New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Genesis 2
2
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing. So on the seventh day he rested from all of his work.
Reference
Creation
Exodus 31:17
Parallel theme
Exodus 23:12
John 5:17
Isaiah 58:13
References God
Hebrews 4:4
Deuteronomy 5:14
3
God blessed the seventh day and made it holy. He rested on it. After he had created everything, he rested from all of the work he had done.
Reference
Blessing
Proverbs 10:22
Creation
Mark 2:27
Holy
Leviticus 23:3
Nehemiah 9:14
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 20:12
Luke 23:56
Exodus 34:21
Exodus 23:12
4
Here is the story of the heavens and the earth when they were created. The Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
Reference
Creation
Genesis 5:1
Genesis 1:31
Parallel theme
Job 38:28
Genesis 36:1
References God
Genesis 1:4
1 Kings 18:39
References Lord
Revelation 1:8
Exodus 15:3
5
At that time, bushes had not appeared on the earth. Plants had not come up in the fields. The Lord God had not sent rain on the earth. And there wasn't any man to work the ground.
Reference
Parallel theme
Job 5:10
Genesis 4:12
Genesis 4:2
Psalm 135:7
Psalm 104:14
Matthew 5:45
References God
Genesis 3:23
Hebrews 6:7
Jeremiah 14:22
6
But streams came up from the earth. They watered the whole surface of the ground.
7
Then the Lord God formed a man. He made him out of the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into him. And the man became a living person.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Corinthians 15:45
Acts 17:25
Genesis 3:19
Genesis 7:22
Psalm 103:14
References God
Job 33:4
Ecclesiastes 12:7
Job 27:3
References Lord
Isaiah 64:8
1 Corinthians 15:47
8
The Lord God had planted a garden in the east. It was in Eden. There he put the man he had formed.
Reference
Parallel theme
Genesis 3:24
Joel 2:3
References God
Ezekiel 28:13
2 Kings 19:12
References Lord
Genesis 4:16
Genesis 13:10
Isaiah 51:3
9
The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground. Their fruit was pleasing to look at and good to eat. The tree that gives life forever was in the middle of the garden. The tree that gives the ability to tell the difference between good and evil was also there.
Reference
Creation
Ezekiel 31:16
Evil
Genesis 3:22
Genesis 2:17
Parallel theme
Revelation 22:14
Revelation 22:2
Ezekiel 47:12
Proverbs 11:30
Proverbs 3:18
References God
Revelation 2:7
Genesis 3:3
10
A river watered the garden. It flowed from Eden. From there it separated into four other rivers.
Reference
11
The name of the first river is the Pishon. It winds through the whole land of Havilah. Gold is found there.
Reference
13
The name of the second river is the Gihon. It winds through the whole land of Cush.
📍 Cush
14
The name of the third river is the Tigris. It runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
Reference
📍 Locations
15
The Lord God put the man in the Garden of Eden. He put him there to work its ground and to take care of it.
Reference
16
The Lord God gave the man a command. He said, "You can eat the fruit of any tree that is in the garden.
Reference
17
But you must not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you do, you can be sure that you will die."
Reference
18
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."
Reference
Good
Proverbs 18:22
Genesis 1:31
Parallel theme
1 Peter 3:7
1 Corinthians 7:36
Genesis 3:12
Ruth 3:1
19
The Lord God had formed all of the wild animals. He had also formed all of the birds of the air. He had made all of them out of the ground. He brought them to the man to see what names he would give them. And the name the man gave each living creature became its name.
Reference
20
So the man gave names to all of the livestock. He gave names to all of the birds of the air. And he gave names to all of the wild animals. But Adam didn't find a helper that was right for him.
21
So the Lord God caused him to fall into a deep sleep. While the man was sleeping, the Lord God took out one of his ribs. He closed up the opening that was in his side.
Reference
22
Then the Lord God made a woman. He made her from the rib he had taken out of the man. And he brought her to him.
Reference
23
The man said, "Her bones have come from my bones. Her body has come from my body. She will be named 'woman,' because she was taken out of a man."
Reference
24
That's why a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. The two of them will become one.
Reference
Chapter Summary
In a single word, chapters one and two present varying aspects of creation. It may thus be said that while chapter one unveils the grand narrative of creation, chapter two offers the detailed account of the creation of the first man and woman.
The chapter begins with a summary of the events described in the previous chapter. After completing His work of creation, God rested on the seventh day and blessed the day as a Sabbath. He thus reserved this day as a special period of rest. God Himself needed rest, and this is a lesson humans need to learn, even when they feel their duties do not allow them to take a break.
The narrator goes back to the events of the first week of creation. According to Genesis, plants had not been created yet because there had been no rain, and no human had been created to till the soil. The ground thus produced enough moisture to enable the growth of vegetation.
