Yeshua in the Torah: Genesis 2:4
Overview of the Toldoth, the Book of Life and Messianic Fullness
by Ed Nelson
We uncovered many Messianic patterns in Genesis (Bereishit) 1:1 through 2:3. Now we look at Genesis 2:4 and the profound implications this single verse of Scripture directs forward to the revelation of the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus). The text reads: “These are [the] generations [toldoth] of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and [the] heavens.”
In Hebrew the text has eleven words as shown below:
‘elleh toldoth hashamayim veharetz behibbaram beyom ‘asoth YHVH Elohim ‘eretz hashamayim
Introduction of a new word—toldoth. The verse introduces a new, profound Hebrew word to the Bible for understanding the biblical revelation of the Messiah, namely the word toldoth. It is the second word in the Scripture text above. Written as a feminine plural noun, as we shall see, this single word provides a framework for understanding all of Genesis (Bereishit), unfolding each new narrative section throughout the book. Moreover, the word toldoth continues to serve to mark the beginning of new narrative watersheds that unfold the progressive revelation of the Messiah throughout the Torah, Prophets and Writings, and the New Covenant (New Testament).
What does the word toldoth mean? In short, it means “generations.” Sometimes it is rendered as “account of,” or “record of,” referring to a family record. In Genesis (Bereishit) and throughout all Scriptures it is the headline word signaling a new watershed of biographical, genealogical and historical narrative.
The word toldoth comes from the root verb yalad meaning “to bear,” “bring forth” or “beget.” It introduces a new generation and its family account. In Hebrew the word for “boy” is yeled, for “girl” is yaldath, and for “childhood,” or “youth,” it is yaldoth. The word toldoth is quite similar and simply means “generations,” or “the genealogy of.”
The word toldoth highlights new beginnings.In the Bible, the word toldoth is used in a limited way. While sparsely used, it is prominent each time we find it. Each occurrence is significant to the revelation of God in his dealings with mankind. When the word toldoth appears in the Bible, we should pay close attention to the progressive shift it makes to move the narrative forward from one passing era to another as it moves the Scriptures forward towards the Messiah. With each new occurrence of the word, a new account of God’s revelation in history occurs.
As we shall see, this word not only gives a framework for outlining Genesis (Bereishit), it forms a framework for the entire Bible to reveal the Messiah in flesh at his first coming. With each successive toldoth, or account of the next generations of children, the drama of salvation unfolds toward the Messiah and his new generation.
What we quickly understand, then, is that with the introduction of the word toldoth in Genesis 2:4, we are given a genealogical account of a new generation. A major transitional statement is made to move the biblical narrative from past statements to the next narrative and generations of God’s dealings with mankind
Genesis 2:4 is a chiasm. In this text is a literary device used in Hebrew narrative called a chiasm. What is a chiasm? It is a series of forward moving statements towards a double center of two parallel statements that reverse after the double center in reverse symmetry, either in parallel or antithetical statements. Review the text again to see this chiastic symmetry: “These are the generations [toldoth] of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and [the] heavens.”
In our text, the chiasm is expressed in short phrases of reverse symmetry:
These are [the] generations [toldoth]
A of the heavens
B and the earth
C when they were created [by the LORD (implied)]
C’ in the day that the LORD God made
B’ the earth
A’ and [the] heavens
You readily see the parallels of A to A’, B to B’ and C to C’ (the double center statements).
The Name YHVH. Note also that this is the first time God’s name “Yahweh” (Yod-He-Vav-He) appears in the Bible. His name Yahweh reveals his personal relational of mercy and forbearance for us. Also, his name is as a statement of his eternity. The name is a shortened form of the longer statement, “He was, He is, and He will be.”
Progeny of heavens and earth? You may ask, how do the heavens and the earth produce a new “generation”? After all, can the heavens and earth bear children? At first thought this may seem difficult to understand. Under the scrutiny of study, however, we discover that all other occurrences of the word toldoth in the Bible clearly refer to the account of a prominent person and his posterity, or offspring. Back, then, to our question: how can the heavens and earth bear children?
