Genesis: Chapter 2

I've decided that as I try to read and understand and study the bible, I will post here my summary of what I think it means and how I interpret it, so thank you for joining me in this journey.

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Genesis: Chapter 2

"So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation."

Now everything was done. The universe was made. Since God was finished on the seventh day, he rested. He blessed this day and declared it holy. (Sunday... which suggests that it is actually the last day of the week, does it not?)

"This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth. The Man and Woman in Eden When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth. For the LORD God had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were no people to cultivate the soil. Instead, springs came up from the ground and watered all the land."

This is the statement of how everything was created. About how man and woman existed in Eden, and now neither wild plants or grains grew yet because God did not yet send rain to help them grow, and no one else was around to help work the ground anyway. Instead, springs and mists of water came up from the ground and provided a water source for the land.

"Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person. Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made."

God decided to create a man from dust. He breathed into his nostrils with the breath of life (which is also said to be the pronunciation and true name of God) and the man came to life. Then he planted a garden in the East of Eden, and that's where he put the man that he made to live there.

"The LORD God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."

After God made a living space for the man to live, he made all sorts of trees grow from the ground. The trees were beautiful and they grew delicious fruits of every kind. In the middle of the garden, he placed two very special trees, the tree of life, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

"A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches. The first branch, called the Pishon, flowed around the entire land of Havilah, where gold is found. The gold of that land is exceptionally pure; aromatic resin and onyx stone are also found there. The second branch, called the Gihon, flowed around the entire land of Cush. The third branch, called the Tigris, flowed east of the land of Asshur. The fourth branch is called the Euphrates."

There was a river that flowed out of Eden. This river watered the Garden of Eden before breaking into four different rivers. One was called Pishon and it went around the whole land of Havilah. Havilah is a land where gold the gold you find there is exceptionally pure, and there is also strong smelling resin and onyx stone. The second river is called Gihon, which goes around the entire land of Cush. The third is called Tigris, which flows east from the land Asshur, and we know it exists today in Mesopotamia. And the fourth river is called the Euphrates, which we also know exists in Mesopotamia.

"The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden - except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”

God placed the man that he made in the Garden of Eden to take care of it and watch over it, and he told him he could eat from any tree, except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If he went against what God said and ate fruit from that particular tree, he would be sure to die. (That's probably why we can't live forever, we eventually have to pay the price of death. But what about the tree of life? What if he ate from that other special tree? What would have happened then?)

"Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” So the LORD God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals."

Then God knew that it wasn't good for the man to be all by himself, so he made animals and birds (also from the ground) to keep him company. He brought them to the man, and the man named each one. (All of the names for animals originally came from Adam, but all the new animals we are discovering today are all given names by the descendants of Adam.

"But still there was no helper just right for him. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the LORD God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man."

The animals just weren't good enough to help out the man like he needed. And although they were good company, and as much time it took to name so many of them, they just weren't what he needed. So God made the man fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, God took out one of his ribs and closed the opening where he took it from with flesh. Then God made a woman from that rib, and brought her to the man some time after he was awake.

“At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’” This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame."

The man was excited because this new person was just like him, same kind of bones, and same kind of flesh. He said that she would be called "woman" because she came from a man's woe (Adam yearning for someone like himself). This is why a man leaves his father and mother and joins his wife and the two become united as one, and have children (both of the DNA from two beings becoming one being). And both of them were naked, but they didn't know what being ashamed felt like, so there was no shame between them.

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End of Genesis: Chapter 2