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This
article discusses scriptural evidence that the curse which kept righteous
descendents of Ham from holding the Priesthood (Abraham 1:26)
may have been abrogated, or at least exempted long ago.
The
Bible’s account of Noah’s curse on descendants of Ham appears to focus on
Ham’s son Canaan.
(Genesis 9:22-27)
Hebrew scripture makes clear that the Egyptians descended from
Mizraim another son of Ham
(son of Noah, Genesis 10:6,
Psalm 105:23).
In fact, the Hebrew word translated “Egypt”, is
“Mitsrayim”
(masculine), or “Mitsraymah”
(feminine, Genesis 12:10).
The Book of Abraham seems to suggest
that descendents of Ham intermingled; so that kings of
Egypt, “cursed ... as pertaining to the Priesthood”, were
directly related to Canaan the cursed brother of
Mizraim.
(Abraham 1:21,
24-27)
We might suppose that descendents of other sons of Ham (Cush and Phut) intermarried. Did Canaan have a son by Mitsraymah (Egyptes)
a sister/spouse of Mizraim?
Could it be that a line of Phut (פּוּט
son of Ham and
Zeptah?)
were kept from mingling with the mixed line of Canaan and Mizraim?
Consider Potiphera (פוֹטִי פֶרַע) Priest of On. (Genesis 41:45)
Or were all the descendents of Ham cursed at some point? (Abraham 1:22,
27)
LDS scripture may provide an answer to why "Canaan"
is exclusively mentioned in Noah's prophetic imprecation. "Canaan"
(translated as such) in
Moses 7:6-12, appears to be the name of a reproached antediluvian people:
On the Left: A passage in the
edited Joseph Smith
Translation of the Bible (Inspired Version, Genesis 7:6-14) reads “Cainan”
instead of "Canaan". On the right: “Extract from the Prophecy of Enoch”,
The Evening and the Morning Star, Vol. 1, Aug. 1832, pg. 44 uses “Canaan”, as in
Moses 7:6-12. “Canaan”
is a post-flood name in the Bible. The name may have a derisive connotation suggestion one
worthy of humiliation. The Joseph Smith OLD TESTAMENT MANUSCRIPT 1, Page 13
(Moses 6:34-52) reads “the land of Cainan by the sea east” (Atlantic? Moses 6:42), whereas OLD TESTAMENT MANUSCRIPT 2, Page 17 (Moses 6:40-53) reads, “the land of Canaan, by the Sea East”.
(JOSEPH SMITH’S NEW TRANSLATION OF THE BIBLE - ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS, Edited by Scott H. Faulring,
Kent P. Jackson, and Robert J. Matthews, pp. 100, 611) This manuscript
ambiguity leads
one to wonder if all references to “Canaan” in the Pearl of Great Price Book of Moses should read
“Cainan” instead. Can
the warlike “people of Cainan” be interpreted “people of
spears”?
This interpretation seems to make more sense than “Canaan” in Moses 7, .
The name "Canaan" from the root
"kana", may be a
homophonous
stigmatization of a name
that originally referenced "Cain", the root
"qanah",
or "qayin".
The fact is, Israelites allied with and intermingled with African
converts and Canaanites. Israelites intermingled with Canaanites before
their Egyptian bondage. (Genesis 38:2-5;
46:10,
Exodus 6:13-15)
Please ponder Numbers 25:7-13,
and then consider the
Egyptian meaning of the name Phinehas (given below). Consider also the possible meaning of
the name Putiel (Grandfather of Phinehas, on his mother’s side).
7 And
when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the
congregation, and took a javelin in his hand;
8 And
he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them
through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague
was stayed from the children of Israel.
9 And
those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.
10 ¶ And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
11 Phinehas,
the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away
from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them,
that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.
12 Wherefore
say, Behold, I give unto him
my covenant of peace:
13 And
he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant
of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his
God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.
(Numbers 25:7-13, KJV)
Regarding the name Pinehas (Phinehas), the
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon
states:
פִּינְחָס
S
6372
GK
709025
n.pr.m.
