B'resheet 2:4-6 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the L-RD G-d made earth and heaven. Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the L-RD G-d (Elohim YHVH) had not sent rain upon the earth; and there was no man to cultivate the ground. But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground.
Account - the history - Toledoth (Hebrew) Literally generations.
Before the great flood there was no rain. Strange but true.
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned by G-d about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
A mist that came up from the ground watered the earth. We will discuss this in greater detail when we discuss the flood.
Verses 7-25 give a detailed account of Day 6 and the creation of man.
B'resheet 2:7-8 Then the L-RD G-d formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. And the L-RD G-d planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.
Formed Yasar (to mold or shape) - This was more like clay than dust.
Isaiah 29:16 You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay, that what is made should say to its maker, "He did not make me"; or what is formed say to him who formed it, "He has no understanding"?
Does the clay vessel deny the potter?
Shall we deny our creator and embrace evolutionary fables?
Does the clay vessel set himself up equal to the potter?
Should we deny G-d and try to run our own lives?
Jeremiah 18:3-4 Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.
Just as the potter molds a clay pot the way he thinks best, HaShem forms us from the clay of the ground and He molds us as He sees fit.
Man home was a garden. He did not need a shelter made of wood because the elements where not as harsh as they are now. There was no rain and no snow. (NO SNOW. I don't like that idea. I like the four seasons we have today. Elaine would disagree- she doesn't like snow very much.)
There was a protective canopy (See Gen 1:6-8) that caused the entire earth to have a green house type of environment.
A vapor canopy so dense that we cannot see through it to the surface of Venus shields that planet. So the concept of a vapor canopy is not unheard of.
Man - A person, human - Hebrew: Adam
Ground - Earth - Hebrew Adamah
Garden of Eden - Hebrew: Gan Eden (Paradise)
In Judaism the term "Gan Eden" also refers to Paradise, the place of spiritual reward of the righteous in the world to come.
Yeshua went to paradise for three days when He died. Luke 23:43 And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."
The Garden of Eden was a perfect environment. We will see in chapter three how Adam and Eve enjoyed fellowship with G-d in this garden. It points to the future when the righteous will dwell with HaShem.
B'resheet 2:9 And out of the ground the L-RD G-d caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Initially man was a vegetarian.
Here we come upon two trees. (Duality) One gives life. One gives the knowledge of good and evil.
The tree of life - Adam and Eve were permitted to eat from this tree. It was a real tree with special properties to sustain eternal life.
We, believers in Yeshua, will eat from it in the New Yerushalayim (Jerusalem).
Revelation 22:2 in the middle of its street. And on either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. NAS
Revelation 22:14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. NAS
Symbolically, Yeshua did for us on the execution stake what the fruit did on the tree of life. HE offers life to those that are humble enough to trust and accept it.
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil - This was NOT an apple tree! This was the testing tree - Adam and Eve were ONLY given ONE law to obey. Do not eat from this tree.
Evil can be defined as disobeying G-d, so they would know the difference between good and evil after eating from this tree. Knowing what it was like to obey G-d and also to disobey G-d.
B'resheet 2:10-15 Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is Pishon; it flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there. And the name of the second river is Gihon; it flows around the whole land of Cush. And the name of the third river is Tigris; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
A river flowed out - The source (Headwater) of the river was in the garden. It was probably a spring coming from a subterranean reservoir.
The exact location of the Garden of Eden is uncertain. Since the flood of Noah the landscape has been greatly changed. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers are located in modern day Iraq. The location of the Pishon River and the land of Havilah are uncertain. We are given clues however; the land of Havilah is rich in Gold, Bdellium, and Onyx. It would be interesting to research the countries around Iraq and see which one fits this description. The Gihon river location is also uncertain. The land of Cush may be modern day Ethiopia.
B'resheet 2:15-17 Then the L-RD G-d took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. And the L-RD G-d commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die. "
took the man - this implies G-d personally led Adam to the garden. This shows the unspoiled and personal relationship Adam had with HaShem.
cultivate it - Gardening was the first profession.
surely die - Spiritual death would be immediate. Because of G-d's mercy physical death would follow later and not immediately.
B'resheet 2:18 Then the L-RD G-d said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."
not good - This is the first time we hear G-d say something in His creation was not good. Man was incomplete before his wife was created. Man needs a companion, someone to share his life with.
1 Corinthians 11:8-9 For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man; for indeed man was not created for the woman's sake, but woman for the man's sake.
B'resheet 2:19-20 And out of the ground the L-RD G-d formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. And the man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.
Adam must came to this realization himself when He looked at all the animals with their mates.
Here we see that Man was an intelligent creature capable of naming all the animals. This also refutes the evolutionary belief that early man was primitive in thought and deed. It shows leadership and authority over the animals. This also teaches us that man and animal are not equals. The bear is not mans brother as Walt Disney would like us to believe. Man was made in the image of G-d. The animals were not made in G-d's image.
B'resheet 2:21-22 So the L-RD G-d caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh at that place. And the L-RD G-d fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.
one of his ribs - this could also mean "side" including flesh. G-d performed a quick surgery on Adam and also a divine healing. Adam appears to be completely and instantly healed.
Man - Hebrew: Ish
Woman - Hebrew: Ishah (Her origin was man, the root of woman is soft)
Well Adam gets a wife. This fits right in with G-d's design for the second chapter to correspond to the second letter Beit.
G-d made the woman from Adams side to be equal to him, protected by him, and near to his heart. She was not made from his head to rule over him or from his feet to be walked on by him. In chapter 3 we will learn how the relationship changed because of the consequences of sin.
B'resheet 2:23-25 And the man 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." For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
Marriage was established by G-d as the first human institution.
Cleave - Joined to - this has a sense of a permanent or indissoluble union.
one flesh - this is complete unity of parts making a whole (ie. One G-d - Three persons)
Notice G-d did not make two men or two women, G-d made Adam and Eve; not Adam and Steve.
The woman is also symbolic of the body of believers that are to be married to Yeshua the Messiah (the Second Adam). Adam was also a type pointing to the REAL DEAL. The real deal would also be pierced in the side and killed (not a deep sleep) for the bringing about of the body of believers. The type is similar but does not always have to be exact in every way.
No knowledge of good and evil. This also fits into our meaning of Beit. Man was created in total innocence. It seems that man desired to know good and evil more than he desired life. For by trying to obtain one we have consequences that kept us from the other tree. Man tried to do it on his own and still tries to do it on his own. Mankind doesn't want help from G-d or the true Messiah. Mankind is not capable of doing it on our own. We need a Savior.
Edenic Covenant
There are eight covenants in the Bible. Four of them are found in B'resheet (Genesis). The first is the Edenic Covenant found here in B'resheet 1:28-30 and B'resheet 2:15-17. The first three covenants are between G-d and all humanity. The last five are with Israel.
The responsibilities of Adam:
