Whereas we are not given details of the creation of the fish, fowl
or animals, we are given both the reason for the creation of man
(Genesis 1:26-30), and the manner in which he
was formed (Genesis 2:7). We are also given the
details of how woman was made and the reason for this (Genesis 2:18-25). In this study we will
consider these details. 虽然在圣经中没有提及创造飞禽、走兽与鱼类的细节,但是在经中却提到了创造人类的原因(创世纪1:26-30)以及人是怎样被创造的(创世纪2:7)。同时,圣经中更论及了创造女人的细节及原因(创世纪2:18-25)。在这一课中我们将讨论这些问题。创造人类的目的(创世纪1:26-30)
The Purpose for the Creation of
Man (Genesis
1:26-30) We read: "And God said, let
us make man': The Hebrew word used here for God is
"Elohim" and means "mighty or powerful ones". It is a plural word derived
from the Hebrew word "El" meaning "power". This word "El" is often
rendered "God" throughout the Bible (e.g. Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 40:18). The word "Elohim" can be
used to speak of angels, and in fact is used this way in
Psalm 8:5 which is a commentary on
Genesis 1:26. Thus the angels "that excel
in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His
word" (Psalm 103:20) were entrusted with the
formation of man. 我们读到:“神说,让我们造出人类。”希伯来语中的神是“ELOHIM”一词,意思是“强有力的人”。它是希伯来语单词“EL”的复数形式,“EL”的意思是“力量”。“EL”这个词在圣经中经常译为“神”(例如诗篇90:2;以赛亚书40:18)。所以,“ELOHIM”可以被用作指天使,实陡不在创世纪1:26的集注即诗篇8:5上也是这样用的。所以,那些“听从他的命令,成全他旨意,有大能的天使”(诗篇103:20)就按他们的形象创造人类。
* See additional notes
in appendix at the end of this lesson - "And God said, let us make
man"—见本课未尾附录-“神说,让我们创造人类”。
Verse
26 章节26 "In our image, after our
likeness" We learn that man was created with a specific
purpose in mind. “照着我们的形象,按着我们的样式”,由此可知,人的创造是有着特殊目的的。
"image" This word relates to physical
shape or form. Because man has been made in the physical likeness of the
angels, angels have at times been mistaken for men when they have appeared
(Genesis 18:1; cp 19:1; Joshua 5:13-15). This similitude to the
angels brings a responsibility upon man (James 3:9; Genesis 9:6). “形象”一词指事物的外表形状,因为人是根据天使的外形创造的,所以当天使显现时,不时地被误以为是人类(创世纪18:1;CP18:1;约书亚纪5:13-15)。这种相似也使人负有责任。(雅各书3:9;创世纪9:6)
"likeness" This word has reference to
mental capacity. Man differs from the animals in that he can reason on a
moral plane. He can comprehend spiritual ideas and therefore is capable of
reflecting the moral glory of God. No animal can do this. This feature of
man's mental capacity is the basis upon which God deals with man. He has
the capacity to understand and therefore perform the will of God
(1 Corinthians
11:7). “样式”一词在这儿指精神上的能力。人之所以与动物区别开是因为人会思考。人能理解圣灵因此它是神的形象和荣耀。动物却不行。神创造人是以此为基础的。所以人有了解神的能力并以此完成神的意愿。
"let them have
dominion" God's intention was that man, by reflecting God's
moral likeness through a loving and faithful obedience to Him, would have
dominion over the works of His creation. We know that man sinned against
God. Instead of man having dominion, sin had dominion over him. In Psalm
8, already referred to, we see that God's ultimate purpose for man to have
dominion over creation has not changed. However, the method to achieve
this now involves the work of the Lord Jesus Christ who, having overcome
sin and death through his perfect obedience to God, is now the one to have
this dominion (Hebrews 2:5-11; 1 Corinthians
15:21-28).
