Genesis 2

Gen 2:1 And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

And all the host of them. - All the array of luminaries, plants, and animals by which the darkness, waste, and solitude of sky and land were removed, has now been called into unhindered action or new existence. The whole is now finished. Exodus 20:10-11 But the seventh day is the Sabbath of Jehovah your God. You shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger within your gates. For in six days Jehovah made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore Jehovah blessed the Sabbath day, and sanctified it.

were finished--brought to completion. No permanent change has ever since been made in the course of the world, no new species of animals been formed, no law of nature repealed or added to. They could have been finished in a moment as well as in six days, but the work of creation was gradual for the instruction of man, as well, perhaps, as of higher creatures.

Note that this day is different than the previous days in that God doesn’t speak or make, He blesses and sanctifies this day.

Gen 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made. And He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made.

Then finished. - To finish a work, in Hebrew conception, is to cease from it, to have done with it.

On the Seventh day God ended - It is the general voice of Scripture that God finished the whole of the creation in six days, and rested the seventh giving us an example that we might labor six days, and rest the seventh from all manual exercises. It is worthy of notice that the Septuagint read the sixth day instead of the seventh. Genesis 2:2 And God finished on the sixth day his works which he made, and he ceased on the seventh day from all his works which he made. (Septuagint)

Gen 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He had rested from all His work which God created to make.

Genesis 2:3 And God blessed (853) the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made

He had rested - The rest here, it is to be remembered, is God’s rest. The refreshment is God’s refreshment, which arises rather from the joy of achievement than from the relief of fatigue. Man’s rest, therefore, on this day is not only an act of communion with God in the satisfaction of resting after his work was done, but, at the same time, a thankful commemoration of that auspicious event in which the Almighty gave a noble origin and a happy existence to the human race. It is this which, even apart from its divine institution, at once raises the Sabbath above all human commemorative festivals, and imparts to it, to its joys and to its modes of expressing them, a height of sacredness and a force of obligation which cannot belong to any mere human arrangement.

And God blessed the seventh day - The original word barach, which is generally rendered to bless, has a very extensive meaning. It is frequently used in Scripture in the sense of speaking good of or to a person; and hence literally and properly rendered by the Septuagint good or well, and I speak. So God has spoken well of the Sabbath, and good to them who conscientiously observe it. Blessing is applied both to God and man: when God is said to bless, we generally understand by the expression that he communicates some good; but when man is said to bless God, we surely cannot imagine that he bestows any gifts or confers any benefit on his Maker. When God is said to bless, either in the Old or New Testament, it signifies his speaking good To man; and this comprises the whole of his exceeding great and precious promises. And when man is said to bless God, it ever implies that he speaks good Of him, for the giving and fulfillment of his promises.

blessed and sanctified the seventh day--a peculiar distinction put upon it above the other six days, and showing it was devoted to sacred purposes. The institution of the Sabbath is as old as creation. It is a wise and beneficent law, affording that regular interval of rest which the physical nature of man and the animals employed in his service requires, and the neglect of which brings both to premature decay. Moreover, it secures an appointed season for religious worship.

Gen 2:4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created in the day that Jehovah God made the earth and the heavens.

These are the generations of the heavens and the earth - That is, the above account, delivered in the preceding chapter, is a history of the production of the heavens and earth, and of all things in them; the creation of them being a kind of generation. The generations are the posterity or the progress of events relating to the posterity of the party to whom the term is applied Genesis 5:1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Genesis 6:9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. See also Gen_10:1; Gen_11:10; Gen_37:2.

Jehovah - This word (YHWH, the tetragrammaton) occurs about six thousand times in Scripture. It is obvious from its use that it is, so to speak, the proper name of God. It never has the article. It is never changed for construction with another noun. It is never accompanied with a suffix. It is never applied to any but the true God.

the Lord God - yehovâh 'ĕlohîym This phrase is here for the first time introduced. 'ĕlohîym, as we have seen, is the generic term denoting God as the Everlasting, and therefore the Almighty, as he was before all worlds, and still continues to be, now that he is the sole object of supreme reverence to all intelligent creatures. Yahweh is the proper name of God to man, self-existent himself, the author of existence to all persons and things, and manifesting his existence to those whom he has made capable of such knowledge.

The union of these two divine names, then, indicates him who was before all things, and by whom now all things consist. It also implies that he who is now distinguished by the name Jehovah yehovâh is the same who was before called ‘Elohiym. The combination of the names is specially suitable in a passage which records a concurrence of creation and development. The apposition of the two names is continued by the historian through this and the following chapter. The abstract and aboriginal name then gives way to the concrete and the historical.

the Lord God - Wherever this word (YHWH) occurs in the sacred writings most translations have Lord.

1) The primary meaning of the name LORD (Jehovah) is the "self-existent One." Literally Exodus 3:13-14 And Moses said to God, Behold, when I come to the sons of Israel, and shall say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they shall say to me, What is His name? What shall I say to them? And God said to Moses, I AM THAT I AM. And He said, So you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you. But Havah, from which Jehovah, or Yahweh, is formed, signifies also "to become," that is, to become known, thus pointing to a continuous and increasing self-revelation. Combining these meanings of Havah, we arrive at the meaning of the name Jehovah. He is "the self-existent One who reveals Himself." The name is, in itself, an advance upon the name "God" (El, Elah, Elohim), which suggests certain attributes of Deity, as strength, etc, rather than His essential being.

2) It is significant that the first appearance of the name Jehovah in Scripture follows the creation of man. It was God (Elohim) who said, "Let us make man in our image" (Gen_1:26); but when man, as in the second chapter of Genesis, is to fill the scene and become dominant over creation, it is the Lord God (Jehovah Elohim) who acts. This clearly indicates a special relation of Deity, in His Jehovah character, to man, and all Scripture emphasizes this.

