Genesis 2

God resteth upon the seventh day verse 1,2 blesseth and halloweth it verse 3 appointeth natural means of the fruitful earth 5 a more particular account of the account of the creation of man his body and soul 7 God putteth man into paradise 8 which is described by the four rivers of it 9 the inhibition and touching of the tree of knowledge of good and evil 17 Adam gives names to the beasts 19 the further relation of the woman creation 21 who is known and kindly received by Adam 23 the state of matrimony 24 men’s nakedness 25.

1. Thus are heaven [that is the air, heaven, sun, and moon and stars together with the third heaven and the inhabitants thereof the holy angels as also are termed the host of heaven 1 Kings 22:19 compare above chapter 1 verse 1] and the earth accomplished and all their hosts [the creature comprehended in heaven and earth are called the hosts not only by reason of their great multitude and diversity their exact order singular lust and decency but also for that they are all entertained and governed by God as their commander general and must always stand ready for their service thus Psalms 103:21 Isaiah 45:12.]

2. Now then when on the seventh day God had accomplished his works that he had made he rested [spoken of God after the manner of men for he is said here to have rested not as being wearied with working but only for having ceased to create any new kind of things seeing that he worketh still hitherto in the maintaining and governing of what he created Isaiah 40:28 John 5:17] on the seventh day from his work that he had made.

3. And God blessed the seventh day [that is God exalted that day above the rest compare the word blessed with Genesis 24:31 the excellence consist in the use which is intimated by the word following hallowed it which implies the setting apart of something from common to an holy use so Exodus 13:2 Leviticus 8:10 Numbers 7:1 1 Kings 8:64 &c] and hallowed it for that he had rested on the same from all his works which God hath created to perfect it [that is to fit the same as now they are to all such uses and ends are suitable to the wisdom of God in the comeliest and convenient manner to everyone kind others which God made creation.]

4. These are generations [that is the original sources or beginnings compare Psalms 90:2 with the notes] of heaven and earth as they wee created in the day which the Lord [after the fulfilling of the of creation the name of JEHOVAH is here first of all attributed to God signifying one-self existing self-subsisting , self-being , being and subsisting of himself from eternity to eternity and primordial cause of the being of all things wherefore also this name is attributed to none but to the true God alone observe here once for all wherever ye find the LORD written in the capital letters that there in the Hebrew text it stands the word JEHOVAH or shorter JAH being all one] God made the earth an the heaven.

5. And every bush of the field before it was in the earth and every herb of the field before it sprout forth [viz. before their creating when they had no being yet] for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth and there had been no man till husband the earth [the meaning is that God had made the plants, herbs ,bushes trees to come forth out of the earth on the third day of the creation merely by his almighty word without any means of either the rain of the air or the labor help of the man that were existent yet.]

6. But there was gone up [viz. after that for Moses now relate the ordinary means appointed by God in nature for the bringing of the forth herbs bushes and trees out of the earth viz. the damp which causeth the rain and moistened the earth] a damp out of the earth[which being through a sun-drawn up out of the water and the earth ascended into the middle region of the air whereby the means of the coldness thereof it is turned into clouds and thence afterwards returns again dissolved in rain whereby the earth comes to be moistened] and moistened the whole earth[Heb. whole face of the earth.]

7. And the LORD God had formed [or shape fashioned viz. as a potter forms some vessels out clay Isaiah 45:9 Romans 9:28 understand this in regard of the body of man] man out of dust of the earth [Heb. dust out of the earth] blown into his nostrils by breath of life [this is said of God after the manner of men and sheweth us that the soul of men is not created out of any precedence matter like the souls of beasts Genesis 1:20 ,21,24 but put unto him from without out of it nothing through the spirit of God] thus man became living soul [that is a creature endured with life consisting of a body and rational and immortal soul making up man together.]

8. Also the Lord God hath planted [viz. on the third day of the creation before man was created] a garden [viz. the paradise or garden of pleasures which God had appointed for mans habitation] in Eden [Eden is the name of the country of Thessalor the upper part of Chaldea as may be seen 2Kings 19.12 and is distinguished from another Eden situated by Damascus in Syria whereof see Amos 1:5 the Hebrew word Eden signifieth pleasure delight recreation and thus this land is called by reason of beauty pleasantness and excellence of it as the same appeareth by the next verse of the chapter as also by Ezekiel 28:13 and 31.16,18 Isaiah 51:3] towards the east [Heb. from east out of the east that is to say in the eastern part of Eden or eastward from the place where Moses was in writing this] and thee be put the man whom he had formed.

9. And the Lord God had made every tree to sprout forth out o the earth desirable for sight and good for food [understand this of the fruit of the tree] and the tree of life [that is a token of life signifying that man hath received and should hold and continue his life at God hands if he continued his obedience until it should please God to take him up into his celestial mortality] in the midst of the garden and the tree of knowledge of good and evil [thus called the man by eating the should find or hath found experimentally what good he was forfeit or into what evil he was to fall thereby.]

