2:1__3 _These verses bring to a conclusion the opening section of Genesis by emphasizing that God has completed the process of ordering creation. The repeated comment that God RESTED does not imply that he was weary from labor. The effortless ease with which everything is done in Chapter 1 suggests otherwise. Rather, the motif of God's resting hints at the purpose of creation. As reflected in various anncient Near East accounts, divine rest is associated with temple building. God's purpose for the earth is that it should become his dwelling place; it is not simply made to house his creatures. God's "activities" on this day (he FINSHED, "rested," "blessed," "made it holy") all fit this delightful pattern. The concept of the earth as a divine sanctuary, which is developed further in 2:4__25, runs throughout the whole Bible, coming to a climax in the future reality that the apostle John sees in his vision of a "new heaven" and a new earth"in Revelation 21:1__22:5.
GOD BLESSED THE SEVENTH DAY AND MADE IT HOLY (GENESIS 2:3). These words provide the basis for the obligation that God placed on the Israelites to rest from their normal labor on the Sabbath day (See EXODUS 20:8__11). There is no evening-followed-by-morning refrain for this day, prompting many to conclude that the seventh day still continues (which seems to underline John 5:17; Hebrews 4:3__11).
2:4__4:26 _EARTH'S FIRST PEOPLE. Centered initially on the garden of Eden, the episodes that make up this part of Genesis recount how God's ordered creation is thrown into chaos by the human couple's disobedience. The subsequent story of Cain and Abel and the Lamech (chapter 4) shows the world spiraling downward into violence, which precipitarted the flood (6:11, 13). These events are very significant for understanding not only the whole of Genesis but all of the Bible.
2:4__25 _THE MAN AND WOMAN IN THE SANCTUARY OF EDEN. The panoramic view of creation in chapter 1 is immediately followed by a complementary account of the sixth day that zooms in on the creation of the human couple, who are placed in the garden of Eden. In style and content this section differs significantly from the previous one; it does not contradict anything in chapter 1, but as a literary flashback it supplies more detail about what was recorded in 1:27. The picture of a sovereign, transcendent deity is complemented by that of a God who is both immanent and personal. The two portrayals of God balance each other, together providing a truer and richer description of his nature than either does on its own. In a similar way, whereas chapter 1 emphasizes the regal character of human beings, chapter 2 highlights their priestly status.
2:4 _THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF. This is the first of 11 such headings that give structure to the book of Genesis 5:1, which varies slightly; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10; 11:27; 25:12; 25:19; 36:1; 36:9; 37:2; see introduction: Arrangement of the Book). Each heading concentrates on what comes forth from the object or person named. The earliest translators of Genesis into Greek (in the Septuagint) used the word genesis to render the Hebrew word for "generations" (Hebrew toledot); from this is derived the title "Genesis." The rest of the verse is aritfully arranged in a mirror (or chiastic) form, the parts of the two poetic lines corresponding to each other in reverse order: HEAVENS (A), EARTH (B), WHEN THEY WERE CREATED (C), IN THE DAY THAT the Lord God MADE (C), EARTH (B), HEAVENS (A).
2:4 _This form unifies the two parts of the chiasmus, hereby inviting the reader to harmonize 2:5__25 with 1:1__2:3. LORD GOD. Throughout 1:1__2:3 the generic word "God" was used to denote the deity as the transecdent Creator. The leader is now introduced to God's personal name, "Yahweh" (translatedas "Lord" because of the ancient Jweish tradition of substituting in Hebrew the term that means "Lord" [Adonay] for "Yahweh" when reading the biblical text). The use of "Yahweh" throughout this passage underlines the personal and relational nature of God. The precedent for translating this as "Lord" and not "Yahweh" in English is found in the Septuagints customary translation (Greek Kyrios, "Lord"). That translation was the quoted many times by the NT authors, who also used the Greek term Kyrios, "Lord" rather than "Yahweh" for God's name.
2:5__7 _These verses concentrate on God's creation of a human male, amplifying 1:26__31 in particular. The main action here is God's "forming" of the man (2:7); verses 5__6 describe the conditions as the action took place. The term LAND (Hebrews 'erets) can refer to the whole earth, to dry land (1:10) or to a specific region (2:11__13). To show the continuity with chapter 1 (See 2:4), and in view of the mentionof RAIN, the ESV rendering ("land") is best. The location of this land is some unnamed place, just as the rainy season was about to begin, and thus when the ground was still dry, and without any BUSH OF THE FIELD. These conditions prevailed before the creation of man, suggesting that the lack of growth was related to the absence of a man or irrigate the land (which would be the normal way in dry conditions to bring about growth).