This dominion will be shared by all those who faithfully obey his
teaching. “让他们主管”神的意愿是让人去主管他所创造的一切。但我们知道人违背了神,人不仅没有主管神的创造,罪反而控制了人。我们已经提到过的诗篇8中写到,神创造人的最终目的没有改变。然而,现要达到这一目的,必须包含着基督耶稣对人类的补赎。基督凭借者对神的无限忠诚超越了罪与死,他是现时唯一的主宰(希伯来书2:5-11;哥林多前书15:21-28)。忠于他教诲的人到时将分享这一主宰。
After
man and woman were formed God blessed them and spoke with them of the
creation over which they were to have dominion (Genesis 1:28-30). We also note that as God
surveyed His creation He saw that it was in perfect harmony with the
purpose for which He had created it. However, this beautiful harmony was
disrupted by the entry of sin into the world. As Paul wrote, and as we see
today, "the whole creation groaneth", waiting for redemption at the coming
of Christ (Romans 8:19-23). 当男人与女人被创造后,神祝福他们并让他们主管他所创造的。神在检视他的创造时,认为一切教和谐美满,符合他创世的原意。然而,这一切的美满由于罪的介入被破坏殆尽。我们今天所见的,保罗这样描述:“所有的一切都在呻吟”,等待着基督的救赎。(罗马书8:19-23)
"The Lord
God formed man" (Genesis
2:7) 神造了人(创世纪2:7) We are now given the method whereby God made
man. 我们现在描述神怎样造人。
"formed" This word is the same Hebrew
word for "potter". Thus the angels firstly formed the shape of man, which
was after their image, as a potter shapes the clay. In fact this is the
same method used to create the animals and fowls (Genesis 2:19). “造”一词在希伯来语中同“陶器”一词。所以天使按照他们的形象造人,就象用粘土制造陶器。实际上所有的动物和飞禽都是这样被创造的。(创世纪2:19)
"breathed" means "to blow" (Haggai 1:9). “呼吸”一词意味着“吹”(哈该书1:9)
"the breath of life" Hebrew "neshamah
chayim", literally "breath of lives". This is the same breath as that
breathed by animals (Genesis 7:22-23). “生灵”在希伯来语中为“NESHAMAH
CHAYIM”,字面上是“呼吸的生物”这个呼吸一词同我们平时说的意思是一样的。(创世纪7:22-23)
"living
soul" We have looked at these same two words in the last
study where they are rendered "living creature" (Hebrew "nephesh chayim")
when referring to animals, fowls and fish. These words give no basis for
the false teaching of an immortal soul. Man is a natural animal body.
Immortality is a promise for those who faithfully serve God (1 Corinthians
15:45-54). “生存的灵魂”上一课中我们以经知道被译为“生物”(希伯来语NEPHESH CHAYIM)。这些词否定了关于灵魂永生的错误理解。人是自然的物体,只有那些虔诚伺奉神的人才能得到永生。
"It is not
good that man should be alone" (Genesis
2:18-25) “那人独居不好”(创世纪2:18-25) Man
needed companionship to provide scope for the development of his
intellectual and moral capacity. He needed "an help meet for him" (verse
18). This expression, as the margin indicates, means "as before him" or
Rotherham "a counterpart". The idea is of one who would reflect his
character and therefore assist in a mutual development of the divine
"likeness" to the Creator. 男人需要一个同伴来一起发展智慧与精神。他需要一个“适当的帮助”(章节18)这个表达方式,卢得汉解释称为一个“配对者”必须反映男人的品性以及协助他共同发展与造物主的“神似”。
Before the formation
of woman, all creatures that had been formed "out of the ground" as Adam
had been were caused to pass before him. Although he named them all,
noting that each male had a counterpart female, he was brought to the
realisation that there was not to be found a "counterpart" for him. The
affinity between male and female animals is purely sensual, or
animalistic. There is no love, compassion or unity of mind in their
relationships. They are not capable of this. As men move further from
God's ways, they degenerate to animal-like behaviour. They have no thought
of a lasting relationship based upon a desire for unity of purpose so that
they might develop Godlike characteristics, which was the reason for which
