Cain, Blacks And The Priesthood

The history of black membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can be divided between the era from 1830 to June 1978 and the period since then.

125HISTORY. Though few in number, blacks have been attracted to the Church since its organization. Early converts (such as Elijah Abel) joined during the 1830s; others (such as Jane Manning James) joined after the Saints moved to Illinois. Among those who came to Utah as pioneers were Green Flake, who drove Brigham Young’s wagon into the Salt Lake Valley, and Samuel Chambers, who joined in Virginia as a slave and went west after being freed. Throughout the twentieth century, small numbers of blacks continued to join the Church, such as the Sargent family of Carolina County, Virginia, who joined in 1906; Len and Mary Hope, who joined in Alabama during the 1920s; Ruffin Bridgeforth, a railroad worker in Utah, converted in 1953; and Helvecio Martins, a black Brazilian businessman, baptized in 1972 (he became a general authority in 1990). These members remained committed to their testimonies and Church activities even though during this period prior to 1978 black members could not hold the priesthood or participate in temple ordinances

The reasons for these restrictions have not been revealed. Church leaders and members have explained them in different ways over time. Although several blacks were ordained to the priesthood in the 1830s, there is no evidence that Joseph Smith authorized new ordinations in the 1840s, and between 1847 and 1852 Church leaders maintained that blacks should be denied the priesthood because of their lineage. According to the book of Abraham (now part of the Pearl of Great Price), the descendants of Cain were to be denied the priesthood of God (Abr. 1:23-26). Some Latter-day Saints theorized that blacks would be restricted throughout mortality. As early as 1852, however, Brigham Young said that the “time will come when they will have the privilege of all we have the privilege of and more” (Brigham Young Papers, Church Archives, Feb. 5, 1852), and increasingly in the 1960s, Presidents of the Church taught that denial of entry to the priesthood was a current commandment of God, but would not prevent blacks from eventually possessing all eternal blessings. (Encyclopedia of Mormonism 4 vols., Daniel H. Ludlow, 1992 Macmillan Publishing Company p. 125)

“On the sad character Cain, an interesting story comes to us from Lycurgus A. Wilson’s book on the life of David W. Patten. From the book I quote an extract from a letter by Abraham O. Smoot giving his recollection of David Patten’s account of meeting “a very remarkable person who had represented himself as being Cain.”As I was riding along the road on my mule I suddenly noticed a very strange personage walking beside me…. His head was about even with my shoulders as I sat in my saddle. He wore no clothing, but was covered with hair. His skin was very dark. I asked him where he dwelt and he replied that he had no home, that he was a wanderer in the earth and traveled to and fro. He said he was a very miserable creature, that he had earnestly sought death during his sojourn upon the earth, but that he could not die, and his mission was to destroy the souls of men. About the time he expressed himself thus, I rebuked him in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by virtue of the Holy Priesthood, and commanded him to go hence, and he immediately departed out of my sight.”

An excerpt from Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, p.127-128

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Lesson 6 – “Noah … Prepared an Ark to the Saving of His House” – Noah is a marvelous type of Christ

Lesson 6 – “Noah … Prepared an Ark to the Saving of His House”  – Christ’s atonement like Noah’s ark saves the House of Israel

Moses 8:19–30; Genesis 11:1–9

Genesis 6–9

THE FIRST BOOK OF MOSES CALLED
GENESIS

CHAPTER 6

Sons of God marry daughters of men—Men turn to wickedness; earth is filled with violence; all flesh is corrupted—The flood promised—God establishes his covenant with Noah, who builds an ark to save his family and divers living things.

1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

2 (1) That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

3 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. (2) 120 years Noah would preach repentance and try to save the world before the Flood was sent)

4 There were giants (3) in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

5 ¶ And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (4) Compare to today

6 And it (5) repented the Lord ( It repented Noah that God made man JST) that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

7 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

9 ¶ These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. (6) Gabriel The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that Noah is Gabriel and stands next in authority to Adam in the priesthood.

10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (7) Japheth was the first one of the three sons born, Shem the second, and Ham the last

11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

14 ¶ Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt (8) pitch it within and without with pitch. (atonement)

15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.

16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.  (9)  450 x 76 x 45 feet, 300 x 120 ft = football field, ark= 1 1/2 football fields

17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.

18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, (10) Atonement )  thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.

20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.

21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.

22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

(1) Genesis 6:1–2, 21 . What Is Meant by the “Sons of God” and the “Daughters of Men”?

Moses 8:13–16 further clarifies what is meant here and why this intermarriage is condemned. Commenting on the same verses, Elder Joseph Fielding Smith wrote:“Because the daughters of Noah married the sons of men contrary to the teachings of the Lord, his anger was kindled, and this offense was one cause that brought to pass the universal flood. You will see that the condition appears reversed in the Book of Moses. It was the daughters of the sons of God who were marrying the sons of men, which was displeasing unto the Lord. The fact was, as we see it revealed, that the daughters who had been born, evidently under the covenant, and were the daughters of the sons of God, that is to say of those who held the priesthood, were transgressing the commandment of the Lord and were marrying out of the Church. Thus they were cutting themselves off from the blessings of the priesthood contrary to the teachings of Noah and the will of God.” ( Answers to Gospel Questions, 1:136–37.)

A correct interpretation to be given to Moses 8:15 may simply be that these women “sold themselves” short by marrying men who could not give them the advantages of the gospel with its ordinances, covenants, teachings, and Spirit. Succumbing, in fact, resulted in their bartering away their own righteousness for the temporal appeasements of marriage. 7 Whatever evil connotation is to be ascribed to marriage in the story of the daughters of Noah‘s sons is more fittingly ascribed to their willingness to deprive themselves of the blessings in the covenants attached to the gospel. Their story stands as a startling reminder that things embraced in the gospel plan have eternal ramifications that outweigh the temporal satisfactions that end with mortal associations

President Spencer W. Kimball warned Latter-day Saints today of the dangers of marrying outside of the covenant:“Paul told the Corinthians, ‘Be ye not unequally yoked together. . . .’ Perhaps Paul wanted them to see that religious differences are fundamental differences. Religious differences imply wider areas of conflict. Church loyalties and family loyalties clash. Children’s lives are often frustrated. The nonmember may be equally brilliant, well trained and attractive, and he or she may have the most pleasing personality, but without a common faith, trouble lies ahead for the marriage. There are some exceptions but the rule is a harsh and unhappy one.

“There is no bias nor prejudice in this doctrine. It is a matter of following a certain program to reach a definite goal.” ( Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 240.)

(2) Genesis 6:3 . What Is the Significance of the Promise of 120 Years?

Many scholars, who have only Genesis to study, believe that this statement prophesied the shortened life expectancy that would take place after the Flood. In the book of Moses, however, it is clear that the 120 years referred to the time when Noah would preach repentance and try to save the world before the Flood was sent (see Moses 8:17 ). This period would be the time referred to by Peter as the time when “the longsuffering of God waited” ( 1 Peter 3:20 ). Because the people rejected the principles and ordinances of the gospel, preached to them by Noah, they were destroyed in the Flood. The Lord gave them more than adequate time to repent.

(3) Genesis 6:4 – Giants

The giants referred to in Gen. 6:4 and Moses 8:18 have been viewed in apocryphal accounts to be the offspring of the mismatched union of angels (sons of God) and humans (daughters of men).

Hebrew word for giants used in Genesis implies tnot great stature, but ferocious and daring characters who delighted in carnage and devastation wherever they were to be found.in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

(4) Genesis 6:5 Salt Lake City and Wickedness in Noah’s day like today

President Heber C. Kimball, who knew the Prophet Joseph Smith well, and who was first counselor to President Brigham Young for many years, spoke of when Salt Lake City would become one of the wicked cities of the world as the saints turned their hearts to worldly wealth. He prophesied of the trials that would come upon them.

74 Our sons and daughters must live pure lives so as to be prepared for what is coming.

74After a while the gentiles will gather by the thousands to this place, and Salt Lake City will be classed among the wicked cities of the world. A spirit of speculation and extravagance will take possession of the Saints, and the results will be financial bondage.

74Persecution comes next and all true Latter-day Saints will be tested to the limit. Many will apostatize and others will be still not knowing what to do ….

74Before that day comes, however, the Saints will be put to tests that will try the integrity of the best of them. The pressure will become so great that the more righteous among them will cry unto the Lord day and night until deliverance comes. 11

74Brigham Young spoke of the problems that would come upon the saints if they did not remain faithful.

74If the Latter-day Saints do not desist from running after the things of this world, and begin to reform and do the work the Father has given them to do, they will be found wanting, and they, too, will be swept away and counted as unprofitable servants. ( Coming of the Lord Gerald N. Lund 1971 Deseret Book Company  chapter 5)

That our days are similar to the days of Noah was also affirmed by President Joseph Fielding Smith, who declared:

Our Savior promised that the days preceding his second coming will be typical of the days of the flood. A glance at the sixth chapter of Genesis will reveal the conditions of the world in the days of Noah and the flood and the reason for the cleansing by water. This comparison is not to be taken figuratively, but literally as it is given. The world today is corrupt and filled with violence as it was at that earlier day, for now as then, ‘All flesh has corrupted his way upon the earth.’ [Gen. 6:12.] The Lord promised that he would never again destroy the entire world with a flood of water, but he did promise to cleanse it the second time with sword and with fire. [See Moses 7:50-51, 58-62.] (THY, p. 173.)

Without Natural Affection

When the Savior likened the days before His second coming to those of Noah, he also made reference to the wickedness “in the days of Lot.” (See Luke 17:26-30.) Lot was warned to flee the gross perversion of Sodom and Gomorrah, where immorality, including homosexuality, was the accepted way of life. (See Genesis 19; see also JST, Genesis 19.) The Apostle Paul foresaw these same conditions in the last days: “In the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, . . . without natural affection, . . . lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.” (See 2 Timothy 3:1-4; italics added.)

(5) Genesis 6:6–7 . How Could the Lord, Being Perfect, Repent?

See Moses 8:25–26 . The Prophet Joseph Smith stated: “I believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers. Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors. As it read [ Genesis 6:6 ], ‘It repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth’; also [ Numbers 23:19 ], ‘God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the Son of man, that he should repent’; which I do not believe. But it ought to read, ‘It repented Noah that God made man.’” ( Teachings, p. 327.)

(6) Genesis 6:9 . The Man Noah

“The Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith many things in relation to the ancient prophets and the keys which they held. In a discourse on the Priesthood July 2, 1839, the Prophet made known what the Lord had revealed to him in relation to the missions of the ancient prophets and seers. In the course of his remarks he said this:

“‘. . . Noah, who is Gabriel; he stands next in authority to Adam in the Priesthood; he was called of God to this office, and was the father of all living in his day, and to him was given the dominion. These men held keys first on earth, and then in heaven. . . .’ [Smith, Teachings, pp. 157–58.]

“Luke reveals the coming of the angel Gabriel to Zacharias to inform him that his wife would bear a son. He also appeared to Mary and announced the birth of our Lord and Savior.

“Gabriel then is Noah according to this revelation.” (Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 3:138–41.)

“Noah, who built the ark, was one of God’s greatest servants, chosen before he was born as were others of the prophets. He was no eccentric, as many have supposed. Neither was he a mythical figure created only in legend. Noah was real. . . .

“Let no one downgrade the life and mission of this great prophet. Noah was so near perfect in his day that he literally walked and talked with God. . . .

“Few men in any age were as great as Noah. In many respects he was like Adam, the first man. Both had served as ministering angels in the presence of God even after their mortal experience. Adam was Michael, the archangel, but Noah was Gabriel, one of those nearest to God. Of all the hosts of heaven, he was chosen to open the Christian era by announcing to Mary that she would become the mother of the Savior, Jesus Christ. He even designated the name by which the Redeemer should be known here on earth, saying He would be the Son of God. . . .

“. . . The Lord decreed that [the earth would be cleansed] by water, a worldwide deluge. Therefore, from among his premortal spirit children, God chose another great individual—His third in line, Gabriel—to resume the propagation of mankind following the flood.” (Mark E. Petersen, Noah and the Flood [1982], 1–4.)

(7) Genesis 6:10

The typical way of referring to Noah’s sons is in the order given in Genesis, that is, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The book of Moses, however, records that Japheth was the first one of the three sons born, Shem the second, and Ham the last (see Moses 8:12 ).

(8)  Genesis 6:  – Pitch

The Hebrew word (kpr), translated pitch in this verse, is used many other times in the Bible. The word as used in Genesis 6:14 denotes a protective covering. In every other instance where this Hebrew word is found, it refers to the atonement. The atonement of Jesus Christ provides us with a protective covering; it shields us from the power of the adversary, just as the pitch protected the ark from the life-threatening waters.

But the essential point may be the wood itself. Jesus died on a cross of wood, thus uniting his redemptive sacrifice with the punishment of criminals under the law: “Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). Jesus carried his own cross to Golgotha which was represented centuries earlier when “Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son” (Genesis 22:6). In both cases the Scriptures have something to say about “wood” as a symbol of Jesus’ death. The ark is expressly and fittingly said to be made of wood since the ark represents our redemption through the sacrifice of Christ.

(9) Genesis 6:14–16 . What Was the Ark Like?

“The ark: the Hebrew word means ‘box’ or ‘chest.’ It is used elsewhere only for the watertight ‘basket’ in which the baby Moses floated on the Nile—an interesting parallel.

“The ark is vast, designed to float, not sail—and there were no launching problems! An 18-inch cubit gives the measurements as 450 x 76 x 45 feet or 137 x 23 x 14 metres.” (Alexander and Alexander, eds., Eerdmans’ Handbook to the Bible, p. 132.)

(10) Genesis 4:18 Ark = Atonement

Christ and his atonement, we enter a place of safety. Then and only then will we remain alive. The ark was the only means of survival from the flood, and Jesus Christ is the only means of survival from death and sin.

(11)  Be Like Noah

You Can Hold On

If ever you are tempted to become discouraged or to lose faith, remember those faithful Saints who remained true in Kirtland. Hold on a little longer. You can do this! You are part of a special generation. You were prepared and preserved to live at this important time in the existence of our beautiful planet earth. You have a celestial pedigree and therefore have all the necessary talents to make your life an eternal success story.

The Lord has blessed you with a testimony of the truth. You have felt His influence and witnessed His power. And if you continue to seek Him, He will continue to grant you sacred experiences. With these and other spiritual gifts, you will be able not only to change your own life for the better but also to bless your homes, wards or branches, communities, cities, states, and nations with your goodness.

It may be hard to see that at times, but hold on a little longer, for “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” and wait for Him (1 Corinthians 2:9; see also D&C 76:10; 133:45).

