Gênesis 2
Matthew Henry · Citado em PreceptAustin
Gênesis 2
Henry - Our first parents needed no clothes for covering against cold or heat, for neither could hurt them: they needed none for ornament. Thus easy, thus happy, was man in his state of innocency. How good was God to him! How many favours did he load him with! How easy were the laws given to him! Yet man, being in honour, understood not his own interest, but soon became as the beasts that perish. NET NOTE on naked - The motif of nakedness is introduced here and plays an important role in the next chapter. In the Bible nakedness conveys different things. In this context it signifies either innocence or integrity, depending on how those terms are defined. There is no fear of exploitation, no sense of vulnerability. But after the entrance of sin into the race, nakedness takes on a negative sense. It is then usually connected with the sense of vulnerability, shame, exploitation, and exposure (such as the idea of “uncovering nakedness” either in sexual exploitation or in captivity in war). NET NOTE on ashamed - The imperfect verb form here has a customary nuance, indicating a continuing condition in past time. The meaning of the Hebrew term בּוֹשׁ (bosh) is “to be ashamed, to put to shame,” but its meaning is stronger than “to be embarrassed.” The word conveys the fear of exploitation or evil—enemies are put to shame through military victory. It indicates the feeling of shame that approximates a fear of evil. Naked (06174)(arom from ur - to be exposed or bare) literally refers to physical nakedness (Gen. 2:25; 1Sa 19:24; Isa. 20:2-4) and figuratively to relate to one who without possessions (Job 1:21; Eccl. 5:15). Sheol is figuratively described as being naked before God, "a statement of its openness and vulnerability to God and His power" (Job 26:6). Arom can describe lack of resources (Amos 2:16). Carl Schultz - Frequently the nudity indicated by this term has a symbolic meaning. Adam and Eve's lack of embarrassment at their nakedness suggests innocence (Genesis 2:25). Isaiah walked (a verb frequently used with ʿārôm) naked (probably not complete nudity but simply the laying aside of the upper garment; see KD on Isaiah 20) as a portent of Egyptian prisoners being led away by the victorious Assyrians (Isaiah 20:2, 3, 4). In 1 Samuel 19:24 Saul likewise was probably not naked, but divested of his royal robes and especially of his sword by the power of the Spirit of God so that David could get away in safety. The nakedness of the poor is an indication of oppression (Job 24:7, 10; Isaiah 58:7). His outer garment had been taken as collateral (Job 24:9) and not returned at night (Exodus 22:25; Exodus 26:27). Hosea 2:3 may allude to a custom mentioned in the Nuzi tablets in which children are called upon to strip their mother when she is dismissed for adultery. So the Lord would do to his adulterous wife, Israel. This word also indicates a lack of resources. Job, following his affliction by Satan, now reduced to nothing, observes that it was thus when he left his mother's womb and would be the same when he returned to the womb of the earth (Job 1:21=Eccles. 5:15). Amos 2:6 depicts a man stripped of his resources of courage when he faces the divine visitation. A most interesting use of this word is the affirmation that Sheol is naked before God, i.e., within range of God's jurisdiction and interest (Job 26:6; cf. Psalm 139:7, 8; Proverbs 15:11; Amos 9:2). God's knowledge and concern extend even to the realm of the dead. (See link to the TWOT) Gilbrant - Used of various stages of undress, ʿārôm overlaps semantically with ʿerwāh, which more specifically has reference to exposure of the genital area. Complete nudity is referred to in Gen. 2:25, and because it was before sin had entered human experience, there was no sense of shame involved. In Job 1:21 and Ecc. 5:15, this word describes a person's condition at birth, emphasizing the lack of any possessions. Job 26:6 uses the idea for the total exposure of even the realm of the dead to the omniscient sovereign power of God. Running away from a battle without armor is described as "naked" in Amos 2:16. The needy are described as naked or lacking appropriate clothing (Isa. 58:7). Micah says he will go about without his outer garments as a sign of mourning over Judah's sinful condition and impending judgment. Saul took off his royal robes, prophesied and prostrated himself on the ground that way all night, as a reaction to the Holy Spirit's presence (1 Sam. 19:24). Stripping captives down to undergarments was a common practice by ancient conquerors to shame their defeated victims, and this is what Isaiah portrays as he goes about "naked," or partially clothed, prophesying impending defeat of the Egyptians by the Assyrians (Isa. 20:2ff). Stripping Hosea's wife is promised as a shameful punishment for her unfaithfulness (Hos. 2:3). (Complete Biblical Library) Arom - 15v - Gen. 2:25; 1 Sam. 19:24; Job 1:21; Job 22:6; Job 24:7; Job 24:10; Job 26:6; Eccl. 5:15; Isa. 20:2; Isa. 20:3; Isa. 20:4; Isa. 58:7; Hos. 2:3; Amos 2:16; Mic. 1:8 Ashamed (put to shame) (0954) bosh -- Strong says means "properly to pale and by implication to be ashamed, disappointed or delayed." The TWOT says the primary meaning is "to fall into disgrace, normally through failure, either of self or of an object of trust." The word has overtones of being or feeling worthless. Bôsh means "to be ashamed. Bosh has several nuances - The third usage and the one that is most common carries the above thought further expressing the disgrace which is the result of defeat at the hands of an enemy, either in battle or in some other manner. In particular, the awful shame of being paraded as captives is thought of (Micah 1:11; cf. also Jeremiah 2:26). Involved here are all the nuances of confusion, disillusionment, humiliation, and brokenness which the word connotes. The prophets normally use the word with this sense, promising Israel that unless she repents and turns from her idolatrous ways, she will certainly experience the shame of defeat and exile. (Cf. Isaiah 1:29; Isaiah 30:5; Jeremiah 2:36; Jeremiah 9:19 [H 18]; Ezra 9:6; Daniel 9:7, etc.) Intimately associated with this third use of the word is the question of trust. If Israel seeks to insure her own glory by refusing to trust in God but rather trusts in idols (Isaiah 1:29) or in foreign nations (Isaiah 20:5; Isaiah 30:3, 5), she will not get glory, but shame and disgrace. On the other hand, if one will humbly submit to God, he will find his true glory, for God will not let that person come to shame (Isaiah 29:22; Joel 2:26, 27; Zeph. 3:19). It is this promise of which the Psalmist continually reminds God (Psalm 25:3; Psalm 31:17 [H 18]; Psalm 37:19; Psalm 119:46). Similarly, although Israel's enemies may triumph over her for a period, they must inevitably, because of their idolatry and their lack of trust in God, be brought to abject shame (Isaiah 41:11; Jeremiah 46:24; Jeremiah 51:47.) Again, it is the Psalmist's fervent expectation that because he trusts in God, those who are attempting to destroy him must themselves be brought low in disgrace (Psalm 6:10 [H 11]; Psalm 22:6; Psalm 40:14 [H 15]; Psalm 109:28). R C
Gênesis 2
Henry - After six days, God ceased from all works of creation. In miracles, He has overruled nature, but never changed its settled course, or added to it. Wenham comments that "Ge 2:1-3 echoes Ge 1:1+ by introducing the same phrases but in reverse order: 'he created,' 'God,' 'heavens and earth' reappear as 'heavens and earth' (Ge 2:1) 'God' (Ge 2:2), 'created' (Ge 2:3). This chiastic pattern brings the section to a neat close which is reinforced by the inclusion 'God created' linking Ge 1:1 and Ge 2:3." (See context in Genesis 1-15, Volume 1 or borrow Genesis. 1-15) George Gallup, the famous statistician once said "I could prove God statistically. Take the human body alone. The chance that all the functions of the individual would just happen is a statistical monstrosity." (While I understand what he is saying, no one could prove God unless God enabled them to prove Him!) Norman Geisler - When Critics Ask (go to page 26) GENESIS 2:1—How could the world be created in six days? PROBLEM: The Bible says that God created the world in six days (Ex. 20:11). But modern science declares that it took billions of years. Both cannot be true. SOLUTION: There are basically two ways to reconcile this difficulty. First, some scholars argue that modern science is wrong. They insist that the universe is only thousands of years old and that God created everything in six literal 24-hour days (=144 hours). In favor of this view they offer the following: 1. The days of Genesis each have “evening and the morning,” (cf. Gen. 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31), something unique to 24-hour days in the Bible. 2. The days were numbered (first, second, third, etc.), a feature found only with 24-hour days in the Bible. 3. Exodus 20:11 compares the six days of creation with the six days of a literal work week of 144 hours. 4. There is scientific evidence to support a young age (of thousands of years) for the earth. 5. There is no way life could survive millions of years from day three (1:11) to day four (1:14) without light. Other Bible scholars claim that the universe could be billions of years old without sacrificing a literal understanding of Genesis 1 and 2. They argue that: 1. The days of Genesis 1 could have a time lapse before the days began (before Gen. 1:3), or a time gap between the days. There are gaps elsewhere in the Bible (cf. Matt. 1:8, where three generations are omitted, with 1 Chron. 3:11–14). 2. The same Hebrew word “day” (yom) is used in Genesis 1–2 as a period of time longer than 24 hours. For example, Genesis 2:4 uses it of the whole six day period of creation. 3. Sometimes the Bible uses the word “day” for long periods of time: “One day is as a thousand years” (2 Peter 3:8; cf. Ps. 90:4). 4. There are some indications in Genesis 1–2 that days could be longer than 24 hours: a) On the third “day” trees grew from seeds to maturity and they bore like seeds (1:11–12). This process normally takes months or years. b) On the sixth “day” Adam was created, went to sleep, named all the (thousands of) animals, looked for a helpmeet, went to sleep, and Eve was created from his rib. This looks like more than 24 hours worth of activity. c) The Bible says God “rested” on the seventh day (2:2), and that He is still in His rest from creation (Heb. 4:4). Thus, the seventh day is thousands of years long already. If so, then other days could be thousands of years too. 5. Exodus 20:11 could be making a unit-for-unit comparison between the days of Genesis and a work week (of 144 hours), not a minute-by-minute comparison. Conclusion: There is no demonstrated contradiction of fact between Genesis 1 and science. There is only a conflict of interpretation. Either, most modern scientists are wrong in insisting the world is billions of years old, or else some Bible interpreters are wrong in insisting on only 144 hours of creation some several thousand years before Christ with no gaps allowing millions of years. But, in either case it is not a question of inspiration of Scripture, but of the interpretation of Scripture (and of the scientific data). (Online When Critics Ask) The Scientist: “I want to know how God created the world.” Albert Einstein There are many who, in a vain attempt to show atheism to be “intellectual,” have claimed that Albert Einstein was an atheist. However, the father of all scientists made a number of statements that clearly refute such a claim. He said, “In the view of such harmony in the cosmos which I, with my limited human mind, am able to recognize, there are yet people who say there is no God. But what makes me really angry is that they quote me for support of such views.” (The Expanded Quotable Einstein, Princeton University Press, page 214). He also said, “We know nothing about God and the world at all. All our knowledge is but the knowledge of schoolchildren. Possibly we shall know a little more than we do now. But the real nature of things, that we shall never know, never.” (The Expanded Quotable Einstein, Princeton University Press, page 207). ED COMMENT - SADLY HE MUST HAVE NEVER READ JOHN WHO WROTE - "No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him." Jn 1:18 and "Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, 'Show us the Father'?" Jn 14:9 He even revealed his insightful mind with, “I see a pattern, but my imagination cannot picture the maker of the pattern. I see a clock, but I cannot envision the clockmaker. The human mind is unable to conceive of the four dimensions, so how can it conceive of a God, before whom a thousand years and a thousand dimensions are as one.” (The Expanded Quotable Einstein, Princeton University Press, page 208). He also said, “I want to know how God created this world. I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts. The rest are details.” (The Expanded Quotable Einstein, Princeton University Press, page 202). Those who take the time to read the Bible can know how God created this world (see Genesis 1), and they can read the thoughts of God throughout holy scripture. The problem is that the Bible is not merely a history book as some maintain. It is a moral book and for that reason sinful man refuses to open its pages. The Psalmist informs us, “The entrance of Your Word gives light” (Psalm 119:130) and the Bible further tells us that men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. They refuse to come to the light because it exposes their sinful deeds (see John 3:19–20+). In the light of these thoughts it is interesting to note that at the age of thirty-four a reasonably young Einstein unashamedly boasted, “I have firmly resolved to bite the dust, when my time comes, with the minimum of medical assistance, and up to then I will sin to my wicked heart’s content.” (The Expanded Quotable Einstein, Princeton University Press, page 61). However, time tends to make most thinking men somewhat philosophical. Two months before his death in 1955, he said, “To one bent on age, death will come as a release. I feel this quite strongly now that I have grown old myself and have come to regard death like an old debt, at long last to be discharged. Still, instinctively one does everything possible to postpone the final settlement. Such is the game that nature plays with us.” (The Expanded Quotable Einstein, Princeton University Press, page 63). It seems that the great genius spoke biblical truth unawares. However, it isn’t nature that seeks a “final settlement,” it is the law of God (Ro 6:23). Like a criminal who has transgressed civil law, he (like the rest of humanity) was in debt to eternal justice because he had transgressed God’s law (Ro 3:23). This great debt that he spoke of could not be satisfied with mere silver and gold (cf 1Pe 1:18-19). It is a debt that demands capital punishment. It calls for the death penalty for guilty transgressors … and eternal damnation in Hell. Its terrible decree demands, “The soul that sins shall die,” (Ezekiel 18:20) but it is a demand that was fully satisfied by the One who cried from Calvary’s cross, “It is finished!” (John 19:30+) It was paid in full by the precious Blood of Jesus. (From Ray Comfort See context in The Evidence Bible) Completed (03615) kalah to be complete, at an end, finished, accomplished, or spent. To bring a process to completion. To consummate. It can have a positive connotation (Ge 2:1-2), but more often is used in a negative sense. The primary meaning is the notion of "completion" of some process. This word occurs over 200x in 200v and conveys a wide range of meanings (NAS renders kalah - accomplish(2), accomplished(1), annihilate(1), annihilated(2), been consumed(2), been spent(1), brings to pass(1), brought(1), came to an end(1), ceased(1), come to an end(5), complete(1), completed(10), completely gone(1), completion(1), consume(6), consumed(16), decided(3), demolish(1), destroy(10), destroyed(4), destroyed them all(1), destroys(1), destruction(1), determined(1), devoured(1), died(1), end(4), ended(3), ending(1), exhausted(2), exterminated(1), fail(10), failed(1), fails(2), faints(1), feed(1), finish(6), finished(67), finishes(1), fulfill(2), languish(1), languishes(1), longed(1), make an end(1), over(1), perish(1), perishing(1), plotted(1), put an end(2), ravage(1), settled(1), spend(3), spent(5), terminate(1), use(1), used(1), vanish(2), vanishes(1), waste away(1), wastes away(1), yearned(1).). This nuance is attested in an Arabic cognate meaning "to come to an end." Other cognates include "to use up" (Ugaritic, Phoenician, Targumic) and "to be weak" (Arabic, Mandaean). Gilbrant - The completion of human work projects can be expressed by this verb (Gen. 6:16; 1 Kings 6:9), as can a thorough harvest (leaving nothing to glean), the completion of the agricultural cycle (Lev. 19:9). Human plans can be completed (Ruth 3:18). Other time periods can be denoted by this verb (Job 36:11; Ps. 90:9), and the totality of a temporal period can be expressed by kālāh (1 Sam. 3:12). The completion of a project naturally leads to the cessation of the activity. Thus, the verb is found in the context of "to finish" (Gen. 17:22). The nuance attested in other Northwest Semitic dialects of "to use up" also logically flows from this concept of completion. This meaning is also attested in the Hebrew Bible (Deut. 32:23), with the extended notion of cessation of eyesight (Lev. 26:16; 1 Sam. 2:33; Job 31:16; Jer. 14:6). A number of material objects "fade away" (Prov. 5:11; Job 4:9; Isa. 15:6) and perish (Isa. 1:28; Jer. 16:4; Ezek. 13:14). In this same line of semantic progression, one can see the extension of the concept to convey the notion "to destroy." Things which are completely used, things which fail, are things which are no longer useful for their intended purposes. Destruction can be according to plan, a completion of the thought or physical activity process. For example, Yahweh's destruction of Judah is in accord with his plan to revoke the Covenant, purify the remnant and restore the nation (Jer. 14:12). Once Assyria had completed its task assigned to it by Yahweh, of destroying the northern kingdom of Israel, Yahweh would destroy it in accord with their earned fate (Isa. 10:18). (Complete Biblical Library) QUESTION - What is theistic evolution? ANSWER - Theistic evolution is one of three major origin-of-life worldviews, the other two being atheistic evolution (also commonly known as Darwinian evolution and naturalistic evolution) and special creation. Versions of theistic evolution come somewhere between one of two extremes. One view is close to deism, which says God allows only natural processes to influence the development of life. The other assumes that God constantly used miraculous intervention to guide evolution. The first boundary of theistic evolution states that there is a God, but He was not directly involved in the origin of life. According to this view, God created the building blocks and natural laws with the eventual emergence of life in mind. However, early on He stepped back and let His creation take over. He let it do what it was designed to do, and life eventually emerged from non-living material. This view is similar to atheistic evolution in that it presumes a naturalistic—albeit God-designed and ordained—origin of life. Atheistic evolution also assumes that life emerged naturally from preexisting, non-living building blocks under the influence of natural laws. However, according to atheistic evolution, there is no God, and the origin of those natural laws is not explained. The opposite pole of theistic evolution is that God performed constant miracles to bring about the origin of life as we know it. According to this view, He led life step by step down a path from primeval simplicity to contemporary complexity. This view is similar to Darwin’s evolutionary tree of life, but with God’s intervention taking the place of mutation and natural selection. In this view, where life was not able to evolve naturally, God stepped in. This view is similar to special creation in that it presumes that God acted supernaturally in some way to bring about life as we know it. Special creation says that God created life directly, either from nothing or from preexisting materials. There are numerous differences between the perspectives of special creation and theistic evolution. One significant difference concerns their respective views on death. Theistic evolutionists typically believe that the geologic column containing the fossil record represents long epochs of time. Since man does not appear until late in the fossil record, theistic evolutionists believe many creatures lived, died, and became extinct long before man’s belated arrival. This means that physical death, at least for animals, existed before Adam and his sin. Special creationists believe that the earth is relatively young and that the fossil record was laid down during and after Noah’s flood. The stratification of the layers is thought to have occurred due to hydrologic sorting and liquefaction, both of which are observed phenomena. This puts the fossil record and the death and carnage it describes hundreds of years after Adam’s sin. Another significant difference between theistic evolution and special creation is how the two systems interpret the age of the earth. Theistic evolutionists tend to subscribe to either the day-age theory or the framework theory, both of which are allegorical interpretations of the length of the “days” in Genesis 1+. Young earth creationists subscribe to a literal, 24-hour day as they read Genesis 1+. Theistic evolution is generally incompatible with a literal reading (ED: Read Literally) of the first two chapters of Genesis. Theistic evolutionists imagine a Darwinian scenario in which stars evolved, then our solar system, then earth, then plants and animals, and eventually man. The two viewpoints within theistic evolution disagree as to the role God played in the unfolding of events, but they generally agree on the Darwinian timeline. That timeline is in conflict with a literal interpretation of the Genesis creation account. For example, Genesis 1 says that the earth was created on day one, and the sun, moon, and stars were not created until day four (Ge 1:16-19+). A common counter from theistic evolutionists is to note that the wording of Genesis suggests the sun, moon, and stars were actually created on day one but they could not be seen through earth’s atmosphere until day four, leading to their placement on day four. A literal reading of Genesis shows that birds were created with sea creatures on day five (Ge 1:20-23+) while land animals were not created until day six (Ge 1:24-31+). This is in direct opposition to the Darwinian view that birds evolved from land animals. The literalist account says birds preceded land animals. The theistic evolutionist view says exactly the opposite. Regardless of how a person chooses to interpret scientific evidence or the Bible, experience has shown the Bible to be reliable. Centuries of challenges have affirmed that not only is the Bible compatible with science, but also that not a single word in the Bible has ever been disproved by confirmed facts. Interpretations of Scripture may be found lacking, but the Word of God itself is never wrong. The Bible is God’s living Word, given to us by the Creator of the universe, and His description of how He created that universe is not threatened by atheistic versions of science.GotQuestions.org QUESTION - What is the biblical Creation story? ANSWER -The basic creation story is found in Genesis 1 and 2, with the account of what happened in the Garden of Eden in chapter 3. Genesis 1 begins before the existence of anything except God Himself. God’s revelation of Himself and His will for mankind is the beginning of the creation story. In this beginning, God created everything in the universe (Genesis 1:1). This includes all the heavenly bodies (including every star and planet), as well as everything on the earth. While the triune nature of God is not explicit in the Genesis account, God does reveal an “us” within the Godhead (Genesis 1:26). The Spirit is active in creation (Genesis 1:2) as is Christ (John 1:1–3; Colossians 1:15–17). In the six days of creation, God formed light, the universe, and the earth (day 1 - Ge 1:1-5+); the sky and the atmosphere (day 2 - Ge 1:6-8+); dry land and all plant life (day 3 - Ge 1:9-13+); the stars and heavenly bodies, including the sun and moon (day 4 - Ge 1:14-19+); birds and water creatures (day 5 - Ge 1:20-23+); and all the land animals and man (day 6 - Ge 1:24-31+). Mankind is special above all other creatures because he bears the image of God (Genesis 1:27+) and has the responsibility to steward and subdue the earth (Ge 1:28). All of creation was completed in six days in all its vast array and wondrous beauty. God announced that His creation was “very good” (Ge 1:31). Genesis 2 sees the ending of God’s creative work and gives a more detailed account of the creation of man. The seventh day is marked by God’s resting. The rest does not suggest that God was tired; rather, His “rest” was simply a cessation of work. God was done, and the universe was just as He wanted it to be. God’s six days of work, followed by a day of no work, establishes a pattern of taking one day in seven for rest and sets the number of days in the week still in use today. The keeping of the Sabbath later became a distinguishing mark of God’s chosen people (Exodus 20:8–11.) Genesis 2 takes a closer look at the creation of man. This passage is not a second creation account, nor is it contradictory to Genesis 1. Genesis 2 simply takes a step away from a linear report to refocus the reader on God’s unique work concerning man. God formed man from the dust of the earth He had previously created. After forming man’s body, God breathed life—a soul—into him. The fact that God chose to form man this way shows His great care in this process. God next placed the first man, Adam, in a special place, the Garden of Eden. Eden was beautiful and bountiful. Adam had almost everything he needed, including food and productive work. However, God was not done with man. God helped Adam to see his need for a mate by having him review all the other creatures and naming them (Genesis 2:19–20). At the end of the naming process, Adam understood what he lacked. God caused Adam to sleep and then formed Eve with as much care as He had formed Adam (Ge 2:21–22). Eve was made from Adam’s rib. When God brought Eve to Adam, the man immediately understood that she was special. She was his counterpart, his complement, and flesh of his flesh (verse 23). God made both Adam and Eve in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). The Bible’s creation account establishes the family as the basic building block of society (Genesis 1:24; cf. Matthew 19:5–6). As a God-ordained institution, marriage is to be only between one man and one woman. Adam and Eve were created in a state of innocence (Genesis 1:25) and had not committed any sin. They enjoyed communion with God in Eden and the freedom to eat of whatever trees of the garden they wished, except for one (Genesis 2:16–17). Part of their relationship with God was the inclusion of one simple rule: Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17). At some point Eve was tempted by the serpent to eat from the forbidden tree, which she did. Adam also ate and joined his wife in disobedience (Genesis 3:1–6). When Adam and Eve sinned against God, they lost their innocence and their nature was corrupted (Genesis 3:7–12). Sin brought consequences. The process of death began immediately. God cursed the serpent to crawl forever on the ground and be hated by men (verses 14–15). God punished Eve to pain in childbirth and conflict with her husband (verse 16), and He punished Adam with toil and hardship in his labors (verses 17–19). And Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden and denied access to the tree of life (Genesis 3:22–24). In His great mercy, God also covered Adam and Eve’s shame (Genesis 3:21) and gave them a message of hope in the promise of a Redeemer. The Bible’s first mention of the coming Messiah is found in Genesis 3:15, often called the protoevangelium. The Seed of the woman would come to crush the head of the Serpent, at the cost of being bruised Himself. So, an integral part of the creation story is a prediction of Jesus’ death on the cross and His triumph over Satan and the curse. GotQuestions.org QUESTION- Why are there two different Creation accounts in Genesis chapters 1-2? ANSWER - Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Later, in Genesis 2:4, it seems that a second, different story of creation begins. The idea of two differing creation accounts is a common misinterpretation of these two passages which, in fact, describe the same creation event. They do not disagree as to the order in which things were created and do not contradict one another. Genesis 1 describes the “six days of creation” (and a seventh day of rest), Genesis 2 covers only one day of that creation week—the sixth day—and there is no contradiction. In Genesis 2, the author steps back in the temporal sequence to the sixth day, when God made man. In the first chapter, the author of Genesis presents the creation of man on the sixth day as the culmination or high point of creation. Then, in the second chapter, the author gives greater detail regarding the creation of man. There are two primary claims of contradictions between Genesis chapters 1-2. The first is in regard to plant life. Genesis 1:11 records God creating vegetation on the third day. Genesis 2:5 states that prior to the creation of man “no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground.” So, which is it? Did God create vegetation on the third day before He created man (Genesis 1), or after He created man (Genesis 2)? The Hebrew words for “vegetation” are different in the two passages. Genesis 1:11 uses a term that refers to vegetation in general. Genesis 2:5 uses a more specific term that refers to vegetation that requires agriculture, i.e., a person to tend it, a gardener. The passages do not contradict. Genesis 1:11 speaks of God creating vegetation, and Genesis 2:5 speaks of God not causing “farmable” vegetation to grow until after He created man. The second claimed contradiction is in regard to animal life. Genesis 1:24-25 records God creating animal life on the sixth day, before He created man. Genesis 2:19, in some translations, seems to record God creating the animals after He had created man. However, a good and plausible translation of Genesis 2:19-20 reads, “Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them, and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.” The text does not say that God created man, then created the animals, and then brought the animals to the man. Rather, the text says, “Now the LORD God had [already] created all the animals.” There is no contradiction. On the sixth day, God created the animals, then created man, and then brought the animals to the man, allowing the man to name the animals. By considering the two creation accounts individually and then reconciling them, we see that God describes the sequence of creation in Genesis 1, then clarifies its most important details, especially of the sixth day, in Genesis 2. There is no contradiction here, merely a common literary device describing an event from the general to the specific.GotQuestions.org Gleason Archer asks "Doesn’t Genesis 2 present a different creation order than Genesis 1?" Genesis 2 does not present a creation account at all but presupposes the completion of God’s work of creation as set forth in chapter 1. The first three verses of Genesis 2 simply carry the narrative of chapter 1 to its final and logical conclusion, using the same vocabulary and style as employed in the previous chapter. It sets froth the completion of the whole primal work of creation and the special sanctity conferred on the seventh day as a symbol and memorial of God’s creative work. Verse 4 then sums up the whole sequence that has just been surveyed by saying, “These are the generations of heaven and earth when they were created, in the day that Yahweh God made heaven and earth.” Having finished the overall survey of the subject, the author then develops in detail one important feature that has already been mentioned: the creation of man. Kenneth Kitchen says, Genesis 1 mentions the creation of man as the last of a series, and without any details, whereas in Genesis 2 man is the center of interest and more specific details are given about him and his setting. Failure to recognize the complementary nature of the subject-distinction between a skeleton outline of all creation on the one hand, and the concentration in detail on man and his immediate environment on the other, borders on obscurantism” (Ancient Orient, p. 117). Kitchen then draws on the analogy of Egyptian inscriptions like the Karnak Poetical Stela of Thutmose III, the Gebel Barkal Stela, and those royal inscriptions from Urartu that ascribe the defeat of the nation’s foes to their patron god, Haldi, and then repeat the same victories in detail as achieved by the reigning king of Urartu. Kitchen then adds, What is absurd when applied to monumental Near Eastern texts that had no prehistory of hands and redactors should not be imposed on Genesis 1 and 2, as is done by uncritical perpetuation of a nineteenth-century systematization of speculations by eighteenth-century dilettantes lacking, as they did, all knowledge of the forms and usages of Ancient Oriental literature” (ibid.). As we examine the remainder of Genesis 2, we find that it concerns itself with a description of the ideal setting that God prepared for Adam and Eve to begin their life in, walking in loving fellowship with Him as responsive and obedient children. Verses 5–6 describe the original condition of the “earth,” or “land,” in the general region of the Garden of Eden before it had sprouted verdure under the special watering system the Lord used for its development. Verse 7 introduces Adam as a newly fashioned occupant for whom Eden was prepared. Verse 8 records how he was placed there to observe and enjoy the beauty and richness of his surroundings. Gen. 2:9–14 describe the various kinds of trees and the lush vegetation sustained by the abundant waters of the rivers that flowed out of Eden to the lower regions beyond its borders. Verse 15 indicates the absorbing activity that Adam had assigned to him as keeper and warden of this great natural preserve. From the survey of the first fifteen verses of chapter 2, it becomes quite apparent that this was never intended to be a general creation narrative. Search all the cosmogonies of the ancient civilizations of the Near East, and you will never find among them a single creation account that omits all mention of the formation of sun, moon, and stars or ocean or seas—non of which are referred to in Genesis 2. It is therefore quite obvious that Genesis 1 is the only creation account to be found in the Hebrew Scripture and that it is already presupposed as the background of Genesis 2. Even the animals are not referred to until Adam is assigned the task of examining them carefully, one by one, in order to decide on an appropriate name for each species or bird and beast that was brought before him (Gen. 2:18–20). But before this phase of Adam’s experience begins, he is brought into covenant relationship with God, who grants him permission to eat of the fruit of every tree in the garden except one: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:16–17). Verse 18 then shows how Yahweh proceeded to fill Adam’s foreseen need of companionship—first by the fellowship with the animals and birds (Gen. 2:19–20), then, after that proves to be unsatisfying, by the companionship of a wife, who is fashioned from the bone that was closest to Adam’s heart (Gen. 2:21–22). The chapter closes with a vivid portrayal of Adam’s joyous acceptance of his new helpmate and his unreserved commitment to her in love. The structure of Genesis 2 stands in clear contrast to every creation account known to comparative literature. It was never intended to be a creation account at all, except insofar as it related the circumstances of man’s creation as a child of God, fashioned in His image, infused with His breath of life, and brought into an intimate personal relationship with the Lord Himself. Quite clearly, then, chapter 2 is built on the foundation of chapter 1 and represents no different tradition than the first chapter or discrepant account of the order of creation. (From online resource The Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties and scroll to page 68) Related Resource: Do Genesis 1 and 2 Contradict Each Other? - Answersingenesis.org Is Evolution A Fact? By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God. — Hebrews 11:3 Today's Scripture: Genesis 2:1-7, Hebrews 11:1-3 The theory of evolution is not without its problems. One scientist says this about life starting on its own: “Amino acids would have to be arranged in an exact sequence to form a protein . . . just like the letters in a sentence. Mere laws of chemistry and physics cannot do that. The probability of a protein forming by chance would be 1064 [10 with 64 zeros after it] to 1!” Many people assume the theory of evolution to be true. But can it be scientifically proven? Something is considered scientifically true only if it can be repeatedly verified under laboratory conditions. The claim that life sprang up on its own out of a long impersonal process cannot pass this test of truth. That is why evolution remains only a theory. So if you’re ever tempted to doubt the Genesis account of the creation story, consider the alternative. The odds against even a simple protein creating itself are astronomical. How much more reasonable to believe God and His Word: “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3). Isn’t it more reasonable to believe that God designed and created the universe? (Genesis 1:1). By: Dennis Fisher All creation points to the almighty Creator. Dan Wilt - A Well-Worn Path Live from an Inner Sabbath - Today, you will learn what it means to live from an inner Sabbath. Genesis 2:1–3 imaginatively takes us into the moment when God, finished with His fine work on heaven and earth, rested. He set apart that seventh day of rest in the passage and called it special, sacred, precious—a day to both celebrate accomplishment and find renewal for the activity to come. You and I were designed to function in accord with this kind of work-rest rhythm. That rhythm runs daily, weekly, yearly—even over our lifetime. The density of our applied labor and ceaseless business really defines the high-achieving spirit of our age, but it is by no means in alignment with this holy pattern that God instituted at the beginning of time. Your capacity, and mine, to act in ways that last beyond the moment, even beyond our lifetimes, hinges on the inner tranquility of mind and heart that is an inner Sabbath alive in you. Prayer: Lord Jesus, You expressed that no pattern in my life would be more renewing and revitalizing than this pattern of resting in the midst of my work. Help me find my inner Sabbath again, and lead me to quiet places of rest One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. -- Psalm 27:4 Contradictions in the Bible? (see The Evidence Bible) Do Genesis chapters 1 and 2 conflict? When scoffers claim that the Bible is full of contradictions, they almost always cite Genesis 1 and 2 as examples. 1. Genesis 1:11 has the trees made on day three before man; Genesis 2:9 has the trees made on day six after man. 2. Genesis 1:20 has birds made out of the water on day five; Genesis 2:19 has birds made out of the ground (after man) on day six. 3. Genesis 1:24, 25 has the animals made on day 6 before man; Genesis 2:19 has the animals made on day six after man. A careful reading of the two chapters will show the solution for each of the supposed contradictions. Explanation of supposed contradiction 1: A. Chapter 1 tells the entire story in the order it happened. B. Genesis 2:4–6 gives a quick summary of the first five days of creation. C. Genesis 2:7–25 is describing only the events that took place on day six in the Garden of Eden. D. The trees described in Genesis 2:9 are only in the Garden of Eden; the rest of the world is already full of trees from day three. The purpose of this second creation of trees may have been to let Adam see that God did have power to create, that He was not just taking credit for the existing world. Notice that the second creation of trees was still on day six and was only those trees that are “pleasant to the sight and good for food.” Explanation of supposed contradiction 2: The birds created out of the ground on day six are only one of each “kind” so that Adam can name them and select a wife. The rest of the world is full of birds from day five. Explanation of supposed contradiction 3: Genesis 2:19 is describing only the animals created in the Garden, after man. The purpose of this second batch of animals being created was so that Adam could name them (Genesis 2:19) and select a wife (Genesis 2:20). Since Adam could not find a suitable mate (God knew he wouldn’t), He made Eve (Genesis 2:21–22). There are no contradictions between these two chapters. Chapter 2 only describes in more detail the events in the Garden of Eden on day six. If ancient man had written the Bible (as some scoffers say), he would never have made it say that the light was made before the sun! Many ancient cultures worshiped the sun as the source of life. God is light. God made the light before He made the sun so we could see that He (not the sun) is the source of life. Dr. Kent Hovind Croft Pentz - Creation of Man Genesis 2:1–25 I. THE CREATOR—Ge 2:1–3 A. The results—Ge 2:1. The heavens and the earth were created by God. The earth was created by God. Man had nothing to do with creation. The earth didn’t just come into being—it was created by God. B. The rest—Ge 2:2. The seventh day was a holy day, or a rest day. Man’s body was built to have one day of rest per week. Often man becomes sick by overwork. C. The remembrance—Ge 2:3. God blessed the seventh day, making it a day of rest. The disciples, after Christ’s resurrection, kept Sunday as The Lord’s Day. Jesus repeated all the Ten Commandments in the New Testament, except the one on keeping Saturday as the Sabbath. (See Acts 20:7, 1 Cor. 16:2, Rev. 1:10.) Some of those who kept the Sabbath (Saturday) very scrupulously sought to kill Christ (John 5:18). II. THE CREATION—Ge 2:4–14 A. Conditions—Ge 2:4–6. No rain fell from the skies. The ground was watered by a mist. B. Creation—Ge 2:7. God created man from the dust of the ground. Note the threefold step: (1) Created from dust, (2) Breathed into man, (3) Man became a living soul. C. Caretaker—Ge 2:8–14. The garden of Eden was formed for man and man was appointed the caretaker of this beautiful garden. III. THE CONDITION—Ge 2:15–17 A. Work—Ge 2:15. Adam was given the responsibility of taking care of the garden. God places strong emphasis upon work. Laziness is not of God. B. Warning—Ge 2:16. Man might partake of any tree, except one tree. If he ate of this tree, he would face death. C. Wrong—Ge 2:17. If man partook of the tree, he would be separated from God. God gave man a will—freedom of choice. IV. THE COMPANION—Ge 2:18–25 A. Purpose—Ge 2:18–20. It was not good for man to live alone. God made him a helpmate. It is normal for man and woman to be together. B. Plan—Ge 2:21–23. Eve was taken from Adam’s rib—not from his foot to be trampled upon … not from the head to top her … but from his side so they could stand together as one. C. Personality—Ge 2:24. Two different people in marriage become one. No longer me or mine, but we and ours. After the wedding the we comes before the I. D. Perfection—Ge 2:25. Though Adam and Eve were both naked, they were not ashamed. Genesis 2:2 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. BGT καὶ συνετέλεσεν ὁ θεὸς ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἕκτῃ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ ἃ ἐποίησεν καὶ κατέπαυσεν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ ὧν ἐποίησεν KJV And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. NET By the seventh day God finished the work that he had been doing, and he ceased on the seventh day all the work that he had been doing. BBE And on the seventh day God came to the end of all his work; and on the seventh day he took his rest from all the work which he had done. CSB By the seventh day God completed His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. ERV And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. ESV And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. GWN By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing. On the seventh day he stopped the work he had been doing. NKJ And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. NAB Since on the seventh day God was finished with the work he had been doing, he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken. NIV By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. NJB On the seventh day God had completed the work he had been doing. He rested on the seventh day after all the work he had been doing. NLT On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. NRS And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. YLT and God completeth by the seventh day His work which He hath made, and ceaseth by the seventh day from all His work which He hath made. LXE And God finished on the sixth day his works which he made, and he ceased on the seventh day from all his works which he made. ASV And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. DBY And God had finished on the seventh day his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And on: Ge 1:31 Ex 20:11 23:12 31:17 De 5:14 Isa 58:13 Joh 5:17 Heb 4:4 seventh day God: The LXX., Syriac, and the Samaritan Text read the sixth day, which is probably the true reading; as [vav <Strong's H2053>,] which stands for six, might easily be changed into [zayin,] which denotes seven. Genesis 2 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries "THAT'S ALL FOLKS" IT IS FINISHED! By the seventh day God completed (kalah; Lxx - sunteleo) His work (melakah) which He had done - In case we missed it in Ge 2:1, the Spirit reiterates that God's work of creation has been completed! Some versions (ESV) are confusing because they say "on the seventh day" implying He accomplished something on this day but that is not an accurate translation or understanding. A better rendering is "by the seventh day" (NAS, NET). God's creative activity was finished on the 6th day. It follows that creation is not evolving. It never evolved! It was finished! Done! Accomplished! Note how He even adds the verb had done, which underscores the fact that God's work of creation is over. Finished. Finis. Or like Bugs Bunny would say in the old Looney Tunes cartoon - That's all folks! Evolution is a sad and destructive hoax! God simply stopped creating speaking of creation of the physical universe, but, praise God, He did not stop creating spiritually, as every believer can now attest that "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new (kainos - brand new!) creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." (2Cor 5:17+). Kalah is the same verb used in Ex 40:33+ when Moses had erected the Tabernacle recording he "finished (kalah) the work." George Bush says that seventh comes from a Hebrew root meaning "to be full, completed, entirely made up." Matthew Henry - God did not rest as one weary, but as one well pleased. Notice the beginning of the kingdom of grace, in the sanctification, or keeping holy, of the sabbath day. The solemn observing of one day in seven as a day of holy rest and holy work, to God's honour, is the duty of all to whom God has made known his holy sabbaths. At this time none of the human race were in being but our first parents. For them the sabbath was appointed; and clearly for all succeeding generations also. Believer's Study Bible - The verse should be translated "had ended," indicating that the work of creation was completed on the sixth day....The seventh day marks the cessation of God's work of creation and the celebration of the satisfaction which comes upon the completion of this work. God's work of preservation and redemption continues in Jesus Christ (Jn 5:17; Col 1:17, 20; Heb 1:3). Although the word "Sabbath" does not occur in this verse, it is derived from the Hebrew verb meaning "rested," and therefore it has its precedent in the divine creative week. Moses draws the parallel between the fourth commandment (Ex 20:8) and the climax of the