The Controversy between Genesis 1 & 2

Order of things "Made" in Genesis 1	Order of things "Formed" in Genesis 2
Vegetation (made first - 3rd day)	Adam (formed first)
Animals (made second - 5th and 6th day)	Vegetation (formed second)
Male (made third - 6th day)	Animals (formed third)
Female (made fourth - 6th day)	Eve (formed fourth)

In Genesis 1, it is stated that all the vegeation was "made" previous to animals being "made", and that animals were "made" previous to man being "made" (male and female). But in Genesis 2, it has a different order; that man (Adam) was "formed" previous to vegetation being "formed, and that vegetation was "formed" previous to animals being "formed," and that animals were "formed" previous to Eve being "formed." Was man made last (as Genesis 1 states), or was man formed first (as Genesis 2 states)? The answer is...both are correct!

If the words "made" and "formed" meant "exactly" the same thing, then God's order would be disorder, which it is not. Now, according to the natural man's spiritually dead "thoughts" (1 Corinthians 2:14), to "make" and to "form" must mean the same thing, because, to them, you can't "make" something without the immediate result of something being "formed." But this answer is already in God's Word:

Isaiah 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

'Made' and 'Formed' have two separate Meanings

The Hebrew words that "made" and "formed" are translated from are two completely different words with two completely different definitions! The term "made" is translated from Hebrew word #6212, which basically means "to prepare," and the word "formed" is translated from Hebrew word #3335, which means "to form, fashion, frame." In other words, God "prepared" every living thing in Genesis 1, but did not actually bring it into physical form until Genesis 2!

God has told us, in His Word, that "made" and "formed" are two separate and distinct events:

Isaiah 44:2, "Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb..."

Isaiah 45:18, "For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it;"

Both the 'Creationists' and 'Evolutionists' explanation of Genesis 1 & 2 are Wrong

The point of view of so called "creation theology" is that Genesis 1:26 (the sixth day) speaks of the physical creation of Adam and Eve in order to combat the vain imaginations of the "evolutionists" whose position is that Genesis 1:26 is saying that there were men walking the earth before Adam was formed at Genesis 2:7. With the two above "theories," there is this battle between, "creation verses evolution." But a lie verses a lie equals a lie that appears to be the truth.

We address the evolution theory in another part of this Website. The premise of the "creation theologians" is based on what is written in the Bible concerning the end of the sixth day:

Genesis 2:1-2, "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made."

Therefore, their premise is that the account of the six day creation (Genesis 1:1 through Genesis 2:1) is just an overview of the specifics written about from Genesis 2:4 through Genesis 3:1, which they say were written by a different writer than Chapter One. This premise is opinion, speculation, and not the Truth. The Truth is not found in the imaginations of man, but in the Word of God.

All Men were 'Made' in Genesis 1

Firstly, it has been assumed by many that Genesis 1:26-27 is speaking about Adam and Eve only (male and female), and that those who were "begat" through and after them were simply a "by-product" of the first man and woman. With a thorough and diligent study of Genesis in the Septuagint and several chapters elsewhere in His Word, it can be revealed to us that all men (male and female) were "made" inclusive on the sixth day of creation. Just like all grass and all trees were made on the third day, and all animals were made on the fifth and sixth days.

The Septuagint says, concerning the end of the sixth day, "And the heavens and earth were finished, and the whole order of them" [Let there be...(Genesis 1:3, 6, 14), Let the...(Genesis 1:9, 11, 20, 24), Let them...(Genesis 1:15), Let us...(Genesis 1:26)]. You see, God set everything in order in the first six days of creation.

But we do not find that God "formed" any living thing until Genesis 2:7, wherein the text reads that he "formed the man" (Adam) and "the man" became a living soul. Notice that Genesis 1:26 does not read "Let us make the man..." (singular, as it is used in Genesis 2:7 when God formed Adam), it reads "Let us make man..." (plural).

More proof that things can be 'Made' without being 'Formed'

In the very first passage of scripture, we can see this distinction:

Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth."

However, in the very next verse, it states, "And the earth was without form" (Genesis 1:2). Thus showing that something can be made without being formed yet.

