On Sat, 6 Jul 2002, Vernon Jenkins wrote:
> But what do you make of "But there went up a mist...and watered the
>whole face
> of the ground." (Gen.2:6) ? Hardly desert conditions! And how do you explain
> the existence of the river flowing out of Eden (Gen.2:10) - there being no
> rain?
> Again, it must have represented a substantial flow of water for we read that
> it divides into "four heads".
Vernon,
If one takes vs. 6 to be simultaneous with vs. 5, then one must still ask
why those plants were absent. On the other hand, when you get to vs. 8,
the situation in vs. 5 no longer exists. Could vs. 6 be one of the
reasons? Judging from the various translations, it is not too clear what
is meant by mist. It is also translated fountain (LXX) or streams. The
only other occurrence of this word in the OT is in Job 36:27, where it
appears to be associated with rain. This could prepare the ground for
planting.
I see no reason for the word 'erets in vs. 5 to have to refer to any
region much more extensive than that which is the location of the events
relating to Adam and Eve in Gen. 2 and 3. (I hope we don't have to have
another discussion of the meaning of that word.) The dry conditions did
not need to be global. Many large rivers flow through deserts. They have
their sources in regions that receive much precipitation.
Gordon Brown
Department of Mathematics
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309-0395
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