I have often said (in particular with reference to the creation account in Genesis 1) that one can read a text with great frequency and still fail to notice something for a surprisingly long time.
We can also fail to notice what the text does not say, and what we are reading into it.
Yesterday in a Facebook group I participate in, it was pointed out that, unless one has the Genesis 2 creation account in mind, when one reads Genesis 1, one will not necessarily get the impression that God, creating Adam (which means humankind) male and female, made only one of each.
What do others think? If one doesn’t already have the “Adam and Eve” story in mind, could it be read as God creating a tribe of humans?
Creationist depictions of Adam and Eve concerned to cover their private parts with hair, leaves, and when necessary lily pads, could also be used to argue that there must have been other people around. And of course, some have gotten that impression from Genesis 4:14 as well.
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