References (30)
The Lord God (Yahweh Elohim) formed (designed, sculpted – Hebr. ) man (Hebr. adam) from the dust (material) of the earth (Hebr. adamah) and breathed life into his nostrils, and man became a living being (soul – Hebr. ).
[The Hebrew word for man, adam, is similar to the word for the soil of the earth, adamah. Man's body was formed from already created material and also receives God's breath of life. The Hebrew word , translated here as "living being," describes the whole with an emphasis on inner life and the human soul. The same Hebrew word is also used for animals, see , , , . The Hebrew meaning of soul differs from the Greek philosophical idea of an immortal soul separate from the body, as described in the ancient writings of Plato and Aristotle. The word for life is chajim. It is plural but is inflected as singular, just like the words for water, sky, and face. Exactly why these words are written this way is not clear. One theory is that it is a way in Hebrew to show that everything contained in the word cannot be contained in the singular. Water can be calm or stormy, every sunset is unique, and the face is not static with only one form. It is the same with life; it has different phases and events.]
The Lord God (Yahweh Elohim) planted a garden (orchard) in Eden [meaning pleasant, delightful], to the east, and there he placed the man he had formed (designed, sculpted).
The Lord God (Yahweh Elohim) took the man and placed him (put him in a permanent dwelling place) in the garden of Eden, to cultivate (work) it and preserve (maintain, protect) it.
The Lord God (Yahweh Elohim) gave this command [the first precept] to the man, saying:
"Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat [infinitive absolutus – eat with certainty],
[Until now, everything has been good or very good. For the first time, something is now "not good," and that is Adam's lack of a companion.]
The Lord God (Yahweh Elohim) said: "It is not good [appropriate, optimal, as it should be] for man to be alone; I will make (Hebr. asah) a helper (Hebr. ezer) suitable for him."
[The last phrase (Hebr. ezer kenegdo) describes a helper by his side. Hebr. ezer means to come to someone's aid and to assist. It does not necessarily describe a hierarchy; God himself is called Israel's helper in , see also . Here, a partnership between a man and a woman is described. The same phrase recurs in .]
From the earth, the Lord God (Yahweh Elohim) formed (sculpted, designed – Hebr. ) all the animals of the field and all the birds of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would name them. [Hebr. Col, translated as "all," can also mean a multitude or many.] Whatever name the man gave each living creature became its name.
And the man gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the [wild] animals of the field. But for the man, no helper suitable for him was found.
Then the Lord God (Yahweh Elohim) caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept. And He took a part from his side (Hebr. echad tsela) and closed up the flesh after it.
[The word tsela means side and is used for the side of a building or structure (; ; ; , ). Often it is something with planks that is hollow. According to the Greek philosopher Plato (428-348 BC), and also later Jewish tradition, man was created androgynous and then divided into male and female. But that is not what this verse teaches. This is also clear in , which states: "Male and female he created them." The word "side" here refers to an unspecified part on the man's side. Based on , where the man says "bone of my bones" and "flesh of my flesh," it is not so far-fetched to think that it is a rib, but not just the bone, but also the flesh around it.]
And the Lord God (Yahweh Elohim) built up (skillfully modeled – Hebr. ) the side that he had taken from the man into a woman, and he brought her to the man.
[Four different Hebr. words are used in connection with the creation of man: asah (), bara (), yatsar (, ) and here. Both man and woman are made in God's image, see .]
Then the man (Hebr. ha-Adam) said:
"At last (the next step, now finally) [someone suited for me, see ],
she (this one) is bone of my bones and flesh (body) of my flesh (my body).
She (this one) will be called woman (Hebr. ),
for from man (Hebr. ish) she (this one) was taken.” [For the first time, the Bible describes what a human being says, and it is an exclamation of joy over the union between a man and a woman! The Hebrew word for man/husband, with its masculine form, describes an individual of the male gender, while describes an individual of the female gender, and can also refer to a wife. The word ish itself refers to an individual.]
They heard the Lord God (Yahweh Elohim) walking (moving) in the garden as evening approached (in the evening breeze). The man and his wife hid from the presence (face) of the Lord God (Yahweh Elohim) among the trees of the garden.
The Lord God (Yahweh Elohim) called to Adam (man) and said to him, "Where are you?" [God, who is all-knowing, knows very well where man is hiding. In this story, it becomes clear that God seeks a relationship and dialogue with man.]
The man replied, "The woman you put here with me gave me [fruit] from the tree, and I ate it."
And to the man he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree, which I commanded you not to eat from, the ground is cursed (damned) because of you. In (physical and emotional) toil you will eat [of its fruit] as long as you live.
The man named his wife Eve (life-giver – Hebr. ) [alluding to the Hebr. words for life and living] because she was the mother of all living (Hebr. ).
