Genesis 2:7
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.
Then the LORD God
The phrase "LORD God" in Hebrew is "Yahweh Elohim." "Yahweh" is the personal name of God, emphasizing His covenant relationship with humanity. "Elohim" is a plural form, often used to denote majesty and power. This combination underscores both the personal and powerful nature of God, highlighting His intimate involvement in creation and His sovereign authority over it.

formed
The Hebrew word for "formed" is "yatsar," which conveys the image of a potter shaping clay. This suggests intentionality and care in the creation of man, emphasizing that humanity is not a product of chance but of divine craftsmanship. It reflects the personal touch of God in the creation process, indicating that humans are uniquely designed with purpose.

man
The word "man" is translated from the Hebrew "adam," which is closely related to "adamah," meaning "ground" or "earth." This connection highlights humanity's origin from the earth and our role as stewards of creation. It also serves as a reminder of our humble beginnings and our dependence on God for life and sustenance.

from the dust of the ground
The phrase "dust of the ground" emphasizes the humble and earthly origin of humanity. In the ancient Near Eastern context, this imagery would resonate with the understanding of human mortality and frailty. It serves as a reminder of our physical nature and the transient nature of life, pointing to the need for divine intervention to transcend our earthly limitations.

breathed the breath of life
The Hebrew word for "breathed" is "naphach," which implies a personal and intimate act. The "breath of life" is "neshamah," indicating the life-giving spirit from God. This act of breathing life into man signifies the impartation of a divine spark, setting humans apart from the rest of creation with a unique capacity for relationship with God and spiritual awareness.

into his nostrils
The specificity of "into his nostrils" suggests a direct and personal act of giving life. It emphasizes the closeness of God to humanity and the personal nature of His creative work. This intimate act signifies the direct connection between God and man, highlighting the personal relationship intended between Creator and creation.

and the man became a living being
The phrase "living being" is translated from the Hebrew "nephesh chayah," which can also mean "living soul." This indicates that man is not merely a physical entity but possesses a soul, capable of thought, emotion, and will. It underscores the holistic nature of human life, integrating body, soul, and spirit, and reflects the image of God in humanity, capable of moral and spiritual reflection.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD God
The Creator, referred to as "Yahweh Elohim" in Hebrew, emphasizing both His covenant relationship and His supreme power.

2. Man
The first human, Adam, created uniquely by God from the dust, signifying both humility and divine intention.

3. Dust of the Ground
Represents the material substance from which God formed man, highlighting human frailty and connection to the earth.

4. Breath of Life
The divine breath, "neshamah" in Hebrew, indicating the life-giving spirit that distinguishes humans from other creatures.

5. Living Being
The result of God's creative act, "nephesh chayah" in Hebrew, meaning a living soul, emphasizing the holistic nature of human life.
Teaching Points
The Divine Origin of Life
Recognize that human life is a direct creation of God, instilling inherent value and purpose.

Humanity's Humble Beginnings
Understand our humble origins from dust, fostering humility and gratitude towards God.

The Breath of God
Appreciate the life-giving breath of God, which sustains us and calls us to live in relationship with Him.

The Holistic Nature of Humanity
Embrace the unity of body and spirit, encouraging a balanced approach to spiritual and physical well-being.

Dependence on God
Acknowledge our dependence on God for life and sustenance, leading to a life of faith and trust.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding that we are formed from the dust of the ground influence our view of human dignity and humility?

2. In what ways does the "breath of life" from God impact our daily relationship with Him and others?

3. How can we live out the truth that we are "living beings" created by God in our everyday actions and decisions?

4. What connections can you draw between Genesis 2:7 and the New Testament teachings about life in Christ?

5. How does recognizing our dependence on God for life shape our response to challenges and uncertainties?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 1:26-27
Connects to the creation of man in God's image, highlighting the unique relationship between God and humanity.

Job 33:4
Reinforces the idea of God's breath giving life, showing the dependence of human life on divine power.

Psalm 139:14
Celebrates the intricate and intentional creation of human beings, reflecting God's craftsmanship.

1 Corinthians 15:45
Compares the first Adam as a living being with Christ as a life-giving spirit, showing the fulfillment of life in Christ.

Ecclesiastes 12:7
Describes the return of the spirit to God upon death, emphasizing the temporary nature of earthly life.
A Living Soul in ManGenesis 2:7
Constituents of the Human BodyDuke of Argyll's, Unity of Nature., Duke of Argyll's, Unity of Nature.Genesis 2:7
Excellency of She Soul of ManJ. Spencer.Genesis 2:7
Humbling Origin of BodyFlavel, JohnGenesis 2:7
Life -- its Nature, Discipline, and ResultsJ. Haines, D. D.Genesis 2:7
Life in ManBishop Harvey Goodwin.Genesis 2:7
Man has a SoulWhitecross.Genesis 2:7
Man's Body Formed of DustJ. Caryl.Genesis 2:7
Man's Higher NatureJ. S. Exell, M. A.Genesis 2:7
Man's SoulFlavel, JohnGenesis 2:7
Men to Set a High Value Upon Their SoulsJ. Spencer.Genesis 2:7
ObservationsJ. White.Genesis 2:7
On the Origin, Nature, and Dignity of ManA. Jones.Genesis 2:7
Organization of the BodyH. W. Beecher.Genesis 2:7
RespirationH. M. Simmons.Genesis 2:7
The DustH. Bonar.Genesis 2:7
The Human SpiritCanon Mason.Genesis 2:7
The Humility and Dignity of ManJ. S. Exell, M. A.Genesis 2:7
The Life of Living SoulR. W. Evans, B. D.Genesis 2:7
The Soul and its CapacitiesBishop Sumner.Genesis 2:7
The Soul of ManAlexander Shanks.Genesis 2:7
The Wondrous Constitution of ManR. Ferguson, LL. D.Genesis 2:7
Man the Living SoulR.A. Redford Genesis 2:4-7
People
Adam, Shoham
Places
Assyria, Cush, Eden, Euphrates River, Tigris River
Topics
Becometh, Breath, Breathed, Breatheth, Breathing, Creature, Dust, Elohim, Formed, Formeth, Ground, Nostrils, Soul
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Genesis 2:7

     1080   God, living
     3015   Holy Spirit, divinity
     3266   Holy Spirit, in creation
     3290   Holy Spirit, life-giver
     4006   creation, origin
     4016   life, human
     4050   dust
     4604   animals, nature of
     4804   breath
     4945   history
     5002   human race, and creation
     5020   human nature
     5061   sanctity of life
     5063   spirit, nature of
     5067   suicide
     5081   Adam, life of
     5082   Adam, significance
     5136   body
     5171   nose
     5409   metaphor
     5441   philosophy
     8315   orthodoxy, in OT

Genesis 2:4-9

     4060   nature

Genesis 2:4-23

     4468   horticulture

Genesis 2:7-8

     5445   potters and pottery

Library
Third Day. Holiness and Creation.
And God blessed the Sabbath day, and sanctified it, because that in it He had rested from all the work which God created and made.'--Gen. ii. 3. In Genesis we have the Book of Beginnings. To its first three chapters we are specially indebted for a Divine light shining on the many questions to which human wisdom never could find an answer. In our search after Holiness, we are led thither too. In the whole book of Genesis the word Holy occurs but once. But that once in such a connection as to open
Andrew Murray—Holy in Christ

Of the First Covenant.
Gal. iii. 12.--"The law is not of faith; but the man that doeth them shall live in them."--Gen. ii. 17.--"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." The Lord made all things for himself, to show forth the glory of his name; and man in a more eminent and special manner, for more eminent manifestations of himself; therefore all his dealings towards men, whether righteous or sinful, do declare the glory
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Disciple, -- Sometimes this Question is Asked, "Since God is Fully Aware of Our...
The Disciple,--Sometimes this question is asked, "Since God is fully aware of our needs, and knows how to supply them in the best way, not for the good only but for the evil, how should we pray to Him about them? Whether our necessities be temporal or spiritual, can we by our prayers alter the will of God?" The Master,--1. Those who ask such a question show clearly that they do not know what prayer is. They have not lived a prayerful life, or they would know that prayer to God is not a form of begging.
Sadhu Sundar Singh—At The Master's Feet

The Covenant of Works
Q-12: I proceed to the next question, WHAT SPECIAL ACT OF PROVIDENCE DID GOD EXERCISE TOWARDS MAN IN THE ESTATE WHEREIN HE WAS CREATED? A: When God had created man, he entered into a covenant of life with him upon condition of perfect obedience, forbidding him to eat of the tree of knowledge upon pain of death. For this, consult with Gen 2:16, 17: And the Lord commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