Preceding the forming of Adam at Genesis 2:7, we see this important verse:

Genesis 2:4-5, "This is the book of the generation of heaven and earth, when they were made, in the day in which the LORD God made the heaven and the earth, and every herb of the field before it was in the earth [before it was formed], and all the grass of the field before it sprang up [before it was formed], for God had not rained on the earth, and there was not a man to cultivate it [why was there not a man to cultivate it? Because no man was yet formed!]."

From these verses, we see that, during the six day creation, God "made" the herb and the grass, but he had not yet "formed" them. He had "made" the seeds of them (Genesis 1:11-12) but they were not yet "formed" on the earth. He had "made" man, male and female (Genesis 1:26-27), but "the first man" (Adam) was not yet "formed," and had not yet received the breath of life from God ("not a man to cultivate"). That occurs at Genesis 2:6.

What is important to note here is that during the account of the six day creation, all of the animals were "made" (Genesis 1:20-25), before man (male and female) was "made" (Genesis 1:26-27). But when we come to the "forming" of them, we see that, at Genesis 2:7, Adam was "formed" before the animals, then, at Genesis 2:19, the animals were "formed." Then, at Genesis 2:20, Adam named the animals. And lastly, at Genesis 1:22, Eve was "formed" from Adam's rib.

We see, then, that the sequence of "making" the animals and man (male and female) does not follow the sequence of the "forming" of them, and therefore "making" and "forming" were not the same act, for God is not a God of disorder and His Word is true.

The Making and Forming of Eve

Eve was first "made" before she was "formed."

Genesis 2:18, "And the Lord God said, [It is] not good that the man should be alone, let us make for him a help suitable to him."

At Genesis 2:18, only Adam was formed. His help suitable to him, Eve, was not yet formed. In this verse, God says he will "make" (i.e. prepare) Eve for Adam. Eve was part of God's order (as established in Genesis 1:26-28). He set his Will in motion. His thoughts were about to become reality, but Eve was not yet a reality, she was not yet "formed," but she was "made."

Verses 19 and 20 is where God formed the animals, and Adam named them. Eve was still being "made" or "prepared" at this point, yet she was not yet formed.

Verses 21-25 is where Eve is finally formed and brought into physical existence. Before this point, she did not physically exist, even though she was "made" and "prepared" to exist, by and through the Will of God.

Your Questions Answered

1. But scripture says God ceased from all his works on the seventh day! If God "formed" Adam after the eighth day, that would mean God began his "work" again.

   Answer: Let us read this passage in context:

   Genesis 2:1-3, "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and the whole order of them. And God finished on the sixth day his works which he made, and he ceased on the seventh day from all his works which he made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it, because in it he ceased from all his works which God began to do.

   As we can see, God only ceased from his works that he "made." Remember, he put everything in "order" during the first 6 days of creation. Also notice, this passage says God ceased from his works that He "began to do." God did not just sit back after the first six days, and leave everybody alone! God has always done many wonderful works every day since creation.

   For example, God "formed" the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai in stone. That was a work. God "formed" you and I in the womb. But he made all these things, and put them all in order, during the first six days of creation.

2. In Genesis 2:9, it says "And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree..." Does this mean the trees were not formed in the Garden of Eden?

   Answer: Actually, the Hebrew word for "made" does not appear in this verse, because "made" here was added by the translators. The phrase "made the LORD" is actually translated from Hebrew word #3068, which is translated "LORD" in the bible. The words "made the" were inserted before the word "LORD" in Genesis 2:9 for clarity. But Hebrew word #6213, "made," does not exist in this verse.

   The trees and plants were literally formed at this point. This is verified in the previous verse, where it says:

   Genesis 2:8, "And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed."

   If God did not form a garden, it would not be possible to place Adam, who was formed at this point, in a non-existent garden.

3. In Genesis 2:22, it says God made a woman, referring to Eve. Therefore, since Eve was formed here, does not "made" in this verse mean "formed"?

   Answer: Yes, it does. However, the word "made" here is from Hebrew word #1129, and it is not the same "made" that is used in Genesis 1. It is Hebrew word #6213 (made) that refers to something being "prepared," and not necessarily "formed." The Septuagint accurately does not put "made" in this verse.