Genesis Genesis Reading Plan 1-24 Genesis Lessons 1-24 Genesis Reading Plan 27 - 45 Genesis Lessons 27-45 Genesis Resources

Genesis 2:4-9, 15-18 Notes

Genesis 2: 4-9, 15-18 Notes Bible Ref

CONTEXT: Gen. 2 begins with a description of the seventh day of creation, in which God rested from His work. Then it returns to the sixth day and describes in more detail the creation of man, the garden God placed him into, and the work God gave him to do. God recognizes that it is not good for man to be alone and makes a helper for him out of his own rib. This woman becomes Adam's companion and wife, setting the original example of God's design for marriage. The two exist in pure innocence, naked yet unashamed before sin enters into the world. Gen. 2:4-9 begins to describe additional details about the creation of human beings, starting with the creation of the first man. Man is ''formed'' out of existing matter-the dust or debris of the earth-into which God breathes life. God plants the garden in Eden, and places the newly-created man there. Among the many trees in the garden are two of special significance: the Tree of Life, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Gen. 2:15-25 returns to provide details about the sixth-day creation of human beings. After being crafted out of the substance of earth, man is placed in a garden by God. He is then given responsibility to care for the plants and trees there. God's first and only prohibition to the man is not to eat from the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, in the middle of the garden, on promise of death. Man is also charged with naming the animals, an act reflecting his God-given authority. God recognizes that it is not good for man to be alone and makes woman to be his helper, companion, and wife, establishing the pattern of God's design for human marriage.

v. 4: This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven. - Chap. 1 described God's process of creation in six separate days. The first few verses of chapter 2 complete that sequence with a seventh day, where God takes a deliberate rest from His work. Having concluded the account of the creation week, Genesis now turns back to provide more detail about the creation of human beings, where they lived, and God's instructions to them.

This verse serves as an introduction to the story of Adam and Eve and those who would follow. It is written in the poetic structure of a "chiasm." This is a word-pyramid in which phrases parallel each other on the way "up" and "down." Another way to think of this is as a mirror, centered on some specific point. The idea-pattern in a chiasm is structured as A-B-C-B-A, but can include many more points around the central theme. This form of writing is common throughout Genesis.
So this verse begins with "This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created." And then it reverses direction: "'When the Lord made the earth and the heavens.' "
This pattern can be found in Genesis in single verses, in multi-verse sections, and even over the course of multiple chapters.

v. 5: Now no shrub of the field was yet on 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. - Setting the stage for the arrival of man, two things are missing at this point in the creation story: rain and someone to work the ground. This verse describes a world in which no shrubs or small plants of the field had yet sprung up. The Hebrew word for the plants God created during the prior days, as in Genesis 1:11, is de'se, which is a very general term. Here, in verse 5, the terms used are siah and ē'seb, which are more specific. This passage, then, is describing the lack of cultivated crops grown for humans to eat.

God caused all kinds of plants to grow on the land on the third day of creation, and we will see in verse 8 that God will plant trees in Eden with fruit good for food. This verse is pointing forward to man's future work and purpose on the earth, to plant crops and work the ground, to bring order to the earth by tending what God has already made.

v. 6: But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. - The previous verse described the earth as lacking cultivated crops. At that point, there was no one to work the ground and no rain. This verse tells us how the garden got its water with no rain: mists or streams came up from the ground. The impression is of underground streams, the so-called "fresh water ocean," which would saturate the land, perhaps on a cyclical basis. This fits the description of upcoming verses of the rivers that water the Garden of Eden and the region around it. It also fits with the farming practices of the Mesopotamian region that relied on cyclical flooding to sustain crops.

As we saw in chapter 1, God had prepared a world in which humans could grow and gather food before He even made man. Likewise, He had made a world in which humans were needed to care for all He had made and help to bring order to it.

v. 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 person. - This is the moment when all human life begins. Genesis 1 describes the creation of the entire universe. As part of that story, men and women are also formed (Gen 1:27). Genesis chapter 2 narrows focus on the creation of the first man, giving additional details, and helping us to see that humanity is special among all the rest of creation.

In Gen. 1:1, God's creation is described using the term bā'rā, which implies "creation" in the sense of "coming into being," or of "something from nothing." But here, in Genesis 2:7, the creation of the first human being uses the Hebrew word for "formed:" yi'ser. This describes the actions of an artist, a sculptor, or a potter. This term is specific in that it always refers to work done on some existing substance. In this case, God is forming human life from the ground itself. The Heb. word is ā'pār, which refers to dirt, powder, debris, or ash.
Following the storyline of this verse, after being "formed," man was merely a lump of well-formed dirt. It's what God did next that made us alive: He breathed into the man's nose the breath of life. Literally, God breathed life into the lump, transforming it into a living being, or "creature," or "soul."
All of life originated with God, but human life began with the personal breath of God. Without God, we simply would not live. The name Adam is directly from the Hebrew ā'dām, which literally means "man." This name reflects the dust from which we were formed: the Hebrew word for ground is adamah.
All of this, as one can imagine, adds fuel to the debate over exactly how God went about bringing human life onto the earth. Regardless of the specific process involved, this verse clearly states that God Himself formed man out of the dust of the ground. God personally designed the size, shape, and detail of the first man. God was intentional, fashioning exactly what He set out to make. According to the book of Genesis, the form of that first man was "very good" (Genesis 1:31)

v. 8: The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. - After forming the first human being, God planted a garden in a region called Eden. English translations of this verse all include some concept of "east" in describing the location of this garden. The original Hebrew says gan b ē'den mi qe'dem, which most literally means "a garden towards the east, in Eden." It should be pointed out that "Eden," literally speaking, is the territory where the garden is located, not the actual garden itself. From the geography given in the following verses, it seems logical to conclude that Eden was in the region of Mesopotamia. By implication, Genesis' original audience would have been to the west of that area.

