English Standard Version
Genesis 2:5
5When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground,
Genesis 2:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
- New International Version (NIV)Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground,
- New King James Version (NKJV)before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground;
- New Living Translation (NLT)neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth. For the Lord God had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were no people to cultivate the soil.
Context of Genesis 2:5
3So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. 4These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7then 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.
Read all of Genesis 2Genesis 2:5 word by word
וְכֹ֣ל׀ שִׂ֣יחַ הַשָּׂדֶ֗ה טֶ֚רֶם יִֽהְיֶ֣ה בָאָ֔רֶץ וְכָל־עֵ֥שֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה טֶ֣רֶם יִצְמָ֑ח כִּי֩ לֹ֨א הִמְטִ֜יר יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהִים֙ עַל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וְאָדָ֣ם אַ֔יִן לַֽעֲבֹ֖ד אֶת־הָֽאֲדָמָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And every plantשִׂיחַώîyach · bushH7880
- of the fieldשָׂדֶהώâdeh ώâday · land: countryH7704
- beforeטֶ֫רֶםţerem · beforeH2962
- it was in the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- and every herbעֵ֫שֶׂב‛eώeb · vegetationH6212
- it grewצָמַחtsâmach · to springH6779
- forכִּיkîy · forH3588
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- had notלֹאlô' lô' lôh · notH3808
- caused it to rainמָטַרmâţar · to rainH4305
- notאַ֫יִן'ayin · nothingH369
- a manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- to tillעָבַד‛âbad · to serve: labourH5647
- the groundאֲדָמָה'ădâmâh · land: soilH127
Cross-references for Genesis 2:5
- Genesis 1:12The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
- Psalms 104:14You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth
- Job 5:10he gives rain on the earth and sends waters on the fields;
- Job 38:26to bring rain on a land where no man is, on the desert in which there is no man,
- Psalms 65:9You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it.
- Psalms 135:7He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
- Jeremiah 14:22Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are you not he, O Lord our God? We set our hope on you, for you do all these things.
- Matthew 5:45so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
- Hebrews 6:7For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God.
- Genesis 3:23therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.
- Genesis 4:2And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.
Commentaries on Genesis 2:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5Every plant of the field before it was in the earth - It appears that God created every thing, not only perfect as it respects its nature, but also in a state of maturity, so that every vegetable production appeared at once in full growth; and this was necessary that man, when he came into being, might find every thing ready for his use.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. 5Work does not result from sin. It was part of creation's original design. It has a close link to human identity and purpose (1:28; 2:15).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5-65-6. rain, mist--(See on Ge 1:11).Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 2:5
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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