성경 주석서

Genesis 3:21. Did the Lord God make coats, &c.— But of what beasts it has been asked? such as were killed on purpose for the occasion, or such as were killed in sacrifice? which many suppose was instituted from this period, as from this period its necessity commenced. This can be but conjecture from the present passage singly considered; we shall therefore omit the discussion of the question till we come to the next chapter, where we shall have more light into the subject.

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Genesis 3:22. The Lord God said, Behold, the man, &c.— The phrase of knowing good and evil imports general knowledge. We find it so applied in other parts of scripture, The woman of Tekoah says to David, 2 Samuel 14:17. As an angel of God, so is my lord the king, to discern good and evil, which is fully explained by 2Sa 14:20 where she says, My lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth. Where all things in the earth evidently corresponds to good and evil in 2 Samuel 14:17. It is observable, that in these texts, the phrase as an angel of God may be rendered, as the Melak Elohim, Messenger of the Elohim; which, as we shall hereafter see, is expressive of him who was sent of God to redeem the world. This may give us some light for the explanation of this obscure text. God says, the man is become as one of us to know good and evil: which many expositors are of opinion is a mere irony from the Deity, reflecting on the very contrary event which Adam found from what the serpent promised. Others again imagine, that the angels are here addressed, and they would confirm this opinion by the passages from Samuel above. Whatever may be the case with the former opinion, I can never think that the Deity would put his angels on a par with himself, and call them Us, one of us: besides, what evil had the angels ever known? Might I be allowed to propose it as a modest conjecture only, I should be most inclined to think, that here is a reference to the great work of redemption: "Behold," says God, "man has transgressed, and therefore calls for the exertion of that salvation which has been prepared in our prescience from the foundation of the world: he is now become as one of us; namely, the blessed Son, who will, for his sake, become acquainted with good and evil. Man would have known good only, had he persevered in right: now he must know evil also, as introduced by himself. And that Divine Person, who, as God, could know only good, for man's redemption will become like him, and know evil also." And if this interpretation be just, the passages in Samuel will throw great light upon it, especially if the angel, or messenger of the Elohim, be understood of Christ.

And now lest he, &c.— Houbigant's translation of this difficult passage seems to afford abundantly the best sense. Erit scilicet, ut mittat manum suam, tollatque de ligno vitae, unde vivat in perpetuum. It will be, it will come to pass, that he may put forth his hand hereafter, and take of the tree of life, by which means he may live for ever. As much as to say, "Man indeed is fallen, and introduced to that knowledge, to which, in innocence, he would have been a stranger; but it will hereafter come to pass, that, restored to favour, he may take of the tree of life, and so eat, and obtain eternal life." The Hebrew פן ועתה veatah pen, it is certain, will well bear Houbigant's exposition. Accordingly the Chaldee paraphrase has it so: and now, perhaps, he may put forth his hand. It may possibly happen, that he will hereafter eat and live. This seems the genuine sense of the passage: which the reader must understand either as a denunciation or an encouragement, as he judges most consonant to the circumstances of the case. It is to be observed, that this construction makes the sense complete, which otherwise is broken and elliptical.

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Genesis 3:23. Therefore the Lord God, &c.— The connexion of this and the following verse, according to the sense which we have given, is this: "And the Lord expelled, divorced, the man from the garden of Eden, to till the ground; and after he had expelled him, he placed cherubims, &c. at the east of the garden, to keep, or to preserve the way, and the right knowledge of it, to that tree of life, of which man, it was hoped, would hereafter eat, and live for ever." The word which we render keep, to keep the way of the tree of life שׁמר shamar, signifies keeping, or preserving of any kind; and therefore may be used here with as much propriety in the sense of preserving, or keeping a knowledge of the way, as of guarding the way to the tree. Those who conceive that the tree of life had a power in itself independently to preserve human life, and think that our first parents were driven from Paradise lest they should continue in natural existence, will understand these cherubims, &c. as guards to prevent Adam and Eve from coming to this tree: an opinion, by the way, which seems encumbered with many difficulties. Those who believe that this tree was sacramental and religious only, and that spiritual life was here intended, will believe that this apparatus of cherubims, &c. was placed by God in mercy to keep up in man a knowledge of the approach and way to the sacred tree.

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Genesis 4:1. And Adam knew his wife, &c.— All the speculations respecting this passage might have been spared, if the words had been rendered, Adam HAD known his wife Eve, a translation which the original perfectly well bears. Moses, it is evident, gives only the most concise account of things, regardless of smaller matters. He was to give a general history of the creation of the world, and of man; of the fall, and expulsion from Paradise; of the effects of that fall, and of the promised seed more especially, to which alone he seems peculiarly heedful, neglecting all the line of Adam, save that by which this seed was deduced from Seth, to Noah, Abraham, &c.

Bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord— The reason of the names in the Old Testament is generally given at the same time with the names themselves; as here Cain קין cain, is so called by his mother, because she had gotten, or acquired, קניתי caniti, a man; for Cain signifies gain or acquisition. There is something peculiar in the Hebrew here, I have gotten a man, אתאּיהוה eth-Jehovah, THE LORD. "Eve imagined," says Calmet, "that she had gotten the Saviour, son liberateur, her deliverer, the bruiser of the serpent's head, in her son Cain." Jonathan, the son of Uzziel, renders it, I have brought forth this man who is the angel of the Lord, that is, the Messiah, whom the Jews called by the name of the Angel, or Messenger, of the Lord. Malachi 3:1; Malachi 3:18. The reader must observe, upon this interpretation, how consistent the whole scheme of scripture is, and especially how the events properly connect in these chapters; as the promise of the seed; the name of Eve; the reason of the coats of skins; the placing of the Shechinah at the gate of Paradise; the triumph of Eve upon the birth of Cain; and, may we not add, the sacrifices and religious services of Cain and Abel, mentioned in the subsequent verses?—But for those who do not acquiesce in this interpretation, they must suppose eth את to be used for meeth מאת, and must consider it as a mere female exultation in Eve on the birth of her firstborn son.

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Genesis 4:2. Abel— This word signifies vanity. Calmet says, that Eve having observed in the conduct of Cain that he was not the deliverer which she imagined, gave to her second son a name which might denote the vanity of her former hopes: or she might be desirous to express, that the infant was born subject to the inconstancy and vanity of the things of this world, which she herself began to experience more and more every day. Grotius and others remark, that as the employments of these two brothers were the most simple and useful, so are they mentioned as the most early amongst men, by historians of all nations.

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Genesis 4:3. Brought an offering— The words here used are the same with those applied to the legal offerings: יבא iabo, brought, is always used for the sacrifices brought to the door of the tabernacle: and מנחה minchah, for an offering or present made to God or man, as a means of appeasing wrath, &c. See Psalms 20:3. Accept [or turn to ashes] thy burnt sacrifice, menche. The reader is desired to bear this remark in mind.

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Genesis 4:4. Abel, of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat, &c.— Cain's offering was suitable to his profession, and Abel's was equally so to his: there does not appear to me any reason of preference on this account. Cain brought of the fruit of the ground, Abel of the firstlings and fattest of his flock: for this, I apprehend, is clearly meant by what we render, and of the fat thereof. For the text may, with the greatest propriety, be rendered, Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fattest, or choicest of them. The word חלב cheleb, says the learned Stockius, denotes the best and most excellent of any thing: as Genesis 45:18. Ye shall eat the fat of the land, that is, the best and most excellent fruits of the earth. Compare Psalms 147:14.Deuteronomy 32:14; Deuteronomy 32:14. Num 18:12 the best of the wine, and the best of the oil, in the original, is cheleb, the fat. These are sufficient to justify my interpretation, which indeed the Syriac and Arabic versions support, each rendering it, the fattest of them.

The Lord had respect unto Abel— There is no difficulty in understanding what is meant by this phrase, which imports, that God gave Abel some evident token of his approbation of him and his gift, which he withheld from Cain: but the great question is, what this token was, and how it was given? Now the stream of interpreters, Jewish and Christian, agree, that it was by "fire consuming the offering." And if what I have observed on Num 3:24 be true, that there was a perpetual fire before the cherubim, the mercy-seat or Shechinah, we shall be under no great difficulty of receiving this interpretation, especially when we consider the many similar instances related in the scriptures. Bishop Patrick's note here is very judicious: "The Jews say, God testified his acceptance of Abel's offering by fire coming from heaven; (or rather, I think, by a stream of light, or flame from the Shechinah, or glorious presence of God,) to whom it was offered, which burnt up his sacrifice." Thus Theodotion of old translated these words, He looked upon Abel's sacrifices, and set them on fire.

But there is still another question respecting this matter, namely, why God gave this distinguishing mark of preference to Abel? A question, in my opinion, easily resolved by means of the author to the Hebrews, who tells us plainly, that by FAITH Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. Hebrews 11:4. Now as without faith it is impossible to please God, Heb 11:6 we have here a clear demonstration in what the superior excellence of Abel's offering consisted. He brought it with a firm persuasion of the being of that God whom he came to worship, as well as with a satisfactory belief that what he was doing was acceptable to him, and would be rewarded by him, which necessarily implies all proper dispositions of mind. Cain was devoid of this faith, and brought his offerings either as a mere matter enjoined, or with a hypocritical pretence to devotion. And do we not discern this difference every day? Has it not been always discernible between the true and the false professors of religion, between those who come to God's holy altar in faith, and those who do not?

