Matthew Henry Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Genesis 9:24-27. *, *It is deplorable but wholesome to see how superstition and rationalism agree in the grossest ignorance of man's condition before the fall and through it. The Jews sometimes say, that Adam and Eve were created in the likeness of the holy blessed God, and his Shechinah h; and they also speak i of Adam Kadmon the ancient Adam, as the cause of causes, of whom it is said, "I was as one brought up with him (or an artificer with him), Proverbs 8:30 and to this ancient Adam he said, "let us make man in our image, after our likeness": and again, "let us make man"; to whom did he say this? Genesis 9:6; 1Corinthians 11:7; James 3:9.) And let them rule. The same principle applies in other fields of science. "The earth was without form and void." The world, the universe has been created. Yet in Genesis 1:29, God states that human beings are only permitted a plant-based diet. This shows that the plural Elohim was known to convey a singular meaning despite its plural form. That angels were themselves made in the image and likeness of God. And let them have dominion (92) Here he commemorates that part of dignity with which he decreed to honor man, namely, that he should have authority over all living creatures. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man. Six years they are to plant their fields, the seventh year they are to let their fields rest. The grand question to be tried we have afterwards. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Human lusts and passions were not yet in question, but they soon followed the desire of having what God had forbidden. Fourth, it is also in harmony with the elementary facts of geological knowledge. "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness " It is the kinship of humanity to God Himself that shines in this, a conception that is launched here and is never diminished until the God-Man Himself, "The Lamb standing as though it had been slain" (Revelation 5:6), is seen in the very midst of the throne of God! As if, in truth, that barbarous style of speaking, which has grown into use within a few past centuries, had, even then, prevailed in the world. In this new section accordingly it is written, "These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created [going up to the first], in the day* [here the writer comes down] that Jehovah-Elohim made the earth and the heavens." In conclusion, the Sabbath day, which God* sanctified, closes the great week of God's forming the earth for man, the lord of it. An innocent man could not have had the knowledge of good and evil; it pertains necessarily to a fallen one. Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. It is false that scripture does not leave room for his investigation. I must be permitted here to say a word on a subject which, if it has called out enormous discussion, betrays in its course, I am sorry to say, no small amount of evident infidelity. The land, as understood by the ancient author, may be limited to that portion of the earths surface which was known to antediluvian man. Yes, Jehovah is in question. I have the power of self-determination. 3 And God said, c " Let there be light, " and there was light. I don't intend to get into them. 2 The earth was b without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. "And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God* said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? Thus holy, thus happy, were our first parents, in having the image of God upon them. Was it a state for a promise? Another divine, but an infidel, regards the knowledge of good and evil as the image of God by creation. But it is well that their canine wickedness has been joined with a stupidity so great, that they betray their folly to children. It is an awesome thing to realize that God does respect my choice.Now, He does speak to influence my choice because He loves me, and He knows what is best for me. It is God that does all, whether it be for the earth, the air, or the waters. (85) Ut certe aeterna ejus sapientia et virtus in ipso resident. The expression is ambiguous; but the French translation renders it, Comme a la verite, sa Sapience eternelle, et Vertu reside en luy; which translation is here followed. THE NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY is for the minister or Bible student who wants to understand and expound the Scriptures. The highest, the holiest, the only suitable way, once it is laid before us, evidently is what God Himself has employed in His word. "First, Gods deliberation shows that he has decided to create man differently from any of the other creatures-in his image and likeness. The most vaulting pride always has the deepest fall. 163. Carmen Memorial. It is not needful to say more now. God said, Let us make man, and immediately it follows, So God created man; he performed what he resolved. Does he have sexual organs, and if so, which? As we saw God Himself the Creator and the moral Governor, so further we find the enemy of God and of man in exact accordance with the latest word that God speaks. Man was to be a creature different from all that had been hitherto made. ), the Syriac