The Bible — World English Bible

Genesis 2

In brief

Genesis 2 restarts the account of creation, focusing on the human. After the seventh day of rest, God forms man from the dust and breathes his spirit into him, places him in the garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it, and gives him one command: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Seeing that it is not good for man to be alone, God forms woman, and the chapter ends with the first union and humanity without shame before God.

The chapter in 4 parts

  1. v. 1-3God completes his work and sanctifies the seventh day
  2. v. 4-9Man formed from the dust and the garden planted in Eden
  3. v. 10-17The river, mission to cultivate and keep, command
  4. v. 18-25It is not good for man to be alone: the woman and the first union

1The heavens, the earth, and all their vast array were finished.

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.

3God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work of creation which he had done.

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.

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,

6but a mist went up from the earth, and watered the whole surface of the ground.

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.

8Yahweh God planted a garden eastward, in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed.

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.

10A river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it was parted, and became the source of four rivers.

11The name of the first is Pishon: it flows through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;

12and the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and onyx stone are also there.

13The name of the second river is Gihon. It is the same river that flows through the whole land of Cush.

14The name of the third river is Hiddekel. This is the one which flows in front of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

15Yahweh God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.

16Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden;

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.”

18Yahweh God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

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.

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.

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.

22Yahweh God made a woman from the rib which he had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.

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.”

24Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh.

25The man and his wife were both naked, and they were not ashamed.

Key verses

Verse 3
God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work of creation which he had done.

God blesses the seventh day and sets it apart because he rested on it. Rest therefore belongs to the order of creation, before even the fall. It is a good gift, not a punishment for weakness.

Verse 7
Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

God forms man from the dust and breathes the breath of life into him. The image shows that man is rooted in the earth and yet alive by the breath of God. Life comes from God, and the work he gives man belongs to the purpose for which he was formed.

Verse 15
Yahweh God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.

God gives man the task to cultivate and keep the garden. This mission covers all of life, not just spiritual moments. The text shows that work is a divine calling, not a punishment.

Verse 18
Yahweh God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

For the first time in the account, something is declared "not good": man's solitude. God answers by giving him a helper like himself. The verse shows that the human is made for relationship, first with God then with others.

Verse 24
Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh.

This verse describes marriage in three gestures: leave, cling, become one flesh. Jesus and Paul will quote it to speak of the couple and of the union between Christ and the Church.

Bible verses to meditate on

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Frequently asked questions about Genesis 2

What is the difference between Genesis 1 and Genesis 2?

Genesis 1 presents the creation of the world in six days, with a wide view. Genesis 2 retells the scene by drawing closer to the human being: his formation, his home, his mission and his relationship with the woman. Many believers see two complementary views of the same work of God, others see distinct traditions.

What does "one flesh" mean in Genesis 2:24?

The phrase means complete union between man and woman, going beyond physical relation: a shared life, new loyalty, a bond that comes before parents. The verse describes three gestures: leave, cling, become one flesh, and it is the text Jesus quotes about marriage.

Why did God put a forbidden tree in the garden?

The text does not give a detailed explanation. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil marks the difference between the Creator and his creation and leaves man able to obey by trust. The command comes after great freedom: man may eat from all the other trees of the garden.

Is work a consequence of sin according to Genesis 2?

No. As early as verse 15, God places man in the garden to cultivate and keep it, before the fall. What Genesis 3 adds is the toil and difficulty of work. Work itself is presented as a mission entrusted by God.

Articles quoting Genesis 2

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World English Bible translation — public domain.