Gênesis 2
Leon Morris · Citado em PreceptAustin
Gênesis 2
Morris writes that "The vast spaces of the cosmos with all their innumerable stars and galaxies were called into existence instantaneously by the omnipotent word of Christ (Jn 1:3+). God did not use processes of stellar evolution for this purpose. If such processes could account for the universe, then God would be redundant. The Genesis account records seventeen occasions of God speaking (Heb 11:3+; 2Pe 3:5+)." John 1:3+ All things came into being through Him (NOT THROUGH EVOLUTION), and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. Hebrews 11:3+ By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God (DO YOU BELIEVE THIS VERSE?), so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. 2 Peter 3:5+ For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, CREATION COMPLETED AND CONSUMMATED This chapter is like looking at Day 6 of creation with a zoom lens, zooming in on the details. To consummate means to bring to completion or fruition, to conclude, to complete in every respect, to supremely accomplish (great description of Creation by our Supreme God!). Thus the heavens and the earth were completed (kalah; Lxx - sunteleo), and all their hosts (tsaba) - Do not miss the clear implication of this passage, specifically the word "completed!" If you believe in evolution or even so-called theistic evolution, you have to rationalize those errant beliefs with the word "completed." It is worth noting that so-called theistic evolution is only a step away (so to speak) from atheistic evolution (only one letter separates these two errant beliefs.) Hosts refers to all things that God created to populate the earth (plants and people, etc). The Septuagint translates completed with the verb sunteleo (also in Ge 2:2) which means to bring to an end, to complete, to finish. BDAG says it means "to complete something that has been in process." And so to speak God has been in process over 6 days creating and now the Spirit of God says IT IS FINISHED! Evolution (theistic or atheistic) is an affront to the veracity of the Spirit of Truth. Either God is in error or man is error and guess who is in error? (That's essentially a rhetorical question!). Heavens and the earth - this phrase occurs 13x in 13v - Ge 1:1; Ge 2:1; Ge 2:4; Ex 20:11; Dt. 31:28; 1 Chr. 29:11; Jer. 10:11; Jer. 23:24; Jer. 32:17; Joel 3:16; Hab. 3:3; Hag. 2:6; Hag. 2:21 The fact that God completed creation on the 6th day is in accord with the first law of thermodynamics (a version of the law of conservation of energy, adapted for thermodynamic processes) which says that the universe is now closed and is no longer expanding. Here is a discussion from Wikipedia The law of conservation of energy states that the total energy of any isolated system (for which energy and matter transfer through the system boundary are not possible) is constant; energy can be transformed from one form to another, but can be neither created nor destroyed. All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful— The Lord God made them all. —Alexander Henry Morris on completed - The strong emphasis in these verses on the completion of all of God's creating and making activity is a clear refutation of both ancient evolutionary pantheism and modern evolutionary materialism, which seek to explain the origin and development of all things in terms of natural processes and laws innate to the universe. Creation is complete, not continuing (except in miracles, of course; if evolution takes place at all, it would require continuing miraculous intervention in the present laws of nature). (New Defender's Study Bible Notes or borrow The Defender's Study Bible) Victor Hamilton - The point made by this verb is that the universe is no longer in a process of being created. What Gen. 1 allows for is not additional creation but procreation and self-perpetuation. (See context in The Book of Genesis, NICOT Chapters 1-17) Ryrie on all their hosts - In Neh. 9:6, the same Hebrew word depicts "stars"; and in 1 Kings 22:19, it refers to angels. Here, it probably means simply "all the things that God created." (Borrow Ryrie Study Bible) (ED: I agree that the context favors that interpretation and not only angelic hosts, although they also are creatures of God's creation.) ESV Study Note has an interesting thought on the significance of Genesis 2:1-3 - The repeated comment that God rested does not imply that he was weary from labor. The effortless ease with which everything is done in Genesis 1 suggests otherwise. Rather, the motif of God’s resting hints at the purpose of creation. As reflected in various ancient Near Eastern accounts, divine rest is associated with temple building. God’s purpose for the earth is that it should become his dwelling place; it is not simply made to house his creatures. God’s “activities” on this day (he finished, “rested,” “blessed,” “made it holy”) all fit this delightful pattern. The concept of the earth as a divine sanctuary, which is developed further in Ge 2:4-25, runs throughout the whole Bible, coming to a climax in the future reality that the apostle John sees in his vision of a “new heaven and a new earth” in Rev. 21:1-22:5. (See context in ESV Study Bible) Matthew
Gênesis 2
Morris - Evolution is again refuted at this point. If man's body had been derived from an animal's body by any kind of evolutionary process, he would already have possessed the nephesh, rather than "becoming a living soul" when God gave him the breath of life. ILLUSTRATION - You may recall the story of the little boy who came in some excitement to his mother and said, "Mother, is it true that we are made from the dust and that after we die we go back to the dust?" She said, "Yes, it is." "Well," he said, "I looked under my bed this morning, and there's someone either coming or going!" (Stedman) TWISTED SCRIPTURE Genesis 2:7 According to modern-day psychics, this “breath of life” enables humans to exhibit supernatural abilities. Most people, however, do not know how to tap into this power. Such a bizarre conclusion cannot be derived from the text. A better interpretation is that the “breath of life” is simply the animating force of the body. (Apologetics Study Bible) O Breath of Life, come sweeping through us. Revive Thy church with life and pow’r; O Breath of life, come, cleanse, renew us, And fit Thy Church to meet this hour. O Wind of God, come bend us, break us, Till