The first chapter of Genesis shows God as a provider. In each of the first three days, He fashions an environment suitable for a later creation. On days four, five, and six of the creation week, God places a new creation into each of those prepared places. Here, we see God making provisions for man, planting a garden of trees, and placing the man there. This garden would be man's first home.

v. 9: Out of the ground the LORD God caused every tree to grow that is pleasing 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. - The previous verse described God planting a garden, somewhere to the east of the land occupied by Genesis' original readers. This region-not merely the garden itself-is referred to as "Eden." Here, that garden is described as a place where God caused to "spring up" a variety of beautiful trees bearing good fruit. According to this description, there were many different types of fruit-bearing trees in this location.

Two specific trees are mentioned by name as standing in the middle of the garden: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We will soon learn that God had designed these two trees with special properties. Those who ate from the Tree of Life would live forever (Genesis 3:22). The function of this tree seems to be that immortality comes from continually eating from it. God did not prohibit Adam and Eve from eating its fruit at first, and they were not rendered permanently immortal by it.
On the other hand, those who ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil would leave behind their blissful state of innocence. In later verses, God will forbid Adam from eating from this tree. The "knowledge" here is not necessarily intellectual, but that of experience. The fruit of this tree would not, in and of itself, impart information. However, it would cause mankind to experience both good and evil in ways not intended by God. Eating from this tree would make man aware of the existence of evil-which is opposition to God-by participating in it.
In verse 17, we will hear God instruct the man never to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. In chapter 3, we will see the man break that command with disastrous results.

NOTE: We skip vv. 10-14, which describe a river flowing out of Eden and a land rich in natural resources.

v. 15: Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and tend it. - One of the most important lessons which jumps out from this verse is that immediately after he was created, the first man had a God-given purpose. God placed him into the paradise of the garden of Eden with a job to do. God had created a world which included work needing to be done; He created man with a mission to do that work. Logically, God didn't need to structure the world in this way. He could have created a world that was fully self-sustaining. He could have made human beings to simply live in luxury and enjoy all of God's creation without ever having to contribute anything.

That, however, was not God's design. Even before sin entered the world, human beings were meant to work, to help to accomplish God's purpose. That is built into us. Chapter 3 will reveal that sin changed the nature of our work and our response to it, but work itself is not a curse. It is part of our purpose as God's creatures.
This first man's work was relatively simple and straightforward: to maintain the garden of Eden. This purpose will be lost when he sins, later in this story. For those restored to fellowship with God through faith in Christ, that sense of purposeful work begins to be restored, as well. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:10, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

vv 16-17: The LORD God commanded the man, saying, 'From any tree of the garden you may freely eat; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die.' - Verses 16 and 17 form a complete thought which needs to be read and understood as one statement to be fully understood. This is God's first negative command to human beings, telling the man what he must not do. This uses the Hebrew root word tsavah, the first time this concept is used in the Bible.

Even so, the command starts with what the man can do, which is practically anything else. Man is given the freedom to eat from every tree in the garden of Eden-except for one, single prohibition. This statement echoes God's words recorded in Genesis 1:29: that all types of seed-bearing plants and fruits from trees were provided for food.
God provides. That's who He is; that's built into His nature and identity. We as His people are provided for even when we don't clearly see how our needs will be met. We are provided for even when our God declares some seemingly good things off-limits to us, as He does with the man in the next verse. The fact that mankind disobeys the one, single, simple command we are given summarizes the Bible's view of sin and salvation.
The previous verse contains the first use in the Bible of the Hebrew root word for "command:" tsavah. Even so, that command to man began with a statement of permission. The man could eat freely from every tree in the garden. God had graciously provided all of that for him. God is not placing man inside a tiny fence of rules: He's locking evil inside a small box. God is allowing the man complete freedom in this new environment...with one exception.
Here, God provides a boundary for the man's freedom. The command turns to the negative, the restriction: man must not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. If he does, he will die. This simple prohibition underscores the Bible's basic view of sin and salvation. Mankind will not fall into sin because he fails to keep some impossibly long list of rules. Nor will humanity fail because the restrictions are too demanding. Given near-complete freedom, and one single restriction, humanity will still choose to sin and fall.
Knowing the outcome of the story as we do, this feels like a precarious moment. We are tempted to question God's judgment. Why place that tree in the garden in full view of the man? Why allow even the possibility for disobedience right from the start of this brand new relationship with a brand new person? Of course, we are not qualified to answer why in any great detail. However, the fact that God does this tells us some essential things about His character and the way in which He intends to be in relationship with human beings.
From the very beginning, God wanted a relationship based on His provision, our trust, and demonstrating that trust through obedience. God's proposition to the first man is fundamentally identical to what He will say to Moses' first readers many years later: Obey, and I will give life and blessing. Disobey, and you will lose both (Deut. 30:15-20.)

v. 18: Then the LORD God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.' - For the first time in the Bible, we hear God describe something as "not good." Until this point, God has seen everything He has made as good or very good, including the first man. All of the created world was perfect in form, function, and potential until this point. Now something wasn't right.