creation, the seventh day (Ex 31:13-18). (Believer's Study Bible) THOUGHT- God's rest (the word connotes completion, not weariness) is a model for man's rest. It involves special consecration of time and energies to God, providing physical rest, re-creation of energies, spiritual refreshment, rejuvenation, and service." (from Believer's Study Bible) Ray Comfort on completed (in comment on Psalm 33:6) - The Scriptures say, “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them” (Genesis 2:1). The original Hebrew uses the past definite tense for the verb “finished,” indicating an action completed in the past, never again to occur. The creation was “finished”—once and for all. That is exactly what the First Law of Thermodynamics says. This law (often referred to as the Law of the Conservation of Energy and/or Mass) states that neither matter nor energy can be either created or destroyed. It was because of this Law that Sir Fred Hoyle’s “Steady-State” (or “Continuous Creation”) Theory was discarded. Hoyle stated that at points in the universe called “irtrons,” matter (or energy) was constantly being created. But, the First Law states just the opposite. Indeed, there is no “creation” ongoing today. It is “finished” exactly as the Bible states. (See context in The Evidence Bible: Irrefutable Evidence for the Thinking Mind - interesting book) And He rested (shabath) on the seventh day from all His work (melakah) which He had done - No divine fatigue, only divine cessation. The infinitely omnipotent One never grows tired or weary! God did not rest because He was exhausted but because the work was finished and it was very good (He was satisfied). The Hebrew word for rested is shabath which is the word from which we get the more familiar word Sabbath (sabbat). The Septuagint translates shabath with the verb katapauo which means to stop or bring to a place of rest (used in Hebrews 4:4+ and Hebrew 4:10+). Rested is probably better rendered ceased, as the Hebrew word is not opposed to weariness, but to action. His action of creation was completed and thus He ceased this action (including evolutionary action!) Victor Hamilton on work...work - God’s creative activity is described twice as his work. The OT has two words for “labor,” melakah and ʿaḇō ḏá. The second word emphasizes labor that is raw and unskilled. The first—and the one used here—designates skilled labor, work that is performed by a craftsman or an artisan. Such is the measure of the finesse and professional skills of God’s work.....The deliberate omission of “sabbath” in Gen. 2 may be due to a desire to avoid any possibility of uniting the seventh day with the pagan festival. In both Enuma elish and the Atrahasis Epic the gods rest after the creation of man. With man to do the menial work of the day-to-day maintenance of the earth, the gods are now free for less demanding administrative tasks in the world. In appreciation for release from this manual work, the gods promise to build Babylon and its temple for Marduk. The gods’ surrogate is now man, who is “charged with the service of the gods that they might be at ease.” It is not difficult to see how different the Mesopotamian concept of rest for the divine is from the biblical concept. Thus, not only the omission of “Sabbath” but also the particular use of divine resting demonstrate the uniqueness of the biblical story of creation (See context in The Book of Genesis) NIV Study Note - God rested on the seventh day, not because he was weary, but because nothing formless or empty remained THOUGHT - God can know neither fatigue, nor does He every need rest! This is good news for sinners who are restless, until they rest in Christ, Whose invitation is every open to humble hearts - "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take (aorist imperative) My yoke upon you and learn (aorist imperative) from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Mt 11:28-30+) Are you resting in Jesus dear sinner? Play Steve Green's beautiful vocal "Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting." Jesus! I am resting, resting In the joy of what Thou art; I am finding out the greatness Of Thy loving heart. Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee, And Thy beauty fills my soul, For, by Thy transforming power, Thou hast made me whole. Jesus! I am resting, resting In the joy of what Thou art; I am finding out the greatness Of Thy loving heart. Oh, how great Thy loving kindness, Vaster, broader than the sea: Oh, how marvelous Thy goodness, Lavished all on me! Yes, I rest in Thee, Beloved, Know what wealth of grace is Thine, Know Thy certainty of promise, And have made it mine. Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus, I behold Thee as Thou art, And Thy love, so pure, so changeless, Satisfies my heart, Satisfies its deepest longings, Meets, supplies its every need, Compasseth me round with blessings, Thine is love indeed. Ever lift Thy face upon me, As I work and wait for Thee; Resting ’neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus, Earth’s dark shadows flee. Brightness of my Father’s glory, Sunshine of my Father’s face, Keep me ever trusting, resting, Fill me with Thy grace. Rested (put an end, stop) 07673) shabath means to cease to repose, to rest, to rid of, to still, to put away, to put an end to, to cause to cease, to leave. Most uses refer to rest or abstain from labor (Ex 5:5), especially on the seventh day (Ex 20:8-11). It is the root verb of Sabbath the time to be set aside for rest. Of God resting after the completion of creation (Ge 2:2, 2:3 = "He rested", Ex 31:17, describing the Sabbath - Ex 34:21) The basic meaning of shabath is well illustrated in the declaration that day and night "shall not cease." (Ge 8:22). Israel will not "cease from being a nation." (Jer 31:30), a prophetic sign of God's faithfulness! The "three men ceased answering Job." (Job 32:1) In Joshua, the verb expresses a cessation of the provision of manna by God to the Israelites (Josh. 5:12). The land was also depicted as enjoying a rest (Lev 25:2, Lev 26:34, 35). The people of God are to rest (Ex. 16:30). "An end to strife."(Pr 18:18). "Put an end to the arrogance of the proud." (Isa 13:11) Work (04399)(melakah from malak - messenger) means occupation, business, something made, property, workmanship. This word is used numerous times for the work on the Tabernacle (Ex 31:3; Ex 31:5, etc - see below) which would have described the work of craftsmen substantiating Hamilton's distinction in the following note. Hamilton - The OT has two words for “labor,” melakah and ʿaḇō ḏá. The second word emphasizes labor that is raw and unskilled. The first—and the one used here—designates skilled labor, work that is performed by a craftsman or an artisan. Such is the measure of the finesse and professional skills of God’s work. (See context in The Book of Genesis) Andrew Boling - Work, business, craftsmanship, goods, property. Like the English "work," melāʾkâ could refer either to the activity of working, the requisite skills of work, or to the results of work. In contrast to terms like ʿāmal and yāgaʿ which emphasized the toilsome, laborious side of work, this term emphasized work as involving skill and benefits. All work was banned both on the weekly Sabbath (Exodus 20:9-10) and on the festal Sabbaths (Leviticus 16:29). God himself ceased from working on the Sabbath day (Genesis 2:1-2). Turning to specific usages of melā’kâ, it could refer to a particular task or project at hand (Neh. 5:16) or it could refer to one's routine or habitual work, i.e. one's business (Genesis 39:11; Proverbs 18:9). It referred to the king's business (1 Samuel 8:16) and that of the royal bureaucracy (1 Kings 9:23). Work" referred to skilled craftsmanship when God endowed men with supernatural skills for the skilled work of the tabernacle (Exodus 31:3: RSV, "craftsmanship"), and Solomon imported Phoenician craftsmen for the skilled work of the temple (1 Kings 7:14). The resulting products of work, both skilled and unskilled, were described by this term. Moses looked upon the skilled "work" of the tabernacle (Exodus 39:43). Or it could refer to property in general without regard to special skills or value (e.g. 1 Samuel 15:9, "all that was despised" for "every despised work"; cf. also Exodus 22:8, 11). (See link to the TWOT) Melakah - 147 verses - anything(4), article made(1), business(4), cattle(1), craftsmanship(3), details(1), duties(1), everything*(1), industrious*(1), laborer(1), material(1), occupation(1), performed(1), project(1), property(2), purpose(1), service(2), something(1), supplies(1), task(2), use(2), used(2), work(118), workers(1), workmanship(1), workmen(5), workmen*(5), works(1). Gen. 2:2; Gen. 2:3; Gen. 33:14; Gen. 39:11; Exod. 12:16; Exod. 20:9; Exod. 20:10; Exod. 22:8; Exod. 22:11; Exod. 31:3; Exod. 31:5; Exod. 31:14; Exod. 31:15; Exod. 35:2; Exod. 35:21; Exod. 35:24; Exod. 35:29; Exod. 35:31; Exod. 35:33; Exod. 35:35; Exod. 36:1; Exod. 36:2; Exod. 36:3; Exod. 36:4; Exod. 36:6; Exod. 36:7; Exod. 36:8; Exod. 38:24; Exod. 39:43; Exod. 40:33; Lev. 7:24; Lev. 11:32; Lev. 13:48; Lev. 13:51; Lev. 16:29; Lev. 23:3; Lev. 23:7; Lev. 23:8; Lev. 23:21; Lev. 23:25; Lev. 23:28; Lev. 23:30; Lev. 23:31; Lev. 23:35; Lev. 23:36; Num. 4:3; Num. 28:18; Num. 28:25; Num. 28:26; Num. 29:1; Num. 29:7; Num. 29:12; Num. 29:35; Deut. 5:13; Deut. 5:14; Deut. 16:8; Jdg. 16:11; 1 Sam. 8:16; 1 Sam. 15:9; 1 Ki. 5:16; 1 Ki. 7:14; 1 Ki. 7:22; 1 Ki. 7:40; 1 Ki. 7:51; 1 Ki. 9:23; 1 Ki. 11:28; 2 Ki. 12:11; 2 Ki. 12:14; 2 Ki. 12:15; 2 Ki. 22:5; 2 Ki. 22:9; 1 Chr. 4:23; 1 Chr. 6:49; 1 Chr. 9:13; 1 Chr. 9:19; 1 Chr. 9:33; 1 Chr. 22:15; 1 Chr. 23:4; 1 Chr. 23:24; 1 Chr. 25:1; 1 Chr. 26:29; 1 Chr. 26:30; 1 Chr. 27:26; 1 Chr. 28:13; 1 Chr. 28:19; 1 Chr. 28:20; 1 Chr. 28:21; 1 Chr. 29:1; 1 Chr. 29:5; 1 Chr. 29:6; 2 Chr. 4:11; 2 Chr. 5:1; 2 Chr. 8:9; 2 Chr. 8:16; 2 Chr. 13:10; 2 Chr. 16:5; 2 Chr. 17:13; 2 Chr. 24:12; 2 Chr. 24:13; 2 Chr. 29:34; 2 Chr. 34:10; 2 Chr. 34:12; 2 Chr. 34:13; 2 Chr. 34:17; Ezr. 2:69; Ezr. 3:8; Ezr. 3:9; Ezr. 6:22; Ezr. 10:13; Neh. 2:16; Neh. 4:11; Neh. 4:15; Neh. 4:16; Neh. 4:17; Neh. 4:19; Neh. 4:21; Neh. 4:22; Neh. 5:16; Neh. 6:3; Neh. 6:9; Neh. 6:16; Neh. 7:70; Neh. 7:71; Neh. 10:33; Neh. 11:12; Neh. 11:16; Neh. 11:22; Neh. 13:10; Neh. 13:30; Est. 3:9; Est. 9:3; Ps. 73:28; Ps. 107:23; Prov. 18:9; Prov. 22:29; Prov. 24:27; Jer. 17:22; Jer. 17:24; Jer. 18:3; Jer. 48:10; Jer. 50:25; Ezek. 15:3; Ezek. 15:4; Ezek. 15:5; Ezek. 28:13; Dan. 8:27; Jon. 1:8 James Smith - Handfuls of Purpose - THE CREATOR’S SABBATH Genesis 2 Only when God had finished the heavens and the earth did He rest. He found no rest until He had ended all His work. The Sabbath, or rest of God, means perfect satisfaction in that which has been accomplished. He alone was the worker. His alone was the rest. Let us notice: I. The Sabbath Ordained. The seventh day was fixed and settled by God to be a time of rest and joy to Himself and to all creation. 1. IT IS A DAY OF REST. No more work to be done. He rested, not because He was weary, but because every good thing had been done that could be done. 2. IT WAS A DAY OF BLESSING. “God blessed it.” The special favour and delight of God was in it—truthfulness and satisfaction. 3. IT WAS A SEPARATED DAY. “God sanctified it.” Set it apart as His own possession and inheritance because it manifested the results of His own wisdom, power, and goodness. But note more particularly that— 4. IT WAS THE DAY OF GRACE FOR MAN. God made man on the sixth day, so that the first day that dawned upon Adam was the Sabbath of God, that is, man immediately entered into the enjoyment of the rest of his Creator. God finished the work; man enters with Him into the rest and enjoyment of all that God had made. O the grace of God to delight in bringing man into such a possession! II. The Sabbath Destroyed. It would seem that man did not long enjoy the rest of God. The tempter came, man failed, the rest was broken, Adam fled from God. Sin ruined man for the enjoyment of God’s rest. In the ages that follow man seems to have forgotten that the Sabbath was “made for man,” so when the law was given (Exod. 22) the word “Remember” was significantly prefixed to the Second Commandment. The Sabbath of divine rest, which was a gift to man, now comes back to him in the form of law; but still it reminds him of God’s rest. “No manna fell” on the Sabbath day. To enjoy rest now they have to gather double on the sixth day—not of grace now, but of works. III. The Sabbath Restored. Through Jesus Christ man can be brought back to the enjoyment of God’s rest. 1. THROUGH HIM ANOTHER WORK HAS BEEN FINISHED. “I have finished the work” (John 17:4). He put away sin, the work of atonement is ended, and God has pronounced all very good. 2. ANOTHER REST IS ENJOYED. As God rested upon the mercy-seat on the Holy of Holies, so doth He now rest satisfied in the work of His beloved Son. 3. ANOTHER DAY OF GRACE IS PROCLAIMED. “Come unto Me, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). As Adam entered into God’s rest, so may we now through faith in Jesus. “There remained a rest (Sabbath) for the people of God” (Heb. 4:1–9); “Enter into His rest.” This rest means to us all that it meant to Adam: 1, A ceasing from works; 2, continual fellowship with God; 3, to bear His holy image; 4, to find our all in His possession; 5, to rejoice in God. “They could not enter in because of unbelief” (Heb. 3:19+). QUESTION - Why did God rest on the seventh day of creation (Genesis 2:2)? ANSWER - In Genesis 2:2 we read, “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.” If God is omnipotent—if He has all power—it doesn’t make much sense that He would need to “rest.” After we’ve had a busy week, we take a nap—but God? First, we should quote the verse correctly. It doesn’t say God “needed” to rest; it simply says that He did rest. Also, it is clear from Scripture that God did not rest because He was tired. Genesis 17:1 calls God the “Almighty God.” Psalm 147:5 says, “Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.” God is all-powerful; He never tires and never needs to rest. As Isaiah 40:28 says, “The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary.” God is the sum of perfection; He is never diminished in any way, and that includes being diminished in power. When God said, “Let there be light,” the light appeared. He simply spoke creation into existence (Genesis 1:1-3). Later, we read that Jesus Christ “is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3). Forget the image of Atlas straining under the weight of the world on his shoulders. It’s not like that. The entire universe is held together by Jesus’ word. The creation and maintenance of the universe is not difficult for God. A mere word will suffice. As Psalm 33:9 declares, “For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.” The Hebrew word translated “rested” in Genesis 2:2 includes other ideas than that of being tired. In fact, one of the main definitions of the Hebrew word shabat is “to cease or stop.” In Genesis 2:2 the understanding is that God “stopped” His work; He “ceased” creating on the seventh day. All that He had created was good, and His work was finished. The context of Genesis 1–2 strongly affirms the idea of God’s “rest” being a cessation of work, not a reinvigoration after work. The narrative tells us which things God created in each of the first six days. His power is displayed through the creation of light, mountains, seas, the sun, moon and stars, plant and animal life, and, finally, humanity. There are many parallels between the first three days of creation and the second three days. However, the seventh day is a sharp contrast. Instead of more creating, there is shabat. Instead of God “doing” more, He “ceased” from doing. God did not merely “rest” on the seventh day; He “stopped creating.” It was a purposeful stop. Everything He desired to create had been made. He looked at His creation, declared it “very good” (Genesis 1:31), and ceased from His activity. In the Jewish tradition, the concept of shabat has been carried over as the “Sabbath.” The Law of Moses taught there was to be no work at all on the seventh day (Saturday). Because God ceased from work that day, the Israelites were to cease from their work on the Sabbath. Thus, the days of creation are the basis of our universal observance of a seven-day week. Simply put, God’s “rest” was not due to His being tired but to His being completely finished with His creative work.GotQuestions.org What Does It Take? Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest. — Exodus 23:12 Today's Scripture: Genesis 2:1-7 Today’s technology allows some people to work 24/7. We can bring our work home or take it on vacation. Work is ever-present with us—except when the electricity goes off. An ice storm last winter covered several states in a thick glasslike glaze. Trees and branches fell, blocking roads and keeping people home. Power lines fell, leaving people in cold darkness, unable to accomplish anything that required electricity. Whenever something like this interrupts my life, I realize how important my own work is to me. Without it, I feel unimportant, unproductive, and useless. But God doesn’t want work to be that important to us, and we shouldn’t need a power outage to get us to stop. In the Old Testament, God had a plan for getting His people to stop and pay attention to Him. It was called Sabbath. On the seventh day of the week, they were to stop their work (Ex. 23:12). Although New Testament believers aren’t required to keep this law, rest is still important. Practicing a day of rest can keep us from the faulty belief that our work is more important than God’s. He gives me work that I may seek His rest, He gives me strength to meet the hardest test; And as I walk in providential grace, I find that joy goes with me, at God’s pace. —Gustafson If we do not come apart and rest awhile, we may just plain come apart. —Havner Are You Exhausted? [God] rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. — Genesis 2:2 Today's Scripture: Genesis 1:1-31 In today’s fast-paced world, many people with day planners, pagers, and cell phones are pushing themselves to the limit. Parents, sometimes with furrowed brows and clenched fists, race from soccer fields to school meetings to piano lessons—grabbing meals on the run and collapsing into bed at night exhausted. Is it possible that we as followers of Jesus Christ also approach life far too intensely? It seems that we often put ourselves under enormous pressure to succeed and to experience everything we possibly can. When we don’t, we can’t forgive ourselves for failing to measure up to our own expectations. But is this the way God wants us to live? When we examine His creation activity in Genesis 1, we see a simple pattern. First was the work of making the universe—everything from atoms to radishes to cats to man. Then came enjoyment—He saw that “it was very good” (Ge 1:31). Then came rest (Ge 2:1-2). God rested, not because He was weary but because He was satisfied with the completion of a job well done. When we take time for fun and play, For rest along life’s busy way, And when we pause to kneel and pray— We are renewed from day to day. —D. De Haan Beware the barrenness of a busy day. —Redpath Slow Down God . . . rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. — Genesis 2:2 Today's Scripture: Genesis 2:1-3 We live in an action-oriented world, and it seems that simplifying our lives has never been more complicated! Doesn’t it seem that there’s always work to do and no time for rest? Answer the following questions as honestly as you can to determine if you need to rest: Do I feel stressed when functioning in my normal day-to-day activities? Is it difficult to find joy? Do I get the kind of rest my body needs? Do I wake up tired? In creation, God established a pattern of work and rest, which is a model for believers. For 6 days God worked to bring order to our world. But on the seventh day, after He had finished all His creative activity, He rested. God demonstrated that rest is appropriate and right. Jesus showed us the importance of rest when He sat wearily beside a well after a long walk (John 4:6) and when He slept in the back of a boat with His head on a pillow (Mark 4:38). He also rested when He and His disciples got away from the crowds (Mark 6:31-32). If our body, soul, and spirit Are to function at their best, Time is needed for renewal— Time for leisure, time for rest. —D. De Haan All work and no play will take the joy of life away. Genesis 2:3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. BGT καὶ ηὐλόγησεν ὁ θεὸς τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν ἑβδόμην καὶ ἡγίασεν αὐτήν ὅτι ἐν αὐτῇ κατέπαυσεν ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ ὧν ἤρξατο ὁ θεὸς ποιῆσαι KJV And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. NET God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it he ceased all the work that he had been doing in creation. BBE And God gave his blessing to the seventh day and made it holy: because on that day he took his rest from all the work which he had made and done. CSB God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it He rested from His work of creation. ERV And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it: because that in it he rested from all his work which God had created and made. ESV So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. GWN Then God blessed the seventh day and set it apart as holy, because on that day he stopped all his work of creation. NKJ Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. NAB So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation. NIV And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. NJB God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on that day he rested after all his work of creating. NLT And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation. NRS So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation. YLT And God blesseth the seventh day, and sanctifieth it, for in it He hath ceased from all His work which God had prepared for making. LXE And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it he ceased from all his works which God began to do. ASV And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it; because that in it he rested from all his work which God had created and made. DBY And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it, because that on it he rested from all his work which God had created in making it. blessed: Ex 16:22-30 Ex 20:8-11 23:12 31:13-17 34:21 35:2,3 Lev 23:3 25:2,3 De 5:12-14 Ne 9:14 13:15-22 Pr 10:22 Isa 56:2-7 58:13,14 Jer 17:21-27 Eze 20:12 Mk 2:27 Lu 23:56 Heb 4:4-10 Genesis 2 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries Related Passages: Genesis 1:28+ God blessed (barak) them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Exodus 20:8-11+ “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9“Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. 11 “FOR (THIS EXPLAINS THE BASIS OF GOD'S SABBATH DECREE TO ISRAEL) in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. SEVENTH DAY BLESSED AND MADE HOLY Then - Remember that this conjunction is an important "time phrase" for it marking progression in the text. The picture is God stopped, then He blessed. God blessed (barak) the seventh day and sanctified (qadash; Lxx - hagiazo - made holy) it, because (term of explanation) in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made - Sanctified the seventh day means that God set it apart from all the other days. Why did God bless and sanctify the seventh day? He clearly explains that is was because He rested in that day. As noted above, God was not weary and in need of rest, but He was modeling man's need for rest on the seventh day (because unlike God, we do grow weary! See thought above) Later in Hebrews 4:4+ we see the writer distinguishing between physical rest and spiritual rest, the rest of redemption, resting in the Redeemer, which is always what this day pointed toward (even here in Genesis 2). THOUGHT - One might even see God's setting aside of the seventh day as a "memorial" to His work of creation, a day for us to remember the historically incredible event when God brought everything into existence out of nothing! And when we ponder His power to do this, we can be fully assured that there is nothing going on in our lives that He cannot give us the power to endure and/or conquer! (cf 1Co 10:13+).
