David Ridges Easy to Read Holy Bible
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I will continue with Part 2.
Starting part 2.
I bought the set of these books on a clearance sale from Cedar Fort, and happy to lend to others.
"In Genesis 3:16-19 the Lord talks to Adam and Eve about their choice to partake of the fruit. David Ridges points out that neither Adam nor Eve were cursed. The devil was cursed (verse 14) and the ground was cursed (verse 17). But in verses 16-19, it's easy to read them as God cursing Adam and Eve. Here's how we often read these verses:
16 Unto the woman he said, [shame, shame on you for disobeying Me. Bec
I really enjoy David Ridges' commentaries. Here's one enlightening example from this book:"In Genesis 3:16-19 the Lord talks to Adam and Eve about their choice to partake of the fruit. David Ridges points out that neither Adam nor Eve were cursed. The devil was cursed (verse 14) and the ground was cursed (verse 17). But in verses 16-19, it's easy to read them as God cursing Adam and Eve. Here's how we often read these verses:
16 Unto the woman he said, [shame, shame on you for disobeying Me. Because of your disobedience] I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception [I will make it hurt badly every time you have a child as a punishment for your disobedience]; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children [as part of your punishment, you will have much of sadness and heartache because of your children]; and thy desire shall be to thy husband [you will have the basic status of a servant to your husband], and he shall rule over thee [because you started it all by your disobedience in the Garden of Eden, I will make you subject to your husband and he will be your superior].
Now, we will quote Spencer W. Kimball. He was the President of the Church at the time he taught this; therefore, we can consider it doctrine. He will help us see this verse the way it should be understood: "The Lord said to the woman: '. . . in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children.' I wonder if those who translated the Bible might have used the term distress instead of sorrow. It would mean much the same, except I think there is great gladness in most Latter-day Saint homes when there is to be a child there. As He concludes this statement he says, 'and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.' (Gen. 3:16.) I have a question about the word rule. It gives the wrong impression. I would prefer to use the word preside because that's what he does. A righteous husband presides over his wife and family" ("The Blessings and Responsibilities of Womanhood," Ensign, March 1976, page 72).
Before we reread verse 16, we would also do well to consult with Eve as to her view of the Fall. After all, she was there and can give us an accurate view of the results, as she later thought back upon them. We can do so by reading her response to it in Moses 5:11:
11 And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have [would have] had seed [children], and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.
We will now reread verse 16 and include verses 17–19, adding notes that place our understanding of it into the greater context of the overall gospel and plan of salvation, including Eve's teachings and President Kimball's teaching, above, along with other helps, including the idea that "sorrow" can mean the trials and tribulations of mortality, or mortality itself. Again, we may overdo it a bit, for purposes of emphasizing the positives of this great and vital step in the plan. Genesis 3:16 (repeated) and verses 17–19
16 Unto the woman he said [Thank you, thank you, thank you!], I will greatly multiply thy sorrow [because of your unselfish choice in the Garden of Eden, I can now give you many years in mortality] and thy conception [I can now send many of My spirit sons and daughters into your home to gain mortal bodies and learn the lessons of mortality]; in sorrow [in mortality, with the joys and sorrows, pains and distresses that attend it] thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire [your highest loyalty, other than to God—compare with Moses 3:24, Doctrine and Covenants 42:22] shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over [preside and serve you as the Savior does] thee.
Notice, in verse 17, next, that "sorrow" is also used for Adam, as he begins the toil and labor that will be his responsibility and opportunity, as he also begins mortal life. This is perhaps another indicator that we can consider "sorrow" to be a term for mortality, rather than a description of punishment. The same Hebrew word is used in verse 17 as was used for Eve in verse 16, translated as "sorrow" in English.
One of the important lessons we can learn from verse 17, next, is that the ground was cursed for Adam's "sake"—in other words, for his blessing and benefit. It will be good for his growth and development to have to work for a living. We will add notes that emphasize this verse in the larger context of the plan of salvation.
