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As I was reading Beresheet 3:8 today ("וַיִּתְחַבֵּא הָאָדָם וְאִשְׁתּוֹ מִפְּנֵי ה' אֱלֹוקים בְּתוֹךְ עֵץ הַגָּן"), it suddenly occurred to me that though I had never thought about the term "בתוך ...
#1: Initial revision
by
Harel13
·
2020-10-14T10:07:51Z (about 4 years ago)
Hiding in a tree or hiding among the trees?
As I was reading Beresheet 3:8 today ("וַיִּתְחַבֵּא הָאָדָם וְאִשְׁתּוֹ מִפְּנֵי ה' אֱלֹוקים **בְּתוֹךְ עֵץ הַגָּן"**), it suddenly occurred to me that though I had never thought about the term "בתוך עץ הגן" (inside/among the tree(s) of the garden), my mind probably usually understood it like it's translated into English: that Adam and Chavah hid among the trees, yet perhaps the term should be understood as singular, which means Adam and Chavah hid _inside a tree_ (one of those trees that have a hole in them). As hiding places go, it seems to make more sense than just randomly running around the trees...
Is this interpretation even possible, grammar-wise? Are there any sources that suggest this interpretation?