Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Noel O'Riordan" <nor AT iol.ie>]

> the crafty snake who was thereby able to deceive them and
> lead them into sin.

What deception occurred, from the text it is clear that the serpent did not
deceive anyone, he merely put a temptation in front of Eve ( and possibly
Adam for the text could be read as inferring that he was present throughout
the whole thing, it certainly does not rule it out. )  It is only through
interpreting Death as being either the Death of Innocence or that one of
Gods days was a 'thousand years' that you could argue that the Serpent
deceived anyone.

>
>
> Isn't it also unusual for snakes (or any animal for that
> matter) to "overhear" words and devise malevolent
> theologies?

Maybe the Serpent had eaten of the fruit itself, we do not read that the
prohibition extended to the animals.




> (2) that Cain is morally like the serpent in at least three
> ways (liar, murderer, cursed),

The serpent did not lie, he certainly did not murder, yes he was cursed just
like Adam and Eve.


> and morally unlike his biological parents (he never confessed to his sin
but only
> complained);

Well when you talk of morals consider that Adam tried to shift the blame to
Eve, and Eve shifted it to the Serpent, not exactly paragons of
contriteness,
in this you can say that Adam and Eve never confessed either.


Regards

Noel O Riordan