by Wells, Steve
(2.2) “He rested.” Even God gets tired sometimes.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
(2.4) “These are the generations.” The second creation account (2.4-25). Compare with 1.1-2.3 in which the order of events is entirely different.
1 The two creations
5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
(2.5) “Every plant … before it was in the earth.”
3 Were plants created before or after humans?
6 But there went up a mist 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 soul.
(2.7,19) “God formed man…. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast.” In the first creation story, God makes humans (male and female) after the other animals; in the second, God makes a man first, then the other animals, and then a woman.
8 Were humans created before or after the other animals?
8 And 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 made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
(2.9) “The tree of life … and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” God created two magic trees: the tree of life and the tree of knowledge. Eat from the first, and you become a god and live forever (3.22); eat from the second and you’ll die the same day (2.17). [Or that’s what God said, anyway. Adam ate from the tree of knowledge and yet he didn’t die. In fact he lived for another 930 years or so (5.5).] But Adam never got a chance to eat from the tree of life. God kicked him out of the garden before he could eat from that tree, become a god, and live forever.
10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.
11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.
14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
(2.17) “In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” God says that if Adam eats from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, then the day that he does so, he will die. But later Adam eats the forbidden fruit (3.6) and lives for another 930 years (5.5).
12 May Adam eat from any tree?
18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
(2.18) “It is not good that the man should be alone.”
15 Is marriage a good thing?
19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
(2.19a) “Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast.”
6 From what were the animals created?
(2.19 b) “God … brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them.” After making the animals, God has Adam name them all. The naming of several million species must have kept Adam busy for a while.
But animals were not created instantaneously from the ground; they evolved over millions of years. And we still don’t have names for all of them. Ten thousand new species of insects are discovered and named each year.
20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
(2.20) “But for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.” God makes the animals and parades them before Adam to see if any would strike his fancy. But none seem to have what it takes. (Although he was tempted to go for the sheep.)
8 When were humans created?
10 When was Eve created?
21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
(2.22) “And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman.” God fashions a woman out of one of Adam’s ribs. Because of this story, it was commonly believed (and sometimes it is still said today) that males have one less rib than females. When Vesalius showed in 1543 that the number of ribs was the same in males and females, it created a storm of controversy.
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 shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
(2.24) “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
16 Is polygamy OK?
GENESIS 3
3 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
(3.1) “The serpent … said unto the woman” A clever serpent talks to Eve about trees, death, and the knowledge of good and evil. He persuades her to eat the forbidden fruit. She takes the first bite and gets the full blame (3.12, 16).
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of 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 hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
(3.6) “And he did eat.” In 2.17 God said that if Adam eats from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, then the day that he does so, he will die. But Adam eats the forbidden fruit and yet lives for another 930 years (5.5).
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
8 And they heard the voice 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 amongst the trees of the garden.
(3.8) “They heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden.” God walks and talks (to himself?) in the garden, and plays a little hide and seek with Adam and Eve.
17 Does God have a body?
18 Does God know everything?
9 And the LORD God called
unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
(3.12-13) “The woman … gave me of the tree … The serpent beguiled me.” Adam blamed Eve. Eve blamed the serpent.
14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
(3.14) “Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat.” God curses the serpent. From now on he will crawl on his belly and eat dust.
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
(3.16) “In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children. … Thy husband … shall rule over thee.” God punishes Eve, and all women after her, with the pains of childbirth and subjection to men.
17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
(3.17) “Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife” Adam is also punished, although less severely. He now will have to work for a living because he “hearkened unto the voice” of his wife.
18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
(3.18) “Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth.” God curses the ground and causes thorns and thistles to grow. Before this, according to the (false) Genesis story, plants had no natural defenses. The rose had no thorn, cacti were spineless, and nettles had no sting. Foxgloves, oleander, and milkweeds were perfectly safe to eat.
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
(3.20) “The mother of all living”
19 Is everyone descended from Adam and Eve?
21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
(3.22) “Behold, the man is become as one of us.” God expels Adam and Eve from the garden before they get a chance to eat from that other tree—the tree of life. God knows that if they do that, they will live forever. A spooky thought indeed for an insecure god.
9 How many gods are there?
23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
GENESIS 4
4 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
(4.1) “And Adam knew Eve.” This is the first sexual intercourse mentioned in the Bible.
2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
(4.4) “The Lord had respect unto Abel.” God liked Abel’s dead animals better than Cain’s fruits and vegetables. Why? Well, no reason is given, but it probably had something to do with the amount of pain, blood, and gore involved.
20 Does God desire animal sacrifices?
21 Does God respect anyone?
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
8 And 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 slew him.
(4.8) “Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.” Because God liked Abel’s animal sacrifice more than Cain’s vegetables, Cain killed his brother Abel in a fit of religious jealousy.
9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?
10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.
11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;
12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
(4.12) “A fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.” As a punishment for killing Abel, God says Cain will be “a fugitive and a vagabond.” Yet in just a few verses (4.16-17) Cain will settle down, marry, have a son, and build a city. This is not the activity one would expect from a fugitive and a vagabond.
22 What became of Cain?
13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
(4.14a) “From thy face shall I be hid.”
18 Does God know and see everything?
(4.14b) “Every one that findeth me shall slay me.” Cain is worried after killing Abel and says, “Every one who finds me shall slay me.” This is a strange concern since there were only two other humans alive at the time—his parents!
15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
(4.15) “The Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.” But God is worried, too. He says whoever kills Cain will be punished sevenfold (whatever that means). Just to make sure, though, God puts a mark on Cain so no one will kill him. Good idea.
23 Does God approve of capital punishment?
Until the 1978 revelation to Mormon President, Spencer W. Kimball, black men were not allowed to hold the priesthood. This was based, in part, on Gen 4.15, where God placed a mark on Cain after he had killed his brother Abel. Joseph Smith and later LDS leaders interpreted the “mark upon Cain” to be turning of Cain’s skin (and all of his descendants) black.
Mormons were not alone in this interpretation of 4.15. Many Protestant denominations at the time Joseph Smith founded the LDS Church (1830) had the same racist understanding of the “mark of Cain.”
16 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
(4.16) “And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD.”
18 Does God kn
ow everything?
17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.
(4.17) “And Cain knew his wife.” That’s nice, but where the hell did she come from? The Bible doesn’t mention any of Cain’s sisters. In any case, Cain and the mysterious Mrs. Cain have a son (another blue cigar!). His name is Enoch and he builds a city (population 3).
22 What became of Cain?
18 And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.
19 And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
(4.19) “Lamech took him two wives.” Lamech is the first of a long line of biblical men with more than one wife.
16 Is polygamy OK?
20 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.
21 And his brother’s name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.
22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.
24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
(4.24) “If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.” Lamech kills a man and claims that since Cain’s murderer would be punished sevenfold, whoever murders him will be punished seventy-seven fold. That sounds fair.
25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
(4.25) “Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son.” Way to go Adam!
26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.
(4.26) “And to Seth … was born a son.” Where’d he find his wife?