성경 주석서

Genesis 2:5. And every plant of the field, before it was in the earth— That is, God when he made the heavens and the earth, made also, by his immediate power, every plant in its state of perfection, with its seed in it; before the several plants, thus produced, grew and increased in the natural and regular method by which they now grow and increase: and which method he appointed for that end, when things were regularly constituted, when the sun was appointed to shine, and the rain to fall upon the earth; and man was formed to cultivate the earth, and its produce. As yet it was otherwise: the vegetables were created and sustained by his power exerting itself in a peculiar manner: especially by causing a mist, vapour, or steam, to arise from the earth to water them. The sacred writer, by remarking that yet there was no man to cultivate the ground, nor any rain to water it, both which are necessary to the produce of vegetables, assures us, that vegetables were not, at first, produced in the ordinary method.

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Genesis 2:7. Formed man of the dust of the earth— Having given us a general account of the formation of man, and of the dignity of his species, in that he was made in the image of his Maker; Moses proceeds to give us a more circumstantial account of his formation; his first station, Gen 2:8 employment, Gen 2:15 obligations, Gen 2:17 and union in the marriage state: particulars all of great importance, the information whereof could not fail to interest all mankind. His body, we are told, was formed by the Almighty Creator, out of the dust of the earth. As a potter hath power over, and forms the clay into what vessels he pleases; so the Lord God formed (for such is the import of the original word יצר iatzar) Adam from the clay or dust. The Hebrew is expressive, God formed man, dust of the earth. There is no particle before dust. He is, as to his corporeal part, mere dust and clay.

REFLECTIONS.—1. Man in innocence had much to humble him, when he could look upon the earth under his feet, and call it mother. He was but dust of dust. But how much more cause hath fallen man to be humble, when he is not only of the dust, but must return to the dust again. It is ignorance of our original, and forgetfulness of our end, which lead us to high thoughts of our vile and sinful selves. And yet it must be acknowledged, that the body of man is curiously wrought. Materiem superabat opus. "The workmanship excelled the materials." Let us then present our bodies to God as living sacrifices, and as living temples, and, vile as they now are, they shall shortly be new formed like Christ's glorious body.

And breathed into his nostrils the breath of life— The original words חיים נשׁמת nishmath chiim, signify the breath of lives, including the vegetative, sensitive, and rational life of man.

And man became a living soul— Consider here, the high original, and yet the admirable serviceableness of the soul of Man 1:1. It takes its rise from the breath of heaven, and is produced by it! It is pity then it should cleave to the earth, and mind earthly things. It came immediately from God. Hence God is not only the Former but the Father of Spirits. Let the soul, which God hath breathed into us, breathe after him; and let it be for him, since it is from him. 2. It takes its lodging in a house of clay, and is the life and support of it. The body would be a worthless, useless, loathsome carcase, if the soul did not animate it. Since then the extraction of the soul is so noble, and its nature and faculties so excellent, let us not be of those fools who despise their own souls, by preferring their bodies before them.

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Genesis 2:8. Planted a garden— It pleased God to provide for man, when formed, a proper place of reception, a garden. The Hebrew word גן gan, which we render garden, and frequently, paradise, signifies, properly, a fenced or enclosed garden: eastward, must be taken in reference to the situation of Moses when he wrote this, which being generally supposed to have been in the wilderness of Arabia, eastward must be understood to refer to the east of that wilderness, or of Judaea. This garden was planted in Eden, בעדן beeden. The Hebrew word עדן eden, or Eden, signifies pleasure: accordingly the Vulgate renders it, paradisum voluptatis, a garden of pleasure.