The answer to this question lies in understanding that with God’s creating the heavens and the earth, man (Adam) came forth at the end of creation on the sixth day as the crown of creation. Man (Adam) was God’s goal in his wondrous acts of creation. Further, man was to reproduce children to fill the earth with them (cf. Genesis 1:28). He was blessed for this purpose. So the meaning behind the word toldoth, or “generations” of the heavens and the earth embraces this clear truth. Man (Adam), male and female, is meant to reproduce throughout succeeding generations. This begins to happen with man after Genesis 2:4. Our text simply records the initiation of the process of the first few generations with many more to come.
The account of the heavens and earth, therefore, is the story of the climactic act of creation, the making of “the first man” (Adam haRishon) from the dust of the earth as the crown of creation. He is considered the offspring of God’s creating the heavens and the earth, the climax and highest achievement of creation. Genesis 2:7, three verses later, further confirms this view:
Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life [nishmat chayim],
and man became a living being [nephesh haya].
The first occurrence of the word toldoth in the Bible marks the “generations of heaven and earth,” namely the creation and introduction of Adam in the world, beginning in the Garden of Eden.
A tragic beginning of human generations (toldoth). Genesis 2:4 signals the beginning of the account, or genealogy, of the human race From chapters two through four we read of the genealogy of Adam, husband and wife and their wicked offspring. Adam and Eve bore the infamous firstborn son named Cain who was the first murderer. He killed his brother Abel, thus depriving him of marriage and children. Cain, ever in rebellion against God and his parents, did bear children. Thus, the saga of the first watershed genealogy in the Bible is the tragic story of the first man (Adam), husband and wife, and their ruthless, wicked firstborn son who reproduced similar wicked progeny bent on evil.
With this disappointing start of the human family and its continued implications for the human race throughout time, we need a Savior to save us from ourselves, to deliver us once and for all time from our blunders, broken relationships and tragic destinies.
The human family has vastly multiplied throughout history from one common beginning to more than six billion, but the sinful, destructive urge within human nature persists. We produce our own offspring who are not only like us, but are like our ancestors. They still act like children of Adam subject to the frailties and heartaches of human life as victims and victimizers.
Meanwhile, we do our best to prop up our humanity to modify our attitudes and behavior patterns with all kinds of self-help ventures from education to counseling to medical support. Alas, we fail to conquer and transform within the human race the tendencies and urges towards destructive behavior, including self-destruction. Yes, we do need a Savior. God must somehow reach us in a way that dramatically alters our attitudes, behavior and destiny, or we are all lost.
True, “life goes on” in spite of the suffering of death. But life goes on miserably and sorrowfully without a Savior to save us from our sinfulness, from ourselves and our bent towards destruction.
Yet good news for the human race is embraced in the forward movement through the Bible of the word toldoth, or “generations,” in spite of its tragic beginning. God is not finished with us yet. He makes things new, offers new beginnings, including a new humanity, something He initiated in the Lord and Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) of Nazareth and will bring to fullness with “new heavens and a new earth.” The apostle (shaliach) Peter wrote about this in 2 Peter 3:2, 7 and 13:
I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy
prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior
through your apostles… By the same word the present heavens
and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of
judgment and destruction of ungodly men… But in keeping
with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and
a new earth, the home of righteousness.
Review of the usages of the word toldoth in the Bible. Hope has come for all human beings through saving faith in the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus). The unfolding usages of the word toldoth in the Bible, beginning with Genesis 2:4, record the process. In this light, let’s review all the usages of the word toldoth, meaning “generations,” or “genealogical accounts,” throughout the whole Bible in order of occurrence.
1. As mentioned, we first find the word toldoth in Genesis 2:4. “This is the generations of [toldoth] the heavens and the earth when they were created.” As noted, this first generation refers to the crowning achievement of God’s creation, the making of the first man (Adam haRishon), including his wife. It traces the story of their progeny, notably through Cain, their firstborn son, and his offspring. These wicked children of Adam and Eve were not only the first generation of humankind, but also the first civilization.
