The
Genesis
(NIV)
By
Syd Cleveland
(©
1990, 1995, 2000, 2005 and Revised
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Gen 1:1
BEGINNING = 4004 BC (Usher); 3761 BC (Jews).
GOD = Hebrew "'Elohim" (Strongs #H430) means
"Gods" (plural); compare with Genesis
CREATED = When the Genesis account is read in the context of the
grammar of Acts
HEAVENS AND EARTH = The entire universe was created through the
agency of Christ: Hebrews 1:2, 3; Isaiah 42:5.
Gen 1:2
THE EARTH WAS = Things already present before day one of Creation
week: God (Genesis 1:1); Spirit of God (Genesis 1:2); the earth as a formless
mass (Genesis 1:2); the "deep" having a "surface" (Genesis
1:2); waters (Genesis 1:2); darkness (Genesis 1:2).
WAS FORMLESS AND EMPTY = The Hebrew text and also the Greek
Septuagint specifically state "was" (Hebrew "hayah" Strongs
#H1961; Greek article "hen") meaning past tense at the moment of
creation. In the beginning the
elementary earth "was" a desolate waste, a formless, lifeless mass in
which the earth and atmosphere were indistinguishable. It was a mass of "waters" wrapped
in darkness. The Hebrew word
"Tohu" (Strongs #H8414) is translated "formless" and means
"confusion, wasteland."
DARKNESS = Was not created during Creation week, but it was also
created by God (Isaiah 45:7).
DEEP ... WATERS = A non-life-supporting water blob (Psalms 24:1,
2). A similar lifeless condition will
exist again after the Second Coming: Revelation 20:3.
SPIRIT = The Hebrew "Ruach Elohim" (Strongs #H7307 +
H430) is not God blowing on the water, but rather the presence of the Holy
Spirit: Psalms 33:6; 104:30. The Holy
Spirit is a real person rather than just an "active force": He speaks
(Acts 13:2); He directs: (Acts 16:6-7); He bears witness (John 15:26); He says
whatever He hears (John 16:13); He can be grieved (Isaiah 63:10); He can be lied to (Acts 5:3)
and Jesus refers to Him as a real person (John 16:7-8).
HOVERING = Hebrew pictures a bird brooding over its young in the
nest: Deuteronomy 32:11. There is no
specific statement defining how long the period of darkness existed prior to
the first day of creation week. However,
the terms "evening and morning" (Genesis 1:5) suggest this time of
the Holy Spirit's hovering over the waters in the darkness was part of the
"first day."
WATERS = See 2 Peter 3:5 for the existence of water prior to
creation week, thus water was not created during creation week. Also see commentary on Genesis 2:21.
Gen 1:3
GOD SAID = The authority of Divine revelation is the only
appropriate authority for any Christian.
The work of creating/shaping the earth from its elementary form begins
at this point. These words appear nine
times in Genesis 1.
LIGHT = This is the literal beginning of light in so far as the
creation of this earth is concerned. Symbolically can refer to the Bible (Psalms
119:105); or Jesus (John
Gen 1:4
GOOD = First time God refers to anything as "good" during
the creation of this earth.
SEPARATED THE LIGHT FROM THE DARKNESS = Suggests that the
"planet" began to rotate enabling distinct cycles of darkness and
light.
Gen 1:5
EVENING ... MORNING = The distinct daily cycle of alternating
darkness and light was in motion on the first day.
THE FIRST = Israelites did not use the later Roman terms
("Sunday," "Monday," etc).
Instead they numbered their weekdays "First Day," "Second
Day," etc. The "First
Day" is the same day of the week as our "Sunday."
FIRST DAY = The same day of the week as our Sunday. The Bible is specific that these were 24-hour
days (based on the rotation of the earth).
The Hebrew literally states: "evening was, morning was, day
one." In addition the following
facts can be considered: The Israelites never doubted that God created the
world in six literal days. The same
Hebrew word for "day" is used in Exodus 20:8-11; 31:14-17; and
Deuteronomy 16:8. These are plainly
literal 24-hour days, not thousands of years.
This is also true of the Septuagint's use of "day" in these
texts, which is the same Greek word used for "day" in Luke
13:14. The only reason for contradicting
Scripture and suggesting that each day of creation was a thousand years, or
other long period of time, is to somehow integrate the theory of evolution with
Biblical Creation.
The sun was
created on the fourth day. Since
vegetation was created on the third day and cannot live long without light,
there can be no doubt literal 24-hour days are indicated by Scripture. Furthermore, Adam was created on the sixth
day and died at age 930 years (Genesis 5:5).
If each "day" of creation week was thousands/millions of
years, Adam would have died before sundown on Saturday, instead of living long
after being expelled from the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 2:1 states
that the heavens and the earth were "completed" at the end of the
sixth day (the same day of the week as our Friday), therefore there can be no
Biblical evidence of subsequent long periods of time during which the earth
supposedly "evolved." (See the
grammatical construction of Colossians 1:16 for New Testament confirmation).
The theory of evolution
is based on two contradicting principles:
A. PRINCIPLE OF
UNIFORMITY ("Nothing ever changes").
This is the doctrine the Bible predicted would arise in the "last
days" and was condemned in 2 Peter 3:3-7.
The doctrine of uniformity is required to supply the extremely long time
periods required for the Principle of Evolution (discussed below) to achieve
the creation of higher life forms from lower life forms.
The Bible shows
the principle of uniformity to be false: God cursed the ground after Adam and
Eve sinned, making it produce thorns and thistles: Genesis 3:17-18. God cursed the ground again after Cain's sin,
reducing its productivity: Genesis 4:12.
God completely changed the atmosphere and earth at the flood. Whereas there was a mist that watered the
earth prior to the flood (Genesis 2:5-6); rain and rainbows occur after the
flood: Genesis 9:13-15. The Bible is
clear that God has drastically intervened and changed the “normal”
course of events that the evolutionary theory requires.
B. THE PRINCIPLE
OF EVOLUTION. This is in direct
opposition to the previously addressed Principle of Uniformity, and is needed
for the emergence of various life forms apart from Divine Creation. The Bible claims Evolution is false: Genesis
chapters 1 and 2. Jesus believed the
Bible account of creation: Mark
The theory that
lower life forms evolve into higher forms is unscientific: metal beams rust
into dust. Wood decays. All life forms return to the simplest
chemical forms.
Mathematical laws
state the odds are 1 in 100 trillion for just one seagull to evolve from
primeval slime. For seagulls to exist as
a species, two would have to evolve at the same time, one male and one female. They would have to be in close enough
proximity to meet and mate. The odds are
impossible in the case of seagulls, and much more than impossible for the
higher forms of life.
Gen 1:6
BETWEEN THE WATERS = Water was not created during creation week
since it existed prior to day one: Genesis 1:1, 2.
Gen 1:7
EXPANSE = God separated the atmospheric water from the oceans and
seas. This "expanse" is called
"sky" in Genesis 1:8.
Gen 1:8
EXPANSE = The "expanse" of Genesis 1:6, 7 is called
"sky."
SECOND DAY = The same day of the week as our Monday.
Gen 1:10
GOOD = This is the second time God referred to something as
"good" during the creation of the earth.
Gen 1:11
LAND PRODUCE VEGETATION = The "land" also produced living
creatures and also was the source of the material from which Adam was created
(Genesis
Gen 1:13
THIRD DAY = The same day of the week as our Tuesday.
Gen 1:14
LET THERE BE LIGHTS = Either previously created "stars"
were shielded from earth (Holy Spirit covered earth under His wings like a
brooding hen (Genesis 1:2), or they were created at this moment, or their light
had been traveling across space and reached earth at this moment.
TO SEPARATE THE DAY FROM THE NIGHT = The daily cycle of dark and
light is set in motion and continues forever (Genesis
SIGNS = The Hebrew "'owth" (Strongs #H226) means
"sign, beacon, monument, token."
The context indicates the heavenly "lights" are to "mark
seasons and days and years," and not to foretell the future (as in
astrology).
MARK SEASONS AND DAYS AND YEARS = From earth's perspective, God's
great celestial clock was set in motion on the fourth day. There is no doubt that the words "evening
... morning ... day" (Genesis
In the context, the term "seasons" (Hebrew
"mow'ed", Strongs #H4150) is applied in the sense of winter, summer,
fall, spring, etc. It is also translated as "appointed sign, appointed
time, appointed season, place of assembly." It may be the time for the birth of a child
(Genesis 17:21; 18:14; 21:2), the coming of a plague (Exodus 9:5); the season of
a bird's migration (Jeremiah 8:7); an appointed time (1 Samuel 13:8; 20:35);
the time for which a vision is intended (Daniel 8:19); or the time for sacred
festivals/Sabbaths (Leviticus 23:2) and solemnities (Deuteronomy 31:10). The heavenly bodies are for determining the
seasons (Genesis
Gen 1:16
GOVERN THE DAY ... NIGHT = The "great lights" were not
designed to govern man's fate (astrology)!
Also see Genesis 1:14, 17.
ALSO MADE THE STARS = A parenthetical expression which disproves
the theory that the universe/"stars" evolved through the "Big
Bang" (see Isaiah 40:26).
Gen 1:17
GOD SET THEM = This is the personal work of God and not an
evolutionary accident.
EXPANSE OF THE SKY = Refers to space; our solar system.
TO GIVE LIGHT ON EARTH = The first purpose of the sun and moon
(Genesis
Gen 1:18
TO GOVERN THE DAY ... NIGHT = Second reason for the creation of the
sun and moon: they are to regulate the cycle of day and night (in other words
establish "time" as a literal twenty-four hour day [Genesis
TO SEPARATE LIGHT FROM DARKNESS = Similar to Genesis
Gen 1:19
FOURTH DAY = The same day of the week as our Wednesday.
Gen 1:20
WATER TEEM WITH LIVING CREATURES = There is nothing here to support
an evolutionary process with life beginning in the sea, crawling out onto the
land, and evolving into human beings. In
the next verse, Genesis
LET BIRDS FLY ABOVE THE EARTH = Here we see birds fully developed
and flying in the sky on the fifth day.
Once again, there is no hint that sea creatures evolved into birds.
EXPANSE OF THE SKY = Refers to earth's atmosphere.
Gen 1:21
SO GOD CREATED = This categorically rules out any evolutionary
origin to any life form on earth.
WATER TEEMS = God's creation of life forms began with the simplest
marine life and progressed to the highest life forms. The presence of God as Creator, and the
absence of long periods of time, makes the difference between evolution and
creation.
Gen 1:22
FRUITFUL = Inference is that the animals were created male and
female.
Gen 1:23
FIFTH DAY = The same day of the week as our Thursday.
Gen 1:24
LAND PRODUCE = Genesis chapter 2 presents the creation process in
greater detail. There God is said to
have specifically "formed" the animals out of the earth (see note on
Genesis
Gen 1:25
GOD MADE = The Hebrew "asah" (Strongs #H6213) means
"to do, to make". It is not
the same as "created" in Genesis 1:27. Genesis
Gen 1:26
GOD SAID = Hebrew "Elohim" is in the plural meaning
"Gods". Throughout Genesis
chapter 1 the term Elohim is used as God's name.
LET US MAKE = Continuation of the plural phrase. Indicates at least two Persons in the Godhead
are doing the creating. God
"made" man for His own glory (Isaiah 43:7). Both Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 5:1
specifically state that God created man in His image, therefore the plural
"us" and "our" cannot refer to angelic beings supposedly
having a part in the creation of man as co-creators with God. The very next verse, Genesis 1:27 confirms
this by saying "So GOD created man in His own image, in the image of GOD
He created him." If angels had been
involved in the discussion and creation of man, the text would have to read,
"So God and the angels created man in their own image, in
the image of God and the angels they created him."
The Hebrew word
"asah" (Strongs #H6213) means "to do, to make" and is the
same word used for the "making" of the animals in Genesis 1:25.
MAN = The term "man" is not reserved for Adam alone, but
is generic for all "mankind" (Genesis 1:27; 5:1-2). Genesis
IN OUR IMAGE ... LIKENESS = These Hebrew words only appear together
here in Genesis
"Nowhere else
in the Old Testament do these two nouns appear in parallelism or in connection
with each other." -- Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Harris,
Archer, Waltke, Moody Press, p. 192
It was God's
intent that in the perfection of this original creation humans would somehow
resemble Him (see comment on Genesis
The Hebrew
"tselem" (Strongs #H6754) means "image, something that
represents something else such as an idol, a likeness of something."
