Genesis

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 2:3a):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹהִים אֶת־יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אֹתוֹ

Transliteration:

wayᵉbārek ’ᵉlōhîm ’et-yôm haššᵉbî‘î wayᵉqaddēš ’ōtô

Translation (JPS):

And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy,

Comment by Sarna:

God blessed ... declared it holy..... Unlike the blessings of verses 22 and 28, which are verbal, specific, material, and relate to living creatures, this blessing is undefined and pertains to time itself. The day becomes imbued with an extraordinary vital power that communicates itself in a beneficial way. That is why the routine day-formula is here omitted. God, through His creativity, has already established His sovereignty over space; the idea here is that He is sovereign over time as well. Through his weekly suspension of normal human activity, man imitates the divine pattern and re-actualizes the original sacred time of God, thereby recovering the sacred dimension of existence. Paradoxically, he also thereby rediscovers his own very human dimension, his earthiness, for the Sabbath delimits man's autonomy, suspends for a while his creative freedom, and declares that on that one day each week nature is inviolable. — Nahum M. Sarna, The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1989).

Glossary (meanings in this context):

wayᵉbārek/‏וַיְבָרֶךְ : consecutive wᵉ/‏‏וְ + Piel imperfect 3 m.s. of bārak/‏‏בָּרַךְ : and he [God] blessed.
’ᵉlōhîm/‏‏אֱלֹהִים : God.
’et/‏‏אֶת : mark of the accusative: indicates direct object.
yôm/‏‏יוֹם : construct : the day.
haššᵉbî‘î/‏‏הַשְּׁבִיעִי : definite article + ordinal number šᵉbî‘î/‏‏‏שְׁבִיעִי : the seventh.
wayᵉqaddēš/‏‏וַיְקַדֵּשׁ : consecutive wᵉ/‏‏וְ + Piel imperfect 3 m.s. of qādaš/‏‏‏קָדַשׁ : and declared [it] holy.
’ōtô/‏‏אֹתוֹ : direct object indicator ’et/‏‏אֶת + pronominal suffix : it.

Comment by Hamilton:

In addition to blessing those who are made in his image (1:28), God also blessed the seventh day. Indeed, it is correct to say that the Creation account moves to its conclusion on the seventh day, not the sixth day. It is not an appendage. All the preceding days God called either "beautiful" or "very beautiful." This day alone he sanctified. Nothing in the creation context that is connected with space is called holy. As is well known, the Hebrew verb qādaš means "to set apart." By virtue of being sanctified, one day of rest is set apart from six days of activity. In the words of Westermann, "The sanctification of the Sabbath institutes an order for mankind according to which time is divided into time and holy time ... By sanctifying the seventh day God instituted a polarity between the everyday and the solemn, between days of work and days of rest, which was to be determinative for human existence." — Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis Chapters 1-17 (NICOT; Grand Rapids; Eerdmans, 1990).

Comment by Waltke:

blessed the seventh day. It is infused with procreative power. The blessing and sanctity of the seventh day is unique to the biblical account of creation. "In fact, the concept of a seven day week is unique to Israel." (Sarna)

made it holy. The seventh day is the first thing in the Torah to which God imparts his holiness and so sets apart to himself (Exodus 20:11). Other creator gods built temples as a sign of their victory over the wild forces of chaos, but God institutes the Sabbath rest instead. This will be the temporal shrine in which the people of Israel can rest from their labors each week with their God. — Bruce K. Waltke, Genesis (Grand Rapids; Zondervan, 2001).

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 2:3b):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏כִּי בוֹ שָׁבַת מִכָּל־מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים לַעֲשׂוֹת

Transliteration:

kî bô šābat mikkol-mᵉla’ktô ’ᵃšer-bārā’ ’ᵉlōhîm la‘ᵃśôt

Translation (JPS):

because on it God ceased from all the work of creation that He had done.

Comment by Sarna:

all the work of creation that He had done..... This smooth English translation conceals a difficulty in the Hebrew, which literally translates "all His work that God created to do." Ibn Ezra and Radak Ramban connected the final verb with the preceding "ceased," thereby taking it to mean: "He ceased to perform all His creative work." — Nahum M. Sarna, The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1989).