(Egyptian
Pe-nehasi
, the negro
, according to
Lauth
Moses (1868),
71,
ZMG
xxv (1871), 139
f.
cf.
Nes Eg
112, AJSL xiii (1897) 174
Baen
Ex 6:2
5, yet
v. Di)
;—
1.
grandson of Aaron, Φ(ε)ινεες
,
Ex 6:25 Nu 25:7
+
16 times
•
2.
son of Eli
1 S 1:3,
(
•
פ
ִּנְחָם ...
(
פִּנְחָם
Like the name Mosheh (Moses), the name
Pinehas (Phinehas)
may have
both Egyptian and Hebrew meanings. Pinehas sounds a little like
“paneh
nehushah”, meaning “face of bronze” in Hebrew. This
may aptly
describe the complexion of one whose father is a Semite and whose mother is
African. The name Pinehas also sounds a little like “pi
nahash”,
meaning “mouth of a serpent” in Hebrew - though this expression is
spelled differently than Pinehas (Phinehas).
Unfortunately "mouth of a serpent" is the only interpretation that some
sources give for the name Phinehas.
Click on the above
acrophonic spelling of the name Pinehas.
These symbols were ostensibly borrowed long ago from Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Read right to left, one may see in the symbols the
mouth,
perhaps even the forked tongue (actually a hand and forearm symbol suggesting
take in “hand”, “throw”) of a
snake
(alternately symbolizing a sprouting seed). Include a
tent wall, and a symbol
for pierce,
and the characters adumbrate the story in Numbers 25:6-8, while spelling out an
Egyptian word for
African, or person with dark skin.
For the names Put and
Puti-El (Putiel,
Exodus 6:25)
the Lexicon
states:
•
פּוּט
S
6316
GK
7033
n.pr.
gent.
prob.
Libyans
, or Lib.
tribe; usually named with African peoples:
Na 3:9 Je 46:9 Ez 27:1
0;
30:5
;
38:5
(
Ö
usually Λίβυες
);
Gn 10:6
(
P
)
=
1 Ch 1:8
(
Φουδ
);
+
Is 66:19
(for
MT
פּוּל
;
Ö
Φουδ
),—
vid. Di
Gn 10:6
Jen
ZA x. 325 ff.
.
•
פּוּטִיאֵל
S
6317
GK
7034
n.pr.m.
Eleazar’s father-in-law
Ex 6:25
, Φουτιηλ
.
The Bible states:
25 And Eleazar Aaron’s
son took him one of the
daughters of Putiel to wife; and she bare him Phinehas: these are the heads of the fathers of
the Levites according to their families.
(Exodus 6:25,
KJV)
Could the name Putiel mean “Putite of God”, indicating an African worshiper
of El (אל)? A mixed company of liberated peoples came out of Egypt with the
Israelites.
(Exodus 12:37-38) More than Semites turned to the worship of El. Moses took to wife an Ethiopian (Cushite).
(Numbers 12:1)
7 Are ye
not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? saith the Lord.
Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistines
from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir? (Amos 9:7, KJV; see also
2 Nephi 26:33)
Adonai forbade mixing different kinds of livestock,
crop seeds, and certain fabrics. Consider Vayiqra 19:19, and Devarim 22:11.
But when it came to the mixed multitude that was his people, the LORD
appeared to be chiefly concerned with mixing outside the covenant with false religions. Hence Numbers 25:1-3,
5-8,
Psalm 106:28-31.
Did the curse and prohibition extend to the Latter-days?
