Genesis 2:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

NIV: Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

NASB: Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

CSB: God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it he rested from all his work of creation.

NLT: And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.

KJV: And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

NKJV: Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

The previous verse described God accomplishing His work of creation in six days. After this, on the seventh day, God rested from work. Here, in verse 3, God does two things: He blesses the seventh day, and He makes it holy.

What does it mean to bless a day? In chapter 1, God's blessing was tied to the fertility of His creation, to reproduction and populating the earth. This blessing of the seventh day is less clear. In the future, under the Law, God would bless Israel for observing the seventh day rest. He would demonstrate His ability to provide for His people even when they sat out a day of work each week.

God also makes the seventh day holy or "set apart" from the other six days. Even before sin entered into the world, God intended from the very beginning for the seventh day to be a special day dedicated to rest. It's the pattern He set for the world beginning in this verse.

Genesis 2:1–3 describes the seventh day of God's creation week, in which God rested from His work. Of all the days of the week, God declares the seventh day both blessed and holy, pointing forward to the time when God would command the Israelites to honor the Sabbath day and keep it holy. The symbolism and importance of this resting by God will become a major theme of the rest of Scripture.

Genesis 2 begins with a description of the seventh day of creation, in which God rested from His work. Then it returns to the sixth day and describes in more detail the creation of man, the garden God placed him into, and the work God gave him to do. God recognizes that it is not good for man to be alone and makes a helper for him out of his own rib. This woman becomes Adam's companion and wife, setting the original example of God's design for marriage. The two exist in pure innocence, naked yet unashamed before sin enters into the world.

Genesis 2 concludes the description of God's week of creation and then zooms in on the creation of man, his work, his perfect environment, and the creation of woman as his helper and wife. It is our last glimpse of the world before it is ravaged by human sin and death with the disobedience of Adam and Eve in chapter 3. Where chapter 1 gave a full overview of creation, this chapter focuses more on a few specific events. These are crucial to understanding the fall of man.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 11/24/2024 5:18:17 AM