Preamble
Creation of man, as in male and female. The male of the species have some extra rules. Why? Planting seed. Males appear to need extra guidance in order to learn to be patient and understand with whom to plant seed and tend the garden with.
Introduction
It's often suggested that the first two chapters of the Bible don't relate to each other. Skeptics point to a range of apparent inconsistencies in sequence or linguistics. Some claim different authorship of the two chapters.To those who make claims against the two chapters being other than the inspired word of God, this one's for you. It's an introduction to the interconnectedness and direct relationship between the days God creates and described. This article scratches the surface, showing the purpose of each chapter defines the presentation style.
Genesis 1: God Creates
In the first chapter of Genesis, God clearly creates the heaven and earth. Starting with light on day 1, creation culminates with a series of verses related to the creation of man in the image of God.For the sake of assigning a label to the six days of creation in chapter 1, let's agree to call it:
Genesis 1: God's Work Week
Genesis 2: Man Tends God's Creation
The second chapter of Genesis doesn't make obvious how, or if, it dovetails with the first. What is clear is that it has elements of the first woven throughout and that it provides detail about man interspersed. For the sake of discussion, let's agree to call it:
Genesis 2: Man's Work Week
Linking Chapter 1 Man with Chapter 2 Man
Man is introduced in chapter 1 on the sixth day after God creates the beast of the earth. The following two verses, 26 and 27, are the beginning of a contract - God's Law. They refer to man being made in God's image. The first is declarative. The second is enumeratively descriptive. The descriptive verse highlights a sequence which elaborates how man will be created in stages.
26 And God saith, `Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, and let them rule over fish of the sea, and over fowl of the heavens, and over cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that is creeping on the earth.'
27 And God prepareth the man in His image; in the image of God He prepared him, a male and a female He prepared them.
Genesis 1:26-27 YLT98
2:7 And Jehovah God formeth the man--dust from the ground, and breatheth into his nostrils breath of life, and the man becometh a living creature.
Genesis 2:7 YLT98
Legend of text highlights for proceeding verses:
Bold relates to bold (1:26(1) -> 1:27). Bold italic relates to bold italic (1:27(1) -> 2:7).
This article will attempt to show how the descriptive, enumerative verse, first clause (Gen 1:27(1) in bold-italic) links to a verse in the text that follows. In much the same way as a contract defines how elements are first declared, then described enumeratively, then detailed by performance characteristics, God is here laying down The Law regarding His creation of man.
The Creation of Man: Birth
Genesis 2 suddenly places the creation of man in a location that correlates to the creation defined on day 3 in chapter 1. This is, and has been, a source of confusion. However, if one draws a line between the first clause of Gen 1:27 to Gen 2:7, the relation can be assigned that attempts to clarify.
Man created in Gen 2:7 is directly linked, by sequential position, as first supporting phrase to the first descriptive clause of Gen 1:27 and, "man in His image":
"Gen 1:27 And God prepareth the man in His image;"
Links to:
7 And Jehovah God formeth the man--dust from the ground, and breatheth into his nostrils breath of life, and the man becometh a living creature.
Genesis 2:7 YLT98
In the abstract, the first man of Gen 2:7 is simply created and placed in the garden of Gen 2:8. In fact, the text of Gen 1:27(1) says that man was prepared, created as an image, by position within the phrase.
In life, the first type of preparing man literally undergoes is in the womb. Whether the verse Gen 2:7 is literal or allegorical, the first man being prepared is literally a forming, biologically from dust of the ground - building up until completely formed and breathing the breath of God. In a real sense, the first man is born: formed and brought to life by God.
In the image of God He prepared him: Growth
27 And God prepareth the man in His image; in the image of God He prepared him, a male and a female He prepared them.Genesis 1:26-27 YLT98
The change in position of man relative to God between the first and second clauses of Gen 1:27 show that God has worked on man in some way or ways. The forming of man in the image of God in the case of Gen 1:27(2), by virtue of his change in position relative to God, suggests change over time. The position of man relative to God is significant in each phrase.
In the first clause, "And God prepareth the man in His image", man is sandwiched between both references to God: God, man, His.
