Genesis 2:5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Scripture states, “At the time when the Lord God created the earth and the heavens, and every shrub of the field which was not yet on the earth, and every herb of the field which was not yet growing; for the Lord God sent no rain upon the earth, and there was no man to till the earth, but vapour came up from the earth, and watered the whole face of the earth.” This indicates that what was non-existent was endowed with life, and what had not been present arose at His command. Grass emerges from the soil, and when referencing grass, Scripture encompasses all seeds. The divine text also notes that “the Lord God sent no rain upon the earth,” indicating that the rains had not yet fallen. Additionally, it points out that the earth required no cultivation from man: “man did not cultivate the earth.” This serves as a proclamation to all future generations: Recognize that in the beginning, all that the earth produced was by divine decree, not merely attributed to the diligence of farmers but to the word imparted by its Creator. This is crucial for understanding that the earth, in generating its seeds, did not rely on other elements, but rather the command of the Creator was adequate for its purpose.

Moreover, consider the astonishing nature of the fact that He who commanded the earth to yield its bounty demonstrates His power beyond human understanding, while this same earth, heavy and bearing the weight of the world, is supported by waters, as proclaimed: “He established the earth on waters” (Psalm 135:6). What human intellect can grasp this mystery? When humans construct buildings, they excavate the ground; upon discovering water, they strive to eliminate it before laying foundations. Yet, the Creator of all operates contrary to human ways, revealing His indescribable might. When He wills, the very elements, obeying His command, can act against their inherent nature.

Let us delve further into this topic to clarify my points before continuing. It defies the nature of water to support such a weighty mass, and it is unusual for the earth to rest upon such a foundation. Nonetheless, the earth is founded upon the waters. How remarkable! If we investigate the properties of other creations, we’ll find within them the infinite power of the Creator, who governs everything visible according to His will. Consider fire: it possesses destructive potential, easily consuming all substances — stones, wood, bodies, and iron. However, when commanded by the Creator, it spared the innocent, preserving the lives of the youths within the furnace (Daniel 3). Do not marvel that fire did not harm them; the untamed element displayed such obedience that it did no damage, not even singeing their hair. It surrounded them yet obeying the Lord’s directive, it left these extraordinary young men unharmed, as safe as if they were in a meadow or garden. And lest anyone think that fire’s action was nonexistent, the compassionate God allowed it to maintain its burning capacity, while shielding His servants from harm. The fire revealed its effect upon those who threw them into it; it consumed and destroyed those who stood outside its reach.

Observe how the Lord, when He chooses, compels every element to act contrary to its nature. He is Creator and Sovereign, orchestrating all things according to His will. Furthermore, let us see a parallel in the behavior of water. If the fire spared those cast into it while affecting those on the outside, we note that water can sink some individuals while allowing others to pass unharmed. Remember Pharaoh and the Egyptians versus the Israelites: the latter, under Moses’ leadership and following the Lord’s command, traversed the Red Sea on dry ground, while the Egyptians who dared to follow were engulfed by water and perished. The elements yield to those who serve the Lord, restraining their force within themselves.

Let us be conscious of how we jeopardize our salvation through negligence, anger, and passions. We should strive to emulate the submissiveness of these indifferent elements, as we possess the gift of reason. If such a fierce and destructive element as fire did not harm fragile bodies, what excuse does a man have who fails to control his anger towards others as commanded by the Lord? Moreover, fire, known for its burning property, exercised restraint, while man, who is meant to be gentle and rational, acts contrary to his nature and resembles beasts through carelessness. This is why Scripture assigns names to people based on their actions, as their egregious passions often align them with the voiceless: sometimes likening them to dogs for shamelessness, “dumb dogs that cannot bark” (Isaiah 56:10); at other times calling them horses, “fattened horses: every one of them roars at the wife of another” (Jeremiah 5:8); or donkeys, for folly; “they will be like animals that perish” (Psalm 48:13). The same goes for lions and asp, denoting predation and cunning: “the poison of asps is under their lips” (Psalm 139:4). The blessed John proclaimed, “Serpents, brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Matthew 3:7).

