Genesis Framework Part 37

Genesis Framework

GF 37 Genesis 3.22 (Part 2)
May 22, 2016
Part 37

NKJ Genesis 3:22
Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” --

Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” --

NKJ Genesis 3:22a

Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil.

(Q) What do we call a situation that arises which demands immediate attention and requires corrective action, before things get worse?

Example: a flat tire (A) An emergency, a problem.

Compare this with a similar, but far more widely used interjection: hin-neyh behold, pointing to persons or things, it points generally to some truth either newly asserted, or newly recognized.

This behold is designed to get attention, but it lacks the characteristic of pointing to an interruption, a situation, a problem requiring immediate action.

heyn interjection behold, in prose mostly confined to calling attention to some fact upon which action is to be taken, or a conclusion based.

So, this interjection is not the typical equivalent to calling immediate attention to an observation, such as saying, “‘Look at this!’ man has actually become like one of Us after all.”

Instead, the interjection “behold” is used to call attention to a problem to which immediate action is required in order to properly solve it.

By the way, right after I share Meredith Kline’s exegetical conclusion on this verse, I will give you what I believe is a better translation for this interjection, and for the rest of Genesis 3.22a as well.

In the meantime, the following verses are a list of all (13) instances where our special “behold” Hebrew heyn is Every time you see the translation “behold” backed up with the words “a problem,” add to it also the words, “that requires immediate attention;” then you will
have come much closer to have captured the impact and the true importance of this little word. used in the entire Book of Genesis.

NKJ Genesis 4:13
And Cain said to the LORD, " (behold, a problem) My punishment is greater than I can bear!

NKJ Genesis 4:14
"Surely (a problem) You have driven me (Cain) out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me."

NKJ Genesis 11:6
And the LORD said, "Indeed (a problem) the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.

NKJ Genesis 15:3
Then Abram said, "Look (a problem), You have given me no offspring; indeed (an observation, not a problem) one born in my house is my heir!"

NKJ Genesis 19:34
It happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, "Indeed (a problem) I lay with my father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father."

NKJ Genesis 27:11
And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "Look (a problem), Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man.

NKJ Genesis 27:37
Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, "Indeed (a problem) I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?"

NKJ Genesis 29:7
Then he said, "Look (a problem), it is still high day; it is not time for the cattle to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them."

NKJ Genesis 30:34
And Laban said, "Oh (a problem), that it were according to your word!"

NKJ Genesis 39:8
But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look (a problem), my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand.

NKJ Genesis 44:8
"Look (a problem), we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord's house?

NKJ Genesis 47:23
Then Joseph said to the people, "Indeed (a problem) I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look (observation, not a problem), here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land.

In light of what we already know about what actually transpired during the tree of knowledge of good and evil event, the translation, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil” does not make (common) sense. My approach to coming to grips with the difficulty of this statement from God has always been, up until now, that God was expressing a sarcastic sentiment; remember?

While the notion of sarcasm does offer a reasonable explanation for the disjunctive nature of the grammar of God’s comment; the notion that He would resort to sarcasm at this point falls short of the kind of expression we would usually expect from God, in light of the heavy character of this particular situation.

Over the last couple of weeks I have discovered what I believe God’s intended expression by the use of these Hebrew words.

The first hint we get of the direction taken by the Hebrew in Genesis 3.22a is found contained in the particular “Behold.”

Listen carefully to what comments Meredith Kline has to say concerning Gen. 3.22. “In clear allusion to the probation tree, God identifies
man’s knowing of good and evil as an aspect of his likeness to God and angels (Gen. 3.22).”

Further, Kline has this to say: “For by doing what was signified by the name of the judgment tree, man would advance in the glory of his
judicial likeness to the Lord of the heavenly council. (According to Gen. 3.22, in a formal sense this regal dimension of man’s likeness to God came to intensified expression even when he rendered a false verdict). Thus, the tree would like the tree of life, be instrumental in man’s maturing participation in the image of God.”

First, this verse clearly is speaking not about God’s observation (no problem) as to what man( kind) had become (perfect-tense) as the result having consumed of( out from) the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but (a problem that requires immediate
attention).

Second, if we follow the common translation, it seems to imply that what man had become as the result of his act of having eaten of( out from) was now to possess the same level of knowledge of good and evil as that possessed by God and angels.

