Difference between revisions of "Gen 3:8-13"
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Christianity has traditionally, at least as far back as Ireneaus, interpreted Genesis 3:15 messianically: Jesus, the offspring of Eve, would crush Satan on the head. Those advocating this view sometimes quote Paul, who uses similar language in [[Rom 16:20|Romans 16:20]]. | Christianity has traditionally, at least as far back as Ireneaus, interpreted Genesis 3:15 messianically: Jesus, the offspring of Eve, would crush Satan on the head. Those advocating this view sometimes quote Paul, who uses similar language in [[Rom 16:20|Romans 16:20]]. | ||
| − | When enmity or hatred of evil serves as a barrier "between" us and evil, it is good because it keeps us from becoming involved with it. However, when hatred of evil becomes a motive for attacking evil, hatred has failed its purpose, since by attacking, we become evil ourselves. That is why Christ taught that we should resist evil by doing good, not by attacking evil directly. Hatred of evil that keeps us from evil is a good thing given us by God. Using hatred as a motivation for attacking evil is Satan's way of taking a good thing and making it bad. In the end, God here promises that He will take care of Satan for us. We should spend our time avoiding Satan, not looking for ways to destroy evil. | + | When enmity or hatred of evil serves as a barrier "between" us and evil, it is good because it keeps us from becoming involved with it. However, when hatred of evil becomes a motive for attacking evil, hatred has failed its purpose, since by attacking, we become evil ourselves. That is why Christ taught that we should resist evil by doing good, not by attacking evil directly (cf. [[Matt 5:39]], [[Rom 12:21]]). Hatred of evil that keeps us from evil is a good thing given us by God. Using hatred as a motivation for attacking evil is Satan's way of taking a good thing and making it bad. In the end, God here promises that He will take care of Satan for us. We should spend our time avoiding Satan, not looking for ways to destroy evil. |
Who is the devil's seed? Assuming the devil's seed are those who followed him in the pre-mortal life, what does it mean that the Lord place enmity between them and the woman. From our perspective it may mean that we have a natural hatred of evil. What does it mean from the perspective of those who followed Satan. Did it give them a natural hatred of us? | Who is the devil's seed? Assuming the devil's seed are those who followed him in the pre-mortal life, what does it mean that the Lord place enmity between them and the woman. From our perspective it may mean that we have a natural hatred of evil. What does it mean from the perspective of those who followed Satan. Did it give them a natural hatred of us? | ||
Revision as of 01:59, 18 August 2005
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Questions
Verse 15
- Who is the serpents seed?
- What does it mean that the Lord put enmity between the woman and the serpent's seed? What does it mean for the woman's seed? What does it mean for the serpent's seed?
Lexical notes
- The word enmity (verse 15) means roughly hatred. Enmity here is translated from the Hebrew word eybah. In both Hebrew and English the word has the same root as enemy. Enmity is essentially the feeling one has for an enemy. Merriam-Webster'sdefinition suggests that enmity is a positive, active, and typically mutual hatred or ill will.
- In verse 15, the word translated as "it" is the Hebrew hu, a singular masculine pronoun that can also be translated as "he," which is done in many modern translations as well as the Joseph Smith Translation (Moses 4:21). The argument for translating hu as "it" is that in Hebrew it grammatically agrees in number and gender with the word for "offspring." Some translators have even translated hu in this context as "they," since "offspring" refers to more than one person. Some early translations used by Catholics also have used the word "she" here, apparently based on some early Latin manuscripts that may have been erroneous.
Exegesis
Verse 15 tells us that the Lord put enmity or hate between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. The seed of the woman refers to people. The serpent represents the devil. His seed could refer to those who followed him in the pre-mortal life. It also can refer to those who follow Satan in this life--as Alma 5:41 indicates, those who follow Satan in this life become his children.
Christianity has traditionally, at least as far back as Ireneaus, interpreted Genesis 3:15 messianically: Jesus, the offspring of Eve, would crush Satan on the head. Those advocating this view sometimes quote Paul, who uses similar language in Romans 16:20.
When enmity or hatred of evil serves as a barrier "between" us and evil, it is good because it keeps us from becoming involved with it. However, when hatred of evil becomes a motive for attacking evil, hatred has failed its purpose, since by attacking, we become evil ourselves. That is why Christ taught that we should resist evil by doing good, not by attacking evil directly (cf. Matt 5:39, Rom 12:21). Hatred of evil that keeps us from evil is a good thing given us by God. Using hatred as a motivation for attacking evil is Satan's way of taking a good thing and making it bad. In the end, God here promises that He will take care of Satan for us. We should spend our time avoiding Satan, not looking for ways to destroy evil.
Who is the devil's seed? Assuming the devil's seed are those who followed him in the pre-mortal life, what does it mean that the Lord place enmity between them and the woman. From our perspective it may mean that we have a natural hatred of evil. What does it mean from the perspective of those who followed Satan. Did it give them a natural hatred of us?
Related links
- Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links
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