This is a continuation of my intent to become much more familiar with the Greek translation of יְהֹוָ֨ה (Yᵊhōvâ) and יֱהֹוִה֙ (yᵊhōvâ) in the Septuagint. Genesis 2:4 marked the first occurrence of יְהֹוָ֥ה (Yᵊhōvâ) in the Masoretic text. Only the Elpenor version of the Septuagint seemed to corroborate that first occurrence with the Greek word Κύριος. None of the other occurrences thus far received any validation from the Septuagint.
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Masoretic Text |
Septuagint |
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Genesis 2:8 (Tanakh) |
Genesis 2:8 (NET) |
Genesis 2:8 (NETS) |
Genesis 2:8 (English Elpenor) |
| And HaShem (יְהֹוָ֧ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִ֛ים) planted a garden eastward, in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed. | The Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) planted an orchard in the east, in Eden; and there he placed the man he had formed. | And the Lord (κύριος) God (ὁ θεὸς) planted an orchard in Edem toward the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. | And God (ὁ Θεὸς) planted a garden eastward in Edem, and placed there the man whom he had formed. |
Here, it is the BLB Septuagint rather then the Elpenor which corroborated the Masoretic text’s יְהֹוָ֧ה (Yᵊhōvâ) with κύριος.
Primed by the graciousness of God’s word1–He gives the gifts He deems appropriate to whomever He chooses to give them–I can hear this as the graciousness of God. He did not leave the man (‘āḏām, האדם) he had formed2 naked and afraid in the wild. He prepared a garden or orchard (Hebrew: gan, גן; Greek: παράδεισον, a form of παράδεισος) for him in Eden (ʿēḏen, בעדן), which means pleasure.
Moses continued to describe the garden in pleasure:
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Masoretic Text |
Septuagint |
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Genesis 2:9 (Tanakh) |
Genesis 2:9 (NET) |
Genesis 2:9 (NETS) |
Genesis 2:9 (English Elpenor) |
| And out of the ground made HaShem (יְהֹוָ֤ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִים֙) to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. | The Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (ĕlōhîm’, אלהים) made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.) | And out of the earth God (ὁ θεὸς) furthermore made to grow every tree that is beautiful to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the orchard’s midst and the tree for knowing what is knowable of good and evil. | And God (ὁ Θεὸς) made to spring up also out of the earth every tree beautiful to the eye and good for food, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of learning the knowledge of good and evil. |
This occurrence of יְהֹוָ֤ה (Yᵊhōvâ) in the Masoretic text wasn’t corroborated by either version of the Septuagint.
In another essay I called Genesis 1:11, 12 an example of the authority of God’s word: “He spoke and the earth obeyed Him” (Genesis 1:11, 12 NET) [See Table below].
God said, “Let the land (‘ereṣ, הארץ) produce (dāšā’, תדשא) vegetation: plants yielding seeds and trees on the land bearing fruit with seed in it, according to their kinds.” It was so. The land (‘ereṣ, הארץ) produced (yāṣā’, ותוצא) vegetation—plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. God saw that it was good.
Now I have two additional pieces of information:
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Genesis 2:5 (NET) [See Table below] |
Genesis 2:9 (NET) [See Table below] |
| Now no shrub of the field had yet grown on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted (ṣāmaḥ, יצמח), for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. | The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow (ṣāmaḥ, ויצמח) from the soil (‘ăḏāmâ, האדמה), every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.) |
Was it seeds that the land (‘ereṣ, הארץ) produced (yāṣā’, ותוצא)? Or was it the land’s plans, ideas or designs that God saw…was good? The same Hebrew word תוצא (yāṣā’) occurred in Genesis 1:24 (NET) [Table]:
God said, “Let the land produce (yāṣā’, תוצא) living creatures according to their kinds: cattle, creeping things, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” It was so.
Regarding the trees of Eden the land’s “obedience” was effected (not surprisingly any longer) by God who made all kinds of trees grow (ṣāmaḥ, ויצמח) from the soil (‘ăḏāmâ, האדמה). And this exercise keeps me aware that God’s word is not sometimes true and other times powerful, sometimes authoritative and others gracious. His word is all of the above all of the time. The patterns simply helped me recognize these various aspects of his word.
