Genesis Chapter 2

Updated: September 14, 2025

The Seventh Day: God Rests

(Exodus 16:22-36; Hebrews 4:1-11)

1Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2And 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. 3And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

The Creation of Man

4These 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, 5And 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 wasnot a man to till the ground. 6But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. 7And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

The Planting of the Garden

8And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9And 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.

10And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. 11The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; 12And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. 13And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. 14And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

The Forbidden Fruit

15And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17But 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.

Adam Names the Animals

18And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. 19And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.

The Creation of Woman

21And 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; 22And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

23And 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.

24Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. 25And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

The Seventh Day
(Exodus 16:22–30; Hebrews 4:1–11)

1 The heavens and the earth were finished, and all their vast array. 2 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. 3 God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work which he had created and made.

Man and Woman in the Garden

4 This is the history of the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that Yahweh God made the earth and the heavens. 5 No plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for Yahweh God had not caused it to rain on the earth. There was not a man to till the ground, 6 but a mist went up from the earth, and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

8 Yahweh God planted a garden eastward, in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 Out of the ground Yahweh God 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.

10 A river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it was parted, and became four heads. 11 The name of the first is Pishon: this is the one which flows through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; 12 and the gold of that land is good. There is aromatic resin and the onyx stone. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon: the same river that flows through the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Hiddekel: this is the one which flows in front of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 Yahweh God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16 Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 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.”

18 Yahweh God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” 19 Out of the ground Yahweh God formed every animal of the field, and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. 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 sky, and to every animal of the field; but for man there was not found a helper suitable for him.

21 Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to fall on the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 He made the rib, which Yahweh God had taken from the man, into a woman, and brought her to the man.

23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken out of Man.”

24 Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh. 25 They were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

The Seventh Day
(Exodus 16:22–30; Hebrews 4:1–11)

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 And by the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work. a

3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished.

Man and Woman in the Garden

4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD b God made them.

5 Now no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth, nor had any plant of the field sprouted; for the LORD God had not yet sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. 6 But springs c welled up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.

7 Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being. d

8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, where He placed the man He had formed. 9 Out of the ground the LORD God gave growth to every tree that is pleasing to the eye and good for food. And in the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

10 Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it branched into four headwaters:

11 The name of the first river is Pishon; it winds through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is pure, and bdellium and onyx are found there.

13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it winds through the whole land of Cush.

14 The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it runs along the east side of Assyria.

And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 Then the LORD God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.

16 And the LORD God commanded him, “You may eat freely from every tree of the garden, 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”

18 The LORD God also said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a suitable helper.”

19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and He brought them to the man to see what he would name each one. And whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam e no suitable helper was found.

21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he slept, He took one of the man’s ribs f and closed up the area with flesh. 22 And from the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man, He made a woman and brought her to him. 23 And the man said:

“This is now bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh;

she shall be called ‘woman,’

for out of man she was taken.”

24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. g

25 And the man and his wife were both naked, and they were not ashamed.

Footnotes:

2 a Cited in Hebrews 4:4
4 b LORD  or GOD , with capital letters, represents the proper name of the God of Israel and the one true God, transliterated from the Hebrew as YHWH ; here and throughout the Scriptures.
6 c Or mist
7 d Or a living soul ; cited in 1 Corinthians 15:45
20 e Or the man , as in verses 19 and 21
21 f Or took part of the man’s side ; similarly in verse 22
24 g LXX and the two will become one flesh ; cited in Matthew 19:5, Mark 10:7–8, 1 Corinthians 6:16, and Ephesians 5:31

The Seventh Day: God Rests

(Exodus 16:22-36; Hebrews 4:1-11)

1And the heavens and the earth are completed, and all their host; 2and 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. 3And God blesseth the seventh day, and sanctifieth it, for in it He hath ceased from all His work which God had prepared for making.

The Creation of Man

4These are births of the heavens and of the earth in their being prepared, in the day of Jehovah God's making earth and heavens; 5and 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, 6and a mist goeth up from the earth, and hath watered the whole face of the ground. 7And Jehovah God formeth the man -- dust from the ground, and breatheth into his nostrils breath of life, and the man becometh a living creature.