rendering must be dismissed as nothing more than a conjecture, and the Masoretic text be understood in the following manner. Genesis 1:25. And the months were originally lunar months, the time it takes the moon to go through its full cycle, as it orbits around the Earth. Undoubtedly there is teaching of the Spirit of God founded on the facts of revelation. Genesis 1:26-28. The whole person is in Gods image. And you have to almost envy them, spending their winters in Hawaii. The true key to this account is supplied in the Epistle of Jude. This chapter shows the folly and sin of the worship of light, of sun, moon, or star, of air or water, of plant, of fish or fowl, of earth, of cattle, creeping thing or wild beast, or, finally, of man himself; as all these are but the creatures of the one Eternal Spirit, who, as the Creator of all, is alone to be worshipped by his intelligent creatures. Every one of them is a perfect geometrical pattern, but no two snowflakes alike. . It was created after the image of God; and that image, St. Paul tells us, consisted in righteousness, true holiness, and knowledge, Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil" So it was that the serpent envenomed morally the heart of the woman first, and then of the man. This supposition cannot be admitted; because the expression "let us make" is an invitation to create, which is an incommunicable attribute of the Eternal One, and because the phrases, "our image, our likeness," when transferred into the third person of narrative, become "his image, the image of God," and thus limit the pronouns to God himself. I merely use these scriptural facts to shew what seems to me the truth that "sin" here does not refer to the specific offering for it, but rather to that which was proved by evil conduct. Now, I don't know, it's very possible. The geometric patterns and design.And so, of all of the millions of people, there may be some who look somewhat alike, and yet, you know, when you get to know twins, you'll be able to tell them apart at sight, because there's just enough difference between everybody. "And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon earth." On the contrary, supposing there was but one writer of the book of Genesis, as I am persuaded is the truth of the case, it would not have borne the stamp of a divine communication if he had used either the name of Jehovah-Elohim in 1-2: 3, or the name of "Elohim" only in Genesis 2:4-25. And if you're expecting to see Him with shoulder-length hair and a beard, and all, you may be, you may not even recognize Him. as appears by comparing it with Genesis 1:24 so as to keep them in awe, and . And I am able to recognize you and say "oh yeah that's" and the color of clothes that you're wearing and the, you know, the whole thing. Yet his government of himself by the freedom of his will has in it more of God's image than his government of the creatures. F8; and they also speak F9 of Adam If the Holy Spirit, as in Exodus 20:11, refers to heaven and earth made in six days, it always avoids the expression "creation." Cosmic order consists of clearly demarcating the various elements of the universe. The recognizable part of Christ will be the prints of the nails in His hands and the print of the sword in His side. But how art thou fallen, O son of the morning! He directs the ark to be made. made, as consulting with it, and to be assisting in the formation In our image, after our likeness What is said above refers only to the body of man, what is here said refers to his soul. 4 And God saw that the light was good. that says let us make, is Jehovah; I am the first, and I am the The biblical text of Genesis 1:26 announce that God makes us in his image and likeness (Bryson, 2011). 3. "And God blessed them, and said Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth " The procreation and nurture of the continuing generations of mankind upon earth is a God-ordained privilege and commandment. It is here explanatory of image, and seems to show that this term is to be taken in a figurative sense, to denote not a material but a spiritual conformity to God. As we might have expected, the Genesis account of creation is from the viewpoint of the ordinary person. Cyrus, "The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth" Ezra 1:2. If its language were that of modern science, people in former ages would not have understood it, and people in future ages would find it out of date. We pray, Give us this day our daily bread (Matthew 6:11), but we do not expect God to work instantaneously and drop food from heaven on to our plates. Notwithstanding God maintained the place that belonged to the elder brother. It is the soul which gives the unity, and which accounts for the personal identity. numerations. It remains yet to be seen whether he will be good in act and habit. 