Father, Son and Holy Spirit – Part 6

This is a continuation of my intent to become much more familiar with the Greek translation of יְהֹוָ֨ה (Yᵊhōvâ) and יֱהֹוִה֙ (yᵊhōvâ) in the Septuagint. Genesis 2:4 marked the first occurrence of יְהֹוָ֥ה (Yᵊhōvâ) in the Masoretic text. Only the Elpenor version of the Septuagint seemed to corroborate that first occurrence with the Greek word Κύριος. None of the other occurrences thus far received any validation from the Septuagint.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 2:8 (Tanakh)

Genesis 2:8 (NET)

Genesis 2:8 (NETS)

Genesis 2:8 (English Elpenor)

And HaShem (יְהֹוָ֧ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִ֛ים) planted a garden eastward, in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed. The Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) planted an orchard in the east, in Eden; and there he placed the man he had formed. And the Lord (κύριος) God ( θεὸς) planted an orchard in Edem toward the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And God ( Θεὸς) planted a garden eastward in Edem, and placed there the man whom he had formed.

Here, it is the BLB Septuagint rather then the Elpenor which corroborated the Masoretic text’s יְהֹוָ֧ה (Yᵊhōvâ) with κύριος.

Primed by the graciousness of God’s word1–He gives the gifts He deems appropriate to whomever He chooses to give them–I can hear this as the graciousness of God. He did not leave the man (‘āḏām, האדם) he had formed2 naked and afraid in the wild. He prepared a garden or orchard (Hebrew: gan, גן; Greek: παράδεισον, a form of παράδεισος) for him in Eden (ʿēḏen, בעדן), which means pleasure.

Moses continued to describe the garden in pleasure:

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 2:9 (Tanakh)

Genesis 2:9 (NET)

Genesis 2:9 (NETS)

Genesis 2:9 (English Elpenor)

And out of the ground made HaShem (יְהֹוָ֤ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִים֙) 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 the knowledge of good and evil. The Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (ĕlōhîm’, אלהים) made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.) And out of the earth God ( θεὸς) furthermore made to grow every tree that is beautiful to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the orchard’s midst and the tree for knowing what is knowable of good and evil. And God ( Θεὸς) made to spring up also out of the earth every tree beautiful to the eye and good for food, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of learning the knowledge of good and evil.

This occurrence of יְהֹוָ֤ה (Yᵊhōvâ) in the Masoretic text wasn’t corroborated by either version of the Septuagint.

In another essay I called Genesis 1:11, 12 an example of the authority of God’s word: “He spoke and the earth obeyed Him” (Genesis 1:11, 12 NET) [See Table below].

God said, “Let the land (‘ereṣ, הארץ) produce (dāšā’, תדשא) vegetation: plants yielding seeds and trees on the land bearing fruit with seed in it, according to their kinds.” It was so. The land (‘ereṣ, הארץ) produced (yāṣā’, ותוצא) vegetation—plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. God saw that it was good.

Now I have two additional pieces of information:

Genesis 2:5 (NET) [See Table below]

Genesis 2:9 (NET) [See Table below]

Now no shrub of the field had yet grown on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted (ṣāmaḥ, יצמח), for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow (ṣāmaḥ, ויצמח) from the soil (‘ăḏāmâ, האדמה), every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.)

Was it seeds that the land (‘ereṣ, הארץ) produced (yāṣā’, ותוצא)? Or was it the land’s plans, ideas or designs that God sawwas good? The same Hebrew word תוצא (yāṣā’) occurred in Genesis 1:24 (NET) [Table]:

God said, “Let the land produce (yāṣā’, תוצא) living creatures according to their kinds: cattle, creeping things, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” It was so.

Regarding the trees of Eden the land’s “obedience” was effected (not surprisingly any longer) by God who made all kinds of trees grow (ṣāmaḥ, ויצמח) from the soil (‘ăḏāmâ, האדמה). And this exercise keeps me aware that God’s word is not sometimes true and other times powerful, sometimes authoritative and others gracious. His word is all of the above all of the time. The patterns simply helped me recognize these various aspects of his word.