The Planting of the Garden

8And Jehovah God planteth a garden in Eden, at the east, and He setteth there the man whom He hath formed; 9and 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.

10And a river is going out from Eden to water the garden, and from thence it is parted, and hath become four chief rivers; 11the name of the one is Pison, it is that which is surrounding the whole land of the Havilah where the gold is, 12and the gold of that land is good, there is the bdolach and the shoham stone; 13and the name of the second river is Gibon, it is that which is surrounding the whole land of Cush; 14and the name of the third river is Hiddekel, it is that which is going east of Asshur; and the fourth river is Phrat.

The Forbidden Fruit

15And Jehovah God taketh the man, and causeth him to rest in the garden of Eden, to serve it, and to keep it. 16And Jehovah God layeth a charge on the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden eating thou dost eat; 17and 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.'

Adam Names the Animals

18And Jehovah God saith, 'Not good for the man to be alone, I do make to him an helper -- as his counterpart.' 19And Jehovah God formeth from the ground every beast of the field, and every fowl of the heavens, and bringeth in unto the man, to see what he doth call it; and whatever the man calleth a living creature, that is its name. 20And the man calleth names to all the cattle, and to fowl of the heavens, and to every beast of the field; and to man hath not been found an helper -- as his counterpart.

The Creation of Woman

21And 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. 22And Jehovah God buildeth up the rib which He hath taken out of the man into a woman, and bringeth her in unto the man;

23and 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;

24therefore doth a man leave his father and his mother, and hath cleaved unto his wife, and they have become one flesh. 25And they are both of them naked, the man and his wife, and they are not ashamed of themselves.

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The F.O.G Commentary

When God Got His Hands Dirty

What’s Genesis 2 about?

This is where the creation story gets personal. After the cosmic overview of Genesis 1, Genesis 2 zooms in like a camera lens focusing on a garden, showing us God forming the first human with His own hands and breathing life into dusty nostrils. It’s intimate, it’s earthy, and it reveals something profound about what it means to be human.

The Full Context

Genesis 2 was written during Israel’s formative years, likely during or after their wilderness wandering, when they needed to understand their identity as God’s people. Moses, writing under divine inspiration, crafted this account not just as history but as theology – answering the deepest questions about human purpose, relationship, and our connection to the divine. This wasn’t written in a cultural vacuum; Israel was surrounded by creation myths from Babylon and Egypt that depicted humans as afterthoughts, created merely to serve capricious gods. Genesis 2 presents a radically different vision.

The literary structure here is fascinating. While Genesis 1 gives us creation from God’s cosmic perspective – orderly, majestic, declarative – Genesis 2 offers the human perspective, filled with sensory details and relational dynamics. This chapter introduces themes that will echo throughout Scripture: the sacredness of work, the design for partnership, the intimate presence of God, and the devastating consequences of broken trust. It’s setting up the entire biblical narrative about what went wrong with the world and God’s plan to make it right.

What the Ancient Words Tell Us

The Hebrew here is absolutely gorgeous when you dig into it. When God forms the first human, the text uses yatsar – the same word used for a potter carefully shaping clay on a wheel. This isn’t mass production; it’s artistry. God doesn’t speak humanity into existence like He did with stars and seas. He gets His hands dirty.

Grammar Geeks

The wordplay in Genesis 2:7 is lost in English but brilliant in Hebrew. The human (adam) is formed from the ground (adamah). It’s like saying “earthling” comes from “earth” – we’re literally grounded beings, connected to the soil beneath our feet.

Then comes that incredible phrase: God breathed into his nostrils the neshamah of life. This isn’t just oxygen – it’s the very breath of God. The word neshamah appears elsewhere in Scripture to describe God’s own spirit. We’re not just biological machines; we carry something of the divine within us.

