성경 주석서

Genesis 3:1. The serpent— If, in the account of the fall, there should be many difficulties, it will not seem strange to any who observe, that Moses gives only general hints, sufficient to acquaint us indeed with the fact, that man transgressed the divine command; but by no means sufficient to inform us of every minute particular respecting that fact. We are, however, sufficiently assured from those texts, in which Satan is spoken of as the tempter of man, and the introducer of sin and death into the world, that the animal serpent was only an instrument of this fallen spirit's malice to deceive our first parents: Revelation 12:9; Revelation 20:2. Joh 8:44. 2 Corinthians 11:3. And a reason is given by Moses why he made choice of this creature, because it was more SUBTLE than any other beast of the field; and therefore the properest agent for his diabolical purposes. I conceive the word rendered subtle, ערום arum, to be used here rather in a good than a bad sense. It is used in both senses in scripture: but it seems to me as if the sacred historian meant to inform us, that the serpent was by nature the most sagacious of the animal race, and consequently known to be so by our first parents; on which account it was the properest to be chosen, as the least suspected instrument of this temptation. For its natural subtlety could be no recommendation to the spiritual agent, who, doubtless, could as well have used the organs of the most stupid, as of the most wise, animal to his purposes; a full proof of which is his use of dumb idols afterwards in the heathen world. But the woman would naturally wonder less at this superior wisdom in an animal already esteemed the most wise of the brute creation. The LXX render the word by φρονιμωτατος —, the same used by our Saviour, Mat 10:16 when he says, Be wise as serpents, where it certainly is used in a good sense.

In the history of the fall of man (says Bishop Warburton in his Divine Legation) it is to be observed, that Moses mentions only the instrument of the agent, the serpent, not the agent himself, the devil; and the reason is plain: there was a close connexion between that agency, the spiritual effects of the fall, the work of redemption, and the doctrine of a future state. If you say, the connexion was not so close, but that the agent might have been mentioned, without any more of his history than the temptation to the fall; I reply, it is true, it might, but not without danger of giving countenance to the impious doctrine of two principles which at that time prevailed throughout the pagan world.

And he said unto the woman— The introduction to the conversation between the woman and the serpent appears abrupt: but if we suppose, which seems extremely probable, that the woman, by some means or other, had been invited by the serpent to eat of the fruit of the forbidden tree, especially by his eating of it himself before her, and shewing that no pernicious consequences followed; and if we suppose that upon this she objects to eating herself, on account of the divine interdiction; then the words of the serpent come in with propriety: "You will not eat of this fruit? Why? Is it because God hath forbidden it? Is it because he hath said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" To which the woman replies as in Matthew 10:2.

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Genesis 3:3. Neither shall ye touch it— Words which some expositors have supposed to contain a prevarication on the part of Eve; but they express no more than a strong confirmation of the former clause.

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Genesis 3:4. The serpent said, ye shall not die— The woman having urged God's malediction, the tempter was interested to remove its force, without which it was impossible for him to prevail. And therefore, with the most daring, yet subtle boldness, he contradicts the divine assertion, and throws the vilest aspersion upon God's goodness, by assuring the woman, that by eating the fruit she would be so far from dying, as she feared, that she would be made wise as God himself. And this he urges as the reason why God forbad the eating of the fruit: tempting the woman at once to disbelieve her Creator's veracity, and to consider him as a hard and severe master, withholding the means of good from his creatures. "God forbids you to eat of this tree," says the deceiver, "out of a desire to withhold from you happiness; and therefore idly terrifies you with the threats of death, from what he knows will be the means of wisdom and bliss to you!" And is not this a too successful method still used by the tempter, who persuades men to doubt the divine veracity, and to practise sins, from which they expect felicity, in contradiction to his declaration, who hath positively said, that they who do such things shall die the death, and shall not inherit the kingdom of God?

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Genesis 3:5. Shall be as gods, knowing good and evil— כאלהים keelohim, like God. See note on Genesis 3:22.

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Genesis 3:6. Saw that the tree was good for food, &c.— It is not easy to determine how the woman could discover this, unless by supposing, as we have done in a note above, that she saw the serpent eat of it, and that without prejudice, nay, with great advantage to him, raised, as he seemed, by means of this good food, from the animal to the rational nature: well might she therefore conclude, that by the same means she should be raised from the rational to the divine nature. Thus pride, as the tempter wished, stole into her heart; and with pride, animal appetite co-operated: she saw it pleasant to the eyes, which joined to an affectation of wisdom, perfected her ruin: and she did, what we see done every day, give to her passions power over her reason; distrusted God, and trusted herself: eat and was undone, and soon drew her husband into the same fatal error. "Reason is quickly deceived," says Saurin, "when the senses have been seduced: it was already yielding to the temptation to hearken so long to the tempter." Vain are all conjectures respecting the manner in which she seduced her husband. The text only tells us that she did so: but considering their situation, there can be no wonder that the man was willing to experience the same lot with his offending, but beloved companion and wife.