The description of pleasure continued:

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 2:10-14 (Tanakh)

Genesis 2:10-14 (NET)

Genesis 2:10-14 (NETS)

Genesis 2:10-14 (English Elpenor)

And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became four heads [Table]. Now a river flows from Eden to water the orchard, and from there it divides into four headstreams. Now a river goes out of Edem to water the orchard; from there it divides into four sources [Table]. And a river proceeds out of Edem to water the garden, thence it divides itself into four heads.
The name of the first is Pishon; that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; The name of the first is Pishon; it runs through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. The name of the first one is Phison; it is the one that encircles the whole land of Heuilat, there where the gold is; The name of the one, Phison, this it is which encircles the whole land of Evilat, where there is gold.
and the gold of that land is good; there is bdellium and the onyx stone. (The gold of that land is pure; pearls and lapis lazuli are also there.) now the gold of that land is good, and carbuncle and light green stone are there. And the gold of that land is good, there also is carbuncle and emerald.
And the name of the second river is Gihon; the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Cush. The name of the second river is Gihon; it runs through the entire land of Cush. And the second river’s name is Geon; it is the one that encircles the whole land of Ethiopia. And the name of the second river is Geon, this it is which encircles the whole land of Ethiopia.
And the name of the third river is Tigris; that is it which goeth toward the east of Asshur And the fourth river is the Euphrates. The name of the third river is Tigris; it runs along the east side of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates. And the third river is the Tigris; it is one that goes over against the Assyrians. As for the fourth river, it is the Euphrates. And the third river is Tigris, this is that which flows forth over against the Assyrians. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

I won’t comment much here on antediluvian geography, nor attempt to use tantalizing Hebrew words like כוש (kûš), חדקל (ḥideqel), אשור (‘aššûr) or פרת (pᵊrāṯ) to locate Eden on a modern map. I grew up in Missouri near the center of the North American continent. I’ve walked up a hill, stood on a road cut, looked down on the highway and out over the landscape, trying to imagine the bottom of a warm shallow sea.

It was all in my imagination, a story to tell beginning Geology students on a field trip. A fresh look at the fossils at our feet revealed that these organisms probably didn’t live here, probably didn’t even die here. They were not bent and folded organisms crushed by the weight of sediments like so many fallen caryatids. They were broken pieces, fairly well sorted according to size and density.

If I imagine that the water carrying these pieces also had larger more dense pieces as well as smaller less dense pieces, I can imagine a relative measure of the flow of this water when these pieces fell out of suspension in this particular location. Though this particular imagination feels more sciency than my former imagination, it’s still just my imagination. I can’t pinpoint a place on a map upstream where larger more dense pieces of the same organisms fell out of suspension, or downstream where smaller pieces fell out. All I see are miles and miles of fossils of about this size embedded in a silt-sized limestone matrix.

My point is that the four distributaries described in Genesis 2:10-14 were planned and engineered by God. I’m more familiar post flood with river deltas, water following the path of least resistance as it flows downhill.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 2:15 (Tanakh)

Genesis 2:15 (NET)

Genesis 2:15 (NETS)

Genesis 2:15 (English Elpenor)

And HaShem (יְהֹוָ֥ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. The Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) took the man and placed him in the orchard in Eden to care for it and to maintain it. And the Lord (κύριος) God ( θεὸς) took the man whom he had formed and put him in the orchard to till and keep it. And the Lord (Κύριος) God ( Θεὸς) took the man whom he had formed, and placed him in the garden of Delight, to cultivate and keep it.

Here יְהֹוָ֥ה (Yᵊhōvâ) was translated Κύριος in both versions of the Septuagint. An article I read while preparing this essay highlighted the Lord God’s graciousness to Adam, providing him with something meaningful to do in the garden, as it gave me an interesting contrast to what passes for human intelligence.