The Latter-day Priesthood prohibition was not clearly put in place by LDS Scripture (2 Nephi 26:33) or by the Prophet Joseph Smith. It’s a historical fact that
the Prophet
allowed Priesthood authority to be conferred on black men. The later prohibition
policy was likely instigated by well meaning Church members who, with some
presumption, thought that scriptures like
Abraham 1:26
ought to apply to brethren of African descent in the Latter-days. Did they
not consider that such a blanket, prohibition could be inconsistent with the
Atonement and the
New and Everlasting Covenant? Church members went as far as to popularize
unscriptural, pre-mortal existence explanations for why blacks should not
hold the Priesthood. Did Church members not consider that even if the curse
was still in the world, that it could be overcome, or was
at least
open to exception in the New and Everlasting Covenant? (Numbers 25:11-13)
Now that the prohibition policy has been revoked
pre-millennial reign, was it all a mistake? Or is some justification for it
to be found in the restoration of all
things, including, perhaps, the restoration of ancient prohibitions?
(LDS D&C 86:10)
Had members of the Church, understood the scriptures better,
they may have learned more about Phinehas and his grandfather Putiel. They
may have come to consider that though the curse was in force in the world,
the ancient prohibition could be done away in receiving the
New Covenant, that Joseph Smith was right to allow the bestowal of Priesthood
authority on worthy black men.
But notwithstanding her divine authority,
the Church was darkened in mind and “under condemnation”. She was commanded to “repent and
remember the new covenant ...”
(LDS D&C 84:54-57)
Imagine if Church members had studied their scriptures
enough to perceive that the mother of Phinehas the priest was indigenous African
(Lybian). Perhaps this view could have helped prevent some
heartache, and embarrassment caused by misunderstanding, and over
generalizing scriptures like Abraham 1:26-27 and
Moses 7:7-8,
22
from former times.
Perhaps a deeper understanding of the scriptures could have inspired Church
members to consider that the prohibition was ready to be done away in the New Covenant.
Joseph Smith knew the scriptures and was inspired to allow priesthood
authority to be bestowed on worthy black men. But the Church did not have
his understanding, nor did they immediately follow his lead in all things.
What if “the long-promised day when every faithful, worthy man in the Church may
receive the holy priesthood ...” had already come, but because the saints had not sufficiently understood
their scriptures, it took a prophet to change by revelation, a less inspired Church policy?
In at least one instance in scripture, very light skin was
seen as an inherited curse among the
mixed people of God. (2 Kings 5:27)
Notes: Moses 7:8
should arguably read "...children of Cainan...", spelled with the same letters as
the antediluvian name "Cain".
(Moses 7:22) The post flood name "Canaan" has a very different
spelling and meaning. See
NOAH'S VOYAGE from AMERICA. Still, Noah’s
curse (or prophecy of the continuation of an antediluvian curse in his own family) could have intended a play on words between the name Canaan, and
the name of a cursed antediluvian people, possible ancestors of his grandson.
(Moses 8:12) In light of a possible meaning of the name
"Canaan" ("humbled", "humiliated") one wonders if the son of Ham was originally named
"Cainan" or a variation of the name "Cain",
the name being changed to the stigmatic "Canaan"
as a result of the prophetic imprecation. (Genesis 9:24-27)
We should also remember that God blessed Noah and all his sons. (Genesis 9:1)
According to the KJV, one of the twelve was "Simon the
Canaanite".
(Matthew 10:4)
B'sorot Matti (Hebrew Matthew) shows that the disciple's name is actually
"Shim'on the merchant".
Ironically, there is a commonality between the Priesthood
( , Kehunah, LDS
Doctrine and Covenants 107:1-5) and the curse of Canaan
( , Kna'an); for in
receiving the Holy Priesthood one also becomes “a servant of servants”.
(Genesis 9:25)
Was not the consecration of Levite priests, who were set apart to serve the
land holding tribes of Israel, a blessing that followed after a curse?
(Genesis 49:5-7,
Numbers 18:1,
Bemidbar 18:1)
Hebrew scripture indicates that Phinehas was given “an everlasting Priesthood” of
“righteousness”.
See Psalm 110:4,
Hebrews 7:1-2,
“Melchizedek”, and compare with
Exodus 40:12-15.
Back to
Abraham in Egypt and the Papyrus Solar
Ferry
Vincent Coon
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