Chapter 4
The Adam is Formed
Disposed he the wild
races
of the
beasts
,
And to us mortals made subordinate
All
cattle
; the God-formed one (
Adam
) made chief
Of all things; and subordinate to man
He put all variegated forms of life,
And things that are incomprehensible
.
-
Sibylline Oracles
2
nd
Fr. 13-18
1
Some apparent mistranslations of the Bible and other works are now already beginning to be explained, it seems. As we’ve already seen, there indeed could be a gap
between the actual creation of our planet and the “Six-Day Creation” of Genesis 1; there could be such a thing as the Well of Lost Souls
; phrases such as Beast of the Field
and Fowl of the Air
might not only stand for a group of animals, here. What’s the “next-step” in our reinterpretation of early Genesis? It’s the formation of the most famous man, known as Adam
!
Adam was absolutely human; no doubt about it. Yet, what’s so significant about this one
man? Why would the Bible be known as the book of the generations of
Adam
(Gen. 5:1)?
Man Vs. Human Being
…although Adam was the first man he was not the first human being…
(Bristowe, 1927, p. 17)
2
The word man
and Adam
are often used synonymously in the Bible, and in our everyday lives. This doesn’t point to, in any way, that other groups of pre-Adamites weren’t composed of men, or anything; that’s not what we’re saying. What this points to is: early off, the word man
could easily have been used to describe Adam, and his group
-the Adamites
. Yet, because so many of us may have thought that Adam was the first and only man of his time, we naturally associated the word man
stood for the males in every group. But, with the information we have at hand, another theory develops: Adam may have been the father of some, but not the father of every living human being
.
The
Adamites
- the group associated with
Adam
- were, as we see, the last members of this regenerated world to be brought up. The end of God’s reformulation of our world would eventually head towards one particular man: last,
but not least
, Adam.
3
This One Particular Man
The year was approximately 4000 B.C.. Even though there were probably a number of angels around at this time, and, even though there were at least four groups of humans brought up from the Darkness
, the Adamites
- the group Adam belonged to - were now on the scene.
As we recall, in the latter-half of the sixth day, we have:
Gen.
1:
26
And God said, Let us make
man
(Adam) in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth
.
27
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them
.
In actuality, the formulation of the Adamites seems to have been mentioned two
times in Genesis; in two
separate chapters. Why would it do this? Why? This has baffled Biblical scholars in the past… at least, until now
. Quite probably, the above verses represented the time for this entire group
of Adamites to be formed. Soon after, in the next chapter of Genesis, the single man - Adam
- was formed
.
In 1655, Isaac de la Peyreira, a converted Jew, published a curious treatise on the Pre-Adamites. Arguing upon Romans v. 12-14, he contended that there were two creations of man;
that recorded in the first chapter of Genesis
and that described in the second chapter
being distinct
.
(Baring-Gould, 1881, p. 28)
4
We recall, in the first chapter:
And God said, Let us make
man
(the Adamites) in our image, after our likeness… male and female created he
them
.
- Gen
. 1:26-27 (KJV)
Now, in the second chapter, we have:
And the LORD God formed man (the man,
Adam
) of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man (the man, Adam) became a living soul
.
- Gen
. 2:7 (KJV)
In Genesis 1:27, the Bible states that, “male and female created he them
” - obviously a plural reference, here… more than one individual formulated. Genesis 5:2, again, seems to confirm that there was more than one
person fashioned at this time:
Male and female created he
them
; and blessed
them
, and called
their
name
Adam
(the
Adamites
?), in the day when they were created
.
- Gen
. 5:2 (KJV)
We see that God called their
name Adam
. If we think about it, if there was only one man formed at this early part of Genesis, why would He call their
name Adam? And, why mention the same event twice - unless there were two separate
, and distinct
, formations?
The next thing for us to understand is how the word
man
was used in the Bible. In Genesis Chapter 2, the Hebrew words for
Adam
were configured slightly different than in Chapter 1. In Chapter 1, the word
Adam
is one single word.
5
In Chapter 2, the word
Adam
is accompanied by another word - the word
the
.
