and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, evil. and I did eat. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was 'pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be 'to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. 17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. 20 And Adam called his wife's name 1oEve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 ¶ Unto Adam also and to his wife did FIG LEAVES (Ficus carica). 8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the 'cool of the day and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And THORN (Ononis spinosa). 7 Or, subject to thy husband. 15 the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. 22 T And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Verse 7. They sewed fig leaves together.'-The word 'sewed' is too definite: the word so rendered simply means to join or fasten together,' which was probably done by twisting the leaf-stems together to form such a covering as was required. The fig ( teenah), Ficus carica of Linnæus, has been famous from time immemorial for the production of a most grateful and nutritious fruit. The leaves are divided into lobes, and are of considerable breadth. The fig is the enlargement of the common base or receptacle on which the numerous small flowers stand. This receptacle forms a kind of urn, in the hollow of which the flowers are placed. These leaves, from their lobed nature, do not seem very well suited to the purpose to which they were in this case applied; but the practice of pinning or sewing leaves together is still very common in the East, and baskets, dishes, and umbrellas are made of leaves so sewn together. The fig-tree, though now successfully cultivated in great part of Europe, even as far north as the south of England, appears to have been a native of the Persian region, where it is still most extensively cultivated. In Deut. viii. 8, it is mentioned among the most valuable products of Palestine; and figs were among the choice fruits brought from thence by the Hebrew spies. To sit every man under his own vine and under his own fig-tree hence became among the Israelites the symbol of prosperity and ease (1 Kings iv. 25); and thus its failure was a token of affliction (Ps. cv. 33). The fig-tree is also often mentioned in the New Testament, and the passages will be illustrated as they occur. 18. Thorns.'-The Hebrew word rip kotz, occurs in several passages of Scripture. In two of these passages, of which the present is one, it is coupled with 7777 dardar, translated thistle;' and where they thus occur together they are probably correctly rendered by the general terms 'thorns and thistles.' The Septuagint in all cases renders CHAPTER IV. 1 The birth, trade, and religion of Cain and Abel. 2 And she again bare his brother 'Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his 'flock, and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had 'respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had 1 Heb. Hebel. 2 Heb. a feeder. 7 Or, subject unto thee. s Heb, at the end of days. 23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. kotz by ăxavða; and it was probably used in a general sense to denote plants that were thorny, useless, and indicative of neglected culture or deserted habitations, growing naturally in desolate situations, and useful only for fuel. Some, however, think that a particular plant is intended; and in that case the Ononis spinosa, or rest harrow,' may be selected as sufficiently characteristic. There are many words, very different in the Hebrew, all translated by 'thorn' and 'thistle' in the Authorised Version. 'Thistles.'-The original word 7777 dardar, occurs again in Hos. x. 8, in the same connection with hotz, here rendered thorns.' The rabbins describe the dardar as a thorny plant, which they also call accobita-perhaps the same as the accub of the Arabs, which is a thistle or wild artichoke. The Sept. renders dardar by τpißoλos, which will come under our notice in Matt. vii. 16. 20. Eve.'-This name is in Hebrew chavvah, equivalent to chayyah, ‘life.' The name was probably imposed some time after, when the descendants of the first pair had increased to considerable numbers. 21. Coats of skins.--As some animal (probably a sheep) must have been killed to obtain the skin, this furnishes the first recorded instance of animal death. We soon after see Abel offering sacrifice; it is, therefore, not improbable that the animals from which the skins came had been killed for an offering to God. It is well known that skins and furs still form essential. articles of dress in many countries, and there are few better and more durable defences against cold and rain. In Western Asia, the country where sheep-skins are most in use is Persia, being not only employed for linings, but as independent articles of dress-jackets and great-coats-the wool being turned inside. In this text, and elsewhere, God is described as doing that which he directed to be done. not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. 8 T And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. 9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? 10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. 4 Heb. sheep, or goats. 5 Heb. 11. 4. 8 Wisd. 10. 3. Matth. 23. 35. 1 John 3. 12. Jude 11. 6 Or, have the excellency? Heb. Lloods. |