Genesis 5:2

2 He created them male and female, blessed them, and named them "Human Beings.") 1

Genesis 5:2 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 5:2

Male and female created he them
Adam and Eve, the one a male, the other a female; and but one male and one female, to show that one man and one woman only were to be joined together in marriage, and live as man and wife for the procreation of posterity; and these were not made together, but first the male, and then the female out of him, though both in one day: and blessed them;
with a power of propagating their species, and multiplying it, and with all other blessings of nature and providence; with an habitation in the garden of Eden; with leave to eat of the fruit of all the trees in it, but one; with subjection of all the creatures to them, and with communion with God in their enjoyments: and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created;
which, as Philo F19 observes, signifies "earth"; and according to Josephus F20 red earth, out of which Adam was made; and as soon as he was made, this name was imposed upon him by God, to put him in mind of his original, that he was of the earth, earthly; and the same name was given to Eve, because made out of him, and because other marriage with him, and union to him; on that account, as ever since, man and wife bear the same name: wherefore I should rather think the name was given them from their junction and union together in love; so the name may be derived from the Arabic word F21 signifying to "join": though some think they had it from their beauty, and the elegance of their form {w}, being the most fair and beautiful of the whole creation. The names of Adam and Eve in Sanchoniatho F24, as translated into Greek by Philo Byblius, are Protogonos, the first born, and Aeon, which has some likeness to Eve: the name of the first man with the Chinese is Puoncuus F25.


FOOTNOTES:

F19 Leg. Allegor. l. 1. p. 57.
F20 Antiqu. l. 1. c. 1. sect. 2.
F21 <arabic> "junxit, addiditque rem rei---amore junxit", Golius, col. 48.
F23 (Mda) "pulcher fuit, nituit", Stockius, p. 13. Vid Ludolph. Hist. Ethiop. l. 1. c. 15.
F24 Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 1. p. 34.
F25 Martin. Hist. Sinic. l. 1. p. 3.

Genesis 5:2 In-Context

1 This is the list of the descendants of Adam. (When God created human beings, he made them like himself.
2 He created them male and female, blessed them, and named them "Human Beings.")
3 When Adam was 130 years old, he had a son who was like him, and he named him Seth.
4 After that, Adam lived another 800 years. He had other children
5 and died at the age of 930.

Cross References 1

  • 1. 5.2Matthew 19.4;Mark 10.6.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.