Genesis 1-5
Genesis 1
As we go thought this “through the bible” we will not be dealing with at this time about the existence of God, the bible states it I am going to assume that you understand this. We are also not going to deal with the topic of evolution at this time, alto this is a great place for a diversion into that topic. I have dealt with that in previous tapes
The English name. “Genesis” is derived from the Septuagint, ( LXX) . the LXX is the first known translations of the Hebrew bible into another language. In this case, it is Greek. It was accomplished sometime between 250-300 BC, by a committee of 70 rabbis in Egypt. The LXX employs the greek word “ Genesis” which means “Origins” as the title also speaks of creation or beginnings.
Genesis tells a story which reaches from the creation of a world to the death of Joseph in Egypt. All along following a blood line to the messiah.
Genesis = Beginning or origins.
Doctrine of First use -
Grace Gen. 6 Noah found Grace -
Love - love of a father to a son Gen. 22
first of Major doctrines in the bible
God as creator / trinity/ Satan/ sovereignty of God/ election/ Salvation / Justification./ Rapture /
Moses wrote the first 5 books , Torah
understanding of the N.T.
quoted more that any other book,
200
Genesis 1:1-2 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
right up front we see God a mystery, the trinity, Elohim, is a plural . God trying to get us to see right here that to his nature is more that one, and yet one.
He leaves these clues all along, you can follow this along
Genesis 1:26
26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, …..’
Genesis 3:22
22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil.
All along the road we will see this if we are sensitive, to this, God is three in one, we see this in our very first verse.
The scripture tells us that we have all three involved in creation.
God
Jesus -
Colossians 1:16-17 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. (NKJV)
Holy spirit
vs. 2 - spirit of God,
Spirit =
07307 ruwach {roo'-akh}
from 07306; TWOT - 2131a; n f
AV - Spirit or spirit 232, wind 92, breath 27, side 6, mind 5, blast 4,
vain 2, air 1, anger 1, cool 1, courage 1, misc 6; 378
1) wind, breath, mind, spirit
1a) breath
1b) wind
1b1) of heaven
1b2) quarter (of wind), side
1b3) breath of air
1b4) air, gas
1b5) vain, empty thing
1c) spirit (as that which breathes quickly in animation or agitation)
1c1) spirit, animation, vivacity, vigour
1c2) courage
1c3) temper, anger
1c4) impatience, patience
1c5) spirit, disposition (as troubled, bitter, discontented)
1c6) disposition (of various kinds), unaccountable or uncontrollable
impulse
1c7) prophetic spirit
1d) spirit (of the living, breathing being in man and animals)
1d1) as gift, preserved by God, God's spirit, departing at
death, disembodied being
1e) spirit (as seat of emotion)
1e1) desire
1e2) sorrow, trouble
1f) spirit
1f1) as seat or organ of mental acts
1f2) rarely of the will
1f3) as seat especially of moral character
1g) spirit of God
1g1) as inspiring ecstatic state of prophecy
1g2) as impelling prophet to utter instruction or warning
1g3) imparting warlike energy and executive and administrative
power
1g4) as endowing men with various gifts
1g5) as energy of life
1g6) ancient angel and later Shekinah
Just so we would not miss this point that Gods Holy Spirit was active throughout the creation as well as guiding his people he uses these exact words again , to draw our attention to this fact.
HOVERING = this is the same presence that hovers over the children of Israel in there wildness,
Deuteronomy 32:10-11 10 "He found him in a desert land And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. 11 As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, Carrying them on its wings, (NKJV)
same two words used here, the Holy spirit takes a active roll in these times just as today,
Isaiah 63:11-14
11 Then he remembered the days of old, Moses and his people, saying: "Where is He who brought them up out of the sea With the shepherd of His flock? Where is He who put His Holy Spirit within them, 12 Who led them by the right hand of Moses, With His glorious arm, Dividing the water before them To make for Himself an everlasting name, 13 Who led them through the deep, As a horse in the wilderness, That they might not stumble?" 14 As a beast goes down into the valley, And the Spirit of the LORD causes him to rest, So You lead Your people, To make Yourself a glorious name. (NKJV)
the Holy spirit took a active roll in the O.T. just as today !!!!
we have all three active in creation as well in guiding men and women in history.