2. The second time the word toldoth appears in the Bible is in Genesis 5:1. The text reads as follows: “This is the book [sefer – scroll] of the generations of [toldoth] Adam.”
A significant difference occurs in the wording of this statement from the first occurrence of toldoth in Genesis 2:4. We are introduced for the first time in the Bible to the word “scroll,” or “book,” i.e., the Hebrew word sefer. The text says that this is not just an ordinary toldoth, or genealogical account, it is “the book [or scroll] of the toldoth of Adam.” Writing takes place, not in notes, but in a book that names the children of Adam.
In the first usage of the word toldoth no mention is made of a book, or scroll. Here in Genesis 5:1 we learn of the existence of a book of Adam’s life and lineage. We may title it Adam’s Book of Life, or Moses’ Book of Life since tradition teaches that Moses wrote the Torah. Or we may even call it God’s Book of Life since Moses distinguishes himself from the authorship of “the book of life,” considering his name to be only an entry in it. We see this when he prayed regarding the idolatry of Israel in worshiping the golden calf:
Then Moses returned to the LORD, and said, “Alas, this
people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god
of gold for themselves. But now, if you will, forgive their
sin—and if not, please blot me out from your book which
you have written!”
The LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I
will blot him out of my book. But go now, lead the people
where I told you. Behold, my angel shall go before you;
nevertheless in the day when I punish, I will punish them
for their sin.”
Moses attributes the Book of Life he refers to as God’s book of life. Is it the same book of life of Adam’s genealogy (toldoth)?
This book, or scroll of life, is interesting to analyze. As you read the listing of names in Adam’s genealogy book, you find listed his son Seth and his descendants to Noah and his three sons. Yet high selectivity is done as to whose names are entered in this book of life. Observe that Seth is prominent as the only belonging son of Adam mentioned in the “Book of Toldoth.” Missing is the name of Adam’s firstborn son Cain, his murdered son Abel and Cain’s wicked descendants. Though they may have lived long lives, except for Abel, they don’t make Adam’s book of the living. Their names are omitted, erased, or cut off from Adam’s family line. Only the second born generation is listed.
The fact that only the second born generation is listed, the lineage of Seth, helps us get the underlying theme of the Bible regarding second born generations and, particularly, Yeshua’s teaching on being second born. Only the second born of Adam may have their names listed in his Book of Life. The comparison to God’s Book of Life is easy. Only the second born—those born of the Holy Spirit—may be entered in it.
The Book of Life is important to the people of God in the Bible. Besides Adam, the second born generations of Seth, and Moses who are already regarded to have their names in the Book of Life, we find reference to it as well in the Psalms. Concerning his adversaries bent on destroying him, King David prayed in Psalm 69:28:
May they be blotted out of the book of life,
and may they not be recorded with the righteous.
In the New Testament in Philippians 4:3, the apostle (shaliach) Paul wrote:
Indeed, true yokefellows, I ask you also to help these
women who have shared my struggle in the gospel, together
with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers,
whose names are in the book of life.
In Revelation 3:5, the Lord Yeshua (Jesus) says to the angel, i.e., the leader of the church in Sardis:
He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments.
And I will not erase his name from the book of life.
And I will confess his name before my Father
and before his angels.
In the end days, great wrath will be poured out on the earth in judgment. Revelation 13:8 records these days of awe to come when the Antichrist is revealed:
And all who dwell on the earth will worship him whose
name has not been written from the foundation of the world
in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.
In this statement, we get an understanding as to who owns the book with the registry of names of the righteous. It is the Lamb’s Book of Life.
In Revelation 20:12 and 15 we further understand this book as listing the righteous in Messiah:
And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing
before the throne, and books were opened; and another
book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead
were judged from the things which were written in the
books, according to their deeds… And if anyone's name
was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown
into the lake of fire.
Are there two books of life? Is one called Adam’s Book of Life and the other the Lamb’s Book of Life?
Adam’s Book of Life was a written toldoth, or generational account of the righteous, second born of the first Adam. It was intended to record the name of his righteous son Seth who came “in the last days” of Adam’s bearing children. If it is not the Lamb’s Book of Life, it is the pattern for it.