humbly we confess our need; Then in Thy tenderness remake us, Revive, restore, for this we plead. O Breath of Love, come breathe within us, Renewing thought and will and heart; Come, Love of Christ, afresh to win us, Revive Thy Church in ev’ry part. O Heart of Christ once broken for us, ’Tis there we find our strength and rest; Our broken contrite hearts now solace, And let Thy waiting Church be blest. Revive us, Lord! Is zeal abating While harvest fields are vast and white? Revive us, Lord, the world is waiting. Equip Thy Church to spread the light. Melvin H. Shoemaker - Life. God (Yahweh) as the Source and Sustainer of Life. According to Genesis 2:7, “the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” This “breath of life” does not distinguish human beings from other animals, nor perhaps even plant life, as can be seen in Genesis 1:29–30. When God declared his judgment against Noah’s generation, all creation in which there was the “breath of life” would suffer the destruction of the flood (Gen. 6:17; 7:15, 21–23). The breath of life distinguishes the living from the dead, not human beings from animals (Eccles. 3:18–19). Consistently throughout Scripture God is portrayed as the giver of life, which distinguishes living organisms from inanimate things (Rom. 4:17). Life is contingent upon the continuing, sustaining “breath” of God. When God ceases to breathe, life is no more, “How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.… When you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust” (Ps. 104:24, 29). Death is frequently described as the cessation of this divine activity (Gen. 25:8; Mark 15:37). It is for this reason that the psalmist concludes, “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD” (Ps. 150:6; cf. Rom. 1:20–21). (Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology) Ray Pritchard - BREATH OF LIFE And the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7) The Hebrew word ruah can be translated “breath” or “spirit.” The phrase “breath of life,” therefore, refers to more than simply the air that Adam breathed. It is the animating life force that comes only from God’s Spirit. By itself, the body is simply “the dust of the ground”—a collection of chemical elements bound together as water and protein. But life comes only from the inbreathing of God’s Spirit. All that we are and have we owe to God who has brought us to life by His Spirit. What a contrast to many who boast of their worldly achievements—money, fame, and power. But those things do not last forever. All of it returns to the dust eventually. Life comes only from God—a fact true both on the physical and spiritual planes. Just as we owe our physical life to the Spirit of God, we also owe our spiritual life to Him as well. For without the “inbreathing” of God’s Spirit in the work of regeneration, we could not be born again. Thank You, Father, for giving me the breath of life. Thank You also for the gracious work of Your Spirit in breathing into me new life through Jesus Christ. Amen. Formed (03335)(yatsar) means to form, to fashion. One of my favorite uses of yatsar is Ps 94:9 "He who formed the eye, does He not see?" I studied the anatomy of the eye in medical school and that alone should make a believer out of your. There is no way this complex organ could have possibly evolved! So much for the "blind" evolutionists! Yatsar is used 6x in Jer 18:2-6 where it is translated "potter." Gilbrant on yatsar - Meaning "to form," "to fashion," this verb occurs most often in the Qal stem, with infrequent appearances in Niphal, Pual and Hophal. It is used to describe the activity of human beings in shaping or forming various objects, but more often to denote the activity of God. Occasionally, the word is used for other techniques of shaping raw materials. Isaiah 44:9-12 describes the construction of an idol being shaped with tongues over hot coals and shaped with hammers. Habakkuk 2:18 also describes the one who carves the shape of a graven image. A figurative use of the word describes the way evil rulers use the Law to devise or frame ways of wrongdoing (Ps. 94:20). The majority of times this word is used refer to the activity of God. In fact, the very first appearance of the word is in Gen. 2:7f, where we read that "the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground." The shaping of dust brings the mind naturally to the picture of a potter shaping his clay. The same term describes the shaping of the animals and birds in Gen. 2:19. Yātsar appears in parallel construction with the two other main verbs used of creation, bāraʾ (HED #1282), "to create," and ʿāsāh (HED #6449), "to make," or "to do." God is the Creator of the universe (Isa. 45:18), the earth itself (Jer. 33:2), the hearts of humans (Ps. 33:15), the mountains (Amos 4:13), the dry land (Ps. 95:5), the seasons (Ps. 74:17), the human eye (Ps. 94:9), the leviathan (Ps. 104:26) and the human spirit (Zech. 12:1). In fact, God is the One Who forms all things (Jer. 10:16; 51:19). The prophets make a point of claiming that God shapes a person in the womb, whether it be the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 1:5), the messianic Servant of Yahweh (Isa. 49:5) or the people of God in general (Isa. 44:24). The prophet Isaiah takes particular pains to explain that God brought the nation of Israel into existence as a people, forming them himself (Isa. 43:1, 7, 21; 44:2, 21, 24). The word also appears in passages where it describes the way God shapes a plan or devises a purpose in his mind. This can describe the purposes which He has made in the past (2 Ki. 19:25; Isa. 37:26; 46:11) or the plans He is currently carrying out (Jer. 18:11). (Complete Biblical Library) Yatsar - 63x in 53v - Creator(1), devises(1), earthenware*(1), fashion(1), fashioned(1), fashioning(2), fashions(1), formed(20), forming(2), forms(2), made(1), Maker(2), maker(4), ordained(1), planned(4), potter(9), potter's(7), potters(1). Gen. 2:7; Gen. 2:8; Gen. 2:19; 2 Ki. 19:25; 1 Chr. 4:23; Ps. 2:9; Ps. 33:15; Ps. 74:17; Ps. 94:9; Ps. 94:20; Ps. 95:5; Ps. 139:16; Isa. 22:11; Isa. 27:11; Isa. 29:16; Isa. 30:14; Isa. 37:26; Isa. 41:25; Isa. 43:1; Isa. 43:7; Isa. 43:10; Isa. 43:21; Isa. 44:2; Isa. 44:9; Isa. 44:10; Isa. 44:12; Isa. 44:21; Isa. 44:24; Isa. 45:7; Isa. 45:9; Isa. 45:11; Isa. 45:18; Isa. 46:11; Isa. 49:5; Isa. 54:17; Isa. 64:8; Jer. 1:5; Jer. 10:16; Jer. 18:2; Jer. 18:3; Jer. 18:4; Jer. 