Genesis 1:3-5 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
are these literal days,
day = Yom = used 1,480 times in the O.T. , 1,181 times refers to literal day. Never used with a number without meaning a literal day. Again he says the evening and morning were the first day. A literal day. There would be those who would argue this point.
Evening and morning first day, this is the way the Jews still today reckon time. sun goes down it is the next day.
The day, according to the scriptural reckoning of time, begins with the preceding evening, thus, the observance of the Day of Atonement is to be ‘ from even unto even’
the Sabbath is stated the same:
Leviticus 23:32 32 "It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your Sabbath." (NKJV)
Genesis 1:6-8 Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." 7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.
Firmament = this is a expanse or space. Heaven separates water.
Isaiah 40:22 22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. (NIV)
canopy theory
Genesis 1:9-19 Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the third day. Then God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 "and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
stars beauty of what God has created, Ps 8 what david said,
Genesis 1:20-25 Then God said, "Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens." 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." 23 So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
24 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind"; and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Great Creatures -
Genesis 1:21 21 And God created the great sea monsters,. (NASB)
this is literally what is spoke of here, there are Sea Monsters, called various things , Nahar, Yam, Leviathan, and Rahab. The latter especially recalls an ancient poetic tradition of the “ lord of the sea” [1]
cockroaches multiply ??
Genesis 1:26-28 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
created in the image of God, this declaration was said of no other part of Gods creation. Only man was “Created after the image of God” word shadow has the idea of shadow, one of the Jews commentator on this word said,
“ thus man represents, as it were, the “ shadow” cast on the earth by the divine majesty.’ [2]
In modern Hebrew , the word “ photocopy is derived form this word. Man is God’s photocopy.
God created man to be immortal, and made him to be an image of His own eternity
our bodies are created to live forever, ( see article )
subdue = the hebrew word for Subdue, is rather aggressive word, It has been used to mean, “ to bring into bondage” it implies definitive activity.
This is all yours take it, take control of it. you are the one that rules here. Man will loose this in the fall, ( think about this )
Genesis 1:29-31 And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 "Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so. 31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Green plants for food, according to the biblical scheme, men and beasts became carnivorous only after the flood.
Genesis 9:3 3 "Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant. (NASB)
at first they had been vegetarians, According to Isaiah in the messianic age man and beast will return to this original state of harmony; beasts will become vegetarians once more:
Isaiah 11:6-9 6 "
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea. (NKJV)
Genesis 2
Chapter 2 supplements the brief mention of the creation of Man in vs. 27, of the last chapter, by describing the formation of man and woman and their first dwelling place, as preliminary to the temptation, and consequent expulsion form the garden of Eden in Ch. 3.
Genesis 2: 1-3
Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
God did not need to rest, he is Omnipotent, but he left for us an example, we need rest, our minds bodies our spirits we need to rest, from activities.
we are not under the Sabbath law !!!.
Genesis 2: 4-7 This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 5 before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; 6 but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. 7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
notice the word LORD - in all capitols we will see this word all along our study,
they had not grown, the vegetation remained in the same state as on the day of it creation, through lack of rain,
we do not know were it is today, at the flood all things were rearranged,
2 Peter 3:6 6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. (NKJV)
Genesis 2:8 The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.
Eden = actually means delight, , East of Eden is a strange Idea, is it a geographical area,
yes is does mean East; however KEDEM can also have a time quality about it, As such , it would have the sense of “Before” or “From ancient times” to reinforce this understating , we should note that the Targum Onkelos translates it as “aforetime” . This is especially clear with we understand that before the world KEDEM is the hebrew proposition, “M” this also means “From” instead of “in”
Putting this all together, we can say that in the literal garden called Edam, man was placed there by God in such total delight from the very ancient of times that in Later Jewish literature the phrase “ Garden of Eden” has become a phrase used of the blissful eternal state.
Why was this garden such a delight for man ? the text does not say specifically, But is reasonable to assume that was in total delight because he was in total harmony and unity with God, with ever, his God-given partner, and with himself ! what else could cause such utter delight? [3]
Genesis 2: 10 And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
we will see this tree of life again in the new city,
Rev. 22
Genesis 2: 10-14 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
Pishon - nowhere else mentioned in the bible.