I bear witness of the truth of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and the truth of this, His Church. I testify with all my heart and soul that God lives, that Jesus Christ is His Son and stands at the head of this great Church. We have a prophet on the earth again, even President Thomas S. Monson.

May we ever remember the lesson of Kirtland and hold on a little longer—even when things look bleak. Know and remember this: the Lord loves you. He remembers you. And He will ever sustain those who “endure in faith to the end” (D&C 20:25).  (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Hold on a Little Longer,” Ensign, Jan 2010, 4–8)

Elder Dunn, in making a modern-day application to the faith Noah manifested, told of an incident that took place “many years ago during the dark days of World War II” when Elvon W. Orme, president of the Australia Mission, was invited to a faithful widow’s house for Sunday dinner.

Rationing had taken its toll, and many of the good foods had long since disappeared from the shelves of the local stores. When the mission president arrived, he was shocked to find a table filled with goods that were in short supply and had not been seen for months.

She replied, “I’m afraid you’ll have to. You see, I listened to the Brethren years ago and put in my year’s supply, and this is the only kind of food I have.”

Elder Dunn said the widow showed the faith to act “as if’ by storing food, and the faith produced a miracle in the time of need.

“I wonder how many saints will be able to withstand the disaster of their own personal flood by showing faith in the advice of modern prophets and building an ark of family preparedness,” said Elder Dunn.  (LDS Church News, 1990, LESSONS IN ANCIENT SCRIPTURES APPLY TO TODAY’S LIVING page 14.

THE FIRST BOOK OF MOSES CALLED GENESIS

CHAPTER 7

Noah’s family and various beasts and fowls enter the ark—The flood comes and water covers the whole earth—All other life that breathes is destroyed. (1)

1 And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

2 Of every  clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.

3 Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.

4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

5 And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him.

6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was (2) upon the earth.

7 ¶ And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.

8 Of (2a) clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that (2b) creepeth upon the earth,

9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.

10 And it came to pass after ( 3)  seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.

11 ¶ In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. ( 4) 40 days and 40 nights

13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;

14 They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.

15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.( 5 )  How did Noah gather animals?

16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in.

17 And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.

18 And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.

19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were  (6) In the same way, the effects of the fall fully cover the earth—and fully cover each of us until we enter into God’s protective care and receive the blessings of Christ’s atonement

20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.

21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:  (  )

22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.

23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.

24 And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days. (8) See Notes

(1 ) Flood During the days of Noah the destructive waters from heaven covered the entire earth, and all those found outside of the ark were drowned (Gen. 6:5-17). This deluge served as a prototype and symbol for other subsequent destructions, which also would cover the earth like a flood and destroy the children of men.

For instance, many of the great and terrible armies of the earth were said to be as the floods that “cover the earth” and “destroy… the inhabitants thereof.” In this manner various nations were destroyed by their enemies (Jer. 46:7-8; 47:2; Amos 8:8), as was Jerusalem, for example, by the Romans (Dan. 9:26). Jesus compared the flood of Noah to the destructions of the Second Coming (Matt. 24:38-39). These figurative floods may originate from God (Isa. 28:2; Nahum 1:8; Matt. 7:27; 3 Ne. 18:13), Satan (Rev. 12:15), or man. (See also River.)

(2) Genesis 7:7 . Were Any Saved by Means Other Than the Ark?

“During the first 2200 or so years of the earth’s history—that is, from the fall of Adam to the ministry of Melchizedek—it was a not uncommon occurrence for faithful members of the Church to be translated and taken into the heavenly realms without tasting death. Since that time there have been occasional special instances of translation, instances in which a special work of the ministry required it.

“. . . Methuselah, the son of Enoch, was not translated [with Enoch’s city], ‘that the covenants of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he made to Enoch; for he truly covenanted with Enoch that Noah should be of the fruit of his loins.’ ( Moses 8:2 .) But during the nearly 700 years from the translation of Enoch to the flood of Noah, it would appear that nearly all of the faithful members of the Church were translated, for ‘the Holy Ghost fell on many, and they were caught up by the powers of heaven into Zion.’ ( Moses 7:27 .)” (McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 804.)

(2a) In very general terms, the aforementioned sources define the ancient symbolic meanings of animals as follows:

Clean animals. These are traditionally a symbol for Jesus and his followers. They represent those who pore over the words of God time and again (i.e., “chew the cud”) until the teachings found in the scriptures become a part of their very being. They are a token of people who are more surefooted (i.e., “cloven hoofed”) because of their gospel grounding and thus less likely to slip into transgressions. Included in this symbolic category would be any animal that both chews the cud and “parts the hoof”: oxen, sheep, lambs, and goats.

(2b) Creeping things. Chameleons, for example, and other creatures found in the same category of “creeping things” (see Leviticus 11:29–31), were apparently understood in antiquity as representing people who were deceptive or misrepresentative. Some ancient sources also associate this class of animals with the sinful practice of gluttony. The weasel, mouse, tortoise, ferret, lizard, snail, and mole are all included in this symbolic category.

( 3)  Genesis 7:10 Also, the number seven was symbolic of wholeness. This number showed up repeatedly in Noah’s episode—he not only collected seven pairs of clean animals, but he had seven days to load the ark, it floated seven months before it rested on Mount Ararat, and Noah waited seven days between each time he released a bird.  the number seven, when used in relation to animals, represents the idea that they were positive or clean symbols. It suggests that they were symbolic of people who had learned to keep and live the commandments of God fully.

“The root of the Hebrew word for seven (sheva) is identical to the Hebrew verb that means ‘to take an oath,’ thus connecting the word seven to covenants and covenant making.” McConkie and Parry, Guide to Scriptural Symbols, 99. See Davis, Biblical Numerology, 122; and McKenzie, Dictionary of the Bible, 621.

( 4)  Genesis 7: 12 In the days of Noah it is said to have rained some forty days and forty nights. This cleansing of the earth, both literal and symbolic, gave God and Noah reason to mourn (see Moses 7:27–38; 8:22–30). One typologist added that Noah’s faith was tested and found to be all that it should be.  Wilson, Dictionary of Bible Types, 177.

( 5)  Genesis 7: 15. The flood was a miracle. The episode of the animals and other life taken aboard the ark was another miracle. The rise of the waters out of the depths of the earth and the downpour from the skies were God’s doing. And so was the subsequent receding of the waters. The deluge covered the earth and the waters receded just as God planned it all. And it was truly a miracle.

(6) Genesis 7:19 . How Could the Flood Cover the Entire Earth, Including Mountains? What Was the Significance of This Immersion?

“I would like to know by what known law the immersion of the globe could be accomplished. It is explained here in a few words: ‘The windows of heaven were opened’ that is, the waters that exist throughout the space surrounding the earth from whence come these clouds from which the rain descends. That was one cause. Another cause was ‘the fountains of the great deep were broken up’—that is something beyond the oceans, something outside of the seas, some reservoirs of which we have no knowledge, were made to contribute to this event, and the waters were let loose by the hand and by the power of God; for God said He would bring a flood upon the earth and He brought it, but He had to let loose the fountains of the great deep, and pour out the waters from there, and when the flood commenced to subside, we are told ‘that the fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained, and the waters returned from off the earth.’ Where did they go to? From whence they came. Now, I will show you something else on the back of that. Some people talk very philosophically about tidal waves coming along. But the question is—How could you get a tidal wave out of the Pacific ocean, say, to cover the Sierra Nevadas? But the Bible does not tell us it was a tidal wave. It simply tells that ‘all the high hills that were under the whole heaven were covered. Fifteen cubits upwards did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.’ That is, the earth was immersed. It was a period of baptism.” (John Taylor, in Journal of Discourses, 26:74–75.)

Orson Pratt declared:

“The first ordinance instituted for the cleansing of the earth, was that of immersion in water; it was buried in the liquid element, and all things sinful upon the face of the earth were washed away. As it came forth from the ocean floor, like the new-born child, it was innocent; it rose to newness of life. It was its second birth from the womb of mighty waters—a new world issuing from the ruins of the old, clothed with all the innocence of this first creation.” (In Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 4:20.)

“The earth, in its present condition and situation, is not a fit habitation for the sanctified; but it abides the law of its creation, has been baptized with water, will be baptized by fire and the Holy Ghost, and by-and-by will be prepared for the faithful to dwell upon” (Brigham Young, in Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 4:20).

( 7)  Notes

Genesis 7:21 – The people who drowned were taken to a spirit prison

The people who drowned were taken to a spirit prison, where the Savior visited them between his death and resurrection and taught the gospel to them. This is beautifully and forcefully affirmed by the vision of President Joseph F. Smith, who described it as follows:

While I was thus engaged, my mind reverted to the writings of the apostle Peter, to the primitive saints scattered abroad throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, and other parts of Asia, where the gospel had been preached after the crucifixion of the Lord. I opened the Bible and read the third and fourth chapters of the first epistle of Peter, and as I read I was greatly impressed, more than I had ever been before, with the following passages:

For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.’ (1 Pet. 3:18-20.)

(4-16) The Flood Was an Act of Love

“Now I will go back to show you how the Lord operates. He destroyed a whole world at one time save a few, whom he preserved for his own special purpose. And why? He had more than one reason for doing so. This antediluvian people were not only very wicked themselves, but having the power to propagate their species, they transmitted their unrighteous natures and desires to their children, and brought them up to indulge in their own wicked practices. And the spirits that dwelt in the eternal worlds knew this, and they knew very well that to be born of such parentage would entail upon themselves an infinite amount of trouble, misery and sin. And supposing ourselves to be of the number of unborn spirits, would it not be fair to presume that we would appeal to the Lord, crying, ‘Father, do you not behold the condition of this people, how corrupt and wicked they are?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Is it then just that we who are now pure should take of such bodies and thus subject ourselves to most bitter experiences before we can be redeemed, according to the plan of salvation?’ ‘No,’ the Father would say, ‘it is not in keeping with my justice.’ ‘Well, what will you do in the matter; man has his free agency and cannot be coerced, and while he lives he has the power of perpetuating his species?’ ‘I will first send them my word, offering them deliverance from sin, and warning them of my justice, which shall certainly overtake them if they reject it, and I will destroy them from off the face of the earth, thus preventing their increase, and I will raise up another seed.’ Well, they did reject the preaching of Noah, the servant of God, who was sent to them, and consequently the Lord caused the rains of heaven to descend incessantly for forty days and nights, which flooded the land, and there being no means of escape, save for the eight souls who were obedient to the message, all the others were drowned. But, says the caviller, is it right that a just God should sweep off so many people? Is that in accordance with mercy? Yes, it was just to those spirits that had not received their bodies, and it was just and merciful too to those people guilty of the iniquity. Why? Because by taking away their earthly existence he prevented them from entailing their sins upon their posterity and degenerating them, and also prevented them from committing further acts of wickedness.” (John Taylor, in Journal of Discourses, 19:158–59.)

THE FIRST BOOK OF MOSES CALLED GENESIS

CHAPTER 8

The flood ceases—Noah sends forth a dove, which returns with an olive leaf—He releases all living things from the ark—He offers sacrifices—Seedtime and harvest and seasons assured.

1 And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged;

2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; , if we continue faithful to that covenant, God will help us through the storms of life

3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.

4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.

6 ¶ And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made

7 And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.

8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;

9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.

10 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;

11 And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.

12 And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.

13 ¶ And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.

14 And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried.

15 ¶ And God spake unto Noah, saying,

16 Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee.

17 Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.

18 And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him:

19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.

20 ¶ And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

21 And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

(4-17) Genesis 8:4 . Where Did Noah Land When the Ark Came to Rest?

It should be remembered that the Garden of Eden was in the land now known as North America (see Reading 2-17 ). Although it is not known how far men had moved from that general location in the sixteen hundred years between the fall of Adam and the Flood, it is likely that Noah and his family lived somewhere in the general area. The Bible says that they landed on Mount Ararat when the ark finally came to rest. No location for Mount Ararat is given in the scriptures. The traditional site is a mountain found in northeastern Turkey near the border of Russia. Commenting on the distance traveled, Elder Joseph Fielding Smith said:

“We read that it was in the seventeenth day of the second month when the great deep was broken up, and the rain was forty days. The Ark landed at Ararat on the seventeenth day of the seventh month, therefore there were five full months of travel when the Lord drove the Ark to its final destiny. Without any question a considerable distance separated the point where the Ark commenced the journey and where it landed. There can be no question to contradict the fact that during the flood great changes were made on the face of the earth. The land surface was in the process of division into continents. The rivers mentioned in Genesis were rivers that existed in the garden of Eden long before the land was divided into continents and islands. [ Genesis 2:11 .]” ( Answers to Gospel Questions, 2:94.)

THE FIRST BOOK OF MOSES CALLED GENESIS

CHAPTER 9

Noah and his sons commanded to multiply and fill the earth—They are given dominion over all forms of life—Death penalty decreed for murder—God shall not again destroy the earth by a flood—Canaan cursed; Shem and Japheth blessed.

1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.

6 Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.

8 ¶ And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,

9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.

11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:

13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:

15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth. (  ) Rainbow

18 ¶ And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.

19 These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.

20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:

21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.

22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.

23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.

24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.

25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.

26 And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

28 ¶ And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.

29 And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.

(4-18) Genesis 9:2–6 . What Is the Law of God Regarding the Shedding of Blood?

In the Joseph Smith Translation of this passage is a significant addition that clarifies the Lord’s commandment to Noah:

“But, the blood of all flesh which I have given you for meat, shall be shed upon the ground, which taketh life thereof, and the blood ye shall not eat.

“And surely, blood shall not be shed, only for meat, to save your lives; and the blood of every beast will I require at your hands.

“And whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for man shall not shed the blood of man.

“For a commandment I give, that every man’s brother shall preserve the life of man, for in mine own image have I made man.” ( JST, Genesis 9:10–13 .)

This expansion concerning the shedding of the blood of animals is supported by Doctrine and Covenants 49:18–21 , which says that the animals are to be used for food, but concludes with this warning:

“And wo be unto man that sheddeth blood or that wasteth flesh and hath no need.”

President Spencer W. Kimball spoke at some length in a general priesthood meeting on the practice of killing animals simply for sport (see “Fundamental Principles to Live and Ponder,” Ensign, Nov. 1978, pp. 44–45 .)

(4-19) The Rainbow as a Token of the Covenant

The following sources shed additional light on the rainbow and the covenant it is meant to signify.

“And I will establish my covenant with you, which I made unto Enoch, concerning the remnants of your posterity.

“And God made a covenant with Noah, and said, This shall be the token of the covenant I make between me and you, and for every living creature with you, for perpetual generations;

“I will set my bow in the cloud; and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

“And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember my covenant, which I have made between me and you, for every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

“And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant, which I made unto thy father Enoch; that when men should keep all my commandments, Zion should again come on the earth, the city of Enoch which I have caught up unto myself.