The description of pleasure continued:
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Masoretic Text |
Septuagint |
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Genesis 2:10-14 (Tanakh) |
Genesis 2:10-14 (NET) |
Genesis 2:10-14 (NETS) |
Genesis 2:10-14 (English Elpenor) |
| And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became four heads [Table]. | Now a river flows from Eden to water the orchard, and from there it divides into four headstreams. | Now a river goes out of Edem to water the orchard; from there it divides into four sources [Table]. | And a river proceeds out of Edem to water the garden, thence it divides itself into four heads. |
| The name of the first is Pishon; that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; | The name of the first is Pishon; it runs through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. | The name of the first one is Phison; it is the one that encircles the whole land of Heuilat, there where the gold is; | The name of the one, Phison, this it is which encircles the whole land of Evilat, where there is gold. |
| and the gold of that land is good; there is bdellium and the onyx stone. | (The gold of that land is pure; pearls and lapis lazuli are also there.) | now the gold of that land is good, and carbuncle and light green stone are there. | And the gold of that land is good, there also is carbuncle and emerald. |
| And the name of the second river is Gihon; the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Cush. | The name of the second river is Gihon; it runs through the entire land of Cush. | And the second river’s name is Geon; it is the one that encircles the whole land of Ethiopia. | And the name of the second river is Geon, this it is which encircles the whole land of Ethiopia. |
| And the name of the third river is Tigris; that is it which goeth toward the east of Asshur And the fourth river is the Euphrates. | The name of the third river is Tigris; it runs along the east side of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates. | And the third river is the Tigris; it is one that goes over against the Assyrians. As for the fourth river, it is the Euphrates. | And the third river is Tigris, this is that which flows forth over against the Assyrians. And the fourth river is Euphrates. |
I won’t comment much here on antediluvian geography, nor attempt to use tantalizing Hebrew words like כוש (kûš), חדקל (ḥideqel), אשור (‘aššûr) or פרת (pᵊrāṯ) to locate Eden on a modern map. I grew up in Missouri near the center of the North American continent. I’ve walked up a hill, stood on a road cut, looked down on the highway and out over the landscape, trying to imagine the bottom of a warm shallow sea.
It was all in my imagination, a story to tell beginning Geology students on a field trip. A fresh look at the fossils at our feet revealed that these organisms probably didn’t live here, probably didn’t even die here. They were not bent and folded organisms crushed by the weight of sediments like so many fallen caryatids. They were broken pieces, fairly well sorted according to size and density.
If I imagine that the water carrying these pieces also had larger more dense pieces as well as smaller less dense pieces, I can imagine a relative measure of the flow of this water when these pieces fell out of suspension in this particular location. Though this particular imagination feels more sciency than my former imagination, it’s still just my imagination. I can’t pinpoint a place on a map upstream where larger more dense pieces of the same organisms fell out of suspension, or downstream where smaller pieces fell out. All I see are miles and miles of fossils of about this size embedded in a silt-sized limestone matrix.
My point is that the four distributaries described in Genesis 2:10-14 were planned and engineered by God. I’m more familiar post flood with river deltas, water following the path of least resistance as it flows downhill.
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Masoretic Text |
Septuagint |
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Genesis 2:15 (Tanakh) |
Genesis 2:15 (NET) |
Genesis 2:15 (NETS) |
Genesis 2:15 (English Elpenor) |
| And HaShem (יְהֹוָ֥ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. | The Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) took the man and placed him in the orchard in Eden to care for it and to maintain it. | And the Lord (κύριος) God (ὁ θεὸς) took the man whom he had formed and put him in the orchard to till and keep it. | And the Lord (Κύριος) God (ὁ Θεὸς) took the man whom he had formed, and placed him in the garden of Delight, to cultivate and keep it. |
Here יְהֹוָ֥ה (Yᵊhōvâ) was translated Κύριος in both versions of the Septuagint. An article I read while preparing this essay highlighted the Lord God’s graciousness to Adam, providing him with something meaningful to do in the garden, as it gave me an interesting contrast to what passes for human intelligence.
