וַיְכֻלּוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ וְכָל־־צְבָאָם   2:1

Gene. 2:1        So the heavens and the earth and everything coming forth of them were finished.

Coming forth of them?  Why them and not it, the earth?  Did something come forth from the heavens?  Angels, possibly?

וַיְכַל אֱלֹהִים בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה וַיִּשְׁבֹּת בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי מִכָּל־־מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר   2:2

עָשָׂה

Gene. 2:2        And by the seventh day God had finished His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done.

Why did God rest at the end of that period?  See the next verse.

וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹהִים אֶת־־יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אֹתוֹ כִּי בוֹ שָׁבַת מִכָּל־מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים   2:3

לַעֲשׂוֹת

Gene. 2:3         And God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it when He rested on it from all His work that God had chosen to do.

‏אֵ֣לֶּה תוֹלְד֧וֹת הַשָּׁמַ֛יִם וְהָאָ֖רֶץ בְּהִבָּֽרְאָ֑ם בְּי֗וֹם עֲשׂ֛וֹת יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶ֥רֶץ וְשָׁמָֽיִם   2:4

Gene. 2:4         These are the generations of the heavens and the earth during their creation at the time the Lord God was making the earth and the heavens.

וְכֹל שִׂיחַ הַשָּׂדֶה טֶרֶם יִהְיֶה בָאָרֶץ וְכָל־עֵשֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶה טֶרֶם יִצְמָח כִּי לֹא הִמְטִיר יְהוָה   2:5

אֱלֹהִים עַל הָאָרֶץ וְאָדָם אַיִן לַעֲבֹד אֶת־הָאֲדָמָה

Gene. 2:5        Now no shrub of the field could yet be on the earth, and no herb of the field could have sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth and there was no man to till the ground.

וְאֵד יַעֲלֶה מִן־הָאָרֶץ וְהִשְׁקָה אֶת־־כָּל־פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה   2:6

Gene. 2:6         But a mist would arise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground.

וַיִּיצֶר יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָאָדָם עָפָר מִן־הָאֲדָמָה וַיִּפַּח בְּאַפָּיו נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים וַיְהִי הָאָדָם לְנֶפֶש חַיָּה   2:7

Gene. 2:7      Then the Lord God formed the man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became as a living soul.

וַיִּטַּע יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים גַּן־בְּעֵדֶן מִקֶּדֶם וַיָּשֶׂם שָׁם אֶת הָאָדָם אֲשֶׁר יָצָר   2:8

Gene. 2:8         And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden eastward and He put there the man whom He had formed.

וַיַּצְמַח יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים מִן־הָאֲדָמָה כָּל־עֵץ נֶחְמָד לְמַרְאֶה וְטוֹב לְמַאֲכָלוְעֵץ הַחַיִּים בְּתוֹךְ הַגָּן   2:9

הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע

Gene. 2:9         And the Lord God made grow out of the ground every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food.  Also the tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the understanding of good and evil.

וְנָהָר יֹצֵא מֵעֵדֶן לְהַשְׁקוֹת אֶת־הַגָּן וּמִשָּׁם יִפָּרֵד וְהָיָה לְאַרְבָּעָה רָאשִׁים   2:10

Gene. 2:10      And a river to water the garden was coming out of Eden, and there it would part and become as four heads.

שֵׁם הָאֶחָד פִּישׁוֹן הוּא הַסֹּבֵב אֵת כָּל אֶרֶץ הַחֲוִילָה אֲשֶׁר־שָׁם הַזָּהָב   2:11

Gene. 2:11      The name of the first is Pison; it was permeating the whole land of Havilah, where there was the gold.

וּזְהַב הָאָרֶץ הַהִוא טוֹב שָׁם הַבְּדֹלַח וְאֶבֶן הַשֹּׁהַם   2:12

Gene. 2:12    And the gold of that land is good; there is bdellium and stone of onyx.

וְשֵׁם־הַנָּהָר הַשֵּׁנִי גִּיחוֹן הוּא הַסּוֹבֵב אֵת כָּל אֶרֶץ כּוּשׁ   2:13

Gene. 2:13       And the name of the second river is Gihon; it was permeating the whole land of Cush.

Cush is understood to be Ethiopia.

וְשֵׁם־־הַנָּהָר הַשְּׁלִישִׁי חִדֶּקֶל הוּא הַהֹלֵךְ קִדְמַת אַשּׁוּר וְהַנָּהָר הָרְבִיעִי הוּא פְרָת   2:14

Gene. 2:14      And the name of the third river is Tigris;  it is going to the east of Assyria.  And the fourth river, it is the Euphrates.

