The Hebrews used existing mythology as a framework to explain their religious beliefs. It’s funny how many modern people, believers and otherwise, have so much difficulty with understanding the Bible for what it is, a theological text. They seemingly are unable to keep history, science and philosophy out of the equation. The Bible wasn’t written to prove God’s existence as the people at the time did not need to be persuaded that God existed. I would argue that if reading the Bible convinces you God exists, convinces you in the veracity of what was written, you have mental issues. Look for evidence of God in the world, not some ancient books written for uneducated sheep herders.
You do know that an inanimate object is incapable of that action?
As I asked, show me in Genesis where the serpent is described as Satan. You can’t which is why you are avoiding the question. The idea that it was Satan is a late addition to the story. Just as Original Sin. These ideas came up a thousand years after the Torah was originally written. The Hebrews who wrote the Torah did not believe in Original Sin. Jews still don’t. They have never taught that the serpent was Satan. But what would they know, right?
Is verse 15 just literal gibberish?
The literal meaning is that God is stating the destiny that Satan is bound to do.
The Bible speaks to children of the Devil in John 8:44, but a better example for Genesis 3:15 is
1 John 3:10b, “and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.”
We finish Genesis chapter 3, just in time to see the seed of Satan do his first bruising of the heal of the seed of the woman in Genesis chapter 4.
Satan is trying to stop the seed of the woman using “his seed”, Cain to kill righteous Abel. Satan is only slowing (bruising the heel) of the seed of the woman. Because the Adam’s birth Seth, and chapter 5 is a list of the righteous line to Noah.
But the Living word of God is extremely capable. I just gave you an example in the previous post.
What does this have to do with the price of apples in China?
I showed you exactly how the Bible described the serpent as Satan. You just don’t believe it.
My reference for any singular Bible passage is the entire Bible. You just don’t agree.
You have failed to prove he was talking to Satan. A literal reading says he wasn’t.
None of the rest has any literal textual evidence to prove the serpent was Satan.
You might want to define the verb interpret as you are using it. A word interpreting itself seems rather illogical.
Nothing. But it does have a lot to do with their religion. Would you ask an ancient Greek to teach you about the Torah before you asked an ancient Israelite?
You didn’t. You posted no literal words that did so. It was your interpretation of what the literal words “really” mean. In fact, if you read it as someone familiar with grammar (sorry Mr. STEM), you would see that Satan is the one described as a serpent. “That old serpent, Satan,” not, “Satan was that serpent in Eden.”
The word of God is NOT a single word.
Your comment suggests that you believe the word of God is a single word
Another “either, or” constraint that you so dearly love. I would ask the Holy Spirit to reveal His truth from the word of God.
But it is a literal MEANING.
I don’t think you know what that means. If I say that the dog is brown, that is a statement with literal meaning. It’s a statement of fact. If I say someone is tall, that description is relative to what I consider tall. There is no literal meaning. If I say someone is six feet tall, that has literal meaning. He is literally six feet tall.
If John, in Revelation, is saying that Satan is also the serpent in Eden, he is not literally saying it. If he literally stated it then you would be able to show where he literally stated it. Looking at it syntactically, where is the antecedent with regard to “that serpent?” There is none. He does not literally state that “that” serpent is the same one as the one in Eden. Thus, from a linguistic point of view, the logical explanation is that he is describing Satan as a serpent, figuratively. Think of how a man might be referred to as, “your father, that old dog.” No one thinks that an old dog out there was your father. They’re describing your father as an old dog but figuratively not literally. It’s an expression.
And to use Revelation as an example of literal meaning is silly as there is no consensus on what it refers to: the past, present (the author’s) or future. What we do know is that it is symbolic (hence, not literal). The genre is Apocalyptic, and that makes use of symbols, allegories and metaphors.
Good luck with that. Ask him the winning lottery numbers for me.
I don’t believe the word of God is a word we can understand. He communicates to us with our words.
God yearns for a relationship with all men. God is not interested in me winning the lottery.
I sure hope that no one in this thread would believe that comment had any value.
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I would say that you have made that abundantly obvious.
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That’s why I said to ask for me.
Keep in mind, there were no humans yet and thus no human languages. What language would God have spoken? Remember too, that He had Adam name the animals.
I always believe it is critical for the reader to find the antecedents for every pronoun written in the Bible.
Where we differ, you will require in be in the letter written by John. I do demand that we first search the text in close proximity. But if you can’t find it there, might it be elsewhere in the Bible.
It would make sense that the language spoken to Adam was close to Hebrew.
That said, the language of God is precisely translated into the Authorized Version. No problem.
In that case, you can find proof for any idea or interpretation. That sort of flies in the face of literal meaning. The problem for you is that in Genesis, God explicitly calls the serpent a serpent. What you are doing is taking John’s words and giving them more weight than God’s. I would go with what God said over what you think- you think- John said. It not only gives John precedence over God, but it gives you precedence over God.