Genesis 2:4 | 9
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28
God blessed them and said to them , “ Be fruit ful and in crease in num ber ; fill the earth and sub due it . Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over ev ery liv ing
DAY crea 5ture that moves on the ground .”
29
Then God said , “ I give you ev
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DAY ery seedbear ing plant on the face of the whole earth and ev ery tree that has fruit with seed in it .
They will be yours for food . 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the crea tures that move along the ground — ev ery thing that has the breath of
Small life in birds it — I give ev ery green
Larger plant birdsfor food .”
And it was so .
Small
31 God fish saw all that he had made
Larger , and fish it was
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very good . And there was eve ning , and there was morn ing — the sixth day .
2
Thus the heav ens and the earth were complet ed in all their
DAY vast ar ray 6 .
2
By the sev enth day God had fin ished the work
NIGHT he had been do ing ; so on the sev enth day
NIGHT he
DAY rest ed from all his work . 3 Then God blessed the sev enth day and made it holy , be cause on it he rest ed from all the work of cre at ing that he had done .
Small animals
Adam and Eve
4
This is the ac count of the heav
Larger ens animals and the earth when they were cre at ed
Humans , when the Lord God made the earth and the heav ens .
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any specific ability ( intelligence , sentience , emotional capacity , free will , etc .). This would result in an ethical problem , since human beings do not possess these abilities equally . Likewise , connecting the image of God to the internal makeup of a human being — by appealing to the application of the Hebrew words nephesh for “ soul ” or ruach for “ spirit ” for people — does not resolve this issue , as both terms are used to describe members of the animal kingdom . Rather , it refers to our creation as God ’ s image , his unique representatives on earth . People are thus God ’ s agents , functioning as he would if he were embodied . Jesus is the ultimate image of God ( Heb 1:3 ). male and female There is no status distinction among bearers of the divine image ; they are equal while having distinct capacities and roles in fulfilling the divine mandate to steward the earth . he created them The Hebrew verb used here , bara , is the same word used in
DAY 7
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Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array . By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing ; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work .
Ge 1:1 . However , the plural declaration “ let us make ” in v . 26 uses a different verb . The verbs for “ make ” ( asah ) and “ form ” ( yatsar ) are also used elsewhere with bara to refer to God ’ s work as Creator in chs . 1 – 2 . In ch . 2 , yet another verb is used for the fashioning of Adam ( yatsar ). These verbs are synonyms . Compare note on 1:1 . 1:28 Be fruitful and increase in number As with the animal kingdom , humanity is created to be fertile . The capacity for sexual reproduction is cast as a divine blessing . subdue it . Rule over These terms indicate active power or rule involving physical force or effort ( Jer 34:16 ; Est 7:8 ; Jos 18:1 ; Isa 14:2 ; Eze 29:15 ). Active rule is not destructive , as creation is meant to sustain people . Humanity is instructed to keep creation under control — to keep the chaotic conditions that God subdued at bay . All must function as God originally ordered it to function ( compare Ge 2:15 ). 1:31 very good The totality of the ordered creation meets the expectations of its Creator .
2:1 – 3 The seven days of creation end with this description of God ’ s rest . The creation account of Ge 1:1 — 2:3 , where God works for six days and rests on the seventh , provides a theological rationale for the Sabbath observance . The command to observe the Sabbath in Ex 20:8 – 11 is based directly on the pattern developed in this passage .
2:2 By the seventh day God had finished Some translations render this “ on the seventh day ,” suggesting that God worked on the seventh day in violation of the Sabbath . However , the Hebrew text here can be translated “ by the seventh day ,” resulting in the verb being rendered “ had finished ,” expressing the completion of the act . See the infographic “ The Days of Creation ” on p . 6 . 2:3 God blessed the seventh day The creation week serves as the model for the six-day week and Sabbath rest noted in Ex 20:11 and other Israelite laws .
2:4 – 25 Leaving behind the cosmic view of creation in Ge 1:1 — 2:3 , the narrative turns to what is happening on earth — specifically , the creation of the first man and the preparation of the Garden of Eden as his home . The narrative presents a more personal view of God interacting with his creation . Rather than presenting two unconnected creation accounts , the narratives of chs . 1 and 2 tell complementary stories , with ch . 2 offering a closer look at the creation of humanity .
2:4 This is the account The formulaic Hebrew phrase used here , elleh toledoth , is used throughout Genesis