they were initally created. 在女人被造以前,的有野地里各样走兽与空中各样飞鸟都被带到亚当跟前。他命名了他们,只是注意到所有的动物都有配偶,而他却没有遇见配偶帮助他。雄性动物与雌性动物之间的关系只是性与本能,没有爱,没有激情的思想的统一。动物做不到这点。当人们远离神的道时,他们退化为动物的行为。他们不会考虑维持这一长久的关系,这是建立在公同发展神悦的行为上的统一关系。这也就违背了他们被创造的初衷。
Once Adam realised
that he had no companion, then God acted. He caused a deep sleep to come
upon him and from one of his ribs God built his counterpart, woman. Adam
immediately realised that she bore a likeness to himself that was not to
be found in the animal creation. Thus he called her "woman", a word
meaning "out of man". 当亚当意识到他没有配偶时,神就使他沉睡,取下他一条肋骨,造了女人。亚当立即意识到她与自己的相似,这与那些动物都不同。所以他称她为“女人”,意思是“出于男人”。
God now pronounced the
principles for Marriage. These principles have never been changed by God
and are as valid today as they were then. The purpose for this unity in
marriage is that together a man and woman might develop godly characters
through a love for their Creator and one another, and a desire to develop
a "likeness" to Him. 神宣布了婚姻的法则。这些法则现时仍旧适用。婚姻的目的是男人和女人可以通过对神的热爱共同发展神所喜悦的言行并且发展与神的“相似”。
References to Marriage in the New
Testament 新约中关于婚姻的陈述
- The Lord Jesus
Christ, when questioned by the Pharisees, referred them to the
principles for marriage as set forth in Genesis 2, thus confirming that
they still applied (Matthew
19:3-9).—当法利赛人问询基督耶稣时,他重申了创世纪2中关于婚姻的原则,证实了他们仍旧适用。(马太福音19:3-9)
- The apostle Paul in
his instructions regarding husbands and wives saw in the formation of
Eve a parabolic meaning also (Ephesians
5:22-33). He
saw Adam as typical of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the deep sleep of Adam
through which Eve was formed was like the death of Christ.—使徒保罗认为夏娃的创造是有寓意的。(以弗所书5:22-23)他认为亚当是基督的典型,亚当的沉睡象征着耶稣的死去。
- Through Christ's
death and resurrection those who believe and obey him have their sins
forgiven, and as his bride await his return when they will be united
with him (Revelation
19:6-9).—由于基督的死与复活,那些信从他的人被免罪。象他的新娘企盼着他回来与他们重聚。(启示录19:6-9)
- There are several
other lessons relating to marriage which are to be found in the Bible
(cp 1 Peter 3:7; Malachi
2:14-16).—圣经中还有很多地方提及了婚姻。(例彼得前书3:7;玛拉基书2:14-16)安息日(创世纪2:1-3)
The Sabbath
(Genesis
2:1-3) The word "ended" in verse 2 is the
same as for "finished" in verse 1. It means "to end something because it
is completed or finished". The work of re-organisation of the earth from
its state of chaos into a beautiful place upon which life could be
sustained was finished. Vegetation was abundant and fish, fowl, animals
and finally man were placed to inhabit these delightful surroundings. We
therefore come to the seventh day and look to the lessons that this day
sets forth. 第二章表示“结束”的词与第一章一样,意思是“结束某事因为它完成了”。把地从一个空虚混沌的状态变成人可居住的乐园的工作完成了。菜蔬丰富,鱼,飞禽,走兽和人乐居其上。因此迎来了第七天。
"And he rested on the seventh
day" The Hebrew word for "rested" is "shabath" from which we
get the word "sabbath". Its meaning is "to cease or desist". God did not
need to rest from labour because He was weary (Psalm 121:4; Isaiah 40:28-31). “于第七日他便安息了”。希伯来语中的“安息”是“SHABATH”一词,产生了今日的“SABBATH”一词。它的意思是“停止”。神不需要休息,他不会疲倦。(诗篇121:4;以赛亚书40:28-31)
"God blessed
the seventh day and sanctified it" God gave this day a particular
significance and by sanctifying it He "set it apart" as the word
means. The reason for this was that:“神赐福给第七日,定为圣日”神给这一日特别的荣耀并祝福它。神使之与其他几日区别的原因是:
1.
He would include it in His law to Israel (Exodus
20:8-11)-他将此包括在他赐以色列的法律中(出埃及纪20:8-11)
2.