Some have observed on this passage, that Cain's offering was only a minchah or gratitude-offering, and that Abel's was a sin-offering in the proper sense of the word. This he offered, crediting the Divine promise of the Great Atonement: whilst his deistical brother contented himself with merely acknowledging the being and temporal bounty of a God. It has been also observed from the Hebrew text, that Abel brought both the minchah and the chatah, the thank-offering and sin-offering: and this the author of the epistle to the Hebrews seems to express, when he says, "God testified of his gifts" (in the plural). Hebrews 11:4.

Opinions have been very different concerning the institution of sacrifices; and we have neither compass here, nor, perhaps, sufficient ability at any time to decide this question. But if the interpretations we have given be just, the probability seems strongly on the side of their institution from the very beginning. The words remarked in Heb 11:3 seem to bear strong evidence; the similarity of the circumstances with the Jewish sacrifices, the mention of the first-born and fattest of the flock; St. Paul's calling Abel's offering a Θυσια, Heb 11:4 which properly denotes a slain victim, a bloody sacrifice; but, above all, the reason which he gives of God's preferring Abel's to Cain's sacrifice, seem to us to infer that the offerings were not arbitrary, but instituted by God: by faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice, &c.

It may further be observed, that upon the footing of original institution, it becomes easy to account for the practice of sacrificing throughout the world; a practice so unnatural in itself, that no tolerable solution of it can, in my judgment, be given, without referring to the great sacrifice of Christ, prefigured by those which God appointed. And it may still farther be urged, that as Noah, Abraham, &c. sacrificed, and no account is given of God's injunction to them, it is most reasonable to believe that the institution commenced from the time it became necessary, that is, from the fall.

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Genesis 4:5. Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell— Cain's jealousy and envy of his brother filled his heart with anger and indignation against him, passions which immediately discovered themselves in his gloomy, downcast, and revengeful countenance. Upon which the Lord condescends to expostulate with him; "Why art thou wroth, and why is thy countenance fallen? what reasonable and just ground is there for thy jealousy, envy, and anger? If thou hadst done well (sacrificed as thou oughtedst) shouldest thou not have been accepted? for thou servest a God who is no respecter of persons, but a just rewarder of men according to their works: as therefore thou mayest certainly expect his favour on doing well; so, if thou doest not well; a sin-offering lieth at the door of the fold; so the original word signifies. Be at rest, רבצ, robetz, and unto thee shall be his (thy brother's) desire, and thou shalt rule over him. He is still thy younger brother, and shall be subject to thee. Thou shalt still retain the privilege of thy birth-right, and needest not be jealous or envious of thy brother, who shall continue in the due subjection of a younger brother to thee."

REFLECTIONS.—The sons of Adam no sooner were grown up for labour, but we find them before the Lord. Religion was the first thing, no doubt, he taught them, and divine worship is a principal part of it.

1. They appeared, according to their vocations, with their respective offerings of the fruit of the ground and of the flock. According as the Lord hath blessed us, we are bound to honour him with our substance, whether for the support of his cause, or the relief of the distressed. He will count this done to himself. But among the worshippers of God there will ever be found hypocrites: men forward enough to bow the knee, and give alms, and appear religious, but void of true faith. Such was Cain.
2. In consequence, Cain's offering was rejected, whilst Abel's was accepted. But what was the effect upon Cain? Anger against God, as if he were unjust in his regards; and envy at his innocent brother, because of God's favour to him, kindle in his bosom, dart from his fiery eyes, or disfigure his pale and fallen countenance. Behold a lively picture of the devil: how like is the offspring to the parent; a fallen man to a fallen angel?
3. The children of God are ever the objects of anger and envy to the children of this world.
4. God condescends to reason with Cain on the perverseness of his conduct. The sinner that perishes, shall be left inexcusable. It were well, if on the first motions of sin in the heart, or on the first glance of the kindling eye, this question were in our thoughts, Why art thou wroth? There was no reason for it: for acceptance was as free for him as for his brother, if he came in the same way: it was infidelity and disobedience only that excluded him; but the moment he returned, he would have found favour: if he had brought the sacrifice of faith, it would have been welcome; for God is ever ready to receive the returning sinner. O may his goodness lead us to repentance!
5. Many were the aggravations of Cain's foul crime. It was his brother whom he slew; a brother to him ever dutiful and submissive, a person distinguished with God's favour, and one who, unsuspicious of danger, talked with him as a friend. But what can stand before malicious envy? No doubt the time was, when Cain would have started at the horrid deed; but when once a man gives place to the devil, there is no conception to what a pitch of daring wickedness he may arrive. Obsta principiis. Watch the first risings of sin; and if you would not commit murder, refrain from anger.

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