Glossary (meanings in this context):

kî/‏כִּי : conjunction : because.
bô/‏בוֹ : preposition ‏bᵉ/‏‏בְּ + pronominal suffix : on it.
šābat/‏שָׁבַת : Qal perfect 3rd masculine singular : he rested.
mikkol/‏מִכָּל : preposition min/‏‏מִן + construct of kōl/‏‏כֹּל : from all.
mᵉla’ktô/‏‏מְלַאכְתּוֹ : mᵉlā’kâ/‏‏‏מְלָאכָה + pronominal suffix : his work.
’ᵃšer/‏‏אֲשֶׁר : relative particle (marks connection between clauses) : that.
bārā’/‏‏בָּרָא : Qal perfect 3rd masculine singular : he [God] created.
’ᵉlōhîm/‏‏אֱלֹהִים : God.
la‘ᵃśôt/‏‏לַעֲשׂוֹת : preposition lᵉ/‏‏‏לְ + Qal infinitive construct of ‘āśâ/‏‏‏עָשָׂה : to do.

Wenham renders the clause "which God had created by making it" and comments:

"Which God had created by making it" is an expansion of the usual phrase "the work which he did" (2:2). The insertion of "God created" into the phrase produces a slightly ungainly Hebrew, but more significantly harks back to 1:1, resulting in a fine inclusion of the verbs ‏‏בָּרָא "to create" and ‏‏‏עָשָׂה "to make" all that has been achieved. Its very brevity evokes the silent awe that is appropriate before the grandeur of the work that has been accomplished. — Gordon J. Wenham, The Book of Genesis Chapters 1-15 (WBC; Nelson, 1987).

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 2:4a):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏אֵלֶּה תוֹלְדוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ בְּהִבָּרְאָם

Transliteration:

’ēlleh tôlᵉdôt haššāmayim wᵉhā’āreṣ bᵉhibbārᵉ’ām

Translation (JPS):

Such is the story of heaven and earth when they were created.

Comment by Sarna:

Such is the story..... The ’ēlleh tôlᵉdôt formula is one of the distinguishing characteristics of the Book of Genesis. In each of its other ten occurrences, it introduces what follows, invariably in close connection with the name of a person already mentioned in the narrative. Its use indicates that a new and significant development is at hand. Deriving from the verb y-l-d, "to give birth," the noun form would mean "begettings" or "generations," and in most instances it precedes genealogies that are sometimes interspersed with narrative material. In 25:19 and 37:2, where no family tree follows but only stories of subsequent events, the formula is used figuratively for "a record of events." This is the meaning it bears in the present passage. In this sense, the entire verse may be understood as a unity referring to what follows. Further support of this interpretation lies in its parallel structure, not to mention its poetic chiasm, "heaven and earth," "earth and heaven." — Nahum M. Sarna, The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1989).

Glossary (meanings in this context):

’ēlleh/‏אֵלֶּה : plural demonstrative adjective : these are.
tôlᵉdôt/‏תוֹלְדוֹת : plural construct : the generations of
haššāmayim/‏הַשָּׁמַיִם : definite article + šāmayim/‏שָּׁמַיִם : the heavens.
wᵉhā’āreṣ/‏וְהָאָרֶץ : conjunction wᵉ/‏וְ + definite article + ’ereṣ/‏‏אֶרֶץ : and the earth.
bᵉhibbārᵉ’ām/‏בְּהִבָּרְאָם : prep. bᵉ/‏בְּ + Niphal inf. cstr. of bārā’/‏‏בָּרָא + pronoun suffix : when they were created.

Comment by Waltke:

4a. This is the account [tôlᵉdôt]. This word is the signal marker for the beginning of each of the ten books of Genesis. Tôlᵉdôt, from the root yld, meaning "to bear children," here signifies "what is produced or brought into being by someone." The account pertains to what the cosmos has generated, not generation of the cosmos. — Bruce K. Waltke, Genesis (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001).