And the Lord God (Yahweh Elohim) made garments (tunics, full-length garments, long robes) of skin for Adam and his woman (Hebr. ishah). Yes, he clothed them. []
[It is unclear exactly what the garments looked like, but the word "garments" describes something that is full-length. The same word is used the next time in about Joseph's special "foot-length robe" that he received from his father Jacob. This garment of skin that God gives Adam and Eve, where an animal has been sacrificed, also foreshadows the idea of sacrifice where animals will cover the sins and guilt of humans. It also points to Jesus' sacrifice that completely covers the sins of humanity.]
Adam knew his wife (had sexual relations with her) again [] and she bore a son and called him Seth (Hebr. Shet) [meaning: compensation/replacement], [she said:] "for God has appointed (Hebr. shat) another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed."
[The continued history of humankind (in Hebrew: adams) covers everything from the creation of humankind to the time when the flood approaches. After an introductory section (verses 1-2) in which the author links to the creation of humankind in the creation story, there follows a genealogy via Seth with ten generations up to Noah (verses 3-32). The author links the introduction to the end of the previous unit by referring back to Seth and Enosh (generations 2-3), see . However, nothing is repeated; we are given new and additional information. The genealogy is followed by a conclusion that can be divided into two parts. In , the author summarizes what has been described so far and provides additional information. In , he looks ahead to what awaits in the next section: the story of the flood.]
[Here comes a new "toledot unit" that forms the third literary unit (of twelve) in Gen. 2:4; 5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10, 27; 25:12, 19; 36:1, 9; 37:2.]
This is the scripture (the written account) of the continued history of mankind (Adam) (Hebr. ).
On the day (Hebr. bejom) God (Elohim) created man (Hebr. adam), in the likeness of God (Hebr. demot elohim) he made him –
[This genealogy presents 10 generations between Adam and Noah. God had said that if you eat from the tree of knowledge, you will die (). That this indeed happened is confirmed by the phrase "And he died" that concludes six generations, see verses 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20. It also emerges that they bore an unknown number of sons and daughters who are not mentioned in the previous chapters. The Hebrew verb means to give birth and is used when a woman gives birth to a child (; ; ; ). The genealogy is detailed, and there are 15 unique variations, but five generations follow the same pattern (generations 2-6). Just as in Cain's genealogy, the author allows a number of monotonous generations to precede the generation he wants to highlight. In this case, it is generation seven: Enoch—who walked with God.]
And Adam lived 130 years [30 and 100 years].
And he became [at that age] the father of one who was like him (Hebr. demot), his image (Hebr. tselem).
And he named him Seth [Hebr. Shet – The Replacement, see ].
And the days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were 800 years.
And he became the father of sons and daughters.
And all the days of Adam that he lived were 930 years [900 years and 30 years].
And he died.
Like Adam [or "at" the city of Adam along the Jordan River], they have broken the covenant,
there [in Ephraim and Judah, see ] they have acted treacherously against me.
son to Enoch,
son of Seth,
son of Adam,
son of God.
Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned by such transgression as Adam's. Adam was a type of the one who was to come.
Just as all die through Adam,
so all will be made alive through the Anointed One (Messiah, Christ).
[All people are related to Adam and share in the fall. All will also be resurrected to eternal life or eternal judgment. When discussing Paul's view of women, it may be worth noting that Paul blames Adam for the fall, contrary to the accepted Jewish tradition of blaming Eve. Some of the extra-biblical writings that influenced Judaism in Paul's time were the writings of Ben Sira from the 190s BC, which state, "From a woman sin originates, and for her sake we must all die," see Syr 25:24.]
It is written []:
"The first man, Adam,
became a living being."
The last Adam
became a life-giving spirit.
For Adam was created first,
and then Eve.
It was not Adam
who was deceived,
but the woman [Eve] who was deceived,
and fell into transgression.
[Unlike the cult of Artemis, which was based in Ephesus, where women were worshipped as the origin of all things, it was God who had created humankind. Gnostic myths vary greatly, but what they have in common is that there are several spiritual levels, with the God of the Bible being one of the lower gods. The serpent and Eve are savior figures who rescue Adam. They enlighten him about the spiritual world, which is far higher than the material world. Eve is also said to have been created before Adam and to be the mother of various sons by different fathers, one of whom was Adam. There are endless variations, but the theme is the same. Eve was the origin and the one who enlightened Adam and gave him knowledge, Gk. gnosis. It may be this type of false teachings, myths, and endless genealogies that Paul refers to in .]
Enoch, in the seventh generation after Adam [see , the generation is specified to distinguish him from Cain's son of the same name, see ], prophesied about them: "Behold, the Lord comes with his myriads (literally: "tens of thousands," also describing an innumerable number) of holy ones
