CPCC Bible Study: Genesis 2

Chapter 2
1
      "way kalah" (and accomplished / completed)...
      Chapter one ended at the close of business on the Sixth Day of Creation. Chapter two opens with a summary of what the Creator did after He worked for a week. More of the repetition that we've seen is part of Hebrew poetry. However, the First Story of Creation wasn't quite complete.
      ... the heavens "way" (and) the earth "way kal" (and all / the whole (same word as in the end of chapter 1)) "baam" (form of 'tsaba' - host (as in army)).

2
      Pay close attention to the wording in the Hebrew of exactly what is said.
      "way kalah" (and accomplished / completed (same word as began verse 1)) 'Elohim "bay yowm" (on / this day) "shebiith" (seventh) "melakah" (work (this is the first time this word is used)) "'aser" (which / that) "'a sah" (he made) - "way yis" (and he) "bot" (form of 'shabath / sabat' (desisted / rested)) on the day seventh "mekakah aser 'a sah" (same phrase).

      This verse reads like all of the work wasn't finished at the beginning of the seventh day. Perhaps there were a few loose ends that needed tied down. But then the statement is clear, after the.... paperwork? ... GOD rested.

3
      "way barek" (and blessed (same words as in 1:28)) "'Elohim" day the seventh, and "qaddes" (set apart / consecrated) it "ki" (when) 'he' sabat.... from all he had accomplished.

4 - 5
      This begins the second version/recounting/etc of the Creation story. And first of the eleven "Toledoths" (divisions / generations (we'll see this word again shortly)) within the original text runs from here to the end of chapter four.
      "'elleh" (these) "towldowt" (a form of 'toledoth', generations / genealogies) the "hassamayim" (heavens (same word as 1:1)) and the earth (same word) were created (form of bara as in 1:1), in the day that Yahweh 'Elohim the earth and heavens, ....
      There's a significant change in the Name of the Creator from Chapter One, and even from verse three of chapter two. This is the first use of the Jewish name for the Creator, "Yahweh 'Elohim" as "LORD God". In the OT, the word "YHWH" appears over 6000 times.

      ... "we kol" (and all / every) "siach" (plants) "has" (in / on) "sadeh" (land / fields) "terem" (before 'that' / 'not yet' / before / etc) "yih yeh" (come to pass / become / came / have) the Earth, "we kal" (and all (same root)) "'eseb" (the plants with seeds from 1 : 11) 'land before' "tsamach" (sprouted / sprung up / grown), "ki" (because) "lo" (not) "himtir" ('caused' rain / rained) Yahweh 'Elohim on the earth, "we 'adam" (and mankind) "'ayin" (nought / nothing) to "abod / abad" (work / serve (has the idea of servitude, even slavery, in it)) "'adamah" (ground / 'farm' land)

6
      "we 'ed" (and mist) "ya 'alah" (ascends / lifts / rises up) from the earth (land) and "shaqah" (literally: 'gave a drink to') "kal" (everything / whole) "pene" (surface) of the "'adamah".

7
      "way" (and) "yatsar" (formed / fashioned)...

'Formed' focus
      This word is somewhat different than the terms used in chapter one for the creation of humans. "yatsar" simply means 'formed' and is used in relation to a potter making an earthenware vessel. Which carries into the imagery of GOD making man from dust.
      In chapter one the word used in verse 26 was "asah" (make / accomplish) which is sort of the same thing as 'form'. But then in 27 the word is "bara'" which is the same word as is used in 1 : 1 for the Ultimate Act of Creation. And "bara" is used twice to explain where humans, male and female, came from. Also in 27, this part of the creation is specifically explained as a specific and intentional creative act of GOD. Which means that The Potter knew what the final product was supposed to be, and what was supposed to be a flower pot didn't end up an ash tray.
      The Accounts ARE NOT Contradictory, only different in their retelling.
      Which is why we're going to restart verse seven again, as it states once again WHO the Potter in our example was.
end focus

7
      "way yatsar YHWH 'Elohim ha'adam" ('the human' - this form of the word "ha 'adam" CAN BE used as plural in the Hebrew, and is elsewhere in the OT) "apar" (dry dirt / dust) from the "'adamah" (ground), "way" (and) "yippah" (form of "naphach" - to breathe / blow air) 'into' "'appaw" (face (is also used to describe an angry countenance)) "neshamah" (breath) "hayyim" (life)...

