Genesis 2:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

NIV: Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

NASB: And so the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their heavenly lights.

CSB: So the heavens and the earth and everything in them were completed.

NLT: So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed.

KJV: Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

NKJV: Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.

The first verse of Genesis 2 begins with the term "thus," or, "so." This reflects back to the content of the prior passage, so this verse summarizes all of chapter 1. It is a statement of conclusion: God completed His work of creation. The heavens and the earth and every aspect of God's great creation was finished.

Chapter and verse divisions were not part of the original Bible text; these words are meant to be read in a natural flow from those at the end of chapter 1. In Genesis 1:31, God declared all He had made as "very good." He accomplished exactly what He set out to do, and He was satisfied with the results. In this moment, nothing existed in creation which was bad, or corrupt, or out of sync with the plan and purpose of God. The heavens and earth were vast, teeming with life, and they were exactly as God intended them to be.

What will change this ideal state is human sin, as described in chapter 3.

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 4/29/2024 8:41:14 PM