Genesis 2:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.

NIV: By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.

NASB: By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

CSB: On the seventh day God had completed his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.

NLT: On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work.

KJV: And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

NKJV: And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

As the previous verse made clear, God completed His work of creation on the sixth day. The week was not over, however. The seventh day mattered to God and became the most important of all of the days of the week. Having completed His work, God rested. This is the point where the pattern of chapter 1 is halted. On each of the six creation days, God did specific work and saw that it was good. On the seventh day, He did no work.

What does it mean for God to rest? What does it mean to "rest" from working, for one with the power to create worlds out of nothing with just His command? It's hard to know, but the passage is clear that it was significant to God. Whether for practical, symbolic, or other purposes, we are meant to see this as a meaningful choice on the part of the Creator. This day of rest will become known as the Sabbath, a central point of God's Law and essential to Israel's worship of Him. But even now, before sin enters into the world, before the Law exists, this day of rest is already meaningful to the Creator.

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 5/4/2024 4:14:16 PM