Havilah - N.E. of Arabia, on the Persian gulf. Arabia was famed in antiquity for its gold.
Bdellium - possibly the pearl.
Gihon - like the Pishon , the identify of this river is a matter of conjecture.
Cush - usually rendered Ethiopia; but it may also denote some territory in Asia
Asshur - Assyria; which lies some distance East of the Tigris and possibly includes Babylonia.
Euphrates. No further description is given , because it was universally known as the great river, sometimes just called the river.
Genesis 2: 15-17 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."
Literally in your dying you shall die
why did God put it there, Free choice, God will respect out Choice
Genesis 2: 18-20 And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." 19 Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
every thing is good and then it is not good. Man is incomplete, some God gives a gift of singleness, not to me.
Genesis 2:21-25 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. 23 And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Rib - side , I grew up thinking that man had one less rib, but just the logic in this, if I lost my hand would my children loose there hand, the pure logic breaks down.
Cell ??
the woman is formed out of the mans side hence it is the wife’s natural duty to be at hand, ready at all times to be a “help” to her husband.[4]
Out of his side
the rabbis says in a message I heard he says he is quoting the Talmud
that man was created from the rib of man,
not from his head to top him
not from his feet to be trotted on by him
but from this rib, next to his heart to be loved by him
and under his arm to be cared for by him
naked a play on words see the next chapter
Genesis 3:1-24
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"
Cunning - it has the connotations of “Craftiness, Or Shrewdness”. It however, does not mean “Wise” Hebrew uses a different world for that .
Interestingly, 2:25 also used this same word, :Crafty” but here , the usage seems to be that of Nakedness, although , this may be as some say “ a literary devise, which helps to line the creation and fall narratives. It seems to be that meaning is much richer that that.
IF we combine the two senses of the word, is seems that what the text may be indicating here is that the serpent ( Satan ) was the most sneaky or crafty of all of God’s creation. So much so, that as Dr. David Friedman, , Messianic Jewish scholar in Jerusalem, says:
He can’t hide his motivations, He is completely transparent and open to Adam and eve, about what he intentions are. IN fact, the ensuing story would buttress this interpretation, as we see the serpent overtly but craftily tempting them to sin…
Hence, the idea of Craftiness and nakedness are both tied together with same word.
Indeed of Perhaps, in the hebrew expresses skepticism and a defiant challenge against God.
The serpent, According to the Rabbinic legend, The Serpent in its original state had power of speech, and its intellectual powers exceeded those of all other animals, and it was envy of Man that made it plot his downfall.
Genesis 3:2-3 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 "but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' "
Notice how she added to the word of God
Genesis 3:4-5 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Genesis 3:6-7 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
FRUIT. Jewish tradition suggest Wheat, Grape, fig, or citron, all prominent Near east products. In Christian Tradition, the fruit is generally thought to be an apple, both because it was popular fruit on Europe and because the Latin translation is MALUM which also means apple.
1- Perceived that the tree was good for eating. In this we learn that she began to think of the tree in physically appealing way.
2- it was a delight to the eyes. She began to gaze at it. not turning away,
3- was desirable as a means to wisdom. - she wanted this wisdom.
It was at this moment that not only their lives radically changed, but the entire course of human history was tragically altered, It was important here that we see the universality of this action of eating.
Romans 5:12
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned -- (NKJV)
There eyes were opened, they once had unity with God but now they were afraid of Him how sad.
In this moment they changed kingdoms, they now were part of the kingdom of sin and death, what could be the antidote for this..
Genesis 3:8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
Sound - the hebrew could be translated Voice.
Genesis 3:9-13 Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself." 11 And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?" 12 Then the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate." 13 And the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
It is always God who takes the first initiative to remedy the situation. He is not dead in his trespasses and sins, he is spiritually unable to do anything on his won except to first come to God.
Did God not know where Adam was? He asked in order to open the way to repentance.
Genesis 3:14 -15 So the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel."
notice that the Seed is singular,
From very ancient times, Jewish commentators have thought that the seed of the woman must be the Messiah, Targum Jonathan, an ancient paraphrase and translation of the Hebrew Tenach into Aramaic renders this passage, “ But they will be healed in the footsteps in the days of king Messiah”
Here the word SHUPH is not translated as “Bruised” but rather in the sense of “Rubbing with a medicine” and thus is healing.
