The Pulpit Commentary — Genesis — Section 130

n type (Ronnr) ;-yet it mny he doubted if terms ns father and mother, or in the fact 1 here is not as much truth in the rcmMk that the sentiment is prophetic, to prevent 1 hnt "by the mnny words usetl in the !icncra- the words from being rognrded as n continu- 1 ion of mnnkin<l, as creah'.ng (eh. 1. 27), ation of Adam's speech, 11lth,mgh, on the 111rrldng (eh. i. 26), foi-ming nnd inS'[Jfring other hnnd, tho statement of Christ (Mntt. (eh. ii. i), and now building, Moses would xix. 5) docs not ~wcclnde tho possibility or set forth this ·wondrous workmanshir, for lfoscs being thcu· author; but whethor which the rsalmist so lnudeth God,' Ps. uttered by tho first husband (Dclitzsch, ,xxxix. 14 (Ainswo1th). And brought her Mncdonald) or by the hisloriau (Calvin, unto the man. I. e. led, conducted, and pre- Murphy), they must bo viewed ns nn in- Rented her to Adam. "The word implies spired declaration of tho law of marriago. 1he solemn bestowrucnt of her in the bonds Its ba,sis (fundamental reason and prcdisi;ios- of the marriage coYenant, which is henoo ing cause) they 11.ffirm to be (1) the ori"tnal called the co,·enant of God (Prov. ii. li); relationship of man an,l woman, on tho plat- impl~ing that he is the Author of this sacred form (If creation; and (2) tho mllrringe union institution" (Bush). On awaking from his effected between the first pair. Its nature ~lumber .Adam at once recognised the Divine they explain +o be (1) a forsaking (on the intention, nncl joyfully welcomed bis bride. part of the woman as well as the man) of Yer. 23.-And Adam sa.id. Eitb.er as being father and mother-not filially, in respect of possessed, while in a sinless stnte, of a power duty, but locally, in respect of habitation, of in tui ti vc perception whieh has bceu lost a.nd comparativoly, in respect of affection ; through the fall, or as speaking under Divine and (2) a cleaving unto his wife, in a con- inspiration (vide Matt. xix. 4---o). This now. _jugium corporis atque animre. Its i·esult Literally, this tread, step, or stroke, meaning is stnted in the words which follow: and either this time, looking back to the previous they shall be one flesh (literally, into 0110 re,icw of the animal creation, as if he wished flesh; ,;, ,uip11:a µ.iav, Matt. xix. 5, LXX.). ro say, At last one hru; come who is suitable 'l'he language poiuts to a unity of persons to be my partner (Calvin); or, less probably, and not simply to a conjunction of bodies, looking forward to the ordinary mode of or a community of interests, or even a reci- woman's production, this time she is super- procity of affections. lllalachi (eh. ii. 15) naturally formed (Bush). "The thrice re- and Christ (Matt. xix. 5) explain this verso peated thi.i is characteristic. It vividly ns teaching the indissoluble chnracter of points to the woman on whom, in joyful marriage and condemning tho practice of astonishment, the man's eye now rests with polygamy. the full power of first love" (Delitzsch). Ver. 25.-And they were both naked. Not Instinctively he recognises her relation to partially (Pye Smith), but completely desti- himself. Bone of my bone, and flesh of my tute of clothing. Diodorus Siculus and Plato flesh. The langnage is expressive at once of both mention nakedness as a feature of the ,rnman'sderivation from man (y11v,j i{ avopoi;, golden nge anil a characteristic of the first 1 Cor. ri. 8, 12) and likeness to man. The men (vide Rosenmiiller, Schol·ia in loco). first of these implies her subordination or The man and his wife. The first pllir of subjection to man, or man's headship over human beings a.re henceforth recognised in ,,oman (1 Cor. ri 3), which Adam immedi- their relationship to one llnother ns husband n tcly proceeds to assert by assigning to her and wife. And they were not ashamed. Not a name; the second is embodied in the name because they were wholly uncultivated and which she receives. She (literally, to this) their moral insight undeveloped (Knobel, shall be called Woman (u!.a, i. e. maness, Kalisch); but because their souls were llrrayed from ish, man. Cf. Greek, avopic (Symma- in purity, and "their bodies were made holy chus), from av~p; Latin, vir-ago, virre (old through the spirit which a.nime.ted them" Latin), from vir; English, woman (womb- (Keil). "They were naked, but yet they man, Anglo-Saxon), from man; German, were not so. Their bodies were the clothing ,nanninn, from mann; Sanscrit, nari, from of their internal glory; and their internal nara; Ethiopic, beesith, from beesi), because glory was the clothing of their nakedness" she (this) was taken from llan. Ish, the (Delitzsch). name given by Adam to himself in contra- It is not surprising that tho primeval distinction to his spouse, is interpret.id as history of mankind should have left its im- significant of man's a.uthority (Gesenius), or press upon the current of tradition. The of his social nature (lfeier); but its exact Assyrian tablets that relate to man llre so etymology is involved in obscwity. Its re- fragmentary and mutilated that they can lation to Adham is the same as that of vir scarcely be rendered intelligible. So far ns to horM and av~o to tiv0po,.,,o,. they have been deciphered, tho first appears Ver. 24. -Ther'efore shall a man leave his on its obvcrse side " to give the speech of father and mother, and ahall cleave unto his the Deity to the newly-create,! pnir (man wile. There is notlii' 1g in the use of s11ch antl woman), instrncting them in their [en. 11. 18--25. TIIE BOOK OF GENES!8.