Commonly we refer to "the creation story" in Genesis, but in reality Genesis contains two stories: the first one begins in Genesis 1:1 and concludes in chapter 2:3. The second story begins in chapter 2:4 and concludes at the end of chapter 3. Although these two stories do not contradict each other, they do emphasize different aspects of God’s character and his relationship to humans.

In the first story, the narrator focuses on the power of the word and quotes the "Spirit of God, [who] was hovering over the waters" (1:1).1 This voice commands the entire world in six days. On the sixth day the routine begins to vary. Another presence is noted when God says, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness" (1:26). The other presence does not agree or disagree. God simply makes it happen, creating man and woman in his image (1:27), and commanding them to "increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground" (1:28). He gives them "every seed-bearing plant" and "every tree that has fruit with seed in it" (1:29). Making no comment about the couple’s response, the narrator notes that "the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array" (2:1), and he points out that God rested because he was finished with his work. He blessed the day and fell silent.

No mention has been made of a garden in this story. This world is vast and generalized, one that has evenings and mornings that form weekly cycles and then falls under the rule of the human couple. Furthermore, no hints have been given about mortality versus immortality, or about good and evil. Obedience appears to be taken for granted. No part of this world is off limits; however, a distinct hierarchy is implied: God at the top—the human pair just below him—the created world under these two. We see nothing about how this man and woman relate to each other or to their Creator.

Here the second story begins: "This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created (2:4). It is more place-centered, conflict-ridden, and personal. The narrator does not set up the specific weekly cycle, nor does he go into the exact order of creation, but man comes early in the story—formed by God himself "from the dust of the ground." God "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life" (2:7). How beautiful and utterly personal! This newly created man is not just in a vast world. He is in the Garden of Eden—not to subdue and rule, but to take care of it, and there is a specific location. It is the center of four streams that flow out of it—Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates. Furthermore, though there are many trees, all good for use, there are two named trees—"the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (2:9).

The narrator introduces the possibility of conflict when he says that God shows these two trees to the man and says, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die" (2:16, 17). Having given this momentous piece of news about the possibility of death, God moves to the next item of creation—woman. But before woman, the narrator stops to fill in the gap about the rest of creation: "the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name" (2:19). Here is a Creator who allows man the creative power of naming, and he is curious "to see" what the names will be.

Only after the man is finished naming is woman made for "Adam," for whom "no suitable helper was found" (2:20). There are two surprises in this story: Adam now has a name, but nothing has been said about his naming, and suddenly, we become aware that there is no "suitable" mate for Adam, so God forms a mate out of Adam’s rib and calls her woman (2:21–23). Adam and Eve’s costume—or lack of it—is mentioned. They are simply naked and feel "no shame" (2:25).

This beautiful state of existence does not last long. Enter the "crafty" serpent, speaking and splitting theological hairs over the meaning of death (3:1). His arguments seduce Eve, and she seduces Adam. They both eat of the apple, and it makes them aware of their nakedness. Hurriedly they sew fig leaves together for covering. We finally hear God and Adam speak to each other. Ashamed, Adam claims the need to hide, but God will not let Adam and his woman hide. He finds them: "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" (3:11). Adam’s reply is not heroic. It’s the first time we hear a husband’s voice, and already he’s blaming his wife, and by implication, God: "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it" (3:12).

God’s response is to create a series of powerful curses on the serpent, the woman, and Adam (3:14–19). Immediately after the curses, Adam names the woman Eve—not in commemoration of evil but in the promise of life, "because she would become the mother of all the living" (3:20). So they are to live, work, suffer, and bear children. The suffering, at least in the animal kingdom, must start immediately. The narrator next pictures God engaged in a motherly act: "The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them" (3:21). This implies the death of animals, but also reveals caretaking by God. He has not abandoned them, but he does stop to express a more pressing concern: "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil" (3:22). "One of us"? The "us" is not explained, but it implies others who also know and understand both good and evil and are immortal. For this knowledge, man and wife are driven from the garden because there is now a danger that they could eat of the tree of life and "live forever" (3:22). A cherubim with a flaming sword is posted to block the way to the tree of life.

And so we come to the end of the second story, one that is more complete than the first, having dealt with creation itself and its ruin. It’s interactive between God and humans. God is personal and involved, using his hands to create and clothe humans. If this story is more complete, why then do we need the first one? The first one itemizes creation, including the weekly cycle and the day of rest. It emphasizes hierarchy. The second one suppresses hierarchy and emphasizes communication between God and humans.

Both stories are necessary to our understanding of God and ourselves. They complement each other. They give us ways of approaching God and of caring for ourselves and our world. The second story sets the stage for the battles between good and evil and implies a cure that will come through the covenants yet to be explored.

Notes and References

1. All biblical quotations are taken from the New International Version.

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