This is the first Messianic prophecy, as such , it presents a scene where Satan would inflict a non-lethal bruise on the Messiah, But , in turn, the Messiah would inflict a mortal blow upon the head of Satan, This was very graphically accomplished when Jesus the Messiah was crucified. Satan, the head of the kingdom of sin and death, though he would annul this prophecy when he was able to get Messiah to die, but , he grossly miscalculated the power and wisdom of the most High. Messiah, instead did not remain dead, but conquered death by becoming alive again ! what Satan thought would be a death-blow to the head was only a braise to the heel.
We can also read of the final ultimate victory over Satan, including his death, rev. 20, Hence, Messiah will ultimately deal Satan a death blow to the head destroying him forever.
Genesis 3:16-21 To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you."
17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return."
20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
they made for themselves their own coverings, But God rejected their coverings. Instead, God covered them, moreover, he did it by causing an animal to be slaughtered. Here we see that there is in brought dire consequences to the rest of creation. But we also see the first instance of an animal sacrifice, this is where the life of an animal is taken as a substitute for man in order to deal with Mans sin. Hence God covered them, this sets a pattern for the rest of the story in the scriptures. As Gods revelations progress, the concept of sacrificial substitutes becomes more developed until it culminates in the sacrifice of Messiah for the sins of all who believe in him.
Genesis 3:22- 24 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever" -- 23 therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Terry
Thank you very much for your recent inquiry to Torah.Org,
attached below, regarding the sin of Adam and Eve.
You should be aware that our Talmudic sages see Genesis Chapter 3,
the sin of Adam and Eve in paradise, as a sin-paradigm. Accordingly,
thru subtle reading of the text the various causes and varieties
of sin are uncovered. Allow me to share with you several Talmudic
insights into this text:
FIRST: A review of contrasting BIblical texts
The Talmudic sages contrasted the following verses
Gn02-16 God commanded: You may EAT from the Garden trees
Gn03-02 Snake quotes God: Dont eat from ALL Garden trees
Gn02-17 God commanded: Dont EAT from the trees in the garden CENTER
Gn03-02 Snake quotes God: Dont EAT from ALL garden trees
Gn03-03 Eve quotes God: Dont EAT or TOUCH trees in the garden CENTER
Several blatant contrasts are perceived in the above
#1: The snake attempted to get Eve to sin by harassing
--- her with many many questions till she made a mistake
This is born out by the following contrast
Gn02-16 God commanded: You may EAT from the Garden trees
Gn03-02 Snake quotes God: Dont eat from ALL Garden trees
So the snake kept on making comments till Eve made a mistake
#2: Adam made a FENCE to the eating prohibition
-- Adam prohibited Eve from touching the trees
This is hinted at by the following contrasts
Gn02-17 God commanded: Dont EAT from the trees in the garden CENTER
Gn03-02 Snake quotes God: Dont EAT from ALL garden trees
Gn03-03 Eve quotes God: Dont EAT or TOUCH trees in the garden CENTER
Note the contrast between EAT vs EAT-TOUCH. Adam Prohibited
Eve to touch from the tree -- this is like a Rabbinic law
designed to protect the Biblical law. Notice however that
Eve quotes God as saying not to TOUCH the tree.
Thus Eves mistake was confusing a preventative commandment
(dont touch) with a main commandment (dont eat).
The above ideas
-- the idea that the snake tried to confuse Eve with many questions
-- the idea that Eve confused a preventative commandment with a
main commandment
these ideas are mentioned in the Talmud.
But the ATTITUDE that we can study all aspects of sin by
reviewing Genesis Chapter 3, remains. Thus your comment that
- Eve was not with Adam - is an added insight into sin
#3 - (Terry) The snake used a divide-and-conquer approach
---- He spoke to Eve alone and after conquering her (to sin)
---- Eve got Adam to sin.
We see a hint of this in Genesis Chapter 3 verse 6
- And Eve saw how luscious the fruit was
- and Eve grabbed the fruit and ate
- and Eve (then) gave to Adam to sin
We close with a 4th aspect of sin.