Gênesis 2
Henry - Here is a name given to the Creator, "Jehovah." Where the word "LORD" is printed in capital letters in our English Bibles, in the original it is "Jehovah." Jehovah is that name of God, which denotes that He alone has His being of Himself, and that He gives being to all creatures and things. Victor Hamilton on LORD God - In Gen. 1 the emphasis is on creation via the majestic God who speaks and it is done. The more generic name for God—ʾĕlōhîm—fits this emphasis admirably. By contrast, the emphasis in 2:4ff. is more personal. The context here is not a universe but a garden. Also, the picture of man here is not of one with authority but of one under authority, a vassal in a covenant relationship. To be sure, Yahweh would be the proper designation for the deity at this point. The author proceeded, however, to append ʾĕlōhîm to Yahweh to conjoin the concept of a God whose sovereign control extends to both the material and the moral world. (See context in The Book of Genesis) Gilbrant on LORD God - Notice God is now referred to as Lord God (Hebrew, Yahweh Elohim). Elohim is from a root word that speaks of power. Yahweh is God’s personal name that speaks of His entire being in action, especially in his relationships where He is with people. It is also his covenant-keeping name and means “He will [actively] continue to be.” Gleason Archer asks "Do the names for God in Genesis 1 and 2 show a difference in the authorship of the two chapters?" Below is just an excerpt from Archer's answer (for the full discussion click The Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties and scroll to page 65) Going back, then, to the explanation for the difference in the name-usage followed in Genesis 2 as opposed to Genesis 1, the reason for this distinction is perfectly evident in the light of the previous discussion. “Elohim” was the only name of God appropriate in a narrative of God’s work of creation as Ruler over all nature and the universe. But in chapter 2 He comes into a personal covenant with Adam and Eve; and therefore to them God (Elohim) displayed Himself as “Yahweh,” the God of grace and covenant. Therefore, throughout the chapter, in all eleven occurrences, Yahweh occurs in combination with Elohim, never alone. This clearly implies that the same God who made the universe in six creative stages is the very same Lord who loved and cared for Adam and His son, created after His own image. The same is true throughout chapter 3: “Yahweh” is never used alone but only in combination with “Elohim.” Not until we come to Eve’s comment in Genesis 4:1 do we encounter the first occurrence of “Yahweh” (or LORD) alone, without Elohim. In view of this consistent combination of the two names throughout chapters 2 and 3, it is difficult to imagine how Astruc, Eichhorn, or any other scholar could have come up with the theory that there ever was a prior source that knew of God only by the name Yahweh. In view of the constant joining of the two names together, one would have to suppose that some later redactor chose to glue together by dint of scissors and paste a snippet of “J” ending with “Yahweh” with a snippet of “E” or “P” that began with “Elohim.” Such an artificial and bizarre process of combination extending through two entire chapters has never even discovered in the literature of any other nation or time. It calls for an extraordinary degree of naive credulity to suppose that it could have been so in the case of Genesis 2 and 3. (The Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties scroll to page 65) Believer's Study Bible has an interesting discussion of the new Name for God - Chapter 2 does not introduce a new creation account but is a detailed unfolding of the same information, with emphasis on what happened to creation. The second chapter presupposes the first, and the differences are complementary and supplementary, not contradictory. This passage is a particularization and expansion of Ge 1:26, 27. This verse marks the introduction of the personal name of the God of Israel, Yahweh. It is regularly translated "Lord," with capital and small capital letters, to distinguish it from ^adonai, the title, "Lord." Up to this point only ^elohim (Heb.), translated "God," indicating the transcendent God of Creation, has been used (Ge 1:1); but here the personal name occurs, introducing God in His redemptive capacity. The divine name Yahweh is identified as God's covenant name (Ex. 3:13-16; 6:1-3), showing His personal relationship to those who believe. This is the appropriate time for the appearance of God as Redeemer -- at the very moment that man appears in history. Yahweh is man's tutor (Ge 2:9-17); He is man's benefactor, providing him with the garden in which to work out his stewardship; and He is man's provider, supplying man with a counterpart, i.e., a wife, equal to him in all things and indispensable to the continuity of the race (Ge 2:18-25).....the title Yahweh Elohim, "Lord God," together with implications throughout the creation narrative, pictures God as both transcendent and immanent. Though He is self-sufficient, He has chosen to bind Himself in covenant to His creation. (Believer's Study Bible) NET NOTE on heavens and earth - the phrase “the heavens and the earth” is also found in Ge 1:1; the order here is reversed, but the meaning is the same. Or “the entire universe”; or “the sky and the dry land.” This phrase is often interpreted as a merism, referring to the entire ordered universe, including the heavens and the earth and everything in them. The “heavens and the earth” were completed in seven days (see Gen 2:1) and are characterized by fixed laws (see Jer 33:25). “Heavens” refers specifically to the sky, created on the second day (see Ge 1:8), while “earth” refers specifically to the dry land, created on the third day (see Ge 1:10). Both are distinct from the sea/seas (see Ge 1:10 and Ex 20:11). TECHNICAL NOTE - Advocates of the so-called documentary hypothesis of pentateuchal authorship argue that the introduction of the name Yahweh (LORD) here indicates that a new source (designated J), a parallel account of creation, begins here. In this scheme Gen 1:1–2:3 is understood as the priestly source (designated P) of creation. Critics of this approach often respond that the names, rather than indicating separate sources, were chosen to reflect the subject matter (see U. Cassuto, The Documentary Hypothesis). Gen 1:1–2:3 is the grand prologue of the book, showing the sovereign God creating by decree. The narrative beginning in 2:4 is the account of what this God invested in his creation. Since it deals with the close, personal involvement of the covenant God, the narrative uses the covenantal name Yahweh (LORD) in combination with the name God. For a recent discussion of the documentary hypothesis from a theologically conservative perspective, see D. A. Garrett, Rethinking Genesis. For an attempt by source critics to demonstrate the legitimacy of the source critical method on the basis of ancient Near Eastern parallels, see J. H. Tigay, ed., Empirical Models for Biblical Criticism. For reaction to the source critical method by literary critics, see I. M. Kikawada and A. Quinn, Before Abraham Was; R. Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, 131–54; and Adele Berlin, Poetics and Interpretation of Biblical Narrative, 111–34. (NET NOTE) QUESTION - What is the documentary hypothesis? ANSWER - The documentary hypothesis is essentially an attempt to take the supernatural out of the Pentateuch and to deny its Mosaic authorship. The accounts of the Red Sea crossing, the manna in the wilderness, the provision of water from a solid rock, etc., are considered stories from oral tradition, thus making the miraculous happenings mere products of imaginative storytellers and not events that actually happened and were recorded by eyewitnesses. The documentary hypothesis, along with the JEDP theory, denies that Moses wrote the Pentateuch and instead ascribes its authorship to four (or more) different authors/redactors spread out over several hundreds of years. The documentary hypothesis is liberal theology’s attempt to call the veracity of the Pentateuch into question. Proponents of the documentary hypothesis believe as follows: instead of placing the writing of the Pentateuch around 1400 BC (when Moses died), the timeframe has shifted 1,000 years to around 400 BC. A 1,000-year-old memory, even when passed down as faithfully as possible, will change the story of the original events. Remember, the Pentateuch was still being written during the time when the Israelites wandered in the wilderness as a result of their rebellion against God. To finally record this journey some 1,000 years after it happened is to invite speculation on the genuineness of the original journey. Liberal theologians have, through the years, tried to weaken the Word of God, and one way they do that is by casting doubt on the historicity and authorship of the Pentateuch. The question is whether this liberal theological view has any basis in reality. The date for the writing of the Pentateuch is a case in point. Liberal theology dates the writing of the Pentateuch from 400 BC, which is after the Babylonian Captivity. This means that Moses could not possibly have written the Pentateuch, for he died about 1,000 years before that. However, Jesus said in Mark 12:26, “Have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?” Jesus states plainly that Moses wrote the account of the burning bush in Exodus 3. To date the Pentateuch some 1,000 years after the death of Moses is to deny Jesus’ words, for He specifies that Exodus is part of “the book of Moses.” There is strong evidence that Moses also wrote the other books of the Pentateuch, disproving the whole documentary hypothesis. Peter, in Acts 3:22, comments on Deuteronomy 18:15 and credits Moses as being the author of that passage. Paul, in Romans 10:5, says, “Moses writes this,” and then proceeds to quote Leviticus 18:5. The documentary hypothesis calls into question the testimonies of Jesus, Peter, and Paul, for all of them testified that Moses wrote at least three of the books of the Pentateuch. Jewish history and tradition also credit Moses as the author of the Pentateuch, giving no support whatsoever to the documentary hypothesis. The documentary hypothesis is only a hypothesis; it has never been proved, no matter how many liberal theologians claim that it has been.GotQuestions.org Norman Geisler - When Critics Ask (go to page 27) GENESIS 2:4—Why does this chapter use the term “Lord God” rather than “God” as in chapter one? PROBLEM: Many critics insist that Genesis 2 must have been written by someone different from the one who wrote Genesis 1, since Genesis 2 uses a different name for God. However, conservative scholars have always insisted that Moses composed Genesis, as indeed both Jewish and Christian scholars have down through the centuries. Indeed, the first five books of the OT are called “the Books of Moses” (2 Chron. 25:4) or “Law of Moses” (Luke 24:44) by both OT and NT writers. SOLUTION: Moses did write the first five books of the OT (see comments on Ex. 24:4). The use of a different term for God in the second chapter of Genesis does not prove there was a different author; it simply shows that the same author had a different purpose (see comments on Gen. 2:19). In chapter 1, God is the Creator, whereas in chapter 2 He is the Communicator. First, man is seen in his relation to the Creator (hence, the use of “God” or elohim, the mighty one). Next, God is seen as the Covenant-maker, thus, the use of “Lord God,” the One who makes covenants with man. Different names are used of God since they designate a different aspect of His dealings with man (see Gen. 15:1; Ex. 6:3). Genesis 2:5 Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. BGT καὶ πᾶν χλωρὸν ἀγροῦ πρὸ τοῦ γενέσθαι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ πάντα χόρτον ἀγροῦ πρὸ τοῦ ἀνατεῖλαι οὐ γὰρ ἔβρεξεν ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ἦν ἐργάζεσθαι τὴν γῆν KJV And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. NET Now no shrub of the field had yet grown on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. BBE In the day when the Lord God made earth and heaven there were no plants of the field on the earth, and no grass had come up: for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to do work on the land. CSB No shrub of the field had yet grown on the land, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not made it rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground. ERV And no plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground; ESV When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up-- for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, GWN Wild bushes and plants were not on the earth yet because the LORD God hadn't sent rain on the earth. Also, there was no one to farm the land. NKJ before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; NAB while as yet there was no field shrub on earth and no grass of the field had sprouted, for the LORD God had sent no rain upon the earth and there was no man to till the soil, NIV and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, NJB there was as yet no wild bush on the earth nor had any wild plant yet sprung up, for Yahweh God had not sent rain on the earth, nor was there any man to till the soil. NLT neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth. The LORD God had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were no people to cultivate the soil. NRS when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up-- for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground; YLT and no shrub of the field is yet in the earth, and no herb of the field yet sprouteth, for Jehovah God hath not rained upon the earth, and a man there is not to serve the ground, LXE and every herb of the field before it was on the earth, and all the grass of the field before it sprang up, for God had not rained on the earth, and there was not a man to cultivate it. ASV And no plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for Jehovah God had not caused it to rain upon the earth: and there was not a man to till the ground; DBY and every shrub of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew; for Jehovah Elohim had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground. shrub: Ge 1:12-13 Ps 104:14 the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth: Job 5:10 38:26-28 Ps 65:9-11 135:7 Jer 14:22 Mt 5:45 Heb 6:7 no man to cultivate the ground: Ge 3:23 4:2,12 Genesis 2 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries Related Passage: Psalm 104:14 He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, And vegetation for the labor of man, So that he may bring forth food from the earth, EARTHLY CONDITIONS PRIOR TO MAN'S PRESENCE Now no shrub (bush - ESV) of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man (adam) to cultivate the ground (adamah) - This verse describes the condition of the earth prior to the creation of man. Here we see a reiteration of the third day of creation where Moses recorded "The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning, a third day." (Ge 1:12-13+) Note the for (term of explanation) explaining why there were no shrubs or plants - no rain, no man to cultivate. God will not send rain until the global flood (Ge 7:4, 12). Matthew Henry - Further notice is taken of plants and herbs, because they were made and appointed to be food for man. The earth did not bring forth its fruits of itself: this was done by Almighty power. Thus grace in the soul grows not of itself in nature's soil, but is the work of God. Rain also is the gift of God; it came not till the Lord God caused it. Though God works by means, yet when he pleases He can do His own work without them; and though we must not tempt God in the neglect of means, we must trust God, both in the use and in the want of means. Some way or other, God will water the plants of His own planting. Divine grace comes down like the dew, and waters the church without noise. NET NOTE on shrub of the field - Heb “Now every sprig of the field before it was.” The verb forms, although appearing to be imperfects, are technically preterites coming after the adverb טֶּרֶם (terem). The word order (conjunction + subject + predicate) indicates a disjunctive clause, which provides background information for the following narrative (as in Ge 1:2). Two negative clauses are given (“before any sprig …”, and “before any cultivated grain” existed), followed by two causal clauses explaining them, and then a positive circumstantial clause is given—again dealing with water as in Ge 1:2 (water would well up). NET NOTE on no plant of the field - .The first term, שִׂיחַ (siakh) (SHRUB), probably refers to the wild, uncultivated plants (see Gen 21:15; Job 30:4, 7); whereas the second, עֵשֶׂב (’esev) (PLANT), refers to cultivated grains. It is a way of saying: “back before anything was growing.” Man (0120)(adam) means man (as opposed to woman - Ge 2:18, Eccl 7:28), mankind, generically the human race (Ge 1:27; Nu 8:17; Ps. 144:3; Isa. 2:17), son of man in Ezekiel (cf Ezek 2:1,3, et al). L J Coppes - Although the etymology of ʾādām cannot be explained with certainty (cf. TDOT, I, p. 78), the word probably relates to the original ruddiness of man's complexion....This word for man has to do with man as being in God's image, the crown of creation. It should be distinguished from ʾîsh (man as opposite of woman, or as man distinguished in his manliness), ʾenôsh (man as weak and vulnerable), geber (man as mighty and noble), and metîm....ʾādām occurs exclusively in the singular absolute, 562 times. ʾādām also refers to generic man as the image of God and the crown of creation or is a personal name. Hence in Genesis 1-3 it is the word usually used for man. (In later passages of Scripture it is difficult to distinguish in meaning from ʾîsh.) Here, man is distinct from the rest of creation in that he was created by special and solemn divine counsel (Genesis 1:26); his creation was an immediate act of God; he was created after the divine type; he was created with two distinct elements (Genesis 2:7); he was placed in an exalted position (Genesis 1:28); he was intended for a still higher (in the sense of a permanent and fulfilled) position. Hence, man (as ʾādām) was the crown of creation. Genesis I sets forth ʾādām as the goal and vice-regent of creation, while Genesis 2 shows how the creation was formed as the scene of man's activity, i.e. it was formed around ʾādām. In the first three chapters of Genesis there is a wordplay on man, mankind, and the first man "Adam." ʾādām connotes man in the image of God as to soul or spirit (indicating man's essential simplicity, spirituality, invisibility, immortality), physical powers or faculties (the intellect and will with their functions), intellectual and moral integrity (true knowledge, righteousness, and holiness), body (as a fit organ of the soul sharing its immortality, and as the means through which man exercises his dominion), and dominion over the lower creation....Even after the fall ʾādām is used of man! The image of God is still the central distinction. Hence, murder is an attack on the image of God (Genesis 9:6). However, the fall lowered man's position before God (Genesis 6:5-6; Genesis 8:21), ruptured his communion with God, and brought the curse of death on him so that he did not fulfill his intended exaltation. That part of the divine image consisting of true knowledge, righteousness, and holiness was destroyed. Only in and by Christ, the new Adam (Romans 5:12-21), can the original divine promise be realized. (See link to the TWOT) Vine - This noun is related to the verb ʾādōm, "to be red," and therefore probably relates to the original ruddiness of human skin. The noun connotes notes "man" as the creature created in God's image, the crown of all creation. In its first appearance ʾādām is used for mankind, or generic man: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…" (Gen. 1:26). In Gen. 2:7 the word refers to the first "man," Adam: "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." ((Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old Testament and New Testament Words)) Gilbrant - This is one of the most common nouns in Hebrew, occurring 562 times, 93 of them in Ezekiel. The bulk of these occurrences is in reference to "humanity." A prime secondary meaning is "(generalized) individual mortal." This noun is common throughout the Semitic world. "Humanity" is found in Ugaritic, while the Phoenician cognate is "man." Arabic and Syriac have a cognate, "skin." Old South Arabian has a cognate meaning "slave." Also, there is a verbal stem meaning "to be red," which occurs in Classical Hebrew, Mishnaic Hebrew, Ugaritic, Arabic, Ethiopic, Akkadian, and Egyptian.A cognate noun of the verbal root above, meaning "(arable) soil," appears in Classical and Mishnaic Hebrew, Syriac, and Nabatean. On account of these cognates, many scholars argue that the root concept of the noun comes from human flesh being a reddish color. Others hold that the association with soil is significant in the underlying development of this noun since Adam was created from the dust. The latter is theologically significant in the creation account of Genesis 2, Akkadian myths (mixed with divine blood, again "red"), and one of many Egyptian creation myths (Khnum as potter; Wisdom of Amenemport states "humans are clay and straw, and gods are the builders"). Beyond this observation, little meaning is able to be generated from etymological manipulation. The word is used as a collective, meaning "humanity." It is used to distinguish mortals from God. Humans are limited in intelligence (Ezek. 28:2f), whereas Yahweh is omniscient (1 Sam. 6:7). Humans are also mortal (Ps. 90:3; 39:6; Ezek. 28:9); morally inferior (1 Ki. 8:46; Ecc. 9:3); and all their efforts are in vain (Ps. 56:11; Ecc. 1:3). Humans are dependent upon God for their existence (Deut. 8:13), but cannot live in the same realm as Yahweh (2 Chr. 6:18; Exo. 33:20). Humans are distinct from other created life, being a "living being." Yahweh has granted humans the role of ruler over the rest of creation (Ps. 115:16). Humans are created in the image of God, the image at least in part attributable to their capacity to rule (Gen. 1:26). Often ʾādhām is paired with a noun for animals, generally to underscore the degree of coming calamity (Jer. 7:20). Yahweh is the creator of all humans. The word ʾādhām is not limited to any segment of humanity (Gen. 1:26f; 9:5f; Ps. 89:47). The word can be used to mean "individual" or "mortal." The repeated title in Ezekiel, "son of man," underscores this aspect of not only the prophet being a fallible human, but that all humans are mortal (see chapter 28, prophecy against Tyre). Although Jesus also used the same title of himself, this in no way implies that He was fallible. Ezekiel labels corpses (meth ʾādhām, 44:25) and slaves (nepesh ʾādhām) with this word. The creatures of the vision of his calling physically resemble humans in some aspects (1:5ff). The personal name Adam is the prime example of the noun being used to represent the ideal human (HED #120). Adam was the prototype, engaging in the full gamut of human existence, from walking with God and ruling creation to sinning, and being cut off from the presence of God. The semantic boundaries between synonyms for individual humans (ʾîsh, ʾflnôsh, gever) and ʾādhām are not readily evident. The etymologies of these words can explain a bit about the period of derivation (e.g., the contrast between humans as frail, ʾflnôsh, and physically powerful, gever, couldn't be stronger at the point of derivation), but the semantic boundaries are unclear. ʾAdhām is the sole term associated with creation, and is the word used as a collective. See also the following word studies: 382, 596, 1429. (Complete Biblical Library) Adam - 524v - any man(2), anyone(4), anyone's(1), being*(1), common sort*(1), human(19), infantry(1), low degree*(1), low*(1), man(363), man's(20), man*(1), mankind(9), men(104), men of low degree*(1), men's(3), men*(4), mortal(1), one(3), people(1), person(5), person*(1), persons(3), population(1), someone(1). Gen. 1:26; Gen. 1:27; Gen. 2:5; Gen. 2:7; Gen. 2:8; Gen. 2:15; Gen. 2:16; Gen. 2:18; Gen. 2:19; Gen. 2:20; Gen. 2:21; Gen. 2:22; Gen. 2:23; Gen. 2:25; Gen. 3:8; Gen. 3:9; Gen. 3:12; Gen. 3:20; Gen. 3:22; Gen. 3:24; Gen. 4:1; Gen. 5:1; Gen. 5:2; Gen. 6:1; Gen. 6:2; Gen. 6:3; Gen. 6:4; Gen. 6:5; Gen. 6:6; Gen. 6:7; Gen. 7:21; Gen. 7:23; Gen. 8:21; Gen. 9:5; Gen. 9:6; Gen. 11:5; Gen. 16:12; Exod. 4:11; Exod. 8:17; Exod. 8:18; Exod. 9:9; Exod. 9:10; Exod. 9:19; Exod. 9:22; Exod. 9:25; Exod. 12:12; Exod. 13:2; Exod. 13:13; Exod. 13:15; Exod. 30:32; Exod. 33:20; Lev. 1:2; Lev. 5:3; Lev. 5:4; Lev. 6:3; Lev. 7:21; Lev. 13:2; Lev. 13:9; Lev. 16:17; Lev. 18:5; Lev. 22:5; Lev. 24:17; Lev. 24:20; Lev. 24:21; Lev. 27:28; Lev. 27:29; Num. 3:13; Num. 5:6; Num. 8:17; Num. 12:3; Num. 16:29; Num. 16:32; Num. 18:15; Num. 19:11; Num. 19:13; Num. 19:14; Num. 19:16; Num. 23:19; Num. 31:11; Num. 31:26; Num. 31:28; Num. 31:30; Num. 31:35; Num. 31:40; Num. 31:46; Num. 31:47; Deut. 4:28; Deut. 4:32; Deut. 5:24; Deut. 8:3; Deut. 20:19; Deut. 32:8; Jos. 11:14; Jos. 14:15; Jdg. 16:7; Jdg. 16:11; Jdg. 16:13; Jdg. 16:17; Jdg. 18:7; Jdg. 18:28; 1 Sam. 15:29; 1 Sam. 16:7; 1 Sam. 17:32; 1 Sam. 24:9; 1 Sam. 25:29; 1 Sam. 26:19; 2 Sam. 7:14; 2 Sam. 7:19; 2 Sam. 23:3; 2 Sam. 24:14; 1 Ki. 4:31; 1 Ki. 8:38; 1 Ki. 8:39; 1 Ki. 8:46; 1 Ki. 13:2; 2 Ki. 7:10; 2 Ki. 19:18; 2 Ki. 23:14; 2 Ki. 23:20; 1 Chr. 5:21; 1 Chr. 17:17; 1 Chr. 21:13; 1 Chr. 29:1; 2 Chr. 6:18; 2 Chr. 6:29; 2 Chr. 6:30; 2 Chr. 6:36; 2 Chr. 19:6; 2 Chr. 32:19; Neh. 2:10; Neh. 2:12; Neh. 9:29; Job 5:7; Job 7:20; Job 11:12; Job 14:1; Job 14:10; Job 15:7; Job 16:21; Job 20:4; Job 20:29; Job 21:4; Job 21:33; Job 25:6; Job 27:13; Job 28:28; Job 32:21; Job 33:17; Job 33:23; Job 34:11; Job 34:15; Job 34:29; Job 34:30; Job 35:8; Job 36:25; Job 36:28; Job 37:7; Job 38:26; Ps. 8:4; Ps. 11:4; Ps. 12:1; Ps. 12:8; Ps. 14:2; Ps. 17:4; Ps. 21:10; Ps. 22:6; Ps. 31:19; Ps. 32:2; Ps. 33:13; Ps. 36:6; Ps. 36:7; Ps. 39:5; Ps. 39:11; Ps. 45:2; Ps. 49:2; Ps. 49:12; Ps. 49:20; Ps. 53:2; Ps. 56:11; Ps. 57:4; Ps. 58:1; Ps. 58:11; Ps. 60:11; Ps. 62:9; Ps. 64:9; Ps. 66:5; Ps. 68:18; Ps. 73:5; Ps. 76:10; Ps. 78:60; Ps. 80:17; Ps. 82:7; Ps. 84:5; Ps. 84:12; Ps. 89:47; Ps. 90:3; Ps. 94:10; Ps. 94:11; Ps. 104:14; Ps. 104:23; Ps. 105:14; Ps. 107:8; Ps. 107:15; Ps. 107:21; Ps. 107:31; Ps. 108:12; Ps. 115:4; Ps. 115:16; Ps. 116:11; Ps. 118:6; Ps. 118:8; Ps. 119:134; Ps. 124:2; Ps. 135:8; Ps. 135:15; Ps. 140:1; Ps. 144:3; Ps. 144:4; Ps. 145:12; Ps. 146:3; Prov. 3:4; Prov. 3:13; Prov. 3:30; Prov. 6:12; Prov. 8:4; Prov. 8:31; Prov. 8:34; Prov. 11:7; Prov. 12:3; Prov. 12:14; Prov. 12:23; Prov. 12:27; Prov. 15:11; Prov. 15:20; Prov. 16:1; Prov. 16:9; Prov. 17:18; Prov. 18:16; Prov. 19:3; Prov. 19:11; Prov. 19:22; Prov. 20:6; Prov. 20:24; Prov. 20:25; Prov. 20:27; Prov. 21:16; Prov. 21:20; Prov. 23:28; Prov. 24:9; Prov. 24:12; Prov. 24:30; Prov. 27:19; Prov. 27:20; Prov. 28:2; Prov. 28:12; Prov. 28:14; Prov. 28:17; Prov. 28:23; Prov. 28:28; Prov. 29:23; Prov. 29:25; Prov. 30:2; Prov. 30:14; Eccl. 1:3; Eccl. 1:13; Eccl. 2:3; Eccl. 2:8; Eccl. 2:12; Eccl. 2:18; Eccl. 2:21; Eccl. 2:22; Eccl. 2:24; Eccl. 2:26; Eccl. 3:10; Eccl. 3:11; Eccl. 3:13; Eccl. 3:18; Eccl. 3:19; Eccl. 3:21; Eccl. 3:22; Eccl. 5:19; Eccl. 6:1; Eccl. 6:7; Eccl. 6:10; Eccl. 6:11; Eccl. 6:12; Eccl. 7:2; Eccl. 7:14; Eccl. 7:20; Eccl. 7:28; Eccl. 7:29; Eccl. 8:1; Eccl. 8:6; Eccl. 8:8; Eccl. 8:9; Eccl. 8:11; Eccl. 8:15; Eccl. 8:17; Eccl. 9:1; Eccl. 9:3; Eccl. 9:12; Eccl. 9:15; Eccl. 10:14; Eccl. 11:8; Eccl. 12:5; Eccl. 12:13; Isa. 2:9; Isa. 2:11; Isa. 2:17; Isa. 2:20; Isa. 2:22; Isa. 5:15; Isa. 6:11; Isa. 6:12; Isa. 13:12; Isa. 17:7; Isa. 22:6; Isa. 29:19; Isa. 29:21; Isa. 31:3; Isa. 31:8; Isa. 37:19; Isa. 38:11; Isa. 43:4; Isa. 44:11; Isa. 44:13; Isa. 44:15; Isa. 45:12; Isa. 47:3; Isa. 51:12; Isa. 52:14; Isa. 56:2; Isa. 58:5; Jer. 2:6; Jer. 4:25; Jer. 7:20; Jer. 9:22; Jer. 10:14; Jer. 10:23; Jer. 16:20; Jer. 17:5; Jer. 21:6; Jer. 27:5; Jer. 31:27; Jer. 31:30; Jer. 32:19; Jer. 32:20; Jer. 32:43; Jer. 33:5; Jer. 33:10; Jer. 33:12; Jer. 36:29; Jer. 47:2; Jer. 49:15; Jer. 49:18; Jer. 49:33; Jer. 50:3; Jer. 50:40; Jer. 51:14; Jer. 51:17; Jer. 51:43; Jer. 51:62; Lam. 3:36; Lam. 3:39; Ezek. 1:5; Ezek. 1:8; Ezek. 1:10; Ezek. 1:26; Ezek. 2:1; Ezek. 2:3; Ezek. 2:6; Ezek. 2:8; Ezek. 3:1; Ezek. 3:3; Ezek. 3:4; Ezek. 3:10; Ezek. 3:17; Ezek. 3:25; Ezek. 4:1; Ezek. 4:12; Ezek. 4:15; Ezek. 4:16; Ezek. 5:1; Ezek. 6:2; Ezek. 7:2; Ezek. 8:5; Ezek. 8:6; Ezek. 8:8; Ezek. 8:12; Ezek. 8:15; Ezek. 8:17; Ezek. 10:8; Ezek. 10:14; Ezek. 10:21; Ezek. 11:2; Ezek. 11:4; Ezek. 11:15; Ezek. 12:2; Ezek. 12:3; Ezek. 12:9; Ezek. 12:18; Ezek. 12:22; Ezek. 12:27; Ezek. 13:2; Ezek. 13:17; Ezek. 14:3; Ezek. 14:13; Ezek. 14:17; Ezek. 14:19; Ezek. 14:21; Ezek. 15:2; Ezek. 16:2; Ezek. 17:2; Ezek. 19:3; Ezek. 19:6; Ezek. 20:3; Ezek. 20:4; Ezek. 20:11; Ezek. 20:13; Ezek. 20:21; Ezek. 20:27; Ezek. 20:46; Ezek. 21:2; Ezek. 21:6; Ezek. 21:9; Ezek. 21:12; Ezek. 21:14; Ezek. 21:19; Ezek. 21:28; Ezek. 22:2; Ezek. 22:18; Ezek. 22:24; Ezek. 23:2; Ezek. 23:36; Ezek. 23:42; Ezek. 24:2; Ezek. 24:16; Ezek. 24:25; Ezek. 25:2; Ezek. 25:13; Ezek. 26:2; Ezek. 27:2; Ezek. 27:13; Ezek. 28:2; Ezek. 28:9; Ezek. 28:12; Ezek. 28:21; Ezek. 29:2; Ezek. 29:8; Ezek. 29:11; Ezek. 29:18; Ezek. 30:2; Ezek. 30:21; Ezek. 31:2; Ezek. 31:14; Ezek. 32:2; Ezek. 32:13; Ezek. 32:18; Ezek. 33:2; Ezek. 33:7; Ezek. 33:10; Ezek. 33:12; Ezek. 33:24; Ezek. 33:30; Ezek. 34:2; Ezek. 34:31; Ezek. 35:2; Ezek. 36:1; Ezek. 36:10; Ezek. 36:11; Ezek. 36:12; Ezek. 36:13; Ezek. 36:14; Ezek. 36:17; Ezek. 36:37; Ezek. 36:38; Ezek. 37:3; Ezek. 37:9; Ezek. 37:11; Ezek. 37:16; Ezek. 38:2; Ezek. 38:14; Ezek. 38:20; Ezek. 39:1; Ezek. 39:15; Ezek. 39:17; Ezek. 40:4; Ezek. 41:19; Ezek. 43:7; Ezek. 43:10; Ezek. 43:18; Ezek. 44:5; Ezek. 44:25; Ezek. 47:6; Dan. 8:16; Dan. 8:17; Dan. 10:16; Dan. 10:18; Hos. 9:12; Hos. 11:4; Hos. 13:2; Joel 1:12; Amos 4:13; Jon. 3:7; Jon. 3:8; Jon. 4:11; Mic. 2:12; Mic. 5:5; Mic. 5:7; Mic. 6:8; Mic. 7:2; Hab. 1:14; Hab. 2:8; Hab. 2:17; Zeph. 1:3; Zeph. 1:17; Hag. 1:11; Zech. 2:4; Zech. 8:10; Zech. 9:1; Zech. 11:6; Zech. 12:1; Zech. 13:5; Mal. 3:8 Ground (0127)(adamah) means dirt, ground (first us Ge 1:25), earth, clay (God used dirt/clay to form man - Ge 2:7), land (cultivated - Ge 4:2, Zech 13:5). Adam originated from the ground and charged with the task of tending the ground, his source of origin (Ge 2:7, 15). In a broader sense, adamah means the inhabited earth (Isa. 24:21; Amos 3:2). Adamah describes dirt put on one's head during mourning (2Sa 1:2; Neh. 9:1). Vine says adamah is "arable "ground" (probably red in color). As such it supports water and plants: "But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground" (Ge 2:6, Ge 1:25)....The word is contrasted to unproductive soil, or "waste land," and the generic word for the surface of the planet "earth," which may represent either or both of the preceding words. The body of the first man, Adam, was formed exclusively from the ʾadāmâ (cf. Gen. 2:7, 9) Adāmâh may be used specifically to describe what has been and will be cultivated by a given group of people, or what they possess to this end (Dt. 26:15). A further variation of this nuance refers to the actual soil itself: "Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth [with which to build an altar to the true God]?" (2Ki 5:17). In Exod. 3:5 ʾadāmâ is used more in the sense "ground," what is below one's feet irrespective of its cultivable properties: "… Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." Throughout the Old Testament there is a relationship between ʾādām, "man," and the ʾadāmâh. The two words have an etymological affinity inasmuch as they both appear to be derived from the verb ʾādōm, "to be red." If Adam were to remain obedient to God, the "ground" would give forth its fruit. Hence, the "ground" was God's possession and under His command (Ge 2:6). He made it respond to His servant. The entry of sin disrupted the harmony between man and the "ground," and the "ground" no longer responded to man's care. His life moved in and toward death rather than upward and toward life. Increased human rebellion caused decreased fruitfulness of the "ground" (Ge 4:12, 14; cf. Ge 8:21). In Abraham the promised redemption (Ge 3:15) took the form of the restoration of a proper relation between God and man and between man and the "ground" (Ge 28:14-15). Under Moses the fruitfulness of the "ground" depended on the obedience of God's people (cf. Dt. 11:17). (Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old Testament and New Testament Words) Gilbrant - The root of this term is ʾādhfim (HED #118) probably indicating the general idea of "redness." The original idea was red, tillable soil, or land that would produce crops and sustain life. There is a connection intended between Adam, all of humanity and the soil. Adam was created out of the dust of the earth. He was to work the soil to live, and at the end of his days, he was to return to the earth. In Gen. 2:6, 7, "ground" and "man" are from the same Hebrew root. "But there went up a mist from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. 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." Note the continued emphasis in Ge 3:22, 23. "And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken." The term ʾădhāmāh is used in the OT in several specific contexts. The most basic use is as a substance. It is the reddish earth of the Mediterranean area. It may be dry and hard, or damp and moist as clay or mud. It is often the word used for the dust sprinkled upon the head in the ceremony of mourning. This action also served as a sign of repentance or humility. Such is the use in Nehemiah 9:1, "Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them." The act described in this text is intended to graphically portray the connection of humans with the earth. The earth is also the place where man will ultimately "sleep." Drawing upon the ties between human origins and ground, is the usage of this term for "grave" or "underworld." The blood of Abel cries from the ground (Genesis 10). In Numbers 17, the ground opens its mouth, and all the Korathites will go down alive into Sheol. Other usages include: productive, tillable land that was cultivated to produce crops (Prov. 12:11); "property," land owned or held as a posession (Ruth 4:3); and a specific geographic area where a person or a people dwells, as in "the land of Judah" (Isa. 19:17). The Isaiah passage is analogous to the usage in Isa. 32:13, "Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city." (Complete Biblical Library) Leonard Coppes - The Bible makes much of the relationship between man (ʾādām) and the ground (ʾădāmâ). That this might be vivid in the mind of the reader we will transliterate the words in the following discussion. Initially, God made ʾādām out of the ʾădāmâ to till the ʾădāmâ (Genesis 3:23, to bring forth life?). The ʾădāmâ was God's possession and under his care (Genesis 2:6). Thus, the first ʾādām (the man, Adam) and his family were to act as God's servants by obeying him in maintaining the divinely created and intended relationships vertically and horizontally. As long as this condition was sustained God caused the ʾădāmâ to give its fruitfulness (blessing) to ʾādām. Then came sin. The unit ʾādām (Adam and Eve; see also Romans 5:12) violated the created structure. The ʾădāmâ, henceforth, brought forth thorns and thistles rather than freely giving fruit (Genesis 3:17). Since ʾādām had disrupted the paradisiacal life-producing state, he was driven off the paradisiacal ʾădāmâ and sentenced to return to the ʾădāmâ (Genesis 3:19). He was driven to it rather than it being given to him. He was to go down rather than up. His life moved in and toward death rather than in and toward life. However, the gracious Creator did not completely destroy ʾādām. He promised to bring forth from ʾādām a lifegiver (Genesis 3:15). As a token of that promise the Creator caused the ʾădāmâ to give of its fruit (blessing) to ʾādām (note the curse on Cain, Genesis 4:12, 14, whereby the ʾădāmâ was no longer to give its strength to him). Because of disobedience ʾādām received a curse from the ʾădāmâ rather than life. Thus, we see that ʾādām/ʾădāmâ are deeply involved in the pattern creation-fall-redemption. This pattern is repeated throughout the OT. After the flood God said he would never again curse the ʾădāmâ because of ʾādām (Genesis 8:21). He made a new covenant (creation) with Noah (Genesis 9:1-17) who became the father of ʾādām (since only Noah and his immediate family were in the ark, Genesis 7:7). Noah became a tiller of the ʾădāmâ (Genesis 9:20), and God blessed his efforts. However, Noah sinned. In Abraham the promise (redemption) given by God through Noah to Shem emerges in the form of Paradise regained, i.e. the promised land (ʾădāmâ, Genesis 28:14-15). In the Mosaic legislation God gives the ʾădāmâ or takes it away according to the obedience of his people (Leviticus 20:24). Its fruitfulness depends upon their obedience (Deut. 11:17). Solomon repeats this creation-fall-redemption pattern around ʾādām/ʾădāmâ (1 Kings 8:34, 40). This cycle governs the history of Israel (1 Kings 13:34; 1 Kings 14:15; 2 Kings 21:8; 2 Kings 25:21). Nehemiah recognizes the same theological pattern (Neh. 10:37 [H 38]). In the eschaton God will change the inner constitution of ʾādām (fully restore the divine image) so as to eliminate the possibility of a fall and assure eternal possession of the ʾădāmâ which yields its fruit freely (Ezekiel 36:25-30; cf. Jeremiah 31:33-34; 2 Cor. 5:17; Hebrews 8:8-12)—the return to the garden of Eden (Ezekiel 36:35). (See link to the TWOT) Adamah - 224x in 210v - country(1), dirt(1), dust(3), earth(32), farming*(1), fields(1), ground(64), land(112), lands(2), soil(7). Gen. 1:25; Gen. 2:5; Gen. 2:6; Gen. 2:7; Gen. 2:9; Gen. 2:19; Gen. 3:17; Gen. 3:19; Gen. 3:23; Gen. 4:2; Gen. 4:3; Gen. 4:10; Gen. 4:11; Gen. 4:12; Gen. 4:14; Gen. 5:29; Gen. 6:1; Gen. 6:7; Gen. 6:20; Gen. 7:4; Gen. 7:8; Gen. 7:23; Gen. 8:8; Gen. 8:13; Gen. 8:21; Gen. 9:2; Gen. 9:20; Gen. 12:3; Gen. 19:25; Gen. 28:14; Gen. 28:15; Gen. 47:18; Gen. 47:19; Gen. 47:20; Gen. 47:22; Gen. 47:23; Gen. 47:26; Exod. 3:5; Exod. 8:21; Exod. 10:6; Exod. 20:12; Exod. 20:24; Exod. 23:19; Exod. 32:12; Exod. 33:16; Exod. 34:26; Lev. 20:24; Lev. 20:25; Num. 11:12; Num. 12:3; Num. 16:30; Num. 16:31; Num. 32:11; Deut. 4:10; Deut. 4:18; Deut. 4:40; Deut. 5:16; Deut. 6:15; Deut. 7:6; Deut. 7:13; Deut. 11:9; Deut. 11:17; Deut. 11:21; Deut. 12:1; Deut. 12:19; Deut. 14:2; Deut. 21:1; Deut. 21:23; Deut. 25:15; Deut. 26:2; Deut. 26:10; Deut. 26:15; Deut. 28:4; Deut. 28:11; Deut. 28:18; Deut. 28:21; Deut. 28:33; Deut. 28:42; Deut. 28:51; Deut. 28:63; Deut. 29:28; Deut. 30:9; Deut. 30:18; Deut. 30:20; Deut. 31:13; Deut. 31:20; Deut. 32:43; Deut. 32:47; Jos. 23:13; 1 Sam. 4:12; 1 Sam. 20:15; 1 Sam. 20:31; 2 Sam. 1:2; 2 Sam. 9:10; 2 Sam. 14:7; 2 Sam. 15:32; 2 Sam. 17:12; 1 Ki. 7:46; 1 Ki. 8:34; 1 Ki. 8:40; 1 Ki. 9:7; 1 Ki. 13:34; 1 Ki. 14:15; 1 Ki. 17:14; 1 Ki. 18:1; 2 Ki. 5:17; 2 Ki. 17:23; 2 Ki. 21:8; 2 Ki. 25:21; 1 Chr. 27:26; 2 Chr. 4:17; 2 Chr. 6:25; 2 Chr. 6:31; 2 Chr. 7:20; 2 Chr. 26:10; 2 Chr. 33:8; Neh. 9:1; Neh. 9:25; Neh. 10:35; Neh. 10:37; Job 5:6; Job 31:38; Ps. 49:11; Ps. 83:10; Ps. 104:30; Ps. 105:35; Ps. 137:4; Ps. 146:4; Prov. 12:11; Prov. 28:19; Isa. 1:7; Isa. 6:11; Isa. 7:16; Isa. 14:1; Isa. 14:2; Isa. 15:9; Isa. 19:17; Isa. 23:17; Isa. 24:21; Isa. 28:24; Isa. 30:23; Isa. 30:24; Isa. 32:13; Isa. 45:9; Jer. 7:20; Jer. 8:2; Jer. 12:14; Jer. 14:4; Jer. 16:4; Jer. 16:15; Jer. 23:8; Jer. 24:10; Jer. 25:5; Jer. 25:26; Jer. 25:33; Jer. 27:10; Jer. 27:11; Jer. 28:16; Jer. 35:7; Jer. 35:15; Jer. 42:12; Jer. 52:27; Ezek. 7:2; Ezek. 11:17; Ezek. 12:19; Ezek. 12:22; Ezek. 13:9; Ezek. 18:2; Ezek. 20:38; Ezek. 20:42; Ezek. 21:2; Ezek. 21:3; Ezek. 25:3; Ezek. 25:6; Ezek. 28:25; Ezek. 33:24; Ezek. 34:13; Ezek. 34:27; Ezek. 36:6; Ezek. 36:17; Ezek. 36:24; Ezek. 37:12; Ezek. 37:14; Ezek. 37:21; Ezek. 38:18; Ezek. 38:19; Ezek. 38:20; Ezek. 39:26; Ezek. 39:28; Dan. 11:9; Dan. 11:39; Dan. 12:2; Hos. 2:18; Joel 1:10; Joel 2:21; Amos 3:2; Amos 3:5; Amos 5:2; Amos 7:11; Amos 7:17; Amos 9:8; Amos 9:15; Jon. 4:2; Zeph. 1:2; Zeph. 1:3; Hag. 1:11; Zech. 2:12; Zech. 9:16; Zech. 13:5; Mal. 3:11 QUESTION - What is the meaning of the Hebrew word adamah? ANSWER - The Hebrew word adamah means “land,” “ground,” or “soil.” The New American Standard Bible translates adamah as “ground” 64 times and “land” or “lands” 114 times. Related to adamah is the word adam, which means “man” or “mankind.” Of course, adam is also used as the proper name of the first man, Adam. Most scholars believe that the words adamah, Adam, and Edom stem from a root word with the basic meaning of “red.” The word adamah could then be more literally translated “red ground,” and the name Adam could be said to mean “red man” or “man from the red dirt.” Reading from Genesis 2, we notice several plays on the word adamah: “There was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground [adamah]. Then the Lord God formed a man [adam] from the dust of the ground [adamah] and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man [adam] became a living being. Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man [adam] he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground [adamah]” (Ge 2:5–14). Then in Genesis 2:15, we read this: “The Lord God took the man [adam] and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” So, not only is Adam formed from adamah and named after adamah, but he is now assigned with working the adamah and cultivating the plants that come from it. After Adam’s sin, God curses both Adam and adamah: “To Adam [adam] he said . . . ‘Cursed is the ground [adamah] because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life’” (Genesis 3:17). Then God said that the curse on Adam will result in his return to adamah: “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground [adamah], since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19). The Bible teaches that mankind has an intimate relationship with the earth (see Genesis 2:5). Adam was formed from the earth, was responsible for the curse brought upon the earth, is tasked with cultivating the earth, eats the produce of the earth, and at death returns to the earth. As children of Adam, we are earthly—we have a connection with adamah. And that is why we must be born again (John 3:3). Only a relationship with Jesus Christ can break us free from the Adamic curse and the Adamic fate. The first Adam subjected us to a curse; but Jesus, the “Last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45), gives us a blessing. Contrasting Adam with Christ, Paul writes, “The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven” (1 Corinthians 15:47).GotQuestions.org Genesis 2:6 But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. BGT πηγὴ δὲ ἀνέβαινεν ἐκ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐπότιζεν πᾶν τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς KJV But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. NET Springs would well up from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. BBE But a mist went up from the earth, watering all the face of the land. CSB But water would come out of the ground and water the entire surface of the land. ERV but there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. ESV and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground-- GWN Instead, underground water would come up from the earth and water the entire surface of the ground. NKJ but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. NAB but a stream was welling up out of the earth and was watering all the surface of the ground-- NIV but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground-- NJB Instead, water flowed out of the ground and watered all the surface of the soil. NLT Instead, springs came up from the ground and watered all the land. NRS but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole face of the ground-- YLT and a mist goeth up from the earth, and hath watered the whole face of the ground. LXE But there rose a fountain out of the earth, and watered the whole face of the earth. ASV but there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. DBY But a mist went up from the earth, and moistened the whole surface of the ground. BHT wü´ëd ya|`álè min-hä´äºrec wühišqâ ´e|t-Kol-Pünê|-hä|´ádämâ NAS But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. NIRV But streams came up from the earth. They watered the whole surface of the ground. RSV but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground -- RWB But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. WEB But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. Genesis 2 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground (adamah) - Mist is a rare Hebrew word "ed" used only here and in Job 36:27 and translated in the Septuagint with the noun pege which is literally a spring (a source of water that gushes out or flows) and is distinguished from phrear a cistern for storing water. The mist was the method God used for watering the earth before beginning to use rain at the time of the flood.
