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BOOK OF MOSES
CHAPTER 8
(February 1831)

Methuselah prophesies—Noah and his sons preach the gospel—Great wickedness prevails—The call to repentance unheeded—God decrees destruction of all flesh by the flood.

[ Gen 5:23-6:13 from the City of Enoch to the time of Noah. What we have in Moses 8 is a fragment from the Book of Noah. There are many other fragments in other ancient texts that also contain the story of Noah and the events leading up to the Flood. According to ancient traditions, Noah carried the early records through the flood. These were the records from the early fathers. Because of Noah we have these early records. The Brother of Jared tells us in the Book of Ether that he had records that went all the way back to the time of the creation (See Ether 1:2-4). They must also have come through the flood somehow. Abraham also writes (Abr 1:31) in his record that he had obtained records that existed from the time of the creation, which means those records must also have survived the flood. ]

1 AND all the days of Enoch were four hundred and thirty years. [ Until the time that he and his city were translated. ]
2 And it came to pass that Methuselah, [ "Man of the dart/spear", or alternatively "when he dies/died, it shall be sent/has been sent" or "his death shall send" In other words his name is a prophesy of the fact that when he dies the flood shall be sent. ] the son of Enoch, was not taken, [ Methuselah was not translated with the city of Enoch so that the covenants of the Lord might be fulfilled the city of Enoch was taken some 700 years before the flood. And Noah was about 600 years old at the time of the flood - so Noah would not born at the time the city of Enoch was taken from the earth and if there was to be a Noah then Methuselah would need to stay around. ] that the covenants of the Lord might be fulfilled, [ So that the righteous line might be continued - Noah being part of that line. ] which he made to Enoch; for he [ God. ] truly covenanted with Enoch that Noah should be of the fruit of his loins. [ So in order for Noah to come thru his loins; his son Methuselah would need to stay on the earth to fulfill the covenant. So Methuselah was left on the earth specifically(not taken up into heaven with Enoch and the city of Zion) to ensure the carrying out of the covenant God made with Enoch “that Noah should be the fruit of his loins,” which agrees perfectly with the other sources. There is a little more to the story here as well. In the Greek Enoch text we have exactly the same context dealing with the birth of Noah that is found in the old Aramaic text belonging with the Dead Sea Scrolls. It tells of a marvelous child, Noah, who had been born to Lamech, who could not believe it to be his own, but charged his wife (Bit-Enosh, “Daughter of Man”) with having consorted with “one of the angels” (sons of God). Only when Lamech’s father, Methuselah, goes to a far place to inquire of his father, Enoch, does he receive assurance that the child is legitimate.(The story is told in the Greek Enoch (Black, Apocalypsis, pp. 10, 12—13, 18, and Kenyon, Chester Beatty 106:1—107:2), and in the Genesis Apocryphon.) And here we ven have this interesting twist in the Joseph Smith version of Enoch. ]
3 And it came to pass that Methuselah prophesied [ Compared to Enoch found in (C.Beatty, 106:16. It is to Methuselah that Enoch foretells that the issue of Noah will populate the whole earth through his three sons. as well found in the Slavonic Enoch 22. But I will preserve Noah, the firstborn of Lamech, and I will cause to rise from his seed another world, and his seed will endure through the ages. And Methuselah awoke from his sleep and was sorely distressed because of the dream.) Here we are taught that Methuselah was promised that his grandson Noah would be the parent of the race, but also, surprisingly, that the news caused Methuselah distress.(Secrets of Enoch, 22ff., in Andre Vaillant, ed., Le livre des secrets d’Hènoch (Paris: Institut d’études Slaves, 1952), pp. 72, 77. The story is repeated a generation later in the Apocalypse of Adam, where it is Noah who doubts the legitimacy of his child, swearing with an oath, “This race was not begotten of me!” for which God rebuked him. (Apocalypse of Adam 71:116ff.)) ] that from his loins should spring all the kingdoms of the earth (through Noah), and he took glory unto himself. [ Was this his reward (the knowledge of bringing Noah forth - the man thru whom all children the earth would come) for not being taken up with the city of Enoch? Does this mean that he was translated when he was done with his work? Or does this tell us a little about him that he is a little prideful? ]
4 And there came forth a great famine into the land, [ Which is not talked about in the bible. ] and the Lord cursed the earth with a sore [ Bad or severe. ] curse, and many of the inhabitants thereof died.