Yuval Noah Harari, historian, futurist, and World Economic Forum (WEF) adviser, said, “We just don’t need the vast majority of the population” in the early 21st century given modern technologies’ rendering human labor economically and militarily “redundant.”3

Mr. Harari explained:4

In the 20th century, what was common to all the stories — the liberal, the fascist, the communist — is that the big heroes of the story were the common people, not necessarily all people, but if you lived, say, in the Soviet Union in the 1930s, life was very grim, but when you looked at the propaganda posters on the walls that depicted the glorious future, you were there…

Now, when people look at the posters on the walls, or listen to TED talks, they hear a lot of these…big ideas and big words about machine learning and genetic engineering and blockchain and globalization, and they are not there…‘The future doesn’t need me. You have all these smart people in California and in New York and in Beijing, and they are planning this amazing future with artificial intelligence and bio-engineering and in global connectivity and whatnot, and they don’t need me…’

The Lord God continued:

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 2:16, 17 (Tanakh)

Genesis 2:16, 17 (NET)

Genesis 2:16, 17 (NETS)

Genesis 2:16, 17 (English Elpenor)

And HaShem (יְהֹוָ֣ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) commanded the man, saying: ‘Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat [Table]; Then the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) commanded the man, “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard, And the Lord (κύριος) God ( θεὸς) commanded Adam, saying, “You shall eat for food of every tree that is in the orchard [Table], And the Lord (Κύριος) God ( Θεὸς) gave a charge to Adam, saying, Of every tree which is in the garden thou mayest freely eat,
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’ [Table]. but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.” but of the tree for knowing good and evil, of it you shall not eat; on the day that you eat of it, you shall die by death” [Table]. but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil– of it ye shall not eat, but in whatsoever day ye eat of it, ye shall surely die.

Here, too, יְהֹוָ֣ה (Yᵊhōvâ) in the Masoretic text was corroborated by Κύριος in both versions of the Septuagint. While there is every reason to believe that the Lord God’s command to Adam was every bit as true, powerful, authoritative and gracious as every other word He had spoken, I can hear it as arbitrary, capricious, deceitful even evil. That says far more about me and my evil desire than it does about the Lord God or his word. It seems important to highlight that the tree of life was not included in this prohibition.

I’ll pick this up in another essay. A table mentioned above comparing English translations of Genesis 1:11, 12 follows:

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 1:11, 12 (Tanakh)

Genesis 1:11, 12 (NET)

Genesis 1:11, 12 (NETS)

Genesis 1:11, 12 (English Elpenor)

And G-d said: ‘Let the earth (הָאָ֨רֶץ֙) put forth (תַּדְשֵׁ֤א) grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit-tree bearing fruit after its kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth’ And it was so [Table]. God said, “Let the land (‘ereṣ, הארץ) produce (dāšā’, תדשא) vegetation: plants yielding seeds and trees on the land bearing fruit with seed in it, according to their kinds.” It was so. And God said, “Let the earth (γῆ) put forth (βλαστησάτω) herbaceous vegetation, seeding seed according to kind and according to likeness, and a fruit-bearing tree producing fruit of which its seed is in it according to kind, on the earth.” And it became so [Table]. And God said, Let the earth (γῆ) bring forth (βλαστησάτω) the herb of grass bearing seed according to its kind and according to its likeness, and the fruit-tree bearing fruit whose seed is in it, according to its kind on the earth, and it was so.
And the earth (הָאָ֜רֶץ) brought forth (וַתּוֹצֵ֨א) grass, herb yielding seed after its kind, and tree bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after its kind; and G-d saw that it was good [Table]. The land (‘ereṣ, הארץ) produced (yāṣā’, ותוצא) vegetation—plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. God saw that it was good. And the earth (γῆ) brought forth (ἐξήνεγκεν) herbaceous vegetation, seeding seed according to kind and according to likeness, and a fruit-bearing tree producing fruit of which its seed is in it according to kind, on the earth. And God saw that it was good [Table]. And the earth (γῆ) brought forth (ἐξήνεγκεν) the herb of grass bearing seed according to its kind and according to its likeness, and the fruit tree bearing fruit whose seed is in it, according to its kind on the earth, and God saw that it was good.

A table mentioned above comparing English translations of Genesis 2:5 follows:

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 2:5 (Tanakh)

Genesis 2:5 (NET)

Genesis 2:5 (NETS)

Genesis 2:5 (English Elpenor)

No shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up (יִצְמָ֑ח); for HaShem G-d had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground [Table]; Now no shrub of the field had yet grown on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted (ṣāmaḥ, יצמח), for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. and all verdue of the field before it came to be (γενέσθαι) upon the earth and all herbage of the field before it sprang up, for God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was not a human to till the earth [Table], and every herb of the field before it was (γενέσθαι) on the earth, and all the grass of the field before it sprang up, for God had not rained on the earth, and there was not a man to cultivate it.

