The Fallible Study Bible

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Genesis2:4–25

Man and Woman in the Garden

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Genesis 2:4–25 — Man and Woman in the Garden. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

4

This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made them.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’êl·leh ṯō·wl·ḏō·wṯ haš·šā·ma·yim wə·hā·’ā·reṣ bə·hib·bā·rə·’ām bə·yō·wm Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·hîm ‘ă·śō·wṯ ’e·reṣ wə·šā·mā·yim

Word by word11 · parsed
אֵ֣לֶּה’êl·lehThisH428
√ ʼêl-leh — these or thosePronouncommon plural
תוֹלְד֧וֹתṯō·wl·ḏō·wṯ[is] the accountH8435
√ tôwlᵉdâh — (plural only) descent, iNounfeminine plural construct
tō·wl·ḏō·wṯ (H8435), "generations / begettings" — feminine plural construct. Cambridge notes the phrase is "the formula employed in P as a heading, title, or superscription"; Keil & Delitzsch agree that "in every other passage" the formula "is used as a heading." It opens, not closes, the section that follows.
הַשָּׁמַ֛יִםhaš·šā·ma·yimof the heavensH8064
√ shâmayim — the sky (as aloftArticleNounmasculine plural
וְהָאָ֖רֶץwə·hā·’ā·reṣand the earthH776
√ ʼerets — the earth (at large, or partitively a land)Conjunctive waw, ArticleNounfeminine singular
בְּהִבָּֽרְאָ֑םbə·hib·bā·rə·’āmwhen they were createdH1254
√ bârâʼ — (absolutely) to createPreposition-bVerbNifalInfinitive constructthird person masculine plural
bârâʼ (H1254), "to create" — the absolute verb of divine making. Its presence here ties the new section back to Genesis 1:1, where the same root opens the Bible.
בְּי֗וֹםbə·yō·wmin the dayH3117
√ yôwm — a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)Preposition-bNounmasculine singular construct
יְהוָ֥הYah·wehthat the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
Yahweh (H3068), the proper name of God. Albert Barnes: "This word occurs about six thousand times in Scripture. It is obvious from its use that it is, so to speak, the proper name of God. It never has the article."
אֱלֹהִ֖ים’ĕ·lō·hîmGodH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural
עֲשׂ֛וֹת‘ă·śō·wṯmadeH6213
√ ʻâsâh — to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationVerbQalInfinitive construct
‘ă·śō·wṯ (H6213), "made" — Qal infinitive of ‘âsâh, the general verb "to do/make," distinct from bârâʼ earlier in the verse. The verse holds both words: God created (bara) and made (asah).
אֶ֥רֶץ’e·reṣ[them]H776
√ ʼerets — the earth (at large, or partitively a land)Nounfeminine singular
וְשָׁמָֽיִם׃wə·šā·mā·yim. . .H8064
√ shâmayim — the sky (as aloftConjunctive wawNounmasculine plural
5

Now no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth, nor had any plant of the field sprouted, for the LORD God had not yet sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·ḵōl śî·aḥ haś·śā·ḏeh ṭe·rem yih·yeh ḇā·’ā·reṣ wə·ḵāl ‘ê·śeḇ haś·śā·ḏeh ṭe·rem yiṣ·māḥ kî Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·hîm lō him·ṭîr ‘al- hā·’ā·reṣ ’a·yin wə·’ā·ḏām la·‘ă·ḇōḏ ’eṯ- hā·’ă·ḏā·māh

Word by word23 · parsed
וְכֹ֣ל׀wə·ḵōlNowH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular construct
שִׂ֣יחַśî·aḥ[no] shrubH7880
√ sîyach — a shoot (as if uttered or put forth), iNounmasculine singular construct
śî·aḥ (H7880), "shrub" — a lexeme so rare it appears in only four verses (also Genesis 21:15; Job 30:4, 7). The choice signals a deliberately spare, pre-cultivation landscape.
הַשָּׂדֶ֗הhaś·śā·ḏehof the fieldH7704
√ sâdeh — a field (as flat)ArticleNounmasculine singular
טֶ֚רֶםṭe·remhad yetH2962
√ ṭerem — properly, non-occurrenceAdverb
ṭe·rem (H2962), "not yet" — an adverb of non-occurrence. Matthew Poole: "The two great means of the growth of plants and herbs, viz. rain from heaven, and the labour of man, were both lacking."
יִֽהְיֶ֣הyih·yehappearedH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
בָאָ֔רֶץḇā·’ā·reṣon the earthH776
√ ʼerets — the earth (at large, or partitively a land)Preposition-b, ArticleNounfeminine singular
וְכָל־wə·ḵālnor had anyH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular construct
עֵ֥שֶׂב‘ê·śeḇplantH6212
√ ʻeseb — grass (or any tender shoot)Nounmasculine singular construct
הַשָּׂדֶ֖הhaś·śā·ḏehof the fieldH7704
√ sâdeh — a field (as flat)ArticleNounmasculine singular
טֶ֣רֶםṭe·remH2962
√ ṭerem — properly, non-occurrenceAdverb
יִצְמָ֑חyiṣ·māḥsproutedH6779
√ tsâmach — to sprout (transitive or intransitive, literal or figurative)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
כִּי֩forH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
יְהוָ֤הYah·wehthe LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
אֱלֹהִים֙’ĕ·lō·hîmGodH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural
לֹ֨אhad not [yet]H3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
הִמְטִ֜ירhim·ṭîrsent rainH4305
√ mâṭar — to rainVerbHifilPerfectthird person masculine singular
עַל־‘al-uponH5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPreposition
הָאָ֔רֶץhā·’ā·reṣthe earthH776
√ ʼerets — the earth (at large, or partitively a land)ArticleNounfeminine singular
אַ֔יִן’a·yinand [there was] noH369
√ ʼayin — a non-entityAdverb
וְאָדָ֣םwə·’ā·ḏāmmanH120
√ ʼâdâm — ruddy iConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular
לַֽעֲבֹ֖דla·‘ă·ḇōḏto cultivateH5647
√ ʻâbad — to work (in any sense)Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
‘âbad (H5647), "to serve / work / till" — the verb that will define the man's calling in v. 15 and reappear, after the Fall, in 3:23. Work is not the curse; thorns are.
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
הָֽאֲדָמָֽה׃hā·’ă·ḏā·māhthe groundH127
√ ʼădâmâh — soil (from its general redness)ArticleNounfeminine singular
’ă·ḏā·māh (H127), "ground" — the soil "from its general redness," cognate with ’ā·ḏām. The man and the dust he is made of are named for each other.
6

But springs welled up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·’êḏ ya·‘ă·leh min- hā·’ā·reṣ wə·hiš·qāh ’eṯ- kāl- pə·nê- hā·’ă·ḏā·māh

Word by word9 · parsed
וְאֵ֖דwə·’êḏBut springsH108
√ ʼêd — a fogConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular
’êḏ (H108), "mist / spring" — a hapax-near lexeme found only here and Job 36:27. Cambridge: "a word found elsewhere in the O.T. only in Job 36:27, where it is rendered 'vapour.'" This rare overlap is the basis of the verbal thread below.
יַֽעֲלֶ֣הya·‘ă·lehwelled upH5927
√ ʻâlâh — to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
מִן־min-fromH4480
√ min — properly, a part ofPreposition
הָאָ֑רֶץhā·’ā·reṣthe earthH776
√ ʼerets — the earth (at large, or partitively a land)ArticleNounfeminine singular
וְהִשְׁקָ֖הwə·hiš·qāhand wateredH8248
√ shâqâh — to quaff, iConjunctive wawVerbHifilConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
shâqâh (H8248), "to water / give drink" — the same verb used of the river watering the garden in v. 10. The whole face of the ground is given drink.
אֶֽת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
כָּל־kāl-the wholeH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct
פְּנֵֽי־pə·nê-surfaceH6440
√ pânîym — the face (as the part that turns)Nounmasculine plural construct
הָֽאֲדָמָֽה׃hā·’ă·ḏā·māhof the groundH127
√ ʼădâmâh — soil (from its general redness)ArticleNounfeminine singular
7

Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·hîm ’eṯ- way·yî·ṣer hā·’ā·ḏām ‘ā·p̄ār min- hā·’ă·ḏā·māh way·yip·paḥ niš·maṯ ḥay·yîm bə·’ap·pāw hā·’ā·ḏām way·hî ḥay·yāh lə·ne·p̄eš

