God’s interpretive activity was another aspect of the divine work of creation that was to have an analogue in man’s cultural program. One of the recurring motifs in Genesis 1 is God’s naming of his creatures. In ancient texts, when deities give names to things they are assigning them functions and ordaining their destinies. Similarly, God’s naming of the products of the six creation days was a sovereign defining of nature and determining of the purpose of things. And God summoned man to imitate him in this interpreting function of assigning names. God brought to Adam the birds and beasts to see what he would call them (Gen 2:19). Man’s interpretive role would become of increasing practical importance as an instrument for gaining mastery of the earth in fulfillment of his cultural task, for more and more man’s growing knowledge of his world would be the key to his power over it.
Meredith Kline, Kingdom Prologue
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