The Hebrew
"demuwth" (Strongs #H1823) means "likeness."
What makes humans
different from the animals stems from the fact that God "breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life" (Genesis 2:7). Perhaps this act placed the
"likeness" or "image" of God within humans -- something we
would call the "spirit" or "soul." Also see note on Genesis 1:30.
Gen 1:27
GOD CREATED = The Hebrew "bara" (Strongs #H1254) means
"to create." It is not the
same word that was used in Genesis 1:25-26.
See comment on Genesis 1:1 and
HIS OWN IMAGE = We resemble God, but He does not resemble us (i.e.
effects of sin). See Genesis 5:1-5 for
one difference between us and God due to the effects of sin (death). The word "image" corresponds to
"likeness" in Genesis 5:3. It
is likely that the fullness of this "image" did not survive the
expulsion from
"Man's nature
is in 'the image of God,' but it is a distinctly human nature. To be created in the 'image' and 'likeness'
of God is to reflect God's glory and, in a limited sense, His capacities, but
it is NOT to be a god" -- A Different Gospel, D. R. McConnell, p.
124.
MAN ... HIM = The context indicates this is "mankind"
(the human race), for the next phrase is "male and female He created
them." The creation of Adam (a man)
was the beginning of God's creation of the human race. Eve (a "wo-man") was taken out of
man and thus is a continuation of "man" (Genesis
MALE AND FEMALE = Sexual distinction was present prior to the Fall.
See Genesis
"What's even
more fascinating is that in the Hebrew the name for the Lord, 'Adonay,' has a
feminine ending. A merciful God is more
like a mother. The Hebrew for God,
'Elohim,' has a masculine ending. It
suggests that God is also a father. The
Jewish concept of Lord/God is a combination of male and female attributes. The Almighty is a He and a She, harmonizing
the best of both sexes so that human beings can be blessed not only with a
Father, but also with a Mother, in heaven." -- "The Complete Idiot's
Guide to Understanding Judaism," by Rabbi Benjamin Blech, page 14.
Gen 1:28
FRUITFUL = Reference to the reproductive abilities of Adam and Eve
prior to the Fall. Indicates that in the
earth made new the family relationship will exist if we are returned to the
original principles of
FILL THE EARTH = The KJV has "replenish the earth." Some who read the KJV believe that
"re-plenish" is the same as "re-populate." Thus they argue Adam and Eve could not
repopulate the earth if it had not been previously populated. Therefore, on this misunderstanding of
English and Hebrew grammar, they develop the erroneous theory that the earth
was created twice, with Adam and Eve being part of the second creation-after
the first earth was catastrophically destroyed (they cannot present Biblical
evidence that this happened and thus they are dealing in conjecture). However, the Hebrew word here is
"mawlay" (Strongs #H4390) meaning "to fill, or to be
full." It does not mean "to
re-fill or re-plenish." The NIV is
correct in translating this phrase: "fill the earth."
SUBDUE = The Hebrew "Kabash" (Strongs #H3533) meaning
"to make to serve, if necessary by force." The implication is that the thing being
subdued is hostile to the subduer, and will not willingly submit. A Christian must determine if it is right to
"subdue" the earth with malicious intent.
RULE OVER = Hebrew "Radah" meaning to tread down, have
dominion over, rule over.
Gen 1:29
SEED-BEARING PLANT/FRUIT WITH SEED = Original diet was
vegetarian. See Exodus 15:26.
Gen 1:30
I GIVE EVERY GREEN PLANT FOR FOOD = No carnivores.
BREATH OF LIFE = Literally "wherein there is breath
("nephesh")." The Hebrew
word "nephesh" (Strongs #H5315) meaning "to breathe," here
it means "life." This is not
the same grammatical construction as the "breath of life" God
breathed into Adam's nostrils (Genesis 2:7), therefore humans are distinct from
animals in the quality of "nephesh" they received. In its most synthetic use "nephesh"
stands for the entire person (as in Genesis 2:7). See Theological Wordbook of the Old
Testament, vol. 2, p. 588-590 for a complete discussion of this word.
Gen 1:31
VERY GOOD = God did not create evil for He tells us everything He
created was "good." Everything
was "very good" in that it completely fulfilled its divinely
designated purpose.
SIXTH DAY = The same day of the week as our Friday.
Gen 2:1
COMPLETED = Not ruined and recreated a second time as some
teach. Creation is not a process of
evolution encompassing eons of time (Exodus
Gen 2:2
THE SEVENTH DAY = Saturday.
The previous six days of creation had been distinguished by God's
activity. The seventh day is an example
of God's creative power displayed by "resting."
FINISHED = Compare with "completed" in Genesis 2:1.
ON THE SEVENTH DAY = Clearly this day is the same length of time as
the first six days of creation week, for the Hebrew word "yowm"
(Strongs #H3117 is the normal term for "day") is used repeatedly
throughout Genesis chapter 1 to define a literal 24-hour day. It is on this literal seventh day of creation
week, Saturday, that God "rested" from His work. Furthermore, the seventh day is the only day
of Creation week that God "blessed" and "made holy" by
virtue of resting from His work (Genesis 2:3).
Two thousand six hundred years later, God commanded the Israelites to
rest from their work on the seventh day of each week (Exodus 20:8-11). However, there is no command here in Genesis
2:2-3, nor anywhere in the Old Testament for anyone to rest from their work on
the seventh day prior to
"You (God)
came down on
"The LORD our
God made a covenant with us (the Israelites) at Horeb ("
"And what
other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this
body of laws I (Moses) am setting before you (Israelites) today? (This rhetorical question demands we answer
resoundingly: "No other nation ever received these decrees and
laws!") Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not
forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long
as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Remember the day you (Israelites) stood
before the LORD your God at Horeb when the LORD spoke to you (Israelites) out
of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a
voice. He declared to you (Israelites)
His covenant, the Ten Commandments, which He commanded you (Israelites) to
follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets." - Deuteronomy 4:8-13
“You came
down on
Scripture is very
clear that the Sabbath was not given to anyone in all the 26 centuries between
Creation and the Exodus from
In addition, there
is no mention of the close of the seventh day as there was is the preceding six
days of creation week, because there was no creative work done on the seventh
day. The absence of the phrase
"evening and morning" does not suggest that the seventh day never
ended, nor does it suggest that every seventh day afterwards was
"holy" in the same sense as the seventh day of Creation week (see
Genesis 2:3). Some believe the Sabbath
of creation week is a “type” of the eternal rest the redeemed will
enjoy after Christ's second coming.
However, all "types" were fulfilled and ended at the cross,
thus even as a “type” the Sabbath has no application to Christians.
HE RESTED = Hebrew "shabat" (Strongs #H7673) meaning
"to cease, rest, desist." Thus
the term "Sabbath" ("rest") is applied to the seventh day
of Creation week. Two thousand six
hundred years later, the Sabbath rest ("Shabbat") was included in the
Old Covenant God made with the Israelites to demonstrate to them the necessity
of "resting" from their attempts to make themselves "holy"
(Exodus 31:13). Hebrews 4:9-11, written
to the "Hebrews" or the Israelites of New Testament times, reminds
them to find their rest in Christ just as they had once rested from their work
on the Sabbath day.
"God was not
tired in Genesis 2:2-3. 'Shavath' may
imply rest, not in every case. God's
word was completed, and, therefore there was no need to continue. He did not need rest like a weary man; He
only 'stopped' His creative activity." -- AMG Complete Wordstudy Bible, on
Strongs #H7673.
The fact that the
seventh day of "rest" is not bound by "morning and evening"
(as the other six days were), does not mean that the seventh day is not
literal. God's intent was that the Israelites would rest in God's grace and
never experience rebellion, sin, and estrangement (Exodus 31:17). In resting "from all His work" God
set a Divine example for the Israelites under the Old Covenant (Exodus
20:8-11). The Sabbath was composed of
both the spiritual and the physical. In
the spiritual sense, the Sabbath was a type of the rest from good works as a
means of salvation. In the physical
sense, the Sabbath literally enabled the Israelites to rest from their daily
work and thus be physically refreshed and rejuvenated.
Sabbatarians
overlook the fact that it was God who “rested” at the close of
creation week. Notice the text is clear
that “God ended His work … and He rested … He had
rested” (Genesis 2:2-3). There is
no mention that Adam and Eve “rested” on this seventh day or any
seventh day thereafter. There is no
statement in Scripture anywhere that anyone – other than God –
“rested” on any seventh day of any week for the entire 2,600 years
from Creation to Sinai. The Sabbatarian
teaching that God “instituted” the Sabbath rest at Creation, and
that it has continued down to our day is simply a figment of their imagination:
it is not supported by Scripture or history.
Instead, that idea originates in the teachings of the false prophet,
Ellen G. White, who made it the central tenet of Seventh-day Adventism.
Gen 2:3
GOD = Hebrew "'Elohim" (is in the plural form) (Strongs
#H430) meaning "Gods." In this
grammatical construct there is a hint of the Godhead.
BLESSED = Hebrew "barak" (Strongs #H1288) meaning
"to bless, praise, salute."
Its usage in the OT gives it the meaning of "enduing with power for
success, prosperity, and longevity."
Each of the other days of creation week were also “blessed” by
God in the sense that He stated that each day was “good.” However, there is nothing in this text to
suggest that each recurring seventh day of the week was blessed and intended to
be another day of rest. In order to
harmonize with the false Seventh-day Adventist and Sabbatarian teaching, the
grammar of the text would have to be changed to read: God blessed the seventh
day of creation week and also blessed each recurring seventh day of every week
for all eternity. Think of it this way:
you go to a car dealership to purchase a new car. You see a line of 50 cars and select the
seventh car as the one you want to purchase.
You make the payment and receive the title and keys. Now, how many cars will you drive home? Only one – only the seventh car in that
line of 50 cars. By selecting and
purchasing the seventh car, you only selected and purchased one. This is what God did when He selected and
blessed the seventh day of Creation week.
He only blessed and sanctified that one day, not every recurring seventh
day. See commentary notes on Genesis
2:2.
THE SEVENTH DAY = There is no "morning" and
"evening" associated with the seventh day as with the previous six
days of creation week. Some suggest that
this means the Sabbath is not a specific day.
This idea contradicts the words "the seventh day." There is no need to reaffirm with each
mention of the word "day" that it means twenty-four hours. All of Genesis chapter one has been focused
on the literalness of the word "day."
MADE IT HOLY = Hebrew "qadash" (Strongs #H6942) meaning
"to be hallowed, holy, sanctified, to dedicate, to consecrate and thus
separate the holy from the profane (common or ordinary)."
"The verb
'qadash' in the Qal connotes the state of that which belongs to the sphere of
the sacred. Thus it is distinct from the
common or profane. ... The definitive use of the term occurs in Numbers
16:38. The censers of the Korahites were
regarded as holy because they had been devoted (set apart) to the Lord. They were thus regarded as having entered the
sphere of the sacred by virtue of cultic ritual (Numbers
At that moment,
God did not merely declare the seventh day to be holy, but He actually
communicated holiness to that specific seventh day of Creation week, just as He
communicated holiness to the specific ground located immediately around the
burning bush (Exodus 3:2-5). But when the seventh day of creation week ended,
its “holiness” ended – just as the ground around the burning
bush returned to its former state of “normalness” after Moses and
God departed.
The seventh day
was set apart for the Israelites under the Old Covenant at Sinai (Exodus
16:28-29; Mark 2:27). But does that mean
the seventh day Sabbath rest was given to Christians? No.
The Old Covenant of Ten Commandments written in stone (including the
fourth commandment) was superseded by the New Covenant written in
Christ’s blood.