Word by word16 · parsed
יְהוָ֨הYah·wehThen the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
אֱלֹהִ֜ים’ĕ·lō·hîmGodH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
וַיִּיצֶר֩way·yî·ṣerformedH3335
√ yâtsar — to mould into a formConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
yâtsar (H3335), "to form / mould" — the potter's verb. Benson: "It is properly used of potters forming vessels on the wheel." The same verb forms the animals in v. 19; only man also receives the in-breathing.
הָֽאָדָ֗םhā·’ā·ḏāmmanH120
√ ʼâdâm — ruddy iArticleNounmasculine singular
עָפָר֙‘ā·p̄ār[from] the dustH6083
√ ʻâphâr — dust (as powdered or gray)Nounmasculine singular
‘â·p̄ār (H6083), "dust" — the material of man's body and the destination of his death (Genesis 3:19). The high and the humble meet in one word.
מִן־min-ofH4480
√ min — properly, a part ofPreposition
הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔הhā·’ă·ḏā·māhthe groundH127
√ ʼădâmâh — soil (from its general redness)ArticleNounfeminine singular
וַיִּפַּ֥חway·yip·paḥand breathedH5301
√ nâphach — to puff, in various applications (literally, to inflate, blow hard, scatter, kindle, expireConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
nâphach (H5301), "to breathe / blow" — an intimate verb; God does not speak man into being (as in ch. 1) but breathes into him, face to face.
נִשְׁמַ֣תniš·maṯthe breathH5397
√ nᵉshâmâh — a puff, iNounfeminine singular construct
nᵉshâmâh (H5397), "breath" — the divine breath. The lexeme recurs in Job 33:4 ("the breath of the Almighty gives me life"), the basis of the thread below.
חַיִּ֑יםḥay·yîmof lifeH2416
√ chay — aliveNounmasculine plural
בְּאַפָּ֖יוbə·’ap·pāwinto his nostrilsH639
√ ʼaph — properly, the nose or nostrilPreposition-bNounmasculine dual constructthird person masculine singular
הָֽאָדָ֖םhā·’ā·ḏāmand the manH120
√ ʼâdâm — ruddy iArticleNounmasculine singular
וַֽיְהִ֥יway·hîbecameH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
חַיָּֽה׃ḥay·yāha livingH2416
√ chay — aliveAdjectivefeminine singular
לְנֶ֥פֶשׁlə·ne·p̄ešbeingH5315
√ nephesh — properly, a breathing creature, iPreposition-lNounfeminine singular
nephesh (H5315), "being / soul / living creature" — the same word applied to animals (Genesis 1:24); man shares creaturely life, distinguished by the breath that animates him.
8

And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, where He placed the man He had formed.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·hîm way·yiṭ·ṭa‘ gan- bə·‘ê·ḏen miq·qe·ḏem šām ’eṯ- way·yā·śem hā·’ā·ḏām ’ă·šer yā·ṣār

Word by word12 · parsed
יְהוָ֧הYah·wehAnd the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
אֱלֹהִ֛ים’ĕ·lō·hîmGodH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural
וַיִּטַּ֞עway·yiṭ·ṭa‘plantedH5193
√ nâṭaʻ — properly, to strike in, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
nâṭaʻ (H5193), "to plant" — God as gardener, an image picked up by the prophets (Isaiah 5; Ezekiel 31) and by Jesus (John 15).
גַּן־gan-a gardenH1588
√ gan — a garden (as fenced)Nouncommon singular
gan (H1588), "garden / enclosure" — fenced ground. The lexeme binds this verse to the Eden of Ezekiel 28:13 and 31:9 and to the restored Eden of Isaiah 51:3 (threads below).
בְעֵ֖דֶןbə·‘ê·ḏenin EdenH5731
√ ʻÊden — Eden, the region of Adam's homePreposition-bNounproperfeminine singular
‘Êden (H5731), "Eden" — proper name, but homophonous with "delight." Found in only fifteen verses, its rarity makes the prophetic re-uses (Ezekiel, Joel, Isaiah) verbally pointed, not generic.
מִקֶּ֑דֶםmiq·qe·ḏemin the eastH6924
√ qedem — the front, of place (absolutely, the fore part, relatively the East) or time (antiquity)Preposition-mNounmasculine singular
qedem (H6924), "east / fore-time" — the same word that will guard the way back to the tree of life in Genesis 3:24.
שָׁ֔םšāmwhereH8033
√ shâm — there (transferring to time) thenAdverb
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
וַיָּ֣שֶׂםway·yā·śemHe placedH7760
√ sûwm — to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
הָֽאָדָ֖םhā·’ā·ḏāmthe manH120
√ ʼâdâm — ruddy iArticleNounmasculine singular
אֲשֶׁ֥ר’ă·šerH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
יָצָֽר׃yā·ṣārHe had formedH3335
√ yâtsar — to mould into a formVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
9

Out of the ground the LORD God gave growth to every tree that is pleasing to the eye and good for food. And in the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

min- hā·’ă·ḏā·māh Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·hîm way·yaṣ·maḥ kāl- ‘êṣ neḥ·māḏ lə·mar·’eh wə·ṭō·wḇ lə·ma·’ă·ḵāl bə·ṯō·wḵ hag·gān wə·‘êṣ ha·ḥay·yîm wə·‘êṣ had·da·‘aṯ ṭō·wḇ wā·rā‘

Word by word19 · parsed
מִן־min-OutH4480
√ min — properly, a part ofPreposition
הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔הhā·’ă·ḏā·māhof the groundH127
√ ʼădâmâh — soil (from its general redness)ArticleNounfeminine singular
יְהוָ֤הYah·wehthe LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
אֱלֹהִים֙’ĕ·lō·hîmGodH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural
וַיַּצְמַ֞חway·yaṣ·maḥgave growthH6779
√ tsâmach — to sprout (transitive or intransitive, literal or figurative)Conjunctive wawVerbHifilConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
כָּל־kāl-to everyH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct
עֵ֛ץ‘êṣtreeH6086
√ ʻêts — a tree (from its firmness)Nounmasculine singular
‘êts (H6086), "tree" — the keyword of the garden; Cambridge: "The characteristic feature of the garden... is not its flowers, but its trees."
נֶחְמָ֥דneḥ·māḏthat is pleasingH2530
√ châmad — to delight inVerbNifalParticiplemasculine singular
châmad (H2530), "to desire / covet" — neutral-to-dangerous; the same desire drives Eve in Genesis 3:6. Creation is genuinely desirable; the question is whether desire submits to the command.
לְמַרְאֶ֖הlə·mar·’ehto the eyeH4758
√ marʼeh — a view (the act of seeing)Preposition-lNounmasculine singular
וְט֣וֹבwə·ṭō·wḇand goodH2896
√ ṭôwb — good (as an adjective) in the widest senseConjunctive wawAdjectivemasculine singular
לְמַאֲכָ֑לlə·ma·’ă·ḵālfor foodH3978
√ maʼăkâl — an eatable (includPreposition-lNounmasculine singular
בְּת֣וֹךְbə·ṯō·wḵAnd in the middleH8432
√ tâvek — a bisection, iPreposition-bNounmasculine singular construct
הַגָּ֔ןhag·gānof the gardenH1588
√ gan — a garden (as fenced)ArticleNouncommon singular
וְעֵ֤ץwə·‘êṣ[were] the treeH6086
√ ʻêts — a tree (from its firmness)Conjunctive wawNounmasculine singular construct
הַֽחַיִּים֙ha·ḥay·yîmof lifeH2416
√ chay — aliveArticleNounmasculine plural
chay (H2416), "life / living" — plural here; the tree of life reappears at the end of the story (Genesis 3:22, 24) and at the end of the Bible (Revelation 22:2).
וְעֵ֕ץwə·‘êṣand the treeH6086
√ ʻêts — a tree (from its firmness)Conjunctive wawNounmasculine singular construct
הַדַּ֖עַתhad·da·‘aṯof the knowledgeH1847
√ daʻath — knowledgeArticleNounfeminine singular construct
daʻath (H1847), "knowledge" — paired with the merism "good and evil" (ṭôwb wārāʻ), denoting comprehensive moral autonomy, not mere information.
ט֥וֹבṭō·wḇof goodH2896
√ ṭôwb — good (as an adjective) in the widest senseNounmasculine singular
וָרָֽע׃wā·rā‘and evilH7451
√ raʻ — bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral)Conjunctive wawAdjectivemasculine singular
10

Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it branched into four headwaters:

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·nå̄·hå̄r yō·ṣê mê·‘ê·ḏen lə·haš·qō·wṯ ’eṯ- hag·gān ū·miš·šām yip·pā·rêḏ wə·hā·yāh lə·’ar·bā·‘āh rā·šîm

Word by word11 · parsed
וְנָהָר֙wə·nå̄·hå̄rNow a riverH5104
√ nâhâr — a stream (including the seaConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular
nâhâr (H5104), "river" — the lexeme that links Eden's river to the Tigris ("Hiddekel") of Daniel 10:4 (thread below). One river feeds four, watering the four quarters of the known world.
יֹצֵ֣אyō·ṣêflowed outH3318
√ yâtsâʼ — to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proximVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
yâtsâʼ (H3318), "to go out" — participle, marking continuous outflow; Eden is the source, not a reservoir.
מֵעֵ֔דֶןmê·‘ê·ḏenof EdenH5731
√ ʻÊden — Eden, the region of Adam's homePreposition-mNounproperfeminine singular
לְהַשְׁק֖וֹתlə·haš·qō·wṯto waterH8248
√ shâqâh — to quaff, iPreposition-lVerbHifilInfinitive construct
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
הַגָּ֑ןhag·gānthe gardenH1588
√ gan — a garden (as fenced)ArticleNouncommon singular
וּמִשָּׁם֙ū·miš·šāmand from thereH8033
√ shâm — there (transferring to time) thenConjunctive waw, Preposition-mAdverb
יִפָּרֵ֔דyip·pā·rêḏit branched intoH6504
√ pârad — to break through, iVerbNifalImperfectthird person masculine singular
וְהָיָ֖הwə·hā·yāh. . .H1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
לְאַרְבָּעָ֥הlə·’ar·bā·‘āhfourH702
√ ʼarbaʻ — fourPreposition-lNumbermasculine singular
’arbaʻ (H702), "four" — the four rivers map the garden onto real geography (Tigris, Euphrates named), grounding paradise in the world rather than in myth.
רָאשִֽׁים׃rā·šîmheadwatersH7218
√ rôʼsh — the head (as most easily shaken), whether literal or figurative (in many applications, of place, time, rank, itcNounmasculine plural
11

