Genesis 3: Shrewd Word Play

Chapter three tells the famous story of the Garden of Eden. We also areintroduced to the first clever wordplay of Tanach. The chapter uses the Hebrewword “עָרוּם (arum)” to mean two different things in context.“Now theserpent was the shrewdest of all the wild beasts that the LORD God had made. Hesaid to the woman, ‘Did God really say: You shall not eat of any tree of thegarden?’” (verse 1)וְהַנָּחָשׁ הָיָה עָרוּם מִכֹּל חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה ה אֱלֹים וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־הָאִשָּׁה אַף כִּי־אָמַר אֱלֹהִים לֹא תֹאכְלוּ מִכֹּל עֵץ הַגָּןThe textuses the word “עָרוּם” in this verse to mean shrewd. Theword comes up again in the chapter, but in context the word is used tomean “naked.”“Then theeyes of both of them were opened and they perceived that they were naked; andthey sewed together fig leaves and made themselves loincloths.” (verse 7)וַתִּפָּקַחְנָה עֵינֵי שְׁנֵיהֶם וַיֵּדְעוּ כִּי עֵירֻמִּם הֵם וַיִּתְפְּרוּ עֲלֵה תְאֵנָה וַיַּעֲשׂוּ לָהֶם חֲגֹרֹת“Hereplied, ‘I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because Iwas naked, so I hid.’ Then He asked, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Did youeat of the tree from which I had forbidden you to eat?’” (verses 10–11)וַיֹּאמֶר אֶת־קֹלְךָ שָׁמַעְתִּי בַּגָּן וָאִירָא כִּי עֵירֹם אָנֹכִי וָאֵחָבֵא׃וַיֹּאמֶר מִי הִגִּיד לְךָ כִּי עֵירֹם אָתָּה הֲמִן־הָעֵץ אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִיךָ לְבִלְתִּי אֲכֹל מִמֶּנּוּ אָכָלְתָּ׃The use ofthe same word is not an accident. The snake is happy with his status as arum.He moves around without hiding himself. It is a mark of honor. When Adam andChava realize they are arum, however, they run and hide and try tocover themselves up. Nothing has changed in their appearance. Presumably theywere naked before and then became aware of the nakedness.If we lookbeyond this plain meaning, perhaps the text meant arum to meanthe same for Adam and Chava as it was for the snake. Now that the first man andfirst woman did something wrong and acted in a shrewd manner,they were embarrassed. They tried to run and hide from what they did because,unlike the snake, they were afraid of God and embarrassed.Notice thatGod wants them to appear before Him and not hide. To assist in this, Hefashions them a skin covering:“And theLORD God made garments of skins for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.”(verse 21)וַיַּעַשׂ ה אֱלֹים לְאָדָם וּלְאִשְׁתּוֹ כָּתְנוֹת עוֹר וַיַּלְבִּשֵׁםOn the faceof it, it seems like He made them a nice leather jacket. But, if we continuewith our metaphor, maybe what God made them was a “thick skin” tobe able to face their shame and stand before God even when they realize theyhave done something wrong.Theirpunishment is clear in the text for eating from the tree—the woman must havepainful childbirth and the man has to work the field. If God gives thesepunishments, why does He also expel them?Perhaps Godexpels them from Eden not for what they did, but for what may happen now thatGod provided them with their thick skin. That could be why the very next verseafter God grants them a thick skin, He is concerned that they will eat from thetree of life:“And theLORD God said, ‘Now that the man has become like one of us, knowing good andbad, what if he should stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of lifeand eat, and live forever!’” (verse 22)וַיֹּאמֶר ה אֱלֹים הֵן הָאָדָם הָיָה כְּאַחַד מִמֶּנּוּ לָדַעַת טוֹב וָרָע וְעַתָּה פֶּן־יִשְׁלַח יָדוֹ וְלָקַח גַּם מֵעֵץ הַחַיִּים וְאָכַל וָחַי לְעֹלָםGod wantedto protect man from having complete shame, but He also is concerned when manhas no shame—like the snake.