tests; and, after all, there still remained something for the serpent to disclose, viz. that such knowledge put man on an equality with God.—in the day . . . die] The threat was not fulfilled; but its force is not to be weakened by such considerations as that man from that time became mortal (Jer. al.), or that he entered on the experience of miseries and hardships which are the prelude of dissolution (Calv. al.). The simple explanation is that God, having regard to the circumstances of the temptation, changed His purpose and modified the penalty.
18-25. Creation of animals and woman.—The Creator,
taking pity on the solitude of the man, resolves to provide
him with a suitable companion. The naïveté of the conception
is extraordinary. Not only did man exist before the
beasts, but the whole animal creation is the result of an
unsuccessful experiment to find a mate for him. Of the
revolting idea that man lived for a time in sexual intercourse
with the beasts (see p. 91), there is not a trace.—18.
a helper] The writer seems to be thinking (as in 25),
not of the original, but of the present familiar conditions of
human life.—(
Hebrew characters)] (only here) lit. 'as in front of him,' i.e.
corresponding to him.—19. The meaning cannot be that the
animals had already been created, and are now brought to
be named (Calv. al. and recently De. Str.): such a sense
is excluded by grammar (see Dri. T. § 76, Obs.), and misses
the point of the passage.—to see what he would call it] To
watch its effect on him, and (eventually) to see if he would
recognise in it the associate he needed,—as one watches
18. (Hebrew characters)] May be cohort. (G-K. § 75l); GV render as 1st p. pl. (as
126).—(Hebrew characters)] (usually 'succour') = 'helper' (abstr. pro concr.) is used elsewhere
chiefly of God (Dt. 337. 26, Ps. 3320 1159ff. etc.); possible exceptions
are Ezk. 1214 (if text right), Ho. 139 (if em. with We.): see BDB.—(Hebrew characters)]
G κατ҆ αὐτόν (but v.20 ὅμοιος αὐτῷ); Aq. ὡς κατέναντι αὐτοῦ; Σ. ἀντικρὺς αὐτοῦ;
V similis sibi (ejus, v.20); S (Syriac characters); TO (Hebrew characters).—19. [E]G ins.
(Hebrew characters) after (Hebrew characters).—Omission of (Hebrew characters) before (Hebrew characters) is remarkable in this ch.
(see on v.9), and is rectified by [E].—(Hebrew characters)] The only construction
possible would be to take (Hebrew characters) as dat. eth., and (Hebrew characters) as direct obj. to (Hebrew characters);
but that is contrary to the writer's usage, and yields a jejune sense.
Even if (with Ra.) we transpose and read 'every living thing which the
man called [by a name], that was its name,' the discord of gender would