“And this is mine everlasting covenant, that when thy posterity shall embrace the truth, and look upward, then shall Zion look downward, and all the heavens shall shake with gladness, and the earth shall tremble with joy;

“And the general assembly of the church of the first-born shall come down out of heaven, and possess the earth, and shall have place until the end come. And this is mine everlasting covenant, which I made with thy father Enoch.

“And the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will establish my covenant unto thee, which I have made between me and thee, for every living creature of all flesh that shall be upon the earth.

“And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and thee; for all flesh that shall be upon the earth.” ( JST, Genesis 9:17–25 .)

“The Lord hath set the bow in the cloud for a sign that while it shall be seen, seed time and harvest, summer and winter shall not fail; but when it shall disappear, woe to that generation, for behold the end cometh quickly” (Smith, Teachings, p. 305).

“I have asked of the Lord concerning His coming; and while asking the Lord, He gave a sign and said, ‘In the days of Noah I set a bow in the heavens as a sign and token that in any year that the bow should be seen the Lord would not come; but there should be seed time and harvest during that year: but whenever you see the bow withdrawn, it shall be a token that there shall be famine, pestilence, and great distress among the nations, and that the coming of the Messiah is not far distant’” (Smith, Teachings, pp. 340–41).

Rainbow and Enoch’s City – In the Genesis account of Noah, the rainbow is presented as the token of God’s covenant to Noah that the world would never again be destroyed by flood (Gen. 9:11-17). The Joseph Smith Translation adds a new dimension and teaches that the rainbow was the token of a covenant—made originally with Enoch and later reconfirmed with Noah—that Enoch’s city would return, when people on earth would be worthy to receive it

( ) Genesis 9:20–27 . Why Did Noah Curse Canaan in This Event When He Was Not Even Present?

The account of Noah’s “nakedness” and the role his sons played in the event is a puzzling one, especially the part in which Noah awakens and pronounces a curse upon Canaan, the son of Ham (see Genesis 10:6 ), who does not even seem to be present at the time.

Most members of the Church are aware that a priesthood garment, symbolic of the covenants made in the temple, is worn by those who have participated in the endowment ceremony in the temple. This garment is a representation of the coat of skins made by the Lord for Adam and Eve after the Fall (see Genesis 3:21 ; Moses 4:27 ). The idea of a garment made of skins that signified that one had power in the priesthood is found in several ancient writings. Hugh Nibley discussed some of these ancient writings and their implications for the passage in Genesis:

“Nimrod claimed his kingship on the ground of victory over his enemies [see Genesis 10:8–10 ; Reading 4-21 ]; his priesthood, however, he claimed by virtue of possessing ‘the garment of Adam.’ The Talmud assures us that it was by virtue of owning this garment that Nimrod was able to claim power to rule over the whole earth, and that he sat in his tower while men came and worshiped him. The Apocryphal writers, Jewish and Christian, have a good deal to say about this garment. To quote one of them: ‘the garments of skin which God made for Adam and his wife when they went out of the garden and were given after the death of Adam . . . to Enoch’; hence they passed to Methuselah, and then to Noah, from whom Ham stole them as the people were leaving the ark. Ham’s grandson Nimrod obtained them from his father Cush. As for the legitimate inheritance of this clothing, a very old fragment recently discovered says that Michael ‘disrobed Enoch of his earthly garments, and put on him his angelic clothing,’ taking him into the presence of God. . . .

“Incidentally the story of the stolen garment as told by the rabbis, including the great Eleazer, calls for an entirely different rendering of the strange story in Genesis [9] from the version in our King James Bible. They seemed to think that the ’erwath of Genesis [9:22] did not mean ‘nakedness’ at all, but should be given its primary root meaning of ‘skin covering.’ Read thus, we are to understand that Ham took the garment of his father while he was sleeping and showed it to his brethren, Shem and Japheth, who took a pattern or copy of it (salmah) or else a woven garment like it (simlah) which they put upon their own shoulders, returning the skin garment to their father. Upon awaking, Noah recognized the priesthood of two sons but cursed the son who tried to rob him of his garment.” ( Lehi in the Desert and the World of Jaredites, pp. 160–62.)

Therefore, although Ham himself had the right to the priesthood, Canaan, his son, did not. Ham had married Egyptus, a descendant of Cain.

THE DAYS OF NOAH
(Moses 8)

ALAN K. PARRISH

Introduction

The Book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price ends with the eighth chapter. Under the direction of Elder Orson Pratt, the 1878 committee assigned to revise the Pearl of Great Price for the general church membership used the 1867 edition of the Inspired Version of the Holy Scriptures, published by the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It was necessary to bring the Moses material to an end at some point. The flood, being so extensive an act, seemed to provide a convenient termination point. It should be pointed out that one can read the continuation of the account in the JST. Moses 8 ends in the JST at Genesis 6:13.

Throughout this article comparison will be made between the accounts in Moses and Genesis. These designations are for simplification only. It should be recognized that the Book of Moses comes from Joseph Smith’s inspired revision of Genesis. The comparisons therefore are more precisely comparisons between Genesis accounts in the King James Version and the Joseph Smith Translation. The chapter is another example of the scriptural contributions of the Prophet Joseph Smith and another witness of his calling in the latter days. The Prophet’s work as a scriptorian of the latter days was in partial fulfillment of 1 Ne. 13:39-40. This passage foretold that from the land of the gentiles, even from one of its inhabitants, “other books” would “come forth by the power of God.” The angel who interpreted this vision to Nephi told him, “these last records which thou hast seen among the gentiles, shall establish the truth of the first [the Bible], . . . and shall make known the plain and precious things which have been taken away from them” (1 Ne. 13:40).

The opening verse of the eighth chapter of Moses announces that Enoch was four hundred thirty years old at the time of the translation of his city, Zion. 1 That event marked the dramatic end of the mortal ministry of Enoch. This chapter is an account of Enoch’s descendants—from the translation of Zion to the great flood that destroyed the corrupt inhabitants of the earth.

An idea of the age relationships of the people in this period is helpful. The record shows us that Enoch was sixty-five years old when Methuselah was born (Moses 6:25), and that Methuselah was one hundred eighty-seven years old when Lamech was born (Moses 8:5), making Enoch two hundred fifty-two at Lamech’s birth. Lamech had lived one hundred eighty-two years before the time of Noah’s birth (Moses 8:8), which would have made Enoch four hundred thirty-four years old. Since Enoch had been translated at age four hundred thirty, we can place the birth of Noah just four years after the translation of the City of Zion. Moses 8 ends with God’s declaration that “the end of all flesh is before me, for the earth is filled with violence, and behold I will destroy all flesh from off the earth” (Moses 8:30). This verse corresponds with Gen. 6:13. The remaining nine verses of Genesis 6 (vv. 14-22) contain instructions for building the ark. Genesis 7 begins with the animals penned aboard the ark and God charging Noah to proceed to board with those whom he had designated. Genesis 7:6 reads, “Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.”

The period of over five centuries, between the translation of the City of Enoch and the beginning of construction on the ark is the period of time addressed in Moses 8. It is the beginning of the Noachian dispensation and a period of biblical history about which little is known. It may be the most mysterious half-millennium of mankind’s history, not only because of insufficient information in the scriptural record, but also because of the type and amount of information in numerous recorded apocryphal works and orally derived legends. It is also a period to which repeated reference is made in the scriptural record and in teachings of latter-day prophets, to confirm that important lessons ought to be gleaned therefrom. the major events and teachings of the period considered in this article are: the genealogy from Enoch to Noah, including the lives of Methuselah and Lamech (the children and grandchildren of Enoch); the entanglements between the “children of God,” “children of men,” and the “daughters of men”; wickedness among the people of the generation, the ordination and ministry of Noah; the faith and worthiness of Noah and his three sons; and the decreed destruction by means of the flood.

The Birth of Noah

As noted already, the birth of Noah came just four years after the translation of Enoch and his remarkable city. According to the account, Lamech, one hundred eighty-two years old at his son’s birth, chose the name Noah, declaring that “his son shall comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord has cursed” (Moses 8:9). It is difficult to guess how much that designation reflected Lamech’s knowledge of the divine appointment of Noah. The record fails to indicate that Noah was perceived by his generation as a comfort in the work and toil of their hands, though that may have been the case had they heeded his teachings.

In this article, several apocryphal sources will be cited that purport to present information concerning this early period of history which is not contained in the scriptural canon. These do not, of course, carry the authority of scripture and should not be deemed as necessarily providing authoritive, or even reliable, information in the absence of a scriptural record. Their value is in the fact that they reflect how some people in ancient times (long after the days of Noah) regarded events of the earliest times in human history.

While the canon of scripture is silent as to the details of Noah’s birth, an interesting account is preserved among the legends of the Jews.

Methuseleh took a wife for his son Lamech, and she bore him a man child. The body of the babe was white as snow and red as a blooming rose, and the hair of his head and his longlocks were white as wool, and his eyes like the rays of the sun. When he opened his eyes, he lighted up the whole house, like the sun, and the whole house was very full of light. And when he was taken from the hand of the midwife, he opened his mouth and praised the Lord of righteousness. His father Lamech was afraid of him, and fled, and came to his own father Methuselah. 2

Noah’s Life and Family

The scriptural record is almost void of information on the early life experience of Noah. In Genesis, the second mention of Noah states that he was “five hundred years old: and [he] begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth” (Gen. 5:32). In Moses the second mention is also in announcement of the birth of his sons. Noah’s age in that source and the order of their birth differs from the Genesis record. It explains that Noah was four hundred fifty years old when Japheth was born, forty hundred ninety-two years old when Shem was born, and a ripe five hundred years at the birth of Ham.

For further information on Noah’s earlier years we must look elsewhere. D&C 107:52 tells of his unusually early ordination: “Noah was ten years old when he was ordained [to the Melchizedek Priesthood] under the hand of Methuselah.” Even with a casual curiosity, one wonders about the unique factors, either in his character or in the circumstances of his time, that brought about ordination at the age of ten. Lamech was thirty-two, Methuselah one hundred, and even Enoch was twenty-five when similarly ordained. Noah seems to have enjoyed the benefits of good family life. The record states that after Lamech begat Noah he lived five hundred sixty-nine years “and begat sons and daughters” (Moses 8:10). Not only would it seem that Noah was surrounded by siblings, but by virtue of the fact that Lamech came from a line of ordained preachers of righteousness, we may presume that the children were well-raised and shared the values to which Noah held. Apocryphal accounts tell of an especially close relationship between Noah and a brother named Nir. 3

There is no scriptural indication that Noah had children prior to Japheth, though it would seem unnatural to be childless for four hundred fifty years. Of course, Noah’s knowledge of the depravity of his generation and the impending flood could rightfully interfere with the natural desire for marriage and children. A Jewish legend contains the following account:

Noah had not married until he was four hundred and ninety-eight years old. Then the Lord had bidden him to take a wife unto himself. He had not desired to bring children into the world, seeing that they would all have to perish in the flood, and he had only three sons, born unto him shortly before the deluge came. God had given him so small a number of offspring that he might be spared the necessity of building the ark on an overlarge scale in case they turned out to be pious. And if not, if they, too, were depraved like the rest of their generation, sorrow over their destruction would but be increased in proportion to their number. 4

While this sentiment may be accurate, the legend poses some obvious scriptural problems. The changed dates for the birth of Japheth and Shem in the Moses account would make them both illigitimate, if the legend were true. Further, the claim that the birth of the three sons occurred “shortly” before the deluge came conflicts with the scriptural records. In Genesis their birth preceded the flood by one hundred years, while in Moses an additional fifty years is added in the case of Japheth and eight additional years in the case of Shem.

Below are comparisons of some important scriptural verses bearing upon the events of this period.

GENESIS 5

32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

149MOSES 8

14912 And Noah was four hundred and fifty years old, and begat Japheth; and forty-two years afterward he begat Shem of her who was the mother of Japheth, and when he was five hundred years old he begat Ham.

14913 And Noah and his sons hearkened unto the Lord, and gave heed, and they were called the sons of God.

150CHAPTER 6

150And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

1502 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

15014 And when these men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, the sons of men saw that those daughters were fair, and they took them wives, even as they chose.

15015 And the Lord said unto Noah: The daughters of thy sons have sold themselves; for behold mine anger is kindled against the sons of men, for they will not hearken to my voice.

150Note that Genesis 5 ends with the announcement of the birth of Noah’s three sons. At this point in the Moses account a verse is added in clarification of Noah’s success as a father. It states that he and his sons “hearkened” and gained the title “sons of God.”

150The glee spawned from that verse is quickly offset by the addition of a single word in the next verse. The Moses account states that “these” men began to multiply, thereby narrowing the references to this rising generation to Noah’s family. The remainder of that verse, which corresponds to Gen. 6:2, tells of the marriage of Noah’s grand-daughters. The Moses account is again more specific and makes fundamental alterations in the story. First, the “sons of God” label in Genesis is changed in Moses to “sons of men,” although in Moses they claim the former distinction in verse 21. The biblical reference to the “sons of God” taking to wife the “daughters of men” (Gen. 6:2) has led to numerous views of quazi-divine corruption. The giants referred to in Gen. 6:4 and Moses 8:18 have been viewed in apocryphal accounts to be the offspring of the mismatched union of angels (sons of God) and humans (daughters of men). The change in Moses to the “sons of men” alters the interpretations that could be given to that scenario.

151An apocryphal interpretation of the Genesis account is quoted below to show the significance of the alterations in Moses, and to illustrate the extent to which mysterious views arose over events in the period described in Moses 8.

151In those days, when the children of man had multiplied, it happened that there were born unto them handsome and beautiful daughters. And the angels, the children of heaven, saw them and desired them; and they said to one another, “Come, let us choose wives for ourselves from among the daughters of man and begat us children. And Semyaz, being their leader, said unto them, “I fear that perhaps you will not consent that this deed should be done, and I alone will become (responsible) for this great sin.” But they all responded to him, “Let us all swear an oath and bind everyone among us by a curse not to abandon this suggestion but to do the deed.” Then they all swore together and bound one another by (the curse). And they were altogether two hundred; and they descended into ‘Ardos, which is the summit of Hermon. And they called the mount Armon, for they swore and bound one another by a curse. And their names are as follows: Semyas, the leader of Arakeb, Rame’el, Tam’el, Ram’el, Dan’el, Ezeqel, Baraqyal, As’el, Armaros, Batar’el, Anan’el, Zaq’el, Sasomaspwe’el, Kestar’el, Tur’el, Yamayol, and Arazyal. These are the chiefs of tens and of all the others with them.