וַיִּקַּח יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָאָדָם וַיַּנִּחֵהוּ בְגַן־־עֵדֶן לְעָבְדָהּ וּלְשָׁמְרָה ּ   2:15

Gene. 2:15      And the Lord God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

וַיְצַו יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים עַל־הָאָדָם לֵאמֹר מִכֹּל עֵץ־הַגָּן אָכֹל תֹּאכֵל   2:16

Gene. 2:16       And the Lord God placed a charge upon the man saying, “From every tree of the garden you may freely eat,

וּמֵעֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָעלֹא תֹאכַל מִמֶּנּוּ כִּי בְּיוֹם אֲכָלְךָ מִמֶּנּוּ מוֹת תָּמוּת   2:17

Gene. 2:17      but from the tree of the understanding of good and evil, you shall not eat from it, for on the day of your eating from it, you would surely die.”

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים לֹא־טוֹב הֱיוֹת הָאָדָם לְבַדּוֹ אֶעֱשֶׂה־לּוֹ עֵזֶר כְּנֶגְדּוֹ   2:18

Gene. 2:18     Then the Lord God said, ”The man being by himself is not good.  I will make him a helper as his companion.”

וַיִּצֶר יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים מִן־הָאֲדָמָה כָּל־חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה וְאֵת כָּל־עוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וַיָּבֵא אֶל־הָאָדָם לִרְאוֹת   2:19

מַה־יִּקְרָא־לוֹ וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר יִקְרָא־לוֹ הָאָדָם נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה הוּא שְׁמוֹ

Gene. 2:19      Then the Lord God formed from the ground every beast of the field and every fowl of the air that He brought to the man to see what he would call them, and anything that the man would call a living creature to himself, that became its name.

Here in the second chapter of the bible, God gives the gift of free will (the ability to make choices) to humankind.

וַיִּקְרָא הָאָדָם שֵׁמוֹת לְכָלהַבְּהֵמָה וּלְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּלְכֹל חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה וּלְאָדָםiלֹא־מָצָא   2:20

עֵזֶר כְּנֶגְדּוֹ

Gene. 2:20       Thus the man gave names to all the cattle and the fowl of the air and to every beast of the field, but He did not find a helper for the man as his companion.

וַיַּפֵּל יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים תַּרְדֵּמָה עַל־הָאָדָם וַיִּישָׁן וַיִּקַּח אַחַת מִצַּלְעֹתָיו וַיִּסְגֹּר בָּשָׂר תַּחְתֶּנָּה   2:21

Gene. 2:21    Then the Lord caused a deep sleep to fall on the man, and he slept, and He removed one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in its place.

וַיִּבֶן יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הַצֵּלָע אֲשֶׁר־לָקַח מִן הָאָדָם לְאִשָּׁה וַיְבִאֶהָ אֶל־הָאָדָם   2:22

Gene. 2:22       And the Lord fashioned a woman from the rib that He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.

וַיֹּאמֶר הָאָדָם זֹאת הַפַּעַם עֶצֶם מֵעֲצָמַי וּבָשָׂר מִבְּשָׂרִי לְזֹאת יִקָּרֵא אִשָּׁה כִּי מֵאִישׁ   2:23

Gene. 2:23       And the man said, “This is at once bone from my bone and flesh from my flesh.”  To this he would give the name woman, because this was taken from man.

עַל־כֵּן יַעֲזָב־אִישׁ אֶת־אָבִיו וְאֶת־אִמּוֹ וְדָבַק בְּאִשְׁתּוֹ וְהָיוּ לְבָשָׂר אֶחָד   2:24

Gene. 2:24    Therefore a man must forsake his father and his mother, and cleave to his wife so they can be as one flesh.

וַיִּהְיוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם עֲרוּמִּים הָאָדָם וְאִשְׁתּוֹ וְלֹא יִתְבֹּשָׁשׁוּ    2:25

Gene. 2:25       And they were both naked, the man and his wife, but they could not be ashamed.

Many chapters of the bible end in this fashion.  A verse closes off the chapter that seems to have little connection with the events of the chapter.  In my experience this usually means that a message is being implied.  In this case I think the message is, “Be prepared for the next chapter!”  This verse seems to be an introductory statement to the events of the next chapter as if providing a basis for emphasizing the innocence of the two humans at this point in the narrative. 

 

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