The Good and Evil Serpent (71 page)

What is found in the Septuagint for
‘rwm
in Genesis 3:1? It is the superlative form of the Greek noun just discussed. The word is (ppoviLicbtatoq and it means “most intelligent.”
⁹⁴
The Greek noun was chosen by Plato and Aristotle to describe the most sagacious of all animals.
⁹⁵
Elsewhere in Septuagint Greek,
phronimos
is used to describe the knowledge and wisdom of Joseph. Indeed, the Greek noun
is used by Jesus, according to Matthew, to refer to the cleverness and wisdom of a serpent.

Later Jewish authors, working under the influence of the increasing perception of the negative meaning of the serpent, devalue the positive meaning of
phronimos.
⁹⁶
In fact, they replace this noun found, in the superlative, in the Septuagint, meaning “most intelligent.” This is true of Philo
(QG
1.32) and Theodoret
(Questions on Genesis
31). It is typical of the Greek translations by Theodotion and Aquila, who chose to introduce the serpent with the Greek
panourgos
, “clever,” “crafty,” or “sly.”

The Targumim also should be included, to see how one should translate Genesis 3:1, or to learn how later Jews understood
‘rwm
. As one might expect from studying the development of Jewish animosity to ophidian symbolism, the translator of
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan
stresses the serpent’s evil knowledge: “Now the serpent was more skilled
in evil
than all the beasts of the field which
the Lord
God had made.”
⁹⁷
The Aramaic (
) means “wiser for evil.”
⁹⁸
This understanding of serpent symbolism is typical of Palestinian traditions after the second century
CE
, and
Pseudo-Jonathan
represents Palestinian Targumic traditions. It is interesting that the older symbolic meaning of serpent has shaped this Targum; the noun
chkm,”
⁹⁹
“wise one,” is employed, signifying one of the meanings of
‘rwm
. The serpent is recognized to have skills and wisdom, even if it is perverse or evil.

Other Targumim do not, however, stress the pejorative sense of Genesis 3:1. The reading of
Targum Onkelos
is much more positive: “And the serpent was more crafty (or intelligent) than all the animals.”
¹⁰⁰
The Aramaic
‘rym
(
) simply represents the Hebrew ‘
rwm
.
¹⁰¹
Thus, studying this Targum would be circuitous and add little to our understanding of the original Hebrew.

The positive meaning of Genesis 3:1 is preserved in
Targum Neofiti
, “The serpent was wiser (
) than all the beasts.” A. Díez Macho’s translation thus rightly brings out the positive sense: “Y la serpiente era más sabia [wiser] que todos los animales.”
¹⁰²
The Aramaic (
) means “wiser than” and not “shrewder than.”
¹⁰³
Targum Neofiti
, therefore, preserves one of the earlier possible meanings of the Hebrew in Genesis 3:1, and, in light of the narrative and the preponderance of positive serpent symbolism before the second century
CE
, it probably represents accurately the original meaning of
‘rwm
in Genesis 3:1.

A study of
Targum Neofiti
brings into focus the linguistic art of the Yah-wist. Why did he not simply use the noun
hkm
to reveal that the Nachash was “wise”? In doing so, he would not be able to bring out the unity between the Nachash (“the serpent”) and the humans. He does this in many subtle ways, especially in moving from one line in which he described the man and wife as “naked,”
‘rwmym
, to the next line in which he introduces the Nachash as “clever,”
‘rwm
. The Yahwist is a gifted linguist; he knows how to use paronomasia with subtle force to unite his narrative.
¹⁰⁴

The Yahwist’s attempt to show the unity between the Nachash and the humans is missed by modern commentators. Early Jews did not miss the point, however. Note, for example, the following excerpt from the To-sephta:
¹⁰⁵

A. And so you find in the case of the snake (
) of olden times, who was smarter than all the cattle and wild beasts of the field, as it is said,
“Now the serpent was smarter than any other wild creature that the Lord God had made”
(Gen. 3:1).

B. He wanted to slay Adam and to marry Eve.

C. The Omnipresent (
) said to him, “I said that you should be king (
) over all beasts and wild animals. Now that you did not want things that way,
You are more cursed than all the beasts and wild animals of the field”
(Gen 3:14).

D. “I said that you should walk straight-up like man (
). Now that you did not want things that way,
Upon your belly you shall go”
(Gen 3:14).