226. Genesis 3:9-10. And Jehovah God called to the human and said to him, "Where are you?" And he said, "I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself."
The meaning of calling and of the voice in the garden and the reason they were afraid at being naked and hid themselves has already been explained [§§219-220, 222-224].
It is a common occurrence in the Word for people first to be asked where they are or what is happening, 1 although the Lord already knows everything. The purpose of the inquiry is to give the person an opportunity for acknowledgment and confession.
Footnotes:
1. For such queries, see Genesis 3:13; see also Genesis 16:8 and 21:17 (and the discussion of these verses at §§1931, 2693); Exodus 4:2; Ezekiel 37:3; Matthew 20:32; 26:50; Mark 10:51; Luke 18:41; John 5:6; 18:4, 7; 20:15; 21:15-17. [LHC]