6
This
the
, in grammar, is recognized as the
article
, here. So, why these differences? If we put these two words
together we get
The Adam
. And, when this article is added in Scripture, the word
Adam
becomes emphatic (which means one’s “self,” “this very,” “this same,” or “this same man Adam”).
7
In other words,
The Adam
stands for
one particular man
named
Adam
, apart from the others - him, and him
alone
.
8
The word Adam
without the article could easily stand for the rest of the Adamites - the group
Adam.
What’s So Special About this One Man?
And the LORD God said the angels who ministered before Him, Behold,
Adam is sole on the earth
, as
I am sole
in the heavens above; and it will be that they will arise from him who will know to discern between good and evil
.
-
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan
III
9
God had something special planned for this one man. Adam was going to be formed in a different way; at a different
time; and, yes, for a different reason
.
…God created Adam with own hand…
-
al-Tabari: The History of al-Tabari - Vol. I: General Introduction and From the Creation to the Flood
The Story of Adam 87
10
Adam, we know, being a member of the Adamites
, seemed a group already made in somewhat of a special way: in the image of God and his angels.
Gen.
1:
26
And God said, Let us make man (the Adamites) in
our
image, after
our
likeness…
27
So God created man in his
own
image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them
.
Male and female Adamites
were formed in this same image - the group; not just Adam. Even beyond, as we’ll see, the formation of this one “self-same” Adamite would go one step further, beyond the creation of these Adamites. The word God
, in the above verses (and other verses of Scripture), might actually stand for the Elohim
- God and His
angels
. So, we see that Adam was, not only, given this same image and likeness of God and His angels, he would be given something more - animation by the breath of
God himself!
And the LORD
God
formed man (Adam) of the dust of the ground, and
breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life
; and man (Adam)
became a living soul
.
- Gen
. 2:7 (KJV)
Special formation by God. God made the solitary Adam “a living soul.” Could this mean that he did not have a soul which came from the Darkness
, like the others? As the above verse states, “The Lord God
formed man…” The words “LORD God,” in this verse, seem to state something different than other verses, where we show “God,” as in the Elohim (i.e. God and his angels
). The “LORD God,” in this verse, very well represents God in the singular (a.k.a. Lord of the Angels
, Jehovah Elohiym
, etc.). In other words, God himself
came down to form Adam. He was not accompanied by any angels, at this time. He
breathed the breath of life into this man; and established him into a living soul. For some reason, it seemed to make a difference. This was the primary reason Adam, as one man, was formed in a fairly special way.
…he became… like potter’s clay untouched by fire. When, after that… God blew the spirit into him…
-
al-Tabari: The History of al-Tabari - Vol. I: General Introduction and From the Creation to the Flood
The Story of Adam 91
11
…Adam… the most free and perfect of His creatures… the only one that was animated by His breath…
- Legends of the Mussulmans
Adam
12
To gather us even more support for this postulation, there seems to be a difference in the words the Bible uses to describe the way God formed the Adamites, compared to how He formed Adam. The Adamites (of Genesis Chapter 1) were created
(i.e. the Hebrew word bara
); the solitary man Adam (in Genesis Chapter 2) was formed
(i.e. the Hebrew yatsar
). Again, the reason for the different wording was probably to show this one particular Adamite was made
differently
.
Already, the living soul
of Adam made him distinct:
…the “living soul” breathed into Adam raised him above some previously created race
.
(Bristowe, 1927, p. 16-17)
13
Adam was created with a spiritual
soul
, and that from Adam the Jewish race was descended, whereas the Gentile nations issued from the loins of the pre-Adamites
.
(Baring-Gould, 1881, p. 28)
14
When God gave a
pure inspiration
to your body on the earth, you were
separated
from every strong creature the day your
soul
was formed. When you were
brightly
created in the likeness of
God’s shape
, when every dear creature was told that it should come to do you reverence
.
-
Saltair na Rann
1789-1796
15
Let’s look at more of what the Bible has to say.
In Our Image and Likeness…
And God said, Let us make man (the Adamites) in our
image
, after our likeness…
- Gen
. 1:26 (KJV)
So, what is this
image
of God? The word
image
comes from an ancient Hebrew word meaning “to shade.”
