18.  Adam received the sentence, Cursed is the ground in thy labours; thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee Gen. iii. 17, 18.  By mistaking one letter in the Hebrew, the Seventy give the meaning “in thy labours” instead of “for thy sake.”.  For this cause Jesus assumes the thorns, that He may cancel the sentence; for this cause also was He buried in the earth, that the earth which had been cursed might receive the blessing instead of a curse.  At the time of the sin, they clothed themselves with fig-leaves; for this cause Jesus also made the fig-tree the last of His signs.  For when about to go to His passion, He curses the fig-tree, not every fig-tree, but that one alone, for the sake of the figure; saying, No more let any man eat fruit of thee Mark xi. 1.; let the doom be cancelled.  And because they aforetime clothed themselves with fig-leaves, He came at a season when food was not wont to be found on the fig-tree.  Who knows not that in winter-time the fig-tree bears no fruit, but is clothed with leaves only?  Was Jesus ignorant of this, which all knew?  No, but though He knew, yet He came as if seeking; not ignorant that He should not find, but shewing that the emblematical curse extended to the leaves only.