Genesis 2:1. Host of them— All the creatures in the heavens and the earth are called their hosts, for their multitude, variety, order, power, and subjection to the Lord of hosts. Nothing remained farther to be done; the whole was finished to the utmost perfection, and regulated in the exactest order. read more
1. the heavens—the firmament or atmosphere. host—a multitude, a numerous array, usually connected in Scripture with heaven only, but here with the earth also, meaning all that they contain. were finished—brought to completion. No permanent change has ever since been made in the course of the world, no new species of animals been formed, no law of nature repealed or added to. They could have been finished in a moment as well as in six days, but the work of creation was gradual for the... read more
Moses probably meant everything that existed above the earth and on the earth when he wrote "their hosts." The "host" of heaven usually refers to the stars in the Old Testament (e.g., Deuteronomy 4:19) more than the angels (e.g., 1 Kings 22:19), so the sun, moon, and stars are probably in view here. read more
4. The seventh day 2:1-3"Genesis 2:1-3 echoes Genesis 1:1 by introducing the same phrases but in reverse order: ’he created,’ ’God,’ ’heavens and earth’ reappear as ’heavens and earth’ (Genesis 2:1) ’God’ (Genesis 2:2), ’created’ (Genesis 2:3). This chiastic pattern brings the section to a neat close which is reinforced by the inclusion ’God created’ linking Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 2:3." [Note: Wenham, p. 5.] The mood of the narrative also returns to what it was in Genesis 1:1-2. Silence and... read more
The Creation'The foundation of foundations and pillar of all wisdom is to know that the First Being is, and that He giveth existence to everything that exists! 'Thus wrote Moses Maimonides, a Jewish scholar of the 12th cent, a.d., concerning whom the Jewish proverb runs: 'From Moses to Moses there arose none like Moses.' He had in his mind the opening chapter of the Bible, the object of which is to lay this foundation; to declare the existence of the One God; to teach that the Universe was... read more
II.THE SABBATH.(1) Were finished.—The first three verses of this chapter form part of the previous narrative, and contain its Divine purpose. For the great object of this hymn of creation is to give the sanction of the Creator to the Sabbath. Hence the ascribing of rest to Him who wearies not, and hence also the description of the several stages of creation as days. Labour is, no doubt, ennobled by creation being described as work done by God; but the higher purpose of this Scripture was that... read more
EXCURSUS B: ON THE NAMES ELOHIM AND JEHOVAH-ELOHIM.Throughout the first account of creation (Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 2:3) the Deity is simply called Elohim. This word is strictly a plural of Eloah, which is used as the name of God only in poetry, or in late books like those of Nehemiah and Daniel. It is there an Aramaism, God in Syriac being Aloho, in Ohaldee Ellah, and in Arabic Allahu—all of which are merely dialectic varieties of the Hebrew Eloah, and are used constantly in the singular... read more
The Creator Explained By the Creation Genesis 2:2 Given the Creation, to find the Creator, at least to conjecture about Him. Given the house, to discover something about the builder of it, or the owner or the occupant. It is a large house; very well, then the man behind it, who made it, or is responsible for it, must be a man of some substance and property. It is an artistically furnished house; every piece of furniture has been set down by the hands of love just in the right place and in the... read more
THE CREATIONGenesis 1:1-31; Genesis 2:1-25 IF anyone is in search of accurate information regarding the age of this earth, or its relation to the sun, moon, and stars, or regarding the order in which plants and animals have appeared upon it, he is referred to recent textbooks in astronomy, geology, and palaeontology. No one for a moment dreams of referring a serious student of these subjects to the Bible as a source of information. It is not the object of the writers of Scripture to impart... read more
Get Bible verse every day in your inbox
Read on Mobile
Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Genesis 2:1
"And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them."Here is a summary of the first chapter, suggesting the beginning of another epoch about to be related. We simply find it incredibly naive and stupid to believe that Moses would then immediately have moved to incorporate into this narrative a contradictory account of what was just related. Nor does the critical speculation that some editor, redactor, or other such imaginable agent, could intelligently have done such a thing,... read more