16
This word was commonly used to describe a spirit of the supernatural; or something ghost like. The word
image
, as well, could be defined as “likeness” or “resemblance.” The group
Adam
seemed to be in the same
image
as God – in, maybe, a similar spiritual or physical appearance (or outer form) as what God, or his angels, might represent.
The Hebrew word for “image” in all these passages is tzelem… meaning “shadow”or “reflection”… Human beings… are similar to their mastery of the spiritual and physical dimensions of the Maker
.
(Quayle, 2005, p. 23-24)
17
If the other groups were human beings as well, then how could just the Adamites be of this different image? Makes no sense. In the New Testament, however, the word
man
(in
its original Greek) comes from the word
anthropos
- a word which could mean a “countenance,” or “man-faced.”
18
In other words, the Adamites quite possibly could have had a similar
countenance
, or outer “shine,” as the Elohim did (God and His angels).
19
They may have glowed brightly, as one might picture how an angel would.
We know that people of these ancient times would, quite often, identify each other by the features of their face. Could these early Adamites have that brightness, or shine, to their face, as well as their bodies? These Adamites could have also been fairly large and tall, compared to the rest of the human beings - also like some of the angels of the day were thought to be.
Adam
was occasionally described as having both the “light of face” (or “shine”) about him, as well as a large height.
20
We’ll soon see that, in ancient times, the thought of someone having a large height - or being a
giant
- could be symbolic, or
real
. Some individuals of this early were called
giants
because they were, in fact, very powerful and influential - a
giant
of their day.
21
We’re not saying that there were never any
real
giants in the ancient world, however - quite the contrary. We’ll see that there were probably
real
giants on the earth in these ancient of times; but that will be in another chapter. What we have now, at this point of time, is that - however you might describe him - Adam was truly powerful and influential in his brave, new world; similar to the angels who subsisted around him!
“The Thinker”
And God said, Let us make man (the Adamites) in our image, after our
likeness
…
- Gen
. 1:26 (KJV)
There is more: what about this “likeness” of God? The word likeness
originated from Hebrew words which could mean, “to be like,” a “similitude,” “imagination
” or “thought
.” Could being “in the likeness of God” refer to one’s following righteous ways
of God; righteous ways of imagination
or thought
? Could this be the tendency to, morally, approach God; and take on the same overall thought pattern as the One above
?
…the first people are not, like Adam, said to have received the inestimable gift of intellect… (a) “reflective or intellectual life”…
(Bristowe, 1950, p. 91-92)
22
…and there was in the body of Adam the inspiration of a speaking spirit, unto the illumination of the eyes and the hearing of the ears
.
-
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan
II
23
This could be the same as a person possessing a similar “heart” as another.
Adam was known, by some ancient sources, as the
Thinker
- the one who possessed a specific
style
of thought.
24
...
Adam
… was in the
mind
(or,
thought
) of God aforetime…
-
Bakhayla Mikael
p. 8
25
…the spirit came to Adam by way
of his head
.
-
al-Tabari: The History of al-Tabari - Vol. I: General Introduction and From the Creation to the Flood
The Story of Adam 91
26
Maybe Adam was appointed to run the garden because of his rationality, sensibility, and consciousness - thoughts considered akin to the thoughts of God?
In Sanskrit literature the first man is called Manu or Menu… The fact that the word “Man” meant a
thinker
Professor Max Muller writes: “Man, a derivative root, means to think. From this we have the Sanskrit Manu,
originally
the thinker, then man.” (Lectures. Vol I.p.425)
.
(Bristowe, 1927, p. 16-17)
27
…he (God) created man in the
likeness
of his own form, and put into him eyes to see, and ears to hear, and
heart
to reflect, and
intellect
wherewith to
deliberate
.
-
2 Enoch (The Book of the Secrets of Enoch)
65:2
28
From the following ancient text, Adam was given the opportunity to name all of the animals he had dominion over. We’ll see how his utilizing this “likeness of God” could have had an effect on his decision-making:
(Adam speaking to God…) And Thy will was that I should name them all, one by one, with a suitable name. But
Thou gavest me understanding and knowledge, and a pure heart and a right mind from Thee
, that I should name them
after Thine own mind
regarding the naming of them
.
