Discovering Chiasms Challenge #4 from Genesis 2

This is the fourth analysis in the Discovering Chiasms Challenge series, intended to help you develop your pattern recognition skills using the Bible. (See my article What is a Chiasm? if you are already confused.) The three previous challenges combined chiastic structure with other literary devices. This one just involves a chiasm.

See if you can find the structure in the following verses. Click on "Show Structure" once you have your answer. Then click on "Analysis: Why is it there?" to check your analysis with mine. I suggest that the Personal Reflection at the end of the lesson can be the most important part of these quizzes.

5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up – for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground – 7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9a And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. (Gen 2:5-9a ESV)

A  No life, either shrubs or plants (v5a)   B  Dry land (v5b)     C  No man to work the ground (v5c)       D  A mist watered the ground (v6)     C′  The Lord breathed life into man (v7)   B′  The Lord planted a garden with man (v8) A′  The Lord caused plant life to spring up (v9a)

Analysis: Why is it there?
Some people suggest that following the creation story in Genesis 1, Genesis 2:5-9 is a second creation. To me that is not correct. I like to think of Genesis 1 as a picture of what was created and Genesis 2 as perspective of who, where and how creation developed. To me, I view these as the same creation.

A change took place in verse six. Before that, there was no life: no plants in a parched land where no man existed. Afterwards there was life in the form of man, a garden and abundant plants. The question then focuses on, "What happened?" The key role is in the center of the chiasm: the water and the mist.

The reference to mist and water in verse 6, and to breathed and breath in verse 7, points to the Holy Spirit. The frequent metaphors of water, breath and wind in both the Old and New Testaments are consistent pictures of the Holy Spirit. Just as Jesus breathed on the disciples to receive new life in the Holy Spirit (John 20:22), so breath was used to give life to the first man. Jesus was resurrected by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11), so life was breathed into man through the Holy Spirit. The first man was filled with life by the Holy Spirit.



Personal Reflection: In what ways do you help set the people free?

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