He would use it as a type of His great purpose to fill the earth with
His glory so that all His creation would be in harmony with Him
(Revelation
4:11;
Numbers 14:21)-神将之作为他的一个目的使遍地满他的荣耀,所有的他所创造的都和谐美满。
We should note
the following points regarding the Sabbath: 我们应注意以下几点:
- There is no record
of the sabbath being kept as a special day until Israel were brought out
of Egypt. It is first mentioned in Exodus
16:23-30.—安息日作为圣日是直到以色列人出埃及之后。它第一次是在出埃及纪16:23-30中提到。
- The sabbath law was
one of the ten commandments (Exodus
20:8-11)—安息日法则是作为十戒之一。(出埃及纪20:8-11)
- It only applied to
Israel and not to the nations around Israel (Exodus
31:12-17;
Deuteronomy
5:12-15)—它只用于以色列并没被以色列周围国家采用。(出埃及纪31:12-17;申命纪5:12-15)
- The spirit of the
sabbath was that one would cease from his own works and do the works of
God (Isaiah 58:13)—安息日的主旨是让人们停止自己的工作去从事神的工作。(以赛亚书58:13)
- The sabbath,
together with the Law which God gave to Israel through Moses, was taken
away through Christ (Colossians
2:16-17;
Galatians
4:9-10;
2 Corinthians
3:6-11)—安息日法律,同其他的摩西法律一样,已经被基督废除。(歌罗西书2:16-17;加拉太书4:9-10;哥林多后书3:6-11)
- Christians keep no
day above another (Romans 14:5-6)—基督徒认为一日不比一日强。(罗马书14:5-6)
- The sabbath is not
binding on believers in Christ today (Colossians
2:16-17)—基督徒不受安息日约束。(歌罗西书2:16-17)
- Jesus Christ says
that the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath
(Mark 2:27)—基督耶稣说安息日是为人设立的,人不是为安息日设立的。(马可福音2:27)
- The sabbath points
forward to the rest that God has for all His faithful children
(Psalm 95:11; Hebrews
4:4-11)—安息日是为了让所有信人神的人进入他的安息。(诗篇95:11;希伯来书4:4-11)
*Appendix
Note: "And God said, let us make man" (Genesis
1:26) ×附录:“神说,让我们创造人”(创世纪1:26) The Hebrew word for "God" in the above quotation is "Elohim".
From its use in the Bible we learn: 希伯来语中的“神”一词是“ELOHIM”从它们在圣经中的应用我们得知:
- It is a plural word
meaning "mighty or powerful ones"—它是一个复数意味着“强有力的人们”
- It is derived from
the Hebrew word "El" which means "power or might" which is often used of
God as the Creator (Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 40:18)—它是从希伯来单词“EL”演化而来,“EL”的意思是“力量”,经常被用作指造物主。(诗篇90:2;以赛亚书40:18)
- The word is used of
the angels at times when they are involved in the work of God. The
angels have derived their strength from "El" (Psalm 103:20).—这个词不时地被用于指天使。天使们从神那儿得到力量。(诗篇103:20)
- When the Lord
appeared to Moses at the Bush the title "God" (Heb "Elohim") is used of
the angel who was there present (Exodus 3:2-8). Note that Stephen says
that it was an angel there (Acts 7:30, 35). Thus the title "God"
(Hebrew "Elohim" meaning "mighty ones") can refer to angels.—当主在灌木旁显现给摩西时,“神”这一称谓(希伯来语“ELOHIM” )被用作指天使。(出埃及纪3:2-8)注意到史提芬称他看见了天使(使徒行传7:30,35)。所以“神”这一称谓有时可以指天使。
- The Law was given
by God (Exodus 20:1-5), but Stephen says that it
was in fact an angel who spoke (Acts 7:38).—法律是神所颁布(出埃及纪20:1-5),但史提芬说实际上是一个天使在说。(使徒行传7:38)
- Jacob said "I have
seen God face to face" (Genesis 32:30) when in fact he saw an
angel (Hosea 12:3-4; Genesis
32:1-2).—雅各说“他面对面地看见了神”,(创世纪32:30)实际上他是看见了一个天使。何西阿书(12:3-4;创世纪32:1-2)
- Abraham and Lot
were visited by angels who are called "the Lord" (Genesis 18 & 19; cp Hebrews 13:2).—亚伯拉罕和罗得被天使拜访。在这儿天使被称作“主”。(创世纪18,19;希伯来书13:2)
The Hebrew word
usually translated "angel" is "malak", which means "a messenger". We see
that "Elohim" is also used to denote these powerful messengers of God. In
the New Testament the Greek word for "angel" is "angelos" which also means
"a messenger". 通常译为“天使”的希伯来单词是“MALAK”,意思是“信使”。我们已经看见“ELOHIM”这个词也可被译为天使。在新约中,“天使”的希腊文是“ANGELOS”,同样也是天使的意思。 The faithful who will be