-
First Book of Adam and Eve (The Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan)
34:8
29
Even though the Adamites
may have had some of the same moral values and thoughts as the Elohim, it would be Adam
and his direct descendents who would retain this direct breath (or soul) from God. Again, we are not saying the Adamites were better
than any other group of human beings, here - only that there were differences; or may have been. And, it was Adam’s bright, outwardly image, his great height, as well as his different ways of thought, which gave him the ability to judge (and handle) the major responsibility of his day - managing the Garden of Eden.
Remember, O Lord that… Thou hast fashioned Adam, our father, in the
likeness
of Thy glory; Thou didst breathe a breath of life into his nostrils and, with
understanding
,
knowledge
Thou didst give him… Thou didst make him to rule over the Garden of Eden which Thou didst plant…
-
The Words of the Heavenly Lights ( 4Q504)
Fr. 8 recto
30
This was to be his job in this world. Again, we are not trying to infer any type of superiority
of one group (or person) over another, but somebody
had to run the garden; and, in this case, Adam was the person God assigned to do it all.
…And Also From Different Material
And the LORD God… took dust from the place of the house of the sanctuary, and from the four winds of the world, and mixed from all the waters of the world…
-
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan
II
31
The Bible states our physical, moral bodies came from elements of this earth - that’s fairly common-place. The Adamites, according to one ancient source, were thought to be “those who were of the ground.”
32
The name
Adam
, also, could be a name signifying
his
own place of origin
.
33
Following this train of logic, Adam, the man, may have been named so because God brought him up from one
specific kind
of dirt (unlike the other individuals). Why does this matter? Let’s see.
In Genesis 1:24-26, the other groups of human beings (previously mentioned) were also said to be brought up from the ground; but, interestingly enough, it was the Adamites alone that were said to have come up from one, specific type of red
ground. Adam
was brought up from something even more
significant than this same red
ground: the dust
of this red ground! Now, what’s the significance of all this?
Again, we see that Adam was a single - and significant - formation, apart from the others. This
dust
that Adam was made from was even, in some respects, considered fine
dust
(or, even a form
of clay
):
34
Now, for what reason did God make Adam out of these four materials unless it were [to show] that everything which is in the world should be in
subordination
to him through them? He took a grain from the earth in order that everything in nature which is formed of earth should be subject unto him; and a drop of water in order that everything which is in the seas and rivers should be his; and a puff of air so that all kinds [of creatures] which fly in the air might be given unto him; and the heat of fire so that all the beings that
are fiery in nature
, and
the celestial hosts
, might be
his helpers
.
-
Cave of Treasures
The Creation of Adam
35
As we’ll see, Adam - the man of dust - was given dominion over the other groups of people, as well as the angelic souls around him! How could a “man of the ground” be put on a higher level, or plateau, over the angels?
God’s Favorite - Red and White Dust?
So, if we begin to follow the average man’s rationale at this time, its easy to begin to gather some rather negative assumptions about God: He “plays favorites.” It seems that God, obviously, favored Adam and the Adamites more than he did other groups of people. We also might begin to assume, following the train of logic, that He would create His groups of human beings in some sort of
order
: maybe, the workers of the garden first; and on to the top “manager.” Sounds rational. He began, way in the depths of that
spiritual
Sea
, to take souls out, and formulate them into groups of
Owph
,
Chay
, and
Behemah
, for example… those who were on par to serve Adam; or, somehow, work in the garden. Ultimately, He would work Himself up, to creating the final prize of His creation:
Adam
, himself!
36
We also know that Adam was fashioned directly from God’s image and likeness; which, in and of itself, might begin to sound somewhat racist, or supremacist, to some. Yet, if we really look at the Bible, we’ll discover there are a
number
of discrepancies to this whole way of thinking - elements that really counteract all of these assumptions. Let’s see how.
We begin by looking at Adam’s physical characteristics.
The name
Adam
, as we’ve already postulated, has Hebrew roots in a word which means, “to be red,” “to cause to show red,” or be “ruddy.”
