He drove out the man: drove out means “to banish, expel, get rid of” and is more dramatic than “send forth” in verse 23. Only the man is mentioned as being driven out, but we are to understand that the action affected both the man and the woman; and some translators will want to express this in the text. Drove out may also be translated “He forced the man to leave,” “He made the man get out,” or as a direct quotation, “He said to the man ‘Get out!’ ”
East of the garden of Eden means outside the garden on the east side.
He placed the cherubim: cherubim is the English way of writing the sounds of the Hebrew word, which is a plural masculine noun. These creatures are described in the Old Testament as the carriers of God and the guardians of sacred things. For example, in Psa 18.10 the LORD rides on a cherub in the thunderstorm. In 1 Kgs 6.23-28 two large cherubim hold their wings over the ark in the temple to protect it and provide a seat for the LORD. Their appearance is described as having the body of a lion or bull, the face of a man, and being equipped with wings. They are living creatures who along with angels carry out God’s commands. See Ezek 1.5-12; 10.21. For illustrations see a Bible dictionary.
The translation of cherubim is seldom if ever fully satisfactory, since no such creatures are seen in nature, and it is nearly impossible to compare them to something already familiar to the reader. Normally translators use a borrowed term and describe their physical appearance in a word list. Some use a descriptive phrase such as “creatures with wings,” or “winged animals called cherubs.” In English “cherubs” refers to plump, rosy-cheeked, angelic figures. Sometimes the term “angel” is used as a general term for the beings who carry out God’s commands, with another word such as “strong” for these creatures who stand guard.
A flaming sword seems to be a separate means of guarding the entrance to the garden. It is not certain from the Hebrew if this is a flame in the shape of a sword, or a sword that throws off flames, and so perhaps “lightning.” It may mean “a flashing sword.” Sword is used here as an image of authority and protection. Some languages do not have a term for sword unless it is a borrowed term, which may be unfamiliar. In cultures that do not possess swords, it may be possible to represent the sword by another symbol; for example, “a flaming spear,” “a bayonet of fire,” or “a burning arrow.” A more general term such as “flaming weapon” may be useful, if the imagined weapon is suitable in this context. Since it is not certain what the relation of the flame is to the sword, it may also be possible to say, for example, “a flame in the shape of a spear.”
Which turned every way means “turned around and around,” or as Good News Translation says, “in all directions.”
To guard the way to the tree of life explains the purpose of the cherubim and the sword. Guard the way means “to keep anyone from coming near the tree of life” (Good News Translation), or “to guard access to the tree…” (Bible en français courant). One recent translation says “… to block the way, so that people would not be able to approach the tree….”
Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .