The Other Side of the Flood

[1Timothy115]

  Joshua 24:2   And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.

  Joshua 24:3   And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.

  Joshua 24:14   Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.

  Joshua 24:15   And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

I have always read over this without stopping to think or study about this reference. I always glossed over and thought it meant the flood of Noah’s time. Actually, it means river and in each of the cases above it means the Euphrates River flowing in the land of Ur of the Chaldees.

In Joshua 24:2 recall the reference to Terah, he was not living on the other side of the world-wide flood of Noah’s time. Leaving out the “begats” working backward Abram-Terah-Nahor-Serug- Reu- Peleg-Eber-Salah-Arphaxad-Shem-Noah those from the other side of the world-wide flood stopped with Noah, his wife, their sons and son’s wives.