What's especially interesting about this statement is that, at this point, God is wholly responsible for the state of the world. This is not after the fall of man, but before it. Why, then, is something God created being called "not good?" And by God Himself, no less? In short, only God can be perfect. So, anything which is not God cannot be completely perfect. And, we have already seen God choose to create through a process of creation and modification (Genesis 1:9-12). It is not only logically possible, but inevitable, that part of God's creation will be less than perfect, in the sense that God is "perfect."
What, exactly, is the problem which God intends to correct? The man was alone. God didn't design human beings to live in solitude. Specifically, marriage between man and woman was part of His plan for humanity from the very beginning, even before sin entered into the world. God declares that He will make a helper that is fit, or suitable, or "corresponds to" the man. In other words, He will make another person like the man: another human built with the purpose of being the man's helper and companion.
Some see the description of the first woman as the helper of the first man as demeaning. Some assume this means she is lesser in position or purpose. However, God often describes Himself with the same root word used here for helper: 'ezer (Psalm 33:20; Psalm 70:5; Psalm 115:9). In any case, the woman will be provided to the man for his good. She is part of God's provision to him, as he will be to her. God's intention and design is for the man and woman to live and work and walk with Him together.
The following verses will also show that God intends humanity to see each other-not animals-as their true companions and equals. God will create animals for Adam to name, and point out that none of them are a suitable match for him.

Lesson: Genesis 2:4-9, 15-18

Motivation: Often in Scripture, we will see a major theme introduced followed by a magnification of a spiritual point. In Gen. 1:26-30, the creation of humans was introduced. Chapter Two provides an expansion of that theme and expands our place, purpose and the Person who may complete us.

I. Man Formed

A. God Creates the World

"4 These are the records of the heavens and the earth, concerning their creation at the time that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. 5 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. 6 But water would come out of the ground and water the entire surface of the land." (4-6)

What do we learn of the earth before this event? The major difference (which continued up to the Great Flood) was the hydrological cycle. Our present cycle, involving the movement of air masses that produce rain from evaporated water vapor, is referenced in such scriptures as Ecc. 1:6-7; Is. 55:10-11; Job 28:24-26; Job 36:26-29; Psalm 135:6-7. No rainfall in the original meteorology may have been the result of uniform temperatures and a vapor canopy "the waters above the sky." (1:7).

B. God Creates Adam

"Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being." (7) God created many things in this passage. But, verse seven, takes time to describe our unique relationship to Him.

Humans Are "Formed" By God "In His Image" (1:26) - The word picture is of sculptor bending over his work carefully fashioning a fine piece of art. Ps. 139:14 "I praise you because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. . ." It has been said that we are made by God and "God don't make no junk." (Matt. 22:17-21)
Humans Are God-Breathed "and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils" - Scripture is said to also be God breathed (II Tim. 3:16). This is a reminder that apart from every other living creature, we have a special anointing from God. (Born again - Heb. 4:12)
Humans Have Been Given Life "and the man became a living being" - Life is a precious gift. It is God's to give and God's to take. In certain circumstances, He gives humans a responsibility to take a life (capital punishment, war). However, the principle of life as a precious gift from God should affect our views on abortion, euthanasia, and our stewardship of time and resources. (Even cloning today requires living ingredients).

II. Place to Call Home (8-9, 15)

A. Provider "The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there He placed the man He had formed. The Lord 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." (8-9) God provides for our needs.

HCSB, p. 11: 2:8 "The location of Eden is unknown; suggestions include Armenia, Iraq, Africa, and Arabia. Changes in geography caused by the flood in Noah's day (7:11) make it unlikely that Eden will ever be discovered. The Hebrew word 'Eden' literally means 'pleasantness.'" 2:9 "God's concern for beauty is seen in the fact that the trees He caused to grow were pleasing in appearance. The Lord's love of beauty will later be extended to Israel's religion, which will make use of furnishings fashioned by expert craftsmen using expensive materials (Ex 25-40). Of course, God's beautiful created works were also practical, being good for food."

B. Protector "The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it" (15) We are given stewardship and responsibility for the earth. Work is ordained by God.

HCSB, P. 11: 2:15 "The Hebrew word translated as placed literally means, 'caused to rest'; this pre-sin state of rest anticipates the 'rest' ('relief'; 5:29) that would again come to humanity because of righteous Noah, as well as the rest that God would again give Israel following its episode of calf worship (Ex 32:1-21; 33:14). As a being created in God's image, Adam, like God, was to be a worker. Without the taint of sin, work was an undiluted blessing. The verb translated here as 'work' literally means 'serve.' Adam's second task in the garden was to watch over it: The verb used elsewhere to refer to the action of God toward His people (Ps 121:3-4) or the work of a military guard (Sg 5:7)."

III. A Warning Issued (16-17)

16 "And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, 17 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." (16-17)

HCSB, p.11: 2:17 "The only limit God placed on Adam was eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which apparently imparted divine wisdom (3:22). Eating the forbidden fruit represented Adam's rejection of God as the source of divine wisdom and his choice to pursue wisdom apart from God. God's penalty for disobedience was stated especially forcefully in the original language, with a two-verb construction, 'dying you shall die' (you will certainly die). Death would certainly come to Adam and all humanity after him; but the death that God warned about would be more than physical (3:19). Besides severing the cord of life, sin would shatter the harmonious relationship that existed between Adam and his environment (3:17-18), his wife (3:16), and God."

IV. A Need Addressed

Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper as his complement." (18) God addressed Adam's needs throughout this chapter. He gave him a place (8), responsibilities (15) and living surroundings (19-20) "but for the man no helper was found as his complement." (20b) Implicit in this story is that we humans are created with an innate need to relate not only to one another generally but specifically to a "complement" or completer. This should not be interpreted to say that being single is wrong or even sinful. In fact, Paul wrote that by being single, he had more freedom to accomplish the mission God set before him. (1 Corinthians 7:7-9).