2:5__7 _THEN THE LORD GOD FORMED THE MAN OF DUST FROM THE GROUND (verse 7). The verb "formed" (Hebrew 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. BREATHED INTO HIS NOSTRILS THE BREATH OF LIFE (verse 7). Here God breathes life__physical, mental, and spiritual__into the one created to bear his image. LIVING CREATURE. The same term in Hebrew is used in 1:20, 24 to denote sea and land creatures. While human beings have much in common with other living beings, God gives humans alone a royal and priestly status and makes them alone "in his own image" (1:27). (See PAUL'S quotation of this passage in 1 CORINTHIANS 15:45).
2:8__9 _God provides a suitable environment for the man by planting a GARDEN IN EDEN, IN THE EAST. The name "Eden," which would have conveyed the sense of "luxury, pleasure," probably denotes a region much greater than the garden itself. God formed the man in the "land" (See Verses 5__7), and then PUT him in the garden (Verse 15). The earliest translation into Greek (the Septuagint) used the word paradeisos (from which comes the English term "paradise"; See LUKE 23:39__43) to translate the Hebrew term for "garden," on the understanding that it resembled a royal park. The abundance of the garden is conveyed by the observation that it contained EVERY TREE THAT IS PLEASANT TO THE SIGHT AND GOOD FOR FOOD (GENSIS 2:9), which is an ironic forshadowing of 3:6. Two trees, however, are picked out for special mention: THE TREE OF LIFE and THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL (2:9). Since relatively little is said about these trees, any understanding of them must be derived from the role that they play within the account of Genesis 2__3, especially chapter 3. On "treeof lofe," See 3:22__24; on "tree of knowledge," See 2:17.
2:10__14 _The general description of the RIVER that FLOWED OUT OF EDEN dividing into FOUR RIVERS (Verse 10) implies that Eden had a central location. In spite of the very specific details provided, however, Eden's location remains a mystery. While the names TIRGIS and EUPHRATES (Verse 140) are associated with the two rivers that surround Mesopotamia, the rivers PISHON and GIHON, as well as the regions of HAVILAH and CUSH (Verses 11, 13), have not been satisfactorily identified. The reference to GOLD and ONYX (Verses 11, 12) suggests that the land is rich in resources; these materials are later associated with the making of the tabernacle and temple.
# 2:15__16 _The overall picture of Eden presented in the preceding verses suggests that the park-like garden is part of a divine sanctuary. THE MAN is PUT in the garden TO WORK IT AND KEEP IT. The term "work" (Hebrew 'abad; Verse 5; 3:23; 4:2, 12; Proverbs 12:11; 28:19) denotes preparing and tending, and "keep" (Hebrew shamar) adds to that idea. Since this command comes before Adam sinned, work sid not come as a result of sin, nor is it something to be avoided. Productive work is part of God's good purpose for man in creation. Later, the same two verbs are used together of the work undertaken by the priests and Levites in the tabernacle ("minister" or "serve" [Hebrew 'abad] and "guad" [Hebrew shamar]; NUMBER 3:7__8; 18:7). The man's role is to be not only a gardener but also a guardian. As a priest, he is to maintain the sanctity of the garden as part of a temple complex. AND THE LORD GOD COMMANDED THE MAN. The fact that command was given to Adam implies that God gave "the man" a leadership role, including the resonsibility to guard and care for ('keep") all of creation (GENESIS 2:15)__a role that is also related to the leadership responsibility of Adam for Eve as his wife (VERSE 18, "a helper fit for him"). On the NT understanding of the relationship between husband and wife, EPHEIANS 5:22--33.)