18:6; Jer. 18:11; Jer. 19:1; Jer. 19:11; Jer. 33:2; Jer. 51:19; Lam. 4:2; Amos 4:13; Amos 7:1; Hab. 2:18; Zech. 11:13; Zech. 12:1 QUESTION - What is the breath of life? ANSWER - The climax of God’s creative work was His extraordinary creation of man. “The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). The supreme Creator of heaven and earth did two things in creating man. First, He formed him from the very dust of the ground, and, second, He breathed His own breath into the nostrils of Adam. This distinguished man from all of God’s other creatures. This one passage contains three significant facts about man’s creation. The first is that God and God alone created man. Man did not evolve under the influence of blind, meaningless forces. Accidental physics and chemistry did not form man. All the cells, DNA, atoms, molecules, hydrogen, protons, neutrons, or electrons did not create man. These are only the substances that make up man’s physical body. The Lord God formed man. The Lord God created the substances, and then He used those substances to create man. The word formed is a translation of the Hebrew yatsar, which means “to mold, shape, or form.” It conjures an image of a potter who has the intelligence and the power to form his creation. God is the Master Potter who had the image of man within His mind and who possesses the power and the intelligence to bring that image to life. God had both the omniscience (all-knowledge) and the omnipotence (all-power) to do exactly what He wanted. Second, God breathed His own breath of life into man. Man is more than “dust” or physical substance. Man has a spirit. We can picture it this way: Adam’s body had just been formed by God from the dust of the earth—a lifeless human body lying on the ground. Then God leaned over and “breathed” His own “breath of life” into the man’s nostrils; God is the Source of life, and He directly placed life within man. This breath of life is seen again in John 20:22, as Jesus imparts new life to His disciples. Third, Genesis 2:7 tells us that man became a living soul (KJV). The word soul in Hebrew is nephesh, meaning “an animated, breathing, conscious, and living being.” Man did not become a living soul until God breathed life into him. As a physical, animate, rational, and spiritual being, man is unique among all living things upon the earth. So, what is the breath of God? It is the life and power of God, given to man to animate him. The Hebrew word for spirit is ruach, which means “wind, breath, air, spirit.” The life of God lives on and on; the immaterial part of man was designed to live eternally. The only question is where will we live?GotQuestions.org David E O'Brien - Did God really make man out of the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7)? Did God kneel in the dirt of the Mesopotamian plain and make a human mudpie? While many conservatives argue forcefully, and correctly, that the Bible must be interpreted literally, they demonstrate what they mean by that statement when, without batting an eye, they treat this verse as a metaphor. I know of no commentators who insist that Genesis 2:7 is a purely literal description of God’s creative act. Keil and Delitzsch, in their classic conservative commentary on Genesis, say: The formation of man from dust, and the breathing of the breath of life we must not understand in a mechanical sense, as if God first of all constructed a human figure from dust, and then, by breathing His breath of life into the clod of earth which he had shaped into the form of a man, made it into a living being. The theological importance of this verse is foremost. We learn a tremendous amount about what we are and how we relate to God in these few words. The purpose isn’t to describe the process by which God made humanity, but to tell about the stupendous contrasts that He built into us. Being made of the dust affirms our oneness with creation. Our stewardship of Earth and its resources, our humble origin, our frailty and weakness are all there in the word dust. Like the dirt and the earthworms that live in it, like the hyenas and vultures that scavenge over it, we are of the earth. Paul said that God made the first man “of the earth, earthy” (1 Corinthians 15:47, KJV), stressing the contrast between the man of earth and the Lord from heaven. That contrast is born in Moses’ description of humanity’s earthy origins. Even the name Adam points us back to the dirt. In Hebrew, Adam is pronounced Ah-DAHM and the word translated “dust,” or “dirt,” is pronounced Ahd-MAH. Adam, the first man, is begotten of admah, dirt. As is so often the case in Hebrew, the point is made with a pun. So we’re of the dirt, the common stuff of creation. Our urge to pride must ever run aground on that fact. Because God wanted us to be reminded of that common origin, Moses wrote that God made us of the dust of the earth. But Genesis 2:7 teaches us that God took special, intimate, and personal care in our construction. The crude clay vessels of the early Israelites and the masterfully graceful Grecian pottery were both made of the clay of the earth. Similarly, God made the human being and the mole from the same stuff. But the artist chose a pattern for us unlike the utilitarian pot that was cranked out in quantity to be used, broken, and thrown away. He made us like an heirloom to be looked at, treasured, and handed down for generations. Unlike the animal, made for our use, He made us to become His companion and friend, entrusting us with the beauties of the Master’s estate. Not through a simple word of command did humanity spring into being. God did not command the earth to bring us forth like a walking cash crop. He formed us. And whatever process He used, the vital truth is that we are the Master Craftsman’s masterpiece. How intimately God brought life to Adam. My family has recently welcomed a dog into our home. He is a beautiful pet, about thirty pounds of curly black and gray fur. His affection for the family that rescued him from the St. Croix Valley Animal Shelter’s death row is boundless. Wherever we are, there he is. Duffy sits at our feet, lays his head on our laps, and looks up at us with the most adoring brown eyes a pet owner ever dreamed of seeing. Before we brought him home, we were given a pamphlet on how to care for him. It includes everything from dietary requirements to separation anxiety. But the section that took me by surprise was the