151 – 152And they took wives unto themselves, and everyone (respectively) chose one woman for himself, and they began to go unto them. And they taught them magical medicine, incantations, the cutting of roots, and taught them (about) plants. And the women became pregnant and gave birth to great giants whose heights were three hundred cubits. These (giants) consumed the produce of all the people until the people detested feeding them. So the giants turned against (the people) in order to eat them. And they began to sin against birds, wild beasts, reptiles, and fish. And their flesh was devoured the one by the other, and they drank blood. And then the earth brought an accusation against the oppressors. 5

152The Moses account removes the interpretation of angelic malefactors and thus much of the mystery attributed to these events. It presents, however, a more dismal view of the female side of Noah’s posterity. The description of the daughters of Japheth, Shem, and Ham is the biblical “fair,” meaning that they were attractive. Since the better people had been translated with Enoch’s city, these daughters perhaps had a plight common to many women of faith in modern times: the difficult choice of marrying someone from the available crowd who is less worthy, faithful, and ambitious—or remaining single. 6

152We can understand about their submitting to marriage beneath their faith level out of loneliness or for want of children, but what believing person is not moved by the Lord’s declaration: “The daughters of thy sons have sold themselves” (Moses 8:15)? On first reading, aware that Noah’s day represented the most advanced state of accepted wickedness, one might construe the message as indicating that Noah’s granddaughters were taking advantage of popular evils and their own beauty to enrich themselves through prostitution. A closer look suggests a far different meaning. The Lord’s anger was “kindled against the sons of men, for they will not hearken to my voice” (Moses 8:15). The disappointment God indicated in the phrase “sold themselves” (v. 15) most likely speaks of their choice to marry the sons of men. This disapproval of their marriages is also suggested in subsequent scriptural references to life in the days before the flood (Matt. 24:38; Luke 17:27). A correct interpretation to be given to Moses 8:15 may simply be that these women “sold themselves” short by marrying men who could not give them the advantages of the gospel with its ordinances, covenants, teachings, and Spirit. Succumbing, in fact, resulted in their bartering away their own righteousness for the temporal appeasements of marriage. 7 Whatever evil connotation is to be ascribed to marriage in the story of the daughters of Noah’s sons is more fittingly ascribed to their willingness to deprive themselves of the blessings in the covenants attached to the gospel. Their story stands as a startling reminder that things embraced in the gospel plan have eternal ramifications that outweigh the temporal satisfactions that end with mortal associations.

153Wickedness in the Days of Noah

153The days of Noah were foreseen by Enoch and recorded in Moses 7:21-43. This segment also begins with Zion being “taken up into heaven” and ends with Enoch beholding the construction of the ark. The events Enoch recorded in these verses include: seeing generation after generation of Noah’s day; seeing angels from heaven transporting converted people of Noah’s day to the city of Zion; witnessing the lament and weeping of God over the people of the day; seeing the creations of God, including millions of other earths; hearing God’s assessment and judgment of the people; and seeing the temporal salvation of Noah and his sons.

153 – 154The Lord told Enoch, “Zion have I blessed, but the residue of the people have I cursed” (Moses 7:20). The “residue” is what remains after a part is taken or removed. For twenty-three verses Enoch beheld the generations of the days of Noah in their wickedness. More telling is his account of the response of God to the acts and attitudes of the people. The whole vision is accented by the incessant weeping of God, which he justifies by describing the awful wickedness of the people of the days of Noah. The evil he beheld would be unrivaled by that of any other day, for he declared, “among all the workmanship of mine hands there has not been so great wickedness as among thy brethren” (Moses 7:36). 8 The Lord reminded Enoch that these were the workmanship of his own hands and that he had given unto them their agency. God summarily described the people as “without affection, and they hate their own blood” (Moses 7:33). Witnessing this wickedness must have been a wrenching ordeal. God wept, “seeing these shall suffer” (Moses 7:37). The Lord then told Enoch “all the doings of the children of men; wherefore Enoch knew, and looked upon their wickedness, and their misery, and wept and stretched forth his arms, and his heart swelled wide as eternity; and his bowels yearned; and all eternity shook” (Moses 7:41).

154Another reference commonly considered in addressing the wickedness in Noah’s day is in the Olivet prophecy, recorded in Matt. 24 and in Joseph Smith—Matthew. Its validity rests upon the interpretation to be given to verse 37, “as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” This statement comes toward the end of Christ’s answer to his disciples about when and with what signs his coming would happen. His full answer addresses the deception and evil that would precede his arrival, the suddenness with which it would come, and his warning to watch and be ready. Much is given about the “iniquity,” “abomination,” “desolation,” and “tribulation” that would pervade society in that day (Matt. 24:4-35). This depiction culminates in the parable of the fig tree, following which Jesus described the insensitivity of the generation in which he will return. The specificity with which he announced that no one, not even “the angels of heaven,” will know the day or hour underscores that he was speaking of the time of his coming, its suddenness, and the signs that will point to it. It is in this context that he referred to Noah as follows:

154But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

154For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

154And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be (Matt. 24:37-39).

154The reference to Noah is in the portion of the prophecy that describes the insensitivity of the masses to the suddenness of his coming; this indicates that it was intended to compare the unexpectedness of the arrival of the flood with that of the return of the Lord. An interpretation would be that in the midst of the routine activities of daily living before the flood, “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,” the flood came suddenly. The Son of Man shall also come suddenly, in the midst of the routine activities of the day.

154 – 155The most vivid description of the wickedness of the generation of Noah is in Moses 8:22; Gen. 6:5): “And God saw that the wickedness of man had become great in the earth; and every man was lifted up in the imagination of the thoughts of his heart, being only evil continually.” The words translated “imagination of the thoughts of [the] heart” signify the purposes, inclinations, and desires. The Hebrew phrase that is translated as “continually” means, literally, “all the day.” Another way of stating what Moses and Genesis are describing is: “The set of their mind was only evil all day.” “Only,” in that statement, suggests that things not evil were not present in their minds. An account of this kind of degeneration and evil as God saw it is contained in the pseudepigraphic work 2 Enoch:

155For I know the wickedness of mankind, how they have rejected my commandments and they will not carry the yoke which I have placed on them. But they will cast off my yoke, and they will accept a different yoke. And they will sow worthless seed, not fearing God and not worshiping me, but they began to worship vain gods, and they renounced my uniqueness. And all the world will be reduced to confusion by iniquities and wickednesses and abominable fornications that is, friend with friend . . . and every other kind of wicked uncleanness which it is disgusting to report, and the worship of (the) evil (one). And that is why I shall bring down the flood onto the earth, and I shall destroy everything, and the earth itself will collapse in great darkness. 9

155Truly, “God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth” ( Moses 8:29).

155The Righteous of Noah’s Day

155Having covenanted with Enoch that a remnant of his seed “should always be found among all nations, while the earth should stand” (Moses 7:52), the Lord left Methuselah, his son, when he translated the remainder of the righteous with Zion. Ordinarily Methuselah is known only for being the oldest person ever to have lived, but additional insight about him is given in Moses 8. Of first importance is the link he provides to Enoch in fulfillment of the covenant (Moses 8:2). Another glimpse is puzzling. Moses 8:3 records that “Methuselah prophesied that from his loins should spring all the kingdoms of the earth (through Noah), and he took glory unto himself.” The last phrase perhaps suggests unrighteousness on his part; yet if his joy over the prospects of his seed was evil, was that of Enoch any less evil? A conclusion about his faithfulness requires more information. His righteousness is perhaps also questioned in consideration of Moses 7:27, which indicates that those sufficiently worthy were taken “by the powers of heaven into Zion.” Noah and his righteous sons had to remain to fulfill their work, but if Methuselah and Lamech were faithful, should not they have been taken to Zion instead of remaining on earth until death? 10

156Noah the Preacher of Righteousness

156Peter the ancient apostle labeled Noah “the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness” (2 Pet. 2:5). The same description is used in Moses for the descendants of Adam through Seth to Enoch: “And they were preachers of righteousness, and spake and prophesied, and called upon all men, everywhere, to repent; and faith was taught unto the children of men” (Moses 6:23). Methuselah and Lamech were also ordained to the Holy Priesthood and taught and prophesied unto the people. Noah inherited the right and duty to be a preacher of righteousness.

156There is a consistency in the message of Noah that confirms the antiquity of the gospel known in the latter days. Specifically, Noah’s assignment was to “declare his gospel unto the children of men, even as it was given unto Enoch” (Moses 8:19). Another verse indicates that “Noah prophesied, and taught the things of God, even as it was in the beginning” (Moses 8:16). The gospel given unto Enoch came both by way of vision and from the account recorded in a “book of remembrance (Moses 6:46). The “things of God” are contained in the gospel message to Adam as summarized in Moses 6:48-62. Herein is summarized Adam’s role in the fall, the relationship of the fall to the atonement and redemption, the first principles of the gospel, the baptism of Adam, and the promised “record of heaven,” or the Holy Ghost. It should thus be observed that the gospel “given to Enoch” was the same unchanging gospel that is taught by prophets and preachers of righteousness of the latter days. In Noah’s words, “Believe and repent of your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, even as our fathers, and ye shall receive the Holy Ghost, that ye may have all things made manifest; and if ye do not this, the floods will come in upon you; nevertheless they hearkened not” (Moses 8:24).

157The Sons of God

157An important label of this period in biblical history and interpretation is, “the Sons of God.” It is central to the gospel and righteousness preached by those of old. It is also a title applied to Noah and his righteous sons because of their faithfulness to the gospel. “And Noah and his sons hearkened unto the Lord, and gave heed, and they were called the sons of God” (Moses 8:13). The title was misused by early Bible translators and led to the view of the quasi-divine beings described earlier. Its very mention, however, probably indicated that it was intended to be in the story. The title or label has a marvelously harmonious treatment in the remainder of biblical and latter-day scriptures. New Testament references reserve the title or the power to obtain it to “as many as received him” (John 1:12), “as many as are led by the spirit” (Rom. 8:14), and those who “overcome” (Rev. 21:7). Philip. 2:15 applies the title to a society like Noah’s—crooked and perverse—and thereby gives us a nice view of Noah, Japheth, Shem, and Ham. Another view of these men as “sons of God” may be borrowed from the solace authored by John the Beloved.

157Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

157Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

157And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure (1 John 3:1-3).

157In the insidious times of Noah and his sons, could such a sentiment be too frequently spoken of among faithful stewards?

157The Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants contain further references; again the label is given those who receive the Lord, believe, and have faith in him. It is viewed as the fruit of his atoning sacrifice: “I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was crucified for the sins of the world, even as many as will believe on my name, that they may become the sons of God, even one in me as I am one in the Father, as the Father is one in me, that we may be one” (D&C 35:2). Nowhere in scripture is the title more poignantly given than in reference to those who shall have part in the first resurrection. “Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God” (D&C 76:58).

157Noah, having survived the evil of his day was declared, “a just man, and perfect in his generation” (Moses 8:27). Could inspired history be more favorable to any man of any age?

NOTES

1. The biblical record puts Enoch’s age at three hundred sixty-five (Gen. 5:23). However, D&C 107:49 corroborates the account in Moses 8 for the age of four hundred thirty years.

2. Louis Ginzberg, The Legends of the Jews, vol. 1 (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1937, p. 145.

3. James H. Charlesworth, ed., Old Testement Pseudepigrapha: Apocalyptic Literature & Testements (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1983), pp. 202-12.

4. Ginzberg, pp. 159-60.

5. Charlesworth, pp. 15-16.

6. For interesting consideration of this dilemma, see Susa Young Gates, Young Women’s Journal 2.6 (March 1891): 283-85; and Carrie M. C. Smith, Young Women’s Journal 2.10 (July 1891): 476-78.

7. Speaking of this dilemma about a century ago one youth leader admonished single women as follows: “To this kind of a girl who never realized the coming of the true man, because there are not enough of them, single men, to come, I would say, if you have laid this kind of a foundation for your future, spinster-hood will have no terrors for you and when you have passed into years, you will come to be known as a kind, pleasant maiden lady, and not the inevitable, cross, crabbed, sour old maid. . . . Girls, lift yourselves above these idle loungers and take hold of the realities of life, and you can calmly say to the young man who seeks you, if he comes from the saloon, the pool table, if he is given to street loafing, the dude, or any but the true man, “I have learned how to live alone, and can support myself.” You are not the man I want to be the father of my children. I have no fancy to spend the long hours of night waiting your return from the saloon, I have no fancy to be deprived of the comforts, yes, even the necessaries of life by the gambler, the pool-table frequenter, or to be the wife of a street loafer, and spend long days over the wash tub trying to support myself and children, or to be the wife of the dude, who when my hairs have grown gray, will be ashamed to call me his wife, and will not care to have his dude acquaintances see the patient wife who has deprived herself of many things to gratify his vanity (Carrie M. C. Smith, pp. 476-78).

8. Further reference is made to God’s reaction to the disobedience of the people of Noah’s day. In 1 Pet. 3:20 and D&C 138:9 there appears this statement, “which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” “Which sometimes were disobedient,” is difficult to understand. The Greek pote suggests an indefinite time, in this case a time in the past. Other translations are insightful, e.g., “Who formerly did not obey,” RSV. The Joseph Smith Translation is a valuable comparison. It renders the verse, “some of whom were disobedient in the days of Noah.” “Some of” in this statement refers to those in the spirit prison who were destroyed in the flood as opposed to others in the spirit prison through disobedience in other times.

9. Charlesworth, p. 158.

10. Jewish legends speak of the nobility and righteousness of Methuselah. “He was pious a man that he composed two hundred and thirty parables in praise of God for every word he uttered. When he died, the people heard a great commotion in the heavens, and they saw nine hundred rows of mourners corresponding to the nine hundred orders of the Mishnah which he had studied, and tears flowed from the eyes of the holy beings down upon the spot where he died. Seeing the grief of the celestials, the people on earth also mourned over the demise of Methuselah, and God rewarded them therefor. He added seven days to the time of grace which He had ordained before bringing destruction upon the earth by a flood of waters” (Ginzberg, pp. 141-42).

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Lesson 4 – Additional Reading – Eve’s Role in the Creation and Fall

Women and the Power Within: to See Life Steadily and See It Whole

Marie Cornwall, Dawn Hall Anderson

© 2010 Deseret Book

Eve‘s Role in the Creation and the Fall to Mortality

JOLENE EDMUNDS ROCKWOOD 1

For more than two thousand years, Eve has been blamed for woes ranging from the origin of sin to the presumed inferiority of the female sex. Much of this tradition has been so ingrained in our Judeo-Christian culture that we are often unaware of its presence or origin. Because of Eve, women have been cursed, their subordination to man has been justified, and their feminine weaknesses have been stereotyped—all because of a short section of Hebrew poetry in Genesis 1-3 which tells the highly symbolic story of the beginnings of time.

