Journal: Tyndale Bulletin
Volume: TYNBUL 58:2 (NA 2007)
Article: The Seed Of The Woman And The Blessing Of Abraham
Author: James M. Hamilton, Jr.

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TynBull 58:2 (2007) p. 253

The Seed Of The Woman And The Blessing Of Abraham

James Hamilton

Summary

Might the blessing of Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 be a direct answer to the curses of Genesis 3:14-19? The curses of Genesis 3 introduce conflict between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman, conflict between the man and the woman, with difficulty in childbearing, and conflict between the man and the ground, which is cursed for man’s sin. God promises land, seed, and blessing to Abraham. The nations will be blessed through the seed of the woman, seed of Abraham, who crushes the serpent’s head. The birth of this seed means that the conflict between the man and his wife is not final, nor will the difficulty in childbearing be fatal. And God promises land to Abraham and his seed, land that hints of a return to Eden.

‘For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me.’ –Jesus of Nazareth (John 5:46)

1. Introduction

Many discussions rightly see the importance of the promises God makes to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3. One sometimes gets the impression that Genesis 1-11 is regarded as a shadowy prehistoric prelude to the real story of the history of Israel that finally begins in Genesis 12. On the other hand, David Clines affirms that the promise to Abraham represents ‘an affirmation of the primal divine intentions for humanity’,1 but is it possible to be more specific? Is it possible that

TynBull 58:2 (2007) p. 254

there is a more intimate connection between Genesis 1-11 and Genesis 12 and following? More specifically, could it be that the promises and blessings given to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 are direct answers to the curses of Genesis 3:14-19?2 If this is the case, given the influence of the blessing of Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 on the rest of the Bible, might it be that the curses of Genesis 3, and particularly the curse on the serpent in 3:15, exercise similar influence on the rest of the Bible?3 This study will first consider the possible connections between the curses of Genesis ...

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