In the second clause, "in the image of God He prepared him", man follows both references to God: God, He, him. God has moved/shifted man's position between the two clauses, suggesting change over time.
Whether real.or imagined, the first clause is suggestive of a child between parents, while the second is suggestive of an independent, grown child outside the realm of parents, though this idea/construct is based purely on speculative imagery. The remaining commentary will remain focused on literal constructs.
What is it about man that has changed and that God has affected? Man has grown from being simply formed (Gen 2:7) to having learned to tend the garden on his own (Gen 2:8-20). He has learned about how the elements, plants, and animals all fit together. He's learned how all the living aspects of God's creation work in time and seasons and over the earth, navigating the entire planet (more on the rivers as they relate to day 4 of creation soon.) In a real sense, he's grown, matured, and understands how to care for God's creation of Gen 1, up and to Gen 1:27(3).
While the text of the first two clauses related to the creation of man in Gen 1:27 suggest first man is born, then he grows, they also appear to allude to the structure amd dynamic of the text.
By virtue of linking verse-to-verse (a one-to-one relationship) and verse-to-verses (one to many), God is here asking us to be aware of structure as we progress through the book, and to keep an eye out for how the text relates to different verses and why.
The remainder of this article highlights how God grows man in accord with Gen 1:27(2).
Stop and Take A Look Around, Created Man
Man of Gen 2:7 has been created in a specific point in time. If we look to chapter one, we can maybe correlate the day. Day one has light. Day two has heaven.
Man isn't here created on either of the first two days. Day three of Gen 1 sees the creation of dry land, Earth, and gathering of waters, Seas, followed by grass, herb-sowing seed, and fruit-bearing trees:
Man isn't here created on either of the first two days. Day three of Gen 1 sees the creation of dry land, Earth, and gathering of waters, Seas, followed by grass, herb-sowing seed, and fruit-bearing trees:
9 And God saith, `Let the waters under the heavens be collected unto one place, and let the dry land be seen:' and it is so.
10 And God calleth to the dry land `Earth,' and to the collection of the waters He hath called `Seas;' and God seeth that [it is] good.
11 And God saith, `Let the earth yield tender grass, herb sowing seed, fruit-tree (whose seed [is] in itself) making fruit after its kind, on the earth:' and it is so.
Genesis 1:9-11 YLT98
This new man in the image of God is placed after the following major elements of Genesis 1 creation have been created:
1. Light
2. Heaven
3. Earth and Seas
It is apparent that man really can't do much with these elements except stand in awe at their having been created in the large. However, as man is the target audience for the Torah, maybe there's a purpose for this new man having been placed after these elements.
Without really moving much, looking forward might provide clues about man's placement in this exact location. Let's see if Gen 2:8 might provide any clues for us:
And Jehovah God planteth a garden in Eden, at the east, and He setteth there the man whom He hath formed;
Genesis 2:8 YLT98
Genesis 2:8 YLT98
First the Elements, Then the Garden
From having been created from the dust to being placed in a garden on the surface doesn't provide much in the way of clues. But when the first four elements of creation are translated into earthly, tending a garden kind of terms, maybe things will become a little clearer:
1. Light
2. Heaven -> Air
3. Earth -> Soil
4. Seas -> Water
If we come to understand that man, in the image of God, has to tend the garden, then the placement of the creation of man in between the elements that support growth, and the plants that will be grown, starts to make sense. Especially when the word "tend" is assigned to man and the garden.
It should be noted that air is supported as an aspect of the element "Heaven" within the verses of day 2 of Gods Work Week:
And God maketh the expanse, and it separateth between the waters which [are] under the expanse, and the waters which [are] above the expanse: and it is so.
Genesis 1:7 YLT98
The biblical language is such that the creation of heavens appears to be fractal, or self-similar, describing the biggest heavens (suggesting masses of water above and below the expanse of heavens in the large) as well as those within the canopy of the earth - air - using the same words which apply to progressively smaller contexts.
Rivers
Staying with the theme of Gen 1:27(2), "in the image of God He prepared him".