The name of the first river is the Pishon; it winds through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

šêm hā·’e·ḥāḏ pî·šō·wn hū has·sō·ḇêḇ ’êṯ kāl- ’e·reṣ ha·ḥă·wî·lāh ’ă·šer- šām haz·zā·hāḇ

Word by word12 · parsed
שֵׁ֥םšêmThe nameH8034
√ shêm — an appellation, as amark or memorial of individualityNounmasculine singular construct
הָֽאֶחָ֖דhā·’e·ḥāḏof the first [river]H259
√ ʼechâd — properly, united, iArticleNumbermasculine singular
’echâd (H259), "one / first" — the cardinal number; its reuse in 2:24 ("one flesh") is one of the most consequential words in the chapter.
פִּישׁ֑וֹןpî·šō·wn[is] the PishonH6376
√ Pîyshôwn — Pishon, a river of EdenNounproperfeminine singular
ה֣וּאitH1931
√ hûwʼ — he (she or it)Pronounthird person masculine singular
הַסֹּבֵ֗בhas·sō·ḇêḇwinds throughH5437
√ çâbab — to revolve, surround, or borderArticleVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
çâbab (H5437), "to encircle / surround" — describes the river's circuitous course; the same root underlies later siege and procession language.
אֵ֚ת’êṯH853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
כָּל־kāl-the wholeH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct
אֶ֣רֶץ’e·reṣlandH776
√ ʼerets — the earth (at large, or partitively a land)Nounfeminine singular construct
הַֽחֲוִילָ֔הha·ḥă·wî·lāhof HavilahH2341
√ Chăvîylâh — Chavilah, the name of two or three eastern regionsArticleNounproperfeminine singular
אֲשֶׁר־’ă·šer-whereH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
שָׁ֖םšāmthere [is]H8033
√ shâm — there (transferring to time) thenAdverb
הַזָּהָֽב׃haz·zā·hāḇgoldH2091
√ zâhâb — gold, figuratively, something gold-colored (iArticleNounmasculine singular
zâhâb (H2091), "gold" — the garden region is rich; gold, bdellium, and onyx (v. 12) reappear together in the tabernacle and the heavenly city, hints that Eden is the first sanctuary.
12

And the gold of that land is pure, and bdellium and onyx are found there.

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

ū·ză·haḇ ha·hi·w hā·’ā·reṣ ṭō·wḇ hab·bə·ḏō·laḥ wə·’e·ḇen haš·šō·ham šām

Word by word8 · parsed
וּֽזֲהַ֛בū·ză·haḇAnd the goldH2091
√ zâhâb — gold, figuratively, something gold-colored (iConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular construct
הַהִ֖ואha·hi·wof thatH1931
√ hûwʼ — he (she or it)ArticlePronounthird person feminine singular
הָאָ֥רֶץhā·’ā·reṣlandH776
√ ʼerets — the earth (at large, or partitively a land)ArticleNounfeminine singular
ט֑וֹבṭō·wḇ[is] pureH2896
√ ṭôwb — good (as an adjective) in the widest senseAdjectivemasculine singular
ṭôwb (H2896), "good" — the same adjective as the creation refrain and the "good" of the tree of knowledge; goodness saturates the description of Eden.
הַבְּדֹ֖לַחhab·bə·ḏō·laḥ[and] bdelliumH916
√ bᵉdôlach — something in pieces, iArticleNounmasculine singular
bᵉdôlaḥ (H916), "bdellium" — appears in only two verses in the whole Hebrew Bible. Cambridge: "In Numbers 11:7, 'manna' is compared with 'bdellium.'" The rarity makes the cross-link verbally significant.
וְאֶ֥בֶןwə·’e·ḇenvvvH68
√ ʼeben — a stoneConjunctive wawNounfeminine singular construct
הַשֹּֽׁהַם׃haš·šō·hamand onyxH7718
√ shôham — a gem, probably the beryl (from its pale green color)ArticleNounmasculine singular
shôham (H7718), "onyx / beryl" — the stone set on the high priest's ephod (Exodus 28:9). Eden's gems reappear in the priestly vesture, reinforcing the garden-as-temple reading.
שָׁ֥םšām[are found] thereH8033
√ shâm — there (transferring to time) thenAdverb
13

The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the whole land of Cush.

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·šêm- haš·šê·nî han·nā·hār gî·ḥō·wn hū has·sō·w·ḇêḇ ’êṯ kāl- ’e·reṣ kūš

Word by word10 · parsed
וְשֵֽׁם־wə·šêm-The nameH8034
√ shêm — an appellation, as amark or memorial of individualityConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular construct
הַשֵּׁנִ֖יhaš·šê·nîof the secondH8145
√ shênîy — properly, double, iArticleNumberordinal masculine singular
הַנָּהָ֥רhan·nā·hārriverH5104
√ nâhâr — a stream (including the seaArticleNounmasculine singular
nâhâr (H5104), "river" — recurs through the river catalogue, binding vv. 10-14 into one survey of Eden's waters.
גִּיח֑וֹןgî·ḥō·wn[is] the GihonH1521
√ Gîychôwn — Gichon, a river of ParadiseNounproperfeminine singular
ה֣וּאitH1931
√ hûwʼ — he (she or it)Pronounthird person masculine singular
הַסּוֹבֵ֔בhas·sō·w·ḇêḇwinds throughH5437
√ çâbab — to revolve, surround, or borderArticleVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
çâbab (H5437), "encircle" — the same verb as the Pishon (v. 11); each river is described by the land it surrounds.
אֵ֖ת’êṯH853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
כָּל־kāl-the wholeH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct
אֶ֥רֶץ’e·reṣlandH776
√ ʼerets — the earth (at large, or partitively a land)Nounfeminine singular construct
כּֽוּשׁ׃kūšof CushH3568
√ Kûwsh — Cush (or Ethiopia), the name of a son of Ham, and of his territoryNounproperfeminine singular
Kûwsh (H3568), "Cush" — a contested region; the breadth of the term in early texts cautions against over-precise mapping.
14

The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·šêm haš·šə·lî·šî han·nā·hār ḥid·de·qel hū ha·hō·lêḵ qiḏ·maṯ ’aš·šūr hā·rə·ḇî·‘î wə·han·nā·hār hū p̄ə·rāṯ

Word by word12 · parsed
וְשֵׁ֨םwə·šêmThe nameH8034
√ shêm — an appellation, as amark or memorial of individualityConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular construct
הַשְּׁלִישִׁי֙haš·šə·lî·šîof the thirdH7992
√ shᵉlîyshîy — thirdArticleNumberordinal masculine singular
הַנָּהָ֤רhan·nā·hārriverH5104
√ nâhâr — a stream (including the seaArticleNounmasculine singular
חִדֶּ֔קֶלḥid·de·qel[is] the TigrisH2313
√ Chiddeqel — the Chiddekel (or Tigris) riverNounproperfeminine singular
Chiddeqel (H2313), "Hiddekel / Tigris" — occurs only here and Daniel 10:4; the rarity makes the link to Daniel verbally exact (thread below).
ה֥וּאitH1931
√ hûwʼ — he (she or it)Pronounthird person masculine singular
הַֽהֹלֵ֖ךְha·hō·lêḵruns alongH1980
√ hâlak — to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)ArticleVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
hâlak (H1980), "to walk / go" — the river "walks"; the same verb later describes God "walking" in the garden (Genesis 3:8).
קִדְמַ֣תqiḏ·maṯthe east sideH6926
√ qidmâh — the forward part (or relatively) East (often adverbially, on the east or in front)Nounfeminine singular construct
אַשּׁ֑וּר’aš·šūrof AssyriaH804
√ ʼAshshûwr — Ashshur, the second son of ShemNounproperfeminine singular
הָֽרְבִיעִ֖יhā·rə·ḇî·‘îAnd the fourthH7243
√ rᵉbîyʻîy — fourthArticleNumberordinal masculine singular
וְהַנָּהָ֥רwə·han·nā·hārriverH5104
√ nâhâr — a stream (including the seaConjunctive waw, ArticleNounmasculine singular
ה֥וּא[is the]H1931
√ hûwʼ — he (she or it)Pronounthird person masculine singular
פְרָֽת׃p̄ə·rāṯEuphratesH6578
√ Pᵉrâth — Perath (iNounproperfeminine singular
Pᵉrâth (H6578), "Euphrates" — named without explanation; it bounds the promised land in Genesis 15:18, tying Eden's geography to Israel's.
15

Then the LORD God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·hîm ’eṯ- way·yiq·qaḥ hā·’ā·ḏām way·yan·ni·ḥê·hū ḇə·ḡan- ‘ê·ḏen lə·‘ā·ḇə·ḏāh ū·lə·šā·mə·rāh

