1 Imagine watching Lord of the Rings, Return of the King having never seen the first two movies of the trilogy. You might find it enjoyable, but at mes a bit confusing unl you saw the first two movies to give you context and backstory. All of human life is shaped by some story. The way we understand human life depends on what concepon we have of the human story. The Bible tells one unfolding story of redempon against the backdrop of creaon and humanity’s fall into sin. Without that story, we are leſt in much confusion as to why things had to be done by Jesus the way they were. We are guessing as to what the enre story means. The Bible has been fragmented into bits — moral bits, theological bits, devoonal bits, and preaching bits. We are far removed from the cultures of the first century, let alone those of the mes when God first formed a people and called them to live as a light to the world. We have some short stories that we perhaps learn as children of giants and sling-shots, prophets and whales, and big boats packed with animals, but what do they mean in the story of the world, or of my life? As we grow older and hear them again they become less consoling and more frightening and challenging. Many conclude that the god of the old is not the god of the new and laugh with a nervous chuckle of ancient tales that seem to be of another species and another world. And yet all the writers of the second testament quote the first testament as if it is very important, with purpose and meaning intended to be followed and fulfilled. Even Jesus insisted that much of what he did was to complete what was wrien of his mission in the first testament. What have we been missing? Is Jesus more than we have known? Is the story greater than a man who dies and then emerges from a tomb? What is missing from our story if we know only how it ends? How do we negoate the strange waters of the stream that runs from the Garden to the New Jerusalem? Well, we will not solve or even aempt to solve this in this 30,000 foot flyover we are doing. But we will know more and perhaps we will know how much we don’t know which is a healthy smulant to learning. Here is what we will cover: • The story is broken into six themes: . • We will generally move from Creaon to Consummaon, but use passages from the 1 Story as the themes are found throughout the Bible. So begin right now to think, “Where have I heard this theme or word in other places?” • We will use a lot of videos from www.thebibleproject.com. They are packed with informaon that is focused on telling the story. • If you want to go deeper each week, there will be some supplementary videos and arcles posted on the week’s page at www.basicbible.org. WHY 1 STORY — 1 Story, Week 1, Student www.basicbible.org A story . . . is . . . the best way of talking about the way the world actually is. N.T. Wright
Transcript
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Imagine watching Lord of the Rings, Return of the King having never seen the first two movies of the trilogy. You might find it enjoyable, but at times a bit confusing until you saw the first two movies to give you context and backstory. All of human life is shaped by some story. The way we understand human life depends on what conception we have of the human story. The Bible tells one unfolding story of redemption against the backdrop of creation and humanity’s fall into sin. Without that story, we are left in much confusion as to why things had to be done by Jesus the way they were. We are guessing as to what the entire story means. The Bible has been fragmented into bits — moral bits, theological bits, devotional bits, and preaching bits. We are far removed from the cultures of the first century, let alone those of the times when God first formed a people and called them to live as a light to the world. We have some short stories that we perhaps learn as children of giants and sling-shots, prophets and whales, and big boats packed with animals, but what do they mean in the story of the world, or of my life? As we grow older and hear them again they become less consoling and more frightening and challenging. Many conclude that the god of the old is not the god of the new and laugh with a nervous chuckle of ancient tales that seem to be of another species and another world. And yet all the writers of the second testament quote the first testament as if it is very important, with purpose and meaning intended to be followed and fulfilled. Even Jesus insisted that much of what he did was to complete what was written of his mission in the first testament. What have we been missing? Is Jesus more than we have known? Is the story greater than a man who dies and then emerges from a tomb? What is missing from our story if we know only how it ends? How do we negotiate the strange waters of the stream that runs from the Garden to the New Jerusalem? Well, we will not solve or even attempt to solve this in this 30,000 foot flyover we are doing. But we will know more and perhaps we will know how much we don’t know which is a healthy stimulant to learning. Here is what we will cover:
• The story is broken into six themes: .
• We will generally move from Creation to Consummation, but use passages from the 1 Story as the themes are found throughout the Bible. So begin right now to think, “Where have I heard this theme or word in other places?”
• We will use a lot of videos from www.thebibleproject.com. They are packed with information that is focused on telling the story.
• If you want to go deeper each week, there will be some supplementary videos and articles posted on the week’s page at www.basicbible.org.
WHY 1 STORY—
1 Story, Week 1, Student www.basicbible.org
A story . . . is . . . the best way of talking about the way the world actually is. N.T. Wright
• Genesis 1 & 2 are very important chapters. God reveals His INTENTION and the ROLE of humans.
• These chapter are very difficult.