13. Not how did He say it, or to whom did He say it, but what did He say. It is a mistake to include the world before that event in the time of dispensations. Other places in the Old Testament it is translated Gods. One sees the reason why man before this had not been punished by the judge; whereas after the flood there was government and judicial proceeding. You say, "oh, they remember the way they flew out. In due time the ark rests upon Ararat, and then follows the strikingly beautiful incident of the raven and the dove, which has been often before us, and from which therefore we may pass on. following verse man was created: and over the cattle, and over all the earth; You cannot, as a rule, anticipate facts; you cannot discern the truth beforehand. When it is no question of these, creating, making, and forming may be freely used, as in Isaiah 45:18. In our image, after our likeness.The human body is after Gods image only as being the means whereby man attains to dominion: for dominion is Gods attribute, inasmuch as He is sole Lord. "They knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons." For example, the Bible speaks of the four corners of the earth (Isaiah 11:12) and of the pillars, bases and cornerstone of the earth (Job 9:6; Job 38:4-6); but if people use those statements to deny that the earth is a globe, they misuse the Bible. For the view that the image of God includes the body, see Jonathan F. Henry, "Man in Gods Image: What Does it Mean?" If His servant bids others behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world, how much more does God Himself behold Christ and His sacrifice! Is there then any contradiction to be surmised? This cannot be, because a plurality of qualities exists in everything, without at all leading to the application of the plural number to the individual, and because such a plurality does not warrant the expression, "let us make." Now, as the Divine Being is infinite, he is neither limited by parts, nor definable by passions; therefore he can have no corporeal image after which he made the body of man. Enoch brings both these lessons before us. Both fallen, they were both ashamed. This further difficulty is also to be encountered, namely, why Paul should deny the woman to be the image of God, when Moses honors both, indiscriminately, with this title. Genesis 9:25-26; Genesis 9:25-26. Genesis 1.26. "And God said, Let us " The plural word [~'Elohiym] is used here; and the most logical understanding of it is that of seeing in it a foreshadowing of the doctrine of the Trinity revealed ages afterward in the N.T. Even we ourselves, who came by natural processes of birth, are said to be formed out of clay and made from the dust of the earth (Job 10:9; Ecclesiastes 3:20). Its insertion forbids the thought, and to speak plainly, convicts those who so understand it either of ignorance, or at the least of inattention. Proud member
What value would it be for me to have the capacity to choose if there was nothing to choose? Because of this expression of God within them, men and women are in a sense Gods representatives upon earth. Now we have the basic life forms, the plant life forms, on the third day. Abel, Enoch, Noah, we have already seen. . earth; Their goal is to alter our beliefs and cause us to align with them. Then we have the further fact stated of the state into which the earth was plunged to which it was reduced. "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heaven, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over everything that creepeth upon the earth. Undoubtedly "day" may be used, as it often is, in a figurative sense. It is not concerned with the sort of investigation that modern science is concerned with. The impact of this point on the remainder of the Pentateuch and the authors view of Sinai is clear: through Abraham, Israel and the covenant this blessing is to be restored to all mankind." If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?" But if God had such care for us before we existed, he will by no means leave us destitute of food and of other necessaries of life, now that we are placed in the world. The text we are studying for Sunday, September 16 is Genesis 1:26-31 + 2:4-7.This is that portion of the creation story or stories in Genesis 1 & 2 that deals with the creation of adam, which is variously translated (in the NRSV, anyway) as "humankind" (Genesis 1:26 & 27) and as "man" (Genesis 2:7).This means we're skipping over the institution of the Sabbath (Genesis 2:1-3), and . He made man the master over the earth. preceding clause, and includes male and female, as we find by the Scripture is divine from first to last. Cain, as it is said, went out from His presence, and dwelt in the land of Nod; a son is born in due time who builds a city called after his name. If it were the same writer, and he an inspired one, it was proper in the highest degree to use the simple term "Elohim" in chapters 1, 2: 3, then the compound "Jehovah-Elohim" from verse 4 and onward through Genesis 2:1-25. As the earth produced them at the creative word of God, the different individuals and generations would also have passed away and returned to the bosom of the earth, without violent destruction by the claws of animals or the hand of man, as soon as they had fulfilled the purpose of their existence. If so, the shift to poetry may emphasize human beings as Gods image bearers. [Note: Sailhamer, "Exegetical Notes . 