A table mentioned above comparing English translations of Genesis 2:9 follows:

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 2:9 (Tanakh)

Genesis 2:9 (NET)

Genesis 2:9 (NETS)

Genesis 2:9 (English Elpenor)

And out of the ground (הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה) made HaShem G-d to grow (וַיַּצְמַ֞ח) 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 the knowledge of good and evil. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow (ṣāmaḥ, ויצמח) from the soil ‘(ăḏāmâ, האדמה), every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.) And out of the earth (γῆς) God furthermore made to grow (ἐξανέτειλεν) every tree that is beautiful to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the orchard’s midst and the tree for knowing what is knowable of good and evil. And God made to spring up (ἐξανέτειλεν) also out of the earth (γῆς) every tree beautiful to the eye and good for food, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of learning the knowledge of good and evil.

Tables comparing Genesis 2:8; 2:9; 2:11; 2:12; 2:13; 2:14 and 2:15 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET; and tables comparing Genesis 2:8; 2:9; 2:11; 2:12; 2:13; 2:14 and 2:15 in the BLB and Elpenor versions of the Septuagint with the English translations from Hebrew and Greek follow.

Genesis 2:8 (Tanakh)

Genesis 2:8 (KJV)

Genesis 2:8 (NET)

And HaShem G-d planted a garden eastward, in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. The Lord God planted an orchard in the east, in Eden; and there he placed the man he had formed.

Genesis 2:8 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 2:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ ἐφύτευσεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς παράδεισον ἐν Εδεμ κατὰ ἀνατολὰς καὶ ἔθετο ἐκεῗ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὃν ἔπλασεν Καὶ ἐφύτευσεν ὁ Θεὸς παράδεισον ἐν ᾿Εδὲμ κατὰ ἀνατολὰς καὶ ἔθετο ἐκεῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὃν ἔπλασε

Genesis 2:8 (NETS)

Genesis 2:8 (English Elpenor)

And the Lord God planted an orchard in Edem toward the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And God planted a garden eastward in Edem, and placed there the man whom he had formed.

Genesis 2:9 (Tanakh)

Genesis 2:9 (KJV)

Genesis 2:9 (NET)

And out of the ground made HaShem G-d 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 the knowledge of good and evil. 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. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.)

Genesis 2:9 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 2:9 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ ἐξανέτειλεν ὁ θεὸς ἔτι ἐκ τῆς γῆς πᾶν ξύλον ὡραῗον εἰς ὅρασιν καὶ καλὸν εἰς βρῶσιν καὶ τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς ἐν μέσῳ τῷ παραδείσῳ καὶ τὸ ξύλον τοῦ εἰδέναι γνωστὸν καλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ καὶ ἐξανέτειλεν ὁ Θεὸς ἔτι ἐκ τῆς γῆς πᾶν ξύλον ὡραῖον εἰς ὅρασιν καὶ καλὸν εἰς βρῶσιν καὶ τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ παραδείσου καὶ τὸ ξύλον τοῦ εἰδέναι γνωστὸν καλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ

Genesis 2:9 (NETS)

Genesis 2:9 (English Elpenor)

And out of the earth God furthermore made to grow every tree that is beautiful to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the orchard’s midst and the tree for knowing what is knowable of good and evil. And God made to spring up also out of the earth every tree beautiful to the eye and good for food, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of learning the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:11 (Tanakh)

Genesis 2:11 (KJV)

Genesis 2:11 (NET)

The name of the first is Pishon; that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; The name of the first is Pishon; it runs through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold.

