The first part of Genesis 3:22 says, “Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil.”
The Hebrew word for behold is hen. Hen at its root is a picture of arms extended out and saying “look!” It is when one sees a great site close by or in the distance, and he extends his arms out and sighs as if saying, “Ah, look or behold that!” It’s a continual looking toward a breathtaking sight or action. It’s a sigh of desire or a sigh of pain, a continual looking toward “THERE.”
The word behold is not directing the reader’s attention to the fall! This word is drawing the reader’s attention to a glorious and breathtaking event. An event of unparalleled magnitude — the creation of man! In other words, the fall paled in comparison. It could not destroy who man already was… image and likeness of God with ALL dominion over ALL things!
The word BEHOLD is not God saying, “Oh man look at that, Adam totally messed up! This changes everything!”
NO! BEHOLD is God saying among Themselves, “Look what we did over THERE, look through the fall, past the mistake — look at the creation of Our beloved man!! The man existed as one from out of Us… made in Our image and likeness! And NOTHING can change that.”
Man is ONE from out of Father, Son, and Spirit! The Godhead, Yahweh Elohim, is our source. They are our starting point, our beginning, our origin! We are sons with the nature of God in us and NOTHING ever changed that!