Word by word10 · parsed
יְהוָ֥הYah·wehThen the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
אֱלֹהִ֖ים’ĕ·lō·hîmGodH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
וַיִּקַּ֛חway·yiq·qaḥtookH3947
√ lâqach — to take (in the widest variety of applications)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
הָֽאָדָ֑םhā·’ā·ḏāmthe manH120
√ ʼâdâm — ruddy iArticleNounmasculine singular
וַיַּנִּחֵ֣הוּway·yan·ni·ḥê·hūand placed himH5117
√ nûwach — to rest, iConjunctive wawVerbHifilConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singularthird person masculine singular
nûwach (H5117), "to rest / settle" — God settles the man in rest. Keil: "not indeed in inactivity, but in fulfilment of the course assigned him." Rest and work are not opposites here.
בְגַן־ḇə·ḡan-in the GardenH1588
√ gan — a garden (as fenced)Preposition-bNouncommon singular construct
עֵ֔דֶן‘ê·ḏenof EdenH5731
√ ʻÊden — Eden, the region of Adam's homeNounproperfeminine singular
לְעָבְדָ֖הּlə·‘ā·ḇə·ḏāhto cultivateH5647
√ ʻâbad — to work (in any sense)Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive constructthird person feminine singular
‘âbad (H5647), "to serve / work / worship" — with shâmar, the verb-pair that elsewhere names priestly service in the sanctuary; Eden is the first holy place.
וּלְשָׁמְרָֽהּ׃ū·lə·šā·mə·rāhand keep itH8104
√ shâmar — properly, to hedge about (as with thorns), iConjunctive waw, Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive constructthird person feminine singular
shâmar (H8104), "to keep / guard" — "to hedge about as with thorns." The man is to guard the garden; after the Fall, cherubim must guard it from him (Genesis 3:24).
16

And the LORD God commanded him, “You may eat freely from every tree of the garden,

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·hîm ‘al- way·ṣaw hā·’ā·ḏām lê·mōr ’ā·ḵōl tō·ḵêl mik·kōl ‘êṣ- hag·gān

Word by word11 · parsed
יְהוָ֣הYah·wehAnd the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
אֱלֹהִ֔ים’ĕ·lō·hîmGodH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural
עַל־‘al-. . .H5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPreposition
וַיְצַו֙way·ṣawcommandedH6680
√ tsâvâh — (intensively) to constitute, enjoinConjunctive wawVerbPielConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
tsâvâh (H6680), "to command" — the verb of covenant law; this first command frames the garden as a place of relationship under God's word, not lawless license.
הָֽאָדָ֖םhā·’ā·ḏām[him]H120
√ ʼâdâm — ruddy iArticleNounmasculine singular
לֵאמֹ֑רlê·mōrH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
אָכֹ֥ל’ā·ḵōlYou may eat freelyH398
√ ʼâkal — to eat (literally or figuratively)VerbQalInfinitive absolute
’âkal (H398), "to eat" — doubled here for emphasis ("surely eat"); the same verb governs the prohibition in v. 17 and the transgression in 3:6. The whole drama turns on eating.
תֹּאכֵֽל׃tō·ḵêl. . .H398
√ ʼâkal — to eat (literally or figuratively)VerbQalImperfectsecond person masculine singular
מִכֹּ֥לmik·kōlfrom everyH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholePreposition-mNounmasculine singular construct
עֵֽץ־‘êṣ-treeH6086
√ ʻêts — a tree (from its firmness)Nounmasculine singular construct
הַגָּ֖ןhag·gānof the gardenH1588
√ gan — a garden (as fenced)ArticleNouncommon singular
17

but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

lō ṯō·ḵal mim·men·nū ū·mê·‘êṣ had·da·‘aṯ ṭō·wḇ wā·rā‘ kî bə·yō·wm ’ă·ḵā·lə·ḵā mim·men·nū mō·wṯ tā·mūṯ

Word by word13 · parsed
לֹ֥אbut you must notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
תֹאכַ֖לṯō·ḵaleatH398
√ ʼâkal — to eat (literally or figuratively)VerbQalImperfectsecond person masculine singular
מִמֶּ֑נּוּmim·men·nūfromH4480
√ min — properly, a part ofPrepositionthird person masculine singular
וּמֵעֵ֗ץū·mê·‘êṣthe treeH6086
√ ʻêts — a tree (from its firmness)Conjunctive waw, Preposition-mNounmasculine singular construct
הַדַּ֙עַת֙had·da·‘aṯof the knowledgeH1847
√ daʻath — knowledgeArticleNounfeminine singular construct
daʻath (H1847), "knowledge" — with "good and evil," the merism for autonomous moral self-rule; the forbidden tree is not knowledge as such but self-appointed mastery over good and evil.
ט֣וֹבṭō·wḇof goodH2896
√ ṭôwb — good (as an adjective) in the widest senseNounmasculine singular
וָרָ֔עwā·rā‘and evilH7451
√ raʻ — bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral)Conjunctive wawAdjectivemasculine singular
כִּ֗יforH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
בְּי֛וֹםbə·yō·wmin the dayH3117
√ yôwm — a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)Preposition-bNounmasculine singular construct
yôwm (H3117), "day" — here functioning as "when / in the moment"; the same flexible usage appears in 2:4. The threatened death is certain, not necessarily same-day biological death.
אֲכָלְךָ֥’ă·ḵā·lə·ḵāthat you eatH398
√ ʼâkal — to eat (literally or figuratively)VerbQalInfinitive constructsecond person masculine singular
מִמֶּ֖נּוּmim·men·nūof itH4480
√ min — properly, a part ofPrepositionthird person masculine singular
מ֥וֹתmō·wṯyou will surely dieH4191
√ mûwth — to die (literally or figuratively)VerbQalInfinitive absolute
mûwth (H4191), "to die" — doubled for emphasis. Geneva: "By death he means the separation of man from God, who is our life and chief happiness." Death is first relational, then physical.
תָּמֽוּת׃tā·mūṯ. . .H4191
√ mûwth — to die (literally or figuratively)VerbQalImperfectsecond person masculine singular
18

The LORD God also said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a suitable helper.”

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·hîm way·yō·mer lō- ṭō·wḇ hā·’ā·ḏām hĕ·yō·wṯ lə·ḇad·dōw ’e·‘ĕ·śeh- lō kə·neḡ·dōw ‘ê·zer

Word by word12 · parsed
יְהוָ֣הYah·wehThe LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
אֱלֹהִ֔ים’ĕ·lō·hîmGodH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙way·yō·meralso saidH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
לֹא־lō-[It is] notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
ṭôwb (H2896), "good" — negated here for the first time; the lone man is the one "not good" in a creation otherwise called good. The lack is relational.
ט֛וֹבṭō·wḇgoodH2896
√ ṭôwb — good (as an adjective) in the widest senseAdjectivemasculine singular
הָֽאָדָ֖םhā·’ā·ḏāmfor the manH120
√ ʼâdâm — ruddy iArticleNounmasculine singular
הֱי֥וֹתhĕ·yō·wṯto beH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iVerbQalInfinitive construct
לְבַדּ֑וֹlə·ḇad·dōwaloneH905
√ bad — properly, separationPreposition-lNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
אֶֽעֱשֶׂהּ־’e·‘ĕ·śeh-I will makeH6213
√ ʻâsâh — to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationVerbQalImperfectfirst person common singular
לּ֥וֹfor him
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
כְּנֶגְדּֽוֹ׃kə·neḡ·dōwa suitableH5048
√ neged — a front, iPreposition-kthird person masculine singular
neged (H5048), "counterpart / in front of" — "corresponding to him." Keil renders the whole phrase "a help of his like" — one in whom the man recognizes himself.
עֵ֖זֶר‘ê·zerhelperH5828
√ ʻêzer — aidNounmasculine singular
‘êzer (H5828), "help / helper" — predominantly used of God as helper (e.g. Psalm 33:20). The term implies strength brought to another's need, not inferiority.
19

And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and He brought them to the man to see what he would name each one. And whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

min- hā·’ă·ḏā·māh Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·hîm way·yi·ṣer kāl- ḥay·yaṯ haś·śā·ḏeh wə·’êṯ kāl- ‘ō·wp̄ haš·šā·ma·yim way·yā·ḇê ’el- hā·’ā·ḏām lir·’ō·wṯ mah- yiq·rā- lōw wə·ḵōl ’ă·šer hā·’ā·ḏām yiq·rā- lōw ḥay·yāh ne·p̄eš hū šə·mōw