granted immortality will be made in nature like the angels (Luke 20:35-36). 那些虔诚的人北朝鲜永生并成为天使。(路加福音20:35-36)
Who are the Elohim of
Genesis
1:26? 谁是创世纪1:26中的ELOHIM? When we look at Genesis 1:26 we see that there is a note in the
margin directing the reader to Psalm 8. The commentary in Psalm 8:4-6 reads as follows: "What is
man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest
him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels (Heb "Elohim" =
"mighty ones"), and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest
him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things
under his feet. " 当我们阅读创世纪1:26时,页边批注指导我们去读诗篇8。诗篇8:4-6这样写道:“人算什么,你竟顾念他?世人算什么,你竟眷顾他?你教他比天使(希伯来语“ELOHIM”
)微小一点,并赐他荣耀尊贵为冠冕。你派他管理你所造的,万物都服在他脚下。”
We find that in the
margin of Psalm 8:4 another note is now made,
directing us to the fact that this Psalm is quoted in Hebrews 2:6-8. When we look there we find
that in this quote the Greek word "angelos" is used to translate "Elohim"
from the Hebrew, thereby confirming that the New Testament writers
understood that this word "Elohim", which is translated as "God" in the
English version of the Bible, can in fact refer to the angels of God. They
are His "ministering spirits" or messengers that do His work (Psalm 104:4; cp Hebrews 1:14). 我们注意到另一个批注说到诗篇8:4在希伯来书2:6-8中被引用。在此我们看到希腊单词“ANGELOS”被用作翻译希伯来语“ELOHIM”,证实了新约的作者理解了这个在英文中被译为“GOD”的希伯来文“ELOHIM”可以被用作指天使。他们是神的灵仆和信使。
Therefore
by allowing the Bible to interpret itself we have come to see that it was
the angels who were involved in the work of creating man in their image
and likeness on behalf of God Himself. 因此籍着圣经的解释,我们知道天使们代表神按照他们的形象和样式造人。
Summary Points 小节
- Man,
unlike all other creatures, was created with the capacity
to understand the will of God, and in faith and love to
obey Him. Although given a "free will" in this matter he
was accountable for his actions. The lower creation do not
have this "likeness" to their Creator (Genesis
1:26).—人不象其他动物,他们能理解神的意愿并信从他,服从他。虽然人被赋予“自由的意志”,但仍要对其行为负责。低级的生物不具备这种能力。(创世纪1:26)
- The
expression "living soul" (Genesis
2:7) is identical in Hebrew with "living creature"
(Genesis
2:19). It refers to a "flesh and blood" body and has no
reference to the erroneous doctrine of an "immortal soul".
There is no mention of "immortal souls" in the Bible (cp
1Corinthians
15:45-54).—“存在的灵魂”(创世纪2:7)这一表达方式在希伯来语中是“生物”的意思(创世纪2:19)。它表示“有血肉的”身体,并不是那些错误教条中所说的“为死的灵魂”,圣经中从没提到过“不死的灵魂”。(例哥林多前书15:45-54)
- Woman
(Eve) was created out of man to be a companion, "an help
meet for him". The union of these two set God's pattern
for all future marriages (Genesis
2:24; Ephesians
5:22-33; Matthew
19:3-9). Marriage is also typical of that union yet to
come when Christ returns to take his "bride" or faithful
believers unto himself (Ephesians
5:32; Revelation
19:7-9).—女人(夏娃)是从男人中创造并成为男人“适当的帮助”。男女的地合定下了婚姻的规范。(创世纪2:24;以弗所书5:22-33;马太福音19:3-9)。当基督耶稣回来与他的“新娘”与信徒重聚时,婚姻仍是这种结合的典范。(以弗所示5:32;启示录19:7-9)
- The
Sabbath law for Israel was based upon the day that God
"rested" or ceased from His creative labours (Exodus
20:8-11). The Sabbath points forward
to the "rest" that God has prepared for His faithful
servants (Hebrews
4:4-11). The Sabbath is not a binding law upon followers
of Christ today (Colossians
2:16-17).—安息日法则是建立在神在那一日“安息”或停止他的工作的基础上建立的。(出埃及纪20:8-11)。安息日指出了神的忠城仆人可以进入他的“安息”(希伯来书4:4-11)。后来的基督徒可以不受安息日的约束。(歌罗西书2:16-17)
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第三课 问题
1.神怎样造人?
2.“形象”与“样式”在创世纪1:26中指什么?
3.人成为“存在的灵魂”这一表达方式指什么(同见第1课“生物” )
4.神怎样造女人?
5.为何要造女人?
6.“安息”是什么意思?
7.安息日法则是特别给于以色列的。今天还有遵循的必要吗?
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