[OT] Seven in Genesis 2

• Seven in Genesis 2
• Eden/East, has 7 occurrences
  
• Adam/Man (Hebrew "Adam"/"ish"), 28 (4 X 7).  Note that "ish" is translated as "man," and "Adam" is translated as both "man" and "Adam"
• Woman (issha) / Helper / Rib, 21 (3 X 7)
• Root word for "Eat" (Akhal), 7 in the paragraph describing the sin
• "take" (laqah), 7
• There are seven paragraphs in this section

[OT] References to Deity in Genesis 2

• "Elohim" ("God") is used exclusively in chap 1.  "YHWY Elohim" (i.e. "Lord God" or "Jehovah God") is used almost exclusively in this chapter except in the conversation between the serpent and woman ("Elohim" only).  After this, "YHWH Elohim" is not used together in Genesis.  "YHWH" is not used in the serpent conversation because God's name is holy.
  

• Cassuto rejects the documentary hypothesis and explains the use of the titles of deity this way:
• YHWH occurs when scripture reflects the concept of God -- his ethical aspect regarding the people of Israel
• Elohim occurs in the abstract conception of God in international circles and as the creator of the material world, ruler of nature and source of life
• YHWH expresses the direct and intuitive notion of God among the unsophisticated faith of the multitude
• Elohim conveys the concept of those philosophically minded
• YHWH expresses God's personal nature in relationship to humans or nature
• Elohim  occurs speaking of God as a transcendental being outside of nature

[OT] The Garden of Eden and parallels to other middle eastern traditions

• Tree of Life
• First use of "tree of life" is with the definite article ("the") showing previous familiarity with it.
• Gilgamesh Epic similarities to the story of the Garden of Eden:
  
• Has a garden of the goddess Siduri
• Has same terms "pleasant to the sight" and "good to look upon" (see Gen 2:9, Gen 3:6)
  
• Trees bear precious stones instead of fruit (soham [onyx]& saffir [saffire]- also listed in the Ezekiel reference to the Garden of Eden, and soham [onyx] in Genesis 2:12,  near references to the trees of life and of knowledge).
  
• The Garden of Eden story has Adam created from the dust of the ground by God.  Middle eastern creation texts have man created by Aruru, Marduk or by both of them together; by Enki; by Enlil; by the four great gods; or by the Anunnaki.  Sometimes they speak of the gods giving birth to humans, sometimes of birth in connection with creation from the clay of the earth, and at other times through creation from the clay or clay mingled with the blood of a god slaughtered for this purpose, or mixed with his blood and flesh.  Egyptians had the god Khnum fashioning with his hands the bodies of men and women, performing this work on the potter's wheel.  These myths are opposed by the Torah (even dust is used instead of clay to create man).
• Archaic items bearing similarities to the Garden of Eden story found in antiquity (although rejected as parallels by Umberto Cassuto):
• A Babylonian seal with a man and woman sitting on opposite sides of a tree and a serpent behind the man
• A discovery at Tepe-Gawra of a seal showing a man and woman in bent position bowed down by a burden with a serpent behind them (3500-4000 BCE)

[OT] Garden of Eden accounts in Genesis and Ezekiel

Poetic Epic of the Garden of Eden existed prior to Genesis

• According to Cassuto, the Genesis 2-3 author appears to have taken material from the creation saga & extra-biblical Garden of Eden accounts.
  
• The author rejected and nullified by silence or by critical remarks that which was considered objectionable in the material of the time.

Ezekiel 28 compares the King of Tire to to a cherub from the Garden of Eden.  Ezekiel refers to an older, already known epic -- apparently a cherub or one of the cherubim (plural for cherub) who dwelt in the Garden of Eden on the top of the mountain of God (which was as high as the the heavens).  The cherub sinned in his pride and was punished by being driven from the garden and cast to earth.  This may be related to stories of angels being cast down to the earth elsewhere.

• Similarities between Ezekiel and Genesis stories of the Garden of Eden
  
• Garden is in Eden
• Miraculous trees
• cherub associated with the garden
• a creature dwells in garden (man in Genesis, cherub in Ezekiel)
• Creature sins and is expelled
• Similar phrases
  
• "on the day when you were created" (Ezekiel) / "from the day you were created" (Genesis)
• "when they were created" / "In the day that the Lord God made .. in the day when they were created"
• "In the midst of the stones of fire (of the garden of Eden) you walked"/ "walking in the garden"
  
• "I turned you to ashes (Hebrew epher) upon the earth" / "for you are dust (Hebrew aphar) and to dust you shall return

• Differences between Ezekiel and Genesis stories of the Garden of Eden
• Garden of God (Ezekiel) vs Garden for Man (Genesis)
• Garden on Sacred Mountain (Ezekiel).  Genesis implies rivers flow from the garden, so garden must be up high
• Precious stones & gold in the garden (Ezekiel) and as a covering for the cherub vs  gold and soham out of the garden in the Land of Havilah (Genesis 2:11-12)
• Stones of fire (similar to stones of lightening in Ugaritic & Akkadian texts) vs the Cherubim & a flaming sword in Genesis
  
• Cherub inhabits & is cast out of garden (Ezekiel) vs man inhabiting and being cast out of the garden (Genesis)

[OT] Differences between creation stories of Genesis 1 & 2

Creation focus between Gen 1 & 2 are quite different:

• Genesis 1 is more speculative, discussing the mystery of the world's existence, which likely appealing to the philosophically oriented
• Genesis 2 is simpler, more anthropomorphic, more appealing to the masses, more colorful & vivid

Differences between Genesis 1 / Genesis 2 creation stories

• 6 days / 1 day for creation (Gen: 2:4)
• World from a mass of water (Gen 1:2,6-7) / Land comes 1st (Gen: 2:5-6)
• Sexes created at same time / Man formed 1st
• Plants on 3rd day before man's creation / Man created before plants & herbs (Gen: 2:5-9)
  
• Living creatures created before man / Living creatures created after man, and for his sake (Gen 2:19)