Throughout
Genesis, a common image has been dust. From story to story, it has served as a
metaphor for the various conditions of existence; however, instead of
signifying only one concept, it has stood for opposites. This symbolic
elasticity suggests the reversibility of human circumstances under God’s will.
The first mention of dust appears
in 3:14, when God condemns the serpent with the angry proclamation that “On
your belly shall you go/and dust shall you eat all the days of your life.” Almost
immediately afterwards, God humbles Adam by telling him that “…dust you are/and
to dust shall you return” (3:19). From the start, the text associates dust with
punishment and lowliness. Unlike soil (always associated with tilling and
fruitfulness), dust signifies barrenness, making it a fitting metaphor for the banishment
that Adam and Eve face once they have sinned. Because of their transgression,
they have lost value in God’s eyes, and their lives will be much emptier.
However,
later on in Genesis, dust takes on new meaning. In 13:16, God tells Abram that “I
will make your seed like the dust of the earth—could a man count the dust of
the earth, so too, your seed might be counted.” Now, dust no longer stands for
loss, degradation, or emptiness. Rather, it stands for abundance. In fact, God
elevates it to the status of the stars by giving them identical metaphorical
significance: “Look up to the heavens and count the stars, if you can count
them…So shall be your seed” (15:5-6).
Admittedly,
God’s second dust metaphor merely identifies its copiousness. Nevertheless, how
could something so lowly—dust, trampled on by every beast—be similar to
something so lofty—the stars, part of the heavens themselves? This pairing of opposites
seems to convey God’s attitude towards humans. Though they have reduced
themselves to waste through their transgression, they can still turn their
fruitless existence into one of plenty. Amid the desolation of dust, they can
find the means to “multiply and fill the earth” (9:2).
In this
way, Genesis points out the dynamism of the human existence as permitted by
God.
I definitely agree that dust signifies barrenness because God states "return to the soil,/ for from there you were taken," right before "dust you are/and to dust shall you return." Since God made Adam and Eve from humus from the soil, the shift toward "dust" demeans the humans by reflecting dust's dryness and infertility. The insult is infertility is great, especially since being fruitful to multiply is a huge theme in Genesis. I do get lost, however, with your conjecture that God elevates dust's status to the stars. The impossibly large number of dust particles on Earth may simply be an effective metaphor for a super big number.
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ReplyDeleteEmily's analysis upon the usage of the word dust is very interesting. Up to every point of the word use in the book of Genesis has had a negative meaning. Even I sense that the most recent use of this term has a negative and sarcastic use even those it describes how great Abram's descendants will be. In the text, this little portion is included with a hyphen to keep expressing God's words. Saying "... could a man count the dust of the earth, so too, your seed might be counted," God brings out the points that it is basically impossible because if man could Abram's descendants would be counted easily (Genesis 13:16). Also, I believe that it brings up the topic of dust, which both Eric and Emily bring up in a great point that humans have come from the dust of the earth; this may show similarities God sees in his creation of humans with the dust of the earth. Possibly, it could also reflect God's ultimate power and his promises made to the righteous humans because he suggests that there will be great fertility in Abram's life even though it was referred to as "dust" the most frequently used term for infertility. Like Eric points out, there is a shift of the use of the term.
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