Deep breath time.
      In chapter one when God provided the first options for dinner, it was stated that everything growing out of the ground, without restriction, More on that in a minute.
      But in chapter 2 there is a different word. The primary difference is in where this breath originated from. The animals are said to breathe and are alive as God created them. And as we saw in chapter one, they were good. In the "dust" story of man's beginning. The ground doesn't bring forth humans like it did the cattle in 1 : 24. In both accounts of the creation of man, it is a sole and specific act by the Creator that results in people.
      It is the "neshamah" from God makes humanity unique among the animals.
endit

      .... and "hayah" (primary state of existence) "ha 'adam" "nephesh hayah" (living being).

8
      And "nata" (planted) YHWH 'Elohim "gan" (garden / enclosure) in "Eden" (Eden) "miq qedem" (in the east).....

Sidenote:
      During that week of Creation that we just covered, the plants, fish and all the rest of it apparently covered the planet. You can see that in the language in verse 20 of chapter 1 where the birds are told to fly across the earth.
      Except now the Creator is making a special place. The word "gan" implies that this planting is localized. In a few minutes there's a horticultural guide to what's growing there, but for now we'll just say that there doesn't appear to be a lot of weeds in it.
      One thing that is interesting is that the writer is evidently somewhere west of the Garden. But we'll look at that when we count the rivers.
end note
      ... and "ya sem" (He placed / put) there the "'adam" that He had formed.
      God's placement of the Garden and the putting of Man in it were intentional acts.

9
      and "tsamach" (sprouted / grew) YHWH 'Elohim out of the ground every "ets" (tree) "neh mad" (that is pleasing / desirable (something wanted)) to "mar'eh" (appearance), and "towb" (agreeable / good) "maakal" (food), and the tree of "hayyim" (alive / life), "tavek" (middle), of the "gan", and the tree of "daath" (knowledge) of "towb" (agreeable / good (same word that describes the 'tree food')) "wa" (and) "ra'" (bad / evil / adversary (the word includes the idea of 'the bad guy')).

10 - 14
      Eden and its rivers and where the gold is.
      We spend considerable time looking everywhere from just north of Jerusalem to down into the Empty Quarter of Saudi Arabia, and stuck in the mud of the Euphrates while we look for the garden in a special in depth feature. See link below.

15
      And took YHWH 'Elohim the man, and "yanach" (place, leave off (the word includes the idea of 'putting down' or 'dropping in place', deposit)) in the garden of Eden "abod / abad" (same word as before - work / serve) and "samerah" (keep / care / attend) it.
      Would now be the right time to wonder as to why a garden, specially established by the Creator, before death and evil (thorns) entered the world, need tending? Let's just move on.

16
      And "saw" (commanded / 'an order') Yahweh 'Elohim the man, "lemor" (saying), "kol" (whole / all) "'es" (tree) "gan" (garden) "'akol tokel" (same word for 'eat' is repeated, meaning 'consume at will').

      Here in chapter two's Garden, the menu is somewhat different than we saw in chapter one, which is explained in the next verse.
      In the earlier rundown of what's for supper, verses twenty-nine and thirty, the newly created humans could eat anything that was a plant. And the land animals were all chewing grass as well.
      But as far as is recorded in the text of chapter two, there's no meat, eggs, or cheese on their salad because, for one, there's No animals in the Garden! Yet. Keep that detail in mind as it will come up again shortly.

17
      "ume 'es" (but of 'tree') ""daath towb wa ra", "lo" (not) "tokal" (eat) "min / minmennu" (from), "ki" (when / for) "yom" (day) " that you eat it "mowt 'ta' mut" (form of 'muth', word is repeated for emphasis: die / dead / death)

18
      And said YHWH 'Elohim, not good "hayah" (become / be) 'man' "baddow" (form of 'bad', separated / 'by himself') - I "'eseh" ('will' accomplish / make) him "'ezer" (help / helper) "neged" (before / opposite to).