1. It is ancient literature and a different genre from most everything else we read. Genesis 1 is prose narrative.
2. It is written to a different culture. The Israelites existed in a culture where nothing happened independent of deity. The gods did not intervene. The gods caused everything
• These chapters also are debated more than any other chapters.
1. They had a different a Different Science.
2. Debates and division have involved modern science, not the original message.
“The Old Testament does communicate to us and it is written for us, and for all humankind. But it is not written to us. It was written to Israel. It is God’s revelation of himself to Israel and secondarily through Israel to everyone else.” John Walton, The Lost World of Genesis One.
“Genesis 1 was written to provide a lens through which to read the rest of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible). And since the Pentateuch is the backbone of the entire Bible, ultimately Genesis 1 serves as the introduction to our faith.” Sandra Ritcher, Epic of Eden
Adam: means “man” or “mankind/humankind” “Adam” is used both as a name and a title in Scripture, referring to his identity as the first human and his status as the representative of humanity before God.
Create: The verb bara conveys the idea of ordering or determining function, suggesting God’s creative activity consists of bringing proper order and function to the cosmos; to shape, fashion, create (always with God as subject).
Dominion radah /raw-daw To rule, subjugate, to dominate.
Rest shabath /shaw·bath to cease, desist, rest, complete. “Deity rests in a temple, and only in a temple. This is what temples were built for. We might even say that this is what a temple is—a place for divine rest. Perhaps even more significant, in some texts the construction of a temple is associated with cosmic creation. What does divine rest entail? Most of us think of rest as disengagement from the cares, worries and tasks of life. What comes to mind is sleeping in or taking an afternoon nap. But in the ancient world rest is what results when a crisis has been resolved or when stability has been achieved, when things have “settled down.” Walton, Lost World of Genesis One.
VOCABULARY
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Genesis 1:1–2:4 (ESV) — 1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
Notes from Faithlife Study Bible 1:1 In the beginning Genesis opens with the Hebrew phrase bere’shith, typically translated as “in the beginning.” There are two possible interpretations of this phrase: a specific, absolute beginning of all time; or a nonspecific, general beginning of God’s work of creation. God The Hebrew word used here for “God,” elohim, is plural. While elohim may be used to describe multiple deities, ot authors usually use the term to refer to the singular God of Israel (more than 2,000 instances), such as here. created The Hebrew word used here is bara. the heavens and the earth This phrase refers to the entirety of creation. The ot often uses opposing word pairs to refer to a totality. 1:2 formless and empty The Hebrew terms used here, tohu and bohu, describe material substance lacking boundary, order, and definition. darkness Throughout the Bible darkness represents evil or calamity. Here, darkness refers to the unformed and unfilled conditions of the material of v. 1. the deep The Hebrew word used here, tehom, refers to the primordial or primeval sea—the cosmic waters of chaos. the Spirit of God Since the Hebrew word used here, ruach, can mean “spirit” or “wind,” this phrase can be translated “Spirit of God” or “wind from God” (or even “mighty wind”). However, the pairing of ruach with God (elohim in Hebrew) usually refers to God’s Spirit. 1:3 And God said The ordering of creation begins with the spoken word. Let there be light God creates light before the creation of the sun (Gen 1:14–18). This reflects an understanding of the world, common in the ancient Near East, that held that the sun does not serve as the source of light. 1:4 good God calls His handiwork good seven times in ch. 1 (vv. 4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). The Hebrew word used here, tov, has a broad range of meaning but generally describes what is desirable, beautiful, or right. In essence, God affirms creation as right and in right relationship with Him immediately after He creates it. The material world is good as created by God. caused there to be a separation between the light and between the darkness The division of time into day and night represents one of God’s first acts in the ordering of creation. 1:5 evening and there was morning, the first day The expression “evening and there was morning” specifies the length of a “day” (yom, in Hebrew). While the author may have meant a 24-hour day, less
After the reading of each section of Gen. 1,
read and reflect on the notes to the right
from Faith Life Study Bible.
