Quaker Life, Stewardship, Fall 2022

Purchase a single copy of the Fall 2022 issue of Quaker Life: A mosaic of Friendly living on the theme of Stewardship. In keeping with her intention to craft a rendering of Genesis that both makes sense in English and is faithful to the original Hebrew, translator Mary Phil Korsak chooses to translate the Hebrew word אדמ—the word commonly translated as “man” or “human”— as “groundling,” to emphasize how the Hebrew text recognizes the אדמ as the one who comes from, is made from, the ground, אדמה. So Korsak renders Genesis 2 in this way:4 ...On the day YHWH Elohim made earth and sky5 no shrub of the field was yet in the earthno plant of the field had yet sproutedFor YHWH Elohim had not made it rain on the earthAnd there was no groundling to serve the ground6 But a surge went up from the earthand gave drink to the face of the ground7 YHWH Elohim formed the groundling, soil of the groundHe blew into its nostrils the blast of lifeand the groundling became a living soul8 YHWH Elohim planted