The repetition of the “be fruitful and increase” phrase of Genesis 8:20 mirrors the first blessing of God in Genesis for humans reconnecting to the big picture of sexual health. The word for covenant or intimate relationship, BRT, appears seven times in chapter 9. Seven is a perfect number in Hebrew numerology and the author may be emphasizing the point for God’s comprehensive compassion toward humans. The Creator once again takes responsibility for the distance of humankind with intimacy of reconciliation.
Immediately after the “be fruitful and increase” sexual health reconciliation snap shot, the story picks up the sexual abuse theme from the introduction of chapter 6. This forms a succinct literary inclusio.
The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the whole earth.
Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their fa- ther’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.
When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, he said,
“Cursed be Canaan!
The lowest of slaves
will he be to his brothers.”
He also said,
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the slave of Shem.
May God extend Japheth’s territory;
may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,
and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”
After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 29 Noah lived a total of 950 years, and then he died. (Genesis 9:18-29)
So, the English translation reads that God eternally cursed Canaan because his father, Ham, saw his naked grandfather, Noah, blacked out from a binge drinking bender. A more accurate version leans on another Hebrew literary device called euphemism. Jewish writers used words carefully, more comfortable speaking of bodily functions in terms of “covering the feet or watering the feet” instead of defecating or urinating. Today incest is a difficult topic not spoken of lightly. So it was with the Biblical writers. In Leviticus 18 laws prohibiting sexual intercourse between family members appear. Each time the word for incest occurs, a Hebrew euphemism softens the conversation perhaps protecting young ears. The words used for incest are “to uncover the nakedness of” beginning with Leviticus 18:6. The literal translation of this Hebrew verse is “Oh man, oh man, do not come near to any of your blood relatives to uncover the nakedness, I am the Lord.”
The prohibitions which follow Leviticus 18:6 address uncovering the nakedness of or genital sexual intercourse with one’s mother, stepmother, sister, grand daughter, half sister, aunt, uncle’s wife, daughter in law, and sister in law. Ham’s sexual assault of his biological mother seems to be a better explanation for the curse against the incestuous offspring, Canaan. The territory belonging to Canaan along with its inhabitants will be a source of pain and conflict for the family of Israel throughout the Old Testament. The negative undertone of the Land of Canaan may connect to the incestuous assault of Ham with his mother.
The Genesis 6-10 pathogenesis snap shot ends with a genealogy of Noah, the ark maker’s family. The Noah snap shot transitions with reconciliation and reconnection to the big picture of sexual health in chapters 1-5. Noah’s family is blessed by God. The Creator repeats the command for human beings to be “fruitful and increase” connecting with the opening passages of Genesis. Genesis 1-5 paints the picture of foundation for sexual health and Genesis 6-11 illustrates boundaries protecting children from abuse. Now humankind has awareness of not only the intimacy of sexual health from Genesis 1-5, but clarity on the pathogenesis or decline to unhealthy sexuality of Genesis 6-11. When humans move away from intimacy with God and one another, sexuality trends toward coercion, violence, and nihilism. When humans engage God intimately, sexual health appears spiritual, beautiful, pleasurable, compassionate, balanced, and reconciliatory.
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