37
And, since the name
Adam
comes from a word that stands for “red earth,” we’ll learn another unique characteristic of this man:
…
reddish clay
suggests the presence of iron oxide, which is the mineral that makes blood red and accounts for the red-faced countenance of blushing. The same root turns up in the Biblical Hebrew as “Admoni”… where the description is commonly interpreted as “red-haired” or “ruddy”
.
(“Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia,
Adam
”, n. d., p. 5)
38
The word ruddy
simply stands for the ability of one to show red
in their face - as with their ability to blush
. The word Adam
, also, could mean one who is fair
(or handsome
).
Put them all together, and we see Adam’s name might relate to the fairness - or
whiteness
- of Adam’s skin.
39
Also, as we know, the ability to
blush
is evident in most people of the Caucasian race. So, can we conclude that, Adam was named to because he had fair, white skin; as well as rosy (
red
) cheeks?
40
The rest of the Adamites, obviously, were pretty much the same. The chosen descendants of Adam, a.k.a. the Israelites
, obviously had this same complexion, over time. There’s a verse in the Bible which described some Israeli people as: “…purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies (Lam. 4:7).” Ezra had the ability to “blush
” (Ezra 9:6). Solomon, son of the Jewish King David, was, also, said to have had a lover. This lover - the Queen of Sheba - described him as
:
My beloved is
white
and
ruddy
, the chiefest among ten thousand
.
- Song of Sol
. 5:10 (KJV)
Noah, another descendent of Adam, was described in much the same way:
And his body was
white
as snow and
red
as the blooming of a rose…
As most surmise, Jesus was white, as well. It seems Adam must have looked the same as these direct descendents, if he was their father. “Well… so what?” One might ask. Does that mean that God “saved the best for last,” here? Just because Jesus and others were Jewish, and probably had the same skin color as Adam, did God assign the white
Adamites as some sort of superior
group? We’ll soon see this, clearly, was not
the case.
The Bible does state that human beings were made “a little lower than the angels (Psa. 8:5).” If this was the case, then one could naturally follow the summation that God should have created the higher, angelic beings first
; with Adam next
… because he was a little lower than the angels. After this, He should have created those who worked the Garden, etc.; and so on. It all seems logical. Yet, in actuality, the angels (as we’ve already surmised) were created first
- followed by
all the rest of the groups of people! Then
Adam and the Adamites were created last. Why weren’t they created in some sort of ascending/descending order?
Also, if Adam was really
fashioned for greatness over other people, then why wouldn’t God have made Adam out of the best
of materials on earth? Those other groups of human beings, including the Adamites, were formed out of solid ground; Adam
was formed out of plain dust
. We’ll now see that dust
, to the ancients, was not the most worthy of materials to form something, or someone, out of.
Dust could have a
whitish
to
reddish
hue. In ways, this could further provide a clue of Adam’s fair skin, and his ruddiness (or, his ability to blush red).
42
This dust, regardless if it was colorful, was often considered a material of very
low
quality.
43
The Hebrew meaning for
dust
(in Gen. 2) not only stands for “dry earth,” but also “ashes,” “debris;” or even “rubbish.” Psalms 104:29 seems to express dust as
the
lowness
and fragility of
human nature
.
44
Interesting. Sometimes,
dust
and
dung
were even used interchangeably!
45
Now, it really doesn’t sound too wonderful - and not a picture-perfect example of Adam’s superiority, as well.
If Adam was truly a superior person - better than everyone else - wouldn’t God have created him right after these angels, and use the best
of ingredients? The logic behind this all is simple: humility. The birth of Jesus - the savior of the world - even took place in a manger
, or a cave
; and not some wonderful palace. Whatever it was, it simply was a lowly den, with animals all around! Humility
is obviously one of the ways of God, not superiority!
Gen.
2:
8
And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed
.
15
And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to
dress it
and
to keep it
.
We see in the above that God did not appoint Adam to sit on some throne; He did not appoint him to some wonderful position of authority; He apportioned Adam to
till the ground
- to be lead
farmer
. Adam’s position on earth, although he was the leader of the pack, was only a manager - a man with the responsibility to oversee the dressing of a garden.
46
Of course it would be logical to think that Adam was considered
superior
, because of some elements of his origins; but now we know how God works - and He doesn’t work that way.