Consider the
following: just as God created "holy ground" at the burning bush
(Exodus 3:5) and commanded His servant Moses to "take off your
sandals" in respect for God's holy ground, so God commanded His Old
Covenant people (the Israelites) to show respect for God's holy day by not
working (Exodus 20:8-11). However, the
ground at the burning bush did not continue to be "holy" for ever
after, just as the bush did not continue to burn eternally. Instead, after God spoke with Moses, the bush
stopped burning and the ground reverted to it's original state: common ordinary
ground. Therefore one cannot conclude
that simply because God made the seventh day of creation week holy for
twenty-four hours, that every seventh day of every week is holy for all
eternity. And, notice, while the bush
burned, the ground was only holy to God and Moses, just as the Sabbath was only
holy to God – and 2,600 years later, only to the Israelites -- it was not
holy to anyone else. That is why there
is no command in the New Testament commanding Christians to set apart the
seventh day by resting from their work on Saturday. The Sabbath was only given
to the Israelites (see Deuteronomy 5:2-4; Deuteronomy 4:8, 13), as part of the
Old Covenant (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 4:8, 13; Hebrews 9:4), and was only in
effect until Jesus died on the cross (Hebrews 8:8-9, 13; 2 Corinthians 3:6-11;
Romans 7:6; Hebrews 9:15; Galatians 3:16-19).
When God makes
something holy He "sanctifies" it (i.e. He sets it apart from common
everyday life). However, it is a fact
that there is no command here in Genesis 2:1-3 for humans to observe the
seventh day rest, nor was there until 2,600 years had passed and the Old
Covenant was given to the Israelites at
Christians are not Israelites, Christians do not live
under the Old Covenant (we are under the covenant of Christ's blood [see Luke
22:20]), and thus in Scripture, Christians are neither invited, nor required,
to rest from their work on the seventh day of the week.
The fact that God
held Cain accountable for murder, and told Noah that prior to the Flood every
inclination of mankind was only evil (Genesis 6:5), does not mean that His Ten
Commandments were in force prior to Sinai.
Rather, it means God's moral law (the very essence of His character --
not His Ten Commandments nor His Old Testament Covenant) was known and in
effect from the very beginning. God's
moral law is the innate sense of right and wrong that He has placed in the mind
of every created being (Romans
Sabbatarians often
teach that because God wrote the Ten Commandments on stone, God’s Law is
eternal. This argument is presented in
order to maintain the Sabbath day rest of the fourth commandment. However, their claim overlooks the fact that
Moses broke the stone tablets when he observed the Israelites sinning around
the golden calf (Exodus 32:19). Stone is
not permanent, God is. Therefore our relationship
is to be established with God, not with stone tablets. Furthermore, the Ark of the Covenant
containing the Ten Commandments was lost when the
Again,
Sabbatarians err in teaching that the Ten Commandments “are a transcript
of God’s character.”
God’s righteous character, which is the source for all morality
and justice in the universe – and which far exceeds the “ten
words” of Sinai -- has existed from all eternity past and is
eternal. Whereas the Ten Commandments
did not exist until 1450 B.C. when they were spoken and written at Sinai. Thus, when the Old Covenant in Ten
Commandments ended at the cross, the definition of sin did not cease to
exist. God does not require the Ten
Commandments to define sin – Satan and his angels were convicted of sin
long before the Ten Commandments ever came into existence at Sinai. Adam and Eve were convicted of sin –
along with all the pre-Flood inhabitants – thousands of years before
Sinai. The Seventh-day Adventist
position that if the Ten Commandments ceased to exist and the Sabbath command
was thereby obliterated, there would no longer be any definition for sin and
thus no need for a Savior, is simply flawed logic, and again, based upon the
teachings of their false prophet, Ellen G. White. Sabbatarians are stuck on the Ten
Commandments simply because of the Sabbath command. They do not understand that the New Covenant
in Christ’s blood is not about a day – the Sabbath -- but about
a Person -- Jesus Christ! Thus the Sabbatarian is stuck under the Old
Covenant trying to reestablish what God said was “finished” at the
cross.
HE RESTED = Hebrew "shabat" (Strongs #H7673) meaning
"to rest, repose, put a stop to (the week's work), to put an end to, to
cause to cease (from work)." God
did not rest because He was tired (Isaiah 40:28). God rested (ceased from His work of creating)
because it was perfectly completed (Genesis
Under the Old
Covenant, the Sabbath was not designed to benefit God, but to benefit the
Israelites to whom it was given under the Old Covenant (Mark
Gen 2:4
ACCOUNT ... WHEN THEY WERE CREATED = These words allow no
possibility of a prior creation. This
cannot be the record of a second creation because there is no mention in this
chapter of the creation of air, seas, dry land, animals et cetera. Rather, the grammar indicates Genesis chapter
two is an integral part of the creation story began in Genesis chapter one and
now focusing on man's sin and punishment.
Its purpose is to describe mankind before sin in the garden along with
the detailed description of the creation of woman.
WHEN THE LORD GOD MADE = Repeating the previous phrase makes it
unmistakable that this is the one and only creation of the earth and heavens
that God made. Here Moses is recapping
the creation story of chapter 1, and now progresses more specifically into the
details of God's creation of man (Genesis 2:7).
Gen 2:5
NO MAN = This sets the stage for describing in detail the creation
of man by repeating the sequence of creation already described in chapter 1.
Gen 2:7
FORMED = The Hebrew "yatsar" (Strongs #H3335) means
"to mold into shape or squeeze into a form."
BREATHED = The Hebrew "naphach" (Strongs #H5301) means
"to breathe, puff, inflate, blow."
BREATH OF LIFE = The Hebrew words "neshamat chayiym"
(Strongs #H5397 + #H2416) mean "vital breath, intellect" and
"life." While the NIV has
"breath of life" here and in Genesis
"This noun
("neshamat"), when used in reference to man, generally signifies the
breath of life. It is frequently found
in combination with 'ruah' ("spirit" [Strongs #H7307]) and seems
synonymous with 'nepesh' (Strongs #H5315)" -- Theological Wordbook of the
Old Testament, Harris, Archer, Waltke, vol. 2, p. 605.
"('Chayiym')
as an abstract idea, meaning the state of being alive as opposite to being
dead. Life at its best, health, endless
life." -- Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Harris, Archer,
Waltke, vol. 1, p. 281.
DUST OF THE GROUND = Hebrew "aphar" (Strongs #H6083)
meaning clay, earth, or mud. Every human
has a "dusty" heritage.
However, Christians are both "earthly" and
"heavenly" (see 1 John 3:2; 1 Corinthians 15:47-49).
BECAME A LIVING BEING = The Hebrew is "nephesh chayaah"
(Strongs #H5315 + 2416). KJV has "living soul" (also see 1
Corinthians
"It must not
be concluded from this study of 'nephesh' that the OT presents man as physical
only. There are other OT ideas to be
considered in this connection: (1) the OT teaching concerning the 'spirit' of
man; (2) the OT teaching concerning the heart ('leb') of man; (3) the subject
of the image of God (see 'selem') in man; and (4) the picture as given of man's
relation to God." -- Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Harris,
Archer, Waltke, vol. 2, p. 591
Gen 2:8
IN
Gen 2:9
TREE OF LIFE = Apparently this tree was taken to heaven prior to
the Flood (Revelation 2:7).
KNOWLEDGE = Hebrew "Da'at" meaning knowledge,
cunning. A general term for personal,
moral, experimental or technical knowledge.
By eating of this tree Adam and Eve became "like God" in the
sense of becoming aware that both good and evil exists.
Gen 2:10
A RIVER ... SEPARATED INTO FOUR HEADWATERS = The four streams
mentioned in Genesis
Gen 2:11
PISHON = The Hebrew literally means "the gusher." This pre-flood river no longer exists.
Gen 2:13
GIHON = The Hebrew literally means "the bubbler." This pre-flood river no longer exists.
Gen 2:14
Gen 2:15
TAKE CARE OF IT = Man's first work involved caring for what God had
created and owned. This signifies that
man is God's steward.
Gen 2:16
FREE TO EAT = The Hebrew "'akal" (Strongs #H398) means to
"eat, consume, devour, burn up, feed." Here God institutes mankind's freedom to
choose. Also see comment at Genesis
4:15. In order to exercise free choice
the opportunity for choosing right or wrong had to be given, thus the existence
of the Tree of Knowledge was imperative.
See commentary on Genesis 2:17.
Gen 2:17
FOR WHEN = These words indicate that through His foreknowledge God
knew Adam and Eve would disobey Him and
eat of the tree. These words also are a
strong warning that they would certainly die "when" they ate. The Hebrew verb tense indicates God literally
told Adam and Eve "dying you shall die." In other words, while the
death process would not be instantaneous, it was absolutely certain. By eating from the tree, Adam and Eve
immediately died spiritually, and become abject sinners under the sentence of
eternal death (Ephesians 2:1-3). Later,
they both died physically (Genesis 5:5).
Thus God's warning was exactly fulfilled.
YOU WILL SURELY DIE = Free choice involves (1) knowledge of the
facts; (2) responsibility to apply the facts according to God's will; (3)
accountability for our decisions and actions.
Sin is the result of deliberately disobeying God's command(s) (Exodus
20:1-17). Compare with 1 John 3:4; James
4:17; Romans 6:23. Also see commentary
on Genesis 2:16.
Gen 2:18
NOT GOOD = First time God said something was "not good."
I WILL MAKE A HELPER = The Hebrew "ezer" (Strongs #H5828)
means "help, one who aids."
The Hebrew "neged" (Strongs #H5048) it means "a mate, a
counterpart, a partner." By its
very definition, a partnership requires mutual cooperation and
responsibility. There is nothing here to
suggest that the woman was designed to be subordinate or inferior to the man in
either her role or her responsibilities.
Those who rely on
the old Jewish tradition that God and the angels created Adam and Eve must face
the fact that grammatically their idea is impossible: the text would have to
say "We will make a helper" instead of "I will make a helper." God designed that male and female would be
the basis of family relationships. Apart
from the necessities of life, marriage was God's first gift to mankind, and
pre-dates the Sabbath. See comment on
Genesis 2:22.
Gen 2:19
FORMED OUT OF THE GROUND = The Hebrew "yatsar" (Strongs
#H3335) means "to mold, fashion, form." Compare with Genesis 1:24-25. When God began creating the animals He
carefully fashioned them, using earth as His medium. Rather than simply calling them into
existence through the spoken word, God literally formed them.
Gen 2:20
NAMES = By naming the animals Adam had the opportunity to become
acquainted with them and understand their relationship to him.
ADAM = First time the words "the man" are translated as
the proper noun "Adam."
SUITABLE = Hebrew has a compound word which literally translated
means "a help of his like" indicating "a helping being in which
he recognizes himself." In other
words, a human being like Adam, rather than like the "livestock, birds of
the air and beasts of the field."
See the note on Genesis 2:18.
Gen 2:21
TOOK ONE OF THE MAN'S RIBS = Genesis
Gen 2:22
FROM THE RIB = Implies inseparable unity. This is the only way Eve could be directly
related to Adam apart from childbirth (Genesis
BROUGHT HER = More than a just a personal introduction, this is
Adam and Eve's marriage (evidenced by the words "wife" and
"husband" from this point onward).
Gen 2:23
CALLED 'WOMAN,' = Later, in Genesis
Gen 2:24
LEAVE = Severance.
FATHER AND MOTHER = Even though there were only two humans on earth
at this time (Adam and Eve), God anticipated the extended family unit here as a
result of his command in Genesis
UNITED = Permanence (marriage).
See Matthew 19:4-6.
WIFE = Term "husband" is first used in Genesis 3:16. Term is singular suggesting God's plan was
for humans to practice monogamy.
BECOME ONE = Acceptance (equality).
ONE FLESH = The Hebrew "ehad" (Strongs #H259) means
"one." And "basar"
(Strongs #H1320) means "body, flesh, skin." The meaning is similar when we speak of a
group of people as one nation. As
"one flesh" through marriage, Adam and Eve became a greater
"one" than they had been as separate individuals. The fact Eve was formed from a rib taken out
of Adam's side (Genesis
Gen 2:25
NO SHAME = Intimacy with a clear conscience. Shame is synonymous with the knowledge of
conscious sin. Shame is an action of a
guilty conscience.
Gen 3:1
THE SERPENT = See note on Revelation 20:2.
CRAFTY = The Hebrew "arum" (Strongs #H6175) means
"crafty, prudent, subtle." In context
means "malevolent brilliance."
WILD ANIMALS = The Hebrew uses two words for this phrase:
"chay" (Strongs #H2416) which means "life, living," and
"sadeh" (Strongs #H7704) meaning "an open field, a pasture, a
definite portion of ground whether cultivated or not." Thus "life of the field" is
translated "wild animals."