The chapter then delves into details concerning the formation of the first man. God forms man out of the dust of the ground and breathing into his nostrils, making him a living soul (Genesis 2:7). The formation of the first man takes a personal turn as God handles the man and infuses his soul into him. Such details are not present in chapter one, where God simply utters, and the universe obeys.
God proceeds to plant a garden and places the first man in it. Eden stretched eastward, and there were trees that produced edible and pleasant fruit (Genesis 2:9). Two special trees grew in this garden – the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
There were also four rivers – the river Pishon, the river Gihon, the Tigris, and the Euphrates. The last two rivers are well known to historians, and this has led to various speculations concerning the location of Eden.
In Eden, God told the first man to till the soil and take care of the plants growing there. He further instructed him to take from the fruits of the trees but avoid those of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, under penalty of death (Genesis 2:17). This appears to be the first instruction ever issued by God, and it sets the scene for what is to come shortly.
Then God notices that it is not good for the first man to be alone. This observation triggers the creation of cattle, livestock, and fowls to be Adam’s assistants and companions. These creatures are formed out of the dust of the ground like Adam and are presented to him to name.
None of them proves to be a suitable companion for Adam, and so God decides to create a helper for him out of his own ribs. God proceeds to put Adam into a deep sleep, and while he sleeps, one of his ribs is removed. Out of this rib, God creates Eve and presents her to Adam as his wife. Adam is overcome with joy and declares that Eve is “bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh.” He further calls her “woman” because she was derived from a man (Genesis 2:23). These are the first expressions of happiness and love to be found in the Bible.
Woman is meant to be a helper to man, and so God brings her to Adam. The word ‘helper’ could be misunderstood to mean that women are subordinate to men. The chapter ends with a guideline for married couples, saying that a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). Simply put, a married man belongs to his wife, and so a woman should consider her new husband to be her sole possession. In the same way, a married woman should regard her husband as her exclusive belongs. It must also be noted that the two were both naked but felt no shame.
An analysis of this chapter reveals that it complements the message of the earlier chapter. While the former speaks of a God who is able to create planets and stars with a word, this chapter describes Him as a loving entity who cares for individuals. The two chapters present a balanced view of God as an Almighty creator of the universe and a caring entity who loves individuals personally.
The chapter begins with a summary of the events described in the previous chapter. After completing His work of creation, God rested on the seventh day and blessed the day as a Sabbath. He thus reserved this day as a special period of rest. God Himself needed rest, and this is a lesson humans need to learn, even when they feel their duties do not allow them to take a break.
The narrator goes back to the events of the first week of creation. According to Genesis, plants had not been created yet because there had been no rain, and no human had been created to till the soil. The ground thus produced enough moisture to enable the growth of vegetation.
The chapter then delves into details concerning the formation of the first man. God forms man out of the dust of the ground and breathing into his nostrils, making him a living soul (Genesis 2:7). The formation of the first man takes a personal turn as God handles the man and infuses his soul into him. Such details are not present in chapter one, where God simply utters, and the universe obeys.
God proceeds to plant a garden and places the first man in it. Eden stretched eastward, and there were trees that produced edible and pleasant fruit (Genesis 2:9). Two special trees grew in this garden – the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
There were also four rivers – the river Pishon, the river Gihon, the Tigris, and the Euphrates. The last two rivers are well known to historians, and this has led to various speculations concerning the location of Eden.
In Eden, God told the first man to till the soil and take care of the plants growing there. He further instructed him to take from the fruits of the trees but avoid those of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, under penalty of death (Genesis 2:17). This appears to be the first instruction ever issued by God, and it sets the scene for what is to come shortly.
Then God notices that it is not good for the first man to be alone. This observation triggers the creation of cattle, livestock, and fowls to be Adam’s assistants and companions. These creatures are formed out of the dust of the ground like Adam and are presented to him to name.
None of them proves to be a suitable companion for Adam, and so God decides to create a helper for him out of his own ribs. God proceeds to put Adam into a deep sleep, and while he sleeps, one of his ribs is removed. Out of this rib, God creates Eve and presents her to Adam as his wife. Adam is overcome with joy and declares that Eve is “bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh.” He further calls her “woman” because she was derived from a man (Genesis 2:23). These are the first expressions of happiness and love to be found in the Bible.
Woman is meant to be a helper to man, and so God brings her to Adam. The word ‘helper’ could be misunderstood to mean that women are subordinate to men. The chapter ends with a guideline for married couples, saying that a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). Simply put, a married man belongs to his wife, and so a woman should consider her new husband to be her sole possession. In the same way, a married woman should regard her husband as her exclusive belongs. It must also be noted that the two were both naked but felt no shame.
An analysis of this chapter reveals that it complements the message of the earlier chapter. While the former speaks of a God who is able to create planets and stars with a word, this chapter describes Him as a loving entity who cares for individuals. The two chapters present a balanced view of God as an Almighty creator of the universe and a caring entity who loves individuals personally.