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Genesis – Lesson 1 Tools for Bible Study: English and Bible dictionaries, exhaustive

concordance, Bible handbook, Bible atlas and other versions (e.g., New King James Version or New International Version [not for poetic books] for the Old Testament and the New King James Version, English Standard Version or the New American Standard Bible for the New Testament). Great Bible study tools on line (e.g., e-Sword; BibleGateway.com; and blueletterbible.org). There are also many different computer programs for Bible study such as eBible.

Warning: Read the Preface or How To Use Your Bible first!!!

Pentateuch = five + volume (Greek) Torah = law or instruction or guidance (Hebrew) Moses is author (by inspiration of the Holy Spirit) – Exodus 24:4; Numbers 33:2; Deuteronomy 31:9; John 5:46-47; and 2 Peter 1:20-21. Genesis = Greek for origin, beginning or source in Genesis 2:4.

Bereshith = Hebrew ( ) for “in the beginning” (what comes first;

starting point) – Psalm 102:25; Isaiah 40:21; John 1:1-3; & Hebrews 1:10.

Chapters 1-11 = Four events (Eden – Haran)

1:1-2:25 Creation 3:1-5:32 Fall 6:1-9:29 Flood 10:1-11:32 Nations

Chapters 12-50 = Four people

12:1-25:18 Abraham 25:19-27:18 Isaac 27:19-36:43 Jacob 37:1-50:26 Joseph

Eleven divisions by toledoth ( ) – generations or history – from

Hebrew verb “to give birth to”: 2:4 – generations of heavens and earth 5:1 – generations of Adam 6:9 – generations of Noah

10:1 – generations of Shem, Ham and Japheth 11:10 – generations of Shem 11:27 – generations of Terah 25:12 – generations of Ishmael 25:19 – generations of Isaac 36:1 – generations of Esau 36:9 – generations of Esau 37:2 – generations of Jacob

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Creation (1:1-2:3); Toledoth before the Patriarchs (2:4-11:26); Patriarchs in Palestine (11:27-37:1); Patriarchs in Egypt (37:2-50:26). John 5:46-47 – Jesus said, “Moses wrote about Me.”

Genesis 3:15; 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 49:10; Deuteronomy 18:15, 18; and John 1:45.

Matthew 23:34-39; Luke 11:45-54; Genesis 4:8-10; 2 Chronicles 24:1-2, 15-24. Hebrew scriptures are divided into three sections and contain 24 books. Known as TaNaK – acronym for Torah (law), Nebiim (prophets) & Ketubim (writings). Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy (5 books) Nebiim: Former prophets – Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings; Latter prophets – Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, “The Twelve” (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habbakuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi (8 books) Ketubim: Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ruth, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, Esther, Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah, Chronicles (11 books) See Luke 24:44 Genesis 1-11: Origins of universe, man, sin, nations Antediluvian period

KEY FUNDAMENTAL FACTS TAUGHT IN GENESIS • God exists

• God sustains the world • Humankind may reject God • God redeems people • God acts in history1

1 Water, M. (2000). The Book of Genesis Made Easy. The Made Easy Series (7). Alresford, Hampshire: John Hunt

Publishers Ltd.

Genesis – Lesson 2

The History of Creation 1 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. 3 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. 6 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. Bereshith (“In the beginning”) is in the absolute state – not the construct state. The construct state would tie verse one to verse two, something like “In the beginning of God’s creating, the earth was without form and...” (See the NRSV.) This gives matter preexistence or coexistence with God (contra Psalm 33:6-9; 148:1-5; Proverbs 8:22-29;

Hebrews 11:3; II Peter 3:5). The earth was without form ( – “tohu”), and void ( –

“bohu”)...The Hebrew word (“bohu” - void or empty) is always coupled with

(“tohu”) in scripture (Isaiah 34:11 and Jeremiah 4:23). …and darkness was on the face of the deep...Then God said, “Let there be light” – darkness then light; evening then morning – day; light without sun – Revelation 22:5. And the Spirit of God was hovering

( – “rachaph” – only here and Deuteronomy 32:11 in this particular verb form).

Creation parallels - Habitats/Creatures (Spaces/Faces) Day 1 Light 1:3-5 Day 4 Luminaries 1:14-19 Day 2 Firmament 1:6-8 Day 5 Birds/marine creatures 1:20-23 Day 3 Dry land/vegetation Day 6 Land animals/man 1:24-31 1:9-13 As we can see, on days 1-3, God created spaces. Then, on days 4-6, God created faces to inhabit those spaces. Genesis 1 is not a scientific account of creation! Genesis 2 is not another account of creation – it is an expansion. Genesis 2:4 begins a toledoth section.

רץ׃ 1 א ת ה א ים ו מ ת הש ים א א אלה ר ית ב ראש ב

1:1 – Appropriately, God (<yh!Oa$ – el-o-heem´) is the subject of the first sentence in the

Bible. <yh!Oa$ is the Hebrew word behind “G-o-d” in the Old Testament. <yh!Oa$ is a plural

noun (plural of majesty) but always takes a singular verb except when it refers to heathen “gods”. Although other passages indicate that God created out of nothing, this meaning is

not inherent in the Hebrew verb א ר However, the God of Israel is always the .(´bah-rah) ב

subject of א ר ; and the text never states what God creates out of. See Psalm 33:6; 148:5 ב

and Hebrews 11:3. Creation myths: 1. Egyptian 2. Babylonian (Enuma Elish – “When on high”)

logosref:BibleNKJV.Ps33.6

logosref:BibleNKJV.Ps148.5

logosref:BibleNKJV.Heb11.3

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1:2 – “...And the Spirit ( – roo´-ach) of God...” can mean wind, breath or spirit.