5 And it came to pass that Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begat Lamech; [ Who would become the Father of Noah. ]
6 And Methuselah lived, after he begat Lamech, seven hundred and eighty-two years, and begat sons and daughters;
7 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, [ 969 years old which is the oldest recorded. ] and he died. [ In the year that the flood happened. ]
8 And Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and begat a son,
9 And he called his name Noah, [ The Hebrew word Noah means “rest” or “comfort”. Ordained to higher priesthood at age ten D&C 107:52; Stands next to Adam in authority and holds keys of his dispensation History of the Church 3:386; Noah is the angel Gabriel History Of Church 3:386 - and as such appeared to Zacharias to announce that he would be the father to John the Baptist, and Mary that she would bear the son - Jesus Christ; He also functions as Elias-meaning one who prepares or restores D&C 27:6-7, He appeared to Josep Smith and Oliver Cowdry as Elias and restored the keys of the dispensation of Abraham in the Kirkland Temple D&C 110;12; 128:20-21 See Smith; Answers to Gospel Questions 3:138-141. ] saying: This son shall comfort us [ Generally when a son is named and a description follows, as in, “this son shall comfort us,” it is thought that the description pertains to the meaning of the name itself. Noah means one who comforts. We saw the same principle when Seth was born: “God hath appointed me another seed, instead of Abel, whom Cain slew” (Moses 6:2). Thus Seth means replacement or substitute. ] concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed. [ Recorded in vs 4; famine. This is because of the famine that is going on! ]
10 And Lamech lived, after he begat Noah, five hundred and ninety-five years, and begat sons and daughters;
11 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died.
12 And Noah was four hundred and fifty years old, and begat Japheth; and forty-two years afterward he begat Shem of her who was the mother of Japheth, [ This is telling us that Ham could have came from a different mother than Shem and Japheth since he is not born until some 42 years after Shem the second son of Noah. The verse adds the detail that Shem was born “of her who was the mother of Japheth.” It further adds that Japheth is the oldest and should have been the birthright son. ] and when he [ Noah. ] was five hundred years old he begat Ham. [ 42 years after the birth of Shem. ]
13 And Noah and his sons hearkened unto the Lord, and gave heed, [ Listened to the Lord and observed to keep the commandments. ] and they were called the sons of God. [ These sons of Noah accepted the Gospel and they “were called the sons of God” (See Moses 6: 68). Why were they called the son's of God? Because they harkened and gave heed to the commandments of God. So we have a partial definition here of what it means to be "the Sons Of God". Those who know and understand the gospel(D&C 25:1-2). They were at least ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood. See Mos 6:67-68, see also D&C 76:56-60 for the definition of a son of God. So all three of Noah's sons were holder's of the higher priesthood Pearl of Great Price Student Manual pg 26 D&C 107;40-52. D&C 11:30. ]
14 And when these men [ Noah’s sons. ] began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, the sons of men [ As compared to the sons of God - those who were not obedient to the commands of God, those that followed the precepts of men. Verse 15 those who will not hearken to the commands of God. Moses 5:54-57. The Sons of Men = Haven't heard or accepted the Gospel; Sons of God = Accept the Gospel and receive all the ordinances, endure to the end; Sons of Perdition = Accept the Gospel, enter into sacred covenants, pronounced clean by the Father, and then reject it. President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1972) applied the lessons from Moses 8:14–15 to our day, saying: “Because the daughters of Noah married the sons of men contrary to the teachings of the Lord, his anger was kindled, and this offense was one cause that brought to pass the universal flood. … The daughters who had been born, evidently under the covenant, and were the daughters of the sons of God, that is to say of those who held the priesthood, were transgressing the commandment of the Lord and were marrying out of the Church. Thus they were cutting themselves off from the blessings of the priesthood contrary to the teachings of Noah and the will of God. … “Today there are foolish daughters of those who hold this same priesthood who are violating this commandment and marrying the sons of men; there are also some of the sons of those who hold the priesthood who are marrying the daughters of men. All of this is contrary to the will of God just as much as it was in the days of Noah” (Answers to Gospel Questions, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith Jr. [1957], 1:136–37). ] saw that those daughters were fair, and they took them wives, even as they chose. [ So the daughters were willing to marry these unrighteous men, it was through their agency that they choose to do so. Those outside of the church, those not keeping their covenants. Or we might say "Noah's daughters and granddaughters married non-believers". There is additional evidence of what is going on here found in The Forgotten Books of Eden. The Second Book of Adam and Eve, Chapter 20. This is based on the Jewish Midrash and other textual evidence that exists out there. The chapter heading for Chapter 20 reads thus: Ravishing music; strong drink loosed among the sons of Cain. They don colorful clothing. The children of Seth look on with longing eyes. They revolt from wise counsel; they descend the mountain into the valley of iniquity. They can not ascend the mountain again. ]