HCSB, p. 11: 2:18 "The theme of God providing for Adam's needs is picked up again here, as God declared that Adam's being alone is not good. God created the man with a need to relate to one as his complement, and now God will meet that need."

V. A Completer Fashioned (21-25)

21 "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. 22 Then the Lord God made the rib He had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 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.24 This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh. 25 Both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame."

In our study of Matthew 19:4-5, we discussed the responsibilities to leave (separation from parents) and cleave (became one flesh with a spouse).

One of the ways you can understand better the four vital characteristics of the original marriage is to look at what happens to each of us when we are born again in Christ.

1) Severance - we turn away from our old world, our old ways - we repent.

2) Permanence - we make an eternal commitment to Christ, never to be forsaken.

3) Unity - we unite with Christ in an ongoing process of growth and change.

4) Intimacy - we fellowship with Christ and as our relationship becomes more and more intimate, we are transformed into His image. (Rom. 8:23-29) These four spiritual truths are reflected in the emotional and physical attributes of marriage.

HCSB, P. 12: 2:24 "God's timeless design for marriage is declared here. The one flesh relationship certainly involves sexual union, but also includes a husband and wife coming together in spiritual, mental, and emotional harmony." 2:25 "Because the devastating effects of sin had not yet ravaged nature or humanity, there was no need for clothing. Adam and Eve could live without the barriers needed to shield them from their environment and each other without a sense of shame. Later, in the time of the patriarchs and kings, clothing was associated with dignity. Accordingly, prisoners of war were not permitted to wear any clothing, slaves wore very little clothing, and higher social classes wore more clothing than anyone else in society."

Application:

God designed a place where we could be fulfilled.
God designed a purpose within that place.
God designed a person to complete our lives.

EW Commentary - Gen. 2:4-9, 15-18

2. (Gen. 2:4-7) The history of the heavens and the earth.

This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 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; but a mist went up 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 being.

This is the history of the heavens and the earth: This probably ends the "genealogy" of the heavens and the earth, a history given directly by God to either Moses or Adam, recording the history of God's seven-day creation. This was something no human was present to witness.
In the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens: This is the first use of LORD (Yahweh) in the Bible. Our English word Lord comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for bread (as does our word loaf) because ancient English men of high stature would keep a continual open house, where all could come and get bread to eat. They gained the honorable title of lords, meaning "dispensers of bread."
Before any plant of the field was in the earth: This history begins before there was any vegetation on the earth at all (back to Genesis 1:1), a time when there were only space and a watery globe we know as the earth.
The LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth: When God first created vegetation (on the third day of creation, Genesis 1:11-13), man had not yet been created to care for the vegetation of the earth, and there was no rain. The thick blanket of water vapor in the outer atmosphere created on the second day of creation (Genesis 1:6-8) made for no rain cycle (as we know it) but for a rich system of evaporation and condensation, resulting in heavy dew or ground-fog.
The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground: When God created man He made him out of the most basic elements, the dust of the ground. There is nothing "spectacular" in what man is made of, only in the way those basic things are organized.
i. When the Bible uses dust in a figurative or symbolic sense, it means something of little worth, associated with lowliness and humility (Genesis 18:27; 1 Samuel 2:8; 1 Kings 16:2). In the Bible, dust isn't evil and it isn't nothing; but it is next to nothing.
And breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being: With this Divine breath, man became a living being, like other forms of animal life (the term chay nephesh is used in Genesis 1:20-21 and here). Yet only man is a living being made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27).
i. The word for breath in Hebrew is ruach - the word imitates the very sound of breath - is the same word for Spirit, as is the case in both ancient Greek (pneuma) and Latin (spiritus). God created man by putting His breath, His Spirit, within him.
ii. "The implication, readily seen by any Hebrew reader, [is] that man was specially created by God's breathing some of His own breath into him." (Boice)
iii. The King James Version reads: man became a living soul. This makes some wonder if man is a soul, or if man has a soul. This passage seems to indicate that man is a soul, while passages like 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and Hebrews 4:12 seem to indicate that man has a soul. It seems that the Scripture speaks in both ways, and uses the term in different ways and in different contexts.

B. Adam in the Garden of Eden.

1. (8-9) Two trees in the Garden of Eden.

The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. 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.

The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden: Eden was a garden specifically planted by God; it was a place God made to be a perfect habitation for Adam (and later, Eve).
There he put the man whom He had formed: The details in the creation of Adam and Eve teach us something. After reading Genesis 1, we might have assumed that man and woman were made at the same time, but the text doesn't specifically say so. We assume it. We don't know the details about man's creation until Genesis 2.
Out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow: The rest of Genesis chapter 2 does not present a different or contradictory account of creation. Rather, it is probably the history of creation from Adam's perspective. This is Adam's experience of creation, which does not contradict the account of Genesis 1:1-2:7 - it fills it out.
i. In Matthew 19:4-5, Jesus referred to events in Genesis 1 and to events in Genesis 2 as one harmonious account.
The tree of life... the tree of the knowledge of good and evil: These two trees were among all the other trees God created and put in the Garden of Eden.
i. The tree of life was to grant (or to sustain) eternal life (Genesis 3:22). God still has a tree of life available to the His people (Revelation 2:7), which is in heaven (Revelation 22:2).
ii. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was the "temptation" tree. Eating the fruit of this tree would give Adam an experiential knowledge of good and evil. Or, it is possible that it is called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil not so man would know good and evil, but so God could test good and evil in man.