3) Jehovah is distinctly the redemption name of Deity. When sin entered and redemption became necessary, it was Jehovah Elohim who sought the sinning ones (Gen_3:9-13) and clothed them with "coats of skins" (Gen_3:21) a beautiful type of righteousness provided by the Lord God through sacrifice (Rom_3:21); (Rom_3:22). The first distinct revelation of Himself by His name Jehovah was in connection with the redemption of the covenant people out of Egypt (Exo_3:13-17). As Redeemer, emphasis is laid upon those attributes of Jehovah which the sin and salvation of man bring into exercise.
These are:
a) His holiness
Leviticus 11:44-45 For I am the LORD your God, and you shall sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy, for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any kind of swarming thing that swarms on the earth. For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
Leviticus 19:1-2 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.
Leviticus 20:26 And you shall be holy to Me. For I, the LORD, am holy, and have severed you from the nations, so that you should be Mine.
Habakkuk 1:12-13 Are You not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, You have ordained them for judgment; and, my Rock, You have established them for correction. You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and can not look upon vexation. Why do You look upon those who deal deceitfully? Will you be silent when the wicked swallows one more righteous than he?
b) His hatred and judgment of sin;
Deuteronomy 32:35-42 Vengeance and retribution belong to Me. Their foot shall slide in time, for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come on them make haste. For the LORD will bring His people justice; and He shall have compassion on His servants, for He sees that their power is gone, and only the imprisoned and abandoned remain And He shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted? Who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up and help you; let it be your hiding place. See now that I, I am He, and there is no god with me. I kill, and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is no deliverer out of My hand. For I lift up My hand to Heaven and say, I live forever! If I sharpen My glittering sword, and if My hand takes hold in judgment, I will give vengeance to My enemies and will reward those that hate Me. I will make My arrows drunk with blood, and My sword shall devour flesh, with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the hairy scalp of the enemy.
Genesis 6:5-7 And the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD repented that He had made man on the earth, and He was angry to His heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created, from the face of the earth, both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air. For I repent that I have made them.
Psalms 11:4-6 The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD's throne is in Heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids examine the children of men. The LORD tries the righteous; but His soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence, On the wicked He shall rain snares, fire and brimstone; and a horrible tempest shall be the portion of their cup.
Psalms 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the LORD will not hear;
Exodus 34:6-7 And the LORD passed by before him and proclaimed, Jehovah! Jehovah God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty , visiting the iniquity of fathers on the sons, and on the sons of sons, to the third and to the fourth generation.
c) His love for and redemption of sinners, but always righteously;
Genesis 3:21 And for Adam and his wife the LORD God made coats of skins, and clothed them.
Genesis 8:20-21 And Noah built an altar to the LORD. And he took of every clean animal, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the LORD smelled a sweet odor. And the LORD said in His heart, I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, because the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth. And I will not again smite every living thing as I have done.
Exodus 12:12-13 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And I will execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. And the blood shall be a sign to you upon the houses where you are . And when I see the blood, I will pass over you. And the plague shall not be upon you for a destruction when I smite in the land of Egypt.
Leviticus 16:2-3 and the LORD said to Moses, Speak to Aaron your brother, that he does not come at all times into the sanctuary within the veil before the mercy-seat, which is on the Ark, so that he will not die. For I will appear in the cloud on the mercy-seat. Aaron shall come into the sanctuary this way: with a bull, a son of the herd, for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.
Isaiah 53:5-6 But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was on Him; and with His stripes we ourselves are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, each one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to crush Him; to grieve Him; that He should put forth His soul as a guilt-offering. He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the will of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
Salvation by Jehovah apart from sacrifice is unknown to Scripture.

4) In his redemptive relation to man, Jehovah has seven compound names which reveal Him as meeting every need of man from his lost state to the end.
These compound names are:
a) Jehovah-jireh; "the Lord will provide" i.e, will provide a sacrifice;
Genesis 22:13-14 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked. And, behold, a ram behind him was entangled in a thicket by its horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Will See; so that it is said until this day, In the mount of Jehovah it will be seen. Gen 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen (KJV)
b) Jehovah-rapha; "the Lord that healeth"
Exodus 15:26 And he said, If you will carefully listen to the voice of Jehovah your God, and will do that which is right in His sight, and will give ear to His commandments, and keep all His Laws, I will put none of these diseases upon you, which I have brought upon the Egyptians; for I am Jehovah who heals you.
That this refers to physical healing the context shows, but the deeper healing of soul malady is implied.
c) Jehovah-nissi; "the Lord our banner"
Exodus 17:8-15 Then Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out to fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand. And Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it happened when Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed. And when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands became heavy. And they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur held up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side. And his hands were steady until the going of the sun. And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people by the edge of the sword. And Jehovah said to Moses, Write this, a memorial in a book, and set it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heavens. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah My Banner.
Exo 17:15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: (KJV)
The name is interpreted by the context. The enemy was Amalek, a type of the flesh, and the conflict that day stands for the conflict of Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary to one another; lest whatever you may will, these things you do the war of the Spirit against the flesh. Victory was wholly due to divine help.
d) Jehovah-Shalom; "the Lord our peace," or "the Lord send peace"
Judges 6:24 Then Gideon built an altar there to Jehovah, and called it Jehovah-shalom. It is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites to this day.
Almost the whole ministry of Jehovah finds expression and illustration in that chapter. Jehovah hates and judges sin Gen_2:1-5 Jehovah loves and saves sinners Gen_2:7-18 but only through sacrifice Gen_2:19-21
Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2:14 For He is our peace, He making us both one, and He has broken down the middle wall of partition between us,
Colossians 1:20 And through Him having made peace through the blood of His cross, it pleased the Father to reconcile all things to Himself through Him, whether the things on earth or the things in Heaven.
e) Jehovah-ra-ah; "the Lord my shepherd"
Psalms 23:1-6 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. In Ps. 22 Jehovah makes peace by the blood of the cross; in Ps 23. Jehovah is shepherding His own who are in the world.
f) Jehovah-tsidkenu; "the Lord our righteousness"
Jeremiah 23:6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely. And this is His name by which He shall be called, JEHOVAH, OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
This name of Jehovah occurs in a prophecy concerning the future restoration and conversion of Israel. Then Israel will hail him as Jehovah-tsidkenu -- "the Lord our righteousness."
g) Jehovah-shammah; "the Lord is present"
Ezekiel 48:35 All around it shall be eighteen thousand cubits. And the name of the city from that day shall be JEHOVAH IS THERE.
This name signifies Jehovah's abiding presence with His people;
Exodus 33:14-15 And He said, My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest. And he said to Him, If Your presence does not go with me, do not carry us up from here.
1Chronicles 16:27 Glory and honor are in His presence, strength and gladness in His place.
1Chronicles 16:33 Then shall the trees of the forest sing out at the presence of Jehovah, because He comes to judge the earth.
Psalms 16:11 You will make Me know the way of life; in Your presence is fullness of joys. At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalms 97:5 The hills melted like wax at the presence of Jehovah, at the presence of Jehovah of the whole earth.
Matthew 28:20 teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. And, behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the world. Amen.
Hebrews 13:5 Let your way of life be without the love of money, and be content with such things as you have, for He has said, "Not at all will I leave you, not at all will I forsake you, never!"