Like Genesis, the Latter-day Saint scriptural accounts in Moses and Abraham are figurative rather than historical stories. We know that the Creation and the Fall did occur and that Adam and Eve were real people, but all the other elements of the story—the serpent, the tree, the fruit, the rib story—all are symbols.

Church leaders have reiterated this truth numerous times. Spencer W. Kimball, for instance, as president of the Church, stated that the rib story was figurative. 2 Brigham Young, Joseph Smith, Joseph Fielding Smith, and others stated that Adam and Eve‘s bodies were engendered and born by natural sexual functioning and that they were placed in Eden as adult beings. 3 Orson Pratt and, more recently, Hugh Nibley taught that the pair were tempted on numerous occasions, not only by the serpent but by other “beings” who had been “angels of light and truth” in the premortal existence but had then become followers of Satan. 4 Other Latter-day Saint authorities have taught that Adam and Eve became mortal by eating a substance that was poisonous to their immortal systems and that the tree and the fruit were symbols representing the process by which the Fall came about. 5

Symbolism has always been used to focus attention away from historical facts to the meaning behind the events. What, then, was the intended meaning of the Adam and Eve story? An examination of the original Hebrew text of Genesis 1-5 answers this question as it brings out some very interesting points that can help us understand Eve and the role she played in the Creation and the Fall.

First, Adam and Eve were created symbolically as two equal parts of one unified whole and were united in all their actions. The word translated as man is the Hebrew ‘adam, meaning “humankind,” or man in a collective sense. 6 It is used throughout most of the story rather than the more specific Hebrew noun ‘ish, meaning “one man,” or “husband.” The plural sense of ha-‘adam is seen when it is used with “them,” a plural pronoun, in “Let us make man in our image . . . and let them have dominion. . . . So God created man . . . male and female created he them.” (Genesis 1:26-27.) 7

Many verses in the Book of Mormon indicate similar usage of adam and man as plural nouns. In 2 Nephi 9:6, man is used as a plural for the first couple, just as in the Hebrew version of Genesis: “And because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord” (italics added).

Church authorities have also generally affirmed that the Genesis account describes the first couple as united in their actions in Eden and have recognized ‘adam as a plural word representing both the man and the woman. For example, Erastus Snow, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, said in 1878: “Male and female created he them and called their name Adam, which in the original in which these scriptures were written by Moses, signifies ‘the first man.’ There was no effort at distinguishing between the one half and the other, and calling one man and the other woman. This was an after distinction, but the explanation of it is—one man, one being, and he called their name Adam.” 8 Spencer W. Kimball made a similar scriptural gloss in 1976:

” ‘And I, God, blessed them [Man here is always in the plural. It was plural from the beginning.] . . . ‘ (Moses 2:27-28.) . . .

” ‘And I, God said unto mine Only Begotten, which was with me from the beginning: Let us make man [not a separate man, but a complete man, which is husband and wife] in our image . . . ‘ (Moses 2:26.) . . .

” ‘Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam [Mr. and Mrs. Adam, I suppose, or Brother and Sister Adam], in the day when they were created.’ (Gen. 5:12.).” 9

The unity of Adam and Eve is further clarified in the “rib” story where the Hebrew words translated help meet and rib shed light on the author’s intent.

The Lord states, “It is not good that the man [collective] should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” (Genesis 2:18.) This phrase “help meet” (Hebrew ‘ezer kenegdo) is an interesting one. ‘Ezer, which in this context is translated as “help” (meaning “helper”), has the unfortunate connotation in English of an assistant of lesser status, a subordinate, or inferior—for instance, a willing but not very competent child. 10 In Hebrew, however, the word describes an equal, if not a superior. The other usages of ‘ezer in the Old Testament show that in most cases God is an ‘ezer to human beings, 11 a fact which makes us question whether “helper” is an accurate translation in any of the instances it is used. A more accurate translation in this context would be “strength” or “power.” Evidence indicates that the word ‘ezer originally had two roots, each beginning with different guttural sounds. 12 Over time, the two gutturals were merged into one word, but the two meanings, “to save” and “to be strong,” remained. Later, the meanings also merged into one word, “to help.” Therefore, if we use the more archaic meanings of ‘ezer, and translate ‘ezer as either “savior” or “strength,” we clarify not only the context we are discussing but also the other passages in the Old Testament where ‘ezer is used, especially when ‘ezer refers to God in his relationship with humankind.

52‘Ezer translated as “strength” or “power” also fits in nicely with the second word in the phrase, kenegdo, which has traditionally been translated as “meet for” or “fit for.” Because kenegdo appears only this one time in the Old Testament, earlier translators had little upon which to base their translations. An important clue to the meaning of this word is found in its usage in Mishnaic Hebrew, where the root means “equal.” Kenegdo, then, means “equal to” and the entire phrase ‘ezer kenegdo means “power or strength equal to.” Thus, when God makes ha-‘adam into two beings, he creates woman, a power or strength equal to man.

52The King James translation of kenegdo as “meet for” is based on the seventeenth-century meaning of meet, “worthy of,” a meaning no longer in current English usage. This archaic translation has led uninformed readers over the years to hyphenate the noun and adjective as “help-meet,” detach the sense of “meet for,” and then develop the neologism “help-mate,” a term that never existed either in the original Hebrew or in the King James version. The phrase has, however, become so much a part of the Christian vernacular that references to wives as help-meets and help-mates are common.

52The Lord then removes a “rib” from which he forms man’s companion. (Genesis 2:21-22.) The Hebrew sela’ is used more than forty times in the Old Testament to mean “side”; only in this passage has it been translated as “rib.” Nearly every other usage gives construction details for the tabernacle or temple (i.e., side of the tabernacle, side of the altar, etc.). 13

Sela’ in Genesis 1:21-22 thus should be similarly read as construction information, though the object being constructed is a life form. The Lord, as master builder, takes the “side” (sela’) of the human and uses it to “build” (banah) another person. Reading sela’ as “side” rather than as “rib” also better dramatizes the unity of the man and the woman, enhances the phrase “power equal to him,” and makes the man’s later characterization of woman as “bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh” even more meaningful. Thus, when God causes the human to sleep, he takes one of his sides and creates two beings out of one.

When the two are presented to one another as companions, the man seems to react with surprise and delight 14: “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” (Genesis 2:23.) Up to this point, the human has been ha-‘adam. Now the words man (‘ish) and woman (‘ishah) are used for the first time. These are definite nouns that signify man and woman as separate individuals with gender. In addition, the man uses the feminine zo’t (“this”) for the first time: (“This is now bone of my bones”). 15 The man at this point is not naming the woman, however. Issah is not a name; it is a common noun that designates gender. The word appears also in the previous verse. The man is actually making a pun on the origin of woman. As the human (ha-‘adam) received his existence from the earth (ha-‘adamah), now the man (‘ish) has been used to form the woman (‘ishah). 16

The honorific and descriptive title Eve (or Life) is found in the book of Moses. The Lord states: “And worlds without number have I created; . . . And the first man of all men have I called Adam, which is many. . . . And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living; for thus have I, the Lord God, called the first of all women, which are many.”(Moses 1:33-34; 4:26; italics added.) Adam and Eve appear to be general titles that the Creator had used numerous times to signify the first parents of a world. Adam, then, did not name Eve. Adam uses her title in a way similar to the Near Eastern formula for titles given to goddesses. 17 He was calling her by her title, previously conferred by God. In the book of Moses, Moses calls the woman Eve even before Adam does. (Moses 4:6.)

It is significant that the man calls the woman “bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh,” a statement he could not have made about the animals. In Hebrew, these phrases indicate a closeness, a blood relationship between the two parties, and in this case a unified companionship between the man and the woman. But the phrases are also used in other places in the Old Testament to describe two parties who are not necessarily blood relatives but who have made a covenant with David, their new king, confirming it by saying, “Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.” (2 Samuel 5:1.) David makes a similar covenant with the elders of Judah: “Ye are my brethren, ye are my bones and my flesh,” referring to a covenant the two parties have made with each other. (2 Samuel 19:12.) 18

The word for bone in Hebrew symbolizes power, and the word for flesh signifies weakness. “Bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” thus becomes a ritual pledge to be bound in the best of circumstances (power) as well as in the worst (weakness). The man’s use of this phrase in Genesis 2:23 implies a covenant similar to a marriage agreement and is, in fact, reminiscent of the phrase “for better or for worse” used in marriage vows. Thus it would be a mistake to read this verse as an expression of Eve‘s “subordination” (totally “derived” from Adam) or as an expression of Adam’s possessiveness (she is “his” because she is part of him). Instead it acknowledges a total union of two creatures who have both strength and weakness.

Latter-day Saint authorities have persistently taught that Adam and Eve were sealed by an eternal marriage covenant, paralleling the Hebrew sense of the phrase “bone of my bones.” Orson Pratt, an apostle, preached in 1875 that God himself officiated in a “marriage for eternity” linking Adam and Eve. 19 “What a beautiful partnership!” exclaimed Spencer W. Kimball in 1975. “Adam and Eve were married for eternity by the Lord. Such a marriage extends beyond the grave.” 20

Another interesting point in the Hebrew is that until the woman and the man actually partake of the fruit, the use of plural Hebrew pronouns in the text indicates a union in their actions. The serpent addresses the woman with the plural Hebrew you form, and she replies with the plural we and us: “And he [the serpent] said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye [plural Hebrew] shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye [Hebrew plural] shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye [Hebrew plural] die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye [Hebrew plural] shall not surely die.” (Genesis 3:1-4.) After she partook of the fruit, she then gave some to “her man” (King James Version, husband) who was “with her.” (Genesis 3:6.) 21

55The use of the plural pronouns you, we, and us and the phrase “her man” and “[who was] with her” imply that they are still united in thought and action. We can infer, consequently, that whatever action one would take, the other would take also. The same wording appears in the book of Moses as in the Hebrew text. (Moses 4:7-12.)

55In Genesis 3:8-24, after the fruit has been eaten, the unity of the man and woman becomes suddenly separateness. Adam and Eve use the singular Hebrew pronouns for the first time as the Lord confronts them: “I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself,” explains Adam, speaking only for himself. (Genesis 3:10.) Adam’s shift to first person singular is even more interesting when we realize that both the man and the woman heard God’s voice, both were afraid, and both of them hid. Although their actions are identical, their unity is ruptured. Eve also uses the first person singular to answer the Lord’s question: “the serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.” (Genesis 3:13.)

56Thus, the Hebrew text clearly indicates that Adam and Eve were united in their actions before the Fall. Latter-day Saint church leaders as well have generally affirmed that the Genesis account describes the first couple as united in their actions in Eden. Because Latter-day Saint doctrine regards the Fall to mortality as an essential part of the premortal plan and finds the first parents “sacrificing” their immortality that mankind might be, both the man and the woman have been treated as equally responsible for the transgression. Brigham Young and others taught that Adam had a knowledge of the plan of salvation dating to his premortal existence as a spirit without a body and was foreordained to partake of the fruit as the “design of the Lord.” 22 Eve must also have been foreordained for, as we have seen, they acted in unison. Elder Bruce McConkie stated that “Christ and Mary, Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, and a host of mighty men and equally glorious women comprised that group of ‘the noble and great ones,’ to whom the Lord Jesus said: ‘We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell.’ (Abraham 3:22-24.)” 23

56Many Church authorities have stated that both Adam and Eve shared the transgression in Eden. Throughout the Book of Mormon, the transgression is almost always referred to as Adam’s, suggesting that ‘adam was probably used in the Hebrew sense to designate the first couple as a unit. 24 In 2 Nephi 2:18-26, Eve is singled out, but as the object of temptation by Satan, to whom the guilt is assigned. Doctrine and Covenants 29:36, 40 states that “Adam [was] tempted of the devil” and “partook of the forbidden fruit” (italics added), indicating that the name is being used as a collective word for Adam and Eve as a unit. Because of this unity, who was tempted first or who yielded first becomes irrelevant; they both were acting as one.

56The judgments the Lord pronounced upon them after they partook of the fruit were essentially the same. The serpent is the only one who is directly cursed. When we view this text as a structural element of the story, these judgments are shown to be statements of cause and effect, which describe the result of the mortal condition. God’s descriptions of mortality parallel the earlier warning in Genesis 2:17 that mortality will result in a knowledge of good and evil (thus a loss of innocence), and death. Here he instructs them more about their new state: the man must now labor by the sweat of his brow to survive. That is so because not only the man but all orders of creation fell to a mortal existence. The earth is now cursed (fallen) and will no longer automatically supply the man with all his needs. The plant kingdom will provide not only fruitful trees but also thistles and thorns. Subject to death, the man is told “unto dust shalt thou return.” (Genesis 3:19.) Likewise, the woman has become mortal and must suffer the hardship and pain of bearing children.

57Brigham Young University specialist in ancient scriptures, Hugh Nibley, felt the judgments the man and the woman received were identical: “To our surprise,” he remarks, “the identical curse was placed on Adam [and Eve]. . . . For Eve, God ‘will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception. In sorrow shalt thou bring forth children.’ The key is the word for sorrow, tsavadh, meaning to labor, to toil, to sweat, to do something very hard. To multiply does not mean to add or increase but to repeat over and over again; . . . Both the conception and the labor of Eve will be multiple; she will have many children. Then the Lord says to Adam, ‘In sorrow shalt thou eat of [the bread of your labor] all the days of thy life.’ . . . The identical word is used in both cases, the root meaning is to work hard . . . ; both the man and the woman must sorrow and both must labor. It means not to be sorry, but to have a hard time. . . . Both of them bring forth life with sweat and tears, and Adam is not the favored party. If his labor is not as severe as hers, it is more protracted.” 25

57The “curse” for both the man and the woman, then, simply amounts to feeling the results of mortality, which made them imperfect, “carnal,” and subject to temptation and sin. Many scriptures from the Book of Mormon state the same philosophy: with mortality came sin, but the effects of sin can be overcome. In Mosiah 3:19 we read: “For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord.” That verse continues, enumerating the characteristics of the redeemed person; he or she “becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him [or her], even as a child doth submit to his [or her] father.” The “natural” or fallen person does not spontaneously have these traits, for with mortality comes inequality in our relationships, pride, and a tendency toward selfishness rather than love.

58Needless to say, all of these traits tend to create differences where there were none, to magnify small differences into great differences, and to reinforce the tendency toward hierarchy, division, and the rule of the “superior” over the perceived inferior. Any relationship in which one member “rules” over the other seems to be associated more with the fallen state than with the redeemed state.