Comment by Hamilton:

We take the approach that 2:3 concludes the first unit of Genesis and 2:4a begins the second unit. Two lines of evidence support this interpretation. We have already alluded to one: that is, everywhere else in Genesis the tôlᵉdôt formula functions as a superscription to what follows. There is no indication that verse 4a is an exception to this norm. The second piece of confirming evidence is the important observation made by John Skinner that the tôlᵉdôt formula is always followed by the genitive of the progenitor, never the progeny. Thus the phrase the generations of the heavens and the earth describes not the process by which the heavens and the earth are generated, but rather that which is generated by the heavens and the earth. Quite obviously this would not be a most accurate description of the process of creation as delineated in 1:1-2:3.*

*So Skinner (Genesis, p. 41) concludes: "In short, neither as superscription nor as subscription can the sentence be accounted for as an integral part of the Priestly Code." Skinner's point is endorsed by Childs, who then goes on to suggest that it is simply inaccurate to say Gen. 1-2 contains two creation stories. Rather, in chapter 1 the concern is indeed legitimately creation, whereas in 2:4 [and thereafter] the concern is offspring along the lines of an analogy of a son to his father (Childs, Introduction, pages 145, 149).

— Victor P. Hamilton, Genesis 1-17d (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990).

Comment by Wenham:

2:4 ... This verse serves both as a title to 2:5-4:26 and as a link with the introduction 1:1-2:3. The first and second halves of the verse are tied together with deliberate use of chiasmus: A, "heaven"; B, "earth"; C, "created"—Ć́ʹ, "made"; Bʹ, "earth"; Aʹ, "heaven." The word order in the second half of the verse is particularly unusual in that "earth" precedes "heaven." "Heaven" and "earth" are frequently paired in the OT, but elsewhere "heaven" comes first: the one other exception is Psalm 148:13, which appears to be alluding to this passage. It looks as though the writer has intentionally inverted the usual word order here to link the two parts of the verse together. The opening clause "This ... the heaven and the earth when they were created" forms a looser chiastic inclusion with 1:1, "God created the heaven and the earth," thus binding 1:1-2:3 to the succeeding narratives. The pairing of "create" and "make" takes up the two key descriptions of divine activity in chapter 1. — Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 1-15 (WBC; Nelson, 1987).

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 2:4b):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏בְּיוֹם עֲשׂוֹת יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים אֶרֶץ וְשָׁמָיִם

Transliteration:

bᵉyôm ‘ᵃśôt yhwh ’ᵉlōhîm ’ereṣ wᵉšāmāyim

Translation (JPS):

When the LORD God made earth and heaven—

Comment by Sarna:

the LORD God..... This combination of the personal divine name YHVH with the general term ’elohim appears twenty times in the present literary unit, but only once again in the Torah, in Exodus 9:30. It is exceedingly rare in the rest of the Bible. The repeated use here may be to establish that the absolutely transcendent God of Creation (’elohim) is the same immanent, personal God (YHVH) who shows concern for the needs of human beings. — Nahum M. Sarna, The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1989).

Glossary (meanings in this context):

bᵉyôm/‏בְּיוֹם : preposition bᵉ/‏בְּ + construct yôm/‏יוֹם : on the day that.
yhwh/‏‏יהוה : the LORD or Yahweh.
’ᵉlōhîm/‏‏אֱלֹהִים : God.
‘ᵃśôt/‏‏עֲשׂוֹת : Qal infinitive construct of ‘āśâ/‏‏‏עָשָׂה : made.
’ereṣ/‏‏אֶרֶץ : earth.
wᵉšāmāyim/‏‏וְשָׁמָיִם : conjunction wᵉ/‏‏וְ + šāmāyim/‏‏‏שָׁמַיִם : and heaven.

Comment by Waltke:

4b. The earth and the heavens. The change in order from 1:1 and 2:4a is possibly a subtile signal to the change in perspective.

LORD God [yhwh ’ᵉlōhîm]. Here the narrator introduces an additional name for God: yhwh. The term God (’ᵉlōhîm) represents him as sovereign Creator, while LORD (yhwh) designates him as the one who initiates a unique covenant commitment with Abraham and his seed and who oversees its fulfillment in history (see Exodus 3:14-15). The combination of names shows that the Creator of the cosmos rules history through chosen humanity. — Bruce K. Waltke, Genesis (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001).

Comment by Hamilton:

Proceeding to other matters in the verse, we note the sudden shift in name for deity from simply "God" to Yahweh God. This designation for deity is used consistently throughout the remainder of the chapter and through chapter 3 (19 times in all). But curiously enough the combination appears in the Pentateuch only once more (Exodus 9:30), though it occurs about twenty times elsewhere in the OT (mostly in Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles). There are, of course, many instances of phrases such as "Yahweh, our God," "Yahweh, your God," "Yahweh, the God of heaven," "Yahweh, the God of Abraham," and so forth. [...] In Genesis 1 the emphasis is on creation via the majestic God who speaks and it is done. The more generic name for God — ’ᵉlōhîm — fits this emphasis admirably. By contrast, the emphasis in 2:4ff. is more personal. The context here is not a universe but a garden. Also, the picture of man here is not of one with authority but of one under authority, a vassal in a covenant relationship. [...] — Victor P. Hamilton, Genesis 1-17 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990).

