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.
Read it in contextMan and Woman in the Garden
Start reading at Genesis 2:4 (Genesis 2:4 to Genesis 2:25).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
This unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. The opening establishes God as Creator, describes human rebellion and its consequences, and traces the nations before narrowing the account to Abram's family.
2:4These 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,
2:5And 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 was not a man to till the ground.
2:6But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
2:7And 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.
2:8And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
2:9And 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.
2:10And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.
2:11The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
2:12And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
2:13And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.
2:14And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
2:15And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
2:16And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
2:17But 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.
2:18And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
2:19And 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.
2:20And 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.
2:21And 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;
2:22And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
2:23And 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.
2:24Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
2:25And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Study content, not yet reviewed.
Who
Who wrote the book? Moses is the traditional Jewish and Christian author of Genesis as part of the Pentateuch. Genesis itself does not explicitly identify its writer. Biblical references: John 5:46; Mark 12:26. Historical source: Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 14b–15a (record of Jewish attribution, not contemporary proof). traditionally held
Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Genesis 1:1–2:25): The creation account concerns God, the first man, and the woman. It is narrated to the reader rather than delivered as a speech to a human crowd; God's commands within the account are directed to the people He creates. stated in the text
Who was the book written to? Israel, the covenant people descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were the first community for whom this account of their origins was preserved. An exact first circulation date or named recipient is not established. Biblical references: Genesis 12:1; Genesis 17:7; Genesis 35:10. book background
What
What is the topic of this reading unit? Man and Woman in the Garden. Read Genesis 2:4 through Genesis 2:25 as a connected unit. interpretation
How does it contribute to the book? This unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. The opening establishes God as Creator, describes human rebellion and its consequences, and traces the nations before narrowing the account to Abram's family. interpretation
When
When are the events or message set? The narrative moves from creation through the generations of the patriarchs to Joseph's death. Those stages are narrated; a modern calendar for them requires additional chronological assumptions. book background
Where
What is the book’s geographic setting? The narrative ranges from the world of the opening chapters through Mesopotamia and Canaan to Egypt. The selected passage's own place names determine its local setting. book background
Where does the context start?
This passage sits in Man and Woman in the Garden (Genesis 2:4 to Genesis 2:25).
Start reading at Genesis 2:4. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? The later New Testament traces Jesus' genealogy through Abraham and connects the promise to Abraham with Christ. This is a canonical connection; it does not make every person or object in Genesis an explicit prediction of Jesus. See Matthew 1:1, Galatians 3:16. interpretation
How should this book guide our response? Read God's promises with their named recipients and the actions of those recipients. The family narratives encourage trust and obedience while also exposing deception and wrongdoing; narrative description alone does not authorize imitation. interpretation
Cited: Genesis 2:4, Genesis 2:25, Matthew 1:1, Galatians 3:16
Who wrote it, and how we know
Moses (traditional)From early tradition
What Scripture saysThe book does not name its author. Elsewhere Scripture attributes the Law to Moses, and Jesus calls it the book of Moses. Exodus 17:14Joshua 8:31Mark 12:26John 5:46
Early traditionJewish tradition (Talmud, Baba Bathra 14b) and the early church assign the first five books to Moses.
What is debatedSome scholars propose several later sources behind the Pentateuch. A few notes appear to be written after Moses, such as the list of kings in Genesis 36:31.
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Genesis 2
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Genesis introduces creation, the nations, and the ancestral family of Israel. It does not name a recipient or give a composition date. Read the promises to named people in their narrated settings before applying them to later readers. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Connection to the wholeThis opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. The opening establishes God as Creator, describes human rebellion and its consequences, and traces the nations before narrowing the account to Abram's family.
Connection to the wholeThis unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. The opening establishes God as Creator, describes human rebellion and its consequences, and traces the nations before narrowing the account to Abram's family.
interpretation
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Genesis
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Genesis introduces creation, the nations, and the ancestral family of Israel. It does not name a recipient or give a composition date. Read the promises to named people in their narrated settings before applying them to later readers.
Connection to the wholeThe opening establishes God as Creator, describes human rebellion and its consequences, and traces the nations before narrowing the account to Abram's family.
Connection to the wholeThe narrative concentrates on God's promises to Abraham, the birth of Isaac, and the continuation of the family through whom the earlier promise is carried forward.
Connection to the wholeFamily rivalry, journeys, marriages, and reconciliation develop the promised line while also recording the related family of Esau.
Connection to the wholeJoseph's experiences lead to the preservation of Jacob's family in Egypt. The book closes with confidence about a future return, preparing the setting of Exodus.
interpretation
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.