So He drove the man out; and at the east of the Garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:24 NASB Drove – Human birth is painful. Every mother knows this. The biblical account seems to establish this painful experience as…
The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and…
And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. Genesis 2:25 NASB Not ashamed – When you read this verse, what mental picture comes to mind? Something like this: (Rubens and Brueghel)?[1] We grew up with the 17th century version of Eden, complete with Nordic men and women. Naked, of course,…
Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” Genesis 1:6 NASB Expanse – Genesis chapter 1 is undoubtedly the least understood and most misunderstood chapter in all the Bible. Oh, it’s so familiar to us that we think we know what…
Sarah laughed ]to herself, saying, “After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” Genesis 18:12 NASB Pleasure – By this time you know the definition of hapax legomenon. You also know that such words are extremely difficult to translate. Context helps. Guesswork is good. But in the end, we don’t…
“but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”Genesis 2:17 NASB You shall surely die– Adam and the woman eat from the Tree. They break the commandment. So, of course, they die, right? They die in the…
The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. Genesis 2:8 NASB Garden in Eden – “The good ol’ days.” That’s what we really want, isn’t it? Those days that didn’t seem so stressful, so chaotic, so confusing. What we really want is…
The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. Genesis 2:8 NASB Planted – YHVH planted a Garden. The verb is nata (to plant, to fix, to establish). In Hebrew agricultural life, this verb is very common. But when it is used to…
But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. Psalm 3:3-4 NIV Shield – We know what a shield is, right? It’s a piece of armor designed to protect the one who bears…
Wake up, north wind, and come, south wind! Blow on my garden and let its spices flow forth. Let my lover come into his garden and eat its choice fruit. Song of Songs 4:16. (translation by Tremper Longman III) Come into his garden – The Bible and good sex? Are you kidding? Most of us…
