Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Norman Cohn <normanncohn AT yahoo.com.br>]

Hi, dear colleagues!

 

I had submitted this thread to another list before finding out about b-hebrew. I think the post fits this group better and that may have been the reason why it didn't generate much debate in the other list!

1. I'll begin with Robert Alter excellent translation of Gen 3:6:

"And the woman saw that the tree was good for eating and that it was lust to the eyes and the tree was lovely to look at, and she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave to her man, and he ate" (Robert Alter. Genesis: translation and commentary, WW Norton&Company)

2. Some contend, however, that the Hebrew text literally says that "she ate, and she also gave to her man WITH HER, and he ate...". As an example, take a look at Young's Literal Translation:

"And the woman seeth that the tree [is] good for food, and that it [is] pleasant to the eyes, and the tree is desirable to make [one] wise, and she taketh of its fruit and eateth, and giveth also to her husband with her, and he doth eat.."

3. According to some scholars, the clause "with her" in the Hebrew text conveys the notion that Adam was with Eve when the serpent tempted her. Moreover, these scholars maintain that knowing whether Adam was or not with Eve when the serpent tempted here is crucial for our understanding of the female's role in the episode which would ultimately cause both to be expelled from Eden. They add that the supression of "with her" from that passage gave people the wrong idea that the woman was the primary responsible for the violation of God's order, thus promoting a mysoginist reading which ended up having a very negative impact on women in general. We read in an intersting scholarly work:

"Adam’s location during the dialogue between Eve and the serpent is significant in terms of his characterization. Since verse 17 contains a reference to Adam listening to Eve’s voice, some conclude that Eve said (or did) something to persuade Adam. Thus parallels are made between the serpent’s dialogue with Eve and this implied dialogue between Eve and Adam. From such speculation emerges the image of Eve (thus all women) as temptress luring Adam (thus all men) into disobedience. If Adam is portrayed as with Eve (the nominal understanding of ’immah), then the image of Eve as tempter loses some of its credibility." (Kristen. E. Kvam, Linda S. Schearing, Valerie H. Zigler: "Eve and Adam: Jewish, Christian and Muslim on Genesis and Gender, Univ. Indiana Press)

4. So, how do you think this passage should be read? Was Adam with Eve when the serpent tempted her? More important: do you think that Adam being present at that fateful moment changes the meaning of the passage? If so, in what ways? Do you think the traditional reading fosters a mysoginistic view of the world?

Thank you and best regards!

Norman Cohn,

SP - Brazil