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 2:5a):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏וְכֹל שִׂיחַ הַשָּׂדֶה טֶרֶם יִהְיֶה בָאָרֶץ

Transliteration:

wᵉkōl śîaḥ haśśādeh ṭerem yihyeh bā’āreṣ

Translation (Wenham):

No shrub of the plain had yet grown in the earth

Comment by Wenham:

"No shrub of the plain had yet grown in the earth." The is the first of four conjoined circumstantial clauses describing the situation prior to God's creation of man in verse 7. — Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 1-15 (WBC; Nelson, 1987).

Glossary (meanings in this context):

wᵉkōl/‏וְכֹל : conjunction wᵉ/‏וְ + kōl/‏כֹל : and any
śîaḥ/‏שִׂיחַ : construct : shrub of.
haśśādeh/‏הַשָּׂדֶה : definite article + śādeh/‏שָּׂדֶה : the field.
ṭerem/‏טֶרֶם : adverb : not yet.
yihyeh/‏יִהְיֶה : Qal imperfect 3 m.s. of hāyâ/‏‏הָיָה : was.
bā’āreṣ/‏בָאָרֶץ : preposition bᵉ/‏‏בְּ + definite article + ’ereṣ/‏‏אֶרֶץ : in the earth.

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 2:5b):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏וְכָל־עֵשֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶה טֶרֶם יִצְמָח

Transliteration:

wᵉkol-‘ēśeb haśśādeh ṭerem yiṣmāḥ

Translation (Wenham):

nor had any plant of the plain yet sprung up

Comment by Wenham:

Three geographic terms appear in verses 5-6: "plain" (‏שָׂדֶה), "earth" (‏אֶרֶץ), and "land" (‏‏אֲדָמָה); and two terms for vegetation: "shrub" (‏שִׂיחַ) or "plant" (‏‏עֵשֶׂב). The geographic terms have a wide variety of meanings; indeed, they are interchangeable in some contexts and therefor difficult to define. However, in these chapters they appear to be used in their most usual senses. Evidently "earth" is the broadest term for the land surface of our planet; whereas "land" comprises but a part of the earth. — Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 1-15 (WBC; Nelson, 1987).

Glossary (meanings in this context):

wᵉkol/‏וְכָל : conjunction wᵉ/‏וְ + construct of kōl/‏כֹל : nor any
‘ēśeb/‏עֵשֶׂב : construct : herbage of.
haśśādeh/‏הַשָּׂדֶה : definite article + śādeh/‏‏שָׂדֶה : the field.
ṭerem/‏טֶרֶם : not yet.
yiṣmāḥ/‏יִצְמָח : Qal imperfect 3 m.s. of ṣāmaḥ/‏‏צָמַח : it had sprung up.

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 2:5c):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏כִּי לֹא הִמְטִיר יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים עַל־הָאָרֶץ

Transliteration:

kî lō’ himṭîr yhwh ’ᵉlōhîm ‘al-hā’āreṣ

Translation (Wenham):

because the LORD God had not made it rain on the earth

Comment by Hamilton:

The scene described here is that of a barren desert. There is neither shrub nor plant in the fields. Two factors account for this emptiness. God is not doing what he is accustomed to doing — sending rain. Nor is there a man to till the soil, something that he will do when he arrives on the scene. If plant life is to grow in this garden, it will be due to a joint operation. God will do his part and man will expedite his responsibilities. Rain is not sufficient. Tillage is not sufficient. God is not a tiller of the soil and man is not a sender of rain. But the presence of one being without the other guarantees the perpetuation of desertlike conditions. — Victor P. Hamilton, Genesis 1-17 (NICOT; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990).

Glossary (meanings in this context):

kî/‏כִּי : conjunction : because.
lō’/‏לֹא : factual, stated negation: not.
himṭîr/‏הִמְטִיר : Hiphil perfect 3 m.s. of māṭar/‏‏מָטַר : he had made it to rain.
yhwh ’ᵉlōhîm/‏‏יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים : the LORD God.
‘al/‏עַל : preposition : on.
hā’āreṣ/‏‏הָאָרֶץ : definite article + ’ereṣ/‏‏‏אֶרֶץ : the earth.