      Observation: the 'helper' was going to be the 'opposite' as in the 'other side' of him. The idea isn't 'in opposition' but instead 'complimentary', as an example, right hand and left hand. Which may be 'suitable' as is stated in many translations, but there is more to it than that.

A short break for some Jewish Mythology
      There is no Biblical "first use of the name of Adam's 'first wife'". For one, she isn't in the Bible as such. Lilith was already a well known figure during the time of Isaiah, around 700 BC or so, where she is mentioned in chapter 34 of his book as "liyliyth". Which is translated in in some versions verse 14 as an owl, but is actually better made as "night hag, (demon)", which makes more sense in the context of the verse than an own needing a perch. But she was only well known as s story whispered around the fire in the evening to keep the kids in the house.
      As we've gone into manic detail elsewhere, see link below, we'll summarize it this way: The myth runs that GOD did create "male and female" in Genesis 1 : 27. Except Lilith (also sometimes spelled 'Lillith') saw herself as totally equal to Adam and refused to be ruled by him in any way. So, she left. Later, as there weren't any other suitable dates for him, GOD created Eve, who at least was supposed to have a subservient nature. Later as things go sour in the Garden, Lilith is spared the direct effects of The Fall, but ends up being caught between worlds. And becomes very bitter about it.
      There is no conflict of any substance between the end of Chapter 1 where 'male and female' were created and our current handful of verses. You do not have to invent a wandering female demon to account for the female from chapter 1.
      As we state elsewhere in this study, the events related in the early chapters of Genesis are from the mists of time, literally, remember 1:2? There were no written records, and if they did exist, Noah would have had to have had them in his carry on bag, so some poetic license is allowed during the retelling and eventual transcription to paper.
"Break's over, back to work!"

19
      "yatsar" (formed / fashioned (same word as in verse 7)) YHWH 'Elohim out of the ground every "hayyat" (living / alive) "sadeh" (field / land), and every bird in the air - and He "bo" (brought) to "'adam" (same word but now used as a proper name- Adam)....

Time Out For Temporal Anomaly (yeah, we know, we got half a verse done)
      According to a tight, literal, reading of verse 19 and considering what we just talked about as far as Adam's menu, God is now manufacturing animals to pass in front of Adam. This is in contrast to chapter one where the 'critters' were created before man with the birds and fish on day five and then land animals the next day.
      Here in the second creation story, you have the earth in place, and then plants growing, and then man created and dropped off in Eden (which is NOT mentioned in chapter one even after the female arrives). Then, after man you have God fabricating animals from the same dirt he had made man from, and then arranging the first circus parade.
      How can the two ideas be reconciled? And while we're at it, should we even try?
      Second answer first: Yes, we should. If we as believers can not, or ever worse, Will Not, consider that perhaps some poetic liberties were taken with the two oral traditions that were later transcribed into the early chapters of Genesis, then those who would say that the Bible is a nice storybook, perhaps with some real history here and there, but is not to be taken as anything else have won the argument without even trying.
      This is why we pointed out the differing terms for the Creator. In the older story in chapter one, the word was 'Elohim by itself. The Jewish name for GOD didn't appear until in the second story in chapter two. "the man" was not named in chapter one, only in two is the word for "human" used as a proper name. And as we pointed out just a couple of verses ago, the salad bar was unrestricted in one, and had no meat option for a chef's salad, yet. In two, there's a "thou shalt not" restriction on a tree.
      So what we have is a generic but unequivocally ancient story in chapter one. Then in two, with an odd transition period in the first three verses that establish an ancient origin for the Sabbath that is something of a continuation from the end of one, we have a distinctly Jewish history of Creation that is laying the basis for the soon to come prophecy of the Messiah. And, again, both chapters are related as epic poetry.
      There is no contradiction unless you want to see one. And there are those that want to see one.
End time out
      ... to see what Adam would name the animals.

20
      We'll skip to the punch line.
      ... but for Adam "lo" (not) "matsa" (found / attained) "'ezer" (helper) "neged" (before / opposite to).

      OK, ...

"Can we review our status here..., from a standpoint of status, what do we got that's good?"
- Gene Kranz, NASA Flight Director for Apollo 13, from NASA tape, not the movie see below.