Scripture provides varied names for individuals reflecting their passions, intending that they may feel ashamed and strive to return to the nobility befitting humanity, reconciling with their brethren and prioritizing God’s laws over their careless indulgences.

I find myself carried away by this discourse. Let us return to the primary topic at hand and discern what further lessons this blessed prophet seeks to impart to us today.

A faithful believer might accept this scriptural assertion, even if they cannot pinpoint the moment of creation. Conversely, the skeptic would certainly not.

What then can we glean from this? Is it believed that everything was created, even before it became manifest on the planet, as some propose, in the very Word of God? Yet, if this is the case, then creation occurred not at the advent of day, but prior to it. However, Scripture explicitly states, When day was present, God created heaven and earth, along with every grain of the field and every herb of the land, before they had even emerged from the earth. If all these things were brought into being during daylight, this indicates they were not made prior to day’s unveiling, and thus not in the coeternal Word alongside the Father before anything existed. Rather, they were created at the moment day emerged.

What exists in the Word of God before any creature is not considered created; nevertheless, the grain and grass were established in the context of daylight, as Scripture illustrates. However, they were brought forth prior to their appearance on earth, relating to the grain and grass of the field. Where then were they formed? Is it not within the earth itself causally and ideally, as all elements reside in seeds before they unfold and reveal their forms over time? The seeds that we observe now exist upon the ground, fully grown, indicating that they were previously in the earth, created before they emerged, demonstrating that when sprouted, they broke through the earth in due course.

Were the seeds not created when day appeared, and do field grains and grass not exist in them, not in their present form upon the earth but according to the potential inherent in the ideas of seeds? In this case, did the earth not originally yield the seeds? This understanding seems contrary to what Scripture states, which tells us that the earth produced the herb yielding seed after its kind, and the fruitful tree bearing fruit with its seed in it after its kind on the earth. These statements reveal that seeds indeed come from herbs and trees, while herbs and trees come not from seeds, but from the earth itself; the words of God confirm this.

For God does not declare, “Let the seed of the herb and the fruitful tree grow in the earth,” but rather, “Let the earth produce the herb that yields seed,” suggesting that the seed originates from the herb, not vice versa. And so it was, that the earth produced its growth; it was first acknowledged on that day, and then the earth bore it into being, thus it also manifested in the creation that God made.

But how can herbs and trees be said to be created prior to their emergence from the ground, as if there was another order by which they appeared concurrently with heaven and earth, upon which the unique day established by God was revealed, and not emerge from the earth during cycles dictated by the sun’s path? If that day represents the union of heavenly Angels and Powers, then surely the creation of God is perceived differently by them than by us; not to mention that Angels comprehend it through the Word of God, by whom all things were created, and they perceive it intrinsically in a manner distinct from our understanding.

For to them, it is known as the origin itself, as God first created it, and following that creation, He rested from His labors, ceasing further acts of creation. However, our knowledge is framed within the governance of the already created things, in a temporal arrangement, by which God still acts after finishing the sixfold work of creation. Consequently, the earth causally produced grassy growths and trees, embodying all temporal things that were destined to emerge throughout time. God surely planted paradise in the east subsequently, producing every tree that is pleasing to behold and good for nourishment, not implying that He added anything new to creation that had not been present before, but rather, He acts to govern and guide what was already established, having rested from His work.

Now regarding Genesis 2:5, where it states, “God did not send rain upon the earth, and there was no man to till the ground,” is it not obvious that this indicates all things were simultaneously created? It appears as though God produced the grass of the field prior to its growth due to a lack of rain on the land. If indeed He created it post-rain, one would assume it would have flourished because of that rain rather than having been set forth by God. But what, after rain, can grow if not from God?

And regarding the absence of a man to cultivate the earth, did not God create man on the sixth day, only to rest on the seventh? Might it be that the householder speaks of this to reiterate that when God formed every grain and herb, there was neither rain nor man present? For He created the grass and plants on the third day and humanity on the sixth. When God crafted the grain and herbs before they appeared above ground, not only was there no one to tend the earth, but even the herbs themselves had not yet been created.