With all of this said and done, knowing that God did not “play favorites” (as far as the five groups of the world), we also have to surmise that someone
had to be the leader; there had to be some sort of hierarchy to this Garden; and to the world. There has to be organization in every cosmos! And, we’ve been taught that there’s even a hierarchy of angels
in the spiritual realm. So, why would the world below be any different?
To top it all off, if we consider all of the horrible things that resulted from the fall of Adam in the Garden, we really can’t be too happy with Adam, overall. Adam - an Adamite - messed up everything for the rest of the human race. Even with his unique creation, he
was the one who helped usher sin into this world… not the other groups. Not
to say that other members of other groups may not have even ended up in the same situation; that’s not the point. What we’re getting at is: superior
, not quite… at least, as far as how God would work things in this world. It seems clear that God wants everyone
to understand the truth: that no matter what
the circumstances of one’s birth - no matter what one’s position in life may be - nobody
(except Jesus Christ, of course) should be put on a pedestal… above anything other
than a flawed human being that they really are.
The Seventh Day - All Was Good (At Least Temporarily)
Gen.
1:
28
And God blessed
them
, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it
.
31
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it
was very good
. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day
.
Gen.
2:
1
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the
host of them
.
We’ve already postulated there were a
host
of angels already around, during the time of Adam’s formation. The Hebrew word for
host
(
tsaba
), above, most probably included the angels, as well.
47
A number of ancient sources stated that the Adamites - especially
Adam
- were given control over
even these
angelic beings. As we’ll see, man’s authority over angels would become a problem to the whole layout of the ancient Garden; a problem which, eventually, would affect the entire planet.
At the end of the “Six-Day Creation,” God was satisfied with His attempt to replenish earth. Our current world was ready to go, with Adam, the angels, human beings with angelic-like qualities, and the other human groups into the mixture. Our organized, functional world
was now in order - there was a new harmony to the cosmos. As we recall
:
Disposed he the wild races of the beasts
,
And to us mortals made subordinate
All cattle; the God-formed one (
Adam
) made chief
Of all things; and
subordinate
to man
He put all variegated forms of life
,
And things that are
incomprehensible
.
-
Sibylline Oracles
2
nd
Fr. 13-8
48
Everyone had a purpose. It all seemed to work, at this early time; that’s why Adam had to have workers under
him - the people of the different groups, as well as the angels, all probably had roles; somewhere. They all knew his or her place, at least for the time being.
One Man to Manage… or Mismanage
With so much going on, this became a primary reason why there had to be a special person in charge, to manage this entire working order.
Gen.
2:
5
…and there was not a man to till the ground
.
7
And the LORD God formed man (
Adam
) of the dust of the ground…
With Adam now created, we’ll now discover something more: there probably was one more
reason why the garden needed a “manager”: our world, even back then, wasn’t exactly free and clear of potentially new problems. The world of the “Six-Day Creation,” even though it was refashioned to be very
good
, it wasn’t perfect.
First off, we see:
As Dr. Kitto writes: “To dress and keep the Garden of Eden, Adam not only required the necessary implements, but also the knowledge of operations for insuring future produce, the use of water and the various trainings of the plants and trees.”
(Bristowe, 1927, p. 29)
4
9
There was work to be done, as with any garden: people actually had to work - to sweat and toil some - for their sustenance.
50
Even though their work wasn’t really too hard,
a little
human effort was needed to ensure the survival of the plants:
…in spite of all this, man obtains his food in toil and trouble
.
-
Chronicles of Jerahmeel
6:14
51
The people worked around Adam, in a small community.
52
Looking at how our world looks
now
, we know that this working arrangement under Adam did not last. Next, the question that most naturally might arise is: if our world was fashioned so wonderfully back then - if it was made so
very good
- then
how
could anything go wrong? What could have happened to Adam’s authority, to destroy this special, organized cosmos?
As we’ll see, there were those - all the way from the beginning
of this world - who began to resent Adam’s position in the Garden; and even desired him to fall. Adam’s control of this garden would indeed be temporary. The days of Adamite dominion over the working cosmos would be on a sliding scale. The era of our world being “very good” (i.e. Gen. 1:31) would soon end; and was about to.