The Discovery of Genesis (26 page)

Using this radical
west
, together with the primitive for
woman
, a new character is formed
, meaning
to want, important, necessary, to desire, a must.
How true this was for Adam who felt lonely and
wanted
a “helper fit for him.” A fitting mate was not only
important
, but a
necessity!.
This character tells not only
what
was important and necessary for the first man (a woman) but also
when
he began to feel his need (late in the day).

When Adam felt his need of companionship, God was ready to satisfy it. “So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh” (Genesis 2:21).

The Chinese character for
flesh
is like a moving picture of this very operation. It consists of a
border
, which could pictographically represent a surgical incision, or “flap,” to be repositioned at the conclusion of the procedure. The radical
to enter or go inside
appears to be halfway entering through the incision, as if God’s hand were going inside Adam’s chest in order to remove the woman, here pictured as another
person
.