Adam returned to the ADAMAH
(soil) from which Yahweh the God formed him, but for Eve this was a new place. They
are living with the consequences of their actions in the Garden. Since they are
no longer in the Garden, they must do the things necessary for survival -- first
for themselves and second for the survival of mankind. The author uses a
technique that compress lengths of time into a sentence or two. It is important
to be conscious of this as you read Genesis 4. It opens with these words:
And Adam knew
his woman Chavvah (Eve),
she became
pregnant and gave birth to Cain.
The
Hebrew word YADA has the
following meanings, “to know by mental activity” or “to know by
physical experience.” The word YADA
is a well-known Hebrew euphemism for “having sex.” The knowledge
Adam acquired from the forbidden tree was also YADA “acquired
by a physical experience.”
●
Adam knew Chavvah – The text doesn’t reveal how long they had
been in their new land when this happened.
●
she became pregnant – Time passed before she would become
aware of physical changes taking place in her body, and then more time would pass
before Adam would be able to see changes in her body. No human had ever
experienced these things before.
●
she gave birth -- At least nine months passed between “knew”
and “gave birth.”
In
the first story in Genesis, the Creator’s blessing empowered the man and woman
to function as parents who taught and mentored their children how to live as
members of the Creator’s Kingdom. Adam and Chavvah did not have parents. They
had never seen a child. Yahweh only told her that “her pregnancies will
be multiplied,” but He did not explain what “pregnant”
meant. Keep in mind that “you are reading a wisdom text,”
not “a historical document.”
●
Wisdom principles teach “how to walk with (live according to
the will of) the God.
●
Readers discover the wisdom principles by comparing
each story to those that came before it.
Now
put yourself in their shoes when she began giving birth to her first child. What
was she thinking? What did Adam think? Where was Yahweh? The Hebrew text of
Genesis 4 is one of the most difficult texts to understand in the Hebrew
Scriptures. Therefore, readers encounter multiple places in the text where
they must choose between several possible translation choices. One of those
places is in the words Chavvah spoke immediately after she gave birth to Cain.
The words in all capital letters are transliterations of Hebrew words (Genesis
4:1b).
And she said, “I have QANIYTIY an ISH ET Yahweh.”
The
first challenge is to choose one of the options below for translating QANIYTIY.
1.
I have gotten a man
. . . .
2.
I have acquired a man
. . . .
3.
I have purchased a man
. . . .
4.
I have created a man . . .
.
Be
sure to note that she said, “I have,” not “we
have.” Was she “unaware of Adam’s role” in “making a baby,”
or was she saying something else? Based on the context of the story at this
point, we can eliminate options #1 and #3 above. Now I will present you with
the options for the Hebrew word ET.
It is a very common word, but it has two very different meanings. The first is as
“the sign of the direct object,” which is not translated. It was used this
way twice in Genesis 1:1.
“In the beginning God
created ET the Heaven and ET the Earth.”
When
ET is used this way, it doesn’t appear in the translation. The second
time ET is used, it has two translation options:
1.
with (with the help of)
2.
beside (in the presence of)
Now
let’s add this information to our list of options for translating her words.
1.
I have acquired a man with
the help of Yahweh.
2.
I have acquired a man in
the presence of Yahweh.
3.
I have created a man with
the help of Yahweh.
4.
I have created a man in
the presence of Yahweh.
I
believe Bible readers need to be aware of the options for translating the
Hebrew words of ancient text. Translators often choose the option that reflects
their religious beliefs. BHC’s goal is to do our best to determine
which option reflects the ancient author’s meanings. Please take time
to consider the implications attached to the four options above. I will
continue this discussion in my next email.
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Jim
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