This Hebrew phrase appears next in Exodus 31:3. “waters” ( – mă´-yim) occurs only

in the plural form 580 times in the Old Testament. Verse 1 seems to function as a summary statement while verse 2 describes the situation prior to the detailed creation in 1:3ff.1 Some have used verse 2 to support the gap theory. Notice the comments of Victor P. Hamilton in The Book of Genesis – Chapters 1-17 (part of The New International Commentary on the Old Testament series) on pages 115-116: "...v. 1 describes the original creation, which was flawless. Then something catastrophic happened (Satan’s fall from heaven?), throwing God’s perfect earth into turmoil and judgment so that it became (not “was”) without form and void. Subsequently God started a second creation, so that v. 3 describes not creation but re-creation.” He then adds a footnote at the bottom of page 116: “The so-called gap theory has been given a wide hearing principally through the very popular Scofield Bible.”2 Hamilton is not advocating the gap theory – only presenting it as a view held by some.

1:3-5 – With two words, God spoke light into existence: “ ” – “Let there be

light.” And God saw the light, that it was good ( – tobe); can mean good or

beautiful but it seems in creation that it refers to what is beneficial to man. With the separation of light from the darkness, we have the creation of time. God called the light

Day ( – yom), and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning

were the first day ( – yom). I’m not going to spend time arguing against evolution in

this class but will leave that to Brad Harrub and others. However, I will address the Hebrew text. There is nothing in the Hebrew word yom in Genesis 1 to indicate anything other than a 24-hour day. A number and the phrase “evening and morning” are used for each of the six days of creation (verses 5, 8, 13, 19, 23 and 31). Outside of Genesis 1, yom is used with a number 410 times and each of those times it means an ordinary day. Why would Genesis 1 be an exception? Outside of Genesis 1, yom is used with the words evening or morning 23 times. Evening and morning appear in association but without yom 38 times. All 61 times the text refers to an ordinary day. Why would Genesis 1 be different? In Genesis 1:5, yom is used in context with the word night (lailah). Outside Genesis 1, night (lailah) is used with yom 53 times and each time it means an ordinary day. (Sometimes we say that someone works days where this term represents an undefined length of time/or a certain portion of a 24-hour day.) Other Hebrew words could be used to signify periods longer than an ordinary day. See also Exodus 20:8-11 and 31:12-17.

1:6-8 – “Let there be a firmament (u^yq!r* – rah-kee´-ah) in the midst of the waters (<y!m

– ma´-yim), and let it divide the waters (<y!m – ma´-yim) from the waters (<y!m – ma´-

yim).” Thus God made the firmament (u^yq!r* – rah-kee´-ah), and divided the waters

(<y!m – ma´-yim) which were under the firmament (u^yq!r* – rah-kee´-ah) from the

waters (<y!m – ma´-yim) which were above the firmament (u^yq!r* – rah-kee´-ah); and it

was so. And God called the firmament (u^yq!r* – rah-kee´-ah) Heaven (<y!mv* – shah-

mah´-yim). The firmament or expanse separated the waters which were under the

1 Hamilton, V. P. (1990). The Book of Genesis, Chapters 1–17. The New International Commentary on the Old

Testament (p 117). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 2 Hamilton, V. P. (1990). The Book of Genesis, Chapters 1–17. The New International Commentary on the Old

Testament (pp 115–116). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

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firmament from those above the firmament (u^yq!r*). The Hebrew word for firmament is

derived from the verb uq^r* (rah-kah´) and carries the meaning of something that is

created by being stretched or hammered out (as a metal).This creation of the firmament constituted the second day. The following notation and chart appear in the translator’s handbook for Genesis 1:1 published by the United Bible Societies: Translators are advised to study carefully the picture of the universe as it was understood by the ancient Hebrew authors. This may be done by reading the relevant articles in a Bible dictionary, along with such passages as Psa 104.2–3, 5–9; 148.4; Job 26.11; 37.18; 38.4–11; Pro 8.28–29; Amos 9.6.

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3 Reyburn, W. D., & Fry, E. M. (1998). A handbook on Genesis. UBS Handbook Series (27). New

York: United Bible Societies.


9 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 ( ).

14 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 ( ).

20 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 ( ).

1:9-13 – The creation now progresses from time to space as God separates the waters under the heavens into one place and lets dry land appear. The normal word for land is not used here – rather a noun derived from the verb “to be dry.” It was used to describe the dry ground on which the Israelites crossed the Red Sea and then later the Jordan River (Exodus 14:16, 29; Joshua 4:22).1 With the calling of the dry land Earth and the gathering together of the waters Seas, this is the last time in the creation account that God names anything. And God saw that it was good. But He’s not finished – He wants a covering for His earth. So, on this third day of creation, God accomplishes two works – bringing forth dry land and plants. While the KJV and NKJV list three types of vegetation – grass, herbs and fruit trees, newer translations list only two to agree with verse 29. In this case – and the Hebrew allows it, the word translated “grass” is used with an alternate

1Reyburn, W. D., & Fry, E. M. (1998). A handbook on Genesis. UBS Handbook Series (p 39). New York: United

Bible Societies.