10. And a river [some are of opinion that this is to be understood of a river Euphrates which riseth out of the great mountains Armenia mixing itself afterwards with a river Hiddikel or Tigris whence after the two other rivers Pison and Gibon do divide themselves &c but the proper and exact conditions of some rivers is somewhat uncertain now and much diversity of opinions among the learned about them] was issuing forth out of Eden [see above the notes of verse 8 it ran through Eden to in and through the garden that lay in the land of Eden] for to water this garden; and was divided thence and became four heads [that is capital rivers principally streams. The word head implies streams or sources of the rivers.]

11. The name of the first river is Pison [Heb. Pischon this name occurs to nowhere else in the scripture but here it is an arm of river Euphrates falling as some conceive into Tigris beneath Apanea and from thence into the Persian sea surnamed by the inhabitants thereabouts Pasitigris and Pasotigris] this is the same which runneth about [Heb. is running about] all the land of Havila [Heb. Chavila this is the name of a country otherwise according to the conjecture of some learned men called from Susan the metropolis whereof see Ester 1.2 , Daniel 8:2 see likewise of another Havila Genesis 25:18 1Samuel 15.7] there the gold is.

12. And the gold of the land is good there is likewise Bedola [this some hold to be the name of a certain tree others take it to be a token a precious stone Numbers 11:7 the color of manna is likened to that of Bedola] and the stone sardonyx [Heb schoham the name of a precious stone whereof there are likewise various opinion this name is likewise found Exodus 25:7 and 28.9 Ezekiel 28:13 &c.]

13. And the name of the send river is Gibon [Heb. Gichon called the inhabitants as some do write Nahar sares] this is the same which runneth about all the land of Cus [this word otherwise comprehend Ethiopia Arabia and the whole tract towards the south in general but here in particular it donates only Arabia Desert bordering upon Chaldea.]

14. And the name of the third river is Hiddekel [Heb. Chiddekel this properly is the river Tigris Daniel 10:4 having as yet the name o Diglats or Tiglats as some do some do write but here it is an arm of Euphrates running into the river Tigris & therefore also called Tigris [this same is going towards the east of Assur from Assur the son of Sem Genesis 10:22] and the forth river is Phrath [understand the principal arm of Euphrates which for being great retain the name of the whole river of this river see below 15.18 Deuteronomy 1:7 Jeremiah 13:4.]

15. So the LORD God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to husband the same and to keep the same.

16. And the Lord God commanded the man [Heb. to or over the man viz. both male and female together see Genesis 3:1 ,3] saying of all or every tree of this garden shalt thou freely eat [Heb eating shalt thou eat this manner of speaking where one verb is doubled thus is very frequent in scripture and serveth to sharpen attention to add special weight and efficacy to the expression suitable to the matter treated of so also in the next verse item chapter 3 verse 4 , 16 and 17.13 and 18.18 Joshua 24:10 Jeremiah 24.17 &c.]

17. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil of that shalt not eat for on the day thou eatest thereof that shall die the death 1 the corporal together with al manner of proceeding miseries 2 the spiritual death of the soul 3 the everlasting one of the body and the soul together.]

18. Also the Lord God had spoken it is not good that the man should not be alone l shall make him a help to be over against him [or before him that is one that is always like him in his presence well liking to him and ready still to serve and succor him and so below verse 20.]

19. For when the Lord God had made out the earth all the beasts of the field and all the fowls of heaven he brought them [or made them come] to Adam [otherwise to the man and so in the sequel] for to see how he would call them as so as Adam should call every living soul [see above chapter 1.20] that should be its name [or that became or was its name.]

20. So Adam gad named the names of the cattle and of the fowls of heaven and of all the beasts of the field but for the man [that is for himself] be found no help to be over against him.

21. Then the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept and he took one his ribs and closed the place therefore with flesh [that is for instead of the ribs he had taken forth he made flesh wherewith he closed the gap again.]

22. And the Lord God built the rib which he had taken from Adam into a woman [a comparison taken from the building of the house by a special master builder for a worthy use and design] and he brought to Adam.

23. Then said Adam this now is bone of my bones and flesh o my flesh [or now is thee and see that is now at length I have gotten a companion like myself which I sought formerly but found not] they shall call her manes for being taken out of man.

24. Therefore shall the man forsake his father and mother and cleave unto his wife [this doth not to take away the love and honor we owe unto our parents but differenteth only the manner of cohabitation and the strictness of the conjunction] and they shall be one flesh.

25. And they were both naked Adam and his wife and were not ashamed [by reason of their perfection and innocence whereby they saw nothing dishonorable in their bodies nor had unclean motions o their souls.]