one that told me how, if my new dog should choke, I could save his life with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation! As much as I love our dog, I don’t know if I’m up to giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. “And the Lord God … breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” Think of that. Whatever the process, we who are of the earth, creaturely, were animated with divine breath. created in His image, we are stamped with His trademark. The almighty God who spoke the stars into being stooped to breathe life into His human child. To insist on a literalistic understanding of this verse would be like reading a computer analysis of Mozart’s Requiem instead of enjoying a virtuoso performance. How sad to reduce a truth so sublime, a music so beautiful, to pallid description. It’s enough to know that we who were made of the earth have been lifted to touch heaven. Our need is proclaimed in our earthy origin and our God ordained destiny in the breath of life. (Today's Handbook for Solving Bible Difficulties) Norman Geisler - GENESIS 2:7—Does this verse prove that human beings do not have a soul that survives death? MISINTERPRETATION: Jehovah’s Witnesses cite this verse to prove that man does not have a soul that is distinct from the body. “Bible usage shows the soul to be a person or an animal or the life that a person or an animal enjoys” (Mankind’s Search for God, 1990, 125). Hence, people are souls in the sense that they are living beings, not in the sense that they have an immaterial nature that survives death. CORRECTING THE MISINTERPRETATION: In Genesis 2:7 the Hebrew word for “soul” (nephesh) means “living being.” However, this Hebrew word is a rich one, carrying various nuances of meaning in different contexts. A fundamental mistake beginning Hebrew and Greek students sometimes make is to assume that, if a Hebrew or Greek word is used in a particular way in one verse, it must mean the same thing in all its other uses. But this is simply wrong. The fact is, Hebrew and Greek words can have different nuances of meaning in different contexts. The word nephesh is an example. While the word means “living being” in Genesis 2:7, the word refers to a soul or spirit as distinct from the body in Genesis 35:18. Moreover, when we examine what the whole of Scripture teaches about the soul, it is clear that the Watchtower Society (Jehovah’s Witnesses) position is wrong. For example, Revelation 6:9–10 refers to disembodied souls under God’s altar (it would be nonsense to interpret the reference to “soul” in this verse as “living being”—“I saw underneath the altar the living beings of those who had been slain”). First Thessalonians 4:13–17 says Christ will bring with him the souls and spirits of those who are now with him in heaven and will reunite their spirits to resurrection bodies. In Philippians 1:21–23 Paul says it’s better to depart and be with Christ. In 2 Corinthians 5:6–8 Paul says that to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord. Clearly, the whole of Scripture teaches that each person has a soul that survives death. (When Cultists Ask) David Reed in Mormons Answered Verse by Verse (or borrow this book) Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. The apostle Paul adds his testimony to the truthfulness of the Genesis account of creation: “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul.… The first man is of the earth, earthy” (1 Cor. 15:45, 47+). But Brigham Young, second President and Prophet of the Mormon Church denies it, flatly contradicting the Bible: Though we have it in history that our father Adam was made of the dust of this earth, and that he knew nothing about his God previous to being made here, yet it is not so; and when we learn the truth we shall see and understand that he helped to make this world, and was the chief manager in that operation. He was the person who brought the animals and the seeds from other planets to this world, and brought a wife with him and stayed here. You may read and believe what you please as to what is found written in the Bible. Adam was made from the dust of an earth, but not from the dust of this earth. (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 3, p. 319). In these few words Brigham Young not only (1) denies the Bible’s inspired account of Adam’s creation, but also (2) says Adam “brought a wife with him” to this planet, thus contradicting what Genesis 2:22 says about Eve, (3) says Adam “brought the animals and the seeds from other planets,” thus negating more of the Genesis account, and (4) places Adam as “the chief manager” in the creation of the world. Well, then, just who did Brigham Young believe Adam to be, if Adam created this world? The answer is found in another of the sermons this Mormon Prophet gave in his official capacity as God’s spokesman to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: When our father Adam came into the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him. He helped to make and organize this world. He is MICHAEL, the Archangel, the ANCIENT OF DAYS! about whom holy men have written and spoken—He is our FATHER and our GOD, and the only God with whom WE have to do. —(The Latter-Day Saints’ MILLENNIAL STAR, vol. XV, no. 48, Saturday, November 26, 1853, quoting from Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 1, pp. 50, 51). Yes, unbelievable as it may seem, Brigham Young taught that Adam is God, “the only God with whom we have to do.” Other Mormon leaders joined him in proclaiming the same thing: “I have learned by experience that there is but one God that pertains to this people, and He is the God that pertains to this earth—the first man. That first man sent his own Son to redeem the world.” (Heber C. Kimball, Journal of Discourses, 1856, vol. 4, p. 1). In fairness to modern-day Mormons, it should be said that most of them neither know of nor believe in the Adam-God doctrine. Although Brigham Young persisted in teaching it for more than twenty years, his successors at the head of the LDS Church have done their best to cover up that fact, pushing Adam-God under the rug, so to speak. It has not been taught since the turn of the century, and in 1976 the twelfth President, Spencer Kimball, strongly denounced the doctrine. Still, when pressed, some Mormons may admit that the “God” they worship is “the God of this planet,” that this God was a man before he became God, and that they, too, hope someday to become “Gods” of their own planets. Moreover, the Bible Dictionary at the back of the Mormon Bible (1990 printing) concludes its article under the heading “God” by saying, “Latter-day revelation confirms the biblical account of God as the literal father of the human family” (p. 682).