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definition of vegetation. Notice the ESV in verse 11 – And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. Once again, God saw what He had created – that it was good. With these two works of creation, the evening and the morning constituted the third day. We should also note that light is necessary for green plants and this falls within God’s ordering of creation. 1:14-19 – As stated earlier, God created spaces or habitats on the first three days. Now He begins to create the faces or creatures for these spaces/habitats. First, God creates luminaries or lights in the firmament or sky. These lights serve a triple purpose: to separate between day and night; to serve as signs of the passage of time; and to

illuminate the earth.2 The Hebrew word here for light ( – mah-ore') is always used in

the Pentateuch for the sanctuary lamp in the tabernacle except in Genesis 1:14-16.3 He made two great lights – the greater one to rule the day and the lesser one to rule the night. Of course, we know these as the sun and moon, respectively, but they are as yet unnamed. God then created the stars and placed all of these lights in the firmament. They were serving their threefold purpose and God saw that it was good. Evening and morning make the fourth day. 1:20-23 – On day one, God created light and then, on day four, He made the luminaries that would henceforth provide the source of light. On day two, He created the firmament to separate the waters. Now, on the fifth day, God is going to create the inhabitants of the waters and the firmament. As He has been doing since verse 3, God says, “Let there be something and it comes into being.” Here, He says, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let the birds fly above the earth across the face

of the firmament of the heavens.” But, then, verse 21 says that He created (arb) these

various creatures. He last used )arb in verse 1 and will not use it again in this chapter

until He creates man in verse 27. The simplest explanation is that God has begun a new stage of creation with living creatures.4 After seeing that what He had created was good, God for the first time speaks to what He has created and blesses them – to be fruitful and multiply. So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.


Testament (p 127). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 3 Wenham, G. J. (1998). Vol. 1: Genesis 1–15. Word Biblical Commentary (p 22). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.

4 Gaebelein, F. E., Sailhamer, J. H., Kaiser, W. C., Jr., Harris, R. L., Allen, R. B., & Zondervan Pub. House. (1990).

The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Volume 2: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers (p 35). Grand Rapids, MI:

Zondervan Publishing House.

logosref:BibleNKJV.Ge1.14-16

logosref:BibleNKJV.Ge1.3




Genesis – Lesson 4 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. 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, 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.” 29 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. 1:24-25 – Dry land appeared on the third day of creation and now God makes terrestrial animals to inhabit it. Notice the parallel wording of God from days 3 and 6: Verse 11 – “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb...” and verse 24 – “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing...” Three types of land animals are named. The first are cattle but the Hebrew word simply means four-footed animals and is taken to mean large, domesticated animals or cattle. The second group – creeping things – refers to their movement low to the ground and represents reptiles as well as mice, insects, etc. The third group – beast of the earth – literally means “living thing” and is taken to mean “wild animals” or “game.” Verse 25 explains that God made these three types of animals – all according to their kind. And God saw that it was good. 1:26-28 – Just as there were two works of creation of the third day, there will be two on the sixth day of creation. God first made the land animals and then turned His attention to His crowning act of creation – man. Up until this point, God has said, “Let there be” or “Let the earth bring forth” and creation was achieved. But, now He says, “Let Us make man in Our image...” and we have assumed He was addressing the Trinity. However, no one associated this text with the Trinity until the second century A.D. and it is unlikely Moses would have understood it as such.1 Several explanations have been suggested but all of them have their weaknesses. Could it be that God was making an announcement to His heavenly court? See Genesis 3:22; 11:7; Job 38:4, 7; Isaiah 6:8; and 40:14. (This is not to deny that Christ was present and active in the creation as affirmed by the New Testament. But what would the Israelites have understood this verse to mean?) The enigma continues with making man in Our image, according to Our likeness. It’s probably best to see “image” and “likeness” as synonymous. The concept that a king was God’s representative on earth was a common view in this part of the

1 Kissling, P. J. (2004-). Genesis. The College Press NIV Commentary (p 122). Joplin, MO: College Press Pub. Co.

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world. Being created in God's image would thus make man God’s representative on earth. Each person bears the stamp of royalty which is seen by some in Psalm 8.2 Man is elevated above all the animals of creation and given dominion over them. This exalted position for man was extended to include murder after the flood based upon being made in God’s image (Genesis 9:5-6). We can collectively come up with many attributes that separate us from animals and categorize them as part of God’s nature such as the abilities to reason and love but that may be reading more into the text than the Holy Spirit

intended. Verse 27 returns to God doing the creating ( – bah-rah') – in His (singular)

own image. God spoke in the previous verse but now the narrator is speaking. Three

times is used and twice it is mentioned that man is created in God’s image perhaps

to clarify any misunderstanding caused by the plurals in verse 26. Animals are classified by their species or kind in the creation account but man is identified by his sexuality – male and female. The sexuality of animals will not be mentioned until the account of the flood in Genesis 6:19ff. Previously, God had blessed the air and sea creatures in verse 22 and now He blesses man – both the male and the female. God tells them to be fruitful and multiply – to fill the earth. Not only is he to populate the earth, he is to subdue it. God gives the earth into man’s control. As part of that, he is to have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living thing or animal that moves on the face of the earth. 1:29-30 – God continues talking to the man and explains that his diet will consist of the seeds and the fruit of the plants. Birds and land animals are given every green herb for food. This vegetarian diet for all will continue until after the flood. 1:31 – God now looks at His entire creation with the inclusion of man and determines that it indeed is very good! We are then told that the evening and morning were the sixth day. Actually, this is the first time the number of the day is preceded by the definite article – marking this day as the acme of creation.3

The Days of Creation Location

Inhabitants

1. Light and dark

4. Lights of day and night

2. Sea and sky

5. Fish and birds

3. Fertile earth

6. Land animals (including mankind)

7. Rest and enjoyment4

2 Sarna, N. M. (1989). Genesis. The JPS Torah Commentary (p 12). Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society.


Testament (p 141). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 4 Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (50). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Genesis – Lesson 5 2 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 ( ).

4 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 ( ).

2:1 – This verse sums up the first six days of creation. The heavens and the earth were completed as well as all the host of them. While “the host” could refer to the stars (Deuteronomy 4:19) or angels (1 Kings 22:19), the contextual meaning here is all the works of creation. 2:2 – Most English translations leave the idea that God still had a little work to do on day seven and then He rested although there is no such implication in the Hebrew.1 The sense is surely that all the work was completed in the six days of creation covered in chapter 1. Now on the seventh day, God rested from all His work. He rested in the sense “not that He was tired” but in the sense that He desisted from all His labor. It is interesting

that the word Sabbath is not used to denote the seventh day although “He rested” ( )

has the same root as Sabbath.2 2:3 – God blessed the birds and fishes possibly because they were the first living creatures He created and then He blessed man and woman. Now He blesses the

seventh day and sanctifies ( ) it. By sanctifying the seventh day, God made it holy or

consecrated it – removing it from common use. The reason for this blessing and sanctification of the seventh day is because it was on this day that God ceased (rested)

from all His work which He had created ( ) and made ( ).

2:4-6 – This is the first of the eleven toledoth sections as indicated by: This is the history of the heavens and the earth...Some have tried to assign this as a postscript to what precedes it but it actually describes what is generated by the heavens and the earth in the section that follows. This is consistent with the other sections which describe what happened to a patriarch and his descendants.3 The title for the English name of this book

1 Wenham, G. J. (1998). Vol. 1: Genesis 1–15. Word Biblical Commentary (p 35). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.

2 Kidner, D. (1967). Vol. 1: Genesis: An Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (p

57). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. 3 Wenham, G. J. (1998). Vol. 1: Genesis 1–15. Word Biblical Commentary (p 56). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.

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– Genesis – derives from a somewhat inaccurate use of the noun () in the LXX.4 What follows in this particular chapter is not another creation account but rather an expansion of that contained in chapter one – specifically, days three and six. It is also interesting to notice the pattern and reversal of the terms in the two halves of verse 4: heavens-earth-created; made-earth-heavens. This is the first appearance of the divine or

personal name (Yahweh or Jehovah) for God – also called the Tetragrammaton.

When this Hebrew word is translated into English in the Old Testament, it should appear in all capital letters as LORD, GOD or JEHOVAH. Perhaps the easiest way to view verse 5 is the state of dry land in 1:9-10 before any type of vegetation is created. However, the types of plants mentioned cause a little confusion. The first one – plant (of the field) – is found only three other times in the Old Testament and seems to refer to a wild shrub or bush. The second one – herb (of the field) – was created in 1:12 and mentioned for food in 1:29-30. The point seems to be the state of the land before there was vegetation or a man to till the ground. Instead of rain, a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. 2:7 – We are now given the specifics of man’s creation – God formed him out of the dust

of the ground. Man or mankind ( - ah-dahm') is from the Hebrew word meaning

ground or soil ( – ah-da-mah'). With God’s breath, man became a living being or

soul ( – neh'-phesh – literally, a “breathing creature”).

4 Kidner, D. (1967). Vol. 1: Genesis: An Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (p

64). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.







8 The LORD ( ) God ( ) planted a garden ( ) eastward in Eden ( ), and

there He put the man ( ) whom He had formed ( ). 9 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 ( ).

10 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.

15 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 ( ).”

2:8 – After forming man, the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden. Eden seems to be the general area where God planted this garden. Garden of Eden = garden of delight/pleasure. The LXX used a word similar to “paradise” for garden. It has also been shown that Eden is connected to an Akkadian term meaning “plain, flatland, wilderness, prairie” and describes a geographical plain between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in southern Mesopotamia.1

2:9 – One of the characteristics of this garden planted by God was the trees. Each one was pleasant to the sight and good for food. Two specific trees are mentioned – the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The tree of life appears here and in the following chapter as well as in Proverbs and Revelation. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil appears only here and in verse 17 but is alluded to in chapter 3. Rather than trying to define their meanings here, we will let the text explain them as they come up again. 2:10-14 – A river went out of Eden – not necessarily from the garden itself – to water the garden. It then parted into four heads or rivers. Sadly, we are left to wonder about the meanings/locations of the Pison and Gihon Rivers, Havilah and Cush. We also do not know the meaning of bdellium. Hiddekel is defined as the Tigris River in Daniel 10:4 – explained in footnote. It flows on the east of Asshur is evidently a reference to the ancient capital city and not the Assyrian Empire. Thankfully, the Euphrates River is well known and identifiable.


