The Discovery of Genesis (52 page)

The world’s first tragedy ended when Adam and Eve were expelled from their beautiful Garden home in Eden. “Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man” (Genesis 3:23, 24). Adam was sent out of the Garden, no more to enjoy its bountiful fruits. The ground had been cursed, and from that time on he must toil vigorously to destroy unwanted weeds in order to produce food from the soil for his family.

Adam was driven out of the Garden because God did not want him to become an immortal sinner with access to the tree of life, thus perpetuating his life as long as he ate of its fruit. “‘Lest he [the man] put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever’ — therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden” (Genesis 3:22, 23).

The word to
drive out, expel
is an interesting combination. In it is recognized an
offender
. Because Adam had become an offender, God told them that they must
go, or travel
. A closer examination of this radical reveals an abbreviated form
of the radical for
foot
. Substituting for the
person
at the top of this figure are actually
two
persons
superimposed upon
as
. An ancient form
verifies that
two persons
originally
went.
Instead of writing the two figures separately, the character is written without lifting the writing instrument, and simplified to
. Combining the various portions, the word
to drive out or expel
is formed. This contains the reason for the expulsion:
two people
had become
offenders.