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Etymologically the word eretz signifies cultivated land, as distinguished from land in a state of nature. The Hebrew eretz and our own word earth-Anglo-Saxon eorthe, Gothic airtha, German erde-come from the same root, which signifies to plough. The root is traceable in nearly all Aryan languages, as in Sanskrit ar or ri, Greek aroó, Latin aro, Gothic arjan, Anglo-Saxon erjan, Russian orati, Welsh aradu, English ear, hence earable or arable as applied to ploughed land. No word could more graphically designate the garden of Eden than this word, earth—eretz―the cultivated land -which Adam had to keep in subjection, Gen. i. 28.

110. In the Hebrew Scriptures the word eretz is almost always used in a limited sense, and scarcely ever to signify the entire globe. The native country of Abraham, as well as the land of Canaan, is called the earth or eretz, Gen. xii. 1, "The Lord said unto Abraham, depart from thy country (eretz*) and go to the land (eretz) that I will show thee." So also Gen. xiii. 6, "Therefore the land (eretz) could not support their dwelling together." The words "whole earth-col ha aretz" are used to represent the land of Egypt, Ex. x. 15. In fact the word seldom means anything but a small country. These uses of the

* In these cases I have put the word eretz without the prepositions or suffixes, that the general reader may find no difficulty in recognizing the same word.

word in Scripture, and particularly in Genesis, show that it is far more consistent to take the word, in the narrative now being considered (Gen. i. ii., 1-4), as meaning but a limited locality, rather than the entire surface of our globe. I take the word in this sense alone throughout the narrative.

111. It is to be observed, further, that the word translated "created"-bara-signifies to create, make, decorate, cut, kill, &c., as will appear from the following texts and considerations.

"Let us make ('asah) man.”—Gen. i. 26.

"So God created (bara) man.”—Gen. i. 27.

"Get thee to the wood, and cut down (bara).”—Josh. xvii. 15.

"And dispatch (bara) them with their swords."Ezl. xxiii. 47.

The Septuagint translate the Hebrew bara by poiein, to make, and ktizein, to create, indifferently. The Jewish Targum puts bara, for bara, to create, 'asah, to make, and yatzar, to decorate.

112. Some suppose that the original meaning of bara was to cut; hence to carve or make anything by hewing. Others derive the word from heb raah, "to bring to view," "to produce a seeing" or "cause to appear (see Cos Yeshu'oth, a. m. 5606, page 72)." The Septuagint understood the word in this sense, as in Isa. xl. 26, "Behold, who has created (bara) these things." The Septuagint has, "Behold, who has caused these

things to appear (katedeixe)." As also Num. xvi. 30, "If the Lord make a new thing;" Heb. "If the Jehovah create a creation-beriyah yibra;" Sept. "If the Lord shall appear in a vision-en phasmati deixei." These observations show that bara means not, the causing of something to exist where nothing existed before; so that there is not a word in the Mosaic narrative which necessarily shows it to be a narrative of the creation.

113. The theory of reconciliation, which I have here proposed, stands clear of the principal objection which has been urged against that of Dr. Pye Smith (par. 102). Like his, it harmonizes with science, inasmuch as it prevents science and Scripture from coming into collision. It is the most probable meaning of the document, as the Bible is a book for man, about man, and not about creation in its most unlimited sense. The use of the words "heaven" and "earth" in the narrative, requires such an interpretation as that which I have proposed (parr. 108-110). The meaning of the word bara, rendered "created," will admit of this, and the only question which now remains is this, -Is it physically possible for such darkness and desolation, as are described, to exist in a very limited locality, while light and life fill all the earth?

114. That the second verse does not describe a

state of absolute desolation has been shown before (parr. 51-53). The only question, therefore, remaining is, whether the darkness described was of such intensity as to be physically impossible under the conditions supposed. The description of the six days' work seems to me to be highly poetic. "And God said," "Let us make man;" God said to the fish, &c., "be fruitful, &c.; "God rested, &c.," are expressions which become poetry better far than prose. It is not necessary, therefore, that "the darkness" should mean the total absence of light. In fact, we find the word otherwise used in Scripture. A number of locusts flying through the air are said to cover the earth with darkness. See Ex. x. 15. The words are these,66 They covered the face of the whole earth (eretz— land or district), so that the land (eretz) was darkened -vathechshak," from chashak, to become obscure: and hence choshek, darkness.

115. Sufficient has been now stated to show that the theory last mentioned is natural-is no far fetched hypothesis, but a theory which brings us back to the original simplicity of Scripture, and of the age in which this part of Scripture was written. It harmonizes with the facts of science, as it leaves untouched what Moses did not understand, and is not only in harmony with the words of the narrative, but appears to me to be directly taught by them.

SECTION VIII.-THE METHOD OF REVELA

TION.

116. The narrative under consideration forms, in all probability, the oldest document in existence. It is evident, to the most superficial reader of the Hebrew Scriptures, that Moses compiled the Book of Genesis from a variety of historical and other documents then existing; being directed in his selection and arrangement by the Spirit of God.

117. The author of the first section of Genesis (i., ii. 1-4), whoever he may have been, could not be narrating a history as an eye-witness, -as Moses narrated the departure of the children of Israel from Egypt, or as the evangelists narrated the history of Christ. The events recorded in Genesis had taken place before Adam even began to be. The writer must have had the matter revealed to him in some way or other. We are not informed how the revelation was made: we are left to our own suppositions.

118. The Bible, in other parts, mentions four principal methods of revelation. 1st, Divine writing, as in the case of the tables of the law. This was an extraordinary method of revelation; and there is nothing in the narrative in Genesis, or in the way in which it is introduced, which would lead us to suppose it to have been written by the finger of God.

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