58Spencer W. Kimball, in discussing Genesis 3:16, redefined it: “I have a question about the word rule. It gives the wrong impression. I would prefer to use the word preside because that’s what he does. A righteous husband presides over his wife and family.” 26

58Doctrine and Covenants 121 sheds some light on the distinction between the words rule and preside. Oft-quoted as relevant to any situation in which a priesthood holder might be presumed to have some authority, whether ecclesiastically, maritally, paternally, or socially, it begins with a warning: “We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.” (V. 39.)

58The contrasting “righteous dominion” is described a few verses later: “No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile. . . . Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distill upon thy soul as the dew from heaven. The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.” (Vv. 41-42, 45-46.)

59Dominion based on “righteousness and truth . . . without compulsory means” does not describe a relationship of subordination. The goal of mortality is to overcome such “carnal” tendencies as unrighteous dominion and to strive for oneness in relationships with others and with God.

59This is the Hebrew meaning for the heavily symbolic Adam and Eve story: that Adam and Eve were created as two incomplete halves of one united whole, that they were united in their actions, and that both mutually sacrificed their immortality to bring about the Fall.

59Genesis 2:24 summarizes their mortal situation: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” The man and the woman, who have just been created, have no physical father or mother in the story. But they symbolically represent all men and women. Male and female were created from one flesh; as separate individuals who are now companions to one another, they strive to again become as one in their relationship. Note that it is the man who leaves his parents and cleaves unto his wife. (Genesis 2:24.) In view of the patriarchal society in which this passage was written, one would instead expect to hear the reverse: a woman leaves her parents and cleaves unto her husband. Three important insights are, then, encapsulated in this summary statement: the woman is an independent and equal creation, marriage does not make her the possession of the man, and achieving oneness should be the common goal of both.

60The book of Moses supplies more details about Adam and Eve after they were sent from the Garden of Eden. In Moses 5:1 we see Eve working alongside Adam in the fields; likewise in 5:12 we see Adam participating in the child rearing. The text further states that they prayed together, had children together, rejoiced for revelations, and grieved for their disobedient children together. Neither is silent; both speak freely. Neither blames the other for the transgression, but both share a view of the Fall as a great blessing: “Blessed be the name of God,” rejoices Adam, “for because of my [not Eve‘s] transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God. And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.” (Moses 5:2, 4, 10-11, 16, 27.)

60Adam and Eve did not feel cursed; they recognized that the great blessings of mortality were now theirs. This sense of oneness and purpose has permeated Latter-day Saint doctrine since the beginning: from the oneness of the celestialized Father and Mother in Heaven, to the oneness of the Godhead, to the oneness that must exist among the Saints before Zion can be established before the second coming of Christ. “And the Lord called his people ZION because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness.” (Moses 7:18.)

60Ida Smith, then director of the Brigham Young University Women’s Research Institute, speaking at the BYU Women’s Conference in 1980, said that a relationship in which inequality exists cannot be a celestial relationship: “A just God would not require the yoking of two unequal beings for eternity. . . . It is important for a woman to learn in this life her eternal role so that when she is sealed she will be prepared and ready—with all her heart—to function in and glorify that role. That means being ready and prepared to function as a full partner in a celestial team—without having to look up because of any feeling of inferiority, or look down because of any feeling of superiority, but look across into the eyes of an equally prepared, equally magnificent eternal mate.” She maintained that the gospel of Christ should free men and women from the sexual stereotypes we sometimes attach to one another in mortality and pointed out that Christ openly displayed traits which have often been thought of as “feminine”: he embraced children, openly wept, was gentle and compassionate. We have also many examples of intelligence, wisdom, and initiative, sometimes presumed to be masculine traits, in the great women of the Church. 27 Carolyn J. Rasmus, then administrative assistant to the president of BYU, in another address given at the same conference, corroborated: “The differences between men and women are designed to be complementary and unifying, not divisive and separating. The ultimate plan is for achievement of a perfect balance, with neither sex to be unduly emphasized.” 28

61In conclusion, then, the Adam and Eve account in Genesis 1-3 must be viewed as a symbolic representation rather than as an historical account. Before the Fall the man and woman are united in equal stature before their creator. The rib (or side) story is symbolic of the completeness and perfection of their union. They both were mutually responsible for the Fall to mortality.

61The judgments pronounced upon them by the Lord were not curses but symbolic statements about the essential characteristics of mortality for all humanity. To say that because of Eve all women are cursed is not only a misunderstanding of the intent of the Genesis story but also a misunderstanding of the eternal doctrine of free agency and personal responsibility. As a literal tenet of Latter-day Saint faith, Mormons “believe that men [and women] will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s [and Eve‘s] transgression.” (Articles of Faith 1:2.) Women and men feel the results of that transgression in that they are mortal and subject to imperfections of the flesh—sin, illness, fatigue, pain, etc. If we conclude that the judgments enumerated in Genesis 3:4-20 are results of the mortal condition, the implications are that first, these imperfections, such as pain in childbirth or man’s “ruling” over woman, did not exist before the Fall and cannot be assumed to continue after mortality, and second, that we, like Adam and Eve, can strive to overcome our mortal weaknesses while still in mortality by understanding Christ’s atonement and by obeying his commandments. The promise is that we will eventually be able to return to a state of unity and oneness with God and with others, similar to Adam and Eve‘s unity before the Fall.

62Much depends on our pondering Eve‘s role in the Creation and the Fall to mortality. For only when we understand the real purpose and significance of the events in Eden can we truly appreciate the magnitude of the opportunity and challenge Jesus Christ gave to the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve when he commanded: “I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.” (Doctrine and Covenants 38:27.)

1. Spencer W. Kimball, “The Blessings and Responsibilities of Womanhood,” Ensign, Mar. 1976, p. 71.2. Brigham Young, 9 Apr. 1852, in Journal of Discourses, 1:50; 23 Oct. 1853, in Journal of Discourses, 2:6; 20 Apr. 1856, in Journal of Discourses, 3:319; 9 Oct. 1859, in Journal of Discourses, 7:285; Orson Pratt, 13 Apr. 1856, in Journal of Discourses, 3:344; Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 3 vols., comp. Bruce R. McConkie (Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, 1954-56) 1:97. The reader may note here and in many following instances that teachings in the doctrine of the Church and the accounts given in the books of Moses, Abraham, and Genesis may seem to differ from the depiction of the Creation and the Fall in the temple ceremony. The intent of the temple ceremony seems to be much the same as the intent of the Genesis account: to present ideas through symbols and figurative language, which have many layers of meaning. It is perhaps appropriate that the Creation story in the temple is presented in a symbolic fashion, as the rest of the endowment is highly ritualistic and has numerous levels of meaning. To interpret the visual (film) depiction of the Creation and the Fall as only history rather than also as a figurative representation of underlying truths would deviate from the intent of the temple experience as a whole. One part cannot be interpreted as strictly symbolic and another as strictly historical. (See Boyd K. Packer, The Holy Temple [Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, 1980], pp. 38-41, on the symbolic nature of temple instruction.) Hyrum Andrus, in noting the difference between the temple portrayal and the books of Abraham and Moses said: “A study of the problem suggests that the temple ceremony gives merely a general portrayal and not an actual account of the creation.” Hyrum Andrus, God, Man and the Universe, 2d ed., 4 vols. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, 1970), 1:333-34, footnote. This footnote does not appear in later editions. See also Packer, Holy Temple, pp. 191-94; John K. Edmunds, Through Temple Doors, 4th ed. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, 1979), pp. 73-74.3. Orson Pratt, 22 Nov. 1873, in Journal of Discourses, 16:318; Hugh Nibley, “Patriarchy and Matriarchy,” in Blueprints for Living, ed. Maren M. Mouritsen (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University, 1980), p. 46.4. See, for instance, Erastus Snow, 3 Mar. 1878, in Journal of Discourses, 19:271-72.5. In English, ‘adam could have several different meanings, and ambiguity leading to inconsistency in English translations of Genesis. If ‘adam appears alone without the Hebrew definitive article ha- preceding it, it could mean either “man” as a collective (mankind, humanity) or “Adam” as a proper name. There are only two places in the text where it definitely occurs this way, and in both places the context dictates translation as a collective humankind: one is in Gen. 1:27 where ‘adam is used with a plural pronoun “them,” and the other is in Gen. 2:5, where the presence of the negative before ‘adam would make translation of ‘adam as a proper name awkward: “there was not a man to till the ground.” Three other places in the text are uncertain because the word ‘adam is preceded by a preposition which in Hebrew would eliminate the ha: 2:20, 3:17, and 3:21. See John Ellington, “Man and Adam in Genesis 1-5,” The Bible Translator 30 (April 1979): 210-15; Gerhard Von Rad, Genesis, 2d Lussier, ” ‘Adam in Genesis 1, 1-4, 24″: 137-39.

 

 

 

 

6. Ha-‘adam in the King James translation has been inconsistently translated, most often as a proper name, Adam. See Lussier, “‘Adam in Genesis 1, 1-4,24″: 137-39. For more extensive discussion of this and other issues relating to Hebrew usage, see Jolene Rockwood, “The Redemption of Eve,” in Sisters in Spirit, ed. Maureen Ursenbach Beecher and Lavina Fielding Anderson (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1987), pp. 3-36.

7. Erastus Snow, 3 Mar. 1878, in Journal of Discourses, 19:269.8. Kimball, p. 71; bracketed interpolations his.9. Phyllis Trible, God and the Rhetoric of Sexuality (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1978), p. 90; also John L. McKenzie, “The Literary Characteristics of Genesis 2-3,” Theological Studies 15 (1954):559; Clarence J. Voz, Woman in Old Testament Worship (Amsterdam: N.V. Verenigde Drukkerijen Judels and Brinkman-Delft, n.d.), p. 16.

 

 

10. From Voz, Woman in Old Testament Worship, p. 16: “Besides Genesis 2:18, 20, this word [‘ezer] appears in the Old Testament nineteen times. Of these it is used once in a question. (Ps. 121:1–the answer to the question is given in the following verse in which it is said that one’s help comes from the Lord.) It is used three times of man as a help, (Is. 30:5; Ezk. 12:14; Dn. 11:34), but in each instance it is clear that man’s help is not effectual. (Dn. 11:34 could refer to God); fifteen times it is used of God as the one who brings succor to the needy and desperate. Thus, if one excluded Gen. 2:18, 20, it could be said that only God gives effectual help (‘ezer) to man. . . . Viewing woman as created to be a subordinate assistant to man finds no basis in the word (‘ezer).” See also Jean Higgins, “Anastasius Sinaita and the Superiority of the Woman,” Journal of Biblical Literature 97, No. 2 (1978):255: “Of forty-five occurrences of the word in the LXX. [Septuagint], forty-two unmistakably refer to help from a stronger one.”

11. R. David Freedman, “Woman, a Power Equal to Man,” Biblical Archaeology Review 9 (January-February 1983):56-58.12. A complete listing of usages is found in George V. Wigram, The Englishman’s Hebrew and Chaldee Concordance of the Old Testament, 5th ed. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Publishing House, 1980), pp. 1073-74; see also Walter Brueggemann, “Of the Same Flesh and Bone (Gn. 2, 23a)” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 32 (1970): 532-42. Only two other usages refer to a human being: Job 18:12, where it is translated as “side” (“destruction shall be ready at his side”), and Jeremiah 20:10, which has uncertain meaning (“all my familiars [friends] watched for my halting [KJV], “for my fall” [RSV], or, “at my side“). Sela’ refers to the side of a hill in 2 Samuel 16:13, but every other usage gives construction details for the tabernacle or temple.

 

13. James N. Robinson, ed., “The Apochryphan of John” and “The Gospel of Philip,” in The Nag Hammadi Library (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1977), pp. 110, 141; Louis Ginzberg, The Legends of the Jews, 12th ed., 7 vols. (1909; Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1937), 1:66.14. Genisis 2:23; Trible, p. 97; John A. Bailey, “Initiation and the Primal Woman in Gilgamesh and Genesis 2-3,” Journal of Biblical Literature 89 (1970): 142-43.

 

15. Trible, pp. 98, 100; McKenzie, pp. 556-59.16. Isaac M. Kikawada, “Two Notes on Eve,” Journal of Biblical Literature 91 (1972):33-37.

 

17. Brueggemann, pp. 532-42.18. Orson Pratt, 11 July 1875, in Journal of Discourses, 18:48; see also Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:115.19. Kimball, p. 72.20. Trible, pp. 112-13; Jean M. Higgins, “The Myth of Eve: The Temptress,” Journal of the American Academy of Religion 44 (1976): 645-47.

 

 

 

21. Brigham Young, 3 June 1855, in Journal of Discourses, 2:302; Edward W. Tullidge, The Women of Mormondom (New York: Tullidge and Crandall, 1877), pp. 197-99, stated that Mother Eve chose to be the first to partake of the fruit to symbolize the great maternal sacrifice.

22. Bruce R. McConkie, “Eve and the Fall,” in Woman (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 1979), p. 59.

23. See, for example, Mosiah 3:11, 19; 4:7; Alma 12:21-23;Alma 22:12-14; 42:2-4; Helaman 14:16-17; Mormon 9:12. In some of these references, Adam and Eve are mentioned together as the first parents. See also 1 Nephi 5:11;Mosiah 16:3-4.

24. Hugh Nibley, pp. 45-46. The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text, 47th ed. (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1964), states a similar meaning in its translation of Genesis 3:16, 17: “Unto the woman He said: I will greatly multiply thy pain and thy travail; in pain thou shalt bring forth children . . . And unto Adam He said . . . cursed is the ground for thy sake; in toil thou shalt eat of it.”

25. Kimball, p. 72.26. Ida Smith, “The Lord As a Role Model for Men and Women,” Ensign, Aug. 1980, pp. 66-67.27. Carolyn J. Rasmus, “Mormon Women: A Convert’s Perspective,” Ensign, Aug. 1980, p. 69.28. Jolene Edmunds Rockwood received her master of theological studies from the Harvard Divinity School. She is a widely known lecturer and coauthor of Sisters in Spirit. She is the founder and president of the Rural Alliance for the Arts in Indiana. Sister Rockwood is a homemaker and resides with her husband, Fred, and their six children in Batesville, Indiana, where she serves as her ward’s Young Women president.

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LDS Gospel Doctrine Lessons, Old Testament

LDS Gospel Doctrine Lessons, Old Testament, Bible

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Lesson 4 “Because of My Transgression My Eyes Are Opened”

Daybreak 10^th Ward

Suzanne Peterson,  M.S.