Testament (p 161). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.


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2 2:15 – With the garden planted, God had a job for the man. So He took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden – to till or cultivate it and to keep or watch over it. 2:16-17 – God issues His first command to man allowing him to eat of every tree in the garden. Using an idiom with the double use of the verb “eat”, the man can certainly eat of every tree.3 But he is told that he shall not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When he does that, he will surely die meaning he will be under a penalty of death (cf. 20:7). You shall surely die translates an idiom using the double verb for “die” (similar to the one in the previous verse).

2 Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p 53). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

3 Reyburn, W. D., & Fry, E. M. (1998). A handbook on Genesis. UBS Handbook Series (p 70). New York: United

Bible Societies.


18 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.

21 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 ( ).

2:18 – Recalling God’s pronouncement of good on His creation, the assessment that it is not good for man to be alone comes as somewhat of a surprise. This observation and conclusion seems to rest on the wisdom of God alone. But God also has the solution and that is to make a helper comparable to (or “in front of”) the man. This companion is corresponding or complementary to him. 2:19 – Now we learn that the birds and beasts created on the fifth and sixth days,

respectively, were formed ( ) out of the ground ( ) just like man. Some see a

discrepancy in the creation account in chapter 1 and what is recorded here. It may be possible that God is here creating specific animals to inhabit the garden with man. The NIV’s translation Now the LORD God had formed solves the problem of creation order but has no sound grammatical basis and is really unnecessary.1 The LORD God brought

these animals to Adam ( ) to see what he would call them. Here, the NKJV chooses

to start calling the man by the personal name Adam although there has been no change in the Hebrew. The process of naming the animals is part of man’s exercising dominion over the animals because naming indicates authority and superiority. While we don’t know the language spoken, the name Adam gave to each living creature was its name.

1 Kissling, P. J. (2004-). Genesis. The College Press NIV Commentary (pp 172–173). Joplin, MO: College Press Pub.

Co.

2

2:20 – To the beasts and birds formed in verse 19, cattle or domesticated animals are now added – perhaps indicating a helper might be found among this class of animals. Adam gave names to all of them but a suitable companion for him was not found among these animals.

2:21 – God takes action by causing a deep sleep ( ) to fall on Adam. See the use of

“deep sleep” in Genesis 15:12 and Isaiah 29:10. It is from the verb used in Jonah 1:5. The LORD anesthetized the man for surgery to remove one of his ribs. He then closed up the flesh in its place.

2:22 – God then took the rib and made ( ) it into a woman. Actually, we are introduced

to a fourth term used for God’s creative acts. Literally, God built a woman from the rib taken from the man. See Genesis 4:17 and 8:20. God then brought her to the man. Just as He had taken the man to his work in the garden, so God took the woman to her work. 2:23 – The first recorded words of Adam are an exclamation! He declares that God’s creation – a helper comparable to him – is bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh. By

assonance, the Hebrew word for woman ( ) seems to derive from that for man ( )

but, in fact, they are probably not related etymologically.2 2:24-25 – Now that Adam is finished speaking, the narrator of Genesis explains the marriage relationship. A man shall forsake his father and mother (not necessarily leave them but rather change priorities of allegiance) and be united with his wife. The Hebrew

verb ( ) translated joined or united carries the meaning in the Old Testament of

physical things sticking to each other, especially parts of the body. See Job 19:20 and 29:10 as well as Psalm 137:6 for examples.3 The man and woman joined in marriage shall become one flesh in a physical sense but this oneness extends to other areas as well. The innocence of paradise includes their unashamed nakedness. This view of nudity will quickly change into one of shame and humiliation.


3 Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. 1999 (R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke, Ed.) (electronic

ed.) (pp 177–178). Chicago: Moody Press.



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Genesis – Lesson 8 The Temptation and Fall of Man

3 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 ( )’?”

2 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 ( ).’ ”

4 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 ( ).”

6 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 ( ).

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 ( ).

9 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.”

Genesis 3:11–12 (NKJV)

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.”

