The Bible

 

Бытие 3

Study

   

1 Хитрјйшій изъ всјхъ звјрей полевыхъ, которыхъ Іегова Богъ создалъ, былъ змјй. Онъ сказалъ женј: подлинно ли скізалъ Богъ: не јшьте плодовъ ни съ какого дерева въ саду?

2 Жена сказала змјю: мы јдимъ плоды съ деревъ въ саду.

3 Только плодовъ съ дерева, которое посреди сада, сказалъ Богъ, не вкушайте, и не прнкасайтесь къ нему чтобы не умереть.

4 И сказалъ змјй женј: не умрете;

5 но знаетъ Богъ, что въ день, въ который вы вкусите плода его, откроются глаза ваши, и вы будете, какъ Боги, знающіе добро и зло.

6 Женј показалось, что это дерево хорошо для пищи, и что оно пріятно для очей, и что прекрасно это дерево, потому что даетъ знаніе: и она взяла плодъ его, и јла; также дала мужу своему, и онъ јлъ.

7 Тогда у нихъ обоихъ открылись глаза, и они увидјли, что наги, и сшили смоковныя листья, и сдјлали себј опоясанія.

8 И услышали гласъ Іеговы Бога ходящаго въ саду во время прохлады дня, и скрылся человјкъ и жена его отъ лица Іеговы Бога между деревьями сада.

9 И воззвалъ Іегова Богъ къ человјку и сказалъ ему: гдј ты?

10 Онъ сказалъ: я услышалъ гласъ Твой въ саду и убоялся, потому что я нагъ, и скрылся.

11 А Онъ сказалъ: кто тебј сказалъ, что ты нагъ? развј ты вкусилъ отъ древа, отъ котораго Я запретилъ тебј вкушать?

12 И сказалъ человјкъ: жена, которую Ты мнј далъ, она дала мнј плодъ съ этого дерева, и я јлъ.

13 И сказалъ Іегова Богъ женј: что ты это сдјлала? и сказала жена: змјй обольстилъ меня, и я јла.

14 Тогда Іегова Богъ сказалъ змјю: за то, что ты это сдјлалъ, проклятъ ты предъ всјми скотами и предъ всјми звјрями полевыми Ты будешь ходить на чревј твоемъ, и будешь јсть прахъ во всј дни жизни твоей.

15 И вражду положу между тобою и между женою, и между сјменемъ твоимъ и между сјменемъ ея; оно будетъ поражать тебя въ голову, а ты будешь жалить его въ пяту.

16 Женј сказалъ: скорбь на скорбь наведу Я тебј въ беременности твоей; съ болјзнію будешь рождать дјтей; и къ мужу твоему влеченіе твое, и онъ будетъ господствовать надъ тобою.

17 И человјку сказалъ: за то, что ты послушалъ словъ жены твоей, и јлъ съ древа, о которомъ Я заповјдалъ тебј говоря: не вкушай отъ него, - проклята земля за тебя; съ скорбію будешь питаться отъ нея во всј дни жизни твоей.

18 Тернъ и волчецъ произраститъ она тебј; и ты будешь питаться полевою травою.

19 Въ потј лица своего будешь јсть хлјбъ, пока не возвратишься въ землю, поелику ты изъ нея взятъ; ибо ты персть, и въ персть возвратишься.

20 И нарекъ человјкъ женј своей имя: Ева, ибо сдјлалась матерью всјхъ живущихъ.

21 И сдјлалъ Іегова Богъ человјку и женј его одежды кожаныя и одјлъ ихъ.

22 И сказалъ Іегова Богъ: вотъ, человјкъ сталъ, какъ одинъ изъ Насъ, зная добро и зло; теперь, чтобы не простеръ руки своей, и не взялъ плода съ древа жизни, и не вкусилъ его, и не сталъ жить во вјкъ.

23 И выслалъ его Іегова Богъ изъ сада Едемскаго воздјлывать землю, изъ которой онъ взятъ.

24 И когда изгналъ человјка, тогда на востокъ у сада Едемскаго поставилъ Херувимовъ и пламенный, обращающійся мечъ, чтобы охранять путь къ древу жизни.

   

Commentary

 

Genesis 3 - Synopsis

By Bradley Sheahan, New Christian Bible Study Staff

Genesis 3 tells the famous story of Eve being tempted by the serpent, to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eve then gives the fruit to Adam, and he eats it, too. They suddenly realize that they are naked, and are ashamed, so they make clothes for themselves out of fig leaves. Jehovah finds out what has happened. He curses the serpent, and sends Adam and Eve out of the garden, to make their way in the world, with work and hardship.

Here’s a brief outline:

  • Eve and Adam cave in to the serpent’s temptation (Genesis 3:1-7)
  • Jehovah hears their excuses (8-13)
  • Jehovah curses the serpent, and judges Eve and Adam (15)
  • They have to leave Eden (23, 24)

This third chapter of Genesis continues the story of the Most Ancient Church and its fall from grace. We are introduced to “the serpent” who encourages thinking "my way" instead of in the ways that God is leading us. The people of the Most Ancient Church gradually turned away from the teachings of their ancestors and began to rely on their own worldly knowledge. The people used sensual interpretations of the world to define their relationship with God. While still a holy people, their connection to God was not as intimate as that of their forefathers, since they had lost their direct line of communication with the Divine. This chapter gives an overview of this church and its fall. The following chapters will go into more detail about the subsequent generations, that eventually lead us to Noah.


Spiritual lessons from this chapter: This chapter teaches us about the misguided use of worldly knowledge to find God. As the ancient peoples began to get more natural, sensual knowledge, they began to value it more, and to think of their lives and power and knowledge as being their own. As they fell deeper and deeper into this illusion, they slowly cut off their connection to God. As can be seen in Genesis 1, there is a spiritual progression that leads to God, and in the same way there is an opposite progression that leads man away from God. It's not irreversible, though. In the end, the Lord is always present, and we always have the option to turn to or away from Him.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #753

Study this Passage

  
/ 1232  
  

753. For the devil is come down unto you.- That this signifies, because they receive evils from hell, is evident from the signification of the devil, as denoting that hell from which evils come (concerning which see above, n. 740); and from the signification of coming down unto them, when said of the devil, as denoting to be among them, to seduce them, and to be received by them. Those to whom the devil came down mean those that inhabit the earth and the sea, and these signify those who are merely natural and sensual, who became such because they rejected the life of faith, which is called charity. Those who reject this because of their religion, and who believe and say in their heart that deeds contribute nothing to salvation, but that faith alone and piety in worship save, remain natural, and even become sensual, so far as they reject goods in act or deed, and give themselves up to the pleasures that spring from the loves of self and of the world. Because such remain natural, and even become sensual, they receive with delight the evils that arise out of hell; for the natural man is in those evils from birth, and unless he also becomes spiritual, he continues in them. For when a man becomes spiritual he has communion with the heavens, and receives goods therefrom, and the goods received from the Lord through heaven remove evils, and this is effected entirely by a life according to the commandments from the Word.

  
/ 1232  
  

Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.