(see context in Mormons Answered Verse by Verse) For further consideration of the Adam-God doctrine see the discussion of Daniel 7:9, 13, 22 Or borrow Mormons : answered verse by verse by Reed, David A QUESTION - Why did God make man out of the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7)? ANSWER - Genesis 2:7 teaches, “The Lord God formed a man from the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” With the rest of creation, God had simply spoken things into existence (e.g., Genesis 1:3, 14, 20, 24), but God does things differently with man. Three important observations can be made. First, the fact that man was created from dust makes him unique among all of God’s creation. To create the sun, mountains, animal life, etc., God simply spoke. We read, “Then God said” over and over in Genesis 1. Human life, however, included the “dust of the earth” and the very breath of God. Man is a unique combination of earthly, natural material and life-giving power from God Himself. Such a mode of creation highlights the importance and value of human life. Second, the use of dust suggests a certain lowliness. God did not use gold or granite or gemstones to make man. He used dust, a humble substance. What gives man his glory? The dust, or the breath of God within the dust? Genesis 3:19 notes man’s dependence upon God and the fragile nature of human life: “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Third, the literary structure of the passage puts man’s creation from the dust of the earth in a place of significance. The structure of Genesis 2:5–9 can be broken down like this: A No plant life (verse 5a) B No intervention by God (verse 5b) C No man to work the ground (verse 5c) D Mist from God (verse 6) E God creates man (verse 7a) X God gives life (verse 7a) E Man become a living creature (verse 7b) D Garden from God (verse 8a) C Man works the ground (verse 8b; cf. verse 15) B God intervenes (verse 9) A Plant life exists (verse 9) God could have chosen to create humans in any way He desired. However, Scripture records the particular way He did create—using both natural material (dust) and supernatural power to give humans a unique place in the cosmos. The recipe of dust of the earth + God’s breath emphasizes the supernatural power of God and the fragile nature of humanity. Human life is completely dependent upon God, and, as a result, humans are called to worship the Lord and to serve Him only.GotQuestions.org Don’t Waste Your Breath Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. — Psalm 150:6 Today's Scripture: Genesis 2:1-7 If I were to scoop up a handful of dirt and blow into it, all I would get is a dirty face. When God did it, He got a living, breathing human being capable of thinking, feeling, dreaming, loving, reproducing, and living forever. As one of these human beings, I speak of “catching” my breath, “holding” my breath, or “saving” my breath, but these are idioms of language. I cannot save my breath for use at a later time. If I don’t use the one I have now, I’ll lose it, and I may even lose consciousness. When God breathed into Adam, He gave more than life; He gave a reason to live: Worship! As the psalmist said, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (Ps. 150:6). This means that we waste our breath when we use it for something that doesn’t honor the One in whom “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). All that I am and have I owe to Jesus. Breath of Life Then the Lord God . . . breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Genesis 2:7 Today's Scripture & Insight: Genesis 2:4–8 On a cold and frosty morning, as my daughter and I walked to school, we enjoyed seeing our breath turn to vapor. We giggled at the various steamy clouds we could each produce. I received the moment as a gift, reveling in being with her and being alive. Our breath, which is usually invisible, was seen in the cold air, and it made me think about the Source of our breath and life—the Lord our Creator. For He who formed Adam out of the dust of the ground, giving him the breath of life, also gives life to us and to every living creature (Gen. 2:7). All things come from Him—even our very breath, which we inhale without even thinking about. Dear heavenly Father, what an awesome and powerful God You are! You created life by Your very breath. We praise You and stand in awe of You. Thank You for Your creation. Give thanks to God, our Creator, who gives us the breath of life. Dust Art The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. —Genesis 2:7 Today's Scripture: Genesis 2:1-7 When God chose dust as His artistic medium to create Adam (Gen. 2:7), He didn’t have to worry about running out of material. According to Hannah Holmes, author of The Secret Life of Dust, “Between 1 and 3 billion tons of desert dust fly up into the sky annually. One billion tons would fill 14 million boxcars in a train that would wrap six times around the Earth’s equator.” No one has to buy dust, for we all have more than we want. I ignore it as long as I can in my house. My reasoning is this: If I don’t disturb it, it’s not as noticeable. But eventually it accumulates to the point that I can no longer pretend it’s not there. So I haul out my cleaning supplies and start removing it from wherever it has found a resting place. As I remove the dust, I see myself reflected in the smooth surface. Then I see another thing: I see that God took something worthless, dust, and made it into something priceless—you and me and every other person (Gen. 2:7). Lord, too often I want to quickly ignore or dismiss difficult people and circumstances. Help me to be open to learn from You through them and to see Your glory. Being all fashioned of the self-same dust, let us be merciful as well as just. —Longfellow No Accident The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground. — Genesis 2:7 Today's Scripture: Genesis 2:4-14 Man has always wondered about the origin of life. The ancient Egyptians believed that frogs and toads originated in the silt of the Nile. Aristotle believed that worms came from dew and slime, and that