The Pulpit Commentary — Genesis — Section 136

nothing of him or his clisposition, she shoulcl a,',roii). "Here, as far us wo know, is his not ha'<'"e opened herself so freely to a person first begottten lie" (Bush). unknown. "The woman certainly discovers Ver. 5.-For (1;:J-nam, rap, for, because; some uuad viscdncss in entertaining conference assigning the reason (1) for the devil's state- ,,ith the serpent, in matters of so great im- ment, lllld so, (2) by implication, for tht1 portance, in so familiar a mam1er" (White). Divine prohibition) God doth know. 'l'hus We :ms.y eat of the fruit of the trees of the serpent practically charges the Deity with the garden. (l) Omitting the Divine name with {l) envy of his creatures' happiness, as when recording his liberality, though she if he meant to say, Depend upon it, it is remembers it when reciting his restraint; not through any fear of your dying from its (2) failing to do justice to the largeness and frnit that tho tree has been interdicted, hut freeness of the Divine grant (cf. with eh. ii. through fear of your becoming ril-als to your lG) ;-which, however, charity woulcl do well Master himself; i.nd (2) with falsehood-Ca) not to press against the woman ns symptoms in affirming that to be tmo which he knew to of incipient rebellion. But of the !ru.it o! lie false; (b) in doing this while delivering his the tree which is in the midst o! the garden, law; (c) in pretencling to be careful of man's God hath said, Ye shell not eat o! it, neither safety while in reality ho was only jealous shall ye touch it. An addition to the pro- of his own honour. That in the day ye cat hibitory enactment, which may have been thereot Cf. the Divino prohibition (eh. ii. simply an inaccuracy in her un,ierstm1ding 17), tho exact terms of which are again usecl of Adam's report of its exact terms (Kalisch); -a mark of growing aggressiveness towards or the result of a rising feeling of dissatisfac- the woman, ancl of special audacity towarclR tion with the too great strictness of the pro- Goel. The prohibition employs the siogula1 1,iliition (Dclitzsch), anrl so an indication numhcr, being acldressed to Adam only; tit,, "that her love and confidence t-Owarcls Goel devil employs tho plural, as his words wern were already beginning to waver" (Keil) ; or meant not for Eve alone, but for her hushnlllt a proof of her anxiety to observl! the Divine with her. Yonr eyea shall be opened. "1'0 1-'l'CCP.pt (Calvin); or o statement. of her un- open the eyes," the usual Bihlic:il rlu·/\~C for CH. ITT. 1-7.] 1'1IF. 13OOK OF Q ENES18. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --------. - -