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6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. 9 And 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 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 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. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. 14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
specific interpretations are possible. The Hebrew word yom can refer to a 24-hour cycle, the daylight hours, or an unspecified future “someday.” The meaning of the word, though, does not settle the debate over whether the passage references a literal six-day creation or symbolic days. In addition, the sun (which marks the change from evening to morning) is not created until the fourth day. 1:6 a vaulted dome The Hebrew word used here, raqia', refers to a dome-like structure that was thought to separate the sky from the heavens (v. 8). 1:9 waters under heaven The writer explicitly distinguishes the waters of the sea from the waters above the expanse because of the ancient Near Eastern view that the sky held back the waters above (compare note on v. 6). dry ground The Hebrew term here, yabbashah, is used to distinguish the safety of dry ground from the chaotic danger of the sea. The term appears several times in the account of Moses and the Israelites safely crossing the Red Sea on dry ground (see Exod 14:16, 22, 29). 1:11 Let the earth produce green God’s command for vegetation to grow is the first indirect command in the creation sequence. Previously, God has directly addressed each created thing. Now He commands the earth to produce plant life. green The Hebrew word used here, deshe, can refer specifically to grass or generically to any plant life that sprouts from the earth. plants that will bear seed The earth is to produce not only plants and fruit trees, but also plants and fruit trees that bear seeds. according to its kind Refers to the broad distinctions between different types of plants and animals. All created things reproduce within the parameters set by God. 1:14 lights The creation of the lights in the heavens on the fourth day parallels the creation of light in general on the first day. These lights produce another separation—day from night (compare note on vv. 9–13). signs Celestial phenomena were often understood as divine signs in the ancient Near East (see note on Jer 8:2). appointed times The Hebrew word used here, mo'adim, could refer to seasons—indicating the natural agricultural cycle—but mo'adim also frequently indicates religious festivals or sacred times. 1:16 two great lights This refers to the sun and the
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20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, 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 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. 24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and 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 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
moon, but the writer deliberately avoids the words “sun” (shemesh in Hebrew) and “moon” (yareach in Hebrew) that correspond to the names of West Semitic deities: Shamash and Yarik. 1:20 living creatures Here, the Hebrew term nephesh refers to animal life. 1:21 sea creatures A translation of the Hebrew word tannin, which does not refer to any specific member of the aquatic kingdom. 1:22 Be fruitful and multiply God created life to be fertile. Here, the capacity for sexual reproduction is cast as a divine blessing. 1:26 Let us make The occurrence of “us” in this passage has been understood to refer to the plurality of the godhead: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This understanding would have been unknown to the authors of the ot. Another possible explanation is the so-called “plural of majesty,” but this type of grammatical usage is more common for nouns and adjectives than verbs. A simpler explanation is that “us” reflects an announcement by the single God of Israel to a group in His presence—the heavenly host. Other ot passages support the idea of a heavenly host or divine council (Psa 29:1; see Psa 82:1 and note). This explanation also applies to Gen 11:7. The phrase “our image” then means that the members of the heavenly host also reflect the divine image. 1:27 the likeness of God Being created in the image of God distinguishes people from all other earthly creation. God’s image is not described as being possessed in part or given gradually; rather, it is an immediate and inherent part of being human. male and female There is no status distinction among bearers of the divine image; they are equal while having distinct capacities and roles in fulfilling the divine mandate to steward the earth. he created them The Hebrew verb used here, bara, is the same word used in Gen 1:1. However, the plural declaration “let us make” in v. 26 uses a different verb. The verbs for “make” (asah) and “form” (yatsar) are also used elsewhere with bara to refer to God’s work as Creator in chs. 1–2. In ch. 2, yet another verb is used for the fashioning of Adam (yatsar). These verbs
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1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. 4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
are synonyms. Compare note on v. 1. 1:28 Be fruitful and multiply As with the animal kingdom, humanity is created to be fertile. The capacity for sexual reproduction is cast as a divine blessing. subdue it, and rule over These terms indicate active power or rule involving physical force or effort (Jer 34:16; Esth 7:8; Josh 18:1; Isa 14:2; Ezek 29:15). 1:29 food The seed-bearing plants and fruit trees created on the third day are here designated as food for the people God has just created. See note on vv. 1–13. 1:31 very good The totality of the ordered creation meets the expectations of its Creator. God is pleased with the results of His actions. 2:2 on the seventh day God finished Some translations render this “on the seventh day,” suggesting that God worked on the seventh day in violation of the Sabbath. However, the Hebrew text here can be translated “by the seventh day,” resulting in the verb being rendered “had finished,” expressing the completion of the act. he rested The Hebrew verb used here, shavath, means “cease” or “rest.” The English word “Sabbath” comes from the related Hebrew noun shabbath. The word implies that God’s work of creation was completed, so He stopped. 2:3 God blessed the seventh day The creation week serves as the model for the six-day week and Sabbath rest noted in Exod 20:11 and other Israelite laws.
1. What rhythms or repetition do you find in this account? Go through and circle the primary words that
appear to be in a cycle or repetition.
2. What commandments are given to the humans?
3. Consider the idea of humans being made in God’s image. Read the BACKSTORY on page 8 and prepare to
discuss this with the people at your table or two other people in the group.