Word by word28 · parsed
מִן־min-And out ofH4480
√ min — properly, a part ofPreposition
הָֽאֲדָמָ֗הhā·’ă·ḏā·māhthe groundH127
√ ʼădâmâh — soil (from its general redness)ArticleNounfeminine singular
יְהוָ֨הYah·wehthe LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
אֱלֹהִ֜ים’ĕ·lō·hîmGodH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural
וַיִּצֶר֩way·yi·ṣerformedH3335
√ yâtsar — to mould into a formConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
yâtsar (H3335), "to form" — the same verb as man's creation (v. 7); the animals are formed of the same ground, yet none is the man's counterpart.
כָּל־kāl-everyH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct
חַיַּ֤תḥay·yaṯbeastH2416
√ chay — aliveNounfeminine singular construct
הַשָּׂדֶה֙haś·śā·ḏehof the fieldH7704
√ sâdeh — a field (as flat)ArticleNounmasculine singular
וְאֵת֙wə·’êṯH853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Conjunctive wawDirect object marker
כָּל־kāl-and everyH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct
ע֣וֹף‘ō·wp̄birdH5775
√ ʻôwph — a bird (as covered with feathers, or rather as covering with wings), often collectivelyNounmasculine singular construct
הַשָּׁמַ֔יִםhaš·šā·ma·yimof the airH8064
√ shâmayim — the sky (as aloftArticleNounmasculine plural
וַיָּבֵא֙way·yā·ḇêand He brought [them]H935
√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)Conjunctive wawVerbHifilConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
אֶל־’el-toH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
הָ֣אָדָ֔םhā·’ā·ḏāmthe manH120
√ ʼâdâm — ruddy iArticleNounmasculine singular
לִרְא֖וֹתlir·’ō·wṯto seeH7200
√ râʼâh — to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
מַה־mah-whatH4100
√ mâh — properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?)Interrogative
יִּקְרָא־yiq·rā-he would nameH7121
√ qârâʼ — to call out to (iVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
qârâʼ (H7121), "to call / name" — the act by which the man exercises dominion and insight; naming is the first recorded human use of language.
ל֑וֹlōw. . .
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
וְכֹל֩wə·ḵōleach oneH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular
אֲשֶׁ֨ר’ă·šerH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
הָֽאָדָ֛םhā·’ā·ḏāmAnd whatever the manH120
√ ʼâdâm — ruddy iArticleNounmasculine singular
יִקְרָא־yiq·rā-calledH7121
√ qârâʼ — to call out to (iVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
ל֧וֹlōw. . .
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
חַיָּ֖הḥay·yāheach livingH2416
√ chay — aliveAdjectivefeminine singular
נֶ֥פֶשׁne·p̄ešcreatureH5315
√ nephesh — properly, a breathing creature, iNounfeminine singular
ה֥וּאthatH1931
√ hûwʼ — he (she or it)Pronounthird person masculine singular
שְׁמֽוֹ׃šə·mōw[was] its nameH8034
√ shêm — an appellation, as amark or memorial of individualityNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
shêm (H8034), "name" — denotes essence; Cambridge: "A name, in the estimation of the Hebrew, conveyed the idea of personality."
20

The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

hā·’ā·ḏām way·yiq·rā šê·mō·wṯ lə·ḵāl hab·bə·hê·māh ū·lə·‘ō·wp̄ haš·šā·ma·yim ū·lə·ḵōl ḥay·yaṯ haś·śā·ḏeh ū·lə·’ā·ḏām lō- kə·neḡ·dōw ‘ê·zer mā·ṣā

Word by word15 · parsed
הָֽאָדָ֜םhā·’ā·ḏāmThe manH120
√ ʼâdâm — ruddy iArticleNounmasculine singular
וַיִּקְרָ֨אway·yiq·rāgaveH7121
√ qârâʼ — to call out to (iConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
שֵׁמ֗וֹתšê·mō·wṯnamesH8034
√ shêm — an appellation, as amark or memorial of individualityNounmasculine plural
לְכָל־lə·ḵālto allH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholePreposition-lNounmasculine singular construct
הַבְּהֵמָה֙hab·bə·hê·māhthe livestockH929
√ bᵉhêmâh — properly, a dumb beastArticleNounfeminine singular
וּלְע֣וֹףū·lə·‘ō·wp̄to the birdsH5775
√ ʻôwph — a bird (as covered with feathers, or rather as covering with wings), often collectivelyConjunctive waw, Preposition-lNounmasculine singular construct
הַשָּׁמַ֔יִםhaš·šā·ma·yimof the airH8064
√ shâmayim — the sky (as aloftArticleNounmasculine plural
וּלְכֹ֖לū·lə·ḵōland to everyH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeConjunctive waw, Preposition-lNounmasculine singular construct
חַיַּ֣תḥay·yaṯbeastH2416
√ chay — aliveNounfeminine singular construct
הַשָּׂדֶ֑הhaś·śā·ḏehof the fieldH7704
√ sâdeh — a field (as flat)ArticleNounmasculine singular
וּלְאָדָ֕םū·lə·’ā·ḏāmBut for AdamH121
√ ʼÂdâm — Adam the name of the first man, also of a place in PalestineConjunctive waw, Preposition-lNounpropermasculine singular
’Âdâm (H121), "Adam" — proper name here, distinct from hā-’ādām ("the man") elsewhere; the lonely individual is named.
לֹֽא־lō-noH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
כְּנֶגְדּֽוֹ׃kə·neḡ·dōwsuitableH5048
√ neged — a front, iPreposition-kthird person masculine singular
עֵ֖זֶר‘ê·zerhelperH5828
√ ʻêzer — aidNounmasculine singular
‘êzer (H5828), "helper" — the same word as v. 18, repeated to close the inclusio: the need announced is the need still unmet, until v. 22.
מָצָ֥אmā·ṣāwas foundH4672
√ mâtsâʼ — properly, to come forth to, iVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
mâtsâʼ (H4672), "to find" — the surveying verb; the animals were genuinely considered, and genuinely found wanting as counterparts.
21

So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he slept, He took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the area with flesh.

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·hîm way·yap·pêl hā·’ā·ḏām ‘al- tar·dê·māh way·yî·šān way·yiq·qaḥ ’a·ḥaṯ miṣ·ṣal·‘ō·ṯāw way·yis·gōr taḥ·ten·nāh bā·śār

Word by word13 · parsed
יְהוָ֨הYah·wehSo the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
אֱלֹהִ֧ים׀’ĕ·lō·hîmGodH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural
וַיַּפֵּל֩way·yap·pêlcausedH5307
√ nâphal — to fall, in a great variety of applications (intransitive or causative, literal or figurative)Conjunctive wawVerbHifilConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
הָאָדָ֖םhā·’ā·ḏāmthe manH120
√ ʼâdâm — ruddy iArticleNounmasculine singular
עַל־‘al-to fall intoH5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPreposition
תַּרְדֵּמָ֛הtar·dê·māha deep sleepH8639
√ tardêmâh — a lethargy or (by implication) tranceNounfeminine singular
tardêmâh (H8639), "deep sleep / trance" — divinely sent; Cambridge lists Genesis 15:12, 1 Samuel 26:12, Isaiah 29:10 as the other "mysterious heavy sleep sent by God."
וַיִּישָׁ֑ןway·yî·šānand while he sleptH3462
√ yâshên — properly, to be slack or languid, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
וַיִּקַּ֗חway·yiq·qaḥHe tookH3947
√ lâqach — to take (in the widest variety of applications)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
אַחַת֙’a·ḥaṯoneH259
√ ʼechâd — properly, united, iNumberfeminine singular
מִצַּלְעֹתָ֔יוmiṣ·ṣal·‘ō·ṯāwof [the man’s] ribsH6763
√ tsêlâʻ — a rib (as curved), literally (of the body) or figuratively (of a door, iPreposition-mNounfeminine plural constructthird person masculine singular
tsêlâʻ (H6763), "side / rib" — used elsewhere of the architectural "side" of the tabernacle; the building vocabulary anticipates v. 22, where God "builds" the woman.
וַיִּסְגֹּ֥רway·yis·gōrand closed upH5462
√ çâgar — to shut upConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
תַּחְתֶּֽנָּה׃taḥ·ten·nāhthe areaH8478
√ tachath — the bottom (as depressed)Prepositionthird person feminine singular
בָּשָׂ֖רbā·śārwith fleshH1320
√ bâsâr — flesh (from its freshness)Nounmasculine singular
bâsâr (H1320), "flesh" — closed up in the man; the same word returns in v. 23 ("flesh of my flesh") and v. 24 ("one flesh"), binding the woman's origin to the marriage union.
22

And from the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man, He made a woman and brought her to him.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

haṣ·ṣê·lā‘ ’ă·šer- Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·hîm ’eṯ- lā·qaḥ min- hā·’ā·ḏām way·yi·ḇen lə·’iš·šāh way·ḇi·’e·hā ’el- hā·’ā·ḏām

Word by word13 · parsed
הַצֵּלָ֛עhaṣ·ṣê·lā‘And from the ribH6763
√ tsêlâʻ — a rib (as curved), literally (of the body) or figuratively (of a door, iArticleNounfeminine singular
אֲשֶׁר־’ă·šer-thatH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
יְהוָ֨הYah·wehthe LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
אֱלֹהִ֧ים׀’ĕ·lō·hîmGodH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural
אֶֽת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
לָקַ֥חlā·qaḥhad takenH3947
√ lâqach — to take (in the widest variety of applications)VerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
מִן־min-fromH4480
√ min — properly, a part ofPreposition
הָֽאָדָ֖םhā·’ā·ḏāmthe manH120
√ ʼâdâm — ruddy iArticleNounmasculine singular
וַיִּבֶן֩way·yi·ḇenHe madeH1129
√ bânâh — to build (literally and figuratively)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
bânâh (H1129), "to build" — used uniquely of the woman's making; the building vocabulary (with tsêlâʻ, "side," in v. 21) frames her as a deliberate, crafted structure. The same root builds houses, cities, and the temple.
לְאִשָּׁ֑הlə·’iš·šāha womanH802
√ ʼishshâh — a womanPreposition-lNounfeminine singular
’ishshâh (H802), "woman / wife" — the word the man will explain by punning on ’îysh ("man") in v. 23. One word covers both "woman" and "wife."
וַיְבִאֶ֖הָway·ḇi·’e·hāand brought herH935
√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)Conjunctive wawVerbHifilConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singularthird person feminine singular
bôwʼ (H935), Hiphil, "to bring" — God brings the woman to the man, the pattern of a father presenting a bride.
אֶל־’el-toH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
הָֽאָדָֽם׃hā·’ā·ḏām[him]H120
√ ʼâdâm — ruddy iArticleNounmasculine singular
23

