Comparison of Genesis
The story of creation begins with Genesis 1 and 2, it explains how the world and it’s living inhabitants were created from God’s touch. From Genesis 1 we see how the sky, seas, land, animals, and mankind were created. However Genesis 2 focuses more on the first of mankind, known as Adam and Eve and how they are made to be. In this paper I will compare Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 and what the main idea for creation is in each one, however in my opinion there is no contradiction between the two. Genesis 2 merely fills in the details that are “headlined” in Genesis.
In Genesis 1 we learn how God created the earth and the living things on it and what order they came to be in. The elements were created in the following order: Light first and darkness second marking the first day (Gen 1:3), land and seas on the second day (Gen 1:9), and the seasons on the fourth day (Gen 1:14). The living things were created in this order: Vegetation and plants were first on the third day (Gen 1:11), animals were second on the fifth and sixth days (Gen 1:20), male human kind was made third on the sixth day (Gen 1:27), and finally female human kind was made fourth and last on the sixth day as well (Gen 1:27).
Genesis 1 briefly tells us that man was made in God’s image, made male and female, and given dominion over the animals (Gen 1:26). In Genesis 2 we merely go more into depth of the making of man and woman. Genesis 2 shows us HOW man was made in God’s image. I believe man is made a three-fold being with a body that touches the physical realm, a spirit that touches the spiritual/moral realm, and a soul/mind that links them in the mental realm. Just as God appears as the Father in the spiritual realm, the Son in the physical realm, and the Holy Spirit in the hearts and minds of men.
This is a great similarity and I believe it is there for a reason. But we need not get far into that and “muddy the waters” so to speak (sarcasm). In Genesis 1 God was here on the earth, He hovered over water in Eden (Gen 1:2). God also began the process of creation, and began creating the earth. Not only did He create the earth, but He created mankind and animals. In this chapter it speaks of man being made in God’s image which is very intriguing, God created everything, but mankind is the only thing He created to be like Him. God gave us the opportunity to be in His likeness.
Not only is that an opportunity, but it is an honor to know that God cares so much about mankind that He wants us to be like Him. In Genesis 2 God breathes breath into mankind, God is physically in the presence of mankind at this point. He did not come in the form of Jesus, but in the form of which He is, God. God is closer to mankind than ever before in both of these chapters. Also, God gives a test to Adam in Genesis 2, which is not something that He does in Genesis 1. Almost immediately after breathing life into Adam God gives him work.
I find this interesting because since the beginning God has been working on everything himself, and now he is telling Adam to work. Adam is made in God’s image and he works almost immediately after coming to life. God not only made man in His image physique wise, but in all other aspects. One thing I learned from Genesis 2 is that God has a standard for mankind, and that He expects man to take care of what He gives man. (Gen 2:15). God was with Adam, and even though God was a companion for Adam, Adam needed more. God saw this and blessed Him with Eve.
Throughout these two chapters you get to see how creative God can be, and how much He cares about mankind. God wanted Adam to be happy, and fulfilled. God had just met Adam in physical form and gave him all the desires of his heart. I find this amazing because how often does mankind cater to the needs and wants of one another, but God is ever so giving. I have been contemplating another theory as well that could explain the different focuses on Genesis 1 and Genesis 2. What if they were written by two different authors?
Another possibility is that there were two stories being told and the writer could not decide which one to put in the bible, so he put both. Though there are two clashing stories, the basic idea for this story of creation can still be seen. This might explain why Genesis 1 has a broader spectrum of creation and why Genesis 2 focuses mainly on the creation of man. In Genesis 1 the names of man are not even mentioned. In Genesis 2 however we come to learn that their names are Adam (male) and Eve (female).
Also in Genesis 2 we learn exactly how Eve is created; Goad takes a rib from Adam and makes Eve from that rib. Then she is called woman, because she is made from man (Gen 2:23). This appears nowhere in Genesis 1. Another possibility is that Genesis was also put in the Bible to show us how important the creation of man was. After all we are the only things that God created in his image (Gen 1:26). God makes a garden in Eden and puts Adam in the eastern part of Eden to care over and keep it in order. He then instructs him about what trees to eat from and which to not eat from.
Before God makes him a helper (on the 6th day) he brings all the creatures to Adam to name all the animals and birds (Gen 2:15). Then God reflects back at what he previously made before man. (Gen 1:24-25 explains the creatures made from the earth “according to its kind”) and has Adam name them before he puts him asleep to operate on him to give him his wife (Gen 2:21). “Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and b rought them to Adam to see what he would call them. ” (Gen 2:19).
They were seen by Adam and named, which brought the conclusion that he needed a helper; his wife Eve. Without Eve Adam would never be able to prosper, also he loves Eve. “This explains why a man leaves his father and his mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame. ” (Gen 2:25). To me this is a very important detail that is left out in Genesis 1. You cannot come to understand the power God has bestowed upon man and what man needs without Genesis 2.
That is why I believe both creation accounts are included in the bible. We needed to have a better understanding of the beginning of the human race. Without a start how can we ever finish and go up into the kingdom of God? God made us in his image for a reason, and that reason was for us to rule over the other living thing on earth and almost be shepherd like, but do so without sin. We must be pure and we must be faithful, that is the path to heaven. Both creation accounts explain how we came to be.
But the first creation account is broader ranging and more of an overview, explaining the creation of night and day, land, sky, seas, seasons, plants, animals, and man. The second creation account focuses on the creation of humans, but also covers the growing of plants and the creation of animals. In both cases, the basics were already there; in the first account, the waters, the wind that blew across the water and the land underneath; in the second creation account, the dry land was there, but plants had not grown because God had yet to make it rain. So there were only very minute
differences between the two, but the same concept was shared. Genesis 2 recaps the creation week and provides extra details on Adam and Eve’s mode of creation and of their home in Eden. Genesis 1 sets out all of the creative work in order. Both deal with the same story but with different emphasis of the detail. To conclude, both of these chapters summarize God creating the world, and show the reader how creative, considerate, loving, and how all powerful God really is.
Bibliography
(Work Cited) Life Application Study Bible by Tyndale Genesis Chapters 1-2
