_{Handout 14}

Observations from the 2nd Creation Account in Genesis

I. Review:

In H/O #12, we pointed out that there are two creation accounts in Genesis.

II. Question: Where does the 2nd Creation Account Begin?

This is the same question as: Where does the 1st creation account end?

1. It is natural to assume that the first account of creation ends at the end of chapter one, at the end of the sixth day:

   “And behold . . . it was very good.” (1:31). After all, the seventh day is different from the first six days in that nothing is created on the seventh day. Further, the seventh day does not have the repeated expressions: “And God saw / and God said / and there was evening, and there was morning.”

2. On the other hand, Gen 2:1–3 does refer to a seventh day. After that, no further day is numbered; there is no eighth day, or ninth day, etc. So this serves to connect the account of the seventh day in Gen 2:1–3 to the account of the first six days in Genesis 1.

3. This raises the question: Does the first account of creation end at the end of the sixth day (1:31), or does it include the seventh day (2:1-3)?

4. There is, of course, a chapter break between the sixth day and the seventh day. Does that settle the issue? We need to pause to explain the chapter breaks.

   The Chapter Breaks in the Bible:

   Chapter breaks & numbers are standard features in our Bibles. But they were not original to the Bible. They were added to the Bible around AD 1200, by Bishop Stephen Langton (who later became Archbishop of Canterbury).

   The chapter breaks that he put in are generally placed very well. But they are not part of the original text of the Bible. So their placement is helpful, but not inspired, not authoritative.

   All Bible commentaries and Bible reference works use these chapter breaks. But we are not going against the Bible if we think a passage continues across a chapter break. Commentators who suggest that the chapter break should have fallen somewhere else are not fighting the Bible, they are interpreting it. (See 1 Cor 11:1 for a common example of this).

III. Answer: The Initial Creation Account Includes the Seventh Day.

(That is, it ends at and includes Genesis 2:3.) Therefore, the 2nd Creation Account Begins at Genesis 2:4.

Here is why we think so:

1. As just mentioned, Gen 2:1–3 does describe the last ‘numbered’ day of creation.

2. The expression “These are the generations of . . .” is a recurring structural feature in Genesis; it always starts a new section.

   Genesis 2:4 begins with the line, “These are the generations of . . .”.

   This expression occurs 11x in Genesis. In all of the other 10x where it is used, it clearly begins a new section. Here are the 11x where this expression occurs in Genesis:

   Gen 2:4 The generations of the heavens and the earth

   Ref	Generations	Ref	Generations
   Gen 5:1	Adam	Gen 6:9	Noah
   Gen 10:1	Noah’s sons	Gen 11:10	Shem
   Gen 11:27	Terah	Gen 25:12	Ishmael
   Gen 25:19	Isaac	Gen 36:1	Esau
   Gen 36:9	Esau	Gen 37:2	Jacob

   All of these accounts describe who came from the named person, and what came after him.

   Point: If Genesis 2:4 begins a new section, then Gen 2:3 ends the preceding one, and therefore it is the end of the first account of creation.

3. In Hebrew Bibles, there are symbols which indicate there is a break between v. 3 and v. 4.

4. The Importance of Verse 4 (= Gen 2:4)

   We have argued that the break between the two accounts of creation occurs between v. 3 and v. 4. However, some English versions of the Bible put the break in the middle of v. 4.

   Q: Why do they do so?

   A: Up until Gen 2:4, when the text refers to “God”, it always uses the standard Hebrew word for “God” [“Elohim”]. But in the second half of Gen 2:4, the text refers to God as “The Lord God” [“Yahweh-Elohim”]. And after that, the rest of Genesis ch. 2 refers to God as “the Lord God.” They think this change indicates the start of a new account. So they think the break between the 1st and the 2nd account of creation occurs in the middle of v. 4.

   The Professor’s Reply: We believe they are mistaken about v. 4.

   • They are overlooking the three items we mentioned just above; in particular, the fact that the expression which begins v. 4 (“These are the generation of . . .“) always begins a new section. They would have it ending(!) a section.

   • Also, in chs. 2, 3 & 4, the text will often refer to God as “the Lord God,” but also sometimes as “God,” and other times as “Lord” There is a mix; there is no clear pattern. The use of “the Lord God” in v. 4 does not start a new account.

   • Also, the very structure of v. 4 strongly suggests that we should read the verse together. The structure of the verse is ‘chiastic’; that is, the word order of the second line of v. 4 is roughly inverted from that of the first line:

     Part	Part
     “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth	when they were created,
     in the day that the LORD God made	earth and heavens.”

     This structural feature is called a chiasm; it is common in Hebrew poetry. Examples:

     Ref	Part	Part
     Ps 51:2	2a Wash me thoroughly	from my iniquity,
     	2b and from my sin	cleanse me.
     Ps 126:5	Those who sow	in tears,
     	In joy	shall they reap.
     Hosea 5:3	I know all about	Ephraim;
     	Israel	is not hidden from me.

     The chiastic poetic structure of Gen 2:4 binds the two lines together as a pair, and tells us that they should to be read together, not separated.

Conclusions:

The initial creation account includes all seven “numbered” days in Genesis. It runs from Genesis 1:1 to & including Genesis 2:3. Therefore the 2nd account of creation starts at 2:4, “These are the generations of . . .”, and runs to the end of ch. 4. After that, the next major section in Genesis begins with Genesis 5:1, “These are the generations of → Adam . . .”.

IV. Observations & Reflections from the 2nd Account of Creation:

• Genesis 2:7

  The creation of the man / Adam.

  In Gen 1:27 we were told that God “created” the man and the woman.

  Here in Gen 2:7, how does it describe it?

• Genesis 2:15 God put the man in the Garden “. . . to work it and to keep it . . .”.

  This means that . . .

• Genesis 2:17 Precisely what is the warning / the command?

• Genesis 2:18 Q: What is the first thing in creation that was described as not being good?

  The word “suitable” easily suggests . . .

  Regarding the word “helper”: God is sometimes described as . . .

  Therefore: the term “helper” suggests that . . .

• Genesis 2:25

• Genesis 3:6&7 The Fall :(

  • Note v. 6 – “And she gave some to her husband, . . .”

  • ” . . . and the eyes of both of them were opened . . .”. NB! It was not . . .

  • They were not punished until →

  • After the first sin, . . .

  • The doctrine of ‘the fall’ is a major(!) element in our view of human nature.

    • The Bible teaches that human beings were created . . . .
    • But it also records . . .
    • These two factors account for . . .
    • To some degree humans can recognize . . .
    • Yet we also have the capacity for . . .

• Genesis 3:20 Note that Eve is called . . .

• Genesis 3:22 NB! The sheer knowledge of good and evil . . .

• Genesis ch. 4 Cain & Abel, and Seth (See also Gen 5:1–6, + Heb 11:4)

  Q: What is the issue with the sacrifices?

  Q: Whom did Cain marry? → See a later handout, which addresses Genesis ch. 5.