5) Lord (Jehovah) is also the distinctive name of Deity as in covenant with Israel
Exodus 19:3 And Moses went up to God, and Jehovah called to him out of the mountain, saying, You shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the sons of Israel:
Exodus 20:1-2 And God spoke all these words, saying, I am Jehovah your God, who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Jeremiah 31:31-34 Behold, the days come, says Jehovah, that I will cut a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I cut with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which covenant of Mine they broke, although I was a husband to them, says Jehovah; but this shall be the covenant that I will cut with the house of Israel: After those days, says Jehovah, I will put My Law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall no more teach each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah; for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says Jehovah. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more.

6) Lord God (Hebrew, Jehovah Elohim) is the first of the compound names of Deity. Lord God is used distinctly:
A) of the relation of Deity to man
a) as Creator Gen_2:7-15
b) as morally in authority over man Gen_2:16-17
c) as creating and governing the earthly relationships of man; Gen_2:18-24
Genesis 3:16-19 To the woman He said, I will greatly increase your sorrow and your conception. In pain you shall bear sons, and your desire shall be toward your husband, and he shall rule over you. And to Adam He said, Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it! The ground is cursed for your sake. In pain shall you eat of it all the days of your life. It shall also bring forth thorns and thistles to you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.
Genesis 3:22-24 And Jehovah God said, Behold, the man has become as one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever, therefore Jehovah God sent him out from the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he had been taken. And He drove out the man. And He placed cherubs at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
d) as redeeming man
Genesis 3:8-15 And they heard the voice of Jehovah God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Jehovah God in the middle of the trees of the garden. And Jehovah God called to Adam and said to him, Where are you? And he said, I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I am naked, and I hid myself. And He said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree which I commanded you that you should not eat? And the man said, The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate. And Jehovah God said to the woman, What is this you have done? And the woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate. And Jehovah God said to the serpent, Because you have done this you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every animal of the field. You shall go upon your belly, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He will bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.
Genesis 3:21 And for Adam and his wife Jehovah God made coats of skins, and clothed them.
B) of the relation of Deity to Israel
Genesis 24:7 Jehovah, the God of Heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me, and who swore to me, saying, To your seed I will give this land: He shall send His Angel before you. And you shall take a wife to my son from there.
Genesis 28:13 And behold! Jehovah stood above it, and said, I am Jehovah, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac! The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your seed.
Exodus 3:15 And God said to Moses again, You shall say this to the sons of Israel, Jehovah the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My title from generation to generation.
Exodus 3:18 And they shall listen to your voice. And you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt. And you shall say to him, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews has met with us. And now let us go, we beseech you, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to Jehovah our God.
Exodus 4:5 so that they may believe that Jehovah, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.
Exodus 5:1 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, Thus says Jehovah, the God of Israel: Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.
Exo_7:6 And Moses and Aaron did as Jehovah commanded them; so they did.
Deuteronomy 1:11 May Jehovah, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times more than you are, and bless you as He has said to you!
Deuteronomy 1:21 Behold, Jehovah your God has set the land before you. Go up. Possess it, even as Jehovah, the God of your fathers has said to you. Do not fear, neither be troubled.
Deuteronomy 4:1 And now, Israel, listen to the statutes and to the judgments which I teach you, in order to do them, so that you may live and go in and possess the land which Jehovah, the God of your fathers gives you.
Deuteronomy 6:3 Then hear, O, Israel, and be careful to do it, so that it may be well with you, and that you may greatly multiply, as Jehovah, the God of our fathers has promised you, in the land that flows with milk and honey.
Deuteronomy 12:1 These are the statutes and judgments which you shall be careful to do in the land which Jehovah, the God of your fathers gives you to possess it, all the days that you live upon the earth.
Joshua 7:13 Up! Sanctify the people and say, Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow. For thus says Jehovah, the God of Israel, A cursed thing is in the midst of you, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the cursed thing from among you.
Joshua 7:19-20 And Joshua said to Achan, My son, I pray you, give glory to Jehovah, the God of Israel, and make confession to Him. And tell me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me. And Achan answered Joshua and said, Indeed I have sinned against Jehovah, the God of Israel, and this I have done.
Joshua 10:40-42 And Joshua struck all the land, the hills, and the south, and the valley, and the springs, and all their kings. He left none remaining, but destroyed all that breathed, as Jehovah, the God of Israel commanded. And Joshua struck them from Kadesh-barnea even to Gaza, and all the land of Goshen, even to Gibeon. And Joshua took all these kings and their land at one time, because Jehovah, the God of Israel fought for Israel.
Judges 2:12 And they forsook Jehovah, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt. And they followed other gods of the gods of the people who were around them, and bowed themselves to them, and provoked Jehovah to anger.
1Samuel 2:30 And Jehovah, the God of Israel says, I said indeed, Your house and the house of your father should walk before Me forever. But now Jehovah says, Be it far from Me! For those who honor Me I will honor, and those that think little of Me shall be lightly regarded.
1Kings 1:48 And also the king said, Blessed is Jehovah, the God of Israel, who has given one to sit on my throne today, my eyes even seeing it.
2Kings 9:6 And he arose and went into the house. And he poured the oil on his head and said to him, So says Jehovah, the God of Israel, I have anointed you king over the people of Jehovah, over Israel.
2Kings 10:31 But Jehu did not care to walk in the Law of Jehovah, the God of Israel with all his heart, for he did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, who made Israel to sin.
1Chronicles 22:19 Now set your heart and your soul to seek Jehovah your God. Arise therefore and build the sanctuary of Jehovah God, to bring the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of Jehovah.
2Chronicles 1:9 Now, O Jehovah God, Your promise to David my father has been fulfilled. For You have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude.
Ezra 1:3 Who is there among you of all His people? Let his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of Jehovah, the God of Israel (He is God) which is in Jerusalem.
Isaiah 21:17 and the rest of the number of archers, the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, shall be cut down; for Jehovah, the God of Israel, has spoken.