Gênesis 2
Henry - Man was made of the small dust, such as is on the surface of the earth. The soul was not made of the earth, as the body: pity then that it should cleave to the earth, and mind earthly things. To God we must shortly give an account, how we have employed these souls; and if it be found that we have lost them, though it were to gain the world, we are undone for ever (Mk 8:35-38+)! Fools despise their own souls, by caring for their bodies before their souls. THOUGHT - Do you spend as much time feeding and caring for your soul each week as you do in exercising and caring for you body? Do not be foolish - the SOUL is immortal, whilst the BODY is temporal! God will take care of our bodies in glory when He gives us a new body to house our soul. Beloved, God grant us all to daily partake of the real "soul food," the Bread of life, the living and active (energetic) Word of God, the Word of Truth, by which we the Spirit sanctifies us and transforms us more and more into the image of the likeness of Jesus Christ during the short time we live in these mortal bodies on earth. May we continually redeem the time for the days are evil. Amen (Mt 4:4+, Dt 32:47+, Heb 4:12-13+, 2Ti 2:15+, Jn 17:17, 2Cor 3:18+, 1Pe 2:2+, 2Pe 3:18+, Eph 5:16+). NET NOTE on formed - The Hebrew word יָצַר (yatsar) means “to form” or “to fashion,” usually by plan or design (see the related noun יֵצֶר [yetser] in Gen 6:5). It is the term for an artist’s work (the Hebrew term יוֹצֵר [yotser] refers to a potter; see Jer 18:2–4.).....Various traditions in the ancient Near East reflect this idea of creation. Egyptian drawings show a deity turning little people off of the potter’s wheel with another deity giving them life. In the Bible humans are related to the soil and return to it (see Ge 3:19; see also Job 4:19, 20:9; and Isa 29:16). ESV Study note - The verb “formed” (Hb. yatsar) conveys the picture of a potter’s fashioning clay into a particular shape. The close relationship between the man and the ground is reflected in the Hebrew words used to denote them, ’adam and ’adamah, respectively. (See context in ESV Study Bible) NAB marginal note - God is portrayed as a potter molding man's body out of clay. There is a play on words in Hebrew between adam ("man") and adama ("ground"). Being: literally, "soul." NET NOTE on living being - Human life is described here as consisting of a body (made from soil from the ground) and breath (given by God). Both animals and humans are called “a living being” (נֶפֶשׁ חַיַּה) but humankind became that in a different and more significant way. The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being”) is often translated “soul,” but the word usually refers to the whole person. The phrase נֶפֶשׁ חַיַּה (nefesh khayyah, “living being”) is used of both animals and human beings (see Ge 1:20, 24, 30; 2:19) Breathe on me, Breath of God, Fill me with life anew, That I may love what Thou dost love, And do what Thou wouldst do. —Hatch Francis Schaeffer - If we take away the historicity of Adam, we are left rather breathless! If we tamper with this ordinary way of understanding what is written in the Bible, the structure of Christianity is reduced to only an existential leap. Richard Gunther - Now that science is able to break material substances down to their basic constituents, it has been found that all matter consists of a limited number of elements, which are common to all living and non-living things. In other words, man is made of exactly the same things as soil. Henry
Gênesis 2
Henry - The place fixed upon for Adam to dwell in, was not a palace, but a garden. The better we take up with plain things, and the less we seek things to gratify pride and luxury, the nearer we approach to innocency. Nature is content with a little, and that which is most natural; grace with less; but lust craves everything, and is content with nothing. No delights can be satisfying to the soul, but those which God himself has provided and appointed for it. Eden signifies delight and pleasure. Wherever it was, it had all desirable conveniences, without any inconvenience, though no other house or garden on earth ever was so. It was adorned with every tree pleasant to the sight, and enriched with every tree that yielded fruit grateful to the taste and good for food. God, as a tender Father, desired not only Adam's profit, but his pleasure; for there is pleasure with innocency, nay there is true pleasure only in innocency. When Providence puts us in a place of plenty and pleasure, we ought to serve God with gladness of heart in the good things he gives us. NET NOTE - Traditionally “garden,” but the subsequent description of this “garden” makes it clear that it is an orchard of fruit trees. The LORD God planted an orchard. Nothing is said of how the creation of this orchard took place. A harmonization with chap. 1 might lead to the conclusion that it was by decree, prior to the creation of human life. But the narrative sequence here in chap. 2 suggests the creation of the garden followed the creation of the man. Note also the past perfect use of the perfect in the relative clause in the following verse. TOWARD THE EAST - One would assume this is east from the perspective of the land of Israel, particularly since the rivers in the area are identified as the rivers in those eastern regions. Mark Varney “Almost all textbooks on evolution include the peppered moth as the classic example of evolution by natural selection. There are two types of peppered moths, a light-colored speckled variety and a dark variety. Most peppered moths in England were the light variety, which were camouflaged as they rested on tree trunks. The black variety stood out against the light bark and were easily seen and eaten by birds. But as the industrial revolution created pollution that covered tree trunks with soot, the dark variety was camouflaged better, so birds ate more of the light moths. “The peppered moth story has been trumpeted since the 1950s as proof positive that evolution by natural selection is true. In 1978, one famous geneticist called the peppered moth ‘the clearest case in which a conspicuous evolutionary process has actually been observed.’ “However, this ‘clearest case’ of purported Darwinian evolution by natural selection is not true! The nocturnal peppered moth does not rest on the trunks of trees during the day. In fact, despite over 40 years of intense field study, only two peppered moths have ever been seen naturally resting on tree trunks! “So where did all the evolution textbook pictures of peppered moths on different colored tree trunks come from? They were all staged. The moths were glued, pinned, or placed onto tree trunks and their pictures taken. The scientists who used these pictures in their books to prove evolution all conveniently forgot to tell their readers this fact. If the best example of evolution is not true, how about all their other supposed examples? It makes you wonder, doesn’t it?” Norman Geisler - When Critics Ask (go to page 28) GENESIS 2:8—Was the Garden of Eden a real place or just a myth? PROBLEM: The Bible declares that God “planted a garden eastward in Eden” (Gen. 2:8), but there is no archaeological evidence that any such place existed. Is this just a myth? SOLUTION: First of all, we would not expect any archaeological evidence, since there is no indication that Adam and Eve made pottery or built durable buildings. Second, there is geographical evidence of Eden, since two of the rivers mentioned still exist today—the Tigris (Hiddekel) and the Euphrates (Gen. 2:14). Further, the Bible even locates them in “Assyria” (v. 14), which is present day Iraq. Finally, whatever evidence there may have been for the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2–3) was probably destroyed by God at the time of the Flood (Gen. 6–9). TWO GARDENS The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. —Genesis 2:8 Two gardens are mentioned prominently in the Bible: the Garden of Eden and the Garden of Gethsemane. God placed the first man, Adam, in the garden of Eden; Jesus went into Gethsemane to restore what the first man had lost. The first Adam sinned in the garden; the last Adam took this sin upon Himself. The Garden of Eden had the tree of life, which man could have enjoyed forever had he not broken fellowship with God. The Garden of Gethsemane was a step towards the tree of death (Acts 5:30; 1 Peter 2:24). By Adam’s transgression he forfeited his right to the tree of life and brought death to all mankind. He who hung on the tree of Calvary conquered death and by His glorious resurrection restored the tree of life to all who believe. What Adam lost, Jesus will restore. GOD FORMED US; SIN DEFORMED US; CHRIST TRANSFORMS US. THE LORD OF THE GARDEN - J Dean Cameron Text: Genesis 2:8 Read: Ge 2:1–10 “And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.” INTRODUCTION: Having created Adam, God wanted to present this first man with an affectionate gift; something very personal for him; something that would bring Adam great happiness; something that would always remind Aadam of his sacred relationship to his Creator. What, then, should God give Adam?— 1. Should He create for Adam a beautiful palace? 2. Should He adorn Adam with gorgeous apparel? 3. Should He give Adam wings like an angel’s? 4. God wanted Adam to experience one of life’s most satisfying pleasures, so He gave him a garden, and instructed him to “dress it”—feel of it, dig in it, eat of it, rest in it, smell of it, etc. GARDENS ARE ENCHANTING AND INSTRUCTIVE. 1. A garden was God’s first earthly gift to man. 2. Gardens are wonderful therapy for loneliness. 3. Garden—where God first spoke to man, Gen. 2:16. 4. Garden—where man first spoke to God, Gen. 3:10. 5. Garden—where God first questioned man, Gen. 3:9. 6. Garden—the scene of the first love affair, Gen. 2:21–23. 7. Garden—where man first sinned, Gen. 3:6. 8. Garden—where Christ, the “last Adam,” dedicated Himself to redeem man, Matt. 26:39. GARDENS SUGGEST GREAT MORAL LESSONS. 1. Flowers and fruit—the objective of a garden. Each person should have an objective, Josh. 24:15. 2. Leaf structure is similar to human body structure. This reminds us of one creator, Acts 17:28. 3. Trees are very useful to man—shade, fruit, fuel. This reminds us to be useful to God, Ps. 1:3. 4. If a “Jack-in-the-pulpit” could preach, doubtless he would say, “Every flower is God’s autograph.” Genesis 2:9 Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. BGT καὶ ἐξανέτειλεν ὁ θεὸς ἔτι ἐκ τῆς γῆς πᾶν ξύλον ὡραῖον εἰς ὅρασιν καὶ καλὸν εἰς βρῶσιν καὶ τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς ἐν μέσῳ τῷ παραδείσῳ καὶ τὸ ξύλον τοῦ εἰδέναι γνωστὸν καλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ KJV And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. NET The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.) BBE And out of the earth the Lord made every tree to come, delighting the eye and good for food; and in the middle of the garden, the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. CSB The LORD God caused to grow out of the ground every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden, as well as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. ERV And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. ESV And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. GWN The LORD God made all the trees grow out of the ground. These trees were nice to look at, and their fruit was good to eat. The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil grew in the middle of the garden. NKJ And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. NAB Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow that were delightful to look at and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and bad. NIV And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground--trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. NJB From the soil, Yahweh God caused to grow every kind of tree, enticing to look at and good to eat, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. NLT The LORD God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground-- trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. NRS Out of the ground the LORD God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. YLT and Jehovah God causeth to sprout from the ground every tree desirable for appearance, and good for food, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. LXE And God made to spring up also out of the earth every tree beautiful to the eye and good for food, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of learning the knowledge of good and evil. ASV And out of the ground made Jehovah God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. DBY And out of the ground Jehovah Elohim made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; and the tree of life, in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. BHT wayyacmaH yhwh(´ädönäy) ´élöhîm min-h亴ádämâ Kol-`ëc nehmäd lümar´è wü†ôb lüma´ákäl wü`ëc ha|Hayyîm Bütôk haGGän wü`ëc haDDaº`at †ôb wärä` NAS And out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. NIRV The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground. Their fruit was pleasing to look at and good to eat. The tree that gives life forever was in the middle of the garden. The tree that gives the ability to tell the difference between good and evil was also there. every: Eze 31:8,9,16,18 tree of life: Ge 3:22 Pr 3:18 Pr 11:30 Eze 47:12 Joh 6:48 Rev 2:7 Rev 22:2,14 tree of knowledge: Ge 2:17 3:3,22 De 6:25 Isa 44:25 47:10 1Co 8:1 Genesis 2 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries Related Passages: Genesis 3:22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”– Proverbs 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise wins souls. Ezekiel 47:12 “By the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.” Revelation 2:7+ ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’ Revelation 22:2; 14+ in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (22:14) Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Out of the ground (adamah) the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil - The tree of life would be in direct apposition to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (cf Ge 2:17). Once Adam and Eve ate from the latter tree, they were forbidden to eat from the former tree, for if they had, they would have been immortal but immortal sinners! (cf Ge 3:22, 24+) Tree of Life - 11x in Scripture - Ge 2:9; Ge 3:22; Ge 3:24; Pr 3:18; Pr 11:30; Pr 13:12; Pr 15:4; Rev 2:7+; Rev. 22:2+; Rev. 22:14+; Rev. 22:19+. Note that they tree of life in Revelation (the "heavenly garden") is for healing of the nations. NET NOTE on pleasing to the sight - Heb “desirable of sight [or “appearance”].” The phrase describes the kinds of trees that are visually pleasing and yield fruit that is desirable to the appetite. TREE OF LIFE - In light of Gen 3:22, the construction “tree of life” should be interpreted to mean a tree that produces life-giving fruit (objective genitive) rather than a living tree (attributive genitive). Matthew Henry - Eden had two trees peculiar to itself. 1. There was the tree of life in the midst of the garden. Of this man might eat and live. Christ is now to us the Tree of life, Revelation 2:7; 22:2; and the Bread of life, John 6:48, 51. 2. There was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, so called because there was a positive revelation of the will of God about this tree, so that by it man might know moral good and evil. What is good? It is good not to eat of this tree. What is evil? It is evil to eat of this tree. In these two trees God set before Adam good and evil, the blessing and the curse. NET NOTE on tree of the knowledge of good and evil - The expression “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” must be interpreted to mean that the tree would produce fruit which, when eaten, gives special knowledge of “good and evil.” Scholars debate what this phrase means here. For a survey of opinions, see G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:62–64. One view is that “good” refers to that which enhances, promotes, and produces life, while “evil” refers to anything that hinders, interrupts or destroys life. So eating from this tree would change human nature—people would be able to alter life for better (in their thinking) or for worse. See D. J. A. Clines, “The Tree of Knowledge and the Law of Yahweh,” VT 24 (1974): 8–14; and I. Engnell, “ ‘Knowledge’ and ‘Life’ in the Creation Story,” Wisdom in Israel and in the Ancient Near East [VTSup], 103–19. Another view understands the “knowledge of good and evil” as the capacity to discern between moral good and evil. The following context suggests the tree’s fruit gives one wisdom (see the phrase “capable of making one wise” in Ge 3:6, as well as the note there on the word “wise”), which certainly includes the capacity to discern between good and evil. Such wisdom is characteristic of divine beings, as the serpent’s promise implies (Ge 3:5) and as Ge 3:22 makes clear. (Note, however, that this capacity does not include the ability to do what is right.) God prohibits man from eating of the tree. The prohibition becomes a test to see if man will be satisfied with his role and place, or if he will try to ascend to the divine level. There will be a time for man to possess moral discernment/wisdom, as God reveals and imparts it to him, but it is not something to be grasped at in an effort to become “a god.” In fact, the command to be obedient was the first lesson in moral discernment/wisdom. God was essentially saying: “Here is lesson one—respect my authority and commands. Disobey me and you will die.” When man disobeys, he decides he does not want to acquire moral wisdom God’s way, but instead tries to rise immediately to the divine level. Once man has acquired such divine wisdom by eating the tree’s fruit (Ge 3:22), he must be banned from the garden so that he will not be able to achieve his goal of being godlike and thus live forever, a divine characteristic (Ge 3:24). Ironically, man now has the capacity to discern good from evil (3:22), but he is morally corrupted and rebellious and will not consistently choose what is right. QUESTION - What is the meaning of the tree of life? ANSWER - The tree of life, mentioned in the books of Genesis and Revelation, is a life-giving tree created to enhance and perpetually sustain the physical life of humanity. The tree was planted by God in the Garden of Eden: “The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:9). The centrally located tree of life would have been easily accessible to Adam and Eve from any point in the garden. More details concerning the tree of life come after Adam and Eve’s sin: “The LORD God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever’” (Genesis 3:22). In his disobedience, Adam lost his eternal life. The tree of life in Eden must have had some role to play in maintaining the life of Adam and Eve (and possibly the animals). Adam would “live forever,” even in his fallen condition, if he had eaten the tree of life after his sin. God placed a sword-wielding cherub at the entrance to the garden specifically “to guard the way to the tree of life” (verse 24). It seems access to the tree of life would have prolonged Adam’s physical life indefinitely, dooming him to an eternity in a cursed world. It was a mercy that God kept us from the tree of life. By barring access to the tree of life, God showed compassion in His omniscience. Knowing that, because of sin, earthly life would be filled with sorrow and toil, God graciously limited the number of years men would live. To live eternally in a sinful state would mean endless agony for humanity, with no hope of the relief that comes with death. By limiting our lifespan, God gives us enough time to come to know Him and His provision for eternal life through Christ but spares us the misery of an endless existence in a sinful condition. In His great love, God provided One who would redeem fallen mankind. Through one man, Adam, sin entered the world, but through another Man, Jesus Christ, redemption through the forgiveness of sin is available to all (Romans 5:17). Those who avail themselves of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross will be resurrected to see the tree of life again, for it stands in the middle of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, where it bears “twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2). In the eternal state, the curse will be no more (verse 3), access to the tree of life will be reinstated, and darkness will be forever banished (verse 5). Eden will be restored.GotQuestions.org The Tree Of Life In the middle of its street . . . was the tree of life. —Revelation 22:2 Today's Scripture: Revelation 21:1-2; 22:1-5 In 1943, Nazi soldiers herded the citizens of Khatyn into a barn, piled hay around it, and set it on fire, killing all 149 people inside. After the war, Khatyn, in the former Soviet Union, was chosen as the site for a memorial to the more than 600 villages across Belarus that shared a similar fate. It’s a somber place to visit. You’re greeted by a 4-story-high statue of a man who had been in the woods during the Khatyn massacre. He is holding the limp, charred body of his son. You see foundations where the homes once stood. From each of them rises a chimney with a plaque inscribed with the names of the people who died. At one end of Khatyn is a “tree of life.” This black iron tree contains more than 400 “leaves,” and on each one is the name of a destroyed village that was rebuilt after the war. They represent the resilience and hope of the people of Belarus. In Genesis 2, we read about the tree of life in Eden. Adam and Eve lost access to it when they disobeyed God. But Jesus, the “last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45-47), made it available to us again. In the new heaven and new earth, there will be yet another “tree of life” (Revelation 22:2). (A Tree to Heal) (Happy Ending) (The Land Of And) The tree of life once lost to man Will be restored in God's great plan, The tree of Calvary is the way To enter that eternal day! —Hess Calvary's cross is the only bridge to eternal life. Genesis 2:10 Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers. BGT ποταμὸς δὲ ἐκπορεύεται ἐξ Εδεμ ποτίζειν τὸν παράδεισον ἐκεῖθεν ἀφορίζεται εἰς τέσσαρας ἀρχάς KJV And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. NET Now a river flows from Eden to water the orchard, and from there it divides into four headstreams. BBE And a river went out of Eden giving water to the garden; and from there it was parted and became four streams. CSB A river went out from Eden to water the garden. From there it divided and became the source of four rivers. ERV And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became four heads. ESV A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. GWN A river flowed from Eden to water the garden. Outside the garden it divided into four rivers. NKJ Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. NAB A river rises in Eden to water the garden; beyond there it divides and becomes four branches. NIV A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. NJB A river flowed from Eden to water the garden, and from there it divided to make four streams. NLT A river watered the garden and then flowed out of Eden and divided into four branches. NRS A river flows out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it divides and becomes four branches. YLT And a river is going out from Eden to water the garden, and from thence it is parted, and hath become four chief rivers; LXE And a river proceeds out of Edem to water the garden, thence it divides itself into four heads. ASV And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became four heads. DBY And a river went out of Eden, to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became four main streams. BHT wünähär yöcë´ më`ëºden lühašqôt ´et-haGGän ûmiššäm yiPPärëd wühäyâ lü´arBä`â rä´šîm NAS Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers. NIRV A river watered the garden. It flowed from Eden. From there it separated into four other rivers. RSV A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. RWB And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it was parted, and became into four heads. WEB And a river went out of Eden to water the garden: and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. a river: Ps 46:4 Rev 22:1 Eden: Eden denotes pleasure or delight; but was certainly the name of a place, and was, most probably, situated in Armenia, near the sources of the great rivers Euphrates, Tigris, Phasis, and Araxes. Genesis 2 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries MAN PUT IN A PLEASURABLE PLACE Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers - The exact location of this garden is uncertain. Mention of Tigris and Euphrates gives us a general idea but there are no archaeological findings to give us clues. As