mice sprang into life out of dank soil. Modern science is also interested in origins. A Time magazine cover story, “How Did Life Begin?” speculated that life began when certain molecules encountered any one of three “ideal” conditions. They proposed that life could have begun in a “warm little pond” (Darwin’s original idea), near hydrothermal vents (underwater geysers on the ocean floor), or in bubbles floating on the warm ocean surface. These evolutionary theories are pointless because we already know how life began. The Bible says that life began when God created it (Gen. 1–3). And specifically He made man out of dust and breathed life into him (2:7). We did not evolve from primitive life forms. Our existence isn’t based on a molecular accident. We were designed and created by a Master Designer who has a plan and a purpose for our lives. The treasures of the crystal snows And all the wonders nature shows Speak of a mighty Maker’s hand And of the work His wisdom planned. —HGB The design of creation points to the Master Designer. God Works In Mud The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. —Genesis 2:7 Today's Scripture: Genesis 2:1-7 In a 1950s novel, there is a scene in which four village men confess their sins to one another. One of the men, Michelis, cries out, “How can God let us live on the earth? Why doesn’t He kill us to purify creation?” “Because, Michelis,” one of the men answered, “God is a potter; He works in mud.” This is literally what the Lord did in Genesis. The sovereign Creator formed and shaped humanity by unique design. This process involved fashioning a man from the dust of the ground. The word formed in Genesis 2:7 describes the work of an artist. Like a potter, molding and fashioning mud into a pot or some other earthen vessel, so the Lord God formed humanity from clay. God’s work with dust and mud continued by breathing into man the breath of life, changing his form into a living soul. This made man a spiritual being, with a capacity to serve and fellowship with the Lord. In His own image God created man, He formed his body from the dust of earth; But more than that, to all who are in Christ He gives eternal life by second birth. —Hess God is the only One who can make the dirty clean. Related Resources: What does it mean when God tells Adam, “For dust you are and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19)? | GotQuestions.org What is the origin of man? | GotQuestions.org What does it mean that humanity is made in the image of God | GotQuestions.org What does it mean that Jesus is the second Adam? | GotQuestions.org How are human souls created? | GotQuestions.org Genesis 2:8 The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. BGT καὶ ἐφύτευσεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς παράδεισον ἐν Εδεμ κατὰ ἀνατολὰς καὶ ἔθετο ἐκεῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὃν ἔπλασεν KJV And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. NET The LORD God planted an orchard in the east, in Eden; and there he placed the man he had formed. BBE And the Lord God made a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had made. CSB The LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there He placed the man He had formed. ERV And the LORD God planted a garden eastward, in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. ESV And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. GWN The LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east. That's where he put the man whom he had formed. NKJ The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. NAB Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and he placed there the man whom he had formed. NIV Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. NJB Yahweh God planted a garden in Eden, which is in the east, and there he put the man he had fashioned. NLT Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made. NRS And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. YLT And Jehovah God planteth a garden in Eden, at the east, and He setteth there the man whom He hath formed; LXE And God planted a garden eastward in Edem, and placed there the man whom he had formed. ASV And Jehovah God planted a garden eastward, in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. DBY And Jehovah Elohim planted a garden in Eden eastward, and there put Man whom he had formed. BHT wayyi††a` yhwh(´ädönäy) ´élöhîm Gan-Bü`ëºden miqqeºdem wayyäºSem šäm ´et-hä|´ädäm ´ášer yäcär NAS And the LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. NIRV The LORD God had planted a garden in the east. It was in Eden. There he put the man he had formed. RSV And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. RWB And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. WEB And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. a garden: Ge 13:10 Eze 28:13 31:8,9 Joe 2:3 east: Ge 3:24 4:16 2Ki 19:12 Eze 27:23 31:16,18 placed the: Ge 2:15 Genesis 2 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries PLANTING A PLACE OF PLEASURE! The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden (Hebrew = "pleasure"); and there He placed the man (adam) whom He had formed (yatsar; Lxx - plasso) - The idea of garden is not like a vegetable garden but more like an orchard. Warren
Gênesis 2
Morris - The animals named by Adam included only birds, domesticable animals, and the smaller wild animals that would live near him. It would be possible for him to name about 3,000 of the basic kinds of these animals in about five hours (one every six seconds), and this would be adequate both to acquaint Adam with those animals and also to show clearly that there were none who were sufficiently like him to provide companionship for him. This is still further proof that man did not evolve from any of the animals, even those that were most directly associated with him. Norman Geisler - When Critics Ask (go to page 28) GENESIS 2:19—How can we explain the difference in the order of creation events between Genesis 1 and 2? PROBLEM: Genesis 1 declares that animals were created before humans, but Genesis 2:19 seems to reverse this, saying, “the Lord God formed every beast of the field … and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them,” implying Adam was created before they were. SOLUTION: Genesis 1 gives the order of events; Genesis 2 provides more content about them. Genesis 2 does not contradict chapter 1, since it does not affirm exactly when God created the animals. He simply says He brought the animals (which He had previously created) to Adam so that he might name them. The focus in chapter 2 is on the naming of the animals, not on creating them. Genesis 1 provides the outline of events, and chapter 2 gives details. Taken together, the two chapters provide a harmonious and more complete picture of the creation events. The differences, then, can be summarized as follows: GENESIS 1 GENESIS 2 Chronological order Topical order Outline Details Creating animals Naming animals R C
