[Sledsik]

Cursed be the ground for our sake. For Thorns and thistles, it shall bring fourth, for us. For out of the ground we were taken... and to dust we shall return. I like it but not quite sure what the meaning is behind it. Thank you.

[Moparbyfar]

God is telling Adam here (Gen 3:17-19) what the consequences are for his disobedience.

"Cursed be the ground for our sake. For Thorns and thistles, it shall bring fourth, for us" - the ground, or land will now be hard to cultivate.

"For out of the ground we were taken ... and to dust we shall return." - Where was Adam before God created him? In the dust, or non existent. He will return to that condition as a result of his disobedience. The punishment for sin is death. (Romans 6:23)

[FlyYakker]

Beats me... but I believe you mean "forth" not "fourth".

[belovedgift]

Cursed be the ground for our sake. For Thorns and thistles, it shall bring fourth, for us. For out of the ground we were taken ... and to dust we shall return. I like it but not quite sure what the meaning is behind it. Thank you.

This curse on the earth is for our benefit. Thorns and thistles are to remind mankind that some things are not worthwhile, like eating poisonous fruit for example. That the earth carries with it thorns and thistles, and our bodies are made from it,we have them as well,in sickness and disease. This does not seem beneficial,I know,but think of this:if such things did not occur in us how would humanity have a chance to minister to others in need and earn the eternal rewards God promises. As to dust,did you know the dust in your house that you chore to wipe off and keep clean from actually comes from our own bodies. People don't realize that just because we suck air and eat groceries,doesn't mean we ain't dead.

[bendingleconte]

God is telling Adam here (Gen 3:17-19) what the consequences are for his disobedience.

"Cursed be the ground for our sake. For Thorns and thistles, it shall bring fourth, for us" - the ground, or land will now be hard to cultivate.

"For out of the ground we were taken ... and to dust we shall return." - Where was Adam before God created him? In the dust, or non existent. He will return to that condition as a result of his disobedience. The punishment for sin is death. (Romans 6:23)

The second part of the statement is an interpretation. The Bhagavad-Gita, yes also scripture, states that "never was there a time where you did not exist, nor is there a time you will ever cease to be." (Bg 2.12). This is referring to our physical bodies, making a distinction that we are spiritual beings and will surely die one day. Another interpretation is that this is reminding us to live a live in devotion and loving service to God and to not be conditioned into the material body.

[mistofnoth]

Religious scriptures and spiritual texts can only be interpreted - a persons interpretation will be influenced by both their world-view and state of mind - therefore there are many ways this can be interpreted - some of which may be helpful and others not.

"Cursed be the ground for our sake. For Thorns and thistles, it shall bring fourth, for us"

This statement appears in many different texts in many different forms. It may allude to the fact that this earth-bound, worldly existence has its fair share of suffering and pain(along with Love and Beauty) - and that in order to learn and enlighten ourselves it has been put here for our benefit - which requires a form of deep acceptance. If we learn from the suffering it will allow us to cultivate compassion, to understand our own and others pain and work with it in a positive way.

Seeing this as a form of "punishment" is not particularly helpful - suffering is part of the package and cannot be escaped, only faced and accepted.

For out of the ground we were taken... And to dust we shall return

Again this appears in many spiritual and religious texts in different forms. It can be interpreted literally - our bodies are after-all made of the same stuff as "the ground"(carbon, water etc) and when our bodies die they will turn back into the components from which they are made(anyone who has composted plants will know this well).

It can also be interpreted that birth and death are inevitable - we where all born and we will all surly die - but it may imply that there is a energy/spirit/soul that survives this bodily death and that too is part of who we are.

[Mcblaze25]

From them on God told them that from then on their lives would be hard, they would have to earn their lives. Life would no longer be a paradise garden full of ripe fruits, but the ground would be cursed, meaning hard to cultivate, full of thorns and thistles, they would have to work, to farm the lands in order to get food. Also they would no longer have eternal life but would die and return to the ground. ( dust to dust)