And the man said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of man she was taken.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

hā·’ā·ḏām way·yō·mer zōṯ hap·pa·‘am ‘e·ṣem mê·‘ă·ṣā·may ū·ḇā·śār mib·bə·śā·rî lə·zōṯ yiq·qā·rê ’iš·šāh kî mê·’îš zōṯ lu·qo·ḥāh-

Word by word15 · parsed
הָֽאָדָם֒hā·’ā·ḏāmAnd the manH120
√ ʼâdâm — ruddy iArticleNounmasculine singular
וַיֹּאמֶר֮way·yō·mersaidH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
זֹ֣אתzōṯThisH2063
√ zôʼth — this (often used adverb)Pronounfeminine singular
הַפַּ֗עַםhap·pa·‘am[is] nowH6471
√ paʻam — a stroke, literally or figuratively (in various applications, as follow)ArticleNounfeminine singular
paʻam (H6471), "beat / stroke / this time" — an exclamation; Cambridge: "This is now is equivalent to 'here at last.'" The first human words are a cry of recognition and delight.
עֶ֚צֶם‘e·ṣemboneH6106
√ ʻetsem — a bone (as strong)Nounfeminine singular
‘etsem (H6106), "bone" — "bone of my bones" is a Hebrew idiom for closest kinship (cf. Genesis 29:14). The woman is not other; she is the man's own.
מֵֽעֲצָמַ֔יmê·‘ă·ṣā·mayof my bonesH6106
√ ʻetsem — a bone (as strong)Preposition-mNounfeminine plural constructfirst person common singular
וּבָשָׂ֖רū·ḇā·śārand fleshH1320
√ bâsâr — flesh (from its freshness)Conjunctive wawNounmasculine singular
מִבְּשָׂרִ֑יmib·bə·śā·rîof my fleshH1320
√ bâsâr — flesh (from its freshness)Preposition-mNounmasculine singular constructfirst person common singular
לְזֹאת֙lə·zōṯsheH2063
√ zôʼth — this (often used adverb)Preposition-lPronounfeminine singular
יִקָּרֵ֣אyiq·qā·rêshall be calledH7121
√ qârâʼ — to call out to (iVerbNifalImperfectthird person masculine singular
אִשָּׁ֔ה’iš·šāhwomanH802
√ ʼishshâh — a womanNounfeminine singular
’ishshâh (H802), "woman" — named by wordplay on ’îysh (H376, "man"); Jamieson glosses it tersely: "Woman—in Hebrew, 'man-ess.'"
כִּ֥יforH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
מֵאִ֖ישׁmê·’îšout of manH376
√ ʼîysh — a man as an individual or a male personPreposition-mNounmasculine singular
זֹּֽאת׃zōṯsheH2063
√ zôʼth — this (often used adverb)Pronounfeminine singular
לֻֽקֳחָה־lu·qo·ḥāh-was takenH3947
√ lâqach — to take (in the widest variety of applications)VerbQalPassPerfectthird person feminine singular
lâqach (H3947), "to take" — passive here; the same verb God used in v. 21. The woman is received as gift, not seized as possession.
24

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

‘al- kên ’îš ’eṯ- ya·‘ă·zāḇ- ’ā·ḇîw wə·’eṯ- ’im·mōw wə·ḏā·ḇaq bə·’iš·tōw wə·hā·yū ’e·ḥāḏ lə·ḇā·śār

Word by word13 · parsed
עַל־‘al-ForH5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPreposition
‘al-kên (H5921 + H3651), "therefore" — the narrator's editorial inference, made later than the events. Jesus cites it as God's word (Matthew 19:4-6), confirming inspiration of the comment.
כֵּן֙kênthis reasonH3651
√ kên — properly, set uprightAdverb
אִ֔ישׁ’îša manH376
√ ʼîysh — a man as an individual or a male personNounmasculine singular
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
יַֽעֲזָב־ya·‘ă·zāḇ-will leaveH5800
√ ʻâzab — to loosen, iVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
‘âzab (H5800), "to leave / forsake" — strong abandonment language; the new household outranks the household of origin.
אָבִ֖יו’ā·ḇîwhis fatherH1
√ ʼâb — father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote applicationNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
וְאֶת־wə·’eṯ-andH853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Conjunctive wawDirect object marker
אִמּ֑וֹ’im·mōwmotherH517
√ ʼêm — a mother (as the bond of the family)Nounfeminine singular constructthird person masculine singular
וְדָבַ֣קwə·ḏā·ḇaqand be unitedH1692
√ dâbaq — properly, to impinge, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
dâbaq (H1692), "to cling / cleave" — the same verb used for devoted attachment to the LORD; covenant loyalty pictured as adhesion.
בְּאִשְׁתּ֔וֹbə·’iš·tōwto his wifeH802
√ ʼishshâh — a womanPreposition-bNounfeminine singular constructthird person masculine singular
וְהָי֖וּwə·hā·yūand they will becomeH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person common plural
אֶחָֽד׃’e·ḥāḏoneH259
√ ʼechâd — properly, united, iNumbermasculine singular
’echâd (H259), "one" — the unity-word of the Shema; "one flesh" describes a real, if mysterious, oneness, the goal of marriage (thread to Malachi 2:15 below).
לְבָשָׂ֥רlə·ḇā·śārfleshH1320
√ bâsâr — flesh (from its freshness)Preposition-lNounmasculine singular
25

And the man and his wife were both naked, and they were not ashamed.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

hā·’ā·ḏām wə·’iš·tōw way·yih·yū šə·nê·hem ‘ă·rūm·mîm wə·lō yiṯ·bō·šā·šū

Word by word7 · parsed
הָֽאָדָ֖םhā·’ā·ḏāmAnd the manH120
√ ʼâdâm — ruddy iArticleNounmasculine singular
וְאִשְׁתּ֑וֹwə·’iš·tōwand his wifeH802
√ ʼishshâh — a womanConjunctive wawNounfeminine singular constructthird person masculine singular
וַיִּֽהְי֤וּway·yih·yūwereH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine plural
שְׁנֵיהֶם֙šə·nê·hembothH8147
√ shᵉnayim — twoNumbermasculine dual constructthird person masculine plural
עֲרוּמִּ֔ים‘ă·rūm·mîmnakedH6174
√ ʻârôwm — nude, either partially or totallyAdjectivemasculine plural
‘ârôwm (H6174), "naked" — its near-homophone ‘ārûm ("crafty") opens 3:1; the wordplay bridges the chapter break, joining the couple's guileless nakedness to the serpent's guile.
וְלֹ֖אwə·lōand they were notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absConjunctive wawAdverbNegative particle
יִתְבֹּשָֽׁשׁוּ׃yiṯ·bō·šā·šūashamedH954
√ bûwsh — properly, to pale, iVerbHitpaelImperfectthird person masculine plural
bûwsh (H954), "to be ashamed" — "properly, to pale." Their lack of shame is the mark of innocence; Cambridge: "The sense of shame is the shadow which temptation to sin throws across the pathway of purity."

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. The seam and the second name: from Elohim to Yahweh Elohim — Genesis 2:4–6

The unit opens with a formula English cannot carry: ’êl·leh ṯō·wl·ḏō·wṯ — "these are the begettings" — the word used elsewhere for a family genealogy (Genesis 5:1; 11:10). Heaven and earth are spoken of as if they bore offspring. Cambridge identifies it as "the formula employed... as a heading, title, or superscription," and Keil & Delitzsch agree that wherever the formula occurs "it is used as a heading." So 2:4 opens a new section; it does not contradict chapter 1 but turns from the cosmos to the ground. With it comes a new name: chapter 1's bare Elohim becomes Yahweh Elohim, "the LORD God." Albert Barnes notes the covenant name "occurs about six thousand times in Scripture... It is obvious from its use that it is, so to speak, the proper name of God." The God who created (bara) is now the God who binds Himself by name. The land is staged as a stage not yet dressed — ṭerem, "not yet," twice — awaiting both rain and a cultivator (Matthew Poole: "the two great means of the growth of plants and herbs... were both lacking"). Then the rarest of words: ’êd, the "mist" or "spring" that watered the ground — a noun found in only two verses of the whole Bible (here and Job 36:27), its meaning still uncertain. Cambridge flags it honestly as "a word found elsewhere in the O.T. only in Job 36:27."

ii. The potter and the breath: man from the ground — Genesis 2:7

One verse holds the whole anthropology. God yâtsar — the potter's verb — forms the man from ‘āphār, gray dust, the same dust to which he will return in 3:19. Cambridge: "The metaphor is that of the potter shaping and moulding the clay." Geneva draws the lesson: God "shows what man's body was created from, to the intent that man should not glory in the excellency of his own nature." Yet the dust does not live until God breathes into his nostrils nišmaṯ ḥayyîm — "breath of lives," plural. Jamieson: "literally, of lives, not only animal but spiritual life." The man does not receive a soul into a body; he becomes a nephesh ḥayyāh, a whole living being — the same phrase used of the animals in 1:24. What sets man apart is not a different substance but the intimate in-breathing of God, mouth to nostril. Dust and divine breath, the lowly and the high, are joined in one creature — a doubleness the Fall will tear and Christ will heal.