Genesis 2:11 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 2:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)

ὄνομα τῷ ἑνὶ Φισων οὗτος ὁ κυκλῶν πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν Ευιλατ ἐκεῗ οὗ ἐστιν τὸ χρυσίον ὄνομα τῷ ἑνὶ Φισῶν· οὗτος ὁ κυκλῶν πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν Εὐιλάτ, ἐκεῖ οὗ ἐστι τὸ χρυσίον

Genesis 2:11 (NETS)

Genesis 2:11 (English Elpenor)

The name of the first one is Phison; it is the one that encircles the whole land of Heuilat, there where the gold is; The name of the one, Phison, this it is which encircles the whole land of Evilat, where there is gold.

Genesis 2:12 (Tanakh)

Genesis 2:12 (KJV)

Genesis 2:12 (NET)

and the gold of that land is good; there is bdellium and the onyx stone. And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. (The gold of that land is pure; pearls and lapis lazuli are also there.)

Genesis 2:12 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 2:12 (Septuagint Elpenor)

τὸ δὲ χρυσίον τῆς γῆς ἐκείνης καλόν καὶ ἐκεῗ ἐστιν ὁ ἄνθραξ καὶ ὁ λίθος ὁ πράσινος τὸ δὲ χρυσίον τῆς γῆς ἐκείνης καλόν· καὶ ἐκεῖ ἐστιν ὁ ἄνθραξ καὶ ὁ λίθος ὁ πράσινος

Genesis 2:12 (NETS)

Genesis 2:12 (English Elpenor)

now the gold of that land is good, and carbuncle and light green stone are there. And the gold of that land is good, there also is carbuncle and emerald.

Genesis 2:13 (Tanakh)

Genesis 2:13 (KJV)

Genesis 2:13 (NET)

And the name of the second river is Gihon; the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Cush. And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. The name of the second river is Gihon; it runs through the entire land of Cush.

Genesis 2:13 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 2:13 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ ὄνομα τῷ ποταμῷ τῷ δευτέρῳ Γηων οὗτος ὁ κυκλῶν πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν Αἰθιοπίας καὶ ὄνομα τῷ ποταμῷ τῷ δευτέρῳ Γεῶν· οὗτος ὁ κυκλῶν πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν Αἰθιοπίας

Genesis 2:13 (NETS)

Genesis 2:13 (English Elpenor)

And the second river’s name is Geon; it is the one that encircles the whole land of Ethiopia. And the name of the second river is Geon, this it is which encircles the whole land of Ethiopia.

Genesis 2:14 (Tanakh)

Genesis 2:14 (KJV)

Genesis 2:14 (NET)

And the name of the third river is Tigris; that is it which goeth toward the east of Asshur And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 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. The name of the third river is Tigris; it runs along the east side of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

Genesis 2:14 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 2:14 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ ὁ ποταμὸς ὁ τρίτος Τίγρις οὗτος ὁ πορευόμενος κατέναντι Ἀσσυρίων ὁ δὲ ποταμὸς ὁ τέταρτος οὗτος Εὐφράτης καὶ ὁ ποταμὸς ὁ τρίτος Τίγρις· οὗτος ὁ προπορευόμενος κατέναντι ᾿Ασσυρίων. ὁ δὲ ποταμὸς ὁ τέταρτος Εὐφράτης

Genesis 2:14 (NETS)

Genesis 2:14 (English Elpenor)

And the third river is the Tigris; it is one that goes over against the Assyrians. As for the fourth river, it is the Euphrates. And the third river is Tigris, this is that which flows forth over against the Assyrians. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

Genesis 2:15 (Tanakh)

Genesis 2:15 (KJV)

Genesis 2:15 (NET)

And HaShem G-d took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. The Lord God took the man and placed him in the orchard in Eden to care for it and to maintain it.

Genesis 2:15 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 2:15 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ ἔλαβεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὃν ἔπλασεν καὶ ἔθετο αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ ἐργάζεσθαι αὐτὸν καὶ φυλάσσειν Καὶ ἔλαβε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὃν ἔπλασε, καὶ ἔθετο αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τῆς τρυφῆς, ἐργάζεσθαι αὐτὸν καὶ φυλάσσειν

Genesis 2:15 (NETS)

Genesis 2:15 (English Elpenor)

And the Lord God took the man whom he had formed and put him in the orchard to till and keep it. And the Lord God took the man whom he had formed, and placed him in the garden of Delight, to cultivate and keep it.

