Sabbath School for Adults: How To Interpret Scripture: Lesson 7: Language, Text, and Context

Wednesday May 13

Texts And Contexts 

Words in Scripture always occur in a context. They do not stand by themselves. A word has its immediate context within a sentence, and it is this unit that needs to be understood first. Then there is the wider context of the overall unit in which the sentence occurs. This may be a section of writing, a chapter, or a series of chapters. It is essential to understand as well as possible the context of words and sentences in order not to arrive at erroneous conclusions.

Compare Genesis 1:27 with Genesis 2:7. Then read Genesis 2:15-23. How can we understand from these different passages and contexts the definition of adam, the Hebrew word for “man”?

We have already seen that the repetition of the term bara’ in Genesis 1:27 indicates an emphasis on the creation of man. Now we see that man is defined within the context of this verse as “male and female.” This means that the Hebrew term adam is to be understood in this passage as a reference generically to humanity.

However, in Genesis 2:7 the same term adam is used to refer to the forming of Adam out of the dust of the “ground” (in Hebrew adamah—notice the play on words). Here only the male, Adam, is referred to, for Eve is not created until later and in an entirely different manner. Thus, in each passage, even within the context of two chapters, we see a differentiation between the definition of adam as “humanity” (Gen. 1:27) and the man Adam (Gen. 2:7). That Adam is a person is later affirmed in the genealogies (Gen. 5:1-5, 1 Chron. 1:1, Luke 3:38) and in reference to Jesus, who becomes the “second Adam” (Rom. 5:12-14).

Just as the word Adam occurs in a specific text, so the context of the creation of Adam and Eve is found in the larger Creation account as seen in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2. This is what is meant by a larger unit. The unit informs the interpreter of additional themes, ideas, and developments. Genesis 2:4-25 has sometimes been called the second Creation account, but in fact there is only a difference in emphasis (see next week). In both accounts, though, we are shown the definitive origins of humanity.

As we can see, man and woman—humanity—are the direct creations of God. What does this tell us about how foolish the “wisdom of this world” (1 Cor. 1:20) truly is by teaching us that we arose from mere chance?