Genesis 2:6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This serves as a reminder, detailed and precise, to silence the bold claims of deceitful individuals. What does Scripture state? "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 did not exist was brought into being and that existence emerged at His command. Grass grows from the earth; when Scripture mentions grass, it refers to all seeds. The divine text further clarifies, "for the Lord God sent no rain upon the earth," indicating that no rains had yet descended from above. Additionally, it reveals that the earth required no cultivation from man: "man did not cultivate the earth." This message cries out through generations: Understand that in the beginning, the earth produced everything naturally, and do not attribute its fertility to farmers, but to the command given by its Creator from the start. It is essential to recognize that the earth, in producing its seeds, relied solely on the Creator's command, needing no assistance from other elements.

What is especially remarkable is that He, who by His word caused the earth to yield countless seeds, demonstrated His power beyond human comprehension; this heavy earth, which supports a vast world, is founded upon water, as the psalmist declares: "He established the earth on waters" (Psalm 135:6). What human intellect can grasp this? When men build structures, they begin by digging into the ground and, encountering water, must remove it before laying a foundation. Yet, the Creator operates differently, revealing His ineffable power, demonstrating that when He desires, even elements that usually act in specific ways obey His command and yield contrary to their nature.

To clarify my words further, let us delve deeper into this topic before moving on to another. It is indeed against water’s nature to uphold such weight, and it seems unnatural for the earth to rest upon such a base. Yet, the earth indeed rests on the waters. If you examine all creations, you will uncover the boundless capability of the Creator, who governs the visible world by His will. Consider fire: it possesses destructive force, easily consuming every material—stone, wood, flesh, and metal. However, when commanded by the Creator, it left the vulnerable untouched, protecting the young men in the furnace (Dan. 3). Do not be astonished that the fire spared their bodies; the fickle element demonstrated such obedience that it was unable to harm even a single hair. The fire encircled them and permeated their presence; yet, obeying the command of the Lord, it left these remarkable young men unharmed, allowing them to feel as secure as if they were walking in a meadow or garden. Furthermore, to ensure no one misconstrues this, God did not restrain its inherent nature entirely but preserved His servants from its dangerous effects. Those who cast them into the fire came to realize the mighty power of the God of all, for the flames that shielded the young men torched those who stood outside.

Do you see how the Lord, when He desires, compels every element to act against its nature? He is the Creator and Sovereign, orchestrating everything according to His will. Would you like to observe this concerning water? Just as fire did not harm those within it but struck those outside, so too does water drown some while allowing others to pass unharmed. Recall Pharaoh and the Egyptians versus the Israelites: at the Lord's command, the Jews, led by Moses, crossed the Red Sea as though walking on dry land, yet the Egyptians and Pharaoh, who dared to pursue, were engulfed and perished. Thus, the elements yield to those who serve the Lord, restraining their fury.

Let us take heed, we who risk our salvation by allowing ourselves to be swept away in carelessness, anger, and other passions, and endeavor to emulate the submission shown by these elements—to whom reason has been granted. If destructive fire did not afflict fragile bodies, how much more ought a man control his irritability and dismiss anger rooted in his heart? And it is crucial to note that fire, which is naturally destructive, did not manifest its power, while a man, though endowed with reason and wisdom, may act against his true nature and descend to beastly behavior through negligence. This is why the divine Scriptures assign animalistic labels to unreasonable individuals: for their egregious passions, they are likened to beasts. They are sometimes called dogs for their shamelessness: "dumb dogs that cannot bark" (Is. 56:10); horses for lust: "fattened horses: every one of them roars at the wife of another" (Jer. 5:8); donkeys for folly: "they will be like animals that perish" (Ps. 48:13); sometimes lions or lynxes for predation and greed; or aspers for cunning: "poison," as stated, "of aspers under their mouths" (Ps. 139:4); at times they are referred to as serpents and vipers for their malice, as the blessed John exclaimed: "Serpents, brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" (Matt. 3:7). The Scriptures wisely ascribe various names to individuals based on their passions, so that, despite their shame, they may return to the nobility inherent in mankind, seek reconciliation with their brethren, and prioritize God’s commandments over the passions they have carelessly embraced.

I realize we have digressed from our topic; let us now return and explore what further insights this blessed prophet seeks to impart to us today.

Within these beginnings inherit potent numbers that reflect the capabilities endowed by God's works, completed on the seventh day. However, a pertinent question arises: what was this Source that could saturate the entirety of the earth? If such a Source existed but has either vanished or dried up, what could have caused this change? In our current experience, we do not observe any such Source that irrigates the whole earth. Thus, it may be possible that humanity's transgressions resulted in divine retribution, diminishing this spring's prior abundance and ceasing the earth's former fertility, thereby increasing the toil of its inhabitants. The Scriptures do not directly address this, yet human reason might support such conjectures, were it not for the challenge that mankind's sin, which brought the burden of labor, is revealed after the comforts of paradise were established. Paradise had its significant spring, from which four prominent rivers, known among nations, were said to flow (of which we shall elaborate later). Where were these rivers when that singular great spring erupted from the earth to irrigate all the land? It is clear that it was not the Nile, one of the four rivers, that nourished Egypt at the time this spring emerged to sustain not only Egypt but the entire globe. Can we assume it pleased God to initially water the earth through a single great spring, allowing the creatures He had created to be nourished over time according to their respective generations and days? Then, having established paradise, did He curtail this Source and fill the world with many springs, as we observe today, dividing paradise's single spring into four significant rivers? In this manner, just as the broader earth, teeming with diverse living kinds that conform to their respective timelines, had its springs and rivers, could paradise, elevated above the rest, channel its spring into four rivers? Or did He first flood the whole earth from the abundant spring of paradise, thereby preparing it to yield its created generations at intervals, then limit this overflow so it could nourish the earth from varying springs and rivers? Ultimately, in the region where this singular spring no longer drenched the entirety of the land, but only fed the four recognized rivers, He planted paradise, where He placed the man He had created. Chapter VIII. On matters where Scripture is silent, aiding