Gen 2:5 And every shrub of the field was not yet on the earth, and every plant of the field had not yet sprung up, for Jehovah God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no man to till the ground.

Genesis 2:5 And 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 (853) the ground.

Not a plant of the field was yet in the land. - Here it is to be remembered that the narrative has reverted to the third day of the preceding creation. At first sight, then, it might be supposed that the vegetable species were not created at the hour of that day to which the narrative refers. But it is not stated that young trees were not in existence, but merely that plants of the field were not yet in the land. Of the herbs it is only said that they had not yet sent forth a bud or blade. And the actual existence of both trees and herbs is implied in what follows. The reasons for the state of things above described are the lack of rain to water the soil, and of man to cultivate it. These would only suffice for growth if the vegetable seeds, at least, were already in existence. Now, the plants were made before the seeds Gen_1:11-12, and therefore the first full-grown and seed-bearing sets of each kind were already created. Hence, we infer that the state of things described in the text was this: The original trees were confined to a center of vegetation, from which it was intended that they should spread in the course of nature. At the present juncture, then, there was not a tree of the field, a tree of propagation, in the land; and even the created trees had not sent down a single root of growth into the land. And if they had dropped a seed, it was only on the land, and not in the land, as it had not yet struck root.

And not an herb of the field yet grew. - The herbage seems to have been more widely diffused than the trees. Hence, it is not said that they were not in the land, as it is said of field trees. But at the present moment not an herb had exhibited any signs of growth or sent forth a single blade beyond the immediate product of creative power.

Rain upon the land - and man to till it, were the two needs that retarded vegetation.

The account in vv. 5-25 is not a second, complete and independent history of the creation, nor does it contain mere appendices to the account in Gen 1; but it describes the commencement of the history of the human race. This commencement includes not only a complete account of the creation of the first human pair, but a description of the place which God prepared for their abode, the latter being of the highest importance in relation to the self-determination of man, with its momentous consequences to both earth and heaven. Even in the history of the creation man takes precedence of all other creatures, as being created in the image of God and appointed lord of all the earth, though he is simply mentioned there as the last and highest link in the creation. To this our present account is attached, describing with greater minuteness the position of man in the creation, and explaining the circumstances which exerted the greatest influence upon his subsequent career. These circumstances were-the formation of man from the dust of the earth and the divine breath of life; the tree of knowledge in paradise; the formation of the woman, and the relation of the woman to the man. The more exact account of the creation of Adam is subordinated to, and inserted in, the description of paradise (Gen_2:7). In Gen_2:5 and Gen_2:6, with which the narrative commences, there is an evident allusion to paradise: “And as yet there was (arose, grew) no shrub of the field upon the earth, and no herb of the field sprouted; for Jehovah El had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; and a mist arose from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.” Although the growth of the shrubs and sprouting of the herbs are represented here as dependent upon the rain and the cultivation of the earth by man, we must not understand the words as meaning that there was neither shrub nor herb before the rain and dew, or before the creation of man, and so draw the conclusion that the creation of the plants occurred either after or contemporaneously with the creation of man, in direct contradiction to Gen_1:11-12. The creation of the plants is not alluded to here at all, but simply the planting of the garden in Eden. The growing of the shrubs and sprouting of the herbs is different from the creation or first production of the vegetable kingdom, and relates to the growing and sprouting of the plants and germs which were called into existence by the creation, the natural development of the plants as it had steadily proceeded ever since the creation. This was dependent upon rain and human culture; their creation was not. Moreover, the shrub and herb of the field do not embrace the whole of the vegetable productions of the earth. It is not a fact that the field is used in the second section in the same sense as the earth in the first.” It is not “the widespread plain of the earth, the broad expanse of land,” but a field of arable land, soil fit for cultivation, which forms only a part of the “earth” or “ground.” Even the “beast of the field” in Gen_2:19 and Gen_3:1 is not synonymous with the “beast of the earth” in Gen_1:24-25, but is a more restricted term, denoting only such animals as live upon the field and are supported by its produce, whereas the “beast of the earth” denotes all wild beasts as distinguished from tame cattle and reptiles. In the same way, the “shrub of the field” consists of such shrubs and tree-like productions of the cultivated land as man raises for the sake of their fruit, and the “herb of the field,” all seed-producing plants, both corn and vegetables, which serve as food for man and beast.