3. Hence we may see how fitting it is that, as man is about to be introduced on the earth for the first time, as the previous state had nothing whatever to do with his being here below, and indeed was altogether unfit for his dwelling on it, besides the fact that he was not yet created, days should appear only when it was a question of making the heavens and the earth as they are. By the application of the term "good" to everything that God made, and the repetition of the word with the emphasis "very" at the close of the whole creation, the existence of anything evil in the creation of God is absolutely denied, and the hypothesis entirely refuted, that the six days' work merely subdued and fettered an ungodly, evil principle, which had already forced its way into it. Again, the first three days refer to a lower, the second three to a higher order of things. The Fall obscured but did not obliterate the image of God in man. The primeval and prominent objects of human sway are here brought forward after the manner of Scripture. This is of immense importance. 27-27; Oswald Allis, God Spake by Moses, p. The context determines which is the correct meaning in any . The exposition of Chrysostom is not more correct, who refers to the dominion which was given to man in order that he might, in a certain sense, act as Gods vicegerent in the government of the world. And may I not put it to the conscience of every soul whether such an event is not exactly where it should be, according to the internal and distinctive features ofGenesis 1:1-31; Genesis 1:1-31; Genesis 2:1-25? The world has been established now. ], One writer sought to retain six literal days of creation and to harmonize them with an old age earth model, allowing a long period of time (possibly billions of years) between Genesis 1:2-3. As it is, God reserves the striking detail for the scene of moral relationship. But it is, secondly, in Gods likeness, which implies something closer and more inward. We see the clock winding out. The language is invariably used in the most perfect manner. Marvelous accident! God is here styled Jehovah-Elohim; and so uniformly to the end of the chapter. * If the book were in each of these different subjects written according to that most perfect keeping which pervades scripture, and which only God is capable of producing by His chosen instruments, I am convinced that, as Elohim simply in Genesis 2:1-25, so "Jehovah-Elohim" in Genesis 1:1-31, would have been wholly out of place with their respective positions in 1 and 2. This passage, of course, refers to the humiliation of Christ, whose being made "a little lower" than angels actually means "made lower for a little while," in the matter of his passion and death; for the same passage indicates that man, as he was created, ranked higher than angels, for, "Not unto angels did he subject the world to come," an honor reserved for man. He offers of the firstlings of his flock that which passed under death to Jehovah. God's image upon man consists in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness, Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10. Like the other animals, they were so made that they could feed themselves from what grew on the earth and reproduce their own kind. ( Genesis 1:3-5) The first day of creation: light is created and divided from the darkness. Such an interpretation should be rejected for at least four reasons. (Comp. 2. i Ibid. Thus in relation to His place as creator God preserved two of every sort; in relation to His own moral government He would have seven taken into the ark seven animals of each clean sort; of the unclean just enough would be there to preserve what He had made. Who else could have told us how and when the earth was thus divided? Countless years ago God, by his sovereign power and will, created the universe. It allows for the diversity of phraseology employed in describing the acts of creative power. De Profugis, p. 460. In closing the interpretation of this chapter, it is proper to refer to certain first principles of hermeneutical science. It is true that objections have been raised by natural historians to this testimony of Scripture, but without scientific ground. When God created human beings as male and female he formed them to exhibit a oneness in their relationship that would resemble the relationship of God and his heavenly court. [Note: E.g., Keil and Delitzsch, 1:63. As they lost further density, the surrounding clouds of vapour gradually rose from the earth, producing a clear distinction between the oceans surface below and the ceiling of heavy cloud overhead (6-8; second day). iii. As Christ came into our world without sin, his true rank therefore was that of Adam, as God had created Adam, and before the Fall. Then that isn't' free choice. 2 He was in the beginning with God. How remarkably this has been made good in the providential history of the world I need not stay to prove, how Jehovah God connected His name with Shem, to the humiliation of Canaan, and how Elohim enlarged Japhet, who would spread himself not merely in his own destined lot, but even dwell in the tents of Shem, and Canaan humbled there too. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. The sin began with utter disrespect to a father. It is the earliest history we have of the earth and of God's relationships to men. 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