2. (15-17) God's command to Adam.

Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 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."

Put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it: God put Adam into the most spectacular paradise the world has seen, but God put Adam there to do work (to tend and keep it). Work is something good for man and was part of Adam's perfect existence before the fall.
i. "The ideal state of sinless man is not one of indolence without responsibility. Work and duty belong to the perfect state." (Leupold)
Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat: The presence of this tree - the presence of a choice for Adam - was good because for Adam to be a creature of free will, there had to be a choice, some opportunity to rebel against God. If there is never a command or never something forbidden there can then never be choice. God wants our love and obedience to Him to be the love and obedience of choice.
i. Considering all that, look at Adam's advantages. He only had one way he could sin and we have countless ways. There are many trees of temptation in our lives, but Adam had only one. NOTICE, God made this command originally to Adam, not to Eve; God had not yet brought woman out of man.
In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die: God not only made His command clear to Adam, but He also clearly explained the consequences for disobedience.

C. God creates the first woman.

1. (18) God declares He will make a helper comparable to Adam.

And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him."

It is not good that man should be alone: For the first time, God saw something that was not good - the aloneness of man. God never intended for man to be alone, either in the marital or social sense.
i. Marriage, in particular, has a blessed civilizing influence on man. The wildest, most violent, sociopathic men in history have always been single, never under the plan God gave to influence men for good. For society as a whole, this is not good.
I will make him a helper comparable to him: God's "blueprint" for creating this companion to Adam was to make a helper comparable to Adam.
i. Different versions of the Bible translate this idea in a variety of ways, but the idea is essentially the same in each of them: A companion... a helper suited to his needs (Living).
A helper comparable: In reference to the marriage relationship, God created woman to be a perfectly suitable helper to the man. This means God gave the plan and agenda to Adam, and he and the woman together work to fulfill it.
i. The phrase "in reference to the marriage relationship" is used because God has not ordained women to be helpers to men in authority (instead of being in authority themselves), except in marriage and in the church (1 Timothy 2:12-13).
ii. God gives to man the responsibility (and the accountability) to be the leader in the home and gives to the woman the responsibility and the accountability to help him.
iii. This does not mean there is to be no help from the man to the woman (though in many cases this is sadly true). It means when God looks down from heaven upon the family, He sees a man in leadership, good or bad, faithful or not, to the calling of leadership. A true leader will, of course, help those helping him. We only see "helping" as a position of inferiority when we think like the world thinks. God considers positions of service as most important in His sight (Matthew 20:25-28).
A helper comparable: Not only was the woman to be a helper but also she was made comparable to the man. She should be considered and honored as such. A woman or wife cannot be regarded as a mere tool or worker, but as an equal partner in God's grace and an equal human being.

Genesis 2:15-17 - EXEGESIS (Donovan)

GENESIS 2:4b-14. THE CONTEXT

Scholars generally agree that there are two accounts of the creation. The later account (but first in the biblical sequence) is 1:1-2:4a, and the earlier account is 2:4b-14, which forms the foundation for our text this week.

Verses 4b-14 tell of the creation (v. 4b)-a creation where there was no plant or herb or rain-and "no man to till the ground" (v. 5). However, it describes a kind of paradise where "a mist went up from the earth, and watered the whole surface of the ground" (v. 6). "Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living soul" (v. 7)-unlike the later account where God created man by God's word (1:26-27).

Then "Yahweh God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed" (v. 8). God then "made every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the middle of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (v. 9).

Four rivers watered the garden-the Pishon and Gihon, the locations of which we do not know-and the Tigris and the Euphrates, which flow through modern Iraq (vv. 10-14). In that part of the world, water is always scarce, so these verses describe a desirable place where God has provided abundant water.

GENESIS 2:15-17. YAHWEH GOD PUT THE MAN INTO THE GARDEN OF EDEN

15Yahweh God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it; for in the day that you eat of it you will surely die."

"Yahweh God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." (v. 15). In 1:28, God commanded the man to subdue the earth and to have dominion over it. The idea there was not that God authorized man to despoil the earth, but rather that he intended the man to make use or earthly resources for food, clothing, and shelter. Verse 15 uses different verbs-"dress it up and keep" instead of "subdue" and "have dominion"-but the idea is the same. The man is to use earthly resources to meet human needs.

Eden is a paradise in the sense that it has a plentiful water supply, but God does not intend for the man to enjoy the kind of Eden that we often picture-a place where the man can eat fruit with no expenditure of effort. Even in God's original design-before the Fall-God assigns man work to do. Man is to till the garden and to keep it-agricultural duties. Unlike some of the Near Eastern myths with which Israelites would be familiar, the purpose of man's toil is not to provide for selfish gods. God is the provider here. God, who created the man and knows his frame, knows that the man needs to engage in purposeful activity for his physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Tilling and keeping a garden can be delightful work. They become unpleasant only when the requirements exceed one's time or energy-or when insects or weather ruin one's work. Work will become unpleasant only after sin enters the picture.

"Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;"(v. 16). When we think of this story, the prohibition against eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil tends to dominate our thinking, but we must not forget that God first established a very wide range of permissible activity. The man is permitted to eat of all the trees except one. There is no need for him to be bored with the same old food day after day, and there is certainly no necessity for him to be hungry. God has provided both substance and variety. The man lacks nothing.