The phrase with her, to her husband with her, seems only to express, that she gave to her husband as well as took herself. The whole transaction shews that Adam was absent, but she came to him and gave him of the fruit, and he eat of it with her, or as she had done. In whatever view we consider the crime of Eve, it appears enormous. Her disobedience to what God had so expressly enjoined is an inexcusable fault. Her wish to become equal to God is perhaps even still more terrible. Pride is the source of all these crimes: it produces blindness of mind, and haughtiness of heart, curiosity, luxury, and disobedience.

It may throw light on this transaction to consider what and how HE resisted, who, in the wilderness, foiled this original tempter, and regained what the first man lost.

REFLECTIONS.— 1. The woman is singled out for the snare. Satan knew that of the two she was the weaker, not only in body but in mind. Thus he still tempts: he knows our weak side, whatever it may be, and usually there begins his attacks. 2. The woman was alone. She is not the only woman who hath been thus undone. 'Tis safest for the wife to be near her husband's side. 3. She was near the tree, perhaps gazing on it: it is dangerous to be in the way of evil; they who would not eat of the forbidden fruit, must not approach the forbidden tree.

The 2nd and 3rd verses contain her answer to the question of the tempter. It was plain and full. She was not ignorant of the command; nay, rather adds to it: they must not only not eat, but not touch it. O, it is ever bad meddling with edged tools! Nor was the threatening concealed, though here she hesitates, and rather diminishes its awful import. Observe, 1. How inexcusable she was: she fully knew the will of God: and sin against light and knowledge hath peculiar aggravation. 2. Her weakness to discourse about a point so dangerous: the very mention should have awakened suspicion, and bid her fly. Temptations have more than half prevailed, when they can get a hearing. To parley, is the prelude to submission.

In the 4th and 5th verses we have the serpent's reply. He no longer seeks to invalidate the command, but the threatening being faintly urged by her, he boldly denies. Hence we may observe, 1. Confident assertions readily pass with weak minds, and with those who are willing to be persuaded; and it is much easier boldly to deny, than clearly to Proverbs 2:0. The hopes of impunity are the great encouragement to sin, and the support of impenitence. By these, Satan's kingdom is still upheld. Did a sinner see before him the wages of sin, and were everlasting burnings once truly believed, the devil would tempt in vain! I shall have peace, when God hath said, there is no peace, is still the grand lie. 3. Satan not only promises her peace, but profit; and when most effectually ruining her, assures her of the greatest advantages. O how often, by pursuing a false and fancied good in view, do we still lose the portion we actually possessed! Behold his devices! He is still the same. Thus he continues to deceive with fair speeches and lying promises: thus he misrepresents the restraints of God's law as severe; and, grievous to think, thus he still prevails, and the world lieth εν τω πονηρω, under the power and dominion of this wicked one.

And she did eat, and gave unto her husband, and he did eat! Unhappy souls! thus to give ear to a lying and seducing spirit, rather than to the God of truth. 1. She looked, and because she saw the fruit beautiful to the eye, she concluded the serpent in the right, and that there could be no more harm in this, than in any other tree. O it is often bad judging by the eye: the most pleasing fruit contains sometimes the deadliest poison. 2. She not only promised herself pleasure for the taste, but wisdom for her mind. This tree herein excelled all the rest, and was more desirable; perhaps too, still more, because forbidden. When sin begins in the desire, restraint only whets the appetite. 3. She boldly plucked the fruit, perhaps for a nearer view, or by the touch first to assay whether any ill consequence really would accrue. 4. She did eat; eager to make the last experiment; and it may be, hoping to surprise her husband with the transforming change she had experienced, and the superior knowledge she had attained. 5. She gave him also; came to him with the tempter's power, and, either out of love, wished him to make the trial with her, and enjoy the pleasure and dignity; or out of malice, lost herself, resolves not to sink alone. 6. Vanquished by her importunity, and by his affection for her, he joined in the transgression.

Behold here the usual process of temptation. 1. An outward object presented by the devil, promising us much pleasure and advantage in the pursuit. 2. The eye caught with it, and led to gaze upon it. The eye is the great inlet of temptation: those who would guard their heart, must often veil their eyes. To look upon a woman's beauty is the road to lust after her; and to fix the greedy eye on gold, is the prelude to covet it. 3. Desire after it: when temptation has got so far, lust hath conceived, and sin will be the birth. 4. The gratification of the desire. There is no stopping, if once the unbridled appetite is let loose. When we first gazed, we thought it should rest there: we then drew nearer, but resolved to stop. The hand was stretched out to touch, but not to take; till, like the revolving stone on a declivity, each revolution accelerated its motion, and sin no longer could be resisted. 5. We cannot be content to sin alone: those who themselves hearken to the devil's wiles, quickly turn tempters for him. O how little does many a sinner think of the dreadful charges which will be brought against him by those souls, to whose sin and ruin he may have, by his solicitations, some way contributed!

