Hey I just recently started reading the Bible. I've got some questions about it and I was hoping that this would be the place to ask them so here goes...
Genesis 3:
21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." 23 So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.
Is God scared of people becoming like God?
Also I've heard a lot of christians say that people weren't supposed to die. The idea was that they were created with immortatlity and then sinned and death entered the picture. From this it seems they were able to die and would've been immortal had they eaten from the tree of life.
Why does God shut out eternal life here and then offer it later?
Also what exactly is the tree of life? Is it symbollic in Jewish culture for something?
22 And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever."
Who is God speaking to? Who is "us"?
I've heard that it was tradition for Hebrew royalty to refer to themselves in plural form. I've also heard that it is similar to a council of gods, suggesting some primitive belief in Henotheism in ancient Hebrew life.
Personally, I didn't think it was a reference to the Trinity since that idea wouldn't have been known to the author.
What do you think? Why do you think that?
Genesis 4:
3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel also brought an offeringfat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
What exactly did Cain do wrong? I mean he brought an offering and God apparently liked Abel's more. It doesn't say Cain brought him some dumpy offering, just that Abel's was meat and Cain had some sort of vegetation.
So why does Cain get the shaft?
13 Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me." 15 But the LORD said to him, "Not so ; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Who is going to kill him? Are there other people wandering around?
17 Cain made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.
Where did Cain's wife come from?
23 Lamech said to his wives,
"Adah and Zillah, listen to me;
wives of Lamech, hear my words.
I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man for injuring me. 24 If Cain is avenged seven times,
then Lamech seventy-seven times."
Is Lamech being dramatic and lamenting over the fact that he killed someone or is he trying to prove how great he is by stating that God's curse is greater on him, even though God didn't curse him.
26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.
At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD.
What's that mean? "people began to call on the name of the LORD". Did they start using a certain name for God or something? Or just start praying?
Genesis 5:
21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 2223 Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. 24 Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 26 After he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. 27 Altogether, Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.
First, the obvious, How the hell did these people live this long? Really good sunscreen? Then, are the Enoch and the Lamech metioned here the same as the Enoch and Lamech mentioned with Cain? Did somebody mess up on the lineage? Are they just popular names? Did the author only have certain names and is doing the best he can to connect all these names in some way to Adam, although it may not be necessarily complete or accurate?
Any kind of help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Genesis 3:
21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." 23 So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.
Is God scared of people becoming like God?
Also I've heard a lot of christians say that people weren't supposed to die. The idea was that they were created with immortatlity and then sinned and death entered the picture. From this it seems they were able to die and would've been immortal had they eaten from the tree of life.
Why does God shut out eternal life here and then offer it later?
Also what exactly is the tree of life? Is it symbollic in Jewish culture for something?
22 And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever."
Who is God speaking to? Who is "us"?
I've heard that it was tradition for Hebrew royalty to refer to themselves in plural form. I've also heard that it is similar to a council of gods, suggesting some primitive belief in Henotheism in ancient Hebrew life.
Personally, I didn't think it was a reference to the Trinity since that idea wouldn't have been known to the author.
What do you think? Why do you think that?
Genesis 4:
3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel also brought an offeringfat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
What exactly did Cain do wrong? I mean he brought an offering and God apparently liked Abel's more. It doesn't say Cain brought him some dumpy offering, just that Abel's was meat and Cain had some sort of vegetation.
So why does Cain get the shaft?
13 Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me." 15 But the LORD said to him, "Not so ; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Who is going to kill him? Are there other people wandering around?
17 Cain made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.
Where did Cain's wife come from?
23 Lamech said to his wives,
"Adah and Zillah, listen to me;
wives of Lamech, hear my words.
I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man for injuring me. 24 If Cain is avenged seven times,
then Lamech seventy-seven times."
Is Lamech being dramatic and lamenting over the fact that he killed someone or is he trying to prove how great he is by stating that God's curse is greater on him, even though God didn't curse him.
26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.
At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD.
What's that mean? "people began to call on the name of the LORD". Did they start using a certain name for God or something? Or just start praying?
Genesis 5:
21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 2223 Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. 24 Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 26 After he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. 27 Altogether, Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.
First, the obvious, How the hell did these people live this long? Really good sunscreen? Then, are the Enoch and the Lamech metioned here the same as the Enoch and Lamech mentioned with Cain? Did somebody mess up on the lineage? Are they just popular names? Did the author only have certain names and is doing the best he can to connect all these names in some way to Adam, although it may not be necessarily complete or accurate?
Any kind of help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
It is only through him, and what he did, that we can have a right relationship with God. If God had given them eternal life right away, it would have involved sweeping their sins under the carpet, so to speak...
