New Living Translation
Genesis 2:7
7Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.
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
5neither 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. 6Instead, springs came up from the ground and watered all the land. Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person. 8Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made. 9The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and 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. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
- Psalms 139:14Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
- Isaiah 64:8And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand.
- Genesis 3:19By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”
- Job 4:19how much less will he trust people made of clay! They are made of dust, crushed as easily as a moth.
- Job 33:6Look, you and I both belong to God. I, too, was formed from clay.
- Psalms 103:14For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.
- Ecclesiastes 3:7A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
- Ecclesiastes 12:7For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.
- Romans 9:20No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?”
- 1 Corinthians 15:47Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven.
- 2 Corinthians 4:7We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
- 2 Corinthians 5:1For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.
- Job 27:3As long as I live, while I have breath from God,
- Job 33:4For the Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
- John 20:22Then 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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