Gen 2:6 But there went up from the earth a mist and watered all the face of the ground.

Genesis 2:6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered (853) the whole face of the ground.

As in the former narrative, so here, the remaining part of the chapter is employed in recording the removal of the two hinderances to vegetation. The first of these is removed by the institution of the natural process by which rain is produced. The atmosphere had been adjusted so far as to admit of some light. But even on the third day a dense mass of clouds still shut out the heavenly bodies from view. But on the creation of plants the Lord God caused it to rain on the land. This is described in the verse before us. “A mist went up from the land.” It had been ascending from the steaming, reeking land ever since the waters retired into the hollows. The briny moisture which could not promote vegetation is dried up. And now he causes the accumulated masses of cloud to burst forth and dissolve themselves in copious showers. Thus, “the mist watered the whole face of the soil.” The face of the sky is thereby cleared, and on the following day the sun shone forth in all his cloudless splendor and fostering warmth.

There went up a mist - This passage appears to have greatly embarrassed many commentators. They are divided between whether it rained before the flood or not. One commentator says the plain meaning seems to be, that the aqueous vapors, ascending from the earth, and becoming condensed in the colder regions of the atmosphere, fell back upon the earth in the form of dews, and by this means an equal portion of moisture was distributed to the roots of plants, etc. As Moses had said, Gen_2:5, that the Lord had not caused it to rain upon the earth, he probably designed to teach us, in Gen_2:6, how rain is produced, viz., by the condensation of the aqueous vapors, which are generally through the heat of the sun and other causes raised to a considerable height in the atmosphere, where, meeting with cold air, the watery particles which were before so small and light that they could float in the air, becoming condensed, i.e., many drops being driven into one, become too heavy to be any longer suspended, and then, through their own gravity, fall down in the form which we term rain.

But there went up a mist from the earth - After the waters had been drained off from it, and it was warmed by the body of light and heat created on the first day, which caused a vapor, which went up as a mist, and descended:

Gen 2:7 And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed (853) man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Breath - applied to God and man only. Notice how none of the other living creatures had His breath breathed into them.

And breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. - The word neshāmâh is invariably applied to God or man, never to any irrational creature. The “breath of life” is special to this passage. It expresses the spiritual and principal element in man, which is not formed, but breathed by the Creator into the physical form of man. This rational part is that in which he bears the image of God, and is suited to be his vicegerent on earth. As the earth was prepared to be the dwelling, so was the body to be the organ of that breath of life which is his essence, himself.

formed man of the dust of the ground - Science has proved that the substance of his flesh, sinews, and bones, consists of the very same elements as the soil which forms the crust of the earth. But from that mean material what an admirable structure has been reared in the human body.

breathed into his nostrils the breath of life-- respiration being the medium and sign of life, this phrase is used to show that man's life originated in a different way from his body--being implanted directly by God Ecclesiastes 12:7 then the dust shall return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God who gave it. Note the new creation Christ breathed on His disciples John 20:22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. As God breathed life into man, Christ breathed new life into His apostles.

Then Jehovah God formed man from dust of the ground - does not indicate the order of time, or of thought; so that the meaning is not that God planted the garden in Eden after He had created Adam, nor that He caused the trees to grow after He had planted the garden and placed the man there. The process of man's creation is described minutely here, because it serves to explain his relation to God and to the surrounding world. He was formed from dust, and into his nostril a breath of life was breathed, by which he became an animated being. Hence the nature of man consists of a material substance and an immaterial principle of life.

The breath of life - breath producing life, does not denote the spirit by which man is distinguished form the animals, or the soul of man from that of the beasts, but only the life-breath 1Kings 17:17 And it happened after these things the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick. And his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. It generally signifies the human soul, but in Genesis 7:22 all who breathed the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died it is used of men and animals both. Should any one claim that the allusion is chiefly to men, and the animals are connected by implication, or should he press that the ruach is attached, and deduce from this the use of neshamah in relation to men and animals, there are several passages in which neshamah is synonymous with ruach Isaiah 42:5 So says Jehovah God, He who created the heavens and stretched them out, spreading out the earth and its offspring; He who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it. Job 32:8 But a spirit is in man giving them perception, even the breath of the Almighty Job 33:4 The Spirit of God made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life or applied to animals Genesis 6:17 And behold! I, even I, am bringing a flood of waters upon the earth in order to destroy all flesh (in which is the breath of life) from under the heavens. Everything which is in the earth shall die. Genesis 7:15 And they went in to Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, in which is the breath of life or again neshamah used as equivalent to nephesh Joshua10:40 And Joshua struck all the land, the hills, and the south, and the valley, and the springs, and all their kings. He left none remaining, but destroyed all that breathed, as Jehovah, the God of Israel commanded.

Please note that this shows how man may have been divinely made, but is still a mere creation. Our origin is the dust in the ground. The Garden of Eden was a place where man could experience the fellowship and presence of God, as the tabernacle was later.