4. What did you hear today that you have not heard before? Anything?
1. How would you describe God’s intention?
REFLECTIONS
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Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
In Genesis 1:26–27 God announces his intent to create humanity in his “image”—Hebrew ṣélem (cf. Gen 5:3;
9:6). It may surprise you to learn that ṣélem (with its cognates) is the standard ancient Near Eastern word for
“idol.” When a polytheist from the ancient world set out to make an earthly representative of their deity
(understood as the incarnation of that which could not be fully incarnated, a lifeless object that must be
animated by the deity), that polytheist fashioned a ṣélem. When the language of Genesis 1:26–27 is combined
with the images of Genesis 2:7, we see that Yahweh is presenting himself to us as a divine craftsmen, who is
making an idol of/for himself, which he himself must animate. And that idol is us. Within the worldview of the
ancient Near East the message here is clear: we are the nearest representation of Yahweh that exists.
An image is a physical representation that points to some other person or deity. When God created people, he put them in charge of all of his creation. He endowed them with his own image. In the ancient world an image was believed to carry the essence of that which it represented. An idol image of deity, the same terminology as used here, would be used in the worship of that deity because it contained the deity’s essence. To worship the idol would be an actual connection with the essence of the god. This would not suggest that the image could do what the god could do, nor that it looked the same as the deity. Rather, the deity’s work was thought to be accomplished through the idol. In similar ways the functional and governing work of God was seen to be accomplished by people. The preposition “in” should be understood as meaning “as” or “in the capacity of.” Humanity was created “as” the image of God. The concept can be conveyed if we think of “image” as a verb: Humans are created as God’s imagers—they function in the capacity of God’s representatives. The image of God is not a quality within human beings; it is what humans are. According to Gen 1:26ff, man is set on earth in order to be the representative there of the absent God who is nevertheless present by His image Every human, regardless of the stage of development, is an imager of God. There is no incremental or partial of the image via some ability, physical or spiritual. No member of the animal kingdom, regardless of any cognitive ability it might have, is an imager of God. This understanding lends clarity to the Old Testament passages. Being created as God’s imagers means we are His representatives on earth—the only qualification for this is that we are human. New Testament Fulfillment: (just a few of many texts) 2 Corinthians 4:4 (ESV) — 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Colossians 1:15 (ESV) — 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Ephesians 4:24 (ESV) — 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. 1 Corinthians 15:49 (ESV) — 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. Check out the video “Image of God” from the Bible Project on Week 1 page at www.basisbible.org
BACKSTORY: IMAGE OF GOD
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Hearing the Story: A group method of hearing and receiving the story
1. Read it (Have one person read the story out loud. Everyone else, listen, Bibles closed)
2. Relax (Don’t get ahead. Hear it fresh.)
3. Ruminate (Think about what you have heard.)
4. Read it again. (This time have it read out loud, but follow along in your Bible.)
5. Rock-n- Roll (Ask questions in the group about what you are hearing. What is new to me?
What do I not understand?)
6. Tell the story around the circle. (Bible’s closed, takes turns around the circle telling the next
part. Anyone can “Pass.”)
7. Reveal (What is God showing us in this story? If I had to tell one thing that God is saying today,
what would it be?)
Go through Genesis 2:4b—25 (Faithlife Study Bible notes on next page)
2:4 These are the generations of The formulaic Hebrew phrase used here, elleh toledoth, is used throughout Genesis to mark the beginning of major sections (5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10, 27; 25:12, 19; 36:1, 9; 37:2).
Yahweh God The first occurrence of the personal divine name Yahweh. Here it is combined with elohim, the Hebrew word that identifies God in ch. 1.
2:5 there was no human being to cultivate the ground The description of the land in this verse suggests no vegetation has yet grown, and the land is open and barren. This fits the likely state of the land in 1:9–10 just before God commands the earth to bring forth vegetation (1:11).
2:7 formed The Hebrew verb used here is yatsar, whereas different verbs appear in the declaration and action of 1:26–27 (asah and bara respectively). See note on 1:27.
man of The Hebrew word used here is adam, which is also used in the Bible as the proper name for the first man, Adam (e.g., 3:17; 1 Cor 15:45).
the breath of life The Hebrew phrase used here, nishmath chayyim, occurs only this one time in the ot. Genesis 6:17 uses the Hebrew phrase ruach chayyim, which is regularly translated “breath of life.” Genesis 7:22 has a close parallel that combines both: nishmath ruach chayyim, which is also often translated “breath of life.” The phrases refer broadly to animate life, which was naturally shown by breathing.