Gênesis 2
Morris has an interesting note on deep sleep - The "deep sleep" was not simply an anesthetized state to prevent pain, since there was as yet no pain in the world. It was most likely ordained as a primeval picture of the future death of the second Adam, whose sacrificial death would result in the formation of His bride (2Co 11:2+; Eph 5:30+). Morris on rib - The "rib" was actually the "side" of Adam (the Hebrew tsela occurs thirty-five times in the Old Testament and is nowhere else translated "rib"). The side contained both "bone" and "flesh" (Ge 2:23), but it may be that both are implied in the blood that would necessarily flow from the opened side. The "life of the flesh is in the blood" (Ge 9:4; Lev 17:11) and a primeval blood "transfusion" would more perfectly fit the event as a type of the opened side of Christ on the cross (Jn 19:34-36). Even if the operation did actually extract a rib from Adam, this would not suggest that men should have one less rib than women, since "acquired characteristics" are not inherited. Believer's Study Bible adds "The word for "rib" (sela`, Heb.) is elsewhere translated "side" (Ex. 25:12; 1 Kin. 6:5). The principle is the same: the woman is formed from the man himself, making her of like nature, the same flesh and blood, a being with equal faculties and likewise "in the image of God" (Ge 1:27). She is inseparably united with the man by the mode of creation, which becomes the actual foundation for marriage. The mode of creation was the assurance of the absolute unity of the race, the guarantee of the woman's dignity, the illustration of the truest and most binding kinship with man, and the promise of inseparable unity in the foundation for marriage. Adam was designed to be fulfilled only when completed with the divinely given partner, as is every man unless given by God the gift of celibacy, or singleness (1 Cor. 7:7, 8+). Then (time phrase - marks progression) He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place - In medicine we say God "cracked his chest" to expose his ribcage. Was it the left side or the right? The text does not say, but my educated guess it was a rib from the left side, a rib near the heart, for this helper would be one that hereafter was to be near and dear to his heart. NET NOTE on ribs - Traditionally translated “rib,” the Hebrew word actually means “side.” The Hebrew text reads, “and he took one from his sides,” which could be rendered “part of his sides.” That idea may fit better the explanation by the man that the woman is his flesh and bone. QUESTION - Since God took a rib from Adam to make Eve, does that mean men have one less rib than women? ANSWER - God took a rib from Adam to make Eve, but this removal of a rib from Adam did not result in all men having one less rib. There are some interesting reasons why this is true and why God chose to take a rib in the first place. On the sixth day of creation, God created the first man. It was a special work of creation: “The Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). The structure and design of the human body is amazing—not to mention the soul and the fact that humans are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). After creating Adam, God guided the man to the discovery that he was, in a sense, alone in the world; unlike the animals, the man had no counterpart, no equal companion: “For Adam no suitable helper was found” (Genesis 2:20). Once Adam was aware of his need, God took steps to remedy the problem. He created the woman. How God created the woman is significant. In Genesis 2:21–22, after causing Adam to fall into a deep sleep, God took a rib out of the man and used it to form the woman. So Adam and Eve were of the same substance and were connected physically. All people are from Adam, including Eve. When God brought the woman to the man, Adam said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man” (Genesis 2:23). Learning of God’s removal of a rib from Adam, some people assume that men today have one fewer rib than women have. It’s a wrong assumption, of course. Ribs are easily counted, and men and women have the same number of them. God made a surgical change to Adam, not a genetic change. Performing surgery does not alter one’s genetic makeup. Every descendant of Adam has the DNA encoding that produces 12 pairs of ribs—24 ribs total in the rib cage. Adam’s sons all had the same number of ribs that Adam had originally; in the same way, the son of a kidney donor will have two kidneys, not just one, and the daughter of an amputee will not be born missing a limb. The fact that God pulled a rib out of Adam and not some other piece of his body shows God’s wisdom, planning, and foresight. Ribs regrow. All bones in the human body are able to mend themselves, but rib bone is unique in that it can regenerate. When a surgeon performs a costectomy (the removal of part or all of a rib), he or she will be careful to leave the perichondrium (the membrane surrounding the rib). The rib taken can be used for bone grafts elsewhere in the body, and in the spot of the missing rib will grow a new rib—usually within one or two months. (See Moore, K., Dalley, A., and Agur, M., Clinically Oriented Anatomy, 7th ed., Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2013, p. 83). Given the rib’s ability to regenerate, we know that God did not permanently wound Adam when He took a rib from his side to make Eve. Adam did not live the rest of his life with a defect or a weak spot in his skeletal thorax. Because of God’s wonderful design, Adam lived out the rest of his days with the same number of ribs that he had been created with. GotQuestions.org Walter Kaiser - Why from a Rib? Whereas Adam was formed “from the dust of the ground” (Gen 2:7), the text describes Eve as being formed from “one of the man’s ribs.” Why this difference? Is there