Was it possible that on the third day, God created grass and grain anticipating that there would be no man to cultivate them? And certainly, countless trees and types of herbs exist without human effort. Is it not stated for both these reasons: first, the absence of rain and second, no presence of man to tend the land? Where there is no human toil, the grass and grain rise with rain, yet some varieties will not flourish unless human diligence is involved.

Thus, in contemporary times, both conditions are essential for growth; however, they were absent then, which is why God summoned forth the grass and herbs through His Word, independent of rain and human labor. God continues to bring forth these things today by means of rain and human effort, as it is written: neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God gives the increase. What then does it imply when it states, “But a spring rose from the earth to water the whole face of the ground”? A spring could indeed provide water, abundant like the Nile, for the entire earth in lieu of rain.

Why should it be necessary to declare that God produced the plants prior to rain if a spring could provide the same nourishment? Might it not be reasonable to assume that lesser grains and herbs could have thrived? Is it not apparent in this context that Scripture speaks in a manner suited to the understanding capacities of its readers while also hinting at deeper truths for the perceptive? In indicating that God created in one instance when the day was proclaimed, and that He initiated the heavens and the earth at that moment, we realize that the intent is to convey that God created all things simultaneously, despite temporal references suggesting intervals; thus, after stating that He created every grain of the field and each herb before they manifested on the earth, it further adds that “God did not bring rain upon the earth, nor man act,” indicating, “God did not create these things as He does now when the rain falls and man works.” All things transpired as one during a time that did not exist when He initially created all things, with which time itself commenced.

What then is meant by Moses stating, after referring to the heavens and the earth, “and every shrub of the field…and every herb,” while omitting many other creations found in heaven, on earth, and in the sea? Could this suggest that the fields’ greenness symbolizes the invisible creation, namely, the soul? For in a figurative sense, Scripture often depicts the world as a ‘field.’ Furthermore, when Moses states, “which was not yet on the earth,” he implies it indicated the soul had not yet strayed into sin. Once the soul becomes tainted with desires, it may be viewed as existing on the earth. Hence, Moses states, “For the Lord God did not send rain upon the earth.”

Thus, God revitalizes the fields with rain on the earth; in essence, He renews souls through His Word. He nourishes them from the clouds - through prophetic and apostolic writings.

If we also consider the materials that, in the eyes of humankind, are regarded as precious due to their inherent value, such as gold and silver and the precious gems deemed kind to people, then we find an abundance of these treasures, as if stored in royal vaults beneath the earth. This bounty signifies the marvels that await the future man, both as an observer and a sovereign, so that through enjoyment, he might gain insight into the Creator and, through the beauty and magnificence around him, delve into the unfathomable and transcendent power of the Divine.

Consequently, man was created last, not because he is deemed insignificant, but because he was destined to become the ruler of creation from its very beginning. Just as a gracious host does not invite a guest into his home before preparing the banquet, ensuring the house is tidy and the meal is ready, the lavish and benevolent Creator of our nature adorned the world with various splendors and established a grand feast before welcoming man. The divine purpose was that man should not strive to obtain what he lacked, but rather take delight in the abundance already present. Therefore, God laid a foundation of purity in this arrangement, intertwining the earthly with the divine, allowing both realms to be enjoyed—a celebration that resonates with the nature of both the divine Creator and the earthly gifts bestowed upon him.

Thus, why did God not again take dust but instead bring forth humanity from Mary? This was done to ensure that there was no other creation, no alternative being in need of salvation, but rather that the original Adam might be restored, honoring the connection of likeness in origin.

The next phrase clarifies this: 'The Lord did not rain upon the earth, and man did not cultivate it.' The importance of rain and human labor in fostering the earth, nurturing, and growing various plants reflects the normal conditions required for their development according to the natural order. However, those conditions had not yet been established.