Former B.Y.U. Instructor  and LDS Full-Time Seminary Teacher

Lesson 4

Introduction:

For more than two thousand years, Eve has been blamed for woes ranging from the origin of sin to the presumed inferiority of the female sex. Much of this tradition has been so ingrained in our Judeo-Christian culture that we are often unaware of its presence or origin. Because of E**ve, women have been cursed, their subordination to man has been justified, and their feminine weaknesses have been stereotyped—all because of a short section of Hebrew poetry in Genesis 1-3 which tells the highly symbolic story of the beginnings of time.

49Like Genesis, the Latter-day Saint scriptural accounts in Moses and Abraham are figurative rather than historical stories. We know that the Creation and the Fall did occur and that Adam and Eve were real people, but all the other elements of the story—the serpent, the tree, the fruit, the rib story—all are symbols.

49Church leaders have reiterated this truth numerous times. Spencer W. Kimball, for instance, as president of the Church, stated that the rib story was figurative. 2 Brigham Young, Joseph Smith, Joseph Fielding Smith, and others stated that Adam and Eve‘s bodies were engendered and born by natural sexual functioning and that they were placed in Eden as adult beings. 3 Orson Pratt and, more recently, Hugh Nibley taught that the pair were tempted on numerous occasions, not only by the serpent but by other “beings” who had been “angels of light and truth” in the premortal existence but had then become followers of Satan. 4 Other Latter-day Saint authorities have taught that Adam and Eve became mortal by eating a substance that was poisonous to their immortal systems and that the tree and the fruit were symbols representing the process by which the Fall came about. 5 Women and the Power Within: to See Life Steadily and See It Whole Marie Cornwall, Dawn Hall Anderson 2010 Deseret Book Company

MOSES 4:1–6
HOW LUCIFER BECAME THE DEVIL

Moses 4:1 . “That Satan, Whom Thou Hast Commanded”

This phrase refers to a previous confrontation Moses had with Satan (see Moses 1:12–22 ). Moses had commanded Satan, in the name of Jesus Christ, to depart.

Moses 4:1 I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost. The Prophet Joseph Smith explained: “The contention in heaven was— Jesus said there would be certain souls that would not be saved; and the devil said he could save them all, and laid his plans before the grand council, who gave their vote in favor of Jesus Christ. So the devil rose up in rebellion against God, and was cast down, with all who put up their heads for him” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 357).

Perhaps some irony is to be found in the fact that those who embraced the cause wherein none were to be lost became the only ones who are everlastingly lost. They alone become “perdition,” or hopelessly lost. They are “the only ones on whom the second death shall have any power; yea, verily, the only ones who shall not be redeemed in the due time of the Lord, after the sufferings of his wrath. For all the rest shall be brought forth by the resurrection of the dead, through the triumph and the glory of the Lamb, who was slain, who was in the bosom of the Father before the worlds were made” (D&C 76:37-39).

Moses 4:1 . The Council in Heaven

President Joseph Fielding Smith taught: “In the former [premortal] life we were spirits. In order that we should advance and eventually gain the goal of perfection, it was made known that we would receive tabernacles of flesh and bones and have to pass through mortality where we would be tried and proved to see if we, by trial, would prepare ourselves for exaltation.” He further stated that when our Heavenly Father presented His plan to His children in a council in heaven, “the thought of passing through mortality and partaking of all the vicissitudes [hardships] of earth life in which they would gain experiences through suffering, pain, sorrow, temptation and affliction, as well as the pleasures of life in this mundane existence, and then, if faithful, passing on through the resurrection to eternal life in the kingdom of God, to be like him, filled them with the spirit of rejoicing, and they ‘shouted for joy’ [ Job 38:1–7 ]” ( Doctrines of Salvation, 1:57–58).

Moses 4:1–2 . The Plan of Our Father in Heaven

Elder Neal A. Maxwell said that it is “extremely important to get straight what happened in that premortal council. It was not an unstructured meeting, nor was it a discussion between plans, nor an idea-producing session, as to how to formulate the plan for salvation and carry it out. Our Father’s plan was known , and the actual question put was whom the Father should send to carry out the plan” ( Deposition of a Disciple [1976], 11; see also John 7:16–18 ).

Moses 4:2 Father, thy will be done. The Son had no plan of his own. The Father is the author of the plan of salvation. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught, “God himself, finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent, saw proper to institute laws whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself. The relationship we have with God places us in a situation to advance in knowledge. He has power to institute laws to instruct the weaker intelligences, that they may be exalted with himself” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 354).

The will of the Only Begotten Son has always been the will of the Father in all things. We learn of the Father’s plan from the teachings of the Savior. “Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me. And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil” (3 Nephi 27:13-      14).

Moses 4:1–4 . Satan and His Opposition to Heavenly Father’s Plan

In the premortal existence, Satan was called “Lucifer,” which means “the Shining One” or “Lightbringer.” He was a “son of the morning” (see Isaiah 14:12 ; D&C 76:25–27 ) and had potential to do much good. But Lucifer sought to obtain the throne, honor, power, and glory of Heavenly Father (see D&C 29:36 ; 76:28 ; Moses 4:1 ). To do so, he proposed to “redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost” ( Moses 4:1 ). However, his proposal was based on compulsion and would therefore eliminate the agency of Heavenly Father’s children and the need for a Savior to suffer and redeem them.

Moses 4:3 . The Agency of Man

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said: “Satan’s method of assuring ‘that one soul shall not be lost’ ( Moses 4:1 ) would be to ‘destroy the agency of man’ ( Moses 4:3 ). Under his plan, Satan would have been our master, and he would have ‘[led us] captive at his will’ ( Moses 4:4 ). Without the power of choice, we would have been mere robots or puppets in his hands” (“Free Agency and Freedom,” in The Book of Mormon: Second Nephi, The Doctrinal Structure, ed. Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr. [1989], 4).

Moses 4:4 . Satan’s Desires

President Joseph F. Smith taught: “Let it not be forgotten that the evil one has great power in the earth, and that by every possible means he seeks to darken the minds of men and then offers them falsehood and deception in the guise of truth. Satan is a skillful imitator, and as genuine gospel truth is given the world in ever-increasing abundance, so he spreads the counterfeit coin of false doctrine. Beware of his spurious currency, it will purchase for you nothing but disappointment, misery and spiritual death” (“Witchcraft,” Juvenile Instructor, 15 Sept. 1902, 562).

He sought to destroy the world. Referring to Lucifer, Lehi explained: “Because he had fallen from heaven, and he had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind” (2 Nephi 2:18). Lucifer believed that the fall of Adam would lead to the eventual captivity of all God’s children. Lucifer was cut off from the presence of God, becoming spiritually dead. He believed that by tempting Eve to partake of the forbidden fruit that she too would be cut off from the presence of God. In this plan Lucifer was correct. Lehi further explained that God “gave commandment that all men must repent; for he showed unto all men that they were lost, because of the transgression of their parents” (2 Nephi 2:21). In addition, the consequence of temporal death, as pronounced by God upon Adam and Eve if they partook of the forbidden fruit, was the separation of the body and spirit. In such a situation Adam and Eve, and their posterity, would become disembodied spirits after death, thus becoming like Lucifer. Because Lucifer has no faith and no light to comprehend Christ’s atoning sacrifice, he believed, as Jacob described in the Book of Mormon, that “our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like into himself” (2 Nephi 9:9).

President Brigham Young said: “Every person who desires and strives to be a Saint is closely watched by fallen spirits that came here when Lucifur [sic] fell, and by the spirits of wicked persons who have been here in tabernacles and departed from them. . . . Those spirits are never idle; they are watching every person who wishes to do right, and are continually prompting them to do wrong” (in Journal of Discourses, 7:239).

Moses 4:4 He became Satan, yea, even the devil. Lucifer had been a bearer of light, as his name, son of the morning, implies. He was “an angel of God who was in authority in the presence of God . . . a son of the morning” (D&C 76:25-26). However, his rebellion led him to become Satan, meaning the slanderer and “the accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10). He became a liar and “sought that which was evil before God. And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind” (2 Nephi 2:17-18).

Moses 4:5 The serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field. In this verse the serpent symbolizes Lucifer. Similar symbolism was used in the revelation given to John the apostle. He beheld “a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: . . . And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: . . . and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:3-4, 9). Commenting on the account of the fall of Adam as recorded on the brass plates, Lehi explained, “According to the things which I have read, [I] must needs suppose that an angel of God, according to that which is written, had fallen from heaven; wherefore, he became a devil, having sought that which was evil before God. And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil” (2 Nephi 2:17-18; emphasis added).

Moses 4:6 . Satan Does Not Know the Mind of God

Moses 4:6 The serpent, (for he had drawn away many after him). Again, reference to the serpent is symbolic of Lucifer and those spirits that followed him in rebellion against God. However, the possibility that there was also an actual serpent or snake in the garden, through which the devil spoke, remains. Such is hinted at in verse 7: “he spake by the mouth of the serpent.” An example of devils entering into the bodies of animals is recorded in the New Testament wherein evil spirits were permitted to enter into the bodies of swine (Luke 8:32-33). It may be that as “angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost” (2 Nephi 32:3), so devils speak by the power of Satan. That is, the serpent may signify that Satan spoke by the mouth of his angels.

He knew not the mind of God. As is true of those whom the devil takes captive, so it is true of Lucifer and his fall to perdition: “They that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries” (Alma 12:11). All apostates are in a similar situation of having lost light and truth. “Strange as it may appear at first thought,” expressed the Prophet Joseph Smith, “yet it is no less strange than true, that notwithstanding all the professed determination to live godly, apostates after turning from the faith of Christ, unless they have speedily repented, have sooner or later fallen into the snares of the wicked one, and have been left destitute of the Spirit of God, to mani fest their wickedness in the eyes of multitudes. . . . There is a superior intelligence bestowed upon such as obey the Gospel with full purpose of heart, which, if sinned against, the apostate is left naked and destitute of the Spirit of God. . . . When once that light which was in them is taken from them, they become as much darkened as they were previously enlightened” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 67).

Elder James E. Talmage explained that Satan actually “furthered the purposes of the Creator by tempting Eve; yet his design was to thwart the Lord’s plan. We are definitely told that ‘he knew not the mind of God, wherefore he sought to destroy the world.’ [ Moses 4:6 .] Yet his diabolical effort, far from being the initiatory step toward destruction, contributed to the plan of man’s eternal progression” ( The Articles of Faith, 69).

THE FALL OF ADAM AND EVE

Moses 4:10 . “Ye Shall Not Surely Die”

God told Adam that he would die if he ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Satan’s statement that Adam would not die was an evil exploitation and illustrates the pernicious nature of Satan, “the father of all lies” ( Moses 4:4 ), for he attempted to show God as a liar. But God is a God of truth and cannot lie (see Ether 3:12 ). Soon after Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit, they were forced to leave the garden and the presence of the Lord, thus suffering a spiritual death. Additionally, when they fell, their bodies changed from a nonmortal state to a mortal state and thus became subject to physical death. (See D&C 29:40–43 .)

Moses 4:7-12 The use of the plural pronouns you, we, and us and the phrase “her man” and “[who was] with her” imply that they are still united in thought and action

Moses 4:11 . “Ye Shall Be As Gods, Knowing Good and Evil”

When Adam and Eve partook of the fruit they became mortal and, in the sense of knowing good and evil, began to become like God. But Satan implied that God’s forbidding them to partake of the fruit was because God did not want them to become as the Gods, trying to make it appear that God’s motives were selfish. The truth is that God’s work and glory is to help all of His children to one day become as He is (see Moses 1:39 ).

Moses 4:12 . Why Did Adam and Eve Partake of the Fruit?

Neither Adam nor Eve partook of the fruit because they loved Satan more than God or because they wanted to rebel against God. Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught:

“It was Eve who first transgressed the limits of Eden in order to initiate the conditions of mortality. Her act, whatever its nature, was formally a transgression but eternally a glorious necessity to open the doorway toward eternal life. Adam showed his wisdom by doing the same. And thus Eve and ‘Adam fell that men might be’ [ 2 Nephi 2:25 ].

“Some Christians condemn Eve for her act, concluding that she and her daughters are somehow flawed by it. Not the Latter-day Saints! Informed by revelation, we celebrate Eve’s act and honor her wisdom and courage in the great episode, called the Fall. . . . Brigham Young declared, ‘We should never blame Mother Eve, not the least’ (in Journal of Discourses, 13:145). Elder Joseph Fielding Smith said: ‘I never speak of the part Eve took in this fall as a sin, nor do I accuse Adam of a sin. . . . This was a transgression of the law, but not a sin . . . for it was something that Adam and Eve had to do!’[ Doctrines of Salvation, 1:114–15]” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1993, 98; or Ensign, Nov. 1993, 73 ).

He sought also to beguile Eve. I spoke again with Dr. Nehama Aschkenasy. She explained that the Hebrew word which has come to be translated as beguiled is a rare verb form of unusual depth and richness. Because it is a form no longer in use, it is almost impossible to translate. “It is safe to say that it indicates an intense multilevel experience which evokes great emotional, psychological, and/or spiritual trauma.” Aschkenasy wrote of this in her book Eve’s Journey. The use of this word in the biblical narrative “makes it clear that Eve was motivated by a complex set of inner drives, anchored not only in her physical, but also in her intellectual nature.” She further indicated her belief that this intense, multilevel experience caused Eve to step back, reevaluate, reassess, and ponder the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The Enticer in Beverly Campbell, Eve and the Choice Made in Eden

“What is meant by partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil,” explained Elder Bruce R. McConkie, “is that our first parents complied with whatever laws were involved so that their bodies would change from their state of paradisiacal immortality to a state of natural mortality” (Sermons and Writings, 189).

Moses 4:12 . The Difference between Transgression and Sin

Elder Dallin H. Oaks said that the “contrast between a sin and a transgression reminds us of the careful wording in the second article of faith : ‘We believe that men will be punished for their own sins , and not for Adam’s transgression ’ (italics added). It also echoes a familiar distinction in the law. Some acts, like murder, are crimes because they are inherently wrong. Other acts, like operating without a license, are crimes only because they are legally prohibited. Under these distinctions, the act that produced the Fall was not a sin—inherently wrong—but a transgression—wrong because it was formally prohibited. These words are not always used to denote something different, but this distinction seems meaningful in the circumstances of the Fall” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1993, 98; or Ensign, Nov. 1993, 73 ).

Another meaning of the word transgress is “to go beyond established limits or conditions.” Adam and Eve went beyond the limits that would have kept them in the Garden of Eden forever, and in so doing helped provide the opportunity of mortality for all of us.