The Paradise of God
T. P. Gen. ii. 18; Eph. v. 32 In the Paradise of glory Is the Man Divine; There my heart, O God, is tasting Fellowship with Thine. Called to share Thy joy unmeasured, Now is heaven begun; I rejoice with Thee, O Father, In Thy glorious Son. Where the heart of God is resting, I have found my rest; Christ who found me in the desert, Laid me on His breast. There in deep unhindered fulness Doth my joy flow free-- On through everlasting ages, Lord, beholding Thee. Round me is creation groaning, Death,
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others

Forasmuch as Each Man is a Part of the Human Race...
1. Forasmuch as each man is a part of the human race, and human nature is something social, and hath for a great and natural good, the power also of friendship; on this account God willed to create all men out of one, in order that they might be held in their society not only by likeness of kind, but also by bond of kindred. Therefore the first natural bond of human society is man and wife. Nor did God create these each by himself, and join them together as alien by birth: but He created the one
St. Augustine—On the Good of Marriage

Turn Away Thine Eyes from Me, Because they have Made Me to Flee Away; Thy Hair is as a Flock of Goats that Appear from Gilead.
It is impossible to conceive the delicacy of the love of God, and the extremity of purity which He requires of souls that are to be His Brides; the perfection of one state is the imperfection of another. Heretofore the Bridegroom rejoiced infinitely that His Spouse never turned her eyes away from Him; now, He desires her not to look at Him; He tells her that her eyes have made Him to flee away. When once the soul has begun to flow into her God, as a river into its original source, she must be wholly
Madame Guyon—Song of Songs of Solomon

Epistle xiv. To the Count Narses .
To the Count Narses [1642] . Gregory to Narses, &c. Your Charity, being anxious to learn our opinion, has been at the pains of writing to us to ask what we think of the book against the presbyter Athanasius which was sent to us. Having thoroughly perused some parts of it, we find that he has fallen into the dogma of Manichæus. But he who has noted some places as heretical by a mark set against them slips also himself into Pelagian heresy; for he has marked certain places as heretical which
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Epistle xxxiv. To Eulogius, Bishop.
To Eulogius, Bishop. Gregory to Eulogius, Bishop of Alexandria, and Anastasius, Bishop of Antioch [1717] . The charity wherewith I am greatly bound to you allows me by no means to keep silence, that your Holiness may know all that is going on among us, and, deceived by no false rumours, may keep more perfectly the way of your justice and rectitude, as you have perfectly begun to do. Now the representatives (responsales) of our brother and fellow-bishop Cyriacus came to me, bringing me his synodical
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

The Formation of the Old Testament Canon
[Sidenote: Israel's literature at the beginning of the fourth century before Christ] Could we have studied the scriptures of the Israelitish race about 400 B.C., we should have classified them under four great divisions: (1) The prophetic writings, represented by the combined early Judean, Ephraimite, and late prophetic or Deuteronomic narratives, and their continuation in Samuel and Kings, together with the earlier and exilic prophecies; (2) the legal, represented by the majority of the Old Testament
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament

The Interpretation of the Early Narratives of the Old Testament
[Sidenote: Importance of regarding each story as a unit] Of all the different groups of writings in the Old Testament, undoubtedly the early narratives found in the first seven books present the most perplexing problems. This is primarily due to the fact that they have been subject to a long process of editorial revision by which stories, some very old and others very late and written from a very different point of view, have been closely joined together. While there is a distinct aim and unity
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament

Concerning the Condition of Man in the Fall.
Concerning the Condition of Man in the Fall. [182] All Adam's posterity, or mankind, both Jews and Gentiles, as to the first Adam, or earthly man, is fallen, degenerated, and dead; deprived of the sensation or feeling of this inward testimony or seed of God; and is subject unto the power, nature, and seed of the serpent, which he soweth in men's hearts, while they abide in this natural and corrupted estate; from whence it comes, that not only their words and deeds, but all their imaginations, are
Robert Barclay—Theses Theologicae and An Apology for the True Christian Divinity

Though Ye Know Him Not
"I have known cases of young ministers dissuaded from facing the missionary call by those who posed as friends of Foreign Missions, and yet presumed to argue: 'Your spiritual power and intellectual attainments are needed by the Church at home; they would be wasted in the Foreign Field.' 'Spiritual power wasted' in a land like India! Where is it so sorely needed as in a continent where Satan has constructed his strongest fortresses and displayed the choicest masterpieces of his skill? 'Intellectual
Amy Wilson-Carmichael—Things as They Are