iii. The garden-sanctuary: planted in Delight, served and guarded — Genesis 2:8–15

God plants a gan — a fenced enclosure, which the Greek translators called paradeisos; Cambridge traces the word to "a park-like enclosure" of Persian kings. He plants it "in Eden," a name that to the Hebrew ear is the common word for delight. From it flows one nâhâr that becomes four head-streams, mapping paradise onto real geography (Tigris and Euphrates are named). The geography resists modern atlases — Cambridge concedes "the account... is irreconcilable with scientific geography" — yet its very specificity (gold, bdellium, onyx) plants Eden in the world, not in myth; and those three materials reappear in the tabernacle and the heavenly city. The clinching detail is vocational: the man is set in the garden lə‘ābᵉḏāh ūlᵉšāmᵉrāh — "to serve it and to guard it" — the exact verb-pair later used for the priests' temple duty (Numbers 3:7-8). Jamieson sees it: the garden "was in fact a temple in which he worshipped God." And the man is not merely placed but caused to rest there (Ellicott: "He made him rest... his permanent and settled dwelling"). Work and rest, not yet at war. Into this rest comes the first word from God to man — a vast permission ("eating you may eat of every tree") fencing a single, tiny prohibition. Grace is enormous; law is one tree wide.

iv. The one tree and the certain death — Genesis 2:16–17

The single prohibition concerns "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" — a Hebrew merism, the two poles standing for the whole, so that to "know good and evil" is to claim total, self-appointed moral mastery, the prerogative of God alone. The penalty is stated in the same emphatic doubled grammar as the permission: as v. 16 said "eating you may eat," v. 17 says môwṯ tāmûṯ — "dying you shall die," you shall surely die. Poole hears in it "a threefold death" — spiritual, temporal, eternal; Geneva defines it first as "the separation of man from God, who is our life and chief happiness." The phrase "in the day" (bᵉyôm) does not demand same-day biological death — the same idiom means simply "when" in 2:4 — but names the certainty: the moment of eating is the moment dying begins. Benson: here God "appears as his Ruler and Lawgiver, and, as such, enters into covenant with him." The first command is the dignity of a creature addressed as responsible, free, and loved.

v. "Not good": the helper built from his side — Genesis 2:18–23

After a creation called "good" seven times, the first "not good" in Scripture: lō-ṭôḇ — it is not good for the man to be alone. The remedy is an ‘êzer kᵉneḡdô — a "helper as his counterpart." The word ‘êzer is used most often of God Himself as Israel's help, so it carries no whiff of inferiority; and kᵉneḡdô means "corresponding to him," face-to-face. Keil renders it "a help of his like"; Benson, "his counterpart." The animals, formed from the same ground (the same potter's verb, v. 19), parade before the man to be named — Cambridge calls this naming "the birth of science" — but none answers to him (Jamieson: "he alone had no companion"). So God sends a tardêmâh, a divine deep sleep, and takes one of the man's tsᵉlā‘ōt — a word Ellicott insists "is never translated rib except in this place, but always side." From that side God does not "form" but builds (bânâh) the woman — Cambridge: "builded He." Jamieson's gloss on the side has become proverbial: "not... out of his head to surpass him, nor from his feet to be trampled on, but from his side to be equal to him, and near his heart to be dear to him." The man's first recorded words are poetry (so Cambridge) and a pun: ’ishshāh (woman) from ’îš (man) — Keil, "like the old Latin vira from vir." Joy at last: "this time!"

vi. One flesh, and the last verse of innocence — Genesis 2:24–25

The narrator draws a law from the first wedding: ‘al-kên, "therefore" a man shall leave father and mother and cling (dâbaq — be glued, the verb for clinging to the LORD) to his wife, and they shall be one flesh. Cambridge notes the "therefore" "supplies the application... to later times"; yet Ellicott observes that "in Matthew 19:5 our Lord quotes these words as spoken by God" — the inspired narrator speaks for God Himself. ’echâd, "one," is the unity-word of the Shema; the two become one bâsâr, the very flesh from which the woman was taken (v. 21, 23) — the union restores the original oneness. Jamieson binds the verse to Ephesians 5: marriage is "the divine institution" and a figure of Christ and the Church. Then the unit's final line, the hinge of the whole Bible: they were both ‘ărûmmîm, naked, and not ashamed. Ellicott hears the trap in the very word: "Man is arom = naked; the serpent" of 3:1 "is arum = crafty." Benson: "Blushing is now the colour of virtue, but it was not the colour of innocence." The last word of paradise — unashamed — is spoken on the threshold of the Fall.

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

A fallible reading, offered to be tested (Sola Scriptura). Read on its own terms, Genesis 2:4–25 is a chapter about relationship grounded in gift. The cosmic camera of chapter 1 drops to the ground, and with it the name of God changes: the distant Creator Elohim becomes the near, covenant-keeping Yahweh Elohim. Everything that follows is the LORD coming close — kneeling to shape dust like a potter, bending to plant a garden, breathing His own breath into a man's face, stooping to build a woman and walking her down the aisle. Notice the order of the verbs: God gives (a garden, every tree, a calling, a counterpart) before God commands (one tree withheld), and even the command is a fence around freedom, not a cage. The two great institutions of the chapter — Sabbath-rest (the man is "caused to rest," v. 15) and marriage (vv. 22–24) — are both pre-Fall gifts, not post-Fall remedies. And the chapter is saturated with the language of place: a garden to be "served and guarded" with the same words used for priests in the temple. Eden is the first sanctuary, the man its first priest, the woman his completing counterpart, the trees a daily catechism in trust. The lone discordant note — lō-ṭôḇ, "not good" — is resolved not by the man's effort but by God's provision. If chapter 1 says creation is good, chapter 2 says it is given; and the whole drama of chapter 3 will be whether the creature will receive the gift on the Giver's terms or seize what was withheld.

God gives before God commands; even the one prohibition is a fence around freedom, not a cage. (An interpretive line from the synthesis layer — not a verse of Scripture.)

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

Eden in the prophets: the garden of God re-pictured (Ezekiel 28:13) verbal / quotation — confirmed

Genesis 2:8's "a garden in Eden" is taken up by Ezekiel's lament over the king of Tyre, set "in Eden, the garden of God" (Ezekiel 28:13). The link is genuinely verbal: the two share ‘Êden (H5731), a proper name appearing in only fifteen verses of the Hebrew Bible, together with gan (H1588, "garden," 37 verses). The rarity of Eden makes this a deliberate evocation of the Genesis paradise, not a coincidence of common words. Ezekiel reads Eden as the archetype of glory-before-fall — the very pattern (a covered cherub, precious stones, a fall through pride) that Genesis 3 will trace in the man. Keil & Delitzsch list Ezekiel 28:13 among the prophetic re-uses of Eden.

Genesis 2:8 · Ezekiel 28:13

basis: shared rare lexeme H5731 ʻÊden (in 15 vv) + H1588 gan (in 37 vv) — Verifier-computed; the rarity of Eden confirms a verbal evocation of the Genesis garden

The desert made like Eden: comfort for Zion (Isaiah 51:3) verbal / quotation — confirmed

Isaiah promises that the LORD "will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD" (Isaiah 51:3). Again the binding words are the rare ‘Êden (H5731, 15 vv) and gan (H1588), here joined by sûwm (H7760, "to set / make") — the same verb God used in Genesis 2:8 when "He placed the man." The Verifier confirms the shared lexemes. Isaiah turns Eden from a memory into a hope: redemption is re-creation, the lost garden restored. The same prophetic move appears in Joel 2:3 and Ezekiel 36:35, where the redeemed land becomes "like the garden of Eden."

Genesis 2:8 · Isaiah 51:3 · Joel 2:3 · Ezekiel 36:35

basis: shared rare lexeme H5731 ʻÊden (15 vv) + H1588 gan (37 vv), with H7760 sûwm shared with Gen 2:8's "placed" — Verifier-computed

The mist of Eden and the vapor of Job: a two-verse word (Job 36:27) verbal / quotation — confirmed

The "mist" (or "spring") that watered the ground in Genesis 2:6 is ’êd (H108) — one of the rarest nouns in the Hebrew Bible, occurring in only two verses: here and Job 36:27, where Elihu describes how God "draws up the drops of water, which distil as rain to the ’êd (vapor)." Because the word is shared by only these two texts, the verbal link is as tight as it can be, even though it is a quiet lexical echo rather than a quotation. Job's context — God's mysterious governance of the water cycle — illuminates Genesis: the watering of Eden is itself a work of divine providence. Cambridge notes the overlap precisely: "a word found elsewhere in the O.T. only in Job 36:27."

Genesis 2:6 · Job 36:27

basis: shared rare lexeme H108 ʼêd (in only 2 vv) — Verifier-computed; the word occurs nowhere else, making the verbal link maximally tight

Eden's bdellium and the wilderness manna (Numbers 11:7) verbal / quotation — confirmed

The wealth of Havilah includes bᵉdōlaḥ (H916, "bdellium") in Genesis 2:12 — another near-hapax found in only two verses. Its single parallel is Numbers 11:7, where the manna is said to look "like bdellium." The shared rare word ties the substance of Eden's riches to the bread God rained on Israel in the desert: paradise lost is fed, in exile, by a manna whose very appearance recalls Eden. Cambridge: "In Numbers 11:7, 'manna' is compared with 'bdellium.'" Poole sends the reader to the same verse. The second shared word the Verifier returns, hûwʼ ("that/it," 1692 vv), is a common pronoun and carries no weight; the link rests on bdellium alone.

