Genesis 2:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground—

NIV: but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.

NASB: But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground.

CSB: But mist would come up from the earth and water all the ground.

NLT: Instead, springs came up from the ground and watered all the land.

KJV: But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

NKJV: but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.

The previous verse described the earth as lacking cultivated crops. At that point, there was no one to work the ground and no rain. This verse tells us how the garden got its water with no rain: mists or streams came up from the ground. The impression is of underground streams, the so-called "fresh water ocean," which would saturate the land, perhaps on a cyclical basis. This fits the description of upcoming verses of the rivers that water the Garden of Eden and the region around it. It also fits with the farming practices of the Mesopotamian region that relied on cyclical flooding to sustain crops.

As we saw in chapter 1, God had prepared a world in which humans could grow and gather food before He even made man. Likewise, He had made a world in which humans were needed to care for all He had made and help to bring order to it.

Genesis 2:4–9 begins to describe additional details about the creation of human beings, starting with the creation of the first man. Man is ''formed'' out of existing matter—the dust or debris of the earth—into which God breathes life. God plants the garden in Eden, and places the newly-created man there. Among the many trees in the garden are two of special significance: the Tree of Life, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

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 5/3/2024 4:59:51 PM