2:17 _While God generously permitted the man to eat from every tree of the garden, God prohibited him from eating from THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL (Verse 17). The fruit of this tree has been variously understood as giving (1) _sexual awareness, (2) _moral discrimination, (3) _moral responsibility, and (4) _moral experience. Of these possibilities, the last is the most likely: by their obedience or disobedience the human couple will come to know good and evil by experience. Experience gained by "fearing the Lord" (PROVERBS 1:17) is wisdom, while that gained by disobeying God is slavery. IN THE DAY implies fixed certainty rather than absolute immediacy (1 KINGS 2:42), See GENESIS 3:4__5. YOU SHALL SURELY DIE (2:17). What kind of "death" does this threaten: physical, spiritual, or some combination? The Hebrew would can be used for any of these ideas, and the only way to find out is by reading to see what happens as the story unfolds.Theologians have discussed whether the instructions in 2:16__17, together with the instructions in 1:28__30, should be called God's "covenant" with Adam. Some have denied it, observing that the Hebrew word for "covenant" (berit) is not used until 6:18; others have added to this the insistence that covenants have to do with redemption. In reply, it can be pointed out that the thing itself can be present, even if the ordinary word indentifying it is not:2:17 _2 SAMUEL 7:4__7 says nothing about a covenant, but PSALM 89:3, 28, 34, 39 all use the term to describe God's promise to David. The same happens with HOSEA 6:7, which refers to a covenant with Adam. Also GENESIS 9:1__17 describes Noah in terms that clearlyecho 1:28__30, explicitly using the word "covenant": Noah is a kind of new Adam, a covenant representative. Finally, there is no evidence that biblical covenants are limited to the sphere of redemption: the term simply describes the formal binding together of two parties in a relationship, on the basis of mutual personal commitment, with consequences for keeping or breaking the commitment. The man (Adam) receives this covenant on behalf of the rest of mankind: YOU is singular in 2:16__17, which provides the basis for Paul's use of Adam as a representative head of the human race, parallel to Christ, in 1 CORTHINANS 15:22; ROMANS 5:12__19. the word "you" is plural in GENESIS 3:1__5, where the woman's statement shows that she has appropriated the command for herself. Also, by virtue of Adam's disobedience, his offspring receive the penalty: they cannot return to the garden any more that he can, and they descend into sin and misery.2:18__25 _These verses describe how God provides a suitable companion for the man.
2:18 _NOT GOOD is a jarring contrast to 1:31; clearly, the situation here has not yet arrived to "very good." I WILL MAKE HIM can also be translated "I will make for him," which explains Paul's statement in 1 CORINTHIANS 11:9. In order to find the man a HELPER FIT FOR HIM, God brings to him all the livestock, birds, and beasts of the field. None of these, however, proves to be "fit for" the man. "Helper" (Hebrew 'ezer) is one who supplies strength in the area that is lacking in "the helped." The term does not imply that the helper is eitherstronger or weaker than the one helped. "Fit for him" or "matching him" is not the same as "like him": a wife is not her husband's done but complements him.
2:20 _THE MAN GAVE NAMES. By namingthe animals, the man demonstrates his authority over all the other creatures.
2:23__24 _When no suitable companion is found among all the living beings. God fashions a woman from the man's own flesh. The text highlights the sense of oneness that exists between the man and the woman. Adam joyfully proclaims, "THIS AT LAST IS BONE OF MY BONES AND FLESH OF MY FLESH." This terminology is used elsewhere of blood relatives (29:14). This sentence and the story of Eve's creation both make the point that marriage creates the closet of all human relationships. It is also important to observe that God creates only one Eve for Adam, not several Eves or another Adam. This points to heterosexual monogamy as the divine pattern for marriage that God established at creation. Moreover, the kinship between husband and wife creates obligations that override even duty to one's parents (THEREFORE A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND HIS MOTHER AND HOLD FAST TO HIS WIFE, 2:24). In ancient Israel, sons did not move away when they married, but lived near their parents and inherited their father's land. They "left" their parents in the sense of putting their wife's welfare before that of their parents. The term "holdfast" is used elsewhere for practicing covenant faithfulness (DEUTERONOMY 10:20; See how Paul brings these texts together in 1CORINTHIANS 6:16__17); thus, other Bibles texts can call marriage a "covenant" (PROVERBS 2:17; MALACHI 2:14). Paul's teaching on marriage in EPHESIANS 5:25__32 is founded on this text. The sense of being made for each other is further reflected in a wordplay involving the terms "man" and"woman"; in Hebrew these are, respectively, 'ish and 'ishshah. As a result of this special affiliation, GENSIS 2:24 observes that when a man leaves his parents and takes a wife, THEY SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH, one unit (a union of man and woman, consummated in sexual intercourse). Jesus appeals to this verse and 1:27 in setting out his view of marriage (MATTHEW 19:4__5).
2:25 _NAKED AND. . .NOT ASHAMED. This final description in verses 18__25 offers a picture of innocent delight and anticipates further developments in the story. The subject of the couple's nakedness is picked up in 3:7__11, and a play on the similar sounds of the words "naked" (Hebrew 'arummin) and "crafty" (3:1, Hebrew 'arum) links the end of this episode with the start of the next.
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