Genesis 2: The seventh day, and the garden of Eden
A free study, verse by verse. Text: World English Bible. Notes come from the Hebrew. How to read a study
What happens?
God finishes his work and rests on the seventh day. Then the story looks closer: Yahweh God forms the man from the dust, plants a garden in Eden, gives him one command about one tree, and makes the woman from the man's side.
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells the story. God speaks in 3 of the 25 verses: the command about the tree and "It is not good for the man to be alone". The man speaks once, when he first sees the woman. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1The heavens, the earth, and all their vast array were finished.
In plain English: So the heavens and the earth, and everything in them, were finished.
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2On the seventh day God finished his work which he had done; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done.
In plain English: On the seventh day God finished the work he had been doing, and on the seventh day he rested from all of it.
The Hebrew word: "Rested" is shabat, which means to stop or cease. The word "Sabbath" comes from it.
How it is translated: In its 67 verses this Bible says "cease" in about half, and "rest" or "rested" in about 1 in 7.
What changes: Read as "stopped", God stopped his work on the seventh day. The verse does not say he was tired.
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3God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work of creation which he had done.
In plain English: God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all his work of creating.
Church tradition: Churches differ on which day, if any, is kept as a day of rest: Saturday, Sunday, or no set day. Genesis 2 says God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, but it gives no command to people here.
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4This 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.
In plain English: This is the story of the heavens and the earth when they were created, on the day Yahweh God made the earth and the heavens.
Good to know: This is the first time God's name, Yahweh, appears in the Bible.
How it is translated: This Bible writes the name, Yahweh, in about 5,500 verses. Most English Bibles print "the LORD", in capital letters, instead.
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5No 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,
In plain English: At that time no shrub of the field was on the earth yet, and no plant of the field had come up, because Yahweh God had not sent rain on the earth, and there was no man to work the ground.
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6but a mist went up from the earth, and watered the whole surface of the ground.
In plain English: But a mist (or a flow of water) came up from the earth and watered the whole ground.
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7Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
In plain English: Yahweh God shaped the man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nose, and the man became a living being (or 'a living soul').
The Hebrew words: "Man" is adam and "ground" is adamah: the man is named after the ground he was made from. "Living soul" is nephesh chayah, the same words used for the animals in ("living creatures").
How it is translated: In its 683 verses this Bible says "soul" for nephesh about half the time, and "life" about 1 time in 5.
What changes: The verse says the man became a living nephesh, not that he was given one. Read as "living being", it says the man came alive.
Church tradition: Many churches teach that every person has a soul that lives on after death. Genesis 2:7 does not speak about life after death.
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8Yahweh God planted a garden eastward, in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed.
In plain English: Yahweh God planted a garden in the east, in Eden, and put the man he had shaped there.
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9Out of the ground Yahweh God made every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
In plain English: Yahweh God made every kind of tree grow from the ground, beautiful to look at and good for food. The tree of life was in the middle of the garden, and also the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
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10A river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it was parted, and became the source of four rivers.
In plain English: A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it split into four rivers.
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11The name of the first is Pishon: it flows through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
In plain English: The first is called Pishon. It flows through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.
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12and the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and onyx stone are also there.
In plain English: The gold of that land is good. Bdellium and onyx stone are found there too.
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13The name of the second river is Gihon. It is the same river that flows through the whole land of Cush.
In plain English: The second river is called Gihon. It flows through the whole land of Cush.
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14The name of the third river is Hiddekel. This is the one which flows in front of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
In plain English: The third river is called Hiddekel, and it flows in front of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
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15Yahweh God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.
In plain English: Yahweh God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
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16Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden;God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh God gave the man this command: "You may freely eat from any tree in the garden,
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17but you shall not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”God speaks
In plain English: except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Do not eat from it, because on the day you eat from it you will certainly die."
Good to know: "You will surely die" repeats the verb in Hebrew: mot tamut, "dying, you will die". Hebrew uses this doubling to make a statement strong.
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18Yahweh God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him.”God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him (one who matches him)."
The Hebrew words: "A helper comparable to him" is ezer kenegdo: a help that matches him, like his opposite part.
How it is translated: This Bible says "help" or "helper" for ezer in 20 of its 21 verses. In most of the others, the helper is God himself, as in .
What changes: In English "helper" can sound like an assistant. In Hebrew the same word is used for God helping his people.
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19Out 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 became its name.
In plain English: From the ground Yahweh God formed every wild animal and every bird, and brought them to the man to see what he would name them. Whatever the man called each living creature became its name.
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20The 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 comparable to him.
In plain English: The man named all the livestock, the birds, and the wild animals. But for the man no helper comparable to him was found.
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21Yahweh God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. As the man slept, he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
In plain English: Yahweh God put the man into a deep sleep. While he slept, God took one of his ribs (or part of his side) and closed up the flesh in its place.
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22Yahweh God made a woman from the rib which he had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.
In plain English: Yahweh God made a woman from the rib (or side) he had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.
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23The 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.”
In plain English: The man said, "At last, this one is bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh. She will be called 'woman', because she was taken out of man."
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24Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh.
In plain English: That is why a man leaves his father and mother and joins himself to his wife, and they become one flesh.
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25The man and his wife were both naked, and they were not ashamed.
In plain English: The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
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