#4 - Use of loneliness to spread sin
The actual text of Genesis 3:6 is
-- and she gave to Adam WITH HER and he ate
But as we see Adam was NOT with her (The snake only spoke
to her). So the sages interpret this as a threat by Eve
-- I ALREADY ate from the tree. Do you think I will
-- let you live while I die (as a punishment from
-- eating from the tree). Rather you eat from the
-- tree also and we will die together.
Hence the verse states -- And she gave to Adam WITH HER and he ate
I hope the above introduction whets your appetite on this
very beautiful and fundamental Biblical chapter.
Respectfully
Russell Jay Hendel on behalf of the Torah.Org Staff
=========================== YOUR ORIGINAL INQUIRY TO TORAH.ORG ======
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 13:19:04 -0400
To: Russell J Hendel <rjhendel@juno.com>
Subject: Fwd: Adam and Eve
From: "Terry Long" <pt@calvaryslc.org>
To: rabbi@torah.org
Subject:
Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2003 11:08:17 -0600
In the Hebrew was Adam WITH eve when she was talking to the serpent in
the
Garden.. was he there or some place else ?
Thanks for your answer
TERRY
Dear Terry,
During the incident of the serpent and Eve, Adam was in the Garden (there was no where else to be), however we can assume he was not with her. The Torah tells us that G-d commanded Adam not to eat from the tree, and in turn Eve only heard the command from Adam - second handedly. She thought that it was also forbidden to touch the tree, when she inadvertently touched the tree and realized that nothing happened, she thought that she was able to eat from the tree as well. Had Adam been there, the whole incident would have been avoided since he knew first hand from G-d that the prohibition was to eat from the tree and therefore would have immediately objected to it.
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Levi Shmotkin
Chabad.org
Genesis 4:1-25
Last week we saw sin enter the world, and like lepoesity sin effects everything that it touches.
The promise that the seed of the woman there would be a deliver come , Adam and eve understood this promise, we learn this by what they named her first born
Cain = literally means “ Here he is “
Genesis 4:1-5 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the LORD." 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
KNEW = has sex with her,
Abel went out of his way to please God (which meant he had faith in God, Heb. 11:6), whereas Cain was simply discharging a duty. Abel’s actions were righteous, whereas Cain’s were evil (1 John 3:12). These two types of people are still present.[5]
Notice notes on offerings:
Genesis 4:6-8 So the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." 8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
James 1:15 warns us that sin begins in a small way, but grows and leads to death. So it was with Cain. We see disappointment, anger, jealousy, and finally murder. The hatred in his heart led to murder with his hand (Matt. 5:21–26)
( this is the second murder ) \
SIN LIES AT THE DOOR = another translation puts it, sin is the demon at the door
Cain is free to choose good or evil.
God’s advice was that if Cain would please God by doing what is right, all would be well. But if not sin would be crouching (roµb_eµs\ is used here in the figure of a crouching animal) at his door, ready to overcome him. Sin desires to have Cain (these words show God’s interpretation of “desire,” the same Heb. word, in Gen. 3:16), but Cain could have the mastery over it. Here is the perpetual struggle between good and evil. Anyone filled with envy and strife is prey for the evil one.
Genesis 4:9-15 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" 10 And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11 "So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 "When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth." 13 And Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is greater than I can bear! 14 "Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me." 15 And the LORD said to him, "Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." And the LORD set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.
a Vagabond, the banished Cain did settle , but in the land of nod, the land of “restlessness” Gen. 4:16 for nowhere could he be at rest.
MARK = not a brand of rejection but a sign of protection against blood revenge.
VS 13- punishment to much ?
the Heb. Word means both the consequences of sin, i.e. Punishment, and the sin itself. The Targum renders ‘ mine iniquity is too great to be pardoned’. The Heb. Word translated ‘ than I can bear’ can also be rendered ‘top be forgiven’ Rashi understands the phrase as a question ‘is my iniquity too great to be forgiven?’
According to the Rabbis, Cain was a repentant sinner, God , therefore, reassured him that he would not be regarded as a common, intentional murder. Gods mercy to the guilty who repents of his sin is infinitely grater than that of man.
SEVENFOLD = the number seven is occasionally used in the Bible to express as indefinite large number, Cain’s murderer shall be visited with a punishment far greater than that exacted of Abel’s , as God had now made manifest His abhorrence of bloodshed to all.