THE WOMAN = At first Adam named his wife "woman" (Genesis
YOU MUST NOT EAT = Here Satan tempted Eve through the "lust of
the flesh"/"cravings of sinful man" (NIV) (1 John
TREE = The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was necessary if man
was to have free choice. Man had two ways open before him: God commanded the
way of "good," but man was free to choose either good or evil.
Gen 3:2
WE MAY EAT = The use of the plural "we" indicates that
Adam was with Eve as she spoke to the serpent at the tree (see Genesis 3:6).
Gen 3:3
YOU MUST NOT = God's clear directive.
TOUCH = Compare with Genesis
DIE = The penalty for deliberate disobedience was both the first
(natural) death and the second (eternal) death.
The belief that "original" sin is passed genetically from Adam
and Eve to their descendants overlooks the fact that sin requires a personal
knowledge of God's will, and a personal choice to disobey God's command(s).
Gen 3:4
NOT SURELY DIE = Satan's first lie was a direct contradiction of
what God had said, and involved the question of immortality. See commentary note on Genesis 3:24 regarding
the accuracy of Satan's claim. It was
God's mercy that kept sinful man from eternal misery by preventing him from
eating of the Tree of Life.
Gen 3:5
GOD KNOWS = Satan's insinuation that God was deliberately
withholding a beneficial experience from them.
KNOWING GOOD AND EVIL = It was God's plan that mankind would always
obey Him and thus be spared from ever knowing evil.
BE LIKE GOD = Satan originated the "little gods" theory. Human attempts to become "little
gods" resulted in death. Satan told
half-truths: they would indeed be "like God" in the sense of knowing
both good and evil (see Genesis
Gen 3:6
DESIRABLE = Eve analyzed the facts and of her own free choice made
the conscious decision to act contrary to God's command (Genesis
HUSBAND = Implies the marriage relationship existed in Genesis
WITH HER = The Hebrew “im” (Strongs #H5973) means “with,
beside, by, in company with, in conjunction with.” It expresses the idea of togetherness,
fellowship, companionship. A simple
linguistic study makes it clear that Adam was definitely at Eve's side at the
Tree. The fact that Scripture focuses on
Eve's conversation with Satan does not mean that Adam was not a willing
participant, or that he was absent.
Notice Eve's use of the plural "we" when speaking to the
serpent at the tree (Genesis 3:2).
On the basis of
their false prophet, Ellen G. White, Seventh-day Adventists contradict
Scripture by teaching that Eve wandered away from Adam and was alone when Satan
tempted her at the tree. After eating,
she then returned to Adam’s side and encouraged him to eat. This is an example of the myths which develop
when people choose to follow a false prophet instead of God’s Word.
SHE ATE IT ... HE ATE IT = Both Adam and Eve made conscious
decisions to act against God's command.
Their decisions, and the
subsequent acts, were sins and not just "mistakes."
Gen 3:7
NAKED = This discovery implies shame. See Genesis 2:25.
MADE COVERINGS = First attempt at salvation by works. These feeble attempts were supplanted by
God's work (Genesis
Gen 3:8
SOUND = The Hebrew "Qol" (Strongs #H6963) means a sound
produced by the vocal cords, i.e. God's voice.
Gen 3:10
I WAS NAKED = From a theological standpoint, Adam and Eve were
figuratively covered by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. When they tried to establish their own
righteousness by disobeying God and eating of the tree (Genesis
I HID = One to one fellowship with God will be restored in the New
Earth after sin is eradicated
(Revelation 21:3; 1 John
Gen 3:13
TO THE WOMAN = Adam had not named his wife "Eve" yet
(Genesis
WHAT = God does not pronounce sentence without first investigating
the facts and giving the defendant an opportunity to present evidence. For examples see Genesis 4:9-11;
THE SERPENT = The Hebrew "nachash" (Strongs #H5175) means
"snake, serpent." It is the
most common Hebrew word for "snake" and is found some thirty times in
the Old Testament. There is a difference
in opinion as to whether this refers to a satanic-inspired serpent, or to Satan
himself. Also see 2 Corinthians 11:3 and
Revelation 12:9.
DECEIVED ME = The Hebrew "nashaw" (Strongs #H5377) means
"to beguile, deceive, lead astray, seduce."
Gen 3:14
BECAUSE YOU HAVE DONE THIS = This curse was upon Satan ("the
serpent") because he deceived Eve (Genesis
CURSED = The Hebrew "arar" (Strongs #H779) means "to
bind, hem in with obstacles, render powerless to resist." Here it means the serpent is banned from all
other animals. This was God's first
curse (contrasted with Genesis
CRAWL = Like Satan, perhaps the serpent was originally able to fly
(Revelation 12:7-9).
YOU WILL EAT DUST = Not only do we find the Lord's curse literally
fulfilled in the fact snakes "crawl on (their) belly," but we see it
symbolically fulfilled in Christ's description of Satan's literal expulsion
from heaven to earth (Luke 10:18-19).
Gen 3:15
ENMITY = The Hebrew "eba" (Strongs #H342) means
"hostility, hatred." Man is
infatuated with Satan and naturally enjoys sin.
This verse promises us, that through Christ, we will come to hate sin
and love righteousness (Psalm 45:7).
This verse has
"traditionally been seen by Jews and Christians, as the first hint of a Savior
for mankind, and is often called the 'protevangelion' the 'first gospel.' Allusions to it in the New Testament include
Romans 16:20; Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 12.
Within Genesis the promise to Abraham that 'through your offspring all
nations on earth will be blessed (Genesis
YOUR OFFSPRING AND HERS = This Messianic prophecy was fulfilled in
Jesus Christ (see Galatians 4:4).
THE WOMAN = See Genesis
"It should be
noted that in contrast to the mediaeval misrepresentation of woman, attributing
the main blame for the Fall to her, an attitude unfortunately perpetuated in
measure in the Reformation churches, God's promise sees her playing a main role
in the coming conflict (and coming Messiah)." -- The International Bible
Commentary, by F. F. Bruce, page 118.
CRUSH = Margin "strike."
See Romans 16:20.
YOU WILL STRIKE = Refers to "the serpent" (Genesis
YOUR HEAD = Not "crush your offspring's head," therefore
this is a direct reference to Satan himself as the one Christ would destroy.
Gen 3:16
GREATLY INCREASE YOUR PAINS = God's second curse. Before sin "pain" was already
present in that perfect environment; it is only "increased" here.
HUSBAND ... RULE OVER YOU = Only wives are to be "ruled
over" by their own husbands. Not a
statement for unmarried women in general.
This "ruling over" is a result of sin, it is not God's
command, nor is it God's plan. See 1
Corinthians 11:3.
Gen 3:17
LISTENED = Our first responsibility is to listen to God and obey
Him. As important as the marriage
relationship is, our supreme responsibility is to God. At times God speaks through the wife and the
husband is told to "listen" to her (Genesis
CURSED = Hebrew "arar" meaning "to bind, hem in with
obstacles, render powerless to resist."
Here it means the ground will not be as fertile as previously, for now
it will produce "thorns and thistles" (Genesis
Gen 3:18
IT WILL PRODUCE = No thorns or thistles existed before God cursed
the ground.
EAT THE PLANTS = Even after sin, the God-designated diet was
vegetarian. No mention of eating
animals.
Gen 3:19
RETURN TO THE GROUND = No case for an "eternal" soul that
goes to heaven, man is to return to the ground. See Genesis 5:5, 8 for confirmation.
DUST YOU ARE = We are "dust" beings, not
"spirit" beings.
Gen 3:20
EVE = At first Adam named his wife "woman" (Genesis
Gen 3:21
GOD MADE = In this act God demonstrated two things: (1) that only
His work, ie "righteousness" could effectively cover their sin; (2)
that Adam and Eve had sovereignty over the animal kingdom and could take animal
life to preserve their own.
Gen 3:22
US = See comment on Genesis
TREE OF LIFE = Access to the tree will be restored in the new earth
(Revelation 22:2).
Gen 3:24
DROVE THE MAN OUT = Sin separates us from God. The solution is the Good Shepherd (Luke 15:4,
5 c.f. John
GUARD THE WAY = Contrary to Satan's claim (Genesis 3:4), man is not
immortal.
Therefore God's grace made it necessary to prevent man from eating
from the Tree of Life and thus living forever.
CHERUBIM = Have two faces (man/lion Ezekiel 41:18). Some have four faces (cherub/man/lion/eagle
Ezekiel
Gen 4:1
GAVE BIRTH = In Genesis 4:1-2 we have the Biblical record of the
birth of Adam and Eve's first two sons.
However this was not all their children as Genesis 5:3-4 makes clear.
Gen 4:2
LATER ... ABEL = Adam and Eve had other sons and daughters (Genesis
5:4).
"The second son
of Adam and Eve may have been a twin because Genesis 4:2 literally reads, 'And
she continued to bear his brother Abel.'" -- Homan Bible Dictionary In other words, the two brothers were born
during the same birth.
Gen 4:3
BROUGHT SOME OF THE FRUITS = Cain was the first to think that God's
grace gives a license to disobey, and that our works enable us to
"earn" salvation. He was
following in the footsteps of his parents who had also tried to atone for their
sin by using agricultural products (Genesis 3:7).
Gen 4:4
FLOCK = Suggests Abel brought a lamb.
Gen 4:5
SO CAIN WAS VERY ANGRY, AND HIS FACE WAS DOWNCAST = Notice that the
root of Cain's anger was selfishness.
Rather than rejoicing in God's blessing received by his brother (Genesis
4:4), Cain focused on the "slight" he had received from God. Rather than recognizing his own disobedience
caused him to forfeit God's blessing, Cain nursed his selfish anger until it
became murderous.
Gen 4:6
LORD SAID = This is evidence that God continued to have personal
contact with man even after expelling him from the Garden of Eden.
WHY IS YOUR FACE DOWNCAST = Here God denied that Cain had a right
to indulge his feelings of self-pity, depression and anger. The key to overcoming these feelings are
given in the next verse.
Gen 4:7
DO WHAT IS RIGHT = Here the validity of a common saying is
pronounced: "If you do good you will feel good. If you do bad you will feel bad." Cain's problem was not that he been unjustly
victimized, but rather that he was a willful sinner who deliberately chose to
disobey God and then resorted to murder to placate his own selfishness (Genesis
4:8). Sinners can never claim to be
victims of anything but their own free choice, for their own selfish desires
result in their own choice to indulge in sinful behavior (James 1:15).
The implication
here is that Cain knew what was "right." Since there is no indication that God
previously told Cain and Abel what He would accept as an offering, we must
assume that Adam and Eve had related their experience in the Garden of Eden
(Genesis 3:7, 21). They had tried to cover the results of their sin with fig
leaves, but God demonstrated that only the skin of the sacrificial animal would
be accepted. Without the shedding of
blood there was no atonement for their sin (Hebrews
SIN = There can be no sin without a moral law to define what sin
is, therefore God's moral law was already in effect when He spoke with
Cain.
MASTER IT = The Hebrew "mashal" (Strongs #H4910) means
"rule, have dominion, reign."
The context here is to exercise authority over sin by "do(ing) what
is right."
Gen 4:8
KILLED HIM = In this Cain became the first murder. God's moral law must have been in existence
prior to this time for God to condemn Cain for murder (Genesis
Abel was the first
person to be murdered, but he was not the first person to die. According to Genesis 2:17, when Adam and Eve
ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they became the first people
to die. Thus the Bible defines death as (1)
primarily spiritual (a separation from God [Genesis
Gen 4:9
I DON'T KNOW = Denial of guilt instead of confession of sin results
in anger, rage and rebellion.
Gen 4:11
YOU ARE UNDER A CURSE = Not "you and your descendants,"
thus there is no possibility that this curse was the beginning of the black
race as some teach. The curse is
specified in Genesis
Gen 4:13
MY PUNISHMENT IS MORE THAN I CAN BEAR = Apparently these are words
of repentance (see note on Genesis
Gen 4:15
SEVEN TIMES = Compare with Genesis
MARK = The Hebrew "ot" (Strongs H226) "is the
general word for 'sign,' and it covers the entire range of the English term and
the Greek word 'semeion.' On the
pedestrian end of the scale it includes what amounts to a 'signboard' or
'standard' (Numbers 2:2). It also
includes such important concepts as the rainbow 'sign' to Noah (Genesis
God, "in
mercy, assured Cain of his continuing presence and unending protection. He set a sign on him -- evidently a mark or
designation to indicate that Cain belonged to the Lord God and must be spared
bodily harm. There is no evidence that
the 'mark of Cain' was a sign to announce to the world that he was a
murderer. It was, rather, a special mark
of loving care and protection. Cain
would continue always in the safekeeping of the covenant God. Though a murderer, he was the recipient of
God's (grace)." -- The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Charles F. Pfeiffer, p.