REFLECTIONS on the garden of Eden (from Gen 2:8-15). 1. It was a garden. When no inclement sky had yet begun to lour; when storms and tempests had not learnt to roar; when nature, ever-blooming, filled the eye with pleasure, and the air with fragrance, a palace of gold had been a confinement, and beds of ivory mean, compared with the delicious groves of Eden, and those couches of amaranthine flowers which decked this happy place. The starry canopy of heaven was extended over them; the wide earth around served as the courts to grace the temple; while this secluded spot, the blest abode provided by their bounteous Maker, shone with brighter beauties than ever adorned the house of Solomon, though overlaid with gold. Imagination could not conceive, nor desire wish for a greater profusion of delights.

2. The situation. The choice of the spot was from God, and the furnishing it his work. It was no doubt the best of that which was all very good. No traces of it however now remain: as sin drove man out, the deluge swept it away: To teach us that God attributes to place No SANCTITY, if none be thither brought By men who there frequent, or therein dwell.

3. Its produce; every thing pleasing to the eye, and good for food. God consulted the pleasure, as well as the profit of his creatures.

4. Its peculiarities. Many were the trees which adorned the garden, but two there were of wonderful efficacy. The first was the tree of life; whether so called, because of some property contained in it of preserving the human body from decay, or because appointed of God as the pledge and seal of man's immortality, whilst he continued in a state of obedience. 2. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil; so called, from its design to point out the knowledge of good and evil to man; forasmuch as it was to stand as a test of his obedience or disobedience to the positive command of God, enjoining him to abstain from it: and further, as it eventually served to convince him, when, contrary to the command, he dared to eat of it, of the good he lost, and of the evil, which else he had never known.

But even in Paradise man was not to be idle: though it was made ready to his hands, he was to dress and keep it. Hence we may observe, 1. That if Adam was created to work, it can be the prerogative of none of his descendants to plead exemption from it. To waste therefore our time in indolence, or to squander it away in vain pleasures, will bring a dreadful reckoning, when the Master of the vineyard shall come and visit the slothful servant. 2. That secular employments very well consist with a life of communion with God. The sons and heirs of heaven have a province to fill up on earth, which must have its share of their time and thoughts: and if they do it with an eye to God, they are as truly serving him in it, as when they are upon their knees. 3. The gardener and husbandman may comfort themselves in their laborious employment, that it is the first trade God taught to man, and affords abundant matter of meditation to lead us up to him.

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Genesis 2:18. It is not good, &c.— Though man was possessed of all the bliss of Paradise, one thing was still wanting to his felicity. He was alone; nor amidst the various orders of creatures could find any like unto himself. Angels were rational spirits, but incorporeal; beasts corporeal, but irrational. God saw and pitied him. With the affection of a kind Father, unsolicited he consulted his necessities, and resolves to supply him with a help-meet of his own species. In the Hebrew it is, כנגדו עזר ezer kenegdo, a help or aid, as his co-relative or correspondent to him.

Learn here, 1. Solitude is not suited for man. In his state of innocence society was needful. 2. Celibacy was never an ordinance of God: he who made man, knew what was best for him. 3. In the choice of a wife, a help-meet is to be sought: a companion, a friend, whose presence at home may be to us more than all the world beside. The reason why so many are miserable in the marriage state, is, that they have married the face or the portion instead of the woman.