15 And the Lord said unto Noah: The daughters of thy sons [ Or the Daughters of the sons of God - they were those born under the covenant, they were the daughters of the sons of God - those that held the priesthood of God. In a way they are deliberately deprecating the former status of these women who where previously the daughters of the sons of God. ] have sold themselves; [ They were marrying out of the church and cutting themselves off from the blessings provided by the priesthood which was contrary to the teaching of Noah and the commandments of God. Answers to Gospel Questions 1:136-37. The situation was, then, that the sons of God, or their daughters who had been initiated into a spiritual order, departed from it and broke their vows, mingling with those who observed only a carnal law. ] for behold mine anger is kindled against the sons of men, for they will not hearken to my voice. [ Moses 5:54-57 ]
16 And it came to pass that Noah prophesied, and taught the things of God, even as it was in the beginning. [ The same gospel taught to Adam. He undoubtedly taught repentance. ]
17 And the Lord said unto Noah: My Spirit shall not always strive with man, [ There is a limit to how much even the Lord will endure, how long he will let things go on. It is man who withdraws from the spirit, man who has his agency and the Lord try's to give man every opportunity to chose the right. ] for he shall know that all flesh shall die; [ Because the Lord will destroy the wicked in due time in the flood in an effort to recycle and cleanse the earth. The Lord gives His reason, saying that "[man] shall know that all flesh shall die." Josephus says the shortening of lifespans was a reaction to the chaos brought on by longer lives: Now God ... determined to destroy the whole race of mankind, and to make another race that should be pure from wickedness; and cutting short their lives, and making their years not so many as they formerly lived, but one hundred and twenty only. (Antiquities, III, 2) This whole trouble started with crazy-long lifespans. In the future, God would nip that in the bud. ] yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years; [ Noah is called to preach for a period of at least 120 years prior to the flood. ] and if men do not repent, [ "if they do not repent - then". The agency of man is still in tact - it is up to us; it is our choice. 2 Ne. 2: 27. ] I will send in the floods upon them.
18 And in those days there were giants [ The word giants has been translated from the word "gibborim" which can also be translated as "mighty heros" or "Warriors". It refers to their state of being armed, mighty men. A race or group of men who were exceptionally large in stature. For additional details on the word "Giants" see Gen 6:4. ] on the earth, and they [ The giants or the mighty men as usual the rulers, kings, those who have power and control, the giants, try to either cast out the prophets or kill the prophets, make them go away because they don't like or want to hear what they are teaching, it offends them - they have their speech labeled as not politically correct; so they try to silence them. ] sought Noah to take away his life; but the Lord was with Noah, and the power of the Lord was upon him. [ He was a high priest vs 19. ]
19 And the Lord ordained Noah after his own order, [ He Noah held the same priesthood as Christ - who was a high priest and it was Jesus Christ that ordained him to that office. ] and commanded him that he should go forth and declare his Gospel unto the children of men, even as it was given unto Enoch. [ The interesting thing is that those who accepted were taken up to be with those in the City Of Enoch Moses 7:27 so his preaching was not in vane. ]
20 And it came to pass that Noah called upon the children of men [ Enoch calls them the children of men because they have broken their covenants with God. Preached the gospel to those who were wicked. children of men not the sons of God. vs 13. ] that they should repent; [ Noah says, "You're sinning. You have two options. You either stop sinning and you repent and you receive God's mercy, or you keep on sinning and sinning and sinning and there will be consequences. It is your choice. In verse 17 Noah is told of the impending doom for th epeople if the do not repent - God will send forth a flood. ] but they hearkened not unto his words; [ They were the law unto themselves. Thus showing their real state of wickedness. ]
21 And also, after that they [ The Believers, and non-members. ] had heard him, they came up before him, [ "Noah". They the children of men as Enoch puts it in verse 20 stood up to Noah. ] saying: Behold, we are the sons of God; [ Why do they respond this way? Because they have made covenants with God prior. So in their opinion they are still sons of God like unto Adam. We can see things as we want, maybe not how God sees us (they are not repenting per vs 20). (See Moses 6:68, Moses 7:1, Moses 8:13) We can be reminded of how Satan put forth this same claim, “I am also a son of God” (Moses 5:13). Any covenant nation like Israel is referred to as the sons of God. The sons of God would imply that they are covenanted men. Claiming that they are among the righteous; so membership or making a covenant is not equated with righteousness; if you are of that frame of mind and you believe that your are righteous you will say that there is no need to repent because you are already there. Verse those who are truely righteous realize that they can always improve. ] have we not