Son of God – 1 John, Part 2

Who is the liar but the person who denies (ἀρνούμενος, a form of ἀρνέομαι)[1] that Jesus is the Christ?  This one is the antichrist: the person who denies (ἀρνούμενος, a form of ἀρνέομαι) the Father and the Son.[2]  This is one of the things John wrote to his contemporaries about those who are trying to deceive you.[3]

It is interesting that this became a problem among believers after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, after those in Israel who rejected Jesus as Christ (or, Messiah) were compelled to accept Him as a credible prophet: Now while some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and offerings, Jesus said, “As for these things that you are gazing at, the days will come when not one stone will be left on another.  All will be torn down!”[4]  And, I tell you the truth, not one stone will be left on another.  All will be torn down![5] All will be torn down![6]

Believers were not particularly troubled by the unbelief of enemies of the Gospel (enemies for your [believers’] sake, but in regard to election they are dearly loved for the sake of the fathers[7]) so long as the enemies defamed the Lord Jesus and threatened and harmed his followers.  The trouble began when the enemies softened their approach, accepted Jesus as a prophet, even a good man—but not the Messiah, not the Christ.

John continued: Everyone who denies (ἀρνούμενος, a form of ἀρνέομαι) the Son [i.e., denies that the Son is the Christ] does not have the Father either.  The person who confesses the Son has the Father also.  As for you, what you have heard from the beginning must remain in you.  If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.[8]  For John, what you have heard from the beginning was the Gospel, and he had written more about it previously, or perhaps it was more warning about those who are trying to deceive you (1 John 2:12, 13 NET):

I am writing to you, little children, that your sins have been forgiven because of his name.  I am writing to you, fathers, that you have known him who has been from the beginning.  I am writing to you, young people, that you have conquered the evil one (πονηρόν, a form of πονηρός).[9]

The note on the evil one in the NET reads: “The phrase the evil one is used in John 17:15 as a reference to Satan. Satan is also the referent here and in the four other occurrences in 1 John (2:14; 3:12; 5:18, 19).”  But in the definition of πονηρός they effectively acknowledge that they added the word one because the nominative case in Matthew 6:13 means “‘The Evil,’ and is probably referring to Satan.”

I think this is too limiting in both verses.  When I pray, And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil (πονηροῦ, another form of πονηρός),[10] I am not praying to be delivered from Satan only, but from the meaningless deeds that are 1) full of labours, annoyances, and hardships; from being 1a) pressed and harassed by those labours; I pray to be delivered from 1b) this time full of peril to Christian faith and steadfastness that causes so much pain and trouble;  to be delivered from everything 2) bad, or of a bad nature or condition; from 2a) disease or blindness; as well as from that which is 2b) evil or wicked.

Likewise I believe that John wrote to young people that you have conquered the evil (πονηρόν, a form of πονηρός); not Satan only, but the meaningless deeds that are 1) full of labours, annoyances, and hardships; they are not 1a) pressed and harassed by those labours; they have overcome 1b) this time full of peril to Christian faith and steadfastness that causes so much pain and trouble; they have conquered everything 2) bad, or of a bad nature or condition; 2a) disease or blindness; as well as that which is 2b) evil or wicked.  John continued (1 John 2:14 NET):

I have written to you, children, that you have known the Father.  I have written to you, fathers, that you have known him who has been from the beginning.  I have written to you, young people, that you are strong, and the word of God resides in you, and you have conquered the evil (πονηρόν, a form of πονηρός)…

I fantasize sometimes what the world might be like if young people were taught that they are strong, and the word of God resides in them, that they have conquered the evil, and how all of this is true in Christ through his Holy Spirit, rather than being taught the rules their elders have devised for them.  In my mother’s day the path of righteousness was that girls shouldn’t wear lipstick.  My mother and her contemporaries religiously put on their lipstick every Sunday morning, some even refreshed it in the pew during the service.  In my day the path of righteousness was not listening to rock music.  Most of my contemporaries attend churches that rock.  Why not try John’s approach?  Could it be any worse?

