Genesis 2:4-7

2006.May.20 10:51

Making Humans, Part 2

Read Genesis 2:4-7 | Full Chapter

I don’t know how the word create in Genesis 1 reads in the original Hebrew, but I’m wondering if perhaps it meant create in the sense of creating the ideas and concepts. For example, if I create a movie, that could just mean defining the concept of the movie, rather than the actual making of the product. It might explain the sort of double creation story, as well as the line "”When God made the earth and the heavens and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth…”" (Genesis 2:4-5, NASB) . In any event, voila, we have an earth. Now we start to see more of humanity.

God creates man from the dust of the ground and breathes life into him. This is different certainly from the accounts of God creating other things because of the direct physical action. Additionally, God’s breath goes into man, perhaps yet another symbol that he wishes for intimate friendship with us. Finally, that after that, "”then man became a living being”" (Genesis 2:7, NIV) , shows again our dependance on God. My interpretation on this is that God makes us in his image, but with the understanding that we are dependant on him and ought not be rivals.

I know this is not much, but next week I’ll look at Eden itself. I just can’t seem to think this week. Well, that’s not true, but I feel as though I can’t.