Gen 2:8 And Jehovah God planted a garden eastward in Eden. And there He put the man whom He had formed.

Genesis 2:8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put (853) the man whom he had formed.

And put there the man whom he had formed. - The writer has still the formation of man in thought, and therefore proceeds to state that he was thereupon placed in the garden which had been prepared for his reception, before going on to give a description of the garden. This verse, therefore, forms a transition from the field and its cultivator to the garden and its inhabitants.

Eden - Though the word Eden signifies pleasure or delight. It was a “garden in Eden,” also called “the garden of Eden” Gen_2:15 Gen_3:23-24, or Eden Isa_51:3 Eze_28:13 Eze_31:9. Eden, i.e., delight is the proper name of a particular district, the situation of which is described in Gen_2:10.; but it must not be confounded with the Eden of Assyria 2Ki_19:12, etc. and Coelesyria Amo_1:5, which is written differently. The garden (lit., a place hedged round) was to the east, i.e., in the eastern portion, and is generally called Paradise from the Septuagint version. In the garden itself God caused all kinds of trees to grow out of the earth; and among them were two, which were called “the tree of life” and “the tree of knowledge of good and evil,” on account of their peculiar significance in relation to man.

Elsewhere in Genesis, eastward is associated with judgment and separation from God. Genesis 3:24 And He drove out the man. And He placed cherubs at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 11:2 And it happened, as they traveled from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar. And they lived there. (The tower of Babel) Genesis 13:11 And Lot chose all the circuit of Jordan for himself. And Lot journeyed east; and they separated themselves from one another.

Gen 2:9 And out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food. The tree of life also was in the middle of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Every tree that is pleasant to the sight - If we take up these expressions literally, they may bear the following interpretation: the tree pleasant to the sight may mean every beautiful tree or plant which for shape, color, or fragrance, delights the senses, such as flowering shrubs, etc.

And good for food - All fruit-bearing trees, whether of the pulpy fruits, as apples, etc., or of the kernel or nut kind, such as dates, and nuts of different sorts, together with all vegetables.

the tree of life - also in the midst of the garden; set where it might be most conspicuous, before Adam sinned, there was no prohibition of his eating of it, so there was no obstruction to it; and as he had a grant to eat of it, with the other trees, it was designed for his use, to support and maintain his natural life, which would have been continued, had he persisted in his obedience and state of innocence, and very probably by means of this chiefly: it is the tree of immortality,and it might be also a sign, token, and symbol to him of his dependence on God; that he received his life from him; and that this was preserved by his blessing and providence, and not by his own power and skill; and that this would be continued, provided he transgressed not the divine law: and it seems to have a further respect, even to eternal life; by Christ; for though it might not be a symbol of that life to Adam in his state of innocence, yet it became so after his fall: hence Christ is sometimes signified by the tree of life, Pro_3:18 who is not only the author of natural and spiritual life, but the giver of eternal life; the promise of it is in him, and the blessing itself; he has made way for it by his obedience, sufferings, and death, and is the way unto it; it is in his gift, and he bestows it on all his people, and it will lie greatly in the enjoyment of him. The situation of this tree in the midst of the garden well agrees with him who is in the midst of his church and people, Rev_1:13 stands open, is in sight, and is accessible to them all now, who may come to him, and partake of the fruits and blessings of his grace, which are many, constant, and durable, Rev_22:2 and who will be seen and enjoyed by all, to all eternity:

Gen 2:10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden. And from there it was divided and became four heads.

Genesis 2:10 And a river went out of Eden to water (853) the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

Gen 2:11 The name of the first is Pishon; that is it which surrounds all the land of Havilah, where there is gold.

Genesis 2:11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth (853) the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;

Havilah - where there is gold; this country had its name from Havilah, who could be one of the sons of Cush, Genesis 10:7 And the sons of Cush: Seba and Havilah and Sabtah and Raamah and Sabtecha. And the sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan or the son of Joktan, Genesis 10:29 and Ophir and Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.

Gen 2:12 And the gold of that land is good. There is bdellium and the onyx stone.

There is bdellium and the onyx stone - bedolach and eben hashshoham - Bochart thinks that the bedolach or bdellium means the pearl-oyster; and shoham is generally understood to mean the onyx, or species of agate, a precious stone which has its name from “a man’s nail”, to the color of which it nearly approaches. It is impossible to say what is the precise meaning of the original words; and at this distance of time and place it is of little consequence. Numbers 11:7 And the manna was like coriander seed, and the color of it was like the color of bdellium.

Gen 2:13 And the name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one that surrounds the whole land of Cush.

Genesis 2:13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth (853) the whole land of Ethiopia.

the second river is Gihon - There was one of this name in the land of Israel, which, or a branch of it, flowed near Jerusalem, 1Kings 1:33 The king also said to them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon. It is unknown if the reference in 1 Kings is the same place.

Gen 2:14 And the name of the third river is Tigris; it is that which goes toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

The name of the third river is Hiddekel - Daniel 10:4 And in the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Tigris. Daniel 10:4 And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel; (KJV)

Gen 2:15 And Jehovah God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

Genesis 2:15 And the LORD God took (853) the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

put him into the garden of Eden to work it and keep it - Gardening was the first occupation of man. One commentator suggests that a more appropriate meaning isn’t gardening but rather that man was to worship and obey Him. That view is in keeping with the major themes in the first 5 books of the bible: worship and Sabbath rest.

The word “put” in Hebrew is a word that only has 2 special uses:
God’s rest which He gives to us in the land
Genesis 19:16 And he lingered, the angel laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters (the LORD being merciful to him), and they brought him forth and set him outside the city; Deuteronomy 3:20 until the LORD has given rest to your brothers, as well as to you, and they also possess the land which the LORD your God has given them beyond Jordan. And then you shall each one return to his possessions which I have given you. Deuteronomy 12:10 But when you go over Jordan and live in the land which the LORD your God gives you to inherit, and Deuteronomy 25:19 And it shall be when the LORD your God has given you rest from all your enemies all around in the land which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance to possess it, you shall blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heavens. You shall not forget.
And “dedication” of something in the presence of God
Exodus 16:33-34 And Moses said to Aaron, Take a pot and put an omer full of manna in it, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations. As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. Leviticus 16:23 And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall strip off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the sanctuary, and shall leave them there. Numbers 17:4 And you shall lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you. Deuteronomy 26:4 And the priest shall take the basket out of your hand and set it down before the altar of the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 26:10 And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land which You, O LORD, have given me. And you shall set it before the LORD your God, and worship before the LORD your God.

In this verse, man is seen as resting safely in the presence of the Lord where he has fellowship with God. This is what was lost when man fell from grace.

Gen 2:16 And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, You may freely eat of every tree in the garden,

Gen 2:17 but you shall not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. For in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.

thou shalt not eat - This is the first positive precept God gave to man; and it was a test of obedience, and a proof of his being in a dependent, probationary state.

Thou shalt surely die - Literally, a death thou shalt die; or, dying thou shalt die. Thou shalt not only die spiritually, by losing the life of God, but from that moment thou shalt become mortal, and shalt continue in a dying state till thou die. This we find literally accomplished; every moment of man’s life may be considered as an act of dying, till soul and body are separated

Gen 2:18 And Jehovah God said, It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.

I will make him a help meet for him;- a help, a counterpart of himself, one formed from him, and a perfect resemblance of his person. If the word be rendered scrupulously literally, it signifies one like, or as himself, standing opposite to or before him. And this implies that the woman was to be a perfect resemblance of the man, possessing neither inferiority nor superiority, but being in all things like and equal to himself.

Creation of the Woman. - As the creation of the man is introduced in Gen_1:26-27, with a divine decree, so here that of the woman is preceded by the divine declaration, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help of his like. Of such a help the man stood in need, in order that he might fulfil his calling, not only to perpetuate and multiply his race, but to cultivate and govern the earth. In Gen_1:27 the creation of the woman is linked with that of the man; but here the order of sequence is given, because the creation of the woman formed a chronological incident in the history of the human race, which commences with the creation of Adam.

Gen 2:19 And out of the ground Jehovah God formed every animal of the field and every fowl of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.

that was its name - To name is also the prerogative of the owner, superior, or head. Man has dominion over the animals.

Gen 2:20 And Adam gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field. But there was not found a suitable helper for Adam.

a suitable helper for Adam - perhaps this might be one reason of their being brought unto him, that he might become sensible that there was none among all the creatures of his nature, and that was fit to be a companion of his; and to him must this be referred, and not to God; not as if God looked out an help meet for him among the creatures, and could find none; but man could not find one for himself; and this made it the more grateful and acceptable to him, when God had formed the woman of him, and presented her before him. The design of this singular scene was to show him that none of the living creatures he saw were on an equal footing with himself, and that while each class came with its mate of the same nature, form, and habits, he alone had no companion.

Gen 2:21 And Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept. And He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh underneath.

He took one of his ribs – it means the side, and, as a portion of the human body, the rib. The woman was created, not of dust of the earth, but from a rib of Adam, because she was formed for an inseparable unity and fellowship of life with the man, and the mode of her creation was to lay the actual foundation for the moral ordinance of marriage. As the moral idea of the unity of the human race required that man should not be created as a genus or plurality, This ordinance of God forms the root of that tender love with which the man loves the woman as himself, and by which marriage becomes a type of the fellowship of love and life, which exists between the Lord and His Church (Eph_5:32). If the fact that the woman was formed from a rib, and not from any other part of the man, is significant; all that we can find in this is, that the woman was made to stand as a helpmate by the side of the man, not that there was any allusion to conjugal love as founded in the heart; for the text does not speak of the rib as one which was next the heart. It is worthy of note: from the rib of the man God builds the female, through whom the human race is to be built up by the male (Gen_16:2; Gen_30:3).

The Almighty has called intelligent beings into existence in two ways. The angels he seems to have created as individuals Mar_12:25, constituting an order of beings the unity of which lies in the common Creator. Man he created as the parent of a race about to spring from a single head, and having its unity in that head. A single angel then stands by himself, and for himself; and all his actions belong only to himself, except so far as example, persuasion, or leadership may have involved others in them. But the single man, who is at the same time head of a race, is in quite a different position. He stands for the race, which is virtually contained in him; and his actions belong not only to him as an individual, but, in a certain sense, to the whole race, of which he is at present the sum. An angel counts only for the unit of his order. The first man counts for the whole race as long as he is alone. The one angel is responsible only for himself. The first man is not only an individual, but, as long as he is alone, the sum total of a race; and is therefore so long responsible, not only for himself, but for the race, as the head of which he acts. This deep question of race will meet us again at a future stage of man’s history.

Man’s original unity is the counterpart of the unity of God. He was to be made in the image of God, and after his likeness. If the male and the female had been created at once, an essential feature of the divine likeness would have been missing. But, as in the absolute One there is no duality, whether in sex or in any other respect, so is there none in the original form and constitution of man. Hence, we learn the absurdity of those who import into their notions of the deity the distinction of sex. Secondly, the natural unity of the first pair, and of the race descended from them, is established by the primary creation of an individual, from whom is derived, by a second creative process, the first woman.

took one of his ribs--"She was not made out of his head to surpass him, nor from his feet to be trampled on, but from his side to be equal to him, and near his heart to be dear to him."

