Abstract

Genesis 3:22 is like a proverbial fork in the road for advocates of the doctrine of monotheism who argue for the belief in the existence of one God in ancient Israelite religious life. The pericope implicitly posits a version of divinity that contradicts the monotheistic claim because it briefly depicts Yahweh conversing with other entities he acknowledges as divine, like himself. Consequently, this thesis paper aims to critically revisit the representation and conceptualization of the divine in the Eden narrative. The purpose is to discover how the text represents this concept despite traditional presuppositions. A qualitative approach centered on the synchronic evaluation of the Hebrew text is prioritized in this research. A macro syntactic analysis is used to dissect the text. Additionally, a hermeneutics informed by methods from text linguistics and some elements of semiotics is employed to produce an innovative translation that exhibits biblical Hebrew’s modal and volitive nuances and reveals rhetorical and literary techniques the authors designed to convey their message. This investigation is supplemented by a comparative study of the biblical writers’ use of concepts like the Divine Council and words like the abstract plural אֱלֹהִ֔ים with cognates from the late Bronze Age ancient Near East, which is the period and geographical milieu for the emergence of ancient Israel as a people. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that the authors might have constructed this profound story based on typical ancient Near East primeval myths to establish Yahweh as governor over gods and humans but also meant to invite the audience to imagine divine governance that is non-coercive and relational.