We do not have to stretch far to see a Messianic pattern in Adam’s Book of Life of his second born generations beginning with Seth. God the Father sent his Son Yeshua (Jesus) in the last days of raising up sons (cf. Matthew 3:9) to raise up a second-born generation, born not of flesh or the will of man but born of the Spirit of God (cf. John 1:12-13; 3:1-8). For sure, this second born generation born of the Holy Spirit of God is the generation recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
The names of the second-born of God are listed in the Lamb’s Book of Life (cf. Revelation 13:8; 21:27). Interestingly, the Lamb of God is also known as the Second Adam. The Lamb’s Book of Life is the Second Adam’s Book of Life.
3. The third time the word toldoth appears in the Bible is in Genesis 6:9: “These are the generations of (toldoth) Noah.” Note that any reference to the Hebrew word sefer for “book” or “scroll” is missing in this sentence. No longer are we looking at Adam’s Book of Life of his second born, for it seems to have ended when the flood came as God’s judgment upon the first world of Adam.
If Adam’s Book of Life is missing, where is it? Is it replaced? The last recorded names in Adam’s Book of Life are Noah and his three sons—Shem, Ham and Japheth. This last family survived the judgment of God upon the earth by being kept safe in an ark riding upon the great flood. Their generations, however, are not listed as being in the book of life.
Note that the firstborn son of Adam and his descendants are not mentioned in Adam’s Book of Life. Now note that the firstborn generations of the sons of Noah after the flood are not listed in a book of life. You get the view that firstborn sons are not the ones mentioned in any book of life. They must be second born to be entered.
4. The fourth appearance of the word toldoth is in Genesis 10:1: “These are the generations (toldoth) of Shem, Ham and Japheth, Noah’s sons, who themselves had sons after the flood.” Again, the word for “book” [sefer] is missing from this account. Their family account is not a “book,” or scroll of the second born generation. Instead, these are the firstborn of a new world age. We are beginning to see that where the firstborn are listed the genealogical account is not contained in a “book” [sefer].
5. The fifth appearance of the word toldoth is in Genesis 11:10: “These are the generations (toldoth) of Shem.” Again, no “book” [sefer] is mentioned in this account either. So far the word for “book” [sefer] in conjunction with toldoth has occurred only once—the “book” (sefer) of Adam in Genesis 5:1 of his second born generation. It will remain this way throughout the rest of the Tanakh (Old Testament).
6. The sixth appearance of the word toldoth is in Genesis 11:27: “These are the generations (toldoth) of Terah.” Terah is the father of Abraham who, tradition says, was a pagan worshiper, even a god-maker. Were you expecting the account to begin with Abraham? Shouldn’t it begin with Abraham? After all, he is the Patriarch of Patriarchs, the father of the people of God and the nations. But it doesn’t. We should ask why.
7. The seventh time toldoth appears is in Genesis 25:12: “These are the generations (toldoth) of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s maidservant, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham.”
8. The eighth toldoth is found in Genesis 25:19: “These are the generations (toldoth) of Abraham’s son Isaac.”
9. The ninth toldoth is located in Genesis 36:1: “These are the generations (toldoth) of Esau (that is, Edom).”
10. The tenth toldoth is in Genesis 36:9: “These are the generations (toldoth) of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir.”
11. The eleventh toldoth is in Genesis 37:2: “These are the generations (toldoth) of Jacob.” This is the last usage of the word in Genesis. It does not appear in the Torah again until the book of Numbers. We should note that these eleven divisions in the book of Genesis is the natural literary division of the book. With the introductory section of 1:1-2:3 detailing the seven days of creation, a total of twelve sections are found in Genesis.
12. Numbers 3:1 reads: “These are the generations [toldoth] of the family of Aaron and Moses at the time the LORD talked with Moses on Mount Sinai.” The number twelve speaks of completion in reference to the divine order of human government.