If God is preparing man, then it logically follows that God will be instructing how His creation week applies to man. Prior to the declaration of a river running from Eden, man has been learning how days 1-3 of God's creation apply to him and tending the garden.
And a river is going out from Eden to water the garden, and from thence it is parted, and hath become four chief [rivers];
Genesis 2:10 YLT98
First question that arises when Gen 2:10 is read is often, "Where is Eden?" If man has been created on earth, it logically follows that Eden could possibly be found somewhere on earth. How to find it is a vexing question.
If we want to find a location of a place on earth, we have to know how to locate that place at least well enough to describe how to find it relative to locations outside of it.
For a while and throughout history, directions about places have been associated with maps. Creating reliable maps is an exercise which requires the translation of spatial constructs about earth into reliable detail on paper, such that others can follow said detail to find a place.
While rudimentary maps can be drawn from visual detail, the most reliable maps are created by using the stars, sun, and moon to coordinate and accurately determine position of an object upon earth. If man is being grown in the image of God, and day 3 is clearly associated with grass, herb, and trees, the introduction of rivers appears to represent a clear transition to day 4.
[More to come...]
If God is preparing man, then it logically follows that God will be instructing how His creation week applies to man. Prior to the declaration of a river running from Eden, man has been learning how days 1-3 of God's creation apply to him and tending the garden.
And a river is going out from Eden to water the garden, and from thence it is parted, and hath become four chief [rivers];
Genesis 2:10 YLT98
First question that arises when Gen 2:10 is read is often, "Where is Eden?" If man has been created on earth, it logically follows that Eden could possibly be found somewhere on earth. How to find it is a vexing question.
If we want to find a location of a place on earth, we have to know how to locate that place at least well enough to describe how to find it relative to locations outside of it.
For a while and throughout history, directions about places have been associated with maps. Creating reliable maps is an exercise which requires the translation of spatial constructs about earth into reliable detail on paper, such that others can follow said detail to find a place.
While rudimentary maps can be drawn from visual detail, the most reliable maps are created by using the stars, sun, and moon to coordinate and accurately determine position of an object upon earth. If man is being grown in the image of God, and day 3 is clearly associated with grass, herb, and trees, the introduction of rivers appears to represent a clear transition to day 4.
[More to come...]
Animals
Knowledge and Wisdom: The Missing Piece
As the man of Gen 2:7 has just been created, and he is placed by God into the garden, what he will be lacking is knowledge and awareness regarding what it means to tend the garden. Here at the beginning, man is faced with an enormous task.
First, because they came first, God will show man, and man has to begin to understand, the elements on their own. What constitutes each? How do they work on their own? How do they work together and what and how do they affect each other?
Just understanding the elements constitutes a mountain of work. Once in the garden, things become unbelievably complex. Each plant has light, air, soil, and water requirements, each with interrelated detail of others (heat, humidity, type of light), and each plant interacts with their environment in myriad ways.
By virtue of a handful of verses and their apparent relation, God will show man, and the man of day 3 has to grow in wisdom regarding how to tend the garden of the earth. In so doing, man arrived at Gen 2:20 as the completed man of Gen 1:27(2).
Further, as the language of Genesis 1:26-31 is contractual, the task of tending the earth appears to be mandatory and the instruction manual is the Bible, if the contents of this article are deemed to be valid.
Further, as the language of Genesis 1:26-31 is contractual, the task of tending the earth appears to be mandatory and the instruction manual is the Bible, if the contents of this article are deemed to be valid.
Conclusion
This article serves as an introduction to God's Law. It has attempted to reconcile one aspect of Genesis chapter one with its related counterparts of Genesis chapter two. It introduces Gen 1:26 and Gen 1:27 as portions of the law, as contract, which God has made with man, link clauses of Gen 1:27 with their supporting implementation as found in scripture of Genesis chapter 2.
What God appears to be providing for the man, newly created on day 3, after the elements light, air, soil, and water and immediately before man is placed in the garden, is instruction that introduces the work of man: tending the garden.
In the next article, more detail regarding the garden will be expanded and explored, and more elements of Genesis 2 will be correlated with Genesis chapter one.
