Christian Standard Bible
Genesis 2:7
7Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.
Genesis 2:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
- New International Version (NIV)Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
- English Standard Version (ESV)then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
Context of Genesis 2:7
5no shrub of the field had yet grown on the land, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not made it rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground. 6But mist would come up from the earth and water all the ground. Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being. 8The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he placed the man he had formed. 9The Lord God caused to grow out of the ground every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden, as well as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Read all of Genesis 2Genesis 2:7 word by word
וַיִּיצֶר֩ יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֗ם עָפָר֙ מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה וַיִּפַּ֥ח בְּאַפָּ֖יו נִשְׁמַ֣ת חַיִּ֑ים וַֽיְהִ֥י הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- formedיָצַרyâtsar · to form: formedH3335
- manאָדָם'âdâm · the man (Adam)H120
- the dustעָפָר‛âphâr · dustH6083
- ofמִן־min minnîy minnêy · fromH4480
- the groundאֲדָמָה'ădâmâh · land: soilH127
- and breathedנָפַחnâphach · to breatheH5301
- into his nostrilsאַף'aph · face: noseH639
- the breathנְשָׁמָהneshâmâh · breathH5397
- of lifeחַיִּיםchay · lifeH2416
- became a livingחַיchay · aliveH2416
- soulנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: animalH5315
Cross-references for Genesis 2:7
- Psalms 100:3Acknowledge that the Lord is God. He made us, and we are his— his people, the sheep of his pasture.
- Psalms 139:14I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well.
- Isaiah 64:8Yet Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we all are the work of your hands.
- Genesis 3:19You will eat bread by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground, since you were taken from it. For you are dust, and you will return to dust.”
- Job 4:19how much more those who dwell in clay houses, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed like a moth!
- Job 33:6I am just like you before God; I was also pinched off from a piece of clay.
- Psalms 103:14For he knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust.
- Ecclesiastes 3:7a time to tear and a time to sew; a time to be silent and a time to speak;
- Ecclesiastes 12:7and the dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
- Romans 9:20On the contrary, who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Will what is formed say to the one who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?”
- 1 Corinthians 15:47The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.
- 2 Corinthians 4:7Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us.
- 2 Corinthians 5:1For we know that if our earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands.
- Job 27:3as long as my breath is still in me and the breath from God remains in my nostrils,
- Job 33:4The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
- John 20:22After saying this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
Commentaries on Genesis 2:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7God formed man of the dust - In the most distinct manner God shows us that man is a compound being, having a body and soul distinctly, and separately created; the body out of the dust of the earth, the soul immediately breathed from God himself. Does not this strongly mark that the soul and body are not the same thing? The body derives its origin from the earth, or as עפר aphar implies, the dust; hence because it is earthly it is decomposable and…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4-7Verses 4-7 - Part II. The development - Section II - The Man - X. The Field 4. תולדות tôledôt “generations, products, developments.” That which comes from any source, as the child from the parent, the record of which is history. יהוה yehovâh 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. It is never changed for construction with another noun…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-7Verses 4-7 Here is a name given to the Creator, "Jehovah." Where the word "LORD" is printed in capital letters in our English Bibles, in the original it is "Jehovah." Jehovah is that name of God, which denotes that he alone has his being of himself, and that he gives being to all creatures and things. Further notice is taken of plants and herbs, because they were made and appointed to be food for man. The earth did not bring forth its fruits of itself…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7In 1:1–2:3, creation happens by God's command ("Let there be ... And it was so"). This story describes a more personal process of creation (see also 2:8–9, 21–22). from the dust of the ground: In Hebrew, 'adamah means "ground." This forms a wordplay on 'adam, which means "man." The earth is a key reference point for humans, who become dust again at death (3:17–19; 4:11; Job 4:19; 10:8–9; Isaiah 29:16). breathed the breath of life into his nostrils: God…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. Here the sacred writer supplies a few more particulars about the first pair. formed--had FORMED MAN OUT OF THE DUST OF THE GROUND. Science has proved that the substance of his flesh, sinews, and bones, consists of the very same elements as the soil which forms the crust of the earth and the limestone that lies embedded in its bowels. But from that mean material what an admirable structure has been reared in the human body (Psa 139:14). the breath of…Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 2:7
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Genesis 2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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