      Now we'll look at our situation in chapter two as Adam watches the last of the animals disappear back into the greenery of the Garden around him.
      There is no transition between verse 20 and 21. The Creator doesn't talk to Adam and ask if 'the man' likes the peace and quiet and the low drama quotient of the Garden as it is.

      In the painting on the Sistine Chapel ceiling of the creation of man you see GOD reaching out to touch the hand of a quite athletic-looking Adam with Eve in the crook of the Creator's arm, who was...
"... already in the Creator's thoughts, and already, one feels, a potential source of trouble."
- from Kenneth Clark's Civilisation series, 1969, BBC TV, see link below.

      In any case, no matter what is said of the best, and worst, of the male that is brought out by the very existence of the female, the stage is set, the pieces are in motion, and the events that, for us "God Only Knows" how many years later, result in The Christ and our very ability to have this exchange of ideas.
      And this also points out that NONE of anything that follows in history, period, would have happened if the Bible stopped at 2 : 20. Verse 22 makes the rest of it possible. Yes, there is a foreshadowing of the Redeemer in 2 : 16, but there are a lot of variables in play. If the story had ended with Adam tending to the garden, we wouldn't be doing this study, and a LOT of strong black coffee would still be berries hanging off a bush in some back corner along a hillside in Eden.

      In any case, as we rejoin the drama, Adam is about to take a nap. end review

21
     
      "Way yappel" (and 'caused' fall / lie) YHWH 'Elohim "tardemah" (deep sleep) upon Adam - and "yisan" ('he' slept), and "yiqqah" ('HE' took / to take) one "tsela" ('his' ribs (side)), and "yisgor" (shut / closed) the flesh.

22
      and made YHWH 'Elohim "tsela" ('the' rib) ... "ishshah" (wife / woman) - and He brought her to the man.

23 - 24
      Adam makes a speech. Restating what just happened in 22. (which he slept through), And explains why he calls her "woman". "basar" can mean 'flesh', but can specify a 'living physical body / being'.
      There is an interesting discrepancy between the Hebrew text at the end of 24 and the version in some translations (such as the New Living and the Contemporary English Versions). The original says the man shall "dabaq" (cling to / keep close / cleave) to his wife, and they "hayah" (become) "basar" (flesh) "echad" (one). The word "two" is not included in the "one flesh" phrase in Genesis. (Remember that, it is seen again in a look at marriage when we get to chapter 4, and we'll see where it does show up!)

      We could go into some depth about how would Adam know about leaving home. But instead, we'll simply highlight the fact that Jewish weddings cited "the Laws of Moses" for marriage, which begin here. See link below to Chabad.org article on the subject, and one of the most popular wedding songs of all time (which uses the "two" line!). Also note, 'the woman' hasn't been named yet.

25
      Commentary: The word "arom" means "naked". The same word is used by Job in chapter one of his book to describe how he was born.
      The statement is simply to underscore their innocence and vulnerability. Nothing else is to be read into it. Remember this line, we come back to it in a moment.

References and links: Outside links will open in new tab/window.
English / Hebrew Interlinear Bible: Genesis 2 https://biblehub.com/interlinear/genesis/2.htm

http://www.genevabible.org/geneva.html

https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Genesis-Chapter-2_Original-1611-KJV/

The amazing podcast about the Apollo missions includes many of the original tapes from the missions: "13 Minutes to the Moon" https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w13xttx2/episodes/downloads

The epic documentary series:
CIVILISATION https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/anniversaries/february/civilisation/

"According to the Laws of Moses and Israel" https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/465162/jewish/The-Jewish-Marriage-Ceremony.htm

The song video mentioned above:
Paul Stookey, the Wedding Song "There is Love" (25th Anniversary Concert) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrTfNTzAvYY

Lilith, female demonic figure of Jewish folklore. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lilith-Jewish-folklore

The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/lilith

From the Desk's Mystery Series "Whitherist Thou Lilith?" http://themediadesk.com/files8/lilith.htm

Genesis Study Index Page

NOTE: The Bible Study Lesson presented above is posted as a reference document to begin a conversation of the topic. And that's it. Please accept it at such.

http://centralparkchurchofchrist.org