any significance to these two separate materials being used by God in the formation of the first human pair? If so, what is it? If not, why the distinction? It has become customary for many in recent years to point to the Sumerian “Dilmun poem” as being the best way to explain this association of Eve with a rib. The Sumerian name for “rib” is tî (pronounced tee). But the Sumerian word ti also means “to make alive.” These two facts are necessary background information to understand the myth that was told in Sumer. It happened that the Sumerian water-god, Enki, fell sick, with eight of his organs or bodily parts being affected. A fox promised, if properly rewarded, to bring back the great mother-goddess Ninhursag, who had disappeared after an argument with Enki. Upon her reappearance she brought into existence eight corresponding healing deities, and Enki was restored in time. In order to heal Enki’s rib the goddess created Nin-ti, “the lady of the rib,” which may also be translated as “the lady who makes alive.” Now it is true that Adam called the woman that God had formed from his rib “Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living” (Gen 3:20). Samuel Noah Kramer commented, “It was this, one of the most ancient of literary puns, which was carried over and perpetuated in the biblical paradise story, although here, of course, it loses its validity, since the Hebrew word for ‘rib’ [tsēlā˓] and that for ‘who makes alive’ [hoveh] have nothing in common.” The association of Eve with a “rib” and the “living” appear to be the common features in both the Sumerian and the biblical accounts. In that regard, the Sumerian myth may well be a garbled record of the same oral tradition about the inception of the human race. But the explanation in Sumer, of course, is set in an account with numerous deities and with petty quarrels and misadventures. But no real explanation has been achieved as yet. It is not necessary to assume that the Hebrew wanted to promote the same pun that the Sumerian Dilmun poem did. The point of the Hebrew story actually takes off in another direction. In fact, Genesis 2:19 had just noted the animals had also been formed “out of the ground.” This only emphasized the fact that Adam lacked the kind of companion he needed. In order to teach the close connection that woman has with man, the text does not say that God also created her from “the ground” or “the dust of the ground”; instead, she came from one of Adam’s ribs. Thus the phrase “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” pointed not only to the woman’s origin, but also to the closeness of her marriage relationship and the partnership she was to share with her mate. It is not without significance that the Hebrew word for “rib” appears nowhere else with this meaning in the Hebrew Bible; its usual meaning is “side.” Thus, as some of the Reformers put it, woman was not taken from man’s feet, as if she were beneath him, or from his head, as if she were over him, but from his side, as an equal with him. Some have tried to relate “rib” to the space or cavity of the body of Adam on the strange assumption that man was originally bisexual. The attempt is then made to substitute the word for female sex organs in place of “rib.” But this attempt is foiled from the start, for what will we make of “one of the man’s ribs”? The point is that man and woman together share a commonality and partnership observed nowhere else in the created order. To emphasize this closeness, God actually took a real part from the side of the man as he brought to life for the first time this new creation called woman. See also comment on GENESIS 2:18; EPHESIANS 5:22. (See page 63 in HARD SAYINGS BIBLE) Genesis 2:22 The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. BGT καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς τὴν πλευράν ἣν ἔλαβεν ἀπὸ τοῦ Αδαμ εἰς γυναῖκα καὶ ἤγαγεν αὐτὴν πρὸς τὸν Αδαμ KJV And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. NET Then the LORD God made a woman from the part he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. BBE And the bone which the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman, and took her to the man. CSB Then the LORD God made the rib He had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man. ERV and the rib, which the LORD God had taken from the man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. ESV And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. GWN Then the LORD God formed a woman from the rib that he had taken from the man. He brought her to the man. NKJ Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. NAB The LORD God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man. When he brought her to the man, NIV Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. NJB Yahweh God fashioned the rib he had taken from the man into a woman, and brought her to the man. NLT Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. NRS And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. YLT And Jehovah God buildeth up the rib which He hath taken out of the man into a woman, and bringeth her in unto the man; LXE And God formed the rib which he took from Adam into a woman, and brought her to Adam. ASV and the rib, which Jehovah God had taken from the man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. DBY And Jehovah Elohim built the rib that he had taken from Man into a woman; and brought her to Man. BHT wayyìben yhwh(´ädönäy) ´élöhîm ´e|t-haccëlä` ´ášer-läqaH min-hä|´ädäm lü´iššâ wayübì´eºhä ´el-hä|´ädäm NAS And the LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. NIRV Then the LORD God made a woman. He made her from the rib he had taken out of the man. And he brought her to him. RSV and the rib which the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. RWB And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, he made a woman, and brought her to the man. WEB And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, he made woman, and brought her to the man. LORD God fashioned , Ps 127:1 1Ti 2:13 brought: Ge 2:19 Pr 18:22 Pr 19:14 Heb 13:4 Genesis 2 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries Related Passage: Proverbs 18:22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing And obtains favor from the LORD. GOD CREATES EVE AND BRINGS HER TO ADAM The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man (adam), and brought her to the man (adam)