Third, the more remote implication is that before having eaten the fruit, man would not have had sufficient knowledge of good and evil in order to have successfully confronted the temptations of Satan and at the same time have been able to fulfill his responsibly to judge and
condemn the Devil on sight.

Conclusion: this scenario as presented by Kline, does not make sense.

“(Understandably, Satan slanted the significance of the probation tree towards the notion of the acquisition of knowledge, while obscuring the juridical function to which it summoned man).”“A twisted half-truth was contained in the false prophecy of Satan that eating the fruit of the of knowledge would bring an increase in man’s God-likeness- does not God himself afterwards affirm that such had been the result (Gen. 3.22)?”

My answer:NO!

Genesis 3.22a
“Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil.

I promised you a better translation.

Notice that God is addressing the full complement of the Godhead (Son and Spirit) as well the rest of His namesake heavenly council (Elohim).

The Father is calling attention to some fact upon which action is to be taken by all of them.

“Look, at what man has become (there is a problem, we need to take immediate action with regard to man and the tree of life)”

What has man become?

He has become like one (adjective, who is numbered)

The kernel to this word is min, a preposition… with a suffix, 1st person common plural the preposition expresses the idea of separation, hence out of, out from, off of; used with verbs expressing (or implying) separation or removal, whether from a person or place, or in any direction, also from guilt, calamity, etc.: thus to descend from a mountain, to fall from a roof, from heaven, to go up from a valley,
to raise up from the dunghill, or the ground.

Here is the determinative question: As the result of partaking of the forbidden fruit, had man become included in or excluded from the likeness of God and angels in knowing good and evil? I am going to give you a quick look at the context of every other use of this word in the Book of Genesis, and then I will ask you to make an determination whether this word is used to denote inclusivity or exclusivity?

NKJ Genesis 2:17
"but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat (of it), for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” suffix 3rd person masculine singular

NKJ Genesis 3:3
"but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat (of) it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' "
suffix 3rd person masculine singular

NKJ Genesis 3:5
"For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” suffix 3rd person masculine singular

NKJ Genesis 3:11
And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat (of it)?"
suffix 3rd person masculine singular

NKJ Genesis 3:17
Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. suffix 3rd person masculine singular

*NKJ Genesis 23:6
"Hear us, my lord: You are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will withhold from you his burial place, that you may bury your dead." suffix 1st person common plural

**NKJ Genesis 26:16
And Abimelech said to Isaac, "Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we." suffix 1st person common plural

NKJ Genesis 48:19
But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become (out from him) a multitude of nations." suffix 3rd person masculine singular

I will ask you- Is this word mim-men-nou used to denote inclusivity or exclusivity?

As…Has become one into, or has become one out of? Has become included into, or has become one excluded out from?

Genesis 3.22

Then the LORD God said, Look, we have a problem that requires immediate action; the man has become like one who is numbered apart from Us knowing in terms of good and evil;

Because man had become less God-like and less knowledgeable as the result of his sin, to be numbered as one apart from the glorious likeness of heaven‘s host.

This change produced a problem that required immediate action from God and His heavenly council to protect man from the tree of Life, and protect the sanctity of the Garden from the unholy intrusion of man.

Many will be surprised on the Day of Judgment when they discover that it was just as the Word of God says; only the righteousness of Christ is able to save you. All men are sinners and no one can save himself. God is just, so He must punish sin; but He is also merciful, moreover gracious, and offers His Son as the perfect sacrifice in order to purchase a place for you in heaven, which He offers to you as the free gift of eternal life.

Jesus is God Incarnate

In order to pay the debt of our sins, He came from Heaven, having been sent by the Father, where He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father even unto the shameful death upon the cross in order to pay the debt of your sins.

This gift must be received by faith, believing that Jesus’ perfect life and Cross Work was His complete and necessary Atonement for your sins, in your behalf.

Faith is a gift that comes by the Power of God the Holy Spirit working in a person’s innermost being.

The Holy Spirit has the authority and power to quicken your dead spirit, to make it come to life.

If you have not done so before this moment, ask Jesus to forgive you your sins, tell Him you’ve stop trying to be your own savior, and ask Him to come into your life right now, and to give you eternal life.

Then, in faith believing, thank Him for the gift that He is giving you, the one He paid for in full in your place, in Jesus’ name, AMEN