Genesis 2 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Genesis 2

The Seventh Day, God Rests

2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 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. 3 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.

The Creation of Man and Woman

4   These are the generations
  of the heavens and the earth when they were created,
  in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.

5 When no bush of the field¹ was yet in the land² 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, 6 and a mist³ was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground—7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 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.

10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat⁴ of it you shall surely die.”

18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for⁵ him.” 19 Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed⁶ every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam⁷ there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 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. 22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made⁸ into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 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.”⁹

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Footnotes

[1] 2:5 Or open country
[2] 2:5 Or earth; also verse 6
[3] 2:6 Or spring
[4] 2:17 Or when you eat
[5] 2:18 Or corresponding to; also verse 20
[6] 2:19 Or And out of the ground the Lord God formed
[7] 2:20 Or the man
[8] 2:22 Hebrew built
[9] 2:23 The Hebrew words for woman (ishshah) and man (ish) sound alike

Commentary

v1-3: The principle of separation is continued, with the seventh day being set apart. This reflects God's character and provides rest for man's well-being.

God rested, not because He was tired, but because His work of creation was completed. (See Hebrews 10.11-12)

v4-6: Summary verses, introducing the detailed description of man's creation. Water comes by a mist, rather than by rain. The first rain comes later at the time of Noah.

The description here of man's creation all happens on day 6. Whilst some state that the evening-morning of chapter 1 is 24 hours, there seems no necessity to insist on this.

v7: Man is formed of the dust of the ground. Ground is ADAMAH, man is ADAM; he knows his humble origin, 1 Corinthians 15.44, 47-49.

Man also has a divine origin, for God breathed life into him. In this way also he is set apart from the rest of creation. He is a soul, a living being.

v8-9: God's on-going provision for man, as in Genesis 1:29; 'every tree' is given for him to enjoy; they are abundant and pleasant and good. God never needed man (Acts 17.25), but He made man to be dependent on Him.

The garden is in the east; later pagans began to worship the sun in the east, as the ways of God are corrupted by sinful mankind. Jews in Babylon worshipped towards the temple in Jerusalem, facing west.

v10-14: The four riverheads in Eden, to water a vast area beyond the garden.

v15: Man's responsibility to work, to keep and tend the garden. Here is useful, God-given work, with man exercising his God-given authority, see Genesis 1:26. Through the fall, this work becomes a burden, Gensis 3:17-19; man's responsibility is neglected, as he pursued other vocations.

v16-17: The single prohibition, to keep from one tree. Adam knows which tree he must avoid.

There is no reference to a sacrifice for sin, for there is no sin yet. Death here means separation, between God and man, and between soul and body. In Hebrew, this read,s ‘In dying you shall die.’

v18: The need for companionship; and this is God's initiative, not man's; the need is only satisfied by one like man, a 'helper suitable for him'. The meaning implies one to protect and help. The Hebrew word carries the meaning of 'strength' or 'power.' Thus the wife is not lesser, nor secondary. She is an equal partner in a mutually dependent relationship.

One great privilege of the church is that we know the man Christ Jesus. We are not alone, we have a helper perfectly suited; Hebrew 4.14-15; 7.26.

v19: The animals come to Adam, as in Genesis 6.20, that he might name them, indicating his authority, and even his imagination and creativity.

v20 Of all the animals that Adam names, none is found suitable for him as a helper. This reflects the distinction God made between mankind and the animals.

v21-23 Man is incomplete without woman, for she is taken from him.

Although Adam named the animals, his first recorded words are about Eve, the woman. Here is God's plan, that man and woman dwell together, enjoying each other, and enjoying God together.

v24: The principle of marriage, leaving and cleaving; an exclusive relationship. This principle is laid down here before they become parents. These words are also quoted by the Lord Jesus in Mark 10:6-8.

v25 There is no shame, for there is no sin.