2:8 in Eden Eden was distinguished from the entirety of creation and had specific geographical boundaries. The narrative does not say what the rest of the creation was like, only that Eden was the unique dwelling place of God. Thus, it is not certain if all of creation was like Eden—ideal and without death.
2:9 the tree of life The wider garden imagery in the ancient Near East helps in understanding the tree of life. The tree of life refers to two concepts: one earthly and the other symbolic of divine life and cosmological wellness. The tree is described as being located in Eden, which is a garden with abundant water and lush vegetation, paradise for those living in agrarian or pastoral settings.
2:10 four branches The geographical details positioning Eden in relation to a river that branches into four rivers do not help pinpoint Eden’s location. Two of the rivers named here are unknown (the Pishon and Gihon). The references to the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers suggest a connection with Mesopotamia.
2:11 the Pishon The name is probably derived from the verb push, meaning “to spring up.” The name of the second river, Gihon (Gen 2:13), is likely also based
on a verb that means “to burst forth.” If that is the case, the names of both unknown rivers more aptly describe springs of water bubbling up from underground.
Havilah The precise location of this land is unknown, but it is mentioned again later in Genesis (10:7,29; 25:18). Genesis 10:7 includes the name in a list of Arabian regions.
2:13 Gihon See note on v. 11.
Cush The land of Cush (kush in Hebrew) refers to a region of East Africa that likely included southern Egypt and northern Sudan. The Greek Septuagint as well as some modern translations use “Ethiopia” to translate Hebrew kush. The Biblical region was probably located further north than modern Ethiopia.
2:14 Tigris The Tigris, the river mentioned here, is the eastern of the two great rivers in Mesopotamia (Dan 10:4).
Assyria The region around the upper Tigris. Later, Assyria would become the center of a major Mesopotamian empire. See note on Isa 10:24.
the Euphrates The western of the two great rivers in Mesopotamia. The ancient city of Babylon was built near the Euphrates.
2:15 to cultivate it and to keep it This phrase helps define the language of subduing and ruling in Gen 1:28; people represent God as stewards of His creation—tending to it as He would. People have the power to rule and are told to do so, but are instructed to do so appropriately.
2:17 the tree of the knowledge of good and evil No such tree appears in other ancient Near Eastern texts and traditions. This tree was located within Eden—the dwelling place of God and His heavenly host (see note on 1:26; note on v. 8). This particular tree represents a counterpart to the tree of life, which could bestow immortality (3:22; see note on v. 9).
you shall not eat Eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is not what awakened
Tigris River
The Tigris River begins in the Taurus Mountains of southeastern Turkey and flows southeast for 1,150 miles to the Persian Gulf. The name Mesopotamia means “between the rivers” and refers to the land around the Tigris and the Euphrates. Many important Mesopotamian cities were located along the banks of the Tigris, including Nineveh and Asshur. The Tigris was also the site of one of Daniel’s visions (see Dan 10:4).
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moral discernment in humans, since they would need to possess this already to understand God’s command.
you shall surely die This refers to the certainty of death, not to immediate death. Adam and Eve did not immediately die after eating from the tree, but they were cut off from the tree of life and driven from the garden after their disobedience (3:6). Their immortality depended on remaining in God’s presence, symbolized by the tree of life and its fruit. Driven out, they would inevitably die, as all mortals do (compare note on 3:22).
2:18 a helper The Hebrew term used here, ezer, refers broadly to rendering aid. While used to refer to subordinates, the word does not necessarily imply inferiority: God is called Israel’s helper (ezer in Hebrew; Hos 13:9).
2:20 gave names to every domesticated animal In exercising his stewardship over creation, Adam names the animals. In ancient Israelite belief, knowing the name of a thing is what enabled one to do good for the thing named or to pronounce a blessing.
2:21 one of his ribs The woman is made from the side (tsela' in Hebrew) of the man. Usually used in architectural contexts (Exod 25:12, 14; 26:20), this is the only occurrence of the word in reference to human flesh.
2:25 naked In light of the later events, the use of this Hebrew term here, arom, involves wordplay—the serpent is described as crafty (arum in Hebrew; Gen 3:1). The parallel words indicate a contrast: innocence being transformed into shame.
2:21–23 The language used to describe the first man and woman in these verses indicates that they were human and needed all the things necessary to sustain human life. Due to their environment (Eden), Adam and Eve enjoyed perpetual, but contingent, immortality by being able to eat from the tree of life and not sinning against God’s command. All of this ended with their fall (ch. 3).
• Do the reading of Genesis 3 in Week 2 lesson
• More material is online at www.basicbible.org but is not required.
• You are encouraged to watch videos for each week from the Bible Project, available on each week’s page at www.basicbible.org.