"but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it; for in the day that you eat of it you will surely die." (v. 17). In v. 16, God provided freedom. In v. 17, he provides boundaries-gives them the freedom to choose.

God denies the man the fruit of only one tree. There is no prohibition against eating the fruit of the other special tree-the tree of life (2:9). Nor is there any mention of the apple portrayed in popular culture-God prohibits the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The idea of an apple probably comes from the similarity of two Latin words, malus (evil) and malum (apple). Note the wordplay between two similar words with different meanings.

God doesn't give the man a reason for the prohibition, but sounds like a loving father warning his child about potential danger. This warning gives the man an opportunity to demonstrate faith in God. The tree becomes "Adam's church, altar, and pulpit. Here he was to yield to God the obedience he owed, give recognition to the Word and will of God, give thanks to God, and call upon God for aid against temptation" (Luther, quoted in Mathews, 210).

We have practically no information about the tree itself. The issue isn't the tree, but God's authority and human obedience to that authority.

GENESIS 2:18-25. IT IS NOT GOOD THAT MAN SHOULD BE ALONE

These verses are not included in this lectionary reading, but are the reading for Proper 22B (Revised Common Lectionary). That exegesis is posted separately. Verses 18-25 tell of God creating every living creature and giving the man naming rights over the creatures (vv. 18-20). They then tell of the creation of the woman from the man's rib or side (vv. 21-23)-and God's intention that "a man leaves his father and his mother and will join to his wife, and they will be one flesh" (v. 24). It also observes, "They were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed" (v. 25).

Gen. 2:4-9, 15-18 - EXTRA COMMENTARY

Verses 4-7 "Generations" is the first of 10 section-headings in Genesis (5:2; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10, 27; 25:12, 19; 36:1; 37:2), which may be better understood as narrating the "histories" or "stories" of various people or events. Nowhere in Genesis does the word include the birth of the individual of various people or events. Nowhere in Genesis does the word include the birth of the individual (except in 25:19, where Isaac is mentioned as the son of Abraham).

Genesis 2:4 "These [are] the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,"

"In the day" is an expression conveying the idea "when the Lord God made." "Made" is asah, used synonymously with bara (1:1).

"Lord" is likely pronounced "Yahweh." It is the most significant name for God in the Old Testament, appearing 6,823 times. The name refers to God as the self-existent active One, as it is related to the verb "to be" (in Exodus 3:14).

It also indicates Israel's Redeemer (in Exodus 6:6). This name is associated with God's holiness (in Leviticus 11:44-45), His hatred of sin (in Genesis 6:3-7), and His graciousness in providing redemption for all (in Isaiah 53:1, 5-6, and 10).

"God" (Elohim), which is used to the exclusion of other names for God (in chapter 1), indicates His omnipotence (all powerful), whereas this name emphasizes His care and personal concern for His Creation and His intimate and close relationship to it. Beginning with verse 4, there is a change in the narrative's flow as it centers on the garden just before the arrival of "man".

Jehovah Elohim (Lord God), was first used here.

Genesis 2:5 "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."

"And every plant of the field, before it was in the earth": That is, God made it, even he who made the heavens and the earth; for these words depend upon the preceding, and are in close connection with them; signifying that the plants of the field, which were made out of the earth on the third day.

These were made before any were planted in it, or any seed was sown therein from whence they could proceed, and therefore must be the immediate production of divine power: and every herb of the field before it grew: those at once sprung up in perfection out of the earth, before there were any that budded forth, and grew up by degrees to perfection, as herbs do now.

"For the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth": so that the production of plants and herbs in their first formation could not be owing to that, since on the third day when they were made; there was no sun to exhale and draw up the waters into the clouds, in order to be let down again in showers of rain.

"And there was not a man to till the ground": Man was not created till the sixth day, and therefore could have no concern in the cultivation of the earth, and of the plants and herbs in it; but these were the produce of almighty power, without the use of any means.

Can't you see this is an unfolding of the short statement said about the creation in verse 1?

Genesis 2:6 "But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground."

"A mist from the earth": "Mist" should be translated "flow." It indicates that water came up from beneath the ground as springs and spread over the whole earth in an uninterrupted cycle of water.

After the fall, rain became the primary means of watering the earth and allowed for floods and droughts that did not exist originally. Rains also allowed for God to judge through floods and droughts.

Some relate this word to an Akkadian root meaning "canals," "subterranean waterways," or "floodways," and not "mist," which is mere conjecture. The root verb of verse sixth, "watered" is used in verse 10 for a find of irrigation relating to the four rivers.

The verb "rise up" is used of the Nile River in Amos 8:8 and 9:5. As described in verse 15, keeping the garden well-irrigated and watered for the special types of plants was part of Adam's work.

Genesis 2:7 "And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."

"Formed man": Many of the words used in this account of the creation of man picture a master craftsman at work shaping a work of art to which he gives life (1 Cor. 15:45). This adds detail to the statement of fact in 1:27 (1 Tim. 2:13). Psalm 139:14. Made from dirt, a man's value is not in the physical components that form his body, but in the quality of life which forms his soul (see Job 33:4).

The verb is used on occasion for the "potter" (Jer. 18:2). It expresses the relation of a craftsman to his material, connoting skill (Psalm 94:9), and a sovereignty which man forgets at his peril (Isa. 29:16; Jer. 18:4). Here is the "potter" par excellence, setting the design and pattern.

The corporeal part (physical human body), was "the dust of the ground" (which is not a symbol of the animal kingdom from which Adam evolved; note its use in 3:19), and the non-corporeal part was "the breathe of life. The word "breath" (Hebrew ruach), is "spirit." "Life" is a plural, but Hebrew frequently uses the plural without meaning a numerical plural.

