Gen 2:4-7 | KingComments | STEP | In begins again a report of what happened at creation, with the addition of some new details. That is done brief. It is as it were a quick run-up to the actual subject: the human being. It is expressly stated that man is not yet there. That man is the writer’s concern is also evident from the name used for God from , “LORD God”, Jahwe Elohim , that is the name that indicates His relationship with man.

‏ Genesis 2:4-7

Creation Before Man Was There

In Gen 2:4 begins again a report of what happened at creation, with the addition of some new details. That is done brief. It is as it were a quick run-up to the actual subject: the human being. It is expressly stated that man is not yet there. That man is the writer’s concern is also evident from the name used for God from Gen 2:4, “LORD God”, Jahwe Elohim, that is the name that indicates His relationship with man.

Man Becomes a Living Being

This verse describes the special way in which God formed man and made him “a living being” or a living soul. The word ‘formed’ describes the work of an artist. God forms man out of the earth (1Cor 15:47a), because the whole existence of man is connected to the earth. He belongs there (Psa 115:16b). But God also connects him with Himself by breathing the breath of life into him. That’s why he stands above the animals. By it man also received an immortal soul.

By breathing in the breath of life, man changes from an outer form into a living being. This also makes him a spiritual being with the ability to serve and follow God.