Yuval Noah Harari, historian, futurist, and World Economic Forum (WEF) adviser, said, “We just don’t need the vast majority of the population” in the early 21st century given modern technologies’ rendering human labor economically and militarily “redundant.”3
Mr. Harari explained:4
In the 20th century, what was common to all the stories — the liberal, the fascist, the communist — is that the big heroes of the story were the common people, not necessarily all people, but if you lived, say, in the Soviet Union in the 1930s, life was very grim, but when you looked at the propaganda posters on the walls that depicted the glorious future, you were there…
Now, when people look at the posters on the walls, or listen to TED talks, they hear a lot of these…big ideas and big words about machine learning and genetic engineering and blockchain and globalization, and they are not there…‘The future doesn’t need me. You have all these smart people in California and in New York and in Beijing, and they are planning this amazing future with artificial intelligence and bio-engineering and in global connectivity and whatnot, and they don’t need me…’
The Lord God continued:
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Masoretic Text |
Septuagint |
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Genesis 2:16, 17 (Tanakh) |
Genesis 2:16, 17 (NET) |
Genesis 2:16, 17 (NETS) |
Genesis 2:16, 17 (English Elpenor) |
| And HaShem (יְהֹוָ֣ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) commanded the man, saying: ‘Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat [Table]; | Then the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) commanded the man, “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard, | And the Lord (κύριος) God (ὁ θεὸς) commanded Adam, saying, “You shall eat for food of every tree that is in the orchard [Table], | And the Lord (Κύριος) God (ὁ Θεὸς) gave a charge to Adam, saying, Of every tree which is in the garden thou mayest freely eat, |
| but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die’ [Table]. | but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.” | but of the tree for knowing good and evil, of it you shall not eat; on the day that you eat of it, you shall die by death” [Table]. | but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil– of it ye shall not eat, but in whatsoever day ye eat of it, ye shall surely die. |
Here, too, יְהֹוָ֣ה (Yᵊhōvâ) in the Masoretic text was corroborated by Κύριος in both versions of the Septuagint. While there is every reason to believe that the Lord God’s command to Adam was every bit as true, powerful, authoritative and gracious as every other word He had spoken, I can hear it as arbitrary, capricious, deceitful even evil. That says far more about me and my evil desire than it does about the Lord God or his word. It seems important to highlight that the tree of life was not included in this prohibition.
I’ll pick this up in another essay. A table mentioned above comparing English translations of Genesis 1:11, 12 follows:
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Septuagint |
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Genesis 1:11, 12 (Tanakh) |
Genesis 1:11, 12 (NET) |
Genesis 1:11, 12 (NETS) |
Genesis 1:11, 12 (English Elpenor) |
| And G-d said: ‘Let the earth (הָאָ֨רֶץ֙) put forth (תַּדְשֵׁ֤א) grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit-tree bearing fruit after its kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth’ And it was so [Table]. | God said, “Let the land (‘ereṣ, הארץ) produce (dāšā’, תדשא) vegetation: plants yielding seeds and trees on the land bearing fruit with seed in it, according to their kinds.” It was so. | And God said, “Let the earth (γῆ) put forth (βλαστησάτω) herbaceous vegetation, seeding seed according to kind and according to likeness, and a fruit-bearing tree producing fruit of which its seed is in it according to kind, on the earth.” And it became so [Table]. | And God said, Let the earth (γῆ) bring forth (βλαστησάτω) the herb of grass bearing seed according to its kind and according to its likeness, and the fruit-tree bearing fruit whose seed is in it, according to its kind on the earth, and it was so. |