Moses 4:12-25 Lucifer is clearly the one deceived in Eden. Hugh Nibley wrote: “In ancient lore [Eve] is the one who outwits the serpent and trips him up with his own smartness.”93 God wanted Adam and Eve to eat, but Lucifer “knew not the mind of God” (Moses 4:6). It follows, therefore, that Satan—either because he assumed that God desired Adam and Eve to stay in Eden, or because he wanted access to the rest of God’s children—offered them that which was “forbidden.”94 But in doing so, he thwarted his own work and furthered God’s. Literally, Satan’s act helped initiate God’s plan, even though the adversary’s intent was to frustrate God’s will.95 He set up the very circumstance in which Christ would later “crush” his head (see Genesis 3:15; Moses 4:21). Alonzo L. Gaskill The Savior and The Serpent 2005 Deseret Book Company.

Moses 4:13 Fig leaves are a symbol of fertility.  To cover the part of their bodies that represent the power to procreate symbols that Adam and Eve could now ? —– have children.

Moses 4:13 They sewed fig-leaves together and made themselves aprons. The fig is a symbol of fertility. In clothing the sexual parts of their bodies—which represent the power of creation—with fig leaves, Adam and Eve announced that they now had the power to procreate.

Moses 4:14 Notice what happens after the fruit has been eaten.  Do Adam and Eve use the plural pronoun “Ye”?  No, they use the singular Hebrew pronoun for the first time, “I”  What does this symbolize about their unity.  The unity of the man and woman becomes suddenly separateness.

Moses 4:15 God “knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it” ( 2 Nephi 9:20 Why then did God ask Adam and Eve the questions in Moses 4:15–19 ? Because, as Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught, “personal accountability for all of one’s acts underlies the whole gospel plan and is the natural outgrowth of the law of free agency” ( Mormon Doctrine, 15).

Moses 4:14 . Adam and Eve Tried to Hide from God

Moses 3:25 tells us that before the Fall Adam and Eve were not ashamed, despite their nakedness. Once they gained knowledge of good and evil, they became conscious of their disobedience and unworthiness before God. It may be said that they became aware and ashamed of their spiritual “nakedness.” As fallen beings, they had to face God with a sense of their own guilt. As Alma explained to his son Corianton, “Ye cannot hide your crimes from God; and except ye repent they will stand as a testimony against you at the last day” ( Alma 39:8 ; see also 2 Nephi 9:14 ).

Moses 4:15–19 . God Asked Adam and Eve If They Had Eaten the Fruit

God “knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it” ( 2 Nephi 9:20 ). Why then did God ask Adam and Eve the questions in Moses 4:15–19 ? Because, as Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught, “personal accountability for all of one’s acts underlies the whole gospel plan and is the natural outgrowth of the law of free agency” ( Mormon Doctrine, 15).

“What is meant by partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil,” explained Elder Bruce R. McConkie, “is that our first parents complied with whatever laws were involved so that their bodies would change from their state of paradisiacal immortality to a state of natural mortality” (Sermons and Writings, 189).

THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE FALL

Moses 4:20 . The Serpent Was Cursed

Moses 4:20 Because thou hast done this thou shalt be cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life;  even the beasts have bodies of flesh and bone and enjoy the privilege of resurrection, whereas the devil and his angels remain unembodied spirits forever.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote: “Since the day in which Satan spoke by the mouth of the serpent to entice Eve to partake of the forbidden fruit ( Moses 4:5–21 ), Satan has been called ‘that old serpent .’ ( Rev. 12:9 ; 20:2 ; D. & C. 76:28 ; 88:110 .) Choice of the name is excellent, indicating as it does a cunning, sly, subtle, and deceitful craftiness” ( Mormon Doctrine, 704).

“Being cursed is the very opposite of being blessed; God’s blessing graciously invokes good, whereas his curse justly invokes evil upon one deserving it. Thus Satan was informed through symbolic terms that he would not have the privilege of earth life that even cattle and beasts have” (Ellis T. Rasmussen, A Latter-day Saint Commentary on the Old Testament [1993], 16).

Moses 4:21 . Enmity

The Lord is informing us here that enmity (hatred or disdain) will exist between Christ and Lucifer.

Moses 4:21 He shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. “He” to whom reference is made is Christ. The biblical text, rather sadly, reads “it” (Genesis 3:15). It is Christ who will “bruise” (in Hebrew, “crush”) Satan’s head. Satan will have his moment of victory in the crucifixion of Christ (spoken of as bruising Christ’s heel), but the ultimate

President Ezra Taft Benson taught: “ Enmity means ‘hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition’” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1989, 3; or Ensign, May 1989, 4 ).

Moses 4:21 . The “Seed of the Woman” Refers to the Savior, Jesus Christ

Elder James E. Talmage wrote: “Adam, the patriarch of the race, rejoiced in the assurance of the Savior’s appointed ministry, through the acceptance of which, he, the transgressor, might gain redemption. Brief mention of the plan of salvation, the author of which is Jesus Christ, appears in the promise given of God following the fall—that though the devil, represented by the serpent in Eden, should have power to bruise the heel of Adam’s posterity, through the seed of the woman should come the power to bruise the adversary’s head. It is significant that this assurance of eventual victory over sin and its inevitable effect, death, both of which were introduced to earth through Satan, the arch-enemy of mankind, was to be realized through the offspring of woman; the promise was not made specifically to the man, nor to the pair. The only instance of offspring from woman dissociated from mortal fatherhood is the birth of Jesus the Christ, who was the earthly Son of a mortal mother, begotten by an immortal Father. He is the Only Begotten of the Eternal Father in the flesh, and was born of woman.” ( Jesus the Christ, 3rd ed. [1916], 43).

Latter-day Saint authorities have persistently taught that Adam and Eve were sealed by an eternal marriage covenant, paralleling the Hebrew sense of the phrase “bone of my bones.” Orson Pratt, an apostle, preached in 1875 that God himself officiated in a “marriage for eternity” linking Adam and Eve. 19 “What a beautiful partnership!” exclaimed Spencer W. Kimball in 1975. “Adam and Eve were married for eternity by the Lord. Such a marriage extends beyond the grave.” 20

Moses 4:21 He shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. “He” to whom reference is made is Christ. The biblical text, rather sadly, reads “it” (Genesis 3:15). It is Christ who will “bruise” (in Hebrew, “crush”) Satan’s head. Satan will have his moment of victory in the crucifixion of Christ (spoken of as bruising Christ’s heel), but the ultimate victory over death and sin will rest with Christ (described here as bruising Satan’s head).

THIRD PART IS SYMBOLIC  Related to this concept of limited power is the fraction one-third. Of it, one scholar wrote, “One-third symbolically [shows] that their bounds have been set. They can go only so far. The fraction one-third is used by a number of the prophets in association with what is called ‘remnant theology,’     remnant being the unaffected part. We see this in Ezekiel 5:1–5 . . . [and] again in Ezekiel 5:12 and in Zechariah 13:8–9.”67 When this fraction is utilized toward a particular   individual or event, the suggestion is that they have a limited degree of power or influence. The Lost Language of Symbolism by Alonzo L. Gaskill

Moses 4:22 . “I Will Greatly Multiply thy Sorrow”

The Hebrew word for “multiply” is rabah (raw-bah), meaning to repeat over and over. It does not suggest greater sorrow, but rather repeated sorrow. The Hebrew word for “sorrow” in the Genesis account ( Genesis 3:16 ) is from atsab (aw-tsab), which means “labor” or “pain.” While these words suggest that toil and suffering would be a part of Eve’s life, Eve did not view the conditions that came upon her through the Fall to be a curse (see Moses 5:11 ). Moses 4:22 “is a great revelation to women. Eve and her daughters can become cocreators with God by preparing bodies for his spirit children to occupy on earth and later in eternity. Mothering would entail inconvenience, suffering, travail, and sorrow; these the Lord foretold as natural consequences and not as a curse” (Rasmussen, Latter-day Saint Commentary, 17).

Moses 4:22 I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception. This could have been translated “your pain in childbearing,” or “your labor and groaning.” The pain of childbearing rests with the woman.

Moses 4:22 . “He Shall Rule over Thee”

Concerning this phrase, President Spencer W. Kimball said: “I have a question about the word rule . It gives the wrong impression. I would prefer to use the word preside because that’s what he does. A righteous husband presides over his wife and family” ( Ensign, Mar. 1976, 72 ). In Ephesians 5:22–31 and Doctrine and Covenants 121:41–46 the Lord gave clear instructions on how husbands should preside.

Moses 4:23–25 . “Cursed Shall Be the Ground for Thy Sake”

President Marion G. Romney taught: “Note that the curse was not placed upon Adam, but upon the ground for Adam’s sake. Rather than a curse upon Adam, it was a blessing to him” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1976, 168; or Ensign, Nov. 1976, 125 ).

President Brigham Young said that the effects of the Fall were universal: “Then came the curse upon the fruit, upon the vegetables, and upon our mother earth; and it came upon the creeping things, upon the grain in the field, the fish in the sea, and upon all things pertaining to this earth” (in Journal of Discourses, 10:312). From the time of the Fall, thorns and thistles have grown spontaneously from the ground. Only through persistent labor could Adam plant, nourish, and harvest crops from the ground and thereby assure his survival. Before the Fall, he had been charged to “dress” and “keep” the Garden of Eden ( Moses 3:15 ). After the Fall, he was told that he would have to work by the sweat of his brow to obtain his sustenance.

Moses 4:23 . “In Sorrow Shalt Thou Eat of It All the Days of Thy Life”

“If Eve must labor to bring forth, so too must Adam labor ( Genesis 3:17–19 ; Moses 4:23 ) to quicken the earth so it shall bring forth. Both of them bring forth life with sweat and tears, and Adam is not the favored party. If his labor is not as severe as hers, it is more protracted. For Eve’s life will be spared long after her childbearing—‘nevertheless thy life shall be spared’—while Adam’s toil must go on to the end of his days: ‘In sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life’! Even retirement is no escape from that sorrow” (Hugh Nibley, Old Testament and Related Studies, John W. Welch, Gary P. Gillum, and Don E. Norton, eds. [1986], 90).

Moses 4:25 . Death Entered the World

Pointing out the falseness of what Satan had said to Eve (see Moses 4:10 ), the Lord told Adam, “Thou shalt surely die” ( v. 25 ). Adam and Eve experienced a spiritual death when they were driven from the Garden of Eden and from the presence of the Lord. They also became mortal and thus subject to physical death.

[Eve] is the one who outwits the serpent and trips him up with his own smartness.”93 God wanted Adam and Eve to eat, but Lucifer “knew not the mind of God” (Moses 4:6). It follows, therefore, that Satan—either because he assumed that God desired Adam and Eve to stay in Eden, or because he wanted access to the rest of God’s children—offered them that which was “forbidden.”94 But in doing so, he thwarted his own work and furthered God’s. Literally, Satan’s act helped initiate God’s plan, even though the adversary’s intent was to frustrate God’s will.95 He set up the very circumstance in which Christ would later “crush” his head (see Genesis 3:15; Moses 4:21). Alonzo L. Gaskill The Savior and The Serpent 2005 Deseret Book Company.

Moses 4:26 Mother of all living; . . . the first of all women, which are many. “Adam and Eve, who were our first parents” (1 Nephi 5:11) are the mortal progenitors of all men and women. It would appear that the first parents on each earth would properly bear the names Adam and Eve (Abraham 3:3).

Moses 4:27 . God Made Coats of Skins for Adam and Eve

The phrase “coat of skins” could also have been rendered “garments” or “tunics” (see Genesis 3:21, footnote a , in the LDS edition of the King James Bible).

Moses 4:27 Make coats of skins, and clothed them. After Adam and Eve had partaken of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, after they had blood flowing in their veins, after all things in the world of which they were a part had become subject to death, the God of Heaven taught them the law of sacrifice. This law required the death—by the shedding of blood— of two lambs whose skins were then placed on Adam and Eve. These special garments were worn by them when they went out into the lone and dreary world. The garments constituted a constant reminder of the protection they would enjoy (through the blood of the Lamb, even the Son of God) from all the effects of the Fall.

Moses 4:31 . Cherubim

Cherubim are “figures representing heavenly creatures, the exact form being unknown. They are found in the Holy of Holies, on the Mercy Seat of the Ark ( Ex. 25:18, 22 ; 1 Kgs. 6:23–28; Heb. 9:5 ), and in the visions of Ezekiel ( Ezek. 10 ; 11:22 )” ( Bible Dictionary, “cherubim,” 632 ).

Moses 4:31 Cherubim and a flaming sword. Cherubim are usually depicted as winged animals, such as bulls and lions. Sometimes they are composite creatures of several animals and have the face of a man. They are utilized in many cultures to represent the guardians of sacred buildings, treasures, trees, etc. All who return to the presence of God must be able to “pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there” to guard the way so that those who have not been properly prepared may not enter (D&C 132:19).

When asked, “What does the scripture mean, which saith that God placed cherubim and a flaming sword on the east of the garden of Eden, lest our first parents should enter and partake of the fruit of the tree of life, and live forever?” (Alma 12:21), the prophet Alma explained, “Now we see that Adam did fall by the partaking of the forbidden fruit, according to the word of God; and thus we see, that by his fall, all mankind became a lost and fallen people. And now behold, I say unto you that if it had been possible for Adam to have partaken of the fruit of the tree of life at that time, there would have been no death, and the word would have been void, making God a liar, for he said: If thou eat thou shalt surely die. And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead. . . . And now behold, if it were pos sible that our first parents could have gone forth and partaken of the tree of life they would have been forever miserable, having no preparatory state; and thus the plan of redemption would have been frustrated, and the word of God would have been void, taking none effect. But behold, it was not so; but it was appointed unto men that they must die; and after death, they must come to judgment, even that same judgment of which we have spoken, which is the end” (Alma 12:22-24, 26-27).

Thus, the traditional interpretation that Eve was somehow tricked is inaccurate. Such a reading stands in contradiction with the doctrine as taught by living prophets. In Eden, Eve was intellectually and spiritually mature, understood God’s will, and then consciously made the informed decision to move the plan forward by eating the fruit that would bring mortality into the world. It is for this reason that we honor her. We do not honor those who sin, even if some good comes from their missteps. But with Eve, there was no mistake, no misunderstanding, no succumbing to temptation. She is a heroine because she understood what was right and then chose to do exactly that, not because she was deceived into doing something that, in the end, benefited God’s plan. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland wrote: “Adam and Eve made their choice for an even more generous reason than those of godly knowledge and personal progress. They did it for the one overriding and commanding reason basic to the entire plan of salvation and all the discussions ever held in all the councils of heaven. They did it ‘that men might be.’ “91 True to form, there was not so much as a hint of selfishness present in their decision to partake of the fruit, Alonzo L. Gaskill The Savior and The Serpent 2005 Deseret Book Company.

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