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 2:5d):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏וְאָדָם אַיִן לַעֲבֹד אֶת־הָאֲדָמָה

Transliteration:

wᵉ’ādām ’ayin la‘ᵃbōd ’et-hā’ᵃdāmâ

Translation (Wenham):

and there was no man to till the land.

Comment by Sarna:

5.... This passage is not a cosmogonic account but simply a description of the initial, barren state of the earth after the formation of dry land, which was briefly recorded in 1:9-10. The existence of both celestial and subterranean stores of water are presupposed here. The earth itself is still a desert. It lacks rain, verdure, and humankind. — Nahum M. Sarna, The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1989).

Glossary (meanings in this context):

wᵉ’ādām/‏וְאָדָם : conjunction wᵉ/‏וְ + ’ādām/‏אָדָם : and man.
’ayin/‏אַיִן : non-existence : there was none.
la‘ᵃbōd/‏לַעֲבֹד : preposition lᵉ/‏‏לְ + Qal infinitive construct of ‘ābad/‏‏עָבַד : to work.
’et/‏‏אֶת : mark of the accusative: indicates direct object.
hā’ᵃdāmâ/‏הָאֲדָמָה : definite article + ’ᵃdāmâ/אֲדָמָה : the land.

Comment by Waltke:

’ᵃdāmâ is a technical term for arable land. — Bruce K. Waltke, Genesis (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001).

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 2:6):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏וְאֵד יַעֲלֶה מִן־הָאָרֶץ וְהִשְׁקָה אֶת־כָּל־פְּנֵי־הָאֲדָמָה

Transliteration:

wᵉ’ēd ya‘ᵃleh min-hā’āreṣ wᵉhišqâ ’et-kol-pᵉnê-hā’ᵃdāmâ

Translation (NIV):

but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground-

Comment by Waltke:

streams came up.... Prior to the Fall, vegetation is not dependent on rain but relies on subterranean waters that rise, like the Nile, and irrigate the earth. — Bruce K. Waltke, Genesis (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001).

Glossary (meanings in this context):

wᵉ’ēd/‏וְאֵד : conjunction wᵉ/‏וְ + ’ēd/‏אֵד : but a subterranean fresh-water stream.
ya‘ᵃleh/‏יַעֲלֶה : Qal imperfect 3 m.s. of ‘ālâ/‏‏עָלָה : came up.
min/‏מִן : preposition : from.
hā’āreṣ/‏הָאָרֶץ : definite article + ’ereṣ/‏‏אֶרֶץ : the earth.
wᵉhišqâ/‏וְהִשְׁקָה : conjunction wᵉ/‏וְ + Hiphil perfect 3 m.s. of šāqâ/‏‏שָׁקָה : and watered.
’et/‏אֶת : mark of the accusative; indicates direct object.
kol/‏כָּל : construct of kōl/‏‏כֹּל : the whole.
pᵉnê/‏פְּנֵי : construct of pāneh/‏‏פָּנֶה : surface of.
hā’ᵃdāmâ/‏הָאֲדָמָה : definite article + ’ᵃdāmâ/‏אֲדָמָה : the ground

The JPS version renders verse 6 "but a flow would well up from the ground and water the whole surface of the earth—"; Sarna comments:

a flow... The idea seems to be that the primordial, subterranean waters rise to the surface to moisten the arid earth, thereby making it receptive to the growth and survival of vegetation and providing the raw material with the proper consistency for being molded into man. — Nahum M. Sarna, The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1989).

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 2:7a):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏וַיִּיצֶר יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָאָדָם עָפָר מִן־הָאֲדָמָה

Transliteration:

wayyîṣer yhwh ’ᵉlōhîm ’et-hā’ādām ‘āpār min-hā’ᵃdāmâ

Translation (NRSV):

then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground,

Comment — Bruce K. Waltke, Genesis (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001):

7. LORD God... He continues to be the chief actor (cf. Gen. 1:3).
formed.... The image is of a potter and clay: God as the Artist is bonded to his work. The image signifies a deliberate, not accidental creation.¹ The same metaphor is used for the creation of every human being (Job 10:8-9).
man ... ground [ādām ... ’ᵃdāmâ].... The word play shows the man's close connection with the ground, his cradle, his home, his grave (see 2:5, 15, 3:19). The first Adam is fashioned in a natural body for an earthly existence.²

¹The depiction is widespread in the ancient world; however, the biblical account "omits all mythological details" (Sarna, Genesis, 17-18).
²The heavenly Son of Man (cf. Dan. 7:13) shared in this earthly state in order to secure for fallen humanity a spiritual body of imperishable glory in the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:42-49).