Genesis 4:16-17 Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. 17 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son -- Enoch.
he married his sister, this was a common practice, until Lev. Where it was forbidden .
Cain certainly married one of his sisters, for by then there were many descendants of Adam (5:3 indicates 130 years had passed). Abraham later married his half-sister; why could Cain not marry his full sister, especially in a day when sin had not yet taken its toll in the human body? [6]
4:17-18. Cain’s family began in Nod (v. 16). The name “Nod” (noÆd_) is related to the words for “restless wanderer” (naµÔ waµnaµd_, v. 14). It was the land of fugitives from God. Here Cain fathered a child, Enoch, and named a city after him. (No doubt Cain’s wife was a daughter of Adam; cf. 5:4.)[7]
The narrative now traces the line of Cain to its full development. What becomes of a society that rebels against God and leaves the land of blessing in angry defiance of His laws and His sacrifices? In this case it prospers. But the righteous should neither envy the wicked nor follow their way of life (Pss. 49; 73). God allows them to prosper in their earthbound way. They produce music, weapons, agricultural devices, and cities—culture. It is their only recourse in a bitter, cursed world
Not so are the righteous. Some who traced their lineage to Seth, the replacement of Abel, began to make proclamation in the name of the Lord. These—and Noah, and Abram, among others—declared the truth to their generations. Some people—though only a remnant—do not go overboard in living an affluent “good life” but are concerned with things spiritual. Israel should trace her ancestry to Enosh (Gen. 4:26), in spirit and in fact
Genesis 4:18-24 To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech.
19 Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. 20 And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. 21 His brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute. 22 And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah. 23 Then Lamech said to his wives: "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! For I have killed a man for wounding me, Even a young man for hurting me. 24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold."
4:19-24. The seventh from Adam through Cain was Lamech (probably a contemporary of the righteous Enoch, also seventh from Adam, 5:3-21). Lamech altered the plan of God and married two women. His family produced musical instruments (the harp and flute) and implements (tools out of bronze and iron) to make life enjoyable.[8]
Genesis 4:25-26 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, "For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed
26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.
Seth - implies appointed or susubtute
In strong contrast with this godless society were the righteous. In the line from Seth there was faith. Seth himself was a provision from God, according to Eve’s statement of faith. In the days of Enosh, Seth’s son, men began to call on (better, “proclaim”) the name of the Lord (Yahweh).
Genesis 5:1-32
Genesis 5:1- 5 This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created. 3 And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. 4 After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters. 5 So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died.
lay these genealogies out you find that there is a close link to Adam.
Genesis 5:6- 32 Seth lived one hundred and five years, and begot Enosh. 7 After he begot Enosh, Seth lived eight hundred and seven years, and had sons and daughters. 8 So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years; and he died.
9 Enosh lived ninety years, and begot Cainan. 10 After he begot Cainan, Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and had sons and daughters. 11 So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years; and he died.
12 Cainan lived seventy years, and begot Mahalalel. 13 After he begot Mahalalel, Cainan lived eight hundred and forty years, and had sons and daughters. 14 So all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years; and he died.
15 Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and begot Jared. 16 After he begot Jared, Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years, and had sons and daughters. 17 So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years; and he died.
18 Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Enoch. 19 After he begot Enoch, Jared lived eight hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 20 So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years; and he died.
21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. 22 After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.
25 Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech. 26 After he begot Lamech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and had sons and daughters. 27 So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died.
28 Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and had a son. 29 And he called his name Noah, saying, "This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD has cursed." 30 After he begot Noah, Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years, and had sons and daughters. 31 So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years; and he died.
32 And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
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[1] The torah ‘ a modern commentary’ pg. 19
[2] First fruits of Zion, “ Bereshit”
[3] First fruits of Zion
[4] the Pentateuch and haftorahs J.H. Hertz pg. 9
[5]Walvoord, John F., and Zuck, Roy B., The Bible Knowledge Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985.
[6]Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament, (Moody Press: The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, New Testament) Chicago.
[7]Walvoord, John F., and Zuck, Roy B., The Bible Knowledge Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985.
[8]Walvoord, John F., and Zuck, Roy B., The Bible Knowledge Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985.