taken unto ourselves the daughters of men? [ So they are covenanted men taking wives that are not of the covenant. A lesson that suggests to be careful whom you associate with as you will most likely start to take on the mannerisms of those with whom you associate with. We see the converse with the city of Enoch. ] And are we not eating and drinking, and marrying and giving in marriage? [ Is there an implication here that the only sin that they could see would be if they were just sleeping around and not marrying; but they were marring so all is well? so, what happened? What caused this shift of loyalty, do you think? There are some very old and good Jewish traditions that say the righteous dwelt up in the mountains and the wicked dwelt in the valleys. The wicked devised all sorts of means to entice the righteous down off the mountain with music concerts, fairs, horse races, gambling houses and beauty pageants. Make-up was discovered and also the ability to dye fabrics to make their clothes and the faces more attractive.] And our wives bear unto us children, and the same are mighty men, which are like unto men of old, men of great renown. [ Referring to the ancient world where the men were might men with great power to perform might works and wonders. ] And they hearkened not unto the words of Noah.
22 And God saw that the wickedness of men [ See Moses 7:33 – abortion was rampant. ] had become great in the earth; and every man was lifted up in the imagination of the thoughts of his heart, being only evil continually. [ If you are evil continually then there is no time or place for being good or righteous; there is nothing left; no chance or hope for repentance. They had escalated their wickedness to the point were that was all they ever did or wanted to do, it is that way with wickedness; the more wicked you are the more wicked you want to become you can never fill the void you can never get enough. ]
23 And it came to pass that Noah continued his preaching [ They are trying to kill Noah, does he hide, No. What does he do? he goes out boldly and declares the words of God to the people, trying to get them to repent before it is too late. I think that it is important to remember that God has already taken the righteous from the earth - the city of Enoch. Those that are left are those who are making choices that are against God, they have lost all feeling of spirituality as we read in verse 21. This is God's last ditch effort so to speak. ] unto the people, saying: Hearken, and give heed unto my words;
24  Believe and repent of your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, [ The first principles and ordinances of the gospel remain the same through all time. ] the son of God, [ He is not the son of Joseph. He is not the son of a man. This title the son Of God means that his Father is literally God our Father in Heaven. ] even as our fathers, and ye shall receive the Holy Ghost, that ye may have all things made manifest; and if ye do not this, the floods will come in upon you; nevertheless they hearkened not.
25 And it repented [ Compare to Genesis 6:6 this is the correction for that verse "repented the Lord". From the Hebrew word nacham (naw-kham) which means "to sigh", "to breathe strongly", "to be sorry", "to pity" Naham is such a great word because it appears all over the Old Testament. And every time it appears, it's translated in a different way. So people struggle with its meaning. And actually what's great is this word shows up in the Book of Mormon too as the place where Ishmael was buried on the way to the promised land, he was buried at Naham. Half of this word means grieving, sadness, mourning, being in pain. And I think this makes sense that both the Lord and Noah would feel this. They would feel sadness at not only the wickedness, but the Flood as well, that it had come to this, that this widespread punishment was coming. But the other side of nahum it's, and this is why people struggle with it because it almost seems like the opposite, it also means to be comforted. It also means to be consoled. It also means to feel content. I think people struggle because they say, "How can you feel sadness and comfort at the same time? How can you be mourning, but also feel consoled?" I think a lot of us have actually felt that. someone passes away, for example. There's a sadness and grieving and mourning, but there's also this other side of thinking about that's not the end for them. They've moved on to the next thing. They've lived a righteous life or they've been released from the pain or discomfort of this life. And we don't really have a word in English for this, I think, feeling sad but comforted. And that's what this word means. It works in the Book of Mormon too. It's where they buried him. And immediately after that, it says his daughter's mourned for him. It's the perfect example of also a balance of justice and mercy, that justice comes just in the same way that because we die of physical death, that's the justice side of the fall. But we also find comfort in death because we know we can overcome it and we can overcome spiritual death and physical death. And I think this is how Noah and the Lord are viewing this. The Flood is justice, but it'll also be mercy as well. And we'll talk about the different ways that it represents mercy. Noah's feeling like, "I'm sad that the Flood has to happen and that this wickedness has happened. But I have hope after the Flood, something even better and more is coming." Which is the same way I think we feel about death too. ] Noah, [ Noah relented. ] and his heart was pained that the Lord had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at the heart.