"Living soul" (Hebrew nepesh chayah) should be translated "living creature" as the same phrase appears in 1:21-24 applied to animals. Here the reference stands for the entire person, and is not used in just the metaphysical, theological sense in which we tend to use the term "soul" today.

In the Old Testament, the word "soul", among other uses, refers to the whole person. It identifies something that cannot be defined materially and that is therefore distinct from the body (Isaiah 10:18). The soul is that part of us that is life. It is incorporeal existence.

At the creation of Adam, man did not have a soul but he became a soul, and the life-principle was the breath or Spirit of God (verse 7). Death is described as the soul's departing from the body (35:18). The fundamental desire of a Christian's soul should be for a deeper fellowship and communion with God (Psalm 25:1) (Gen. 2:7; Gen. 1:26).

So many religious people of our day are confused about this one verse. Somehow they seem to overlook the break between the words "breath of life" and "man became a living soul". You see if that statement had ended at life, man would be alive.

Man, is in fact, that breath of life that God breathed into Him. This breath of life that God breathed into the body is what man is. It is the spirit. The body is the house that the spirit lives in.

Right now, you are probably thinking, "well, where does the sentence (man became a living soul), come in?" If the spirit of man lived in this house called a body and had no soul, there would be no conflict; but you see, there is a conflict. The spirit wants to be in control, and the body wants to be in control. Control of what? The soul which is the will of man.

The Bible says there is a war going on constantly between the flesh and the spirit. Why would that be, unless they were trying to take control of something? That something is the soul or will of mankind. We are a spirit, housed in a body and either the spirit or the flesh (body), controls the soul (will).

Mankind did not just slither into existence by evolution, but was rather created by a loving God in His own likeness. The difference between man and beast is the power to reason and have a will.

Genesis 2:8 "And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed."

"Garden eastward in Eden": The Babylonians called the lush green land from which water flowed edenu; today, the term "oasis" describes such a place. This was a magnificent garden paradise, unlike any the world has seen since, where God fellowshipped with those He created in His image.

The exact location of Eden is unknown; if "toward the east" was used in relationship to where Moses was when he wrote, then it could have been in the area of Babylon, the Mesopotamian Valley.

The Septuagint has paradeisos, "parkland," hence paradise for garden. It was only a part of Eden (verses 10-14). It was literally "off east," most likely in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), since two of the four rivers are the well-known Tigris and the Euphrates (verse 14).

The word for Eden means "delight enjoyment" and is associated with paradise (in Revelation 2:7). Eden is a symbol of great fertility (in Isaiah 51:3, Ezekiel 36:35; and Joel 2:3). So here it may indicate a state of unbroken fellowship between God and man. The expulsion from the garden was more than a physical move (3:24).

We see again; Jehovah Elohim here planted a garden. He is always concerned about the needs of man. This garden was a protected place where God could fellowship with man, and where the needs of man would be met, (a heaven on earth).

Some believe this garden was in the Holy Land we know today. It really doesn't matter where it was. Just know it existed and was made by God for man. God has always prepared a special place for mankind so that He might fellowship with his people.

Genesis 2:9 "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."

"Pleasant" is the same root as covet in the Ten Commandments (in Exodus 20:17; compare 3:6), where it is "a tree to be desired to make one wise." We tend to covet things that are pleasant to the sight (Joshua 7:21 and Achan's sin).

"Tree of life": A real tree, with special properties to sustain eternal life. It was placed in the center of the garden, where it must have been observed by Adam, and its fruit had it been eaten by him, thus would have sustained his life. Such a tree, symbolic of eternal life, will be in the new heavens and new earth (see note on Rev. 22:2).

"Tree of knowledge" (2:16-17; 3:1-6, 11, 22). It was perhaps given that title because it was a test of obedience by which our first parents were tried, whether they would be good or bad, obey God or disobey His command.

"Tree of life ... and the tree of knowledge of good and evil": These were two literal trees to which God gave some special significance. The tree of life seems to symbolize the fixed moral state (3:22). Thus, partaking of this tree would be a blessing only for those already glorified (Rev. 2:7; 22:2, 14).

There are 3 steps for a Christian to take. First when they are initially saved after turning their life over to Christ, they are justified (just as they had never sinned). Second, they are sanctified which means they are set apart by God for His use and; Third, the glorification takes place after a Christian dies as they become perfect like Christ was perfect as they enter God's presence.

Good and evil sometimes serves as an idiom of universality (Num. 24:13; 2 Sam. 13:22), but in this context, it has a moral significance.

God, not only thought of physical needs of mankind, but wanted him to be happy as well. The trees were beautiful as well as functional. Nothing is more beautiful than a peach or apple tree in full bloom. The Garden of Eden became the highest form of heaven on earth. It was beautiful to the eye and took care of all man's needs.

Just as the center of our life must be God for us to have a fulfilling life, the central figure in the garden was the Tree of Life (symbolic of Jesus). The forbidden tree in the garden was the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Even in this beautiful, wonderful garden, man's will was to be perfectly active. As we said before, the thing that separates mankind from the animals is the fact of his will. He can choose to do good, or choose to do evil.

We read in our Bible, that we cannot break the law until there is a law to break. It seems Adam was in a blissful state of no temptation at this point. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil perhaps had something to do with opening our eyes to the law of God, (it made us aware of Him).

