The Lord God said, Behold, the man, &c.— The phrase of knowing good and evil imports general knowledge. We find it so applied in other parts of scripture, The woman of Tekoah says to David, 2 Samuel 14:17. As an angel of God, so is my lord the king, to discern good and evil, which is fully explained by 2 Samuel 14:20 where she says, My lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth. Where all things in the earth evidently corresponds to good and evil in 2 Samuel 14:17. It is observable, that in these texts, the phrase as an angel of God may be rendered, as the Melak Elohim, Messenger of the Elohim; which, as we shall hereafter see, is expressive of him who was sent of God to redeem the world. This may give us some light for the explanation of this obscure text. God says, the man is become as one of us to know good and evil: which many expositors are of opinion is a mere irony from the Deity, reflecting on the very contrary event which Adam found from what the serpent promised. Others again imagine, that the angels are here addressed, and they would confirm this opinion by the passages from Samuel above. Whatever may be the case with the former opinion, I can never think that the Deity would put his angels on a par with himself, and call them Us, one of us: besides, what evil had the angels ever known? Might I be allowed to propose it as a modest conjecture only, I should be most inclined to think, that here is a reference to the great work of redemption: "Behold," says God, "man has transgressed, and therefore calls for the exertion of that salvation which has been prepared in our prescience from the foundation of the world: he is now become as one of us; namely, the blessed Son, who will, for his sake, become acquainted with good and evil. Man would have known good only, had he persevered in right: now he must know evil also, as introduced by himself. And that Divine Person, who, as God, could know only good, for man's redemption will become like him, and know evil also." And if this interpretation be just, the passages in Samuel will throw great light upon it, especially if the angel, or messenger of the Elohim, be understood of Christ.
And now lest he, &c.— Houbigant's translation of this difficult passage seems to afford abundantly the best sense. Erit scilicet, ut mittat manum suam, tollatque de ligno vitae, unde vivat in perpetuum. It will be, it will come to pass, that he may put forth his hand hereafter, and take of the tree of life, by which means he may live for ever. As much as to say, "Man indeed is fallen, and introduced to that knowledge, to which, in innocence, he would have been a stranger; but it will hereafter come to pass, that, restored to favour, he may take of the tree of life, and so eat, and obtain eternal life." The Hebrew פן ועתה veatah pen, it is certain, will well bear Houbigant's exposition. Accordingly the Chaldee paraphrase has it so: and now, perhaps, he may put forth his hand. It may possibly happen, that he will hereafter eat and live. This seems the genuine sense of the passage: which the reader must understand either as a denunciation or an encouragement, as he judges most consonant to the circumstances of the case. It is to be observed, that this construction makes the sense complete, which otherwise is broken and elliptical.