Glossary (meanings in this context):

wayyîṣer/‏וַיִּיצֶר : consecutive wᵉ/‏‏וְ + Qal imperfect of yāṣar/‏‏יָצַר : then he [the LORD God] formed.
yhwh ’ᵉlōhîm/‏‏יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים : the LORD God.
’et/‏אֶת : mark of the accusative; indicates direct object.
hā’ādām/‏הָאָדָם : definite article + ’ādām/‏אָדָם : the man.
‘āpār/‏עָפָר : (of) dust
min/‏מִן : from.
hā’ᵃdāmâ/‏הָאֲדָמָה : definite article + ’ᵃdāmâ/‏אֲדָמָה : the ground.

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 2:7a):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏וַיִּפַּח בְּאַפָּיו נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים

Transliteration:

wayyippaḥ bᵉ’appāyw nišmat ḥayyîm

Translation (NRSV):

and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,

Comment — Bruce K. Waltke, Genesis (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001):

breath of life.... Animals also have breath, but it is the narrator's intention to stress that human beings have the very breath of God sustaining them.* Michelangelo powerfully depicts this scene with God's mighty finger reaching to touch man's flaccid lifeless hand. Humans have been given God's life.

*Here is an example of narrative depiction versus scientific analysis.

Glossary (meanings in this context):

wayyippaḥ/‏וַיִּפַּח : consecutive wᵉ/‏‏וְ + Qal imperfect 3 m.s. of nāpaḥ/‏‏נָפַח : and breathed.
bᵉ’appāyw/‏‏בְּאַפָּיו : preposition bᵉ/‏‏בְּ + plural of ’ap/‏‏‏אַף + pronominal suffix : into his nostrils.
nišmat/‏‏נִשְׁמַת : construct of nᵉšāmâ/‏‏‏נְשָׁמָה : the breath of.
ḥayyîm/‏‏חַיִּים : life.

Comment — Nahum M. Sarna, The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1989):

the breath of life...... The uniqueness of the Hebrew phrase nišmat ḥayyîm matches the singular nature of the human body, which, unlike the creatures of the animal world, is directly inspirited by God Himself.

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 2:7c):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏וַיְהִי הָאָדָם ‏לְנֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה

Transliteration:

wayᵉhî hā’ādām lᵉnepeš ḥayyâ

Translation (NRSV):

and the man became a living being.

Comment — Bruce K. Waltke, Genesis (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), pages 85 and 70-71:

living being. [nepeš]... This is traditionally translated "soul" [...]. The Old Testament understanding of "soul" (nepeš) differs from the New Testament's notion of "soul" (psychē). In the Old Testament a human being is a nepeš, while in the New one has a psychē. Essentially nepeš means "passionate vitality." Along with the rest of the creatures, human beings have drives and appetites for food and sex. What distinguishes humanity from animals is the imago Dei and a passionate appetite for God (cf. Ps. 42:1). Our distinctive nepeš distinguishes us from the rest of creation, but more important, it is the imago Dei that sets us apart for God. We are to be distinguished by our godlike compassion in connection with our ruling. Like God, we are to be merciful kings.

Glossary (meanings in this context):

wayᵉhî/‏וַיְהִי : consecutive wᵉ/‏‏וְ + Qal imperfect 3 m.s. of hāyâ/‏‏הָיָה and [the man] became.
hā’ādām/‏הָאָדָם : definite article + ’ādām/‏אָדָם : the man.
lᵉnepeš/‏‏לְנֶפֶשׁ : preposition lᵉ/‏‏לְ + nepeš/‏‏נֶפֶשׁ : per Waltke's comment above : a soul.
ḥayyâ/‏‏חַיָּה : living.