Genesis 2:12 · Numbers 11:7

basis: shared rare lexeme H916 bᵉdôlach (in only 2 vv) — Verifier-computed (the common pronoun H1931 hûwʼ also returned carries no signal); a maximally tight verbal echo

Hiddekel: Eden's third river and Daniel's vision (Daniel 10:4) structural / thematic — confirmed

Genesis 2:14 names the third river Hiddekel (H2313, the Tigris). The ancient Hebrew name occurs in only one other verse: Daniel 10:4, where Daniel stands "by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel." The Verifier returns the shared lexemes nâhâr (H5104, "river," 108 vv) and ’arbaʻ (H702, "four," 277 vv); the proper name Hiddekel itself is the decisive but ordinary-frequency tie. Because the strongest shared words are not rare, this is tiered structural / thematic rather than a quotation: the same river, named the same archaic way, frames a vision of the end just as it framed the garden of the beginning. Keil: "Hiddekel occurs in Daniel 10:4 as the Hebrew name for Tigris."

Genesis 2:14 · Daniel 10:4 · Genesis 2:10

basis: shared lexemes H5104 nâhâr (108 vv) + H702 ʼarbaʻ (277 vv) — Verifier-computed; both common, so structural not verbal, though the proper name Hiddekel ties the two scenes

Eden bracketed: paradise lost (Genesis 3:23–24) verbal / quotation — confirmed

The garden planted "in Eden, in the east" (Genesis 2:8) is sealed off at the story's end: the man is driven out "to serve the ground" (3:23) and cherubim are set "east of the garden of Eden" to guard the way to the tree of life (3:24). The Verifier confirms a dense overlap between 2:8 and 3:24 — ‘Êden (H5731, 15 vv), gan (H1588), qedem (H6924, "east," 83 vv), and ’âdâm — and between 2:5/2:15 and 3:23, ’ădâmâh (H127, "ground") with ‘âbad (H5647, "to serve"). The same vocabulary that opened paradise closes it: the man called to "serve and guard" the garden is expelled to "serve" the cursed ground, and the "east" of his planting becomes the "east" where cherubim bar return. The rare Eden makes the inclusio verbal; the labor-words make it thematic.

Genesis 2:8 · Genesis 3:24 · Genesis 2:15 · Genesis 3:23

basis: shared rare lexeme H5731 ʻÊden (15 vv) + H1588 gan, H6924 qedem (83 vv), H120 ʼâdâm (Gen 2:8↔3:24); H127 ʼădâmâh + H5647 ʻâbad (Gen 2:15↔3:23) — Verifier-computed

Two become one: the marriage "one" re-pressed (Malachi 2:15) structural / thematic — confirmed

Genesis 2:24's "they shall become one flesh" (’echâd) is invoked by Malachi against treacherous divorce: "Did He not make them one... And what does the one seek? Godly offspring" (Malachi 2:15). The shared lexemes the Verifier returns — ’ishshâh (H802, "woman/wife," 686 vv) and ’echâd (H259, "one," 739 vv) — are common words, so the link is tiered structural / thematic, not a verbal quotation. But the theology is unmistakably Edenic: Malachi grounds the permanence of marriage in the creation "one," exactly as Jesus does (Matthew 19:4-6). The motif, not a rare word, carries the connection.

Genesis 2:24 · Malachi 2:15

basis: shared lexemes H802 ʼishshâh (686 vv) + H259 ʼechâd (739 vv) — Verifier-computed; both common, so structural; the "one flesh" motif (not a rare word) carries the link

The breath of the Almighty gives life (Job 33:4) structural / thematic — confirmed

Genesis 2:7's "God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life" uses nᵉshâmâh (H5397). The same relatively uncommon word (24 verses) anchors Elihu's confession: "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath (nᵉshâmâh) of the Almighty gives me life" (Job 33:4). Job re-applies the Genesis creation-breath to every living person: each human life is a fresh in-breathing of God, on loan and revocable (cf. Job 34:14-15). The Verifier confirms the single shared content-lexeme; because it is moderately rare and the claim is motif-sharing rather than citation, the link is tiered structural / thematic.

Genesis 2:7 · Job 33:4

basis: shared lexeme H5397 nᵉshâmâh (in 24 vv) — Verifier-computed; a shared creation-breath motif applied to all human life, not a quotation

Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The last Adam, the life-giving spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45) ancient/widely-held

Paul reads Genesis 2:7 christologically and by name: "So it is written, 'The first man Adam became a living being' (nephesh ḥayyāh); the last Adam became a life-giving spirit" (1 Corinthians 15:45). The first Adam received breath and became a living soul; the last Adam, Christ risen, gives the breath — He breathes the Spirit on His disciples (John 20:22), echoing Genesis 2:7. This is no fanciful figure but an explicit New Testament citation of this verse: the man formed from dust is the type, and Christ the antitype who reverses death's return-to-dust. The attestation is apostolic and therefore the strongest a typology can have.

Genesis 2:7 · 1 Corinthians 15:45 · John 20:22

This mystery is great: Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:31–32) ancient/widely-held

Paul quotes Genesis 2:24 verbatim — "the two shall become one flesh" — and then says: "This mystery is profound, but I am speaking about Christ and the church" (Ephesians 5:31-32). The first marriage, with the woman built from the side of a man cast into a deep sleep (2:21-22), was read by the Fathers as a figure of the Church born from the pierced side of Christ asleep in death. The Pulpit Commentary records exactly this reading of the verb "build" — "the building up of the Church, of which she was designed to" be the type — and Jamieson binds Genesis 2:24 to Ephesians 5 directly. The one-flesh union of Eden is the ground-pattern; its fulfillment is the union of the Bridegroom and His bride.

Genesis 2:21 · Genesis 2:24 · Ephesians 5:31

The tree of life regained (Revelation 22:2) ancient/widely-held

The ‘êts ha-ḥayyîm, the "tree of life" set in the midst of the garden (Genesis 2:9), reappears at the close of Scripture: in the New Jerusalem stands "the tree of life... and its leaves were for the healing of the nations" (Revelation 22:2), to which "those who wash their robes" are granted access (Revelation 22:14) — the very access barred by cherubim in Genesis 3:24. The arc from Eden to the City is one tree: lost in Adam, regained in Christ, whose cross the ancient church called the true tree of life. This is a canonical, widely-held reading (the link is thematic and typological, traced through the shared image of the tree, not a Hebrew-Greek lexical identity).

Genesis 2:9 · Revelation 22:2 · Genesis 3:24

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

  • Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (1834)
  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, (1880s)
  • Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
  • Geneva Study Bible, Marginal Notes (1599)
  • Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory (1871)
  • Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
  • Keil & Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1860s)
  • Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)
  • Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1685)
  • The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

The geography is held loosely on purpose. The four-river description (vv. 10–14) cannot be laid cleanly on a modern map; Cambridge states plainly that "the account... is irreconcilable with scientific geography," and the identities of the Pishon, the Gihon, Havilah, and Cush are openly disputed among the commentators (Ellicott, Poole, Barnes all hedge). Two of the four — Hiddekel (Tigris) and Perath (Euphrates) — are secure; the other two are not. We report the disagreement rather than resolving it.

Rare-word links are the strongest, and we say which words carry them. Three threads above rest on near-hapax lexemes: ’êd ("mist," Genesis 2:6 ↔ Job 36:27) and bᵉdôlaḥ ("bdellium," Genesis 2:12 ↔ Numbers 11:7) each occur in only two verses in the entire Hebrew Bible, so their verbal links are as tight as the language allows. Where the Verifier also returned a common word (e.g. the pronoun hûwʼ with bdellium, or nâhâr/’arbaʻ with Hiddekel), we have said so and refused to let the common word do load-bearing work. The Eden / garden links (Ezekiel 28:13; Isaiah 51:3; Genesis 3:24) ride on ‘Êden (15 vv) — rare enough to confirm a real verbal evocation. The marriage link to Malachi 2:15 and the breath link to Job 33:4 rest on common or moderately common words and are tiered structural / thematic, not verbal, accordingly.

Two uncertain renderings flagged. (1) ’êd in v. 6 is translated "springs" by BSB, "mist" by the KJV/Targum, and possibly "flood" by Assyriologists; the word is genuinely uncertain and we keep "mist" with a note. (2) tsêlâʻ in v. 21, traditionally "rib," elsewhere always means "side" — Ellicott: "never translated rib except in this place." We keep "side" in the literal line and note the tradition. Neither change the doctrine; both keep the original honest.

Typology held with restraint. Of the three Christ readings, two are explicit New Testament citations of this unit — 1 Corinthians 15:45 (Genesis 2:7) and Ephesians 5:31 (Genesis 2:24) — and so are marked ancient/widely-held with apostolic warrant. The tree-of-life reading (Revelation 22:2) is thematic and typological, traced through a shared image across Testaments, not through a Hebrew–Greek shared Strong's number, which by rule is impossible across languages. We present none of these as novel.

= human, public-domain source, quoted and named. = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)