Gen 2:22 And Jehovah God made the rib (which He had taken from the man) into a woman. And He brought her to the man.

Genesis 2:22 And (853) the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

He brought her to the man - so it was a type of the marriage of Christ, the second Adam, between him and his church, which sprung from him, from his side; and is of the same nature with him, and was presented by his divine Father to him, who gave her to him; and he received her to himself as his spouse and bride; Ephesians 5:25-32 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present it to Himself as the glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that it should be holy and without blemish. So men ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord loves the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. "For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two of them shall be one flesh." This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Gen 2:23 And 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.

This is now bone of my bones - He is perfectly aware of the nature of her who now for the first time appears before his eyes. This is evinced in his speech on beholding her: “This, now” - in contrast with the whole animal creation just before presented to his view, in which he had failed to find a helpmeet for him - “is bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh;” whence we perceive that the rib included both bone and flesh. This lovely creature, now presented to him, was a piece of himself and was to be his companion, and the wife of his covenant

shall be called woman - the word in the original being a feminine form of “man,” to which we have no exact equivalent.

This is now bone of my bones - There is a very delicate and expressive meaning in the original which does not appear in our version. When the different genera of creatures were brought to Adam, that he might assign them their proper names, it is probable that they passed in pairs before him, and as they passed received their names. We should render more literally this turn, this creature, which now passes or appears before me, is flesh of my flesh, etc. The creatures that had passed already before him were not suitable to him, and therefore it was said, For Adam there was not a help meet found, Gen_2:20; but when the woman came, formed out of himself, he felt all that attraction which consanguinity could produce, and at the same time saw that she was in her person and in her mind every way suitable to be his companion. A literal version of the Hebrew would appear strange, and yet a literal version is the only proper one. ish signifies man, and the word used to express what we term woman is the same with a feminine termination, ishshah, and literally means she-man.

Eve, type of the Church as bride of Christ 2Corinthians 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy. For I have espoused you to one Man, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. Revelation 19:7-8 Let us be glad and rejoice and we will give glory to Him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has prepared herself. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white. Joh_3:28-29 Eph_5:25-32

Gen 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife and they shall be one flesh.

Genesis 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave (853) his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Adam on seeing the woman had given prophetic utterance to his perception of the mystery of marriage, he could not with propriety have spoken of father and mother. They are the words of Moses, written to bring out the truth embodied in the fact recorded as a divinely appointed result, to exhibit marriage as the deepest corporeal and spiritual unity of man and woman, and to hold up monogamy before the eyes of the people of Israel as the form of marriage ordained by God. But as the words of Moses, they are the utterance of divine revelation; and Christ could quote them, therefore, as the word of God (Mat_19:5). By the leaving of father and mother, which applies to the woman as well as to the man, the conjugal union is shown to be a spiritual oneness, a vital communion of heart as well as of body, in which it finds its consummation. This union is of a totally different nature from that of parents and children; hence marriage between parents and children is entirely opposed to the ordinance of God. Marriage itself, notwithstanding the fact that it demands the leaving of father and mother, is a holy appointment of God; hence celibacy is not a higher or holier state. This is shown in Gen_2:25 : “They were both naked the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” Their bodies were sanctified by the spirit, which animated them. Shame entered first with sin, which destroyed the normal relation of the spirit to the body, exciting tendencies and lusts which warred against the soul, and turning the sacred ordinance of God into sensual impulses and the lust of the flesh.

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother - There shall be, by the order of God, a more intimate connection formed between the man and woman, than can subsist even between parents and children.

And they shall be one flesh - These words may be understood in a twofold sense.
1. These two shall be one flesh, shall be considered as one body, having no separate or independent rights, privileges, cares, concerns, etc., each being equally interested in all things that concern the marriage state.
2. These two shall be for the production of one flesh; from their union a posterity shall spring, as exactly resembling themselves as they do each other.

Our Lord quotes these words, Matthew 19:5 and said, For this cause a man shall leave father and mother and shall cling to his wife, and the two of them shall be one flesh? with some variation from this text: So in Mark10:8 And the two of them shall be one flesh. So then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Paul quotes in the same way, 1Corinthians 6:16 Or do you not know that he being joined to a harlot is one body? For He says, The two shall be one flesh, and in Ephesians 5:31 "For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two of them shall be one flesh." The Septuagint reads the word Two. Genesis 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave to his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. (Septuagint) Of what consequence is it? In the controversy concerning polygamy, it has been made of very great consequence. Without the word, some have contended a man may have as many wives as he chooses, as the terms are indefinite, They shall be, etc., but with the word, marriage is restricted. A man can have in legal wedlock but One wife at the same time.

We have here the first institution of marriage, and we see in it several particulars worthy of our most serious regard.
1. God pronounces the state of celibacy to be not a good one; the Lord God said, It is not good for man to be alone. This is God’s judgment.
2. God made the woman for the man, and thus he has shown us that every son of Adam should be united to a daughter of Eve to the end of the world. God made the woman out of the man

Gen 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife; and they were not ashamed.

Two hallowed institutions have descended to us from then - the wedding and the Sabbath. The former indicates communion of the purest and most perfect kind between equals of the same class. The latter implies communion of the highest and holiest kind between the Creator and the intelligent creature. The two combined import communion with each other in communion with God.

Two words meaning naked are used here and in 3:7. Arom here, erom in 3:7. Erom is also seen in Deut 28:48 where it shows the state of the exiles who have been punished for their failure to trust and obey the Lord. Deuteronomy 28:48 therefore you shall serve your enemies which the LORD shall send against you, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in the lack of all things . And he shall put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you. Naked in 3:7 includes the aspect of being under God’s judgment.