Grace Arrives

Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:9 NASB

Where – As you know, Hebrew has two words for “where.” The first is a question about geographical location. ‘ephoh, that is, “Where is such and such place, person, thing?” If I’m lost in Jerusalem, I might use this word to ask for the location of my hotel. But there is a second word, ‘ayyeh, that is also translated “where.” Although it comes from the same root as ‘ephoh, this is not about location. ‘ayyeh expresses surprise. “Where are you?” is God’s exclamation that Adam is not found in the expected place, namely, by God’s side. “What’s happened? Where are you? You’re supposed to be here, with me.” TWOT notes that this use is a “rhetorical question.” Adam’s actions and his reply are the story of addictive retreat from the world.

Adam does answer, but his answer reveals a serious change in psychological identification. “He said, ‘I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.’” Carefully examine this response.

First, we note that Adam does not say, “Here I am.” The common Hebrew expression, hinneni, has overtones of obedience. “Here I am ready to serve you,” is probably a close idiomatic translation. Adam is not ready to serve. He is trying to hide. He is not available to God because he is preoccupied with himself. When the voice of God comes from all directions,[1] Adam is confronted with the inescapable presence of God, but instead of responding to the arrival of grace, he attempts to remain hidden. “I heard the sound,” says Adam. He cannot obliterate the evidence of God’s presence. He can attempt to hide, but God knows every secret place. The first lesson of this verse is that real escape from God’s creation is a figment of addictive imagination. There is no hiding place.

Notice why Adam seeks to hide. “I was afraid,” say the text. But the translation assumes temporal positioning. It expresses the Hebrew ‘i-ra as past. “I was afraid.” But the word is Qal, vav-consecutive plus imperfect. That means it is a continuous incomplete action. It is not the case that at some time in the past Adam was afraid. No, Adam is afraid, right now, at this very moment when God expresses surprise. In fact, Adam’s psychological experience with fear has been present to him ever since he ate the fruit. Adam now knows what it means to be afraid—constantly. Suddenly the Garden is no longer safe. And Adam is afraid.

The present experience of fear means that we have to change our translation of Adam’s explanation as well. It is not the case that Adam was naked. The reason Adam gives for his present psychological state is also an immediate psychological reality. He is naked. Of course, that has nothing to do with clothing. He is ‘erom, bare, exposed, from the verb ‘ur, “to lay bare, to expose.” Adam is aware that he is vulnerable. For the first time in his life, he is aware of a threat to his existence. He is not safe. That’s why he hides!

It is extremely interesting that the Hebrew word for skin is exactly the same consonants. The only difference is the pointing of the middle consonant, from u to o. Eating from the tree provided Adam with discernment, and that discernment came at the cost of realizing that he was no longer comfortable in his own skin. He became aware of his vulnerability. He always was vulnerable, as Genesis 2:25 clearly states, but that vulnerability was under the protection of YHVH. He and the woman were ‘arom (naked) but without the sense of bosh (shame). They had nothing to hide. God protected their innocence. But now things have changed. Perhaps the tree doesn’t represent moral failure as much as it is the symbol of shattered innocence. We have all eaten from this tree. We are all afraid of our vulnerability in the world. We are not safe. The question is what we do about it.

Adam’s response to this newly experienced threat to his state of mind is to hide. He constructs an artificial means of concealment. Notice that Adam considers himself naked even though he has covered himself with “fig leaves.” Clearly the issue is not about outward appearance. Adam’s inner state of self-identity has been altered. He now sees himself as threatened. And who threatens him? Adam himself. The battle is on the inside. Adam has changed. His innocence is lost. God can ask, “Who told you that you were naked?” but Adam never answers that question. Instead, Adam immediately offers rationalized blame. In other words, feeling no longer safe in the world, and recognizing that his own artificial attempts at concealment are insufficient to remove his vulnerability, Adam retreats to blaming others for his fear. What he refuses to see is that he is the enemy of his soul.

Grace arrives when God asks, “Why aren’t you here with Me?” God’s expectation is community and fellowship. That is the kind of God we serve. God’s concern with Adam is not “Why did you sin?” That question never comes from God’s lips. God’s concern is rather about Adam’s personal psychological well-being. “Who told you?” is not an examination of guilt but rather an expression encouraging self-reflection and self-revelation. If only Adam would realize that he is the one who is telling himself that he is exposed and threatened, then perhaps restitution can begin. But Adam does not take this path. Instead, he retreats to rationalization—and his inner state of fear is not diminished. God demonstrates grace anyway. He clothes the couple. But the trauma has taken hold—and so it grips each of us.

“Who told you that you were naked?”

Topical Index: naked, ‘arom, where, ‘ayyeh, addiction, grace, hide, Genesis 3:7-11

[1] On the proper translation of the idea of God “walking” in the Garden, see Aviyah Kushner, The Grammar of God.