It is interesting as we move on down in chapter 2, that Adam had never eaten of the Tree of Life, even though it was in the garden for him. It might be symbolic to make us see that we must partake of Jesus Christ's salvation and eternal life for ourselves. It can be available, but if we do not partake of it for ourselves, we will lose out, too, the same as Adam did.

vv. 15-18:

Genesis 2:15 "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it."

"Dress it and to keep it": Work was an important and dignified part of representing the image of God and serving Him, even before the Fall (Rev. 22:3).

"Dress" is from the root meaning "to serve, work," translated "till" in verse 5 (Deut. 15:19; Isa. 19:9; Ezek. 48:18).

"Keep" The verb means "take care of, guard," involving tending to or keeping things such as a garden (verse 15), a flock (30:31), or a house (2 Sam. 15:16). In this context, it does not imply to guard from Satan.

The literal translation of "took the man" in the Scripture above, is made him to rest in the garden. We are led into a life of happiness through the liberty we receive through Jesus. Not liberty to do evil, but liberty to do good.

Genesis 2:16 "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:"

God's command was "thou mayest freely eat," and this included "every tree" except the tree of the "knowledge of good and evil" in the next verse. The Hebrew conveys very emphatically "you may freely eat [strengthened permission construction] to your heart's content," emphasizing the freedom and permission of a loving, gracious God.

Note Satan's subtle assertion in 3:1 as he focused on the "one" tree they could not eat from. In so doing, he excluded the abundance in this verse.

Genesis 2:17 "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."

To "die" has the basic idea of separation. It can mean spiritual separation, physical separation, and/or eternal separation. At the moment of their sin, Adam and Eve died spiritually, but because God was merciful they did not die physically until later (5:5). There is no reason given for this prohibition, other than it was a test (see note on verse 9).

There was nothing magical about that tree, but eating from it after it had been forbidden by God would indeed give man the knowledge of evil, since evil can be defined as disobeying God. Man already had the knowledge of good.

"Thou shalt not eat" is in strongest Hebrew form of prohibition.

"Surely die": The construction emphasizes in the strongest way the certainty of death upon eating. (Note 3:4 and Satan's "Ye shall not surely die.")

In the Bible there are three deaths:

(1) Physical death, separation of body and spirit;

(2) Spiritual death, separation of the individual from God; and

(3) Eternal death, the final estate of the lost person in the "lake of fire" (Rev. 20:10, 14; termed the "second death," separation from God forever).

So many false religions base their belief on the few words above. Adam truly brought physical death upon all of mankind when he ate of this Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam's peace died, Adam's hopes died, and Adam's innocence died. His mind was troubled because he now knew that his body would return to the dust.

The error is in believing that the spirit of Adam died. The spirit never died. The spirit never dies. It is eternal. It will live either in heaven or hell. It is eternal. It did not mean that our bodies in their present condition will live forever. It meant Jesus had purchased our eternity for us.

This day, then, that you shall surely die just means that Adam brought physical death to all mankind, and Jesus brought life eternal. The wages of sin is death. Jesus paid the wages and bought everlasting life for each of us if we believe.

Read 1 Corinthians chapter 15 from verse 44 on.

Some people do not believe that God ever threatens punishment, but that is exactly what He did in the Scripture above.

Genesis 2:18 "And the LORD God said, [It is] not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him."

"Not good": When God saw His creation as very good (1:31), He viewed it as being to that point the perfect outcome to His creative plan. However, in observing man's state as not good, He was commenting on his incompleteness before the end of the sixth day because the woman, Adam's counterpart, had not yet been created.

The words of this verse emphasize man's need for a companion, a helper and an equal. He was incomplete without someone to complement him in fulfilling the task of filling, multiplying and taking dominion over the earth. This points to Adam's inadequacy, not Eve's insufficiency (1 Cor. 11:9). Woman was made by God to meet man's deficiency (1 Tim. 2:14).

The negative is extremely emphatic. It is not the construction for expressing a mere negative preference. In the context of chapters 1 and 2, it is the only thing "not good." After man and woman are completed, God says (in 1:31), it was "very [exceedingly] good." God's plan for man was less than ideal and not complete without woman, the emphasis being on "alone".

"Help" is a word frequently used in reference to the Lord in the Psalms (10:14; 22:11; 28:7; 46:1; 54:4; 72:12; 86:17; 119:173, 175; 121:1-2). Thus, it is not a degrading position for the woman. The verb form basically means to aid or supply that which the individual cannot provide for himself.

The Septuagint translates it "boethos", a word the New Testament uses in the sense of "physician" (Matt. 15:25; Mark 9:22, 24; Acts 16:9; Rev. 12:16). It conveys the idea of aiding someone in need, such as the oppressed. Certainly, a godly woman meets this need of man.

"Meet" Comes from the Hebrew word meaning "opposite." Literally it is "according to the opposite of him," meaning that she will compliment and correspond to him. The Septuagint has kat auton ("according to him"). This relates to a "norm" or "standard." She is to be equal to and adequate for man and not on the animal level of being.

Notice why God made the woman as a help mate for the man. The wedding vows say, they two shall become one flesh.

You see, they (husband and wife) are one. They are to be in one accord. Notice they are not one spirit; they are one flesh. This order of man and woman is pertaining to the flesh. Woman's flesh was flesh made for man; her spirit is for God, if she wills it.

He was partaking of the fruit on the outer edge, but never partook of the Tree in the center (Jesus), which would give him eternal life. We Christians must be careful not to just nibble around the edges of Christianity. We must get to the center and eat of this Tree of Life to be pleasing to God. Part time religion will not get us into heaven. We must have Jesus as the very center of our lives.