←Genesis 2→BSB

• The first six days of creation involved separation (light from darkness, day from night, water from dry land). The last act of creation separated what is ordinary from what is holy, thus laying the foundation for Israel’s worship. It also anticipated a coming age of rest (Heb 4:1–11; 12:2; 13:14).
• The absence of the usual “morning and evening” reflects the Creator’s willingness to enter into unending fellowship with humankind.

• This is the account (literally These are the generations; Hebrew toledoth): This or a similar phrase is repeated throughout Genesis, creating an internal outline for the book. In other occurrences, it introduces the genealogy or story of a key personality (5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10, 27; 25:12, 19; 36:1; 37:2).
• Some have argued that the first half of 2:4 belongs with 1:1–2:3, but it is more likely the introduction to the account that follows.
• Lord God (Hebrew Yahweh Elohim) is the second name used for God in the early chapters of Genesis. Elohim (1:1–2:3) describes the all-powerful creator God. Yahweh Elohim speaks of the eternal God who formed a lasting covenant with Israel (Exod 3:6, 13–15). Accordingly, Gen 2:4–25 focuses on God as provider more than as creator. The three themes of sexuality, dominion, and food in ch 1 are now addressed in reverse order (food, 2:8–17; dominion, 2:18–20; sexuality, 2:21–25).

Work does not result from sin; it was part of the original structure of creation and is directly tied to human identity and purpose (1:28; 2:15).

springs: The word refers to subterranean springs that rose to the surface of the ground.

• In 1:1–2:3, creation happens at a distance, by divine command (“Let there be . . . and that is what happened”). In this account, the creative act is much more intimate (see also 2:8–9, 21–22).
• from the dust of the ground: In Hebrew, ’adamah (“ground”) forms a wordplay with ’adam (“man”). The earth remains the definitive reference point for humans, who in death return to dust (3:17–19; 4:11; Job 4:19; 10:8–9; Isa 29:16).
• breathed . . . into the man’s nostrils: God’s breath is not imparted to other animals; only humans are formed in God’s image (Gen 1:27) and enjoy dialogue with their Creator (2:16–17; 3:8–13). They alone have spiritual awareness and moral conscience (see Job 32:8).

• Eden was the general location in which the garden was placed, not the garden itself. The term could mean “plain,” “delight,” or “fertility.” The description that follows favors the idea of fertility.
• in the east: The exact location of Eden is left to speculation, but it was east of Canaan, Israel’s later home.
• God placed the man in the garden for divine fellowship and physical blessing (see also 2:15 and study note there).

• Beauty and bounty characterized humanity’s original environment (cp. 13:10).
• The tree of life represented God’s presence and provision. The one who ate of it would have everlasting life (3:22), which made it a rich image for later Israelite and Christian reflection (Prov 3:18; 11:30; 13:12; Rev 2:7; 22:2, 14, 19). The candlestick in Israel’s Tabernacle may have been a stylized representation of it (Exod 25:31–35).
• Eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil enabled humanity’s capacity for wisdom (Gen 3:6) and moral discernment (3:5, 22; cp. Deut 1:39, “innocent”). Eating from it represented a human grasp for autonomy and wisdom that were God’s alone (cp. Prov 30:1–4). Humans sidestepped God’s revelation as the means of moral discernment, flaunting their independence rather than submitting to God’s will (cp. Prov 1:7). Choosing human wisdom over God’s instruction brings death and destruction (see Ps 19:7–9; Ezek 28:6, 15–17).

• The river that was watering the garden was a material blessing (bringing agricultural fertility) and a symbol of God’s presence (cp. Ps 46:4; Ezek 47:1–12; Zech 14:8; Rev 22:1–2).
• dividing into four branches (literally heads): The common understanding is that one river had its source in Eden, flowed down through the garden, and then split into the four rivers named.

