Creationists: can you explain post-Flood repopulation?

[PsychoSarah]

This confirms what I've said here many times.

Unbelievers will move the decimal place as needed to make their theories stick.

Usually I say that with respect to a discussion on deep time, but I'm sure if they can move the decimal place with respect to time, they can move it with respect to other things as well.

People tend to exaggerate AV, they make errors. Do you really think it would have been inconceivable for someone to mistakenly count far more than was in reality?

 

[ThinkForYourself]

The Egyptians noted the health of the Hebrew women regarding childbirth. The number of men was 600,000. Are we to assume they had no wives, children, or living parents? Even if those men only had wives, and they were both 20 years old that would be 1,200,000 Israelites that came out. However the story includes children,

"And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children." Exodus 12:37

There is no evidence that Jews were ever slaves in Egypt, or wandered the desert. Not one hieroglyphic, not one pot shard, nothing. So I don't see how the Egyptians could have commented.

 

[ThinkForYourself]

Ah, here we go, you looked at the one that comes BEFORE people kept accurate health records. 3000 BC-300BC has the range at 20-30 years and is the first range based on actual records.

That sounds reasonable. Writing, keeping records, and keeping health records, would have been an improvement in healthcare, leading to a longer lifespan.

 

[PsychoSarah]

That sounds reasonable. Writing, keeping records, and keeping health records, would have been an improvement in healthcare, leading to a longer lifespan.

It also means that the range before that point is more of an educated guess than based on actual records.

 

[AV1611VET]

Do you really think it would have been inconceivable for someone to mistakenly count far more than was in reality?

Not if God is editing the books before they go public.

 

[PsychoSarah]

Not if God is editing the books before they go public.

You do realize that the bible has been edited AFTER that, right?

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Personally, I think the numbers in the bible are often exaggerated. I have found that dropping one or two of the 0's tends to make a reasonable number for the ones in the hundreds and up.

After all, with the tools of the past that many people would not be capable of sustaining themselves in such a small area. Hmm, yup, 6 thousand sounds plausible. That would still have been a ton of people for the time period, and certainly astounding to see, but 600 thousand? Back then? No.

"And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly." Genesis 47:2

God instructed Israel to live in Goshen, so he could bless and multiply their numbers. Goshen was a large area within the fertile Nile delta, a poor place for cities but a great agricultural area, and could easily sustain a large population. In addition to making bricks I'm sure the Israelites labored in the grain fields of the delta which fed all of Egypt. There they raised "flocks and herds", a practice abhorrent to the Egyptians. For this reason the Egyptians might have left them alone in that region, where they thrived.

 

[AV1611VET]

You do realize that the bible has been edited AFTER that, right?

Correct -- seven times, to be exact.

Psalm 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

 

[PsychoSarah]

Correct -- seven times, to be exact.

Psalm 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

Oh, it has long since been far more times than that.

 

[PsychoSarah]

"And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly." Genesis 47:2

God instructed Israel to live in Goshen, so he could bless and multiply their numbers. Goshen was larger and more fertile than rest of Egypt itself.

You don't realize how ridiculous 600 thousand would be for that time, do you? That would be a population of people that could fill a whole nation and then some for the time. It is literally more ridiculous than 50 million U.S. citizens packing up and leaving for Mexico all at the same time.

 

[AV1611VET]

There is no evidence that Jews were ever slaves in Egypt, or wandered the desert.

It's a matter of remembering.

Deuteronomy 15:15 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to day.

Deuteronomy 16:3 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.

Deuteronomy 16:12 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes.

Deuteronomy 24:9 Remember what the LORD thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 24:18 But thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing.

Deuteronomy 24:22 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing.

Their flight from Egypt was memorialized in one of their most sacred rites: the Passover.

To say the Jews weren't in Egypt is like saying Jesus was never in Israel.

 

[AV1611VET]

Oh, it has long since been far more times than that.

You tell me then.

How many times did God edit His word?

 

[OldWiseGuy]

There is no evidence that Jews were ever slaves in Egypt, or wandered the desert. Not one hieroglyphic, not one pot shard, nothing. So I don't see how the Egyptians could have commented.

It's only recently that historians record their nations defeats as well as their victories. Why would the Egyptians record the disaster wrought upon them by enslaving Israel? It was also customary for the victors to remove or destroy all traces of their enemies from the land, including the soil itself. Interestingly God caused Israel to record everything, good and bad.

 

[AV1611VET]

You don't realize how ridiculous 600 thousand would be for that time, do you? That would be a population of people that could fill a whole nation and then some for the time. It is literally more ridiculous than 50 million U.S. citizens packing up and leaving for Mexico all at the same time.

Not to mention God parting the Rio Grande?

 

[PsychoSarah]

You tell me then.

How many times did God edit His word?

Not enough, if ever.

 

[PsychoSarah]

Not to mention God parting the Rio Grande?

Meh, they have boats.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

There is no evidence that Jews were ever slaves in Egypt, or wandered the desert. Not one hieroglyphic, not one pot shard, nothing. So I don't see how the Egyptians could have commented.

The comments are recorded in Israel's history book, not Egypt's. Why would the Egyptians record events they didn't want anyone to remember?

 

[PsychoSarah]

It's only recently that historians record their nations defeats as well as their victories. Why would the Egyptians record the disaster wrought upon them by enslaving Israel? It was also customary for the victors to remove or destroy all traces of their enemies from the land, including the soil itself. Interestingly God caused Israel to record everything, good and bad.

It was to dehumanize the "enemy"; we consider these events immoral, but the original authors considered it completely justified. Different moral standard. The scary part is that they considered that GOOD.

 

[PsychoSarah]

The comments are recorded in Israel's history book, not Egypt's. Why would the Egyptians record events they didn't want anyone to remember?

You act like only Israelites and Egyptians would have been there. People visited other countries even back then.

 

[KWCrazy]

Calculating the actual doubling time and growth rate since the Flood when the population grew from 6 people (Noah’s 3 sons and their 3 wives) to 7.1 billion people in 4,500 years, we get an average doubling time of 149 years and an average annual percentage growth rate of 0.465%.

A slight increase in the annual growth rate has a significant impact on the population when the number of years of growth is large. If we increase the average annual percentage growth rate slightly from 0.465% to 0.50%, then those six people would grow to over 33 billion in 4500 years. Therefore it is completely feasible for Noah’s family to grow to 7 billion in 4500 years at an average annual growth rate of less than ½%. This annual growth rate, 0.465%, is less than half of the average annual percentage growth rate of 1.19% from 1999 to 2012, when the population grew from 6 billion to 7 billion in 13 years.

Thus the known facts of population growth fit the Biblical chronology very well. Population growth mathematics clearly supports the Biblical record.
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