Arguing from the English Translation?

[Jordan (Jordan Mantha)]

@Faizal_Ali

@Jordan

@Faizal_Ali, do you think non-Christian readers (Jewish and Muslim) have interpreted Genesis 2:17 as a lie?

No, but they are hardly neutral, either. They tend to believe God would never lie.

OK, so then:

@Faizal_Ali

Reading this text on its own, unencumbered by 2000 years of Christian theology, it is very clear what happens in this story.

is more like “unencumbered by any belief system that privileges Genesis above ancient near eastern mythology”? It’s not a huge leap, but I just wanted to be clear if it was Christian theology in particular that you were taking issue with, seems not.

@Faizal_Ali

@Jordan

Are there any other possibilities in your mind (assuming God is really out there) to interpret that passage besides a lie? Could it be that God changed his mind between 2:17 and 3:23? Maybe God had mercy on them and instead of an immediate “capitol punishment” he instead exiled them. Is that a valid reading?

Such interpretations would depart wildly from the text.

I’m afraid I don’t see it. How would God changing his mind from immediate death to exile-followed-by-death depart wildly from the text? Doesn’t it fit quite well? A lie is an intentional deception, it’s pretty hard to prove that from this text. I have a much harder time seeing that from this text than God changing his mind about the timeline of the consequence (going easy on them, you might say). If God was threatened or afraid that Adam & Eve would challenge his “special status”, why wouldn’t he just zap them where they stood? It doesn’t make sense for God to be afraid of them and then not do what 2:17 says (immediate death), does it?