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Christianity

Genesis 2The Garden of Eden

Summary

Genesis 2 completes the first week with God resting on the seventh day, then tells creation again from a closer view. The LORD God forms the man from the dust and breathes life into him, plants a garden in Eden watered by four rivers, and forbids the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The man names the animals, and the woman is formed from his side. Many scholars read this as a second creation account with its own order and emphasis.

Key verse

“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.”

Genesis 2:7

Themes

  • Sabbath Rest
  • Humanity from Dust
  • Marriage
  • Boundaries and Command

Text

1

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

2

And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

3

And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

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,

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.

6

But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

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.

8

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

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.

10

And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

11

The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;

12

And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.

13

And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.

14

And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

15

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

16

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

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.

18

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

19

And 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.

20

And 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.

21

And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

22

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

23

And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

24

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

25

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

Text: King James Version (1611/1769), public domain.

Across traditions

  • Islam

    Surah Al-Baqara (2): Adam Taught the Names

    In 2:30 to 33 God teaches Adam the names of all things and he recites them before the angels, an Islamic counterpart to the man naming the animals in Genesis 2:19 to 20.

  • Islam

    Surah Qaf (50): No Weariness

    Quran 50:38 states that God created the heavens and earth in six days and no weariness touched Him. Some Muslim commentators read this as rejecting the idea that God was wearied or needed rest after creation, which reports connect with the Sabbath rest described in Genesis.

  • Christianity

    Matthew 19: Jesus on Marriage

    Asked about divorce, Jesus quotes Genesis 2:24, that a man shall cleave to his wife and the two shall be one flesh, as the foundation of marriage.

Questions about Genesis 2

Where was the Garden of Eden?

Genesis 2:10 to 14 names four rivers, the Pison, Gihon, Hiddekel and Euphrates. The Hiddekel is usually identified with the Tigris, so many place Eden in or near Mesopotamia, but its location has never been established.

Was Eve really made from Adam's rib?

Genesis 2:21 to 22 says God took one of the man's ribs and made the woman from it. The Hebrew word tsela can also mean side, which some interpreters read as a picture of partnership rather than a literal bone.