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Genesis 2:19. And out of the ground God formed, &c.— Had formed beast and fowl; see remarks on Genesis 2:20; Genesis 2:1 : It seems probable that this account of the review of the creatures taken by Adam, was appointed by God, among many other reasons, for the end of shewing him, that there was among them none which could be a proper mate or co-relative to himself, and consequently that he must owe the production of such a being to the still increasing beneficence of that Creator from whom he received every thing: the clause at the end of the 20th verse, corresponding to that at the end of the 18th, seems to confirm this opinion. Other wise and good ends, no doubt, were designed by this review, which acquainted Adam at once with the nature of the several creatures, and his dominion over them; a knowledge highly necessary, and which doth not seem easy to have been attained by any other method than this which the Creator took, of causing the several species of animals to pass before Adam. In which there appears neither difficulty nor absurdity: for certainly it could be no difficulty for him who created them, to cause every species of animals to pass along in any order he should choose: nor is it at all absurd to suppose, that he would present these works of his hand to the view of that superior creature, to whom he had given the dominion over them. If two of each species only were at first created, those two only might pass before Adam; or if more were at first created, even in that case two of each species were quite sufficient for the end designed. And if by any means the Lord made Adam acquainted with the nature of the several creatures, he would doubtless give them names agreeable thereto in that language which was the primaeval one, and with the power of speaking, which we must necessarily suppose him endued with at the beginning. For, as created in a state of perfection, he must have been capable of conversing and communicating his ideas: and there appears no more difficulty in believing this, than in believing what we see every day, that the brute animals are born with their several distinct voices, and modes of expressing their ideas, how few or many soever they have. Man, therefore, may easily be imagined, as endued with superior faculties, to have been formed capable of expressing his ideas in regular language: a power wherewith God can endue his creatures, as was abundantly proved on the day of Pentecost, when the disciples of our Lord received the gift of tongues, and were enabled to speak in languages to which before they were utter strangers.

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Genesis 2:21. Caused a deep sleep— Adam having, by the Divine assistance, surveyed the creatures, whom he found corresponding according to their species, and in all respects adapted to each other, became fully sensible that there was none like himself, none that could be a proper mate and companion to him, endued with like reason, and in whom he might delight. He must, therefore, have been desirous of such a companion; and consequently felt an increase of love and thankfulness towards his Divine Benefactor, when he informed him that he would create him such a companion. For that God revealed to Adam the method of Eve's creation, there can be no doubt from Gen 2:23 and, as I conceive, he revealed this before her creation; however, if others think it most probable to have been done afterwards, they may freely and safely enjoy their opinion.

During the deep sleep or trance, which God caused to fall upon Adam, he took out one his ribs, as we render it, and closed up the flesh again; and from this rib, he formed, or built up, the woman. The substance which he had thus taken, increased under his forming hands, as on another occasion the bread and fishes increased in the hands of the Saviour. The word rendered rib, צלע (tzelang) signifies properly the side, whether of an animal or any other thing; see Job 18:12. 1 Kings 6:15-16. and consequently might as well have been so rendered in this place, and took part of his side. He who had created man out of the dust, could certainly have created woman with as much ease from the same materials: but as the connexion of husband and wife was to be the most intimate and tender, it seems to have been the great Creator's design to have inculcated the lesson of perfect love and union, by the forming of woman out of man's body, and from a part of it so near the heart: as well as to make woman of a more refined and delicate nature, by thus causing the original clay to pass, as it were, twice through his refining hands.

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Genesis 2:23. Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, &c.— Adam here begins to be used as a proper name; not as the general name of man. The several genera of beasts and birds had already passed before Adam, to which he gave names expressive of their respective natures and properties: but among all these, there was not כנגדו (kenegdo) his counter-part found: but when the woman was brought in her turn to pass in review, he said הפעם זאת (zoth hapaam) this turn, this which passes now in review, is flesh of my flesh, &c.; which words may be either understood in a literal sense, referring to the manner of Eve's formation; or in a general sense, expressing only nearness of relation and proximity of blood: in which sense Laban says to Jacob) Surely thou art my bone and my flesh, my near relation.

She shall be called woman— i.e.. She shall partake of my name as she does of my nature; she shall be called אשׁה ishah, from אישׁ ish, man, from whom she is taken. I may again observe, that this agreement of the names of persons with the names of things from which they are derived, is one of the main arguments which are offered in proof of the Hebrew's being the original, or, at least, a dialect of the original language.

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Genesis 2:24. Therefore shall a man, &c.— It is evident, that Adam, before he expressed these words, had been instructed by God in the nature of that institution to which these words refer, and the nature of which they so aptly and fully express; teaching to us the close union of the marriage-state; an union nearer and closer than that of any other relation; a state in which one only was formed for one.

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