| And the earth (הָאָ֜רֶץ) brought forth (וַתּוֹצֵ֨א) grass, herb yielding seed after its kind, and tree bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after its kind; and G-d saw that it was good [Table]. | The land (‘ereṣ, הארץ) produced (yāṣā’, ותוצא) vegetation—plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. God saw that it was good. | And the earth (γῆ) brought forth (ἐξήνεγκεν) herbaceous vegetation, seeding seed according to kind and according to likeness, and a fruit-bearing tree producing fruit of which its seed is in it according to kind, on the earth. And God saw that it was good [Table]. | And the earth (γῆ) brought forth (ἐξήνεγκεν) the herb of grass bearing seed according to its kind and according to its likeness, and the fruit tree bearing fruit whose seed is in it, according to its kind on the earth, and God saw that it was good. |
A table mentioned above comparing English translations of Genesis 2:5 follows:
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Septuagint |
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Genesis 2:5 (Tanakh) |
Genesis 2:5 (NET) |
Genesis 2:5 (NETS) |
Genesis 2:5 (English Elpenor) |
| No shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up (יִצְמָ֑ח); for HaShem G-d had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground [Table]; | Now no shrub of the field had yet grown on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted (ṣāmaḥ, יצמח), for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. | and all verdue of the field before it came to be (γενέσθαι) upon the earth and all herbage of the field before it sprang up, for God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was not a human to till the earth [Table], | and every herb of the field before it was (γενέσθαι) on the earth, and all the grass of the field before it sprang up, for God had not rained on the earth, and there was not a man to cultivate it. |
A table mentioned above comparing English translations of Genesis 2:9 follows:
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Septuagint |
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Genesis 2:9 (Tanakh) |
Genesis 2:9 (NET) |
Genesis 2:9 (NETS) |
Genesis 2:9 (English Elpenor) |
| And out of the ground (הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה) made HaShem G-d to grow (וַיַּצְמַ֞ח) every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. | The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow (ṣāmaḥ, ויצמח) from the soil ‘(ăḏāmâ, האדמה), every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.) | And out of the earth (γῆς) God furthermore made to grow (ἐξανέτειλεν) every tree that is beautiful to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the orchard’s midst and the tree for knowing what is knowable of good and evil. | And God made to spring up (ἐξανέτειλεν) also out of the earth (γῆς) every tree beautiful to the eye and good for food, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of learning the knowledge of good and evil. |
Tables comparing Genesis 2:8; 2:9; 2:11; 2:12; 2:13; 2:14 and 2:15 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET; and tables comparing Genesis 2:8; 2:9; 2:11; 2:12; 2:13; 2:14 and 2:15 in the BLB and Elpenor versions of the Septuagint with the English translations from Hebrew and Greek follow.
| And HaShem G-d planted a garden eastward, in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed. | And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. | The Lord God planted an orchard in the east, in Eden; and there he placed the man he had formed. |
| καὶ ἐφύτευσεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς παράδεισον ἐν Εδεμ κατὰ ἀνατολὰς καὶ ἔθετο ἐκεῗ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὃν ἔπλασεν | Καὶ ἐφύτευσεν ὁ Θεὸς παράδεισον ἐν ᾿Εδὲμ κατὰ ἀνατολὰς καὶ ἔθετο ἐκεῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὃν ἔπλασε |
| And the Lord God planted an orchard in Edem toward the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. | And God planted a garden eastward in Edem, and placed there the man whom he had formed. |
| And out of the ground made HaShem G-d to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. | And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. | The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.) |
| καὶ ἐξανέτειλεν ὁ θεὸς ἔτι ἐκ τῆς γῆς πᾶν ξύλον ὡραῗον εἰς ὅρασιν καὶ καλὸν εἰς βρῶσιν καὶ τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς ἐν μέσῳ τῷ παραδείσῳ καὶ τὸ ξύλον τοῦ εἰδέναι γνωστὸν καλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ | καὶ ἐξανέτειλεν ὁ Θεὸς ἔτι ἐκ τῆς γῆς πᾶν ξύλον ὡραῖον εἰς ὅρασιν καὶ καλὸν εἰς βρῶσιν καὶ τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ παραδείσου καὶ τὸ ξύλον τοῦ εἰδέναι γνωστὸν καλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ |
| And out of the earth God furthermore made to grow every tree that is beautiful to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the orchard’s midst and the tree for knowing what is knowable of good and evil. | And God made to spring up also out of the earth every tree beautiful to the eye and good for food, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of learning the knowledge of good and evil. |
| The name of the first is Pishon; that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; | The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; | The name of the first is Pishon; it runs through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. |
| ὄνομα τῷ ἑνὶ Φισων οὗτος ὁ κυκλῶν πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν Ευιλατ ἐκεῗ οὗ ἐστιν τὸ χρυσίον | ὄνομα τῷ ἑνὶ Φισῶν· οὗτος ὁ κυκλῶν πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν Εὐιλάτ, ἐκεῖ οὗ ἐστι τὸ χρυσίον |
| The name of the first one is Phison; it is the one that encircles the whole land of Heuilat, there where the gold is; | The name of the one, Phison, this it is which encircles the whole land of Evilat, where there is gold. |
| and the gold of that land is good; there is bdellium and the onyx stone. | And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. | (The gold of that land is pure; pearls and lapis lazuli are also there.) |
| τὸ δὲ χρυσίον τῆς γῆς ἐκείνης καλόν καὶ ἐκεῗ ἐστιν ὁ ἄνθραξ καὶ ὁ λίθος ὁ πράσινος | τὸ δὲ χρυσίον τῆς γῆς ἐκείνης καλόν· καὶ ἐκεῖ ἐστιν ὁ ἄνθραξ καὶ ὁ λίθος ὁ πράσινος |
| now the gold of that land is good, and carbuncle and light green stone are there. | And the gold of that land is good, there also is carbuncle and emerald. |
| And the name of the second river is Gihon; the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Cush. | And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. | The name of the second river is Gihon; it runs through the entire land of Cush. |
| καὶ ὄνομα τῷ ποταμῷ τῷ δευτέρῳ Γηων οὗτος ὁ κυκλῶν πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν Αἰθιοπίας | καὶ ὄνομα τῷ ποταμῷ τῷ δευτέρῳ Γεῶν· οὗτος ὁ κυκλῶν πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν Αἰθιοπίας |
| And the second river’s name is Geon; it is the one that encircles the whole land of Ethiopia. | And the name of the second river is Geon, this it is which encircles the whole land of Ethiopia. |
| And the name of the third river is Tigris; that is it which goeth toward the east of Asshur And the fourth river is the Euphrates. | And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. | The name of the third river is Tigris; it runs along the east side of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates. |
| καὶ ὁ ποταμὸς ὁ τρίτος Τίγρις οὗτος ὁ πορευόμενος κατέναντι Ἀσσυρίων ὁ δὲ ποταμὸς ὁ τέταρτος οὗτος Εὐφράτης | καὶ ὁ ποταμὸς ὁ τρίτος Τίγρις· οὗτος ὁ προπορευόμενος κατέναντι ᾿Ασσυρίων. ὁ δὲ ποταμὸς ὁ τέταρτος Εὐφράτης |
| And the third river is the Tigris; it is one that goes over against the Assyrians. As for the fourth river, it is the Euphrates. | And the third river is Tigris, this is that which flows forth over against the Assyrians. And the fourth river is Euphrates. |
| And HaShem G-d took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. | And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. | The Lord God took the man and placed him in the orchard in Eden to care for it and to maintain it. |
| καὶ ἔλαβεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὃν ἔπλασεν καὶ ἔθετο αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ ἐργάζεσθαι αὐτὸν καὶ φυλάσσειν | Καὶ ἔλαβε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὃν ἔπλασε, καὶ ἔθετο αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τῆς τρυφῆς, ἐργάζεσθαι αὐτὸν καὶ φυλάσσειν |
| And the Lord God took the man whom he had formed and put him in the orchard to till and keep it. | And the Lord God took the man whom he had formed, and placed him in the garden of Delight, to cultivate and keep it. |
2 Genesis 2:8b (NET)
3 Robert Kraychik, “WEF Adviser Yuval Harari: ‘We Just Don’t Need the Vast Majority of the Population’ in Today’s World,” Breitbart
4 Ibid.