“Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.”
Genesis 2:7
BSBGo deeper on this verse (3)
- The Breath of Life: How Close God Came in Genesis 2
What does "formed" mean in Genesis 2:7?
In Genesis 2:7, formed means shaped by hand, the way a potter shapes wet clay, and the word marks a change in how God makes. Genesis 1 has one signature verb for God's making. Bara (H1254), to create. The Hebrew Bible only ever gives that verb one subject, God Himself, and it means making from nothing, at a distance, by speech.
Read the whole studyConnection with offspring like the dust
The Hebrew word for dust here, aphar (H6083), returns when God later promised Abram offspring as countless as the dust of the earth. God took the word for how frail we are and made it the measure of Abram's abundance.
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Cross-References
The first man Adam became a living being — last Adam a life-giving spirit
“So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam a life-giving spirit.”
The gift is not like the trespass — Adam vs Christ
“But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many!”
Read next
How to Hear God’s Voice: A Practical Guide for BelieversScripture is the record of a God who speaks. This guide covers how to hear Him today and keep what He says.Engage with Genesis 2:7 in a fresh way
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