3:1 – (nah-chahsh') is a common Hebrew word for a serpent or snake (Exodus 4:3;

7:15; Numbers 21:6-7, 9; and Deuteronomy 8:15). The serpent is simply identified as one of the beasts of the field which the LORD God had made. Without explanation, he is

described as more cunning or shrewd ( – ah-room'). This word is an ambivalent term

that may describe a desirable or undesirable trait.1 In Proverbs, it is translated “prudent” – a commendable characteristic whereas, in Job, it is rendered “crafty”. We can already see some type of wordplay arising between the man and woman who were both naked

( – ah-rome') in Genesis 2:25 and the serpent who was more cunning ( – ah-

room'). The serpent demonstrates his shrewdness by asking the woman about God’s instructions – a question designed to engage the woman in conversation. But notice that



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the serpent refers to God as instead of using His divine personal name which has

been used since Genesis 2:4. The serpent asks the woman if God really said, “You shall not eat of every tree of the garden.” See Revelation 12:9. Of course, we see the great deceiver Satan in the serpent but that didn’t seem to be the case until the first century B.C. when it appeared in the apocryphal book Wisdom of Solomon 2:24 that says:

“but through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his company experience it.”2

3:2-3 – The woman answers the serpent that they are allowed to eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden with the exception of the one in the midst of the garden. She also

refers to God as . However, she adds to God’s injunction against eating the fruit of

that tree by saying that even if they touch the tree they’ll die.

3:4-5 – The serpent contradicts God by telling the woman she will not surely die (

) if she eats of the forbidden fruit. In fact, the serpent says that God knows that your

eyes will be opened when you eat this fruit and you will then be like God, knowing good

( – tove) and evil ( – rah). See also John 8:44.

3:6-7 – The woman succumbed to all that is in the world (1 John 2:16) – the lust of the flesh (“good for food”), lust of the eyes (“pleasant – literally, ‘a desirable thing’ – to the eyes”) and the pride of life (“make one wise”) – and ate of the fruit. She then gave to her husband and he ate. Just as the serpent had said, their eyes were opened. But the outcome was surely not what they expected. In their desire to become wise or “shrewd”

( ), they instead became “nude” ( ) – a way of seeing the wordplay in English.3

They now knew they were naked. Because of this newly-found knowledge, they sewed fig leaves together as coverings (“loincloths”) for themselves. 3:8 – Seemingly, in the cool of the afternoon breezes, the man and the woman heard the LORD God walking in the garden (cf. Leviticus 26:12). The Hebrew word translated “cool”

is (roo'-ach) – rendered “Spirit” in Genesis 1:2 – that also has the meaning of wind or

breeze. Upon hearing God walking, they hid themselves among the trees of the garden to escape from the presence of the LORD God. 3:9-10 – As if the Creator didn’t know, God asks Adam, “Where are you?” But, instead of answering His question, Adam replies that he heard God’s voice (?) in the garden and

was afraid because he was naked. Therefore, Adam hid. The Hebrew word (kole)

translated “voice” also means “sound” and is the choice of the translator’s in the NASB and the ESV: “I heard the sound of You in the garden...” 3:11-12 – Now that Adam has explained why he hid himself, God asks who told him he was naked. And then God asks Adam if he has eaten from the tree which He had forbidden them to eat. The man then tries to shift the blame to the woman and to God – the woman He gave to Adam gave him of the tree and he ate.




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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 ( ).”

14 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 ( ).”

16 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.

22 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

2

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 ( ).

3:13 – God then asked the woman what she had done. Her answer was a lot more direct and honest than Adam’s. She said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” While placing the blame at the source with the serpent, she correctly identified his role. 3:14-15 – God doesn’t ask the serpent why he has done what he has done but

immediately curses him. The serpent, who was more cunning ( ) than all the beasts

of the field, is now cursed ( - ah-rar') more than every beast of the field and all cattle.

The serpent is cursed for what he has done and will move on his belly and eat dust all the days of his life. While there are other Hebrew words for belly, this particular word is found only here and in Leviticus 11:42 and refers to the underside of certain vertebrates that creep along the ground, such as snakes. He who tempted the woman to eat fruit will now eat dust! This is not given for our speculation as to how the serpent moved beforehand. It is more likely that the serpent will now have a subordinate position in creation and the eating of dust is a sign of his low status.1 There will be hostility between serpents and humans. There will be hostility between the serpent’s offspring and a special offspring of the woman. This is often seen as the first Messianic promise. The special Seed of woman shall bruise or crush the serpent’s head and the serpent shall bruise the heel of the woman’s Seed. Romans 16:20, 1 Corinthians 15:25, and Hebrews 2:14 are used to explain this promise. 3:16 – God does not curse the woman or the man – only the serpent (verse 14) and the ground (verse 17). In the previous verse, we learn that woman’s Seed shall bruise the head of the serpent; however, it will not be without pain and discomfort. Woman was designed to conceive but she will give birth in agony.2 Neither the word for “sorrow”

( ) or the one for “pain” ( ) is the usual one for the pangs of childbirth. These

words may have been chosen as a pun on “tree” ( ) because it brought about the

trauma.3 This Hebrew word for “desire” ( ) is used only two other times in the Old

Testament – Genesis 4:7 and Song of Solomon 7:10. In the past, we have tended to view

“desire” in this verse as sexual desire based on the use of (tesh-oo-kah') in the

latter passage. However, it might be more prudent to go with the meaning of the same author in Genesis. With this sense, the woman will desire to dominate in the marriage relationship but she will lose the battle for control as history overwhelmingly attests.4 3:17-19 – God has meted out His punishment in the same order as the sin unfolded – the serpent, the woman and the man. But the longest address is to the man because he bears the greatest blame since he was the original recipient of God’s prohibition against




4Kissling, P. J. (2004-). Genesis. The College Press NIV Commentary (pp 203–204). Joplin, MO: College Press Pub.