At best these rules are equivalent to gezerot.  A gezerah (singular of gezerot) according to the online Jewish Encyclopedia was a “rabbinical enactment issued as a guard or preventive measure….The Rabbis based their institution of such enactments upon the Biblical passages, ‘Thou shalt not depart from the sentence,’ etc. (Deut. xvii. 11), although at the same time they transgressed another commandment: ‘Ye shall not add unto the word which I command thee, neither shall ye diminish from it’ (Deut. iv. 2; Shab. 23a; Ab. R. N. 25b).”[11]  Perhaps any particular “preventive measure” was a good idea at a particular time in a particular place.  But gezerot are not the Gospel.

The first gezerah followed swiftly after God’s first prohibition: The Lord God planted an orchard in the east, in Eden; and there he placed the man he had formed.  The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food.  (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.)…The Lord God took the man and placed him in the orchard in Eden to care for it and to maintain it.[12]

God’s Prohibition

Eve’s Knowledge of God’s Prohibition

Then the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.”

Genesis 2:16, 17 (NET)

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the orchard; but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God said, ‘You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, or else you will die.’”

Genesis 3:2, 3 (NET)

The circumstantial evidence points to Adam as the originator of the first gezerah, and you must not touch it.  It sounds like a good idea.  “If you don’t touch it, Eve, you won’t eat it and you won’t die—whatever that means.”  But in practice when Eve touched it she did not die—whatever that means.  She saw with her own eyes that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, and it was attractive to the eye.[13]  She had the serpent’s assurance that she would not die—whatever that means—and that God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open and you will be like divine beings who know good and evil.[14]

If I take the sequence of events recorded in Genesis literally, after she took some of its fruit and ate it nothing happened, neither the serpent’s promise nor God’s.  After all, God’s prohibition was given to Adam.  Eve was created afterward.  Perhaps it was reasonable for Adam to assume that God’s prohibition applied also to his wife, but nothing happened until Eve also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.  Then the eyes of both of them opened, and they knew they were naked [Table].[15]  I sincerely doubt that realizing she was naked was the wisdom Eve desired.[16]

So the Lord God expelled [Adam] from the orchard in Eden to cultivate the ground from which he had been taken [Table].  When he drove the man out, he placed on the eastern side of the orchard in Eden angelic sentries who used the flame of a whirling sword to guard the way to the tree of life.[17]  Adam and Eve and all their descendants will surely die.  Perhaps Adam and Eve understood death when, The Lord God made garments from skin for [them], and clothed them.[18]  If not, they certainly understood it about a century later[19] when their firstborn Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.[20]  But I want to remove the serpent from the equation for a moment.

If I suppose that the serpent did not persuade Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, and Eve did not persuade Adam, and if Adam raised his sons to stand guard over the tree of the knowledge of good and evil like the angelic sentries guarded the way to the tree of life, if they, or we to this very day, faithfully kept Adam’s gezerah not to touch the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, would that be the righteousness of God?  My answer is an unequivocal, “No.”  It would simply mean that tanks and machine guns and the fear of death had kept us from sinning against Adam’s gezerah, which only incidentally also kept us from violating God’s prohibition.

So at worst gezerot when practiced promote actions that ignore the righteousness that comes from God, and [seeks] instead to establish [one’s] own righteousness.[21]  It is a catastrophe if those who believe and practice them do not submit to God’s righteousness.  For Christ is the end (τέλος;[22] “the end to which all things relate, the aim, purpose”) of the law, with the result that there is righteousness for everyone who believes.[23]  This people honors me with their lips, Jesus said, but their heart is far from me, and they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.[24]  As a teaching practice gezerot are sin relative to the Gospel.

Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness, John continued, indeed, sin is lawlessness.  And you know that Jesus was revealed to take away (ἄρῃ, a form of αἴρω) sins[25]  John also used ἄρῃ in his Gospel account.  After Jesus died Joseph of Arimatheaasked Pilate if he could remove (ἄρῃ, a form of αἴρω) the body of Jesus.[26]  So as Joseph sought to take away the body of Jesus from the cross, Jesus was revealed to take away (ἄρῃ) sins from us, and in him there is no sin, John continued.  Everyone who resides in him does not sin; everyone who sins has neither seen him nor known him.  Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Jesus is righteous.  The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.[27]

