saying: “Of every tree of Paradise thou shalt eat, but of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat; for in what day soever thou shalt eat of it, thou shalt die the death.” [1]
Adam was still alone on the earth. Hence God said: “It is not good[2] for man to be alone; let Us make him a help like unto himself.” Then, God caused all the animals to come before Adam, that he might give to each its name. But for Adam there was not found a help like to himself; therefore, casting a deep sleep [3] upon Adam, God took one of his ribs and formed of it a woman. When Adam awoke, God brought to him his wife; and Adam rejoiced to see another being like himself. He called her Eve, that is, the mother of the living[4].
COMMENTARY.
God is good. To know this, you have only to count up the benefits and graces which He conferred upon Adam and Eve.
The twofold likeness of God. Man is the first among all God's creatures on earth, because he was created to the image of God, and is, therefore, like unto Him. This likeness is, however, a twofold one, a natural and a supernatural one, for which reason the two words, image and likeness, are used. For something to be the image of a person or of some other thing, it must be, to a certain degree, like that person or thing; but “likeness” signifies a still closer degree of resemblance. If one person is almost the same as another, we say they are alike.
- ↑ Die the death, i. e. become mortal, or subject to death. God added this threat to ensure the keeping of the command. By the threatened penalty of death it was easy for man to perceive how great his sin would be, if he ate the forbidden fruit.
- ↑ It is not good. This is the only time that God said of His work: “It is not good”, because the work was still incomplete. The human race required not only a father, but also a mother. The two form the head and centre of the family. Hence it was not good for Adam to be alone. Furthermore no social life was possible for Adam without a companion like himself. He could not converse with the beasts of the earth that are devoid of reason and language. But why did God call all the animals before Adam? (i) In order that Adam might exercise his dominion over them by giving to each one a name suitable to its character; (2) to prove to him that none of the animals were like himself, and that his nature was far higher than theirs; (3) that Adam, by finding himself lonely in the midst of all the beasts, might feel the want of a companion like himself, and might be the more grateful to God for creating Eve.
- ↑ A deep sleep. It was a sleep of ecstasy, during which he was aware of the significance of God’s action, both to himself and to all future generations.
- ↑ Living, i. e. of all men. Adam is the father, and Eve the mother of all men, because all men are descended from them.
