Genesis 2:9
וַ יַּצְמַח יְהוָה אֶלֹהִים מִן הָ אֲדָמָה כָּל עֵץ נֶחְמָד לְ מַרְאֶה וְ טֹוב לְ מַאֲכָל וְ עֵץ הַ חַיִּים בְּ תֹוךְ הַ גָּן וְ עֵץ הַ דַּעַת טֹוב וָ רָע
And Yahweh elohim is causing to sprout from out of the Red-one the whole of a wood, him-who-is-desirable to the sight,67 and a good one for a food,
and the Wood of the Living-ones68 is in the middle of the Enclosure,
and the Wood is the Perception of69 a good one and ruined-one.70
| 68 | Tree of the Living Ones Hebrew עֵ֤ץ הַֽחַיִּים֙ va-etz ha-Chayyim. The word normally translated “life” has a definite article in front of it and is in the plural form. The same plural form is used in the phrase “earth [land] of the living ones” found in Psalm 27:13, 116:9, 142:5, Job 28:13, and also appears in Ecc. 6:3. Understanding this as refering to beings is actually quite normal for Hebrew as in the case of the Cherubim, Seraphim, Nephilim, Gibborim, Filishtim (Philistines), Kasdim (Chaldeans), etc. so we also have the Chayyim. |