But there is still hope: For this purpose the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil.[28]  Jesus was still revealed to take away even the sin of rejecting his righteousness for our own gezerotEveryone who has been fathered by God does not practice sin, because God’s seed resides in him, and thus he is not able to sin, because he has been fathered by God.  By this the children of God and the children of the devil are revealed: Everyone who does not practice righteousness – the one who does not love his fellow Christian (ἀδελφὸν, a form of ἀδελφός)[29] – is not of God.[30]

Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth.  And by this we will know that we are of the truth and will convince our conscience in his presence, that if our conscience condemns us, that God is greater than our conscience and knows all things.  Dear friends, if our conscience does not condemn us, we have confidence in the presence of God, and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing to him.  Now this is his commandment: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he gave us the commandment.  And the person who keeps his commandments resides in God, and God in him.  Now by this we know that God resides in us: by the Spirit he has given us.[31]

I included the Greek text of Jesus’ quote from Isaiah for completeness.

Jesus

Septuagint

Parallel Greek Text – NET

This people honors me with their lips,but their heart is far from me, and they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.

Matthew 15:8, 9 (NET)

ὁ λαὸς οὗτος τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτῶν[32] τιμῶσίν[33] με ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόρρω ἀπέχει ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ μάτην[34] δὲ σέβονταί με διδάσκοντες ἐντάλματα ἀνθρώπων καὶ διδασκαλίας

Isaiah 29:13

ὁ λαὸς οὗτος τοῖς χείλεσιν με τιμᾷ,[35]ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόρρω ἀπέχει ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ μάτην δὲ σέβονται μεδιδάσκοντες διδασκαλίας ἐντάλματα ἀνθρώπων

Matthew 15:8, 9

Translation from a contemporary understanding of ancient Hebrew

These people say they are loyal to me; they say wonderful things about me, but they are not really loyal to me.  Their worship consists of nothing but man-made ritual.[36]

Isaiah 29:13 (NET)

 

Addendum (7/15/2015): Jim Searcy has published that the Septuagint is a hoax written by Origen and Eusebius 200 hundred years or so after Christ.  “In fact, the Septuagint ‘quotes’ from the New Testament and not vice versa…”  His contention is that the “King James Version is the infallible Word of God.”  So, I’ll re-examine the quotations above with the KJV.

Jesus

KJV

Parallel Greek Text – NET

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Matthew 15:8, 9 (KJV)

Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

Isaiah 29:13

ὁ λαὸς οὗτος τοῖς χείλεσιν με τιμᾷ, ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόρρω ἀπέχει ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ μάτην δὲ σέβονται μεδιδάσκοντες διδασκαλίας ἐντάλματα ἀνθρώπων

Matthew 15:8, 9

If as Jim Searcy claimed the Septuagint was written after the New Testament, But in vain (μάτην δὲ) was not a part of Isaiah’s original prophecy as Jesus claimed.  Rather, Jesus added it on the spot.


[2] 1 John 2:22 (NET)

[3] 1 John 2:26 (NET)

[4] Luke 21:5, 6 (NET)

[5] Matthew 24:2 (NET)

[6] Mark 13:2 (NET)

[7] Romans 11:28 (NET)

[8] 1 John 2:23, 24 (NET)

[10] Matthew 6:13 (NET)

[12] Genesis 2:8, 9, 15 (NET)

[13] Genesis 3:6a (NET)

[14] Genesis 3:5 (NET) Table

[15] Genesis 3:6b-7a (NET)

[16]the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise… (Genesis 3:6a NET)

[17] Genesis 3:23, 24 (NET)

[18] Genesis 3:21 (NET)

[19] Genesis 4:25; 5:3

[20] Genesis 4:8 (NET)

[21] Romans 10:3a (NET)

[23] Romans 10:3b, 4 (NET)

[24] Matthew 15:8, 9 (NET)

[25] 1 John 3:4, 5a (NET)

[26] John 19:38a (NET)

[27] 1 John 3:5b-8 (NET)

[28] 1 John 3:8b (NET)

[30] 1 John 3:9, 10 (NET)

[31] 1 John 3:18-24 (NET)

[36] NET note: “Heb ‘their fear of me is a commandment of men that has been taught.’”