13. The final use of the word toldoth in the entire Old Testament to introduce a new period of God’s revelation in history along the human line of families is found in Ruth 4:18. It reads:
These, then, are the generations of (toldoth) of
Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron, Hezron the father
of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the
father of Nachshon, Nachshon the father of Salmon, Salmon
the father of Boaz, Boaz the father of Obed, Obed the father
of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David.
Search as you may you will see that the last toldoth in the Hebrew Bible begins with Perez and ends with King David. From the toldoth, or generations of the heavens and earth in Genesis 2:4 through Adam, Noah, Shem, Abraham’s two sons, Isaac’s two sons, Aaron and Moses, and Perez, everything thus far
in human destiny points to King David.
First, no toldoth begins with David that makes him the father figure of the fourteenth toldoth, or generational account. It simply doesn’t exist in the Bible. He is the end of the list of names in the thirteenth toldoth of Perez who lived nine generations before David was born. Wouldn’t you expect a new account to begin with David instead of having the thirteenth toldoth end with his name? After all, he is the king of kings thus far in Israel’s history. Moreover, he is the greatest king of all the kings that follow in Israel’s history. , We should ask why he is not the father of a new generation.
You recall that two watershed figures in the history of God’s people do not have genealogical accounts that begin with them as patriarchs. They are Abraham and David. What do you make of this? The answer lies in the fact that because both these key figures in the life and destiny of Israel do not begin their own genealogical records that they are pointers to someone greater. Both Abraham and David anticipate and point to a greater one to come than they are to the life and destiny of Israel and the nations of the earth. Who is He? He is the Messiah.
The gematria of the thirteenth toldoth. To show you that a greater One to come is anticipated, consider the two significant numbers in the thirteenth toldoth. These numbers, or gematria, bear relevant meaning to understanding God’s revelation in human events. The first number is 13, for the thirteenth and last toldoth in the Tenakh (Old Testament). The other number is nine for the number of names in the thirteenth toldoth found in Ruth 4:18. Both the numbers 13 and 11 represent something that is missing—or said another way, someone who is anticipated to fill up what is lacking.
David’s name is spelled in Hebrew using only three letters, all of them consonants. They are D-V-D. As you know, every Hebrew letter has a numeric value. At that time numbers as distinct from the alphabet were not used. Each letter of the alphabet represented not only a letter but a number. The number for the letter D (daleth) is four and the letter V (vav) is six. By spelling David’s name as D-V-D (daleth-vav-daleth) and assigning numeric values, David’s name has the numeric value of 4 + 6 + 4. This equals 14 and is often referred to as David’s number.
Since David’s number is 14, but David’s name appears in the thirteenth toldoth of Perez, the curious question arises. If David has no fourteenth toldoth consistent with the numeric value of his name, then who is assigned the fourteenth toldoth? Surely He must be related to David in a significant way as a son, a descendant of David.
The second number at issue is the number nine. In the toldoth of Perez and his generations, only nine names are listed. They are Perez, Hezron, Ram, Amminidab, Nachshon, Salmon, Boaz, Obed, Jesse and David. In Hebrew culture, the list is one number short of a complete divine order of perfection for a family or nation.
We have ten fingers to show a complete divine order for our hands, ten toes for our feet, Ten Commandments to show complete divine order of law, and a tenth of our income to represent a tithe.
Significantly, the tenth generation represents the whole existence of a family or nation. In Deuteronomy 23:3 we see this illustrated in reference to the Ammonites and Moabites:
No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of
the LORD; none of their descendants, even to the tenth
generation, shall ever enter the assembly of the LORD,
because they did not meet you with food and water on the
way when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired
against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of
Mesopotamia, to curse you.
Remember Ruth the Moabite woman who married Boaz the Israelite? A book of the Bible is named after her, the same book that has the thirteenth and last toldoth in the Tanakh (Old Testament). This is the toldoth that contains only nine names ending with David—one short of divine order for a family. Amazingly, she was of the tenth generation of Moabites. She completed the curse laid upon the Moabites and married a chief Israelite elder. Moreover, she was David’s great grandmother! She is also one of the women mentioned in the genealogy of Yeshua (Jesus) in the Gospel of Matthew. What marvelous grace.