10.
The
"mark" was "a warning sign to protect him from an avenger. For
the time being, the life of the murderer is spared (but see Genesis 6:7;
9:6)." -- NIV Study Bible Notes
"By
themselves Cain's words do not necessarily suggest repentance, but the Lord's
response implies that Cain's words in v. 13 are words of repentance. ... The
background of the cities of refuge (Numbers 35:9-34) may provide a clue to the
sense of the "sign" or "mark" (GK H253) given to Cain. Its
purpose was to provide Cain with protection from vengeance. Most English
versions state that the "mark" was put "on" Cain, though
the passage states that the sign was given "to" or "for"
Cain (lit., "and he appointed to Cain a sign"; cf. 21:13, 18; 27:37;
45:7, 9; 46:3 with 21:14; 44:21). Though the sign is not explicitly identified,
the narrative continues with an account of Cain's departure to the
The mark was to
protect Cain, not to punish him. Nothing
is said about the mark extending to his descendants, thus there is no
possibility that this was the origin of the black race as some teach.
Gen 4:17
HIS WIFE = Apparently Cain married his sister as did the other sons
of Adam and Eve (Genesis 5:4). Daughters
are mentioned as being born to Lamech (Genesis 4:2); Adam (Genesis 5:4); Seth
(Genesis 5:7); Enosh (Genesis
GAVE BIRTH = Cain's descendants introduced major technological
advances to the ante-diluvian world: Cain was an architect and builder (Genesis
NAMED IT = The world's first city was named "
Gen 4:24
AVENGED = The Hebrew "naqam" (Strongs #H5358) means
"to take vengeance, revenge, to punish."
SEVEN TIMES = Compare with verse 15. The Lord prescribed vengeance "seven
times over." This would indicate the
complete eradication of the sinner, since seven is the perfect number. Also see Malachi 4:1-3.
SEVENTY-SEVEN TIMES = The introduction of violence and
warfare. Lamech's vengeance exceeds
God's by 11 times! In Matthew 18:21, 22
the Lord says we are to forgive "seventy-seven" times, the opposite
of Lamech's revenge.
Gen 5:1
ADAM'S LINE = This chapter gives the names and ages of Adam's line.
LIKENESS = The Hebrew "demuwth" (Strongs #H1823) means
"likeness."
LIKENESS OF GOD = Not that man was created to be "god,"
but that man originally had a sinless nature.
All of Adam's descendants, including Seth, were born into, and affected
by, a sinful environment. See commentary
on Genesis 1:26.
Gen 5:2
MALE AND FEMALE = God created two distinct sexes in the human race.
BLESSED THEM = The distinction between males and females is blessed
by God. The blurring of that distinction
is prohibited (see Romans
CALLED THEM 'MAN' = Mankind is composed of two sexes. Each has its own function and sphere of
influence, but neither is independent of the other (see 1 Corinthians
Gen 5:3
LIKENESS = The Hebrew "demuwth" (Strongs #H1823) means
"likeness."
IMAGE = The Hebrew "tselem" (Strongs #H6754) means
"image, something that represents something else such as an idol, a
likeness of something."
LIKENESS, IN HIS OWN IMAGE = This couplet only occurs here and in
Genesis
Gen 5:4
HAD OTHER SONS AND DAUGHTERS = This is the key to understanding how
the human race was originally propagated: Adam and Eve's children married their
own brothers and sisters for several generations. Daughters are mentioned as being born to
Lamech (Genesis 4:2); Adam (Genesis 5:4); Seth (Genesis 5:7); Enosh (Genesis
Gen 5:22
ENOCH WALKED WITH GOD = Noah also walked with God (Genesis
6:9). This phrase indicates the most
intimate relationship with God that a human being can possess -- almost as if
one were actually walking side by side with God (Luke 24:13-27). It means that one has to be a friend with
God, like God's company, agree to walk with God (Amos 3:3) and be traveling in
the same direction as God travels. It
means we can't walk in front of God and pull Him along, neither can we lag
behind and drag Him back. And when we
fall into sin, we cannot rest until we have resumed our walk with God -- for a
person cannot walk with the world and also walk with God. In Enoch (the seventh from Adam through Seth)
godliness reached its highest point.
However in Lamech (the seventh from Adam through Cain) ungodliness
reached its lowest depth.
Gen 5:24
WALKED WITH GOD = See note on Genesis
WAS NO MORE = Enoch was no more in the sense of living upon this
earth. Both Enoch and Elijah were
translated into eternal life with God without experiencing death (2 Kings
GOD TOOK HIM AWAY = Enoch's translation to heaven occurred about
half-way between Creation and the Flood (987 years after Creation). This same concept is mentioned in Psalm
73:24. Hebrews 11:5 makes it clear that
Enoch did not die.
Gen 5:32
500 YEARS OLD = The Flood came 100 years later (Genesis 7:6).
Gen 6:1
DAUGHTERS = The inference here is that these daughters of men are
symbolic of worldly people, and are contrasted with the "sons of God"
in Genesis 6:2. Also see a similar
contrast in Revelation 14:4.
Gen 6:2
SONS OF GOD = Many Christians believe the term "sons of
God" refers to angels. However a
careful examination of the Biblical evidence leads us to the inescapable
conclusion that their belief is not correct:
(1) According to
Genesis 6:4, the Niphilim (Strongs #H5303, means "bully, tyrant, giant")
existed both before and after "the sons of God" married the
"daughters of men." Thus the
existence of these "giants" cannot be traced to intermarriage between
angels and humans in Genesis 6:2, 4.
Furthermore, neither Noah nor any members of his family in the
(2) According to
Matthew
(3) Sinful, evil
angels would not be called "the sons of God" -- they would be called
"sons of the Devil" (John
(4) According to
Genesis chapter 1 every living creature, including humans, can only reproduce
within its own kind (species). Cows
cannot mate with dogs and produce a new "kind" (species). Scripture states that humans and angels are
two different "kinds" of created beings (Hebrews 2:6-7). Angels are "spirit" beings (Hebrews
DAUGHTERS OF MEN = This term only appears in Genesis 6:2, 4. "Daughters of men" is the exact
opposite of "sons of God." Not
only is their gender the opposite ("daughters" vs. "sons"),
but their origin is also the opposite ("of men" vs. "of
God"). Therefore they must be
unconverted people, the descendants of Cain (see Genesis 6:1).
Gen 6:3
A HUNDRED AND TWENTY YEARS = The time allotted to mankind before
the Flood destroyed the wicked. This was
the time Noah "preached" to them trying to turn them from their sins
(2 Peter 2:5; Hebrews 11:7).
Gen 6:4
NEPHILIM = The Hebrew “nephilim” (Strongs #H5303) means
"tyrant, bully, or giant," not alien mutants. It is defined here as
"heroes of old, men of renown."
See Numbers 13:33.
SONS OF GOD ... DAUGHTERS OF MEN = See commentary on Genesis 6:2.
Gen 6:5
WAS ONLY EVIL = Evil is the result of sin. God's moral law (the very essence of His
character -- not His Ten Commandments nor His Old Testament Covenant) was known
and in effect from the very beginning.
God's moral law is the innate sense of right and wrong that He has
placed in the mind of every created being (Romans
God condemned
mankind as "evil" not because the Ten Commandments were in existence
at this time (the Ten Commandments did not exist until 1450 B.C. – a
thousand years after the Flood).
God’s observation was made on the fact that anything which does
not perfectly conform to God’s own eternal righteousness is sin. The Ten Commandments were the Old Covenant
(Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 4:8, 13; Hebrews 9:4), and a very incomplete and
temporary definition of sin (see commentary on Galatians 3:16-19; Hebrews
8:8-9, 13; 2 Corinthians 3:6-11; Romans 7:6; Hebrews 9:15). The Ten Commandments were only given to the
Israelites (see commentary on Deuteronomy 5:2-4; Deuteronomy 4:8, 13), and
required a thousand other laws to define and enlarge upon those ten precepts
(see Deuteronomy 28:58; Deuteronomy 30:10; Deuteronomy 31:24, 26). See commentary on Genesis 2:1-3 for a more
complete discussion of Seventh-day Adventist teaching regarding the supposed
“eternity” of the Sabbath.
Gen 6:9
RIGHTEOUS = The Hebrew "Saddiq" (Strongs #H6662) means
"just, lawful, righteous." The
context indicates that God saw Noah conforming to His own righteousness (see
commentary on Genesis 6:5).
BLAMELESS = The Hebrew "Tamim" (Strongs #H8549) signifies
"complete." Noah was not
incapable of sinning, but he was wholehearted in his commitment to God and His
requirements. Like Noah, Christians also
achieve this state through the grace of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:8; 1
Thessalonians
NOAH ... WALKED WITH GOD = Enoch also walked with God (Genesis
Gen 6:16
AND FINISH THE ARK (Margin: MAKE AN OPENING FOR LIGHT) = The Hebrew
"tsohar" (Strongs #H6672) means "
Gen 6:17
FLOODWATERS = If the Flood was a freak of nature, rather than God's
specific judgment, then why were only righteous people saved?
Gen 6:18
ESTABLISH MY COVENANT WITH YOU = All salvation is on the basis of
our faith in God's covenant initiative and promise.
COVENANT = The Hebrew "Berit" (Strongs #H1285) means
"a pledge or agreement; a constitution between God and man; a pledge made
under a solemn oath with promises of blessings for keeping the agreement and
curses for breaking the agreement.
YOU WILL ENTER THE
Gen 7:1
RIGHTEOUS = The Hebrew "tsaddiyq" (Strongs #H6662) means
"just, lawful, righteous." The
context indicates that God saw Noah conforming to His own righteousness (see
commentary on Genesis 6:5).
Gen 7:2
CLEAN ANIMAL = The Hebrew "tahowr" (Strongs #H2889) means
"pure in a physical, chemical, ceremonial or moral sense. It includes the idea of "pure in an
ethical or ritualistic sense."
UNCLEAN ANIMAL = The Hebrew literally says "not clean."
Gen 7:8
CLEAN AND UNCLEAN = See note on Genesis 7:2.
Gen 7:11
SEVENTEENTH DAY OF THE SECOND MONTH = If Moses is following the
sacred calendar this would correspond to the seventeenth of the Hebrew month of
Ziv, corresponding to our April-May. On
the other hand, if he was following the civil calendar, this would be the
Hebrew month of Bul, corresponding to our October-November. The approximate date of the Flood is 2400 BC.
Gen 7:19
ALL THE HIGH MOUNTAINS UNDER THE ENTIRE HEAVENS = The Hebrew
literally reads "and were covered all the mountains high which are under
all the heavens." The thought is
there was no place on earth which was not covered by the waters of the
Flood. There was no place on earth where
any person or animal could flee the Flood.
The grammar of this text totally rejects all speculation of the Flood
being a localized phenomena centered in the
Gen 7:23
EVERY LIVING THING ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH WAS WIPED OUT = This
all-inclusive phrase is repeated three times: Genesis
Gen 8:1
REMEMBERED = The Hebrew "zakar" (Strongs #H2142) means
"to think about, meditate upon, pay attention to." In this context, God took appropriate actions
on behalf of Noah and the animals in the ark.
There is no suggestion here that God had forgotten Noah.
Gen 8:22
"NEVER CEASE" = In Genesis 1:14-19 God set His celestial
clock in motion. Here God says this clock
will continue to measure time forever.
There is no possibility that the weekly cycle has been lost, or changed.
Gen 9:1
Gen 9:4
MEAT ... LIFEBLOOD STILL IN IT = This is speaking about Kosher
meat, not blood transfusions. No one who
attempts to follow the Bible has ever used this text to ban blood transfusions
except for Jehovah's Witnesses, and even they did not come up with that
doctrine until 1944. In 1967 JWs
prohibited organ transplants, then in 1980 they reversed their position and
allow organ transplants. In 1931 JWs
prohibited vaccinations, then in 1952 they reversed their position and
allowed vaccinations. Even though Jews have always understood this
text to refer to Kosher meat and have never used it to prohibit blood
transfusions, JWs quote this Scripture in an attempt to support their
non-Biblical position on blood transfusions.