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 2:8a):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏וַיִּטַּע יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים גַּן־בְעֵדֶן מִקֶּדֶם

Transliteration:

wayyiṭṭa‘ yhwh ’ᵉlōhîm gan-bᵉ‘ēden miqqedem

Translation (JPS):

The LORD God planted a garden in Edon, in the east,

Comment — Nahum M. Sarna, The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1989):

a garden...The Greek version, the Septuagint, translated this word by parádeisos, a term that originated in the Old Persian pairi-daeza, meaning "an enclosed park, a pleasure ground." The translation was taken over by the Vulgate version and so passed from Latin into other European languages. Because Hebrew ‘ēden was interpreted to mean "pleasure," "paradise" took on an exclusively religious connotation as the place of reward for righteous deeds after death. Such a meaning for ‘ēden is not found in the Hebrew Bible.
in Eden...Clearly, Eden designates a wider geographical location of which the garden was a part. The name has been derived from the Sumerian edinu, "a plain," but an Aramaic-Akkadian bilingual inscription suggests that the real meaning is "luxuriance."
in the east...Hebrew mi-kedem, here interpreted spatially, can also have a temporal meaning, "in primeval times," and was so rendered in some ancient versions and exegesis. This would preclude the possibility that the garden was planted after the creation of man.

Glossary (meanings in this context):

yhwh ’ᵉlōhîm/‏‏יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים : the LORD God.
wayyiṭṭa‘/‏וַיִּטַּע : consecutive wᵉ/‏‏וְ + Qal imperfect of 3 m.s. of nāṭa‘/‏‏נָטַע : planted.
gan/‏‏גַּן : a garden.
bᵉ‘ēden/‏‏בְעֵדֶן : preposition bᵉ/‏‏בְ + ‘ēden/‏‏עֵדֶן : in Edon.
miqqedem/‏‏מִקֶּדֶם : preposition min/‏‏‏מִן + qedem/‏‏‏קֶדֶם : in the east.

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 2:8b):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏וַיָּשֶׂם שָׁם אֶת־הָאָדָם אֲשֶׁר יָצָר

Transliteration:

wayyāśem šām ’et-hā’ādām ’ᵃšer yāṣār

Translation (TNIV):

and there he put the man he had formed.

Comment — Bruce K. Waltke, Genesis (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001):

put the man....God's placement of the man in the garden suggests that humanity is meant for fellowship in the garden, with God, its Creator and Gardner. Adam and Eve's expulsion will make them feel as castaways in a strange land.

Glossary (meanings in this context):

wayyāśem/‏‏וַיָּשֶׂם : consecutive ‏wᵉ/‏‏‏וְ + Qal imperfect of śûm/‏‏‏שׂוּם : and he put.
šām/‏‏שָׁם : adverb : there.
’et/‏‏אֶת : mark of the accusative: indicates direct object.
hā’ādām/‏‏הָאָדָם : definite article + ’ādām/‏‏אָדָם : the man.
’ᵃšer/‏‏אֲשֶׁר : relative particle : whom.
yāṣār/‏‏יָצָר : Qal perfect 3 m.s. pausal vocalization of yāṣar/‏‏‏יָצַר : he had formed.

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 2:9a):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏וַיַּצְמַח יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים מִן־הָאֲדָמָה כָּל־עֵץ

Transliteration:

wayyaṣmaḥ yhwh ’ᵉlōhîm min-hā’ᵃdāmâ kol-‘ēṣ

Translation (TNIV):

The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground

Comment — Bruce K. Waltke, Genesis (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001):

all kinds of trees.... This orchard is both aesthetically pleasing and practical. Life in the garden is represented as a banqueting table — good for food and delightful to the eye. Humanity has no need to eat the forbidden fruit.

Glossary (meanings in this context):

yhwh ’ᵉlōhîm/‏‏יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים : the LORD God.
wayyaṣmaḥ/‏‏וַיַּצְמַח : consecutive ‏wᵉ/‏‏‏וְ + Hiphil imperfect 3 m.s. of ṣāmaḥ/‏‏‏צָמַח : caused to grow.
min/‏‏מִן : preposition : out of.
hā’ᵃdāmâ/‏‏הָאֲדָמָה : definite article + ’ᵃdāmâ/‏‏אֲדָמָה : the ground.
kol/‏‏כָּל : construct of kōl/‏‏‏כֹּל : all kinds of
‘ēṣ/‏‏עֵץ : collective : trees.