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Genesis 3:7. And the eyes of them both were opened, &c.— They found what the serpent had asserted to be true, Gen 3:5 but in a manner far different from expectation. Their eyes were opened, but not to a view of higher happiness: they were opened only to a sense of their sin, and consequently of their guilty shame. The phrase of their eyes being opened, in scripture, not only refers to the actual opening of the eyes, but also to men's observing or knowing any thing of which they before were ignorant. See Isa 42:7 comp. Acts 26:18. The eyes of them both were opened, i.e.. light and knowledge came into their minds, discovering to them what they were utter strangers to before. Le Clerc observes, that it is an elegance no less in the sacred than in profane writings, to make use of the figure, which rhetoricians call antonaclasis, whereby they continue the same word or phrase which went before, though in a quite different sense: and for this reason he supposes that Moses repeats that their eyes were opened, words which the serpent had used before, though he meant them in a sense quite different from the former.

They knew that they were naked— See note on Acts 26:25. of chap. 2: Shame followed hard upon sin: without the latter, the former could never have had being in the human mind. But no sooner were their minds opened to a consciousness of their guilt, than they felt all that uneasy anxiety which naturally attends this knowledge. Though this nakedness more peculiarly concerns the guilt and shame of their minds, yet as the body is the seat of the mind, and the index of its affections, therefore the shame is transferred to the body also, which, while the mind was pure, was unaffected by any natural appearances; but which, as soon as the mind became sinful and subject to the dominion of criminal affections, gave, by its nakedness, a continual admonition of guilt; and therefore, no wonder our first parents were immediately incited to cover it.

They sewed fig-leaves, &c.— This might be rendered, with more propriety, "and they joined or folded together the leaves or branches of the fig-tree, and made themselves girdles; חגרת chegoroth." Some think the Indian fig-tree is here meant, whose leaves are exceedingly large.

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Genesis 3:8. And they heard, &c.— This may be rendered, and they heard the sound of the Lord God proceeding or coming into the garden, at the decline, or in the cool of the day, whether morning or evening. The word, which our translators render voice, קול koll, denotes any sort of sound; and the root of that word, which we render walking, denotes local motion, going, in any way, or manner. The word קול koll, sound, is applied to two appearances of the Deity: one mentioned, 1 Kings 19:12. After the fire a still small sound; and in Ezekiel 1:24. The sound of great waters, as the sound of the Almighty; the sound of speech, as the sound of an host. Now it is observable, that, in these two passages, the presence of the Lord is described, 1st, in the still small sound; and, 2nd, in the loud and lofty sound as of waters, an host, &c. whence we may be led to conclude, that nothing certain can be determined respecting the sort of sound which was, to Adam in paradise, the index of Jehovah's presence. It was a sound, it is evident, well known to Adam; and a sound, without all doubt, sufficiently declarative of the divine greatness and glory: but most probable, in the time of their innocence, rather gentle than tremendous. To sinners the voice of the Lord is thunder; to his saints, it is the still small voice of peace and love.

Many writers have supposed, that it was the second Divine Person, the eternal ΛΟΓΟΣ, who here particularly appeared to Adam; and many have written much concerning the manner of the divine appearance. The sentiment is very pleasing, and has much probability in it. The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan paraphrase this passage thus, They heard the voice of the Word of the Lord God, probably, the essential Word of God, who was since made flesh, and dwelt among men. If also, as many have supposed, he appeared to Adam in a human form, as a pledge of his incarnation in the fulness of time, then he might be literally said to come walking in the garden in the cool of the day, or at the wind of the day, during the evening-breeze; and that wind might bring the sound of the voice and of the steps of this glorious Person the sooner to the ears of Adam and his wife, which gave them notice of his near approach, and caused them to hasten their flight.

And Adam and his wife hid themselves, &c.— Shame was the first fruit of their sin: another, and one which always attends guilt more or less is here mentioned; namely, a desire to flee from his presence, which to man, in his state of purity, must have been the highest joy. Such are the natural effects of sin, which also makes men foolish as well as full of conscious guilt; for who can fly from his presence, who discerneth the very secrets of the heart? yet, like the first fallen pair, all sinners seek to the same vain and idle resource. They are ashamed, and would therefore hide themselves from Him whose eyes are as a flame of fire!

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Genesis 3:9. And the Lord God, &c.— It is not to be supposed that the Omniscient either knew not where Adam and Eve were, or wanted to be informed of what they had done, when he asked the questions in this and the 11th verse: but these questions are used to introduce the account following, and to shew us, more humano, after the manner of men, what was the consequence of this great transgression. This observation should be remembered, as many instances of the like kind occur.

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