Also see Leviticus 7:26-27 and Acts 15:28-29.
Gen 9:6
IN THE IMAGE OF GOD HAS GOD MADE MAN = The fall of Adam did not
"transform man into a creation of Satan.
Even after the Genesis account of the Fall, man is still described as a
creature in the image of God. On the
basis of his permanent possession of that image, murder is prohibited. The image of God was damaged by Adam's sin,
but not eradicated. To use John Calvin's
example, after the Fall, the image of God was shattered within man, but like
reflections of one's face in a broken mirror, distorted images of God's glory
can still be seen within fallen man. If
the image of God were completely destroyed or possessed by Satan, then there
would be no difference between man and the animals" -- A Different Gospel,
by D. R. McConnell, p. 124.
The word
"image" corresponds to "likeness" in Genesis 5:3. It is likely that the fullness of this
"image" did not survive the expulsion from
Gen 9:8
THEN GOD SAID TO NOAH = Here God establishes His covenant with
Noah. Seventh-day Adventists and other
Sabbatarian groups fail to grasp the full significance of the Noahic
Covenant. Immediately after the Flood,
at the dawn of the
1. “Be
fruitful, increase in number and fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1).
2. “Every
creature (is) given into your hands” (Genesis 9:2).
3.
“Everything that lives and moves will be food for you” (Genesis
9:3).
4. “You must
not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it” (Genesis 9:4).
5. “For your
lifeblood (murder) I will surely demand an accounting” (Genesis 9:5-6).
It was the perfect opportunity for God to include a seventh
command: “Remember to keep the Ten Commandments and especially to rest
from your work on the Sabbath” – but, according to Scripture, God
gave no such command. In the 2,500 years
between Creation and the giving of the Ten Commandments on
Gen 9:25
CURSED BE CANAAN = Ham, the father of
"Modern
readers fail to see the gravity of Ham's sin and ask what is wrong with
gossiping or joking to your brothers about your parents' failings? So attempts have been made to suggest Ham was
guilty of incest or other sexual impropriety.
But these notions are wrong and fail to appreciate how seriously the Old
Testament and other ancient cultures took filial duties. 'Honor your father and mother' comes next to
the Godward commandments in Exodus 20, and striking or cursing your father or
mother could be punished by death (Exodus 21:15, 17; cited by Jesus, Mark
7:10).
"Why was
"No
indication is offered why he (
"The curse
pronounced upon
"He
pronounces a curse on Canaan the son of Ham, in whom Ham is himself cursed,
either because this son of his was now more guilty than the rest, or because
the posterity of this son was afterwards to be rooted out of their land, to
make room for Israel. God often visits
the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, especially when the children
inherit the fathers' wicked dispositions, and imitate the fathers' wicked
practices, and do nothing to cut off the entail of the curse. -- Matthew Henry's Commentary on Genesis
9:25.
Gen 10:1
Gen 10:9
NIMROD = A personal name meaning "we shall rebel."
BEFORE THE LORD = The Hebrew "paniym" (Strongs #H6440)
means "in the face of, against, over against." Clearly Nimrod was a mighty rebel against the
Lord.
Gen 10:10
Gen 11:1
LANGUAGE = The Hebrew "saphah" (Strongs #H8193) means
"lip, language, speech, brink, edge, shore." "Because speech is uttered through the
lips, it was only natural that the lips should be used as a metonymy for
language and 'foreign language' per se." -- Theological Wordbook of the
Old Testament
SPEECH = The Hebrew "dabar" (Strongs #H1697) means
"word, speaking, speech."
Gen 11:2
Gen 11:3
LET'S MAKE BRICKS = Since they were living on a plain (Genesis
11:2) there were no stones available for building materials, thus bricks were
substituted.
Gen 12:1
Gen 12:3
BLESS YOU = See Malachi
ALL PEOPLES ON EARTH WILL BE BLESSED THROUGH YOU = This Messianic
prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus Christ (see Matthew 1:1 and Galatians 3:8).
Gen 13:1
Gen 14:1
Gen 14:20
THEN ABRAM GAVE HIM = The Hebrew literally reads "and he gave
to him a tithe." From the grammatical
construction this sentence is known as an absolute ellipsis because a key word
has been left out. The translators
supplied the word "Abram" due to the nature of the subject, the
immediate context, and the testimony of Hebrews 7:1-4. Thus the natural meaning of this verse is
that Abram gave a tithe to Melchizedek (Genesis
Gen 15:1
Gen 15:6
ABRAM BELIEVED GOD = This is loosely quoted and applied to pure
faith in Romans 4:3.
Gen 15:15
GO TO YOUR FATHERS = This is in harmony with the Biblical view that
the souls of the dead gathered in Sheol.
According to the broad teaching of Scripture, Sheol is not the
repository for bodies (i.e. a graveyard), but rather a place where the souls of
the dead gathered and were kept until Jesus Christ conquered death through His
resurrection. Also see Genesis 15:15,
Genesis 25:8, 17; Genesis 35:29, et cetera.
“Abraham
died at the good old age of 175, and was ‘gathered to his
people.’ This expression, which is
synonymous with ‘going to his people’ (Genesis 15:15), or
‘being gathered to his fathers’ (Judges 2:10), but is constantly
distinguished from departing this life and being buried, denotes the reunion in
Sheol with friends who have gone before, and therefore presupposes faith in the
personal continuance of a man after death, as a presentiment which the promises
of God had exalted in the case of the patriarchs into a firm assurance of faith
(Hebrews 11:13).” – Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old
Testament, Genesis 25:7-8
Gen 15:16
SIN OF THE AMORITES HAS NOT YET REACHED ITS FULL MEASURE = Five
centuries later their cup was full and they were destroyed (1 Samuel
Gen 16:1
Gen 16:7
THE ANGEL OF THE LORD = The New Testament makes a distinction between
"the Angel of the Lord," (Matthew 1:24) which could mean a specific
angel, or even God Himself; and "an Angel of the Lord" (see Matthew
1:20; 2:13, 19; 28:2; Luke 1:11; 2:9; 5:19; Acts 8:26; 12:7; 12:23) which
simply means an angel sent from the Lord -- the Lord's angel. See note on Exodus 14:19.
"Those books
which narrate the great acts of God (Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Judges, 1
Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings and 2 Kings) contain numerous references to angels.
In these books, especially at key points, God reveals Himself and acts on
behalf of His people. Sometimes He does
this directly, sometimes in the person of an angel. Often the distinction between God's action
and the angel's is blurred to the point that they seem synonymous (Genesis
This does not lend
support to the idea that the Archangel Michael is Jesus Christ, as Seventh-day
Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses teach (see note on Jude 1:9).
Gen 16:9
THE ANGEL OF THE LORD = See note on Genesis 16:7
Gen 16:11
THE ANGEL OF THE LORD = See note on Genesis 16:7.
Gen 17:1
Gen 17:7
MY COVENANT ... BETWEEN ME AND YOU = This covenant, an
"everlasting" covenant, was made between God and Abraham and included
Abraham's descendants "for the generations to come." There are several aspects and conditions to
this covenant: (1) God gave the "whole
Gen 17:19
EVERLASTING COVENANT FOR HIS DESCENDANTS AFTER HIM = This Messianic
prophecy was fulfilled by Jesus Christ (see Luke 3:34 and Galatians 4:28).
Gen 18:1
THE LORD APPEARED = In Hebrew this is YHWH (Yahweh/Jehovah). In the next verse, Genesis 18:2, God appears
in the form of three men -- a distinct reference to the Trinity. In Genesis 18:3 Abraham addresses the three
men as "my Lord" (Hebrew "Adonay") the proper name for
God. When the three men respond to
Abraham the conversation is described interchangeably as "they"
speaking (Genesis 18:9) and "Jehovah" speaking (Genesis 18:13). When two of the three men depart to visit Lot
in Sodom, Abraham continues to call the remaining one "Jehovah" (Genesis
18:22, 30), while Lot addresses the other two as "Jehovah" (Genesis
19:1, 18). This incident demonstrates
that it is possible for God to manifest Himself as one God in three Persons. Also see John 1:1; John 16:13; 1 Corinthians
6:19; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 2:9 and Revelation 1:7, 8.
For further
information on the deity of Christ see Genesis 18:1, 2; Exodus 3:14, 15; Psalm
110:1; Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 43:10, 11; Isaiah 44:8; Daniel 10:13, 21; John 8:57,
58; John 20:28; and Hebrews 1:6.
Gen 18:2
THREE MEN = See note on Genesis 18:1.
Gen 18:22
THE LORD = The Hebrew "YHWH" (Strongs #H3068) meaning
"Yahweh."
Gen 18:30
THE LORD = The Hebrew "Adonay" (Strongs #H136) which is
the proper name for God.
Gen 19:1
Gen 19:2
MY LORDS = The Hebrew is "adonay" (Strongs #H113) meaning
"Lord, LORD, master."
"When 'adon'
appears in the special plural form, with a first common singular pronominal
suffix ('adona[y]), it always refers to God." -- TWOT, vol. 1, page 13.
Gen 19:5
HAVE SEX WITH THEM = The correct term is "Sodomy" (see 2
Peter 2:7). Sodomy includes both anal
and oral sex. The Hebrew word
"yada" (Strongs #H3045) is used in this context to refer to sodomy
and/or rape.
Gen 19:8
TWO DAUGHTERS ... YOU CAN DO WHAT YOU LIKE WITH THEM = At first it
seems inconceivable that Lot would offer his two daughters to the crowd in
exchange for the safety of his two male guests.
But apparently Lot knew that, as homosexuals (Genesis 19:5), the men in
the crowd would have no interest in his daughters and might be shocked to their
sense by his offer. However, the crowd
reacted to his suggestion by focusing their attention on Lot and threatening:
"we'll treat you worse than them (Lot's two male guests)." Lot found himself in danger of being raped
just before his guests pulled him back into his house (Genesis 19:9-10).
Gen 19:9
WE'LL TREAT YOU WORSE THAN THEM = The crowd was now threatening to
rape Lot if he did not turn over his two male guests to them (Genesis 19:8).
Gen 19:20
A TOWN ... IT IS VERY SMALL = Surprisingly, even in the face of
total destruction, Lot was still reluctant to leave the "good life"
of the cities. However, see Genesis
19:30.
Gen 19:26
BECAME A PILLAR OF SALT = This does not necessarily that she
immediately, miraculously, turned into a
pillar of salt. It is just more likely
that she paused to look back at Sodom she was killed by falling debris and
covered by the ash and molten minerals - thus turning into a "pillar of
salt" (see Genesis 19:24). A
similar fate was experienced by the people of Pompeii after an eruption of Mt.
Vesuvias in A.D. 79.
Gen 19:27
BEFORE THE LORD = The Hebrew is "Yehovah" (Strongs
#H3068).
Gen 19:30
HE WAS AFRAID TO STAY IN ZOAR = As an insignificant satellite of
Sodom and Gomorrah, it is possible the inhabitants were antagonistic toward Lot
because he had been a well-placed citizen of Sodom. Or, it is possible that with the destruction
of the cities and farms surrounding them, the people of Zoar believed Lot was "bad
luck" (similar to Jonah's experience [see Jonah 1:7-8]).
SETTLED IN THE MOUNTAINS AND LIVED IN A CAVE = Lot, who had chosen
the fertile plain and left Abram to live in the mountains, was now brought back
full circle to the very mountains he had left (see Genesis 13:9-11).
Gen 20:1
Gen 20:2
SHE IS MY SISTER = Both Abraham and Sarah repeated this
technicality (Genesis 20:5).
Gen 20:5
DID HE NOT SAY ... DIDN'T SHE ALSO SAY = Abimelech appealed to
God's justice in the fact that both Abraham and Sarah conspired to deceive him.
CLEAR CONSCIENCE AND CLEAN HANDS = Abimelech had been deceived
through a technical truth designed to save his life. In this we find that God does not approve of
situation ethics -- not even lying to save someone's life!
Gen 20:6
SINNING AGAINST ME = All sin is, in the ultimate sense, sin against
God. Thus only God is legally able to
forgive any sin. His forgiveness is
based upon our forgiveness (Matthew 6:12).