The Pishon and the Gihon (2:13) cannot be identified with certainty. If the land of Havilah was in southeast Arabia or on the African coast, as some biblical data suggest (see 10:7; 25:18; 1 Sam 15:7), then the Pishon was possibly the Nile River. Josephus thought that Havilah and the Pishon were in India (Antiquities 1.1.3). Two other proposals suggest: (1) rivers in the mountains of eastern Turkey where the Tigris and Euphrates (Gen 2:14) also flow, and (2) the marshy delta near the Persian Gulf. Current geographical conditions make any theory impossible to prove conclusively.

• The magnificence and fertility of the garden are pictured as spreading to the surrounding regions through the rivers flowing out from it. The four rivers possibly imply that the garden’s bounty flowed out to the four corners of the earth.
• Gold and onyx were later used for decorating the Tabernacle, the Temple (Exod 25:3–9; 1 Chr 29:2), and the priests’ clothing (Exod 28:9–14, 20).
• Resin was used in sacred incense (Exod 30:34).

• Gihon: Though unknown, proposals have included the Nile (as in the Greek version of Jer 2:18; Josephus, Antiquities 1.1.3), the Jordan, or, according to Jewish tradition, a river that formerly ran through the Kidron Valley (1 Kgs 1:33; 2 Chr 33:14).
• Although Cush is the name of ancient Ethiopia, Mesopotamian regions associated with Babylon seem to be the immediate setting (see 10:8); Cush is possibly the land of the Kassites, a dynasty ruling in Babylonia.

Tigris . . . Euphrates: These well-known rivers flow from the mountains of eastern Turkey.

to tend and watch over: The garden required maintenance and oversight. Tending the Garden was humanity’s dignifying work. These roles in God’s garden-sanctuary were later applied to God’s Tabernacle (see Lev 8:35; Num 3:5–10; 4:46–49).

• except (literally but you must not eat): This prohibition is given in the same legal format as Israel’s Ten Commandments (see Exod 20:1–17; Deut 5:6–21). The Lord built law and obedience into the fabric of his covenant relationship with humanity.
• the knowledge of good and evil: See study note on 2:9.
• you are sure to die: The consequences of disobedience would be immediate spiritual death (loss of relationship with God) and eventual physical death (see 3:22–23; Eccl 12:6–7).

• It is not good: This is God’s first negative assessment of an otherwise excellent creation (1:31). The Lord God is portrayed as a father who obtains a bride for his son (cp. ch 24).
• The answer to the man’s need is a helper who is just right for him; she is his perfect complement, made in the same image of God (1:26–27), given the same commission (1:28; 2:15), and obligated by the same prohibition (2:17). The man cannot fulfill his created purpose alone.

• Adam recognized the woman as a “helper just right for him” (2:20). His celebration of her in poetry and song observed his unity with her, not their distinctions (cp. 29:14).
• Adam declares that “She will be called ‘woman’ (Hebrew ’ishah) because she was taken from ‘man’ (Hebrew ’ish).” He understood the nature of their connection (see Eph 5:28–29). Adam had earlier assessed the animals without finding the characteristics he needed in a partner. How different this evaluation is!

• Marriage between a man and a woman is not just a human social construct but is rooted in the created order.
• a man leaves . . . and is joined: Marriage entails a shift of loyalty from parents to spouse.
• the two are united into one: Marriage and its commitments make it the most fundamental covenant relationship observed among humans. Marriage is a powerful image of Israel’s covenant with God (Hos 2:14–23) and of Christ’s relationship to the church (Eph 5:22–32). Marriage is designed as an inseparable, exclusive relationship between a man and a woman. The family unit it creates is the basic building block of human society.

both naked: Prior to the Fall (ch 3), nakedness reflected innocence and trust. After the Fall, it denoted vulnerability and shame (see 9:22–23; Lev 18:1–23; Isa 47:3). Shame is more than embarrassment; it connotes exploitation and humiliation (see Deut 28:48; Isa 58:7; Jas 2:15–16).