Genesis 2:1  “…all the host of them”
Both on earth and in the heavens.  That would also include the universe.  God has created the entire physical universe in six days.  When you consider the other theories of the creation of the universe, there is only two reasons for doing so.  Either you do not believe God exists or you accept His existence, but don’t believe He had the power to create everything at His word.  This is the basis for original sin, not believing God.

3  “…God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it…”
Set it apart.  Wasn’t due to His exhaustion.  He not only created the universe for us, but the way in which He created it is also for us.  Man wasn’t just an afterthought.  God created everything and did it the way He did it with mankind in mind.  Sobering thought.

4-5  “…when they were created…the LORD God made the earth and the heavens…every plant of the field before it was in the earth…LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground”
Answers the question of chicken and egg.  The statement is being made that God created everything as it is, He didn’t start some process and walk away to leave it to itself.  He created the heavens and the earth, He created the plants and placed them in the ground, He created the animals and placed them in the sea and on the land, and He created mankind.  There wasn’t rain to fall to water planted seeds or man to till the ground or plant the seed.  God did it all by His spoken word, then set the world into motion.  I had not noticed this before.  I considered it a repeat of what had already been stated which the scripture does a lot to show importance.  But God emphasizes that He does exist, and He did create everything.

6  “…there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground”
Have heard varying thoughts on this.  Assumed that this was the original way of watering the earth as opposed to rain due to the water canopy above the firmament.  No clouds as we have now, but more of a greenhouse effect with very heavy mist and dew.  Makes sense.  Creation was perfect.  No issue with drought or over watering/flooding.  All will change with the flood.

7  “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
Beginning the specific narrative of the creation of man.  Have had the first mention of man’s creation on the sixth day, now going into more details.  Important ones at that.  Man came from the dust of the ground.  Our bodies are part of this physical universe.  Then God breathed into us the breath of life, and we became living souls.  He didn’t do this to other animal life.  Commentary makes the statement that the text literally says breath of lives.  God created us in His image and breathed into us not just animation, but also spiritual life.  Man exists as a living soul, an eternal entity.  This is the part that makes us in God’s image.  And we have both physical and spiritual forms in which to exist in order to interact in both the physical and spiritual universes.  This is also in God’s image.  It sets man apart from all other creation.  It will become more apparent in the story of the first sin when man dies.

8  “…a garden eastward in Eden…”
East of what.  Assumption is Israel which would put it in the area which is now Iraq and Iran.  No mention of how large an area.  Checked the world map.  If we consider that the original dry land God created was one unit and that the continents drifted during the aftermath of the flood, looking at a world map and bringing the continents back together puts Israel and Eden in somewhat of the center of the great mass.

9  “…The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
Much debate on what these actually were.  Were not any fruit trees that we have now, obviously.  Commentary suggests the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was placed there as a test of obedience.  Leads me to think perhaps they were both put there as symbolic gestures, not as some source of magic fruit to bestow something.  Tree of Life could represent purity of life and its intention or purpose was to exist forever.  The book of Revelation mentions that the tree of life will one day be present again in man’s habitat.  The tree of the knowledge of good and evil may not have bestowed any extra knowledge, but the act of eating from it caused man to no longer be innocent in thought or deed.  This tree is not mentioned to be in the new habitat as the tree of life.  There will no longer be a need for a test of obedience.  All those who will make it to that point will have chosen life with Christ.

10-14  “…a river went out of Eden to water the garden…”
Describes a river that came out of Eden and became four other rivers.  Wonder if those four were intended to branch off and water the entire land mass.  Only the Hiddekel and the Euphrates are mentioned again.  With the new geography which will be in place after the flood, I feel like those four and the original supplier were eradicated.  The present day Hiddekel and Euphrates are probably not the original two by those names.

15  “…God…put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it”
Man has always had work to do.  He was given dominion over everything on the planet, and he was also told to tend and keep it or take care of it.  This is where I disagree with those who insist that man is the cause of climate and environmental problems.  The earth was created for us to dominate and use.  It cannot function as it should without man’s intervention.  Certainly we are to take care of it to the best of our abilities, but it is not so fragile that we could completely destroy it nor so self sustaining that it would be better off without us.

17  “…of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die”
Only command man was given to not do something.  Sets up his free will choice to believe and obey God or not.

18-20  I always found it odd that God states it’s not good for man to be alone, then the text tells about Adam naming the animals.  Someone pointed out God’s basic reason for doing what He does, to show man something.  He brought all the other animals to Adam which showed him there wasn’t another like him.  Adam now understands his need for another like himself.

21-22  “…He took one of his ribs…He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man”
Interesting that God didn’t make the woman out of the dust of the ground as He had man, but took something from the man and fashioned her from it.  People have made all kinds of inferences from that action.  Most are probably nice thoughts, but I prefer to stick to what is said, basically that woman came from man, but she is different.  She is of the same type, but different enough to be a helper and companion.

24  “…they shall become one flesh”
Interesting to think that God created man, then in a sense divided him into two parts, man and woman.  Yet man and woman are to become one again in their relationship with each other and with God.  Of one thought and purpose in their worship of Him.  Hard to know what this would have looked like had man not sinned and destroyed it.  I wonder how much will be restored when time is complete.

25  “…they were both naked…”
Hard to know all the implications of this statement beyond the obvious.  When comparing man’s condition here to that after the fall, it seems to include an honesty and openness that is lost.  Man and woman were totally open with each other and God.  They held nothing back and were not ashamed of anything that was revealed.  After the fall this was no longer the case, as it is now.  We not only have aspects of our physical bodies which we are ashamed to show, but aspects of our personalities and attitudes.  A married couple can become this way with each other if God is part of their union.

I hope you enjoy reading and studying His word.  May it accomplish what He desires.  Please feel free to comment or post questions.  Thanks for reading!

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.