"Flesh Of My Flesh"

Download PDF PDF Page Citation Cite Share Link Share

Context: After God had created the heavens and earth, had cultivated his works and had created man, he "planted a garden eastward in Eden" for man. Inherent in all things were the laws of their nature; the trees began to grow, animals to abound, and all things to assume their various places in the world. Man was given a distinct purpose and function. He was a creature of reason and conscience as well as a creature of nature; therefore, moral decision was involved in his behavior. "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat," commanded God, "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shall not eat: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." As man went about assuming his role in the newly created world, it became apparent that he, of all creatures, was incomplete; he needed a "help meet for him." Therefore, God causes a deep sleep to come over the first man and makes a woman from one of his ribs. When Adam, the first man, awakes and receives the woman from God, he expresses his satisfaction and implies the complementary nature of their two beings in the words:

. . . This is now bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

Get Ahead with eNotes

Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.

Get 48 Hours Free Access
Previous

"Filthy Lucre"

Next

"Founded Upon A Rock"

Loading...