Genesis 2

King James Version · 25 verses · 501 cross-references linking it to 243 other chapters

1. 1Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.47 cross-references: Psalms 33:6, Exodus 31:17, Exodus 20:11, Genesis 1:1, Isaiah 45:18
2. 2And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.24 cross-references: Hebrews 4:4, Exodus 31:17, Deuteronomy 5:14, Exodus 23:12, Exodus 20:8–11
3. 3And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.25 cross-references: Leviticus 23:3, Ezekiel 20:12, Mark 2:27, Luke 23:56, Exodus 31:13–17
4. 4These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,33 cross-references: Genesis 5:1, Revelation 1:8, Genesis 36:1, Job 38:28, Genesis 1:4
5. 5And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.19 cross-references: Genesis 3:23, Job 5:10, Hebrews 6:7, Genesis 1:11–12, Job 38:26–28
6. 6But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
7. 7And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.62 cross-references: 1 Corinthians 15:45, Job 33:4, Ecclesiastes 12:7, Isaiah 64:8, Acts 17:25
8. 8And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.25 cross-references: Genesis 3:24, Ezekiel 28:13, Genesis 13:10, Genesis 4:16, Joel 2:3
9. 9And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.29 cross-references: Genesis 3:22, Revelation 22:14, Revelation 2:7, Ezekiel 47:12, Revelation 22:2
10. 10And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.3 cross-references: Revelation 22:1, Psalms 46:4
11. 11The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;11 cross-references: Genesis 25:18, 1 Samuel 15:7, Genesis 10:29, Genesis 10:7
12. 12And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.8 cross-references: Exodus 28:20, Ezekiel 28:13, Job 28:16, Numbers 11:7, Exodus 39:13
13. 13And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.2 cross-references: Isaiah 11:11, Genesis 10:6
14. 14And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.14 cross-references: Daniel 10:4, Genesis 15:18, Genesis 10:11, Genesis 25:18, Genesis 10:22
15. 15And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.7 cross-references: Psalms 128:2, Genesis 2:8, Ephesians 4:28, Genesis 2:2, Job 31:33
16. 16And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:9 cross-references: 1 Samuel 15:22, 1 Timothy 4:4, 1 Timothy 6:17, Genesis 2:9, Genesis 3:1–2
17. 17But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.57 cross-references: Romans 6:23, James 1:15, Genesis 3:19, Revelation 21:8, Colossians 2:13
18. 18And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.22 cross-references: Ecclesiastes 4:9–12, 1 Corinthians 11:7–12, 1 Peter 3:7, Proverbs 18:22, Genesis 3:12
19. 19And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.13 cross-references: Psalms 8:4–8, Genesis 1:28, Genesis 1:20–26, Genesis 9:2, Genesis 6:20
20. 20And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.7 cross-references: Genesis 2:18
21. 21And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;15 cross-references: Genesis 15:12, Job 4:13, 1 Samuel 26:12, Job 33:15, Daniel 8:18
22. 22And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.12 cross-references: 1 Corinthians 11:8–9, 1 Timothy 2:13, Hebrews 13:4, Proverbs 18:22, Genesis 2:19
23. 23And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.16 cross-references: Ephesians 5:28–30, 1 Corinthians 11:8–9, 2 Samuel 5:1, Judges 9:2, Genesis 29:14
24. 24Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.41 cross-references: Matthew 19:3–9, Ephesians 5:28–31, Mark 10:6–12, Romans 7:2, 1 Peter 3:1–7
25. 25And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.18 cross-references: Genesis 3:7, Genesis 3:10–11, Romans 10:11, Joel 2:26, Jeremiah 17:13

Explained connections

• The two become one flesh Genesis 2:24 and Matthew 19:5

  Genesis explains marriage: a man leaves his parents, is joined to his wife, and they become one flesh. Jesus quotes it and draws the conclusion: what God has joined, no one should separate.

• A great mystery Genesis 2:24 and Ephesians 5:31

  Paul quotes Genesis 2:24 at the climax of his teaching on marriage, then says it is a profound mystery that speaks of Christ and the church. Human marriage becomes a picture of Christ's union with his people.

• One flesh and one spirit Genesis 2:24 and 1 Corinthians 6:16

  Paul applies the one-flesh principle to sexual immorality: union with a prostitute is a real bodily union. Since believers are joined to the Lord in one spirit, the body matters to God.

• God rested on the seventh day Genesis 2:2 and Hebrews 4:4

  Hebrews connects the rest of Psalm 95 with God's own rest after creation. The rest offered is God's rest, entered by faith.

• The tree of life Genesis 2:9 and Revelation 22:2

  The tree of life stands in Eden's centre; after the fall the way to it is barred. In the Bible's last chapter it stands by the river in the city, bearing fruit every month, its leaves for the healing of the nations — Eden restored and expanded.

• The river from Eden Genesis 2:10 and Revelation 22:1

  A river flows out of Eden to water the garden. Revelation's river of the water of life flows from God's throne — paradise's river returns at the centre of the city.

• The wages of sin is death Genesis 2:17 and Romans 6:23

  God warns that eating the forbidden fruit brings death. Paul states the principle — sin pays out death — and adds the contrast: God's gift is eternal life in Christ.

• The breath of new life Genesis 2:7 and John 20:22

  God breathes into Adam the breath of life. The risen Jesus breathes on his disciples and says 'Receive the Holy Spirit' — John uses the same rare verb as the Greek of Genesis 2:7, signalling new creation.

• The Sabbath made for man Genesis 2:3 and Mark 2:27

  God blesses the seventh day and sets it apart at creation. Jesus says the Sabbath was made for humanity, not humanity for the Sabbath — and that he is its Lord.

• The first Adam and the last Adam Genesis 2:7 and 1 Corinthians 15:45

  Genesis says God breathed into Adam and he became a living soul. Paul quotes it and sets Christ beside Adam as the 'last Adam' who became a life-giving spirit: Adam heads the old humanity, Christ the new, risen one.

• A bride from the sleeper's side Genesis 2:21 and John 19:34

  God forms Eve from the side of the sleeping Adam. Church fathers such as Augustine saw the church born from the pierced side of Christ asleep in death, as blood and water (read as baptism and the Eucharist) flowed out. John does not draw the link himself; it is an early Christian reading.

Chapters most linked to Genesis 2

• Genesis 328 links
• Genesis 120 links
• Genesis 109 links
• Ezekiel 318 links
• 1 Corinthians 157 links
• Ephesians 57 links
• 1 Corinthians 117 links
• Exodus 206 links
• Matthew 196 links
• Exodus 315 links
• Genesis 255 links
• Genesis 45 links
• Job 335 links
• 1 Timothy 25 links
• Nehemiah 94 links
• Psalms 334 links

People in Genesis 2

God, Adam

Places in Genesis 2

Eden, Havilah, Pison, Gihon, Ethiopia, Hiddekel, Assyria, Euphrates

Hard questions about Genesis 2

• Were the animals created before or after the first man?
• Is marriage good, or better avoided?
• Were the birds and animals brought forth from the waters or formed from the ground?
• Do Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 give two conflicting accounts of creation?
• Were plants created before or after the first man?
• Was the woman created together with the man, or later, after the animals were named?
• Was Adam given every tree for food, or was one tree forbidden?
• Did God rest on the seventh day, or does he keep working?
• Did Adam die on the day he ate the forbidden fruit, as God had warned?