26 And the Lord said: I will destroy man [ President John Taylor "Why did he destroy them? He destroyed them for their benefit, if you can comprehend it"Journal of Discourses 24:291 & 19:158-159 As an act of love. ] whom I have created, from the face of the earth, both man and beast, and the creeping things, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth Noah that I have created them, and that I have made them; and he hath called upon me; for they have sought his life. [ This ends the “Inspired Version” of Genesis. The remainder of the record reads like it does in the Old Testament. ]
27 And thus [ Because, Noah was a just and God fearing man Gos showed him mercy. Noah found grace. Why? Why did he find grace? Why was he able to survive the Flood? Because of his righteousness. We should never underestimate the power of God in our deliverance, if we live righteous lives and trust in him he will prevail in our lives. Noah followed and did what God asked him to do. One of those things was to build an ark. I think there is a lesson for us in the fact that God does not let Noah of easy either, God does not just provide Noah with ark, pre-built. No Noah has to work hard to build it. A hundred years or consistent daily working on it. God doesn't just say, "Hey Noah, I'm going to save you from the Flood. I'm either going to remove you and your family from the earth and let you come back or put you in this airtight sealed cave." He's like, "No sorry, you get mercy but you're going to work. You're going to prepare for the Flood. You know it's coming, so I'm going to have you just build this Ark, this enormous Ark, find all of the animals, put them inside and make sure you have enough food in fresh water for a year. In Noah’s time, the world's people were so corrupt that no one would ever have the chance to be righteous because of the prevailing wickedness and violence (Moses 8:28, 30). There had to be a new beginning that would allow those spirits that were to come to the earth a chance to hear and understand the Gospel anew, thus the world was cleansed by water. In the time of Nimrod (the grandson of Ham) and the Tower of Babel, the great wind scattered the people away from Babylon and from Nimrod and his evil ways so that his works and his teachings could not influence them. The people were scattered into seventy different tongues and into seventy different nations, which we see in Gen 10 & 11 (The Biblical scholars call this the Table of Nations). Because these seventy nations could no longer understand each other, they went their separate ways and they could begin anew and not be influenced by that one wicked leader. So by wind Babylon was again destroyed. ] Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord; for Noah was a just man, and perfect in his generation; [ While Jesus Christ may have been the only perfect man that walked the earth Noah had come pretty close. We know that he was close enough to God that he literally walked with him and talked with him. He was like Adam in many respects as all started over after him. ] and he [ Noah. ] walked with God, [ Think how corrupt the people were and the fact that he was able to walk with God shows that he was a very remarkable man. Enoch walked with God with a people that were at least trying to be righteous. ] as did also his three sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. . [ Note who is included here; all three sons including Ham - suggesting that he (Ham) was a righteous man as well before the flood. ]
28 The earth was corrupt [ When a society becomes so corrupt there really is no wy they will ever return. God knows this and rather than let the entirety of man be subject to this corruption it is better to start over; it really is the only way. "sexual immorality - including the practice of homosexuality." Parley P Pratt Keys to Science of Theology pg 106 ] before God, and it was filled with violence. [ Here the Lord gives us the answer as to why the flood - because of so much violence. So wer know what to watch for going forward. He told us to love one another and yet there is so much hate, to the extent that they hate their own blood, their own children, their brothers and sisters. ]
29 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth.
30 And God said unto Noah: [ Nuah in Hebrew means rest. The Lord will use Noah as a way to give violence a rest upon the earth. ] The end of all flesh is come before me, for the earth is filled with violence, [ God gives us the reason for the flood. The reason is hatered and violence on the earth. There had to be a new beginning that would allow those spirits that were to come to the earth a chance to hear and understand the Gospel anew, thus the world was cleansed by water. ] and behold I will destroy all flesh from off the earth. [ The earth is so wicked that any child born had no chance to become righteous. So God is going ot hit the reset button. ]