Gen 20:7
PRAY = This is the first time any reference to prayer occurs in the
Bible. Here prayer is linked with
forgiveness for a wrong. Abraham
committed a wrong against Abimelech (Genesis 20:9-12), and when Abimelech
suffered, Abraham prayed for him and he was restored (Genesis 20:17). Here, the first prayer is made to undo an
undeserved wrong.
IF YOU DO NOT = Once God made Abimelech aware of the facts, he was
obligate not to compound Abraham's wrong by committing a sin of his own. God did not condone Abraham's lie even though
it was technically true, because it was intended to deceive. Neither would God accept the possibility of Abimelech
committing a wrong against Abraham even though Abraham had wronged him.
Gen 20:9
THAT SHOULD NOT BE DONE = This pagan king had a higher sense of
morality that did Abraham.
Gen 20:11
NO FEAR OF GOD IN THIS PLACE = Abraham totally misjudged Abimelech,
who had a higher moral standard than Abraham did (Genesis 20:9).
Gen 20:12
SHE REALLY IS MY SISTER = Here Abraham turned to a legal
technicality in order to justify his deception.
The trouble brought upon Abimelech underscores that God does not accept
legal technicalities as a justification for intentional deception (Genesis
20:4-7).
Gen 21:1
Gen 21:17
THE ANGEL OF GOD = Synonymous with "the angel of the
Lord" (Genesis 16:11). See note on
Exodus 14:19.
Gen 21:23
YOU WILL NOT DEAL FALSELY WITH ME = Abraham had lied to Abimelech
previously (Genesis 20:9-11).
Gen 21:26
YOU DID NOT TELL ME = Abimelech declares his innocence and
establishes the principle that one who
has been wrong is obligated to make that wrong known and seek redress.
Gen 22:1
GOD TESTED ABRAHAM = God "tests" us, Satan
"tempts" us. The difference
between God's testing and Satan's tempting is seen in the results. When God tests us, He reveals to us the areas
of our lives which are doing well and those which need improvement. God's purpose is to help us improve by
growing in His powerful grace.
"Tests" are necessary in
our growth to Christian maturity.
On the other hand, when Satan tempts us, he attacks us at our weakest
point. Satan's purpose is to make sin so
tempting that we choose to sin. Once we
sin, Satan then discourage us until we turn away from God. But God does not permit Satan to tempt us
beyond what we are able to stand, and along with Satan’s temptation, God
always provides us with a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Gen 22:2
BURNT OFFERING = See note on Leviticus 1:9.
Gen 22:3
BURNT OFFERING = See note on Leviticus 1:9.
Gen 22:6
BURNT OFFERING = See note on Leviticus 1:9.
Gen 22:7
BURNT OFFERING = See note on Leviticus 1:9.
Gen 22:8
BURNT OFFERING = See note on Leviticus 1:9.
Gen 22:10
TOOK THE KNIFE TO SLAY HIS SON = Hebrews 11:19 tells us the reason
Abraham did this was because he had faith God could raise Isaac from the dead.
Gen 22:11
THE ANGEL OF THE LORD = The New Testament makes a distinction
between "the Angel of the Lord," (Matthew 1:24) which could mean a
specific angel, or even God Himself; and "an Angel of the Lord" (see
Matthew 1:20; 2:13, 19; 28:2; Luke 1:11; 2:9; 5:19; Acts 8:26; 12:7; 12:23)
which simply means an angel sent from the Lord -- the Lord's angel. See note on Exodus 14:19.
"Those books
which narrate the great acts of God (Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Judges, 1
Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings and 2 Kings) contain numerous references to angels.
In these books, especially at key points, God reveals Himself and acts on
behalf of His people. Sometimes He does
this directly, sometimes in the person of an angel. Often the distinction between God's action
and the angel's is blurred to the point that they seem synonymous (Genesis
19:13, 24; Exodus 3:2, 4)." -- Holman Bible Dictionary.
This does not lend
support to the idea that the Archangel Michael is Jesus Christ, as Seventh-day
Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses teach (see note on Jude 1:9).
Gen 22:12
NOW I KNOW = The Hebrew "yada" (Strongs #H3045) means
"to ascertain by seeing" (i.e. to know by virtue of a demonstration
of the facts). God made this comment at
the successful conclusion of a test designed to demonstrate Abraham's loyalty
to Him (see Genesis 22:1). Notice God
did not say that He was ignorant of Abraham's complete loyalty before the test
-- which would have contradicted Scripture by imply that God does not know all
things (Psalm 139:1-4; Psalm 147:4-5; Job
"Abraham's
'faith was made complete by what he did' (James 2:21-22)." -- NIV Study
Bible note on Genesis 22:12.
Abraham
"showed he was willing to put God's call above every other commitment and
emotional attachment, and at that moment the test ended. He had passed with flying colors." --
New Bible Commentary, by Wenham, Motyer, Carson, France, p. 76
Gen 22:13
BURNT OFFERING = See note on Leviticus 1:9.
Gen 22:15
THE ANGEL OF THE LORD = See note on Genesis 22:11.
Gen 22:18
THROUGH YOUR OFFSPRING = See note on Genesis 3:15.
Gen 23:1
Gen 23:6
NONE OF US WILL REFUSE YOU = In the subsequent verses we are given
insight into the haggling that went on over Abraham's purchase of a burial site
for Sarah. Here is the sequence:
Genesis 23:3-4 --
Abraham indicates he wishes to purchase some property to bury his wife.
Genesis 23:6 --
the Hittites offer their "choicest tombs."
Genesis 23:8-9 --
Abraham specifies his interest in the cave of Machpelah, owned by Ephron son of
Zohar.
Genesis 23:11 --
Ephron politely refuses payment and offers to "give" Abraham the
field and cave. An offer like this is
not to be taken literally, it is just the first step in negotiating a
price.
Genesis 23:12-13
-- Abraham politely refuses the "gift" and states he will "pay
the price of the field." Because of
his grief, Abraham is refusing to haggle.
Genesis 23:14-15
-- Ephron takes advantage of Abraham's grief and asks the exorbitant price of
400 shekels of silver as the price for the field. Normally at this point serious negotiations
would begin and the land would be sold for about half the asking price.
Genesis 23:16 --
Abraham agrees to the price without haggling and makes payment.
Gen 24:1
Gen 24:16
VIRGIN = The Hebrew "bethuwlah" (Strongs #H1330) means
"virgin." The context makes it
clear that here "bethuwlah" means one who has had no sexual relations
(see note on Genesis 24:43).
Gen 24:43
MAIDEN = The Hebrew "almah" (Strongs #H5959) means
"a young woman, a maiden, or a virgin" (see note on Genesis 24:16).
Gen 25:1
Gen 25:8
GATHERED TO HIS PEOPLE = This is speaking of Abraham's death and is
in harmony with the Biblical view that the souls of the dead gathered in
Sheol. According to the broad teaching
of Scripture, Sheol is not the repository for bodies (i.e. a graveyard), but
rather a place where the souls of the dead gathered and were kept until Jesus
Christ conquered death through His resurrection. Also see Genesis 15:15, Genesis 25:8, 17;
Genesis 35:29; 2 Chronicles 16:13, et cetera.
“Abraham
died at the good old age of 175, and was ‘gathered to his
people.’ This expression, which is
synonymous with ‘going to his people’ (Genesis 15:15), or
‘being gathered to his fathers’ (Judges 2:10), but is constantly
distinguished from departing this life and being buried, denotes the reunion in
Sheol with friends who have gone before, and therefore presupposes faith in the
personal continuance of a man after death, as a presentiment which the promises
of God had exalted in the case of the patriarchs into a firm assurance of faith
(Hebrews 11:13).” – Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old
Testament, Genesis 25:7-8
Gen 25:17
GATHERED TO HIS PEOPLE = This is speaking about Ishmael's death and
is in harmony with the Biblical view of Sheol.
Also see Genesis 25:8; 35:29 and 2 Chronicles 16:13.
Gen 25:30
WHY HE WAS ALSO CALLED EDOM = The play on words here concentrates
on the Hebrew word "awdome"
(Strongs #H122) meaning "red."
In Genesis 25:25 Esau's complexion was "red" (Hebrew
"admonee," Strongs #H132) from birth.
The stew that Esau craved was also "red." Esau's nickname, "Edom" is a
derivative of "awdome" and also means "red."
Gen 25:34
ESAU DESPISED HIS BIRTHRIGHT = This action is crucial to
understanding God's "hatred" of Esau (Malachi 1:3). The Hebrew is "bawzaw" (Strongs
#H959) meaning "to despise, disdain, hold in contempt." In each of the following cases where
"bawzaw" is used we find God's great displeasure with the one showing
contempt for God's choice/plan:
Esau
"despised" his birthright (Genesis 25:34). The result was God "hated Esau" and
"loved" Jacob (Malachi 1:3).
"Troublemakers"
who "despised" Saul's election to the monarchy (1 Samuel 10:27) barely
escaped with their lives (1 Samuel 11:12).
Goliath
"despised" David's youthfulness (1 Samuel 17:42) and lost his life (1
Samuel 17:50).
Michal
"despised" David's religious zeal ( 2 Samuel 6:16) and died childless
(a great disaster for women in Bible times: 2 Samuel 6:23).
Hebrews 12:16-17
tells us Esau had contempt for spiritual things because he was
"godless."
Gen 26:1
Gen 26:5
ABRAHAM OBEYED ME AND KEPT ... MY LAWS = Abraham obeyed God's
command to leave his homeland and travel toward Canaan (Genesis 12:1). Abraham obeyed God's command to circumcise
Isaac (Genesis 21:4). Abraham obeyed
God's command to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22:2), et cetera. Thus by living a life of faithful obedience
to God, Abraham did indeed keep God's requirements, commands, decrees and laws
(see Genesis 15:6).
This does not
mean, as Seventh-day Adventists teach, that Abraham kept the Sabbath (Exodus
20:8-11), for according to Scripture, the Ten Commandments were not known nor
was the Sabbath communicated to anyone or kept by anyone until some 700 years
later when it was commanded to the Israelites in the Old Covenant God
specifically made with the them at Sinai (Nehemiah 9:13-14; Deuteronomy 5:2-4;
Deuteronomy 4:8-13).
"The Lord
then added a remarkable note: Abraham "kept my requirements, my commands,
my decrees and my laws" (cf. Deuteronomy 11:1). Did Abraham know the law?
If so, how? If not, what was the meaning
of the Lord's words? At several points Abraham acted in accordance with the
law--particularly the law as recorded in Deuteronomy; yet he never actually had
a knowledge of the law itself (as it did not exist until seven centuries after
Abraham). For example, in Genesis 14 Abraham's actions followed quite closely
the stipulations of Deuteronomy 20; he obeyed the law from the heart (cf.
Deuteronomy 30:6; Jeremiah 31:33). He is the ultimate example of true
obedience. Thus, Abraham, a man who lived in faith, could be described as one
who kept the law." -- NIV Bible Commentary on Genesis 26:5, Zondervan
"'Abraham
obeyed my voice' – a great variety of words is here used to express the
Divine Will to which Abraham was obedient: my voice, my charge, my
commandments, my statutes, and my laws. Which may intimate, that Abraham’s
obedience was universal; he obeyed the original laws of nature, the revealed
laws of divine worship, particularly that of circumcision, and all the
extraordinary precepts God gave him such as that of leaving his country, and
(which some think is more especially referred to) the offering up of his son,
which Isaac himself had reason enough to remember." -- John Wesley's Notes
on Genesis 26:5 (very similar to Matthew Henry's Commentary on this verse).