17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife [which was a very wise thing to do—see quote by Dallin H. Oaks, given after this verse], and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it [unless you choose to become mortal and leave the Garden—see Moses 3:17 and the note that follows in this study guide]: cursed is the ground for thy sake [in order to bring blessings to you]; in sorrow [in an environment of work, toil, pain—in other words, in mortality] shalt thou eat of it [take your living from the soil] all the days of thy life;
Elder Dallin H. Oaks spoke of the choices made by Adam and Eve that led to the Fall and spoke of Adam's wisdom in following the lead of his wife, Eve, on this matter. He said (bold added for emphasis): "It was Eve who first transgressed the limits of Eden in order to initiate the conditions of mortality. Her act, whatever its nature, was formally a transgression but eternally a glorious necessity to open the doorway toward eternal life. Adam showed his wisdom by doing the same. And thus Eve and 'Adam fell that men might be' [2 Nephi 2:25]" (Dallin H. Oaks, "The Great Plan of Happiness," Ensign, November 1993).
The Lord continues to describe the conditions of "sorrow," or "mortality," in verses 24–25, next. Anyone who has seen the benefits of hard work can appreciate the blessings of such "sorrow." 18 Thorns also and thistles [weeds, symbolic of the difficulties encountered in earning a living from the soil; symbolic of the trials and tribulations of mortal life] shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb [produce] of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken [your mortal body is made from the elements of the earth]: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."
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I decided to read this LDS-based companion book in conjunction with my study of the King James Version of the Holy Bible. It has been a great study aid! While primarily focusing on the Old Testament in the Holy Bible, it helped me navigate cultural mores and vocabulary. The terms "unicorn" and "dragons" are used but their meanings are totally dif
I wanted to preface this by stating that although I was baptized as LDS when I was 8, I do not practice the religion or attend church (of any religion).I decided to read this LDS-based companion book in conjunction with my study of the King James Version of the Holy Bible. It has been a great study aid! While primarily focusing on the Old Testament in the Holy Bible, it helped me navigate cultural mores and vocabulary. The terms "unicorn" and "dragons" are used but their meanings are totally different (with the definition of "unicorn" being bison or buffalo and "dragons" indicating jackals). The writings of the Jewish historian Josephus were also used, which is incredible that they have actually been preserved for so long as well as included in this text.
Overall, I found it helpful considering I never really understood what the Old Testament was saying or what it was trying to teach. I had also never previously read the Old Testament to completion. I found my study of the Old Testament helpful in terms of understanding symbolism, ancient Jewish culture and what was considered ethical or moral way back when.
I would highly recommend these study guides to those who are interested in reading the Old Testament, regardless of their religious background.
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The author makes frequent assertions that I feel are unsupported by the text in order to present the image of the Old Testament offering a coherent theological account within the larger context of LDS theology. While the New Testament and Book of Mormon offer substantial insight into what was meant by the traditions and practices in the Old Testament,
This book provides a ton of contextual insight, and I like its format of inserting the notes and asides in between the verses of the text itself.The author makes frequent assertions that I feel are unsupported by the text in order to present the image of the Old Testament offering a coherent theological account within the larger context of LDS theology. While the New Testament and Book of Mormon offer substantial insight into what was meant by the traditions and practices in the Old Testament, I disagree that those things are clearly visible (as author regularly asserts once pulling in contextual evidence) in the text. The incompleteness of the text could be explained by the loss of plain and precious truths - and idea fully at place in LDS theology - but the author is more concerned with reading the text as part of a beautiful whole.
For me, the text itself is far too problematic to offer itself to such a hagiographic reading. The book in the end is not without merit, but I suspect of many of the author's conclusions.
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I really enjoyed reading this book. I like reading the scriptures but I do not always understand them. This book has helped me understand what Moses meant when he wrote Genesis and Exodus and what the culture was during that time period. The author uses several resources to help the reader gain a better understanding. I have read many of David J Ridges books. I plan to start reading the next book in this series tonight.
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