Co.


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eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (2:16-17).5 In fact, God’s punishment is given because Adam listened to his wife and ate of the forbidden tree. God cursed the ground from which man was made. Adam was already a tiller of the soil but now the job will be much more difficult due to thorns and thistles. He will get food to eat

from the ground in “toil” ( ) – same Hebrew word translated “sorrow” in the woman’s

punishment. The woman will suffer in her role as mother and the man will be similarly affected in his role as the food provider for his family.6 He must sweat and toil to get his food “all the days of his life”. (Notice the similar phrase used in the final line of verse 14.) Man was made from dust and he will return to dust when his life is over. Death now becomes part of every man’s story (Romans 5:12)!

3:20 – Adam now names his wife or woman ( – ish-shah´). He had previously given

her this generic name in 2:23 but now gives her the personal name of Eve ( – khav-

vah´). This name seems to be an archaic form of – the Hebrew verb “to live” – and

could mean “living thing”. The LXX translated as (Zoh-ay´ – “life”).7 However,

the narrator explains her name by saying it was given because she was the mother of all living. He can use the past tense because he is writing in retrospect. However, it is possible that the Hebrew perfect tense is used in the sense of the prophetic perfect. She has not given birth to any children at this point but it is accepted as fact that she will since this was the direction given by God and He has just stated that pain will accompany her giving birth.8 All humans except the first man and the first woman descended from Eve.

The English name Eve derived from the Greek transliteration of which was .

3:21 – While Adam gave his wife a name, God had something for the couple He had made for them – adequate clothing. They had tried to cover themselves with loincloths

but God made them tunics ( – kut-toh'-neth) of animal skins. These were basic outer

garments worn next to the skin like a long shirt reaching to the knees or ankles.9 This was a garment worn by both men and women to include the coat made by Jacob for his son Joseph (Genesis 37:3), garments worn by the priests (Exodus 39:27) or called a robe for both genders (2 Samuel 13:18; 15:32). Sin had left innocence behind and nudity was now equated with shame and as a symbol of humiliation. While the man and woman tried to cover their nakedness, it took the LORD God to properly clothe them! 3:22-24 – Once again, we are faced with the dilemma of identifying the “Us” as we did in 1:26. Here God seems to be having a conversation with Himself acknowledging that man now knows good and evil just as He does. But the promise of the serpent has not brought man or woman the glory they presumed but rather shame. God finishes His conversation with an incomplete sentence. He must do something to prevent Adam and Eve from eating of the tree of life. Therefore, He sends them out of the garden of Eden although

only the man is mentioned. His original job in the garden was to tend or till ( ) it. He

was formed from the ground and he will till ( ) it outside the garden – but now the








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ground is cursed! God didn’t just send them away – He drove them out or expelled them! But, to insure they didn’t sneak back in, God placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden. These are winged creatures who live in the direct presence of God; however, men have erroneously assumed they are angels without that being stated anywhere in scripture.10 Along with the cherubim, God also placed a flaming sword which turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

10

Kissling, P. J. (2004-). Genesis. The College Press NIV Commentary (p 213). Joplin, MO: College Press Pub. Co.


Cain Murders Abel

4 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 ( ). 6 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. 9 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.

4:1 – The Hebrew verb (yah-dah' – “know”) can have a variety of meanings but is

often used for sexual union as it is here. Adam was intimate with his wife and Eve conceived and bore a son. While several meanings have been suggested for the name

“Cain”, it might be best to skip further wrestling with its etymology. Cain ( ) sounds very

similar to the Hebrew word for “acquired” ( ) and Eve’s comment may reflect a

wordplay of assonance for his name rather than a derivation.1 This may be shown in

1 Kidner, D. (1967). Vol. 1: Genesis: An Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (p 79).

Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

2

English like this: Eve “bore Qain” and said, “I have qained a man from the LORD.” This last phrase is difficult in Hebrew and could be literally translated “together with the LORD.” Thus, a good, understandable reading would be: “I have gained a man with the help of the LORD.”2 A male baby is nowhere else referred to as a man. In 3:3, the

woman had used Elohim to refer to God but now she uses His divine name – .

4:2 – The absence of “she conceived” in this verse led to a tradition that Cain and Abel were twins.3 No explanation is given for Abel’s name although it is the same as the Hebrew word for “breath” (Psalm 144:4) or “vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). Perhaps Abel’s name alludes to his future and a life cut short.4 We are now told of two different career paths for these brothers – Abel became a “keeper of sheep” or “a shepherd” while Cain followed in his father’s footsteps to be a tiller of the ground. 4:3 – “In the process of time” is literally “at the end of days.” This phrase can refer to an indefinite period, short or long, or to a year. Here it seems naturally to be a reference to the end of the agricultural year.5 Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. 4:4-5 – Abel also brought an offering from the firstlings or firstborn of his flock and of their fat. The offering of the firstborn was later a requirement under the law because it belonged to the LORD (Exodus 22:29-30). Under the Law of Moses, the fat belonged to the LORD (Leviticus 3:16) and was burned on the altar. We cannot be sure how Abel made his offering to the LORD but we do know he offered the firstfruits whereas Cain simply offered some of his produce. Although the reason is not given here, the LORD respected (literally, “looked at”) or paid attention to Abel and his offering. On the other hand, the LORD did not respect or pay attention to Cain and his offering. As a result,