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Henry - After God had formed Adam, He put him in the garden. All boasting was thereby shut out. Only He that made us can make us happy; He that is the Former of our bodies, and the Father of our spirits, and none but He, can fully provide for the happiness of both. Even in paradise itself man had to work. None of us were sent into the world to be idle. He that made our souls and bodies, has given us something to work with; and He that gave us this earth for our habitation, has made us something to work upon. The sons and heirs of heaven, while in this world, have something to do about this earth, which must have its share of their time and thoughts; and if they do it with an eye to God, they as truly serve Him in it, as when they are upon their knees. Observe that the husbandman's calling is an ancient and honourable calling; it was needful even in paradise. Also, there is true pleasure in the business God calls us to, and employs us in. Adam could not have been happy if he had been idle: it is still God's law, He that will not work has no right to eat, 2 Thessalonians 3:10+. NET NOTE - Note that man’s task is to care for and maintain the trees of the orchard. Not until after the fall, when he is condemned to cultivate the soil, does this task change. Cultivate (05647) abad means to serve or to work (to cultivate, till - Ge 2:5, 15), to serve (be enslaved or hold in bondage - Ex 6:6 - Lxx = katadouloo = make a slave; Lev 25:38, 39 Lxx = douleuo)(Ge 14:4, 15:13, 14 - Lxx = douleuo), worship. Labor (as when Israel was in Egyptian bondage - Ex 1:13,14 but same word abad translated worship after redemption Ex 3:12, 7:16, 8:1, 8:20, 9:1, et al where Lxx = latreuo). Keep (careful, guard, kept, observe, watch) (08104) shamar means to keep, watch, preserve, to guard, to be careful, to watch over, to watch carefully over, to be on one’s guard. Hedge about as with thorns - the word the Hebrews used for a shepherd’s keeping watch over a flock of sheep. Conveyed the idea of protection as in Ps 121:7-8+ (used 3 times!) In the great Aaronic blessing Nu 6:24+ Uses of shamar in Genesis - Gen. 2:15; Gen. 3:24; Gen. 4:9; Gen. 17:9; Gen. 17:10; Gen. 18:19; Gen. 24:6; Gen. 26:5; Gen. 28:15; Gen. 28:20; Gen. 30:31; Gen. 31:24; Gen. 31:29; Gen. 37:11; Gen. 41:35 ILLUSTRATION - A retired man living in a city got tired of seeing an ugly vacant lot as he took his daily walk, so he asked the owner for permission to plant a garden there. It took days to haul away the accumulated rubbish and even more time to prepare the soil, but the man worked hard. The next year, the lot was aglow with life and beauty, and everyone took notice. "God has certainly given you a beautiful piece of property," said a visitor as he admired the flowers and the landscaping. "Yes, He has," the busy gardener replied, "but you should have seen this property when God had it all by Himself!" The reply was a wise one and not at all irreverent. The same God who ordains the end—a beautiful garden—also ordains the means to the end—someone to do the work. (See context in The Wiersbe Bible Commentary) Cultivating God’s World The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Genesis 2:15 Today's Scripture & Insight: Genesis 1:26–27; 2:15 “Dad, why do you have to go to work?” The question from my young daughter was motivated by her desire to play with me. I would have preferred to skip work and spend time with her, but there was a growing list of things at work that required my attention. The question, nevertheless, is a good one. Why do we work? Is it simply to provide for ourselves and for the people we love? What about labor that’s unpaid—why do we do that? Genesis 2 tells us that God placed the first human in the garden to “work it and take care of it” (v. 15). My father-in-law is a farmer, and he often tells me he farms for the sheer love of land and livestock. That’s beautiful, but it leaves lingering questions for those who don’t love their work. Why did God put us in a particular place with a particular assignment? What’s the work God has given you to do? How could you cultivate this “field” by bringing order into it and bringing good from it, by His grace? Dear God, thank You for the honor of joining You in Your work in the world. Help me to reflect Your love, wisdom, and order in my life and in the place where I work. Gleason Archer asks Can the Garden of Eden be located on a map? Genesis 2:10–14 furnishes some clues to the general location of Eden, but it presupposes geological conditions that no longer hold. Hence it is hazardous to conjecture any site more precise than the headwaters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the highlands of Armenia (i.e., the eastern border of modern Turkey). The large river flowing from Eden subdivided into the Tigris and the Euphrates, as well as into two other long rivers (the Pishon, leading down to Havilah, along the southern coast of Arabia, and the Gihon, which went over to Cush—which may have been some Asiatic region lying to the east rather than the African Cush that was Ethiopia). This indicates that the site was high plateau or mountainous region (insuring a cool and comfortable temperature for Eden during the summer season), having copious headwaters to supply the four major river systems this passage describes. The Havilah, through which the Pishon flowed, was rich in gold, spices, and deposits of precious stones—which were found in abundance along the southern or southwestern coasts of Arabia. For the Cush, no such helpful clues are given; the name has been connected by some scholars with Kish in Sumeria or with the Kassites (who are thought to have originated in the Zagros mountain region). The most plausible explanation for the later complete disappearance of the Pishon and Gihon rivers is the theory that mountain-building activity accompanying continental drift (for Arabia was originally connected with the Somalian and Ethiopian coast during prehistoric times) may have terminated those two river systems in the antediluvian period. This would be analogous to the uplift of the Mount Seir Range in Edom, which prevented the Jordan River from flowing all the way down to the Gulf of Aqaba, as it originally did. (From online resource The Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties and scroll to page 69) QUESTION - What was the Garden of Eden like? ANSWER - Eden was the name of a region of the earth when God first created the world. The Hebrew word translated “Eden” is taken to mean “pleasure” or “delight.” In this area God planted a garden: “Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters” (Genesis 2:8–10). From this brief description, we note several things about the Garden of Eden: 1) it was planned and planted by God Himself; 2) it was mankind’s first home; 3) it contained incredible variety, with “all kinds of trees”; 4) it was a beautiful place, as the trees were “pleasing to the eye”; 5) it was a fertile, fruitful place; 6) it provided nourishment and nutrition, as the trees were “good for food”; and 7) it was naturally well-watered. Later, we read that there were all kinds of animals in the garden (Genesis 2:19–20). We also have the note that Adam and Eve were unclothed in the garden (Genesis 2:25), indicating that they needed no protection whatsoever—the environment, including the climate, was perfectly suited for humanity. We do not know the exact location of the Garden of Eden, but the Bible’s description of the area associates it with four rivers and an abundance of resources, including fine gold and gemstones (Genesis 2:11–14). We also know these things about Eden: The Garden of Eden was a place where man could meet God. The Creator “was walking in the garden in the cool of the day” in Genesis 3:8, and Adam and Eve could be with Him and converse with Him. The Garden of Eden was a place of total provision. God had seen to every detail in designing a home for humanity, created in His own image (Genesis 1:27). Adam and Eve lacked nothing and were “free to eat from any tree in the garden” (Genesis 2:16), except for one. Their diet was vegetarian (Genesis 1:29). The Garden of Eden was a place of unity and fellowship. Eve was created in the garden and brought to Adam (Genesis 2:21–22). Thus, Adam had “a helper suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18). The unity and fellowship enjoyed by the human couple was a reflection of the unity and fellowship they both enjoyed with God. The Garden of Eden was a place of work and fulfillment. When God placed Adam in the garden, He gave the man a task: Adam was “to work [the garden] and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15). What God had planted, Adam was to maintain. This task was in addition to Adam’s mandate to “be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground” (Genesis 1:29). Mankind was blessed by God, given responsibility, and provided work that was meaningful, creative, and beneficial. The Garden of Eden was the setting for the first marriage. It’s in the Garden of Eden that marriage is defined as the union of one man and one woman who have left their parents to form a new family unit (Genesis 2:24). The Garden of Eden was a place of innocence. Originally, there was no sin in the garden and nothing that would cause anxiety or unrest. Adam and Eve’s nakedness (Genesis 2:25) “suggests that they were at ease with one another without any fear of exploitation or potential for evil” (The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Law, Walvoord and Zuck, David C. Cook, 2018). The Garden of Eden was a place of life. “In the middle of the garden [was] the tree of life” (Genesis 2:9), and Adam and Eve had free, unhindered access to it. The Garden of Eden was a place of testing. Also in the middle of the garden was “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:9), the fruit of which God had said Adam could not eat: “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die” (Genesis 2:17). It was the one prohibition in the Garden of Eden. God had created Adam and Eve to be free, with a moral sense and the ability to make decisions and choose for themselves. The presence of a forbidden tree provided the opportunity for Adam and Eve to make a real, necessary choice to either obey or disobey. Unfortunately, Adam failed the test. The serpent in the garden, used by Satan, tempted Eve with a false promise of blessing, and the woman ate of the forbidden fruit. She in turn gave the fruit to her husband, and he also partook. Both were disobedient to the word of God, and the consequences of their sin were disastrous for them and for all their descendants (Genesis 3:1–19). They lost their fellowship with God, they lost their home, and they lost their innocence. The Garden of Eden became a place of atonement and hope. The sin of Adam and Eve was met with God’s judgment, but in the midst of the judgment was mercy. God covered their nakedness—of which they were now ashamed—with animal skins (Genesis 3:21). And He gave them good news: in His judgment on the serpent, God said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15). This verse acknowledges the curse on mankind and the related strife, but it also promises God’s provision of a Savior who would do battle with the serpent and win. This Savior would be the “offspring of the woman”; eventually, Jesus, the virgin-born Son of God, came “to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8). From the beginning, God had the plan of salvation in mind, and no sooner had sin entered the world than He informed us of that plan. The Garden of Eden is a place to which we long to return. God had to force Adam and Eve to leave the garden, and He posted a formidable cherubim to guard against unauthorized re-entry: “The Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden. . . . After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life” (Genesis 3:23–24). The loss of our paradise garden has stayed with us and forms part of our deep longing for what is good and pure and eternal (see Ecclesiastes 3:11). The Garden of Eden will be restored. Our access to the eternal garden of God is based on our restored relationship with God through Jesus Christ (see Luke 23:40–43). The One who laid down His life for us has defeated the serpent and opened paradise: “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7). In the New Jerusalem, there is “a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. No longer will there be a curse upon anything” (Revelation 22:1–3NLT). The Garden of Eden, that place of pleasure and delight, we lost because of our sin—and God, in His mercy and grace, will restore it to us on Christ’s behalf. GotQuestions.org (See also Is Göbekli Tepe where the Garden of Eden was located?) Related Resource: Celebrating the Wonder of Creation - Booklet from Discovery Series Gratitude on Earth Day The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Genesis 2:15 Today's Scripture & Insight: Genesis 2:4–10, 15 Earth Day is an annual event observed on April 22. In recent years, more than one billion people in about two hundred countries have taken part in educational and service activities. Each year, Earth Day is a reminder of the importance of caring for our amazing planet. But the mandate to care for the environment is far older than this annual event—it goes all the way back to creation. In Genesis, we learn that God created the entire universe and formed the earth as a place for humans to dwell. Not only did He fashion the mountain peaks and lush plains, God also created the garden of Eden, a beautiful place providing food, shelter, and beauty for its inhabitants (Genesis 2:8–9). After breathing life into His most important creation, humans, God placed them in this garden (vv. 8, 22) and gave them the responsibility “to work it and take care of it” (v. 15). After Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden, caring for God’s creation became more difficult (3:17–19), but to this day God Himself cares for our planet and its creatures (Psalm 65:9–13) and asks us to do the same (Proverbs 12:10). What part of creation takes your breath away? How might you care for the part of the earth God has entrusted to you? Creator God, You’ve entrusted to us a marvelous planet that sustains and astonishes me. Please help me to respond to Your gift by caring for it as a way to express thankfulness for Your provision. Nest In The Greatness The Lord God . . . put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. — Genesis 2:15 Today's Scripture: Genesis 2:1-15 In his historical novel Chesapeake, James Michener tells the story of multiple generations living near a marsh. One character, Chris Pflaum, is introduced as a restless 13-year-old sitting in class waiting for summer break. But when the teacher reads a poem by Sidney Lanier, the boy’s heart is stirred. As the marsh-hen secretly builds on the watery sod, Behold I will build me a nest on the greatness of God: I will fly in the greatness of God as the marsh-hen flies In the freedom that fills all the space ‘twixt the marsh and the skies. When Chris grew up, this poem motivated him to work tirelessly to preserve the precious wetlands and the wildlife he loved. The poem’s words stir the heart because they use nature as a springboard of praise to the Creator. But, unfortunately, our living planet can be neglected and exploited. God’s mandate to Adam has been passed on to all believers. “The Lord God . . . put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it” (Gen. 2:15). The words tend and keep mean “to cultivate as servants.” The natural world that God has made Must not be used at whim; We serve as stewards of His earth, Responsible to Him. —D. De Haan To mistreat God's creation is to offend the Creator. Me And Dad The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. — Genesis 2:15 Today's Scripture & Insight: Matthew 9:35–10:1 A friend once spent a day installing large stone steps in his backyard. When his 5-year-old daughter begged to help, he suggested she just sing to encourage him in his work. She said no. She wanted to help. Carefully, when it would not endanger her, he let her place her hands on the rocks as he moved them. He could have built the steps in less time without her. At the end of the day, though, he not only had new steps but also a daughter bursting with pride. “Me and Dad made steps,” she announced at dinner that night. From the beginning, God has relied on people to advance His work. After equipping Adam to cultivate the land and supervise the animals, God left the work of the garden in his hands (Gen. 2:15-20). The pattern has continued. When God wanted a dwelling place on earth, a tabernacle and temple did not descend from the sky; thousands of artists and craftsmen worked to fashion them (Ex. 35–38; 1 Kings 6). When Jesus proclaimed the new reign of God’s kingdom on earth, He invited human beings to help. He told His disciples, “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matt. 9:38). Heavenly Father, thank You that in Your love and wisdom, You invite us to accomplish Your acts of love, service, and kindness here on earth. Thank You for the privilege of “helping” You. God uses humble servants to accomplish His great work. Genesis 2:16 The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; BGT καὶ ἐνετείλατο κύριος ὁ θεὸς τῷ Αδαμ λέγων ἀπὸ παντὸς ξύλου τοῦ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ βρώσει φάγῃ KJV And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: NET Then the LORD God commanded the man, "You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard, BBE And the Lord God gave the man orders, saying, You may freely take of the fruit of every tree of the garden: CSB And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, ERV And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: ESV And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, GWN The LORD God commanded the man. He said, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden. NKJ And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; NAB The LORD God gave man this order: "You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden NIV And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; NJB Then Yahweh God gave the man this command, 'You are free to eat of all the trees in the garden. NLT But the LORD God warned him, "You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden NRS And the LORD God commanded the man, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; YLT And Jehovah God layeth a charge on the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden eating thou dost eat; LXE And the Lord God gave a charge to Adam, saying, Of every tree which is in the garden thou mayest freely eat, ASV And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: DBY And Jehovah Elohim commanded Man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou shalt freely eat; BHT wayücaw yhwh(´ädönäy) ´élöhîm `al-hä|´ädäm lë´mör miKKöl `ë|c-haGGän ´äköl Tö´kël NAS And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; NIRV The LORD God gave the man a command. He said, "You can eat the fruit of any tree that is in the garden. RSV And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; RWB And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: WEB And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: God: 1Sa 15:22 Heb. eating thou shalt eat, Ge 2:9 3:1,2 1Ti 4:4 6:17 Genesis 2 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries TO OBEY IS LIFE AND BLESSING The LORD God commanded (tsavah) the man (adam), saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely - Note who the command is given to - the man, for the woman had not yet been created! Did Adam do a good job of communicating this command to Eve? When God commands, He never asks anything of us that is unreasonable and therefore He expects and desires obedience. Obedience is the basic response God desires from His children. Notice He does not command Adam to love Him but to obey Him. Centuries later Samuel echoed this same truth to disobedient King Saul declaring "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams." (1Sa 15:22).