Two questions beg an answer. The first question is this: who will the fourteenth toldoth be about since David is not this person. He must be a son of David since God made a covenant with him that someone would sit forever on his throne to rule over Israel.
The second question follows: since David is the ninth in succession of Perez, one short of divine order for a whole family, who will bring divine order to the house of Israel?
Do you understand the questions prompted by these two numbers—thirteen and nine—both numbers short of God’s completion of David’s name and of complete divine order? We are missing one. Who shall be credited with the next toldoth—the next accounting of God’s revelation in human history? Whoever He is, he must be ben David, the son of David who is heir of his line and heir to his throne.
It is at this precise point of expectancy that the Gospel of Matthew begins when the Tanakh (Old Testament) is finished. Who will follow King David? It is the concern of those who lived after David throughout their generations. In the first century it was the concern and burning interest of Matthew and other Jewish people. The expectancy was kept alive by the knowledge that only the Messiah may sit on the throne of David forever. He would be the fourteenth toldoth.
The fourteenth toldoth: Matthew 1:1. The Gospel of Matthew begins with these words: “The book [sefer] of the generations [toldoth] of Yeshua HaMashiach [Jesus the Messiah] the son of David, the son of Abraham . . .”
There it is, the fourteenth toldoth. Amazingly, this is the way the New Testament begins, with this historical and critically important declaration. Could it have begun any other way? No, for this is the answer to the lingering questions of ancient Judaism about the coming Messiah, son of David, son of Abraham.
If we were to read this first verse aloud in Hebrew it would sound like this: Zeh sefer toldoth HaMashiach Yeshua ben-David ben-Avraham. Now you don’t need to know much Hebrew to understand this first sentence. HaMashiach means “the Messiah.” Yeshua means “Jesus.” Ben means “son of.” So when you hear ben-David, it means “son of David.” Likewise, ben-Avraham means “son of Abraham.”
But it’s that tight little phrase of three Hebrew words that ring with the sound of the book of Genesis 5:1—Zeh sefer toldoth—“This is the book [sefer] of the generations [toldoth].” Where have you heard that exact or similar phrase before in the Bible? Of course, with Adam’s Book of Life. Now another book of life begins—the Messiah’s Book of Life. In light of his blood sacrifice on the cross, the Bible titles it the Lamb’s Book of Life.
With this sentence being the beginning of the New Testament what does this imply about the Book of Life? The phrase—Zeh sefer toldoth—“This is the book [sefer] of the generations [toldoth]”—tells us that this is the book of the second born beginning with the Second Adam. Yeshua (Jesus) is the first entry as the Second Adam. Other entries are intended until the end of time.
Could this possibly mean that the New Testament is only the beginning of the Book of Life—that the New Testament is, so to speak, the preface for all the names that are added to the Lamb’s Book of Life as long as people continue to be born again the second time through faith in the Messiah? If so, then the New Testament is a living document.
Only the second and fourteenth toldoth in the list of all occurrences in the Bible mention a “Book of Toldoth,” a “Book of Generations,” or a “Book of Life” in whose names are written the righteous before God. The first book of life was a list of the righteous in the first world before the flood. The second book of life lists the second born generation of humanity who are born of the Holy Spirit.
Do you think there is a fifteenth toldoth? If so, what would it be? In the various literary styles and structures of the Bible, a common narrative style is called reverse symmetry. Basically, reverse symmetry is the movement of a narrative forward by words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs or points to a pivotal statement or statements in the middle of the narrative. Then in reverse order, the narrative continues by making either parallel or antithetical statements to the order of the first statements that led to the pivotal center.
For example, in a narrative structure of seven statements listed as ABCDC’B’A’, statements A, B and C lead to the pivotal statement D at the center of the narrative. The narrative, continues, but in reverse order. Another C statement is made that complements the original C statement. Then a B statement is made that complements the first B statement. Then an A statement is made that complements the original A statement. The narrative is finished, or this section of it. This forward, then a pivot, then a reverse order of statements is called reverse symmetry.