Cain was very angry or hot ( – chah-rah'), and his face fell. So why was Abel’s

offering accepted and not Cain’s? See Hebrews 11:4 and 1 John 3:12. 4:6-7 – The LORD notices Cain and asks why he is angry and why his countenance (literally, “his face”) has fallen. The LORD continues His questioning in verse 7 by literally

asking: “If you do good ( )...” The implication is that something was not good about

Cain’s offering and his attitude.6 “If you do good (or ‘well’), will you not be accepted (literally, ‘exalted’ or ‘lifted up’)?” This “lifting up” could indicate smiling (cf. Numbers 6:26) as opposed to frowning (“fallen” in verse Genesis 4:6).7 On the other hand, if Cain does not do good, sin (like a lion) is crouching or lurking at his door. Sin desires Cain (just as Eve would desire her husband – 3:16) but Cain should master it just as Adam would rule over Eve. This is clearly an indication that God has given man free will to subdue his passions if he wants or let them control him.8






7 Kidner, D. (1967). Vol. 1: Genesis: An Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (p 81).

Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. 8 Sarna, N. M. (1989). Genesis. The JPS Torah Commentary (p 33). Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society.


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4:8 – Afterwards, Cain talked with (literally, “said to”) Abel. Using the literal meaning leaves us wondering what Cain said. However, the original meaning of the Hebrew verb

(ah-mar') was “to see” or “to be on the lookout” and thus this possible translation:

“Now Cain was looking for his brother Abel.”9 Regardless of how the first part of this verse is translated, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his

brother and killed him. Actually, Cain murdered Abel. The word used here – (hah-

rog') – is not the same word translated “murder” ( – rah-tsach') and used in the sixth

commandment (Exodus 20:13) which includes manslaughter. This word is used for a

violent, premeditated killing. 4:9 – As if God didn’t know (as when He asked Adam’s whereabouts in 3:9), He asks Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” Cain lies and says he doesn’t know. And then he impertinently asks God if he is his brother’s keeper. Because of Abel’s livelihood, the question might well have been: “Am I the shepherd’s shepherd?”10 4:10-12 – The LORD now confronts Cain with his lie. Just as He asked the woman in 3:13, God asks Cain what he has done. Yet the LORD already knows. He is not seeking information but rather is making an accusation.11 He tells Cain that He can hear the voice

of Abel’s blood crying out ( – tsah-ahk') from the ground – crying out ( ) for

vengeance. For example, this Hebrew word ( ) is the desperate cry of men without

food (41:55), expecting to die (Exodus 14:10) or oppressed by enemies (Judges 4:3).12 Cain will be cursed from the same earth or ground that soaked up Abel’s blood. The ground had already been cursed for Adam’s sake but its yield will be even less for Cain. Perhaps Cain is driven farther away from the fertile soil or, as a fugitive and wanderer, he will not be in any one place long enough to really establish his farming. (Since blood will figure so prominently in Israel’s history, see also Leviticus 17:11, Numbers 35:33, Isaiah 26:21 and Jeremiah 7:6-7.)

4:13-14 – Cain exclaims that his punishment ( – ah-vone') is too much to bear! This

word translated “punishment” is literally “iniquity”. Yet the focus here is on the consequences of what Cain has done. See 1 Samuel 28:10 for a similar translation of

.13 He sees four aspects to his divine sentence. #1 – He’ll only get a small return from

the ground; #2 – He will be hidden from God’s face; #3 – He’ll be a nomad or a wanderer; and #4 – He’s afraid someone will now kill him. Cain who killed one of his relatives must now watch out for relatives who may want to kill him.14 Separation from God leads to fear. 4:15 – The LORD doesn’t lessen Cain’s punishment but offers some reassurance to his fear of being murdered. The LORD says that anyone killing Cain will be the recipient of


Testament (pp 229–230). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 10

Wenham, G. J. (1998). Vol. 1: Genesis 1–15. Word Biblical Commentary (p 106). Dallas: Word, Incorporated. 11

Hamilton, V. P. (1990). The Book of Genesis, Chapters 1–17. The New International Commentary on the Old

Testament (p 231). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 12

Wenham, G. J. (1998). Vol. 1: Genesis 1–15. Word Biblical Commentary (p 107). Dallas: Word, Incorporated. 13

Reyburn, W. D., & Fry, E. M. (1998). A handbook on Genesis. UBS Handbook Series (p 116). New York: United

Bible Societies. 14

Hamilton, V. P. (1990). The Book of Genesis, Chapters 1–17. The New International Commentary on the Old






logosref:BibleNKJV.Jdg4.3





logosref:BibleNKJV.Je7.6-7


4

seven times His vengeance. Then God put some mark of protection on Cain lest anyone finding him should kill him. And, no human knows what that mark or sign was so I won’t try to suggest anything. One rabbi suggested that the sign for Cain was a dog that accompanied him – reassuring him of God’s protection and scaring off any assailants.15

15

Wenham, G. J. (1998). Vol. 1: Genesis 1–15. Word Biblical Commentary (p 109). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.

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