The Bible Book

26

I

n chapter 2 of Genesis,

God creates the Garden

of Eden, an earthly paradise.

We cannot know Eden’s exact

location, but scholars have

proposed several possibilities,

including Mesopotamia (now Iraq),

Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Armenia.

Genesis 2:8 mentions the Euphrates

and the Tigris rivers, which both

flow into the Persian Gulf via

Turkey, Syria, and Iraq.

God creates the garden by

bringing streams up from the earth

and filling the ground with plants

that are “pleasing to the eye and

good for food.” There are two trees

in the middle of the garden—the

Tree of Life and the Tree of the

Knowledge of Good and Evil.

The making of man

Genesis depicts the creation of

humankind in two separate

passages. The first of these (1:27),

LET US MAKE

MAN IN OUR

IMAGE, IN

OUR LIKENESS

GENESIS 1:26, THE GARDEN OF EDEN

IN BRIEF

PA S SAGE

Genesis 1:1–2:25

THEME

Creation of humanity

SETTING

Primeval period Inside

Eden, during the time covered

by the first 11 chapters

of Genesis.

KEY FIGURES

Adam The first man,

made in God’s image, who

is the ruler of all animals

and steward of the Earth.

Eve The first woman,

and companion to Adam.

Created by God, either at the

same time as Adam or by

using one of Adam’s ribs.

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