Of Creation
Heb. xi. 3.--"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."--Gen. i. 1. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." We are come down from the Lord's purposes and decrees to the execution of them, which is partly in the works of creation and partly in the works of providence. The Lord having resolved upon it to manifest his own glory did in that due and predeterminate time apply his
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit as Revealed in his Names.
At least twenty-five different names are used in the Old and New Testaments in speaking of the Holy Spirit. There is the deepest significance in these names. By the careful study of them, we find a wonderful revelation of the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. I. The Spirit. The simplest name by which the Holy Spirit is mentioned in the Bible is that which stands at the head of this paragraph--"The Spirit." This name is also used as the basis of other names, so we begin our study with this.
R. A. Torrey—The Person and Work of The Holy Spirit

Sin a Power in Reversed Action.
"If ye live after the flesh ye shall die."--Rom. viii. 13. Altho sin is originally and essentially a loss, a lack, and a deprivation, in its working it is a positive evil and a malignant power. This is shown by the apostolic injunction not only to put on the new man, but also to put off the old man with his works. The well-known theologian Maccovius, commenting on this, aptly remarks: "This could not be enjoined if sin were merely a loss of light and life; for a mere lack ceases as soon as it is
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

The Providence of God
Q-11: WHAT ARE GOD'S WORKS OF PROVIDENCE? A: God's works of providence are the acts of his most holy, wise, and powerful government of his creatures, and of their actions. Of the work of God's providence Christ says, My Father worketh hitherto and I work.' John 5:17. God has rested from the works of creation, he does not create any new species of things. He rested from all his works;' Gen 2:2; and therefore it must needs be meant of his works of providence: My Father worketh and I work.' His kingdom
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

The Millennium in Relation to Creation.
The blessings which will be brought to the world upon the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom will not be confined to the human family but will be extended to all creation. As we have shown in earlier chapters, the Curse which was pronounced by God upon the ground in the day of Adam's fall, and which resulted in a creation that has groaned and travailed ever since, is yet to be revoked. Creation is not to remain in bondage for ever. God has set a hope before it, a hope, which like ours, centers
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return

The Unjust Steward - Dives and Lazarus - Jewish Agricultural Notes - Prices of Produce - Writing and Legal Documents - Purple and Fine Linen -
Although widely differing in their object and teaching, the last group of Parables spoken during this part of Christ's Ministry are, at least outwardly, connected by a leading thought. The word by which we would string them together is Righteousness. There are three Parables of the Unrighteous: the Unrighteous Steward, the Unrighteous Owner, and the Unrighteous Dispenser, or Judge. And these are followed by two other Parables of the Self-righteous: Self-righteousness in its Ignorance, and its dangers
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Covenanting Adapted to the Moral Constitution of Man.
The law of God originates in his nature, but the attributes of his creatures are due to his sovereignty. The former is, accordingly, to be viewed as necessarily obligatory on the moral subjects of his government, and the latter--which are all consistent with the holiness of the Divine nature, are to be considered as called into exercise according to his appointment. Hence, also, the law of God is independent of his creatures, though made known on their account; but the operation of their attributes
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

The Growth of the Old Testament Prophetic Histories
[Sidenote: Analogies between the influences that produced the two Testaments] Very similar influences were at work in producing and shaping both the Old and the New Testaments; only in the history of the older Scriptures still other forces can be distinguished. Moreover, the Old Testament contains a much greater variety of literature. It is also significant that, while some of the New Testament books began to be canonized less than a century after they were written, there is clear evidence that
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament

Sovereignty of God in Administration
"The LORD hath prepared His Throne In the heavens; and His Kingdom ruleth over all" (Psa. 103:19). First, a word concerning the need for God to govern the material world. Suppose the opposite for a moment. For the sake of argument, let us say that God created the world, designed and fixed certain laws (which men term "the laws of Nature"), and that He then withdrew, leaving the world to its fortune and the out-working of these laws. In such a case, we should have a world over which there was no intelligent,
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God

Death by Adam, Life by Christ
For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. F rom Mr. Handel's acknowledged abilities as a composer, and particularly from what I have heard of his great taste and success in adapting the style of his music to the subject, I judge, that this passage afforded him a fair occasion of displaying his genius and powers. Two ideas, vastly important in themselves, are here represented in the strongest light,
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

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