Hebrew Bible Exegesis

1543 Words4 Pages

The translation and exegesis of the Hebrew Bible , have led to many versions of stories that we thought we knew, especially the book of Genesis and the first fall story . Hebrew words such as adam, and other significant words in Hebrew language will be the main focus on in this paper. These words can have very different meanings according to the exegetes and also of a person's belief system that is translating them. Thorough critical analysis of postexilic writings will cast doubt into believers of their faith that indeed, what they have been taught about the stories of the Bible are just one interpretation. These are only interpretations between Hebrew words translated into Greek, and the end product being the English version of the bible.

The interpretation of the Adam-and-Eve story that I've grown up with is what many Christians believe today. The story begins with God creating Adam from dirt, making Eve from Adam's rib, the two living in the Garden of Eden, Eve being tempted by the serpent to eat apple from the tree of knowledge, eating the apple, and being expelled from Eden. This version comes from the King James Bible. Popular belief is that the King James version is as close to the Hebrew version as possible. While researching the first fall account, I had noticed that not only are the English versions inconsistent with each other but inconsistent with the Hebrew Bible, which I would believe to be a more accurate version of what the original authors and intended the Bible to reenact stories and philosophize. Armed with the knowledge that the Bible is not written to be concentric like today's modern writing, I will attempt to critically analyze as thoroughly as possible a neophyte can the many interpretations, interpolations, and extrapolations that can be made from these few verses of the Bible.

"And the woman said to the serpent, from the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat. That from the fruit of the tree is in middle of the garden, Elohim said you shall not eat from it, nor shall you touch it, lest should die" (Genesis 3:2-3)- NRSV. In the revised standards of today's Bibles, it is obvious that the words used to originally translate the Bible are either considered archaic words, or words not used in today's society. Therefore, the use of the word woman instead of 'adam, isha, or groundling is evidence of either mistranslation or interpretation to make the Bible easier and more user-friendly to read.

Open Document