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Henry - Let us never set up our own will against the holy will of God. There was not only liberty allowed to man, in taking the fruits of paradise, but everlasting life made sure to him upon his obedience. NET NOTE - This is the first time in the Bible that the verb tsavah (צָוָה, “to command”) appears. Whatever the man had to do in the garden, the main focus of the narrative is on keeping God’s commandments. God created humans with the capacity to obey him and then tested them with commands. Commanded (06680) tsavah refers to verbal communication by which a superior “orders” or “commands” a subordinate. The word implies the content of what was said. Pharaoh “ordered” (“commanded”) his men concerning Abraham, and they escorted Abraham and his party out of Egypt (Gen. 12:20). This “order” defines an action relevant to a specific situation. Tsawah can also connote “command” in the sense of the establishment of a rule by which a subordinate is to act in every recurring similar situation. In the Garden of Eden (the first appearance of this word in the Bible), God “commanded” (“set down the rule”): “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: …” (Gen. 2:16). In this case, the word does not contain the content of the action but focuses on the action itself One of the recurring formulas in the Bible is “X did all that Y commanded him”—e.g., Ruth “did according to all that her mother-in-law bade her” (Ruth 3:6). This means that she carried out Naomi’s “orders.” A similar formula, “X did just as Y commanded,” is first found in Num. 32:25, where the sons of Reuben and Gad say to Moses that they “will do as my lord commandeth.” These formulas indicate the accomplishment of, or the intention to accomplish, the “orders” of a superior. Tsavah uses in Genesis - Gen. 2:16; Gen. 3:11; Gen. 3:17; Gen. 6:22; Gen. 7:5; Gen. 7:9; Gen. 7:16; Gen. 12:20; Gen. 18:19; Gen. 21:4; Gen. 26:11; Gen. 27:8; Gen. 28:1; Gen. 28:6; Gen. 32:4; Gen. 32:17; Gen. 32:19; Gen. 42:25; Gen. 44:1; Gen. 45:19; Gen. 47:11; Gen. 49:29; Gen. 49:33; Gen. 50:2; Gen. 50:12; Gen. 50:16 Walter Kaiser asks was "Genesis 2:16-17" "An Unfair Test?" Why would God test Adam by placing the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden and then urging him not to eat of it—especially when, according to his divine foreknowledge, he knew he would do just that? What is the point of this whole exercise? What would it prove in the end? The Creator saw fit to set a special test of obedience for the man (and eventually the woman) he had formed. Since Adam and Eve were formed perfect from the hand of their Maker, they were bound by the very laws of their natures to love, honor and obey the One who so endowed them. However, this love, honor and obedience were an untested set of gifts. Therefore, it was necessary to make a trial or test of their obedience if they were to be free moral agents. The test, however, could not be a violation of a moral obligation like those in the Decalogue; it had to be an easy prohibition that would be a suitable test of their fidelity. When free indulgence had been given to them to eat the fruit of all the other trees, the infringement of this injunction would be an act of direct rebellion against a command given by God. The method God chose had to be one of violating what is known as a Positive Law (that is, one that was true merely because God said it was true), or one that appeared to be an arbitrary enactment. The advantage of using a test of such modest means and methods was that, if the mortals had stood some greater test and come out steadfast, they might have expected rewards proportioned to the conflict and have argued that they had earned their own salvation. But the test was simply one of heeding a command from God. It would vindicate God’s subsequent actions as well as demonstrate that mortals from the hand of God did possess a certain freedom, for which they would also be responsible. As such, there is nothing absurd or derogatory to the Supreme Being in this test. The perfections of God demand the same from his creatures. But when those perfections are provisionally granted by right of creation, this goodness of God must be further tested before it can be said to exist permanently from that point on. (See page 59 in HARD SAYINGS BIBLE) Genesis 2:17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." BGT ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ γινώσκειν καλὸν καὶ πονηρόν οὐ φάγεσθε ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ ᾗ δ᾽ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ φάγητε ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ θανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖσθε KJV But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. NET but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die." BBE But of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you may not take; for on the day when you take of it, death will certainly come to you. CSB but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die." ERV but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. ESV but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." GWN But you must never eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because when you eat from it, you will certainly die." NKJ "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." NAB except the tree of knowledge of good and bad. From that tree you shall not eat; the moment you eat from it you are surely doomed to die." NIV but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." NJB But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you are not to eat; for, the day you eat of that, you are doomed to die.' NLT -- except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die." NRS but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die." YLT and of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou dost not eat of it, for in the day of thine eating of it -- dying thou dost die.' LXE but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil-- of it ye shall not eat, but in whatsoever day ye eat of it, ye shall surely die. ASV but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. DBY but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest of it thou shalt certainly die. BHT ûmë`ëc haDDaº`at †ôb wärä` lö´ tö´kal mimmeºnnû Kî Büyôm ´ákolkä mimmeºnnû môt Tämût NAS but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die." NIRV But you must not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you do, you can be sure that you will die." RSV but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die." RWB But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest of it thou shalt surely die. WEB But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest of it thou shalt surely die. from the tree: Ge 2:9 3:1-3,11,17,19 surely: Ge 3:3,4,19 20:7 Nu 26:65 De 27:26 1Sa 14:39,44 20:31 22:16 1Ki 2:37,42 Jer 26:8 Eze 3:18-20 18:4,13,32 33:8,14 Ro 1:32 Ro 5:12-21 6:16,23 7:10-13 8:2 1Co 15:22,56 Ga 3:10 Eph 2:1-6 Eph 5:14 Col 2:13 1Ti 5:6 Jas 1:15 1Jn 5:16 Rev 2:11 20:6,14 Rev 21:8 Genesis 2 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries Related Passages: Genesis 3:6-7+ When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. Human chromosomes (grey) capped by telomeres (white) TO DISOBEY IS CURSING AND DEATH But - This is one of the most important terms of contrast in the entire Bible, for it warns of a 180 degree reversal from eternal life to eternal death. In a play on Shakespeare's words, this passage begs the question "To obey or not to obey? That is the question!" From the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die - Surely die literally is "dying thou shalt die." In other words what God was saying is that the process of dying would begin (we euphemistically call it "aging")! Our skeptical friends say "Look at that error in the Bible. Adam did not die the day he sinned!" They are correct, he did not. But his body began to age ("deteriorate" - I understand this much better at age 76!) and at 930 years he "bit the dust!" (Ge 5:5) He died! God had warned if he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil his body would begin the inevitable process of dying and that is exactly what happened to him and to every descendant of Adam since that day (two exceptions - Enoch and Elijah). As Paul wrote " Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned." (Ro 5:12+). Matthew Henry - There was a trial appointed of his obedience. By transgression he would forfeit his Maker's favor, and deserve his displeasure, with all its awful effects; so that he would become liable to pain, disease, and death. Worse than that, he would lose the holy image of God, and all the comfort of his favour; and feel the torment of sinful passions, and the terror of his Maker's vengeance, which must endure for ever with his never dying soul. The forbidding to eat of the fruit of a particular tree was wisely suited to the state of our first parents. In their state of innocence, and separated from any others, what opportunity or what temptation had they to break any of the ten commandments? The event proves that the whole human race were concerned in the trial and fall of our first parents. To argue against these things is to strive against stubborn facts, as well as Divine revelation; for man is sinful, and shows by his first actions, and his conduct ever afterwards, that he is ready to do evil. He is under the Divine displeasure, exposed to sufferings and death. The Scriptures always speak of man as of this sinful character, and in this miserable state; and these things are true of men in all ages, and of all nations. Richard Gunther explains "Science has found that death is a process that begins at conception. Within every cell, at the end of the DNA, are small pieces called telomeres. (ED: SEE ACTUAL PICTURE ABOVE) At each division of the cell a telomere is lost. Eventually all the telomeres are gone, and the cell dies. ‘Dying you shall die’ is literally fulfilled.”
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Henry - Power over the creatures was given to man, and as a proof of this he named them all. It also shows his insight into the works of God. But though he was lord of the creatures, yet nothing in this world was a help meet for man. Believer's Study Bible on Adam - Though Adam is an historical character, the father of mankind, the Israelites traced their national history beginning with Abraham. Abraham is linked to Adam in 1 Chr. 1. Luke, who directs his Gospel to the Gentiles, traces the messianic line from Adam, the father of all mankind (Luke 3:23-38). Francis Schaeffer - In the Hebrew one can feel the force of this, especially in Ge 2:20: “But for Adam there was not found an help meet for him [that is, a helper opposite to him].” The emphasis here is on a counterpart to Adam—someone parallel to him, yet someone different. This counterpart, which we now know so very well in the man-woman relationship in life, simply didn’t exist at this time. Something wasn’t there. Helper (05828) 'ezer is a masculine noun which means help, support. It is often help from the Lord who helps His people (Ps 20:2; Ps 121:1-2; Ps124:8). God is called the shield or protection of Israel's help (Dt 33:29). It can also refer to a helper or one who assists and serves another with what is needed. Aid, help, support, succor, assistance Ex 18:4 Dt 33:7, 26, 29 in Lxx = boethos only in Heb 13:6. One who helps or aids = helper can describe God Ps 115:11, 33:20 As to source of help generally designates divine aid esp Psalms includes both material and spiritual assistance. Ps 121:1, 2 The Lord as Israel's help (Hos 13:9); the Lord as Israel's chief Helper (Ex 18:4; De 33:7; Ps 33:20; Ps 115:9-11). The name Eliezer means God (is) my helper (Ex 18:4). Genesis 2:21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. BGT καὶ ἐπέβαλεν ὁ θεὸς ἔκστασιν ἐπὶ τὸν Αδαμ καὶ ὕπνωσεν καὶ ἔλαβεν μίαν τῶν πλευρῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀνεπλήρωσεν σάρκα ἀντ᾽ αὐτῆς KJV And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; NET So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was asleep, he took part of the man's side and closed up the place with flesh. BBE And the Lord God sent a deep sleep on the man, and took one of the bones from his side while he was sleeping, joining up the flesh again in its place: CSB So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place. ERV And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof: ESV So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. GWN So the LORD God caused him to fall into a deep sleep. While the man was sleeping, the LORD God took out one of the man's ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. NKJ And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. NAB So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. NIV So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. NJB Then, Yahweh God made the man fall into a deep sleep. And, while he was asleep, he took one of his ribs and closed the flesh up again forthwith. NLT So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the LORD God took out one of the man's ribs and closed up the opening. NRS So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. YLT And Jehovah God causeth a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he sleepeth, and He taketh one of his ribs, and closeth up flesh in its stead. LXE And God brought a trance upon Adam, and he slept, and he took one of his ribs, and filled up the flesh instead thereof. ASV And Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof: DBY And Jehovah Elohim caused a deep sleep to fall upon Man; and he slept. And he took one of his ribs and closed up flesh in its stead. BHT wayyaPPël yhwh(´ädönäy) ´élöhîm TarDëmâ `al-hä´ädäm wayyîšän wayyiqqaH ´aHat miccal`ötäyw wayyisGör BäSär TaHTeºnnâ NAS So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh at that place. NIRV So the LORD God caused him to fall into a deep sleep. While the man was sleeping, the LORD God took out one of his ribs. He closed up the opening that was in his side. RSV So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh; RWB And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place; WEB And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Ge 15:12 1Sa 26:12 Job 4:13 33:15 Pr 19:15 Da 8:18 Genesis 2 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries Related Passage: 1 Samuel 26:12 So David took the spear and the jug of water from beside Saul’s head, and they went away, but no one saw or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a sound sleep from the LORD had fallen on them. SLEEP ALLOWING "SPIRITUAL SURGERY" So - A term of conclusion - what is the Spirit concluding? The LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man (adam), and he slept - This recall God's act in Abram's life when He cut covenant with him, the Spirit recording "Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him." (Ge 15:12) Matthew Henry - God caused deep sleep to fall on Adam; while he knows no sin, God will take care that he shall feel no pain. God, as her Father, brought the woman to the man, as his second self, and a help meet for him. That wife, who is of God's making by special grace, and of God's bringing by special providence, is likely to prove a help meet for a man. See what need there is, both of prudence and prayer in the choice of this relation, which is so near and so lasting. That had need to be well done, which is to be done for life. Our first parents needed no clothes for covering against cold or heat, for neither could hurt them: they needed none for ornament. Thus easy, thus happy, was man in his state of innocency. How good was God to him! How many favours did he load him with! How easy were the laws given to him! Yet man, being in honour, understood not his own interest, but soon became as the beasts that perish. Henry
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Henry has a famous quote regarding the woman - "She was not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved." NET NOTE on fashioned - The Hebrew verb is בָּנָה (banah, “to make, to build, to construct”). The text states that the LORD God built the rib into a woman. Again, the passage gives no indication of precisely how this was done QUESTION - Why did God use Adam’s rib to create Eve? (See accompanying video). ANSWER - The book of Genesis relates how God created Eve: “The Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man” (Genesis 2:21–22). The phrase for “one of his ribs” could be translated “a part of his side” (NET), but almost every English translation specifies the part as a “rib.” Earlier, in making Adam, God used the “dust of the ground” to form his body and “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). But, in making Eve, God did not go back to the dust; He used one of Adam’s ribs to form the woman. When she was brought to Adam, the man 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” (Ge 2:23). God used Adam’s rib to form Eve—He used existing tissue and did not “start from scratch”—to show that Adam and Eve were of the same substance; she was made from the same “stuff” and was a bearer of God’s image and likeness, just as Adam was (see Genesis 1:27). The woman made of Adam’s rib was designed to be a companion and “helper suitable” for Adam (Genesis 2:18). Eve, formed from a physical part of Adam, was truly his complement, an integral part of who he was. As such, she was a perfect companion. Why did God use Adam’s rib? Interestingly, ribs have amazing regenerative powers. Portions of rib bone and cartilage removed in bone graft surgery will regrow in a few months’ time, as long as the rib perichondrium is left intact. This means that Adam’s loss of a rib was only temporary; he did not have to go through the rest of his life with an incomplete skeletal system. When God brought Eve to Adam, they were united in marriage: the “woman” in Genesis 2:22 is called Adam’s “wife” in Ge 2:24. The pattern for marriage, the first social institution, was thus established by God in Eden. The manner of Eve’s creation is “why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.” The unity of a married couple and the “one flesh” principle are based on the fact that God used one of Adam’s ribs to make the woman. God’s use of one of Adam’s ribs to make Eve is a reminder that woman was created to be “beside” man. Together, the man and woman complement one another in marriage, and in Christ they are “heirs together of the grace of life” (1 Peter 3:7NKJV).GotQuestions.org QUESTION - Why weren’t Adam and Eve created at the same time (Genesis 2)? ANSWER - Genesis 2 describes the creation of Adam and then indicates that Eve was created sometime later. Surely, God had a reason for not creating them at the same time. Some have suggested that there is no clear rationale for God’s delay in creating Eve, but the text does imply a reason. Genesis 2:20 states, “The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.” Each animal lived in community with other animals. In contrast, Adam was alone. It seems that God wanted Adam to recognize that aloneness before God created a wife for him. It was necessary for Adam to feel his need in order for the fulfillment to be truly satisfying. The answer to Adam’s aloneness was Eve. She was called a “helper,” one who both supported and complemented Adam and a person he could support as well. God’s use of Adam’s rib to form Eve provided a unique connection point to highlight their dependence upon one another and the fact that they were “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). If Adam and Eve had been created at the same time, this aspect of human community or companionship would not have been as conspicuous. The fact that God separated the times of Adam’s and Eve’s creation draws attention to their need for companionship. The man’s solitary existence was the only thing called “not good” in all of creation—a telling description by God Himself to accentuate our need for community (Genesis 2:18). Interestingly, the Genesis account of the creation of Adam and Eve does not show Adam as better than Eve or Eve as better than Adam. Instead, they are shown as interdependent, one with the other, as part of God’s “good” creation. Genesis 2 concludes with God’s plan for marriage: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). Marriage between a man and a woman is a unity that reflects God’s original pattern in creation.GotQuestions.org THE BETTER HALF OF MAN - Sermon Outline by J Dean Cameron Text: Genesis 2:22 Read: vv. 8–23 “And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.” INTRODUCTION: Before such an audience, I see no other course but to speak on the subject of womanhood. Now, from the viewpoint of man, this is always a grand subject. On the feminine side of life, however, it is generally believed that woman was created after man as an improvement on man. Of course, I would not care to argue the negative side of this question just now; especially with such a majority on the positive side. In the text, the word “rib” means “side” (Vulgate Translation). Therefore we think of woman as one side of man—doubtless the “better half.” In fact, many men will agree that woman is the best thing that ever came from man. WHAT COULD BE WORSE THAN A “COUNTRY WITHOUT A MAN?” It seems obvious from the Genesis record that the answer to this question is, “A country without a woman.” 1. Before Eve, Adam was rich in land and fruit trees. 2. His garden abounded with beautiful flowers and shrubs. 3. A fisherman’s paradise—four rivers, Gen. 2:10. 4. Plenty of gold and precious stones, Gen. 2:12. 5. Didn’t owe a penny on any of it; no income tax. 6. Sun—no light bills; rain—no water bills, etc. 7. Still Adam was lonely in this wonderland, 2:18–20. 8. How could earth be improved?—woman! 2:22. 9. Earth needed a woman’s touch to make it paradise! THE CHURCH OWES WOMANHOOD A DEBT OF GRATITUDE. 1. The church at Philippi began with Lydia, Acts 16:14–15. 2. Phebe delivered Paul’s Epistle to Rome, Rom. 16:1. 3. The Dorcas Society was inspired by the benevolent Dorcas of the early church, Acts 9:36. 4. God gave the missionary enterprise to men (Matt. 28:19–20) but women have rescued it from disaster. Genesis 2:23 The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." BGT καὶ εἶπεν Αδαμ τοῦτο νῦν ὀστοῦν ἐκ τῶν ὀστέων μου καὶ σὰρξ ἐκ τῆς σαρκός μου αὕτη κληθήσεται γυνή ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς ἐλήμφθη αὕτη KJV And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. NET Then the man said, "This one at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man." BBE And the man said, This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh: let her name be Woman because she was taken out of Man. CSB And the man said: This one, at last, is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called "woman," for she was taken from man. ERV And the man said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. ESV Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." GWN The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She will be named woman because she was taken from man." NKJ And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." NAB the man said: "This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; This one shall be called 'woman,' for out of 'her man' this one has been taken." NIV The man 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." NJB And the man said: This one at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh! She is to be called Woman, because she was taken from Man. NLT "At last!" the man exclaimed. "This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called 'woman,' because she was taken from 'man.'" NRS Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken." YLT and the man saith, 'This is the proper step! bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh!' for this it is called Woman, for from a man hath this been taken; LXE And Adam said, This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of her husband. ASV And the man said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. DBY And Man said, This time it is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh: this shall be called Woman, because this was taken out of a man. BHT wayyö´mer hä|´ädäm zö´t haPPaº`am `eºcem më|`ácämay ûbäSär miBBüSärî lüzö´t yiqqärë´ ´iššâ Kî më´îš lù|qóHâ-zzö´t NAS And the man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." NIRV The man said, "Her bones have come from my bones. Her body has come from my body. She will be named 'woman,' because she was taken out of a man." RSV Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." RWB And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. WEB And Adam said, This {is} now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man. bone: Ge 29:14 Jud 9:2 2Sa 5:1 19:13 Eph 5:30 flesh: Ge 2:24 Woman: Heb. Isha, 1Co 11:8,9 taken: 1Co 11:8 Genesis 2 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries ADAM BURST INTO PRAISE The man (adam) said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman (ishshah), Because she was taken out of Man (ish) - This multipart description describes the oneness of the husband and wife which is unique to marriage. Vine on ishshah in Ge 2:23 - The stress here is on identification of womanhood rather than a family role. The stress on the family role of a "wife" appears in passages such as Ge 8:16. TWOT on ishshah in Ge 2:23 - She is depicted as the physical counterpart of man, deserving of his unswerving loyalty. Warren