"'Abraham
obeyed my voice.' The Aramaic word:
meimeri, 'my WORD.' 'My charge'
mishmartiy (Strongs #H4931), from
'shaamar' (Strongs #H8104), 'he kept,
observed,' etc., the ordinances or appointments of God. These were always of
two kinds:
1. Such as tended
to promote moral improvement, the increase of piety, the improvement of the
age, etc. And
2. Such as were
typical of the promised seed, and the salvation which was to come by him. For
commandments, statutes, etc., the reader is particularly desired to refer to
Leviticus 16:16, etc. where these things are all explained in the alphabetical
order of the Hebrew words." -- Adam Clarke Commentary
"At this time
Jehovah definitely renewed the promises he had made to Abraham. He clearly
explained that he was bestowing those blessings on Isaac because of his
father's piety and faithfulness. Abraham had obeyed God's voice and kept his
charges, commandments, statutes, and laws. Isaac could take hope and look with
assurance for repeated fulfillments of God's promises along the way. And he
could count on playing his part in God's plan, already outlined, for witnessing
to all peoples." -- Wycliffe Commentary
"The piety of
Abraham is described in words that indicate a perfect obedience to all the
commands of God, and therefore frequently recur among the legal expressions of
a later date. Yowh (Strongs #H3068) mishet (Strongs #H4931) shaamar (Strongs #H8104)] 'to take care of Jehovah's
care,' i. e., to observe Jehovah, His persons, and His will, Mishmereth,
reverence, observance, care, is more closely defined by 'commandments,
statutes, laws,' to denote constant obedience to all the revelations and
instructions of God." -- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old
Testament. Note the Ten Commandments
were not revealed until seven centuries after Abraham at
Gen 26:20
ESEK = The Hebrew "eseq" (Strongs #H6230) means
"fighting, strife."
Gen 26:21
SITNAH = The Hebrew "sitnah" (Strongs #H7856) means
"enmity, bitter hatred."
Gen 26:22
HE MOVED ON FROM THERE = Isaac didn't dwell in the valley of strife
and bitter hatred. He didn't plant his
roots deep in the valley of discouragement.
Instead Isaac move on from there.
Sometimes God does take us through the valley of disappointment and
strife, but God doesn't plant us there.
So we need to learn to move on, let the past be the past, put it behind
us and step out of the darkness into the light of a new day and a new life.
Gen 26:24
FOR THE SAKE OF MY SERVANT ABRAHAM = God fulfilled His promise to
Abraham through Isaac. God's promises
continue to be fulfilled on down through the family lineage.
Gen 27:1
Gen 27:8
LISTEN CAREFULLY AND DO WHAT I TELL YOU = Here Rebekah sets the
stage for the deception that will alienate Isaac and Jacob for decades. This is a blemish on Rebekah's record.
Gen 27:13
LET THE CURSE FALL ON ME = Rebekah knowingly intended for her son
to deceive her husband Isaac. There was
no excuse for what she did.
Gen 28:1
Gen 28:20
IF GOD WILL BE WITH ME = The condition Jacob made was that if God
protected, fed and clothed Jacob, the Jacob would serve God and return a tithe
of all God gave him. While God does
respond to these human conditions out of He grace and mercy, it is unwise for
humans to set conditions for God (see Deuteronomy 10:12-13; 2 Corinthians 9:7
et cetera).
Gen 28:22
THIS STONE ... WILL BE GOD'S HOUSE = By setting up a stone pillar
and calling it "God's house," Jacob was following the custom of the
ancients in erecting sacred stones.
These monuments, although simple at first, later were carved and later
still were enlarged into temples.
Gen 29:1
Gen 29:28
THEN LABAN GAVE HIM ... RACHEL = Contrary to popular belief, Jacob
did not work another seven years before marrying Rachel. Instead, at the end of the same week he was
married to Leah, the "bridal week" (Genesis 29:27), Laban gave Rachel
to Jacob as his second wife. Then he
worked another seven years to fulfill his agreement with Laban (Genesis 29:27,
30).
Gen 30:1
Gen 30:39
STREAKED OR SPECKLED OR SPOTTED = Jacob followed an ancient
superstition (Genesis 30:37-39), which by Jacob's own admission, only
"worked" because of God's direct intervention (Genesis 31:9).
Gen 31:1
Gen 31:11
THE ANGEL OF GOD = Synonymous with "the angel of the
Lord" (Genesis 22:15). See note on
Exodus 14:19.
Gen 31:13
A PILLAR = The "stone" that Jacob set up in Genesis
28:18.
Gen 31:20
JACOB DECEIVED LABAN ... BY NOT TELLING HIM = Deception can occur
by telling an outright lie, or by simply not telling the whole truth. Here Jacob deceived his uncle into thinking
Jacob would stay on in his employment by not telling Laban he was about to take
his family and run away. Modern judicial
systems would be wise to think carefully about preventing pertinent information
from being admitted into a trial. When
judges rule to withholding such information, juries are often deceived into
making wrong decisions (Habakkuk 1:4).
God will hold those judges accountable for perverting justice.
Gen 32:1
Gen 32:25
TOUCHED THE SOCKET ... WRENCHED = An indication of the supernatural
power this "man" possessed.
See Genesis 32:28, 30 for Jacob's recognition that he was wrestling with
God.
Gen 32:28
YOU HAVE STRUGGLED WITH GOD = Here the "man" tells Jacob
he was actually struggling with "God." Jacob understood this to be the case, for in
Genesis 32:30 Jacob says: "I saw God face to face." This "man" is also called an
"angel" and "the Lord God Almighty" in Hosea 12:3-5.
Gen 32:29
TELL ME YOUR NAME = It is evident Jacob understood he had wrestled
with God (Genesis 32:28, 30). Hosea
12:3-5 confirms Jacob wrestled with "the Lord God Almighty."
Gen 33:1
Gen 34:1
Gen 35:1
Gen 35:8
ALLON BACUTH = From Strongs #H439, "allon" means
"oak," "bacuth" means "weeping," thus the
"oak of weeping."
Gen 35:18
AS SHE BREATHED HER LAST = The Hebrew literally reads: "yatsa
nephesh" (Strongs #H3318 + 5315) meaning "as was in departing her
soul." This is in harmony with the
Biblical teaching that the "soul" is conscious and survives
death. Not only is the soul able to
depart at death, but it is also able to return to the body (1 Kings
17:21-22). Thus the soul is not the
human person (as Jehovah's Witnesses teach) because it is distinct from the
body and does not die with the body.
Gen 35:29
GATHERED TO HIS PEOPLE = This is in connection with Isaac's death
and is in harmony with the Biblical view that the souls of the dead gathered in
Sheol. According to the broad teaching
of Scripture, Sheol is not the repository for bodies (i.e. a graveyard), but
rather a place where the souls of the dead gathered and were kept until Jesus
Christ conquered death through His resurrection. Also see Genesis 15:15, Genesis 25:8, 17;
Genesis 35:29, 2 Chronicles 16:13, et cetera.
“Abraham
died at the good old age of 175, and was ‘gathered to his
people.’ This expression, which is
synonymous with ‘going to his people’ (Genesis 15:15), or
‘being gathered to his fathers’ (Judges 2:10), but is constantly
distinguished from departing this life and being buried, denotes the reunion in
Sheol with friends who have gone before, and therefore presupposes faith in the
personal continuance of a man after death, as a presentiment which the promises
of God had exalted in the case of the patriarchs into a firm assurance of faith
(Hebrews 11:13).” – Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old
Testament, Genesis 25:7-8
Gen 36:1
Gen 37:1
Gen 37:3
A RICHLY ORNAMENTED ROBE = The robe was an outer garment similar to
a “night shirt” (or long “T” shirt) that reached the
ankles (or knees on a young person).
Gen 37:17
DOTHAN = A small village about 14 miles north of Shechem.
Gen 37:20
CISTERNS = Cisterns were deep pits
carved into the limestone rock to store water for the dry season.
Gen 37:28
TWENTY SHEKELS OF SILVER = This is equivalent to about eight ounces,
or about $56 at 2005 silver prices. It
was three year’s wages for a shepherd living in Old Testament times.
Gen 37:31
DIPPED THE ROBE IN THE BLOOD = When Jacob was young he deceived his
father with a goat (Genesis 27:9-16).
Now, when he is old, his sons deceive him with Joseph’s robe
dipped in the blood of a goat.
Gen 38:1
Gen 39:1
Gen 39:6
EXCEPT THE FOOD HE ATE = The Egyptians considered it an abomination
to eat with the Hebrews (see Genesis 43:32).
Gen 40:1
Gen 40:20
PHARAOH'S BIRTHDAY = Jehovah's Witnesses use this text to prohibit
members from celebrating birthdays. They
think since the word "birthday" only appears in the Bible in
reference to pagan Pharaoh and King Herod (Matthew 14:6; Mark 6:21) birthdays
are "wrong." This overlooks
the fact that, in the Hebrew, Job 1:4 tells us Job's sons celebrated "each
one on his day." That these were
birthday celebrations is clear from Job 3:1-3 where the Hebrew says: "Job
opened his mouth and cursed his day ... Let perish the day I was
born." In fact many rejoiced and
celebrated John's birthday (Luke 1:14), and even the angels and shepherds
celebrated Christ's birthday (Luke 2:8-10).
Thus JWs are prohibiting what God has not prohibited.
Gen 41:1
Gen 41:32
GOD WILL DO IT = If a dream was repeated, it was thought the dream
would immediately be fulfilled.
Gen 42:1
Gen 42:21
WE ARE BEING PUNISHED BECAUSE OF OUR BROTHER = Here the men are
tormented by their guilt for selling Joseph into slavery.
Gen 43:1
Gen 44:1
Gen 44:28
TORN TO PIECES = All these years Joseph's brothers had let their
father believe this lie instead of confessing they had sold Joseph into
slavery.
Gen 45:1
Gen 45:4
THE ONE YOU SOLD INTO EGYPT = Here Joseph reminds his brothers of their
sin, but they do not ask forgiveness for another 17 years (Genesis 50:17).
Gen 45:15
HIS BROTHERS TALKED WITH HIM = What was said is not recorded. However it is very likely they did not ask
forgiveness for selling Joseph into slavery, for it was not until 17 years
later after Jacob's death that they asked forgiveness (Genesis 50:17).
Gen 45:22
BUT TO BENJAMIN HE GAVE = Joseph had a reason for favoring Benjamin
by giving him more than the others (see Genesis 45:24).
Gen 45:24
DON'T QUARREL ON THE WAY! = The quarreling would have been over the
fact Joseph gave the youngest son, Benjamin, far more than he gave the others
(Genesis 45:22). This was to test their
character and to see if they would treat Benjamin as they had treated Joseph.
Gen 46:1
Gen 47:1
Gen 47:21
JOSEPH REDUCED THE PEOPLE TO SERVITUDE = The slavery of God's
people began with this action by Joseph, one of God's people!
Gen 47:24
A FIFTH = Taxation in Egypt amounted to 20% (Genesis 47:26) -- and
that was called "servitude!" (Genesis 47:21).
Gen 48:1
Gen 48:15
THE GOD WHO HAS BEEN MY SHEPHERD = In the next verse (Genesis
48:16) Jacob refers to God as "the Angel who has delivered me from all
harm." Thus it is possible that
when the Old Testament uses the term "the Angel of the Lord" it may
at times be referring to God Himself.
Gen 48:16
THE ANGEL = The Hebrew "mal'ak" (Strongs #H4397) means
"angel, ambassador, messenger, king."
THE NAMES = Hebrew has this in the singular ("the
name"). Jehovah's Witnesses use
this text to counter orthodox Christianity's claim that "name" (in
the singular) in Matthew 28:19 ("name of the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit") indicates the family unity of the Trinity. In Matthew 28:19, 20 the term indicates the
"family" unity of the three members of the Trinity. Here in Genesis 48:16 Israel is adopting
Ephraim and Manasseh as his own sons.
Thus he commands that they are to be called by "my name and the
name of my fathers," indicating that they are now fully united with him in
his family. Rather than defeating the
claims of Trinitarians this text strengthens them!
Gen 49:1
Gen 49:10
NOT DEPART FROM JUDAH = This Messianic prophecy was fulfilled in
Jesus Christ (see Luke 3:33).
Gen 49:33
WAS GATHERED TO HIS PEOPLE = In other words, he was buried in the
family burial ground. There is no hint
here about life after death.
Gen 50:1
Gen 50:16
THEY SENT WORD = Notice they were too afraid to present this
message in person.
Gen 50:17
PLEASE FORGIVE THE SINS = It is here that Joseph's brothers wrote
him asking forgiveness for selling him into slavery.
JOSEPH WEPT = Out of relief that after thirty years his brothers
finally asked his forgiveness.
Gen 50:18
HIS BROTHERS THEN CAME = After Joseph had accepted their written
request for forgiveness (Genesis 50:17) his brothers came and were reconciled
with him.
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Cleveland, 172 Suncrest Drive, Greenwood, IN 46143 317 885-8122
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