Reverse symmetry is very helpful. It is a sum check, so to speak, if you are familiar with this expression. It checks and balances the whole narrative with check points to be sure the meaning of each point is properly understood. Parallel or antithetical statements are made for each point A, B or C so that clarification is brought to the text.
By using the method of reverse symmetry and applying it to all fourteen usages of the word toldoth in the Bible, it leads to an amazing prophecy, one that we are not unfamiliar with as Bible students. We discover that, indeed, a fifteenth toldoth does exist. The actual fifteenth use of the word toldoth does not occur in the Bible. It is implied, just as those in the era of the Old Testament expected a fourteenth toldoth that had not yet come. We as believers in the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) anticipate a fifteenth toldoth that is yet to occur. It is our expectation with the second coming of the Messiah as much as it was for those who looked for the first appearing of the Messiah.
Now the reason that the word toldoth does not yet exist in the Bible is because this fifteenth list of generations is yet to occur. But it will and we will be ready, the Lord helping us.
Maybe you saw the reverse symmetry in the list of fourteen generations (toldoth) already mentioned. Here’s a visual look at the reverse symmetry of the word toldoth as it develops through the Bible from Genesis 2:4 through Matthew 1:1. Letters A through G lead to the core pivotal statement H. Then in parallel, but reverse order, letters G’ to A’ complement and amplify the significance of the word toldoth as marking events in the divine movement of God’s revelation in history. When you study this paradigm, you should not only observe the forward movement to the center toldoth and the reverse movement away, but also compare each line with its complementary and opposite line.
A Toldoth of the heavens and earth: Adam and his wicked line, the firstborn people (Gen. 2:4)
B Book of Toldoth (Sefer Toldoth) of Adam and his righteous line, second born people (Gen. 5:1)
C Toldoth of Noah: God favors destiny of Noah’s royal family (Gen. 6:9)
D Toldoth of Shem, Ham and Japheth after the flood: Table of the Nations(Gen. 10:1)
E Toldoth of Shem: second born son (Gen. 11:10)
F Toldoth of Terah: firstborn son (Gen. 11:27)
G Toldoth of Abraham’s son Ishmael: firstborn son (Gen. 25:12)
H Toldoth of Abraham’s son Isaac: second born son (Gen. 25:19; cf. Rom. 9:9:7)
G’ Toldoth of Esau: firstborn son (Gen. 36:1)
F’ Toldoth of Esau, father of the Edomites: firstborn sons (Gen. 36:9)
E’ Toldoth of Jacob: second born son (Gen. 37:2)
D’ Toldoth of the family of Aaron and Moses at Mount Sinai: Israel, the chosen nation (Num. 3:1)
C’ Toldoth of Perez: God favors royal destiny of Perez’ family through David (Ruth 4:18)
B’ Book of Toldoth (Sefer Toldoth) of Messiah, Son of David, the Second Adam (Mat. 1:1)
A’ Toldoth of the new heavens and earth: Messiah and his righteous line, the second born (2 Pet. 3:13)
For those familiar with reverse symmetry, generally, this may be called a chiasm, or chiasmus. Recent scholarship, however, has distinguished reverse symmetry into two kinds: concentric symmetry and chiasm. The differences between the two types are:
• Concentric symmetry has one single center as in ABCDCBA. A chiasm has a double center as in ABCDDCBA.
• Concentric symmetry has its crux pivotal statement as a single center statement as in ABCDCBA. A chiasm has its crux statement as a duet found at the extremes as in ABCDDCBA with the double center (DD) being the pivot statements to push the theme back to the edges with greater emphasis, like a recoil, or a wave bouncing off a wall.
In this paradigm you observe the last line titled as A’. It describes a toldoth yet to come with the destruction of the old heavens and the earth with fire and the creation of new heavens and a new earth. This will be the home of the righteous. This is the next toldoth and will complete the prophecy found in the word toldoth.
Genesis 2:4 launches us on a forward path through the entire Bible that anticipates the Messiah who has come and will reappear in the last day. Then it pushes us forward to an expectation where all things will be made new, including another creation of the heavens and the earth.
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