The garden itself tells a story. Eden means “delight” or “pleasure” – this wasn’t a survival camp but a paradise designed for flourishing. The four rivers flowing out suggest abundance, life-giving water spreading to the corners of the earth. And that tree in the middle? The Hebrew for “knowledge of good and evil” implies not just intellectual understanding but experiential knowledge – the kind you get by doing, not just thinking.

What Would the Original Audience Have Heard?

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Picture Moses sharing this with people who had just escaped slavery in Egypt, where pharaohs claimed to be gods and humans were expendable labor. The contrast would have been staggering. Here’s a God who doesn’t need humans to build monuments or provide food – instead, He plants a garden for their pleasure and walks with them in the cool of the day.

The ancient Near Eastern creation myths would have been familiar to some Israelites. In the Babylonian Enuma Elish, humans are created from the blood of a slain god, designed to be slaves. In Egyptian mythology, humans emerge from the tears of Ra – born from divine sorrow. But Genesis 2 presents humans as the crown of creation, formed by divine hands, animated by divine breath, placed in divine abundance.

Did You Know?

Archaeological discoveries at ancient Mesopotamian temples show elaborate gardens attached to sacred spaces, complete with irrigation systems and exotic plants. The Garden of Eden wasn’t just mythical poetry – it reflected real ancient understanding of paradise as a well-watered garden where gods and humans might meet.

The work assignment would have resonated deeply with people fresh from forced labor in Egypt. Abad (to work/serve) and shamar (to keep/guard) in Genesis 2:15 suggest both cultivation and protection. Work isn’t punishment – it’s partnership with God in caring for creation. They weren’t slaves but stewards.

Wrestling with the Text

Here’s where things get interesting – and a bit puzzling. Why does God say “It is not good for man to be alone” in Genesis 2:18? After all, in chapter 1, everything God made was “good,” and at the end, “very good.” Is this the first “not good” in creation?

The Hebrew gives us a clue. It’s not that Adam was deficient, but that he was incomplete. The phrase lo tov (not good) here means “not complete” or “not finished.” God designed humans for relationship – first with Him, then with each other. Loneliness wasn’t a design flaw; recognizing the need for companionship was part of the design.

Wait, That’s Strange…

Why did God parade all the animals past Adam before creating Eve? Was this just a naming exercise, or something deeper? The text suggests Adam experienced the reality of being unique – every creature had its counterpart, but he had none. The longing for companionship needed to be felt before it could be fulfilled.

The deep sleep (tardemah) that God caused to fall upon Adam is the same word used elsewhere for prophetic visions and divine encounters. This wasn’t anesthesia for surgery – it was a God-induced state where something mystical happened. When Adam woke up, his response was pure poetry: “Zot hapa’am – This at last!” Finally, someone like him, yet beautifully different.

How This Changes Everything

Understanding Genesis 2 revolutionizes how we see ourselves and our world. We’re not cosmic accidents or evolved animals (though evolution might be one of God’s tools). We’re handcrafted beings carrying the breath of the Almighty, placed in a world designed for our flourishing.

Work takes on new meaning when you realize we’re continuing what God started. Every job, from farming to finance, from teaching to technology, becomes an opportunity to partner with God in caring for His creation. The Hebrew concept of tikkun olam – repairing the world – finds its roots here.

“We’re not just biological beings having spiritual experiences – we’re spiritual beings having a beautifully embodied human experience.”

The relational aspect transforms everything too. Marriage isn’t just a social contract or evolutionary strategy – it’s a divine design reflecting something profound about God’s own nature. The ezer kenegdo (helper fit for him) that Eve becomes isn’t a subordinate role but a complementary partnership. The word ezer is used elsewhere in Scripture to describe God Himself as our helper.

And that devastating choice in Genesis 2:17? It reveals that love requires freedom. God could have created programmed beings who always obeyed, but that wouldn’t be relationship – it would be manipulation. The capacity to choose wrongly is the flip side of the capacity to choose love.

Key Takeaway

You are not an accident. You are not just biology. You carry the breath of God within you, placed in a world designed for your flourishing, created for relationship with the divine and with others. Your work matters, your relationships matter, and your choices matter because you matter to God.

Genesis Chapter 2

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