Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/77

 59

The Garden of Bden

mythical conIt is obvious that it was a purely precision rest with it localize to attempts all Therefore ception. nature of upon an entire misunderstanding of the origin and true the extreme west.

the story.

V.

6.

The Helirew word,

which

cd,

is

usually translated "mist",

the Bible, occurs in only one other, and a rather obscure, passage of always been Job XXXVI, 27. The real connotation of the word has The majority of the oldest translations of the Bible renuncertain. Other translators interpreted it as "cloud". The "spring".

dered

it

little customary translation "mist", although traditional, seems to have Evidence newly come to light indicates that the earliest justification. Certainly the picture of translation, "spring", was probably correct. trees growing around this spring rising from out the earth, and the the garden, and water to therefrom and the stream flowing forth it.

four great

rivers

issuing

from

accords better with the Likewise the spring "mist".

entire

this,

the we translate cd if in other words it, around growing trees of garden the with desert background an oasis, is in full harmony with the desert origin and

story

than

we posited Hebrew word

above.

of this story which

Y.

7.

The

in

"man" here

for

is

adam,

while

the

word for "ground" is adamoh. The implication is that man received ground, adamoh. this name, adam, liecause he was made from the the original story Probably V. 8. Eden really means "pleasure". however, the spoke only of a gan cdcn, a "pleasure garden". In time, regarded as a original meaning was forgotten, and cden came to be consideration proper name designating a certain country. A moment's Kden as the will show that the original story must have represented pleasure garden not of the dwelt therein (Cf. Xlil.

This

same conception

man and

exists

woman, but of XXVIIl. 13:

the

Kzekiel

10;

who

XXXI,

3-9).

mythologies of other prnuitive

the

in

the Deity

peoples.

V.

9.

difficultv.

The reference here Not only does

sequent" story proper,

God had forbidden

l)ut

this II.

to

17:

tree

the

tree

play

111,

but one tree alone.

God needed

3.

of

life

occasitms

some

no role at all in the sub11 and 17 clearly imply that

The to

rablus of old solved this only the tree of

prohibit

problem by saying like a knowledge, for it surrounded the tree of life on all sides for hew first must latter the to penetrate hedge, and whoever would It is a suggestive himself a path through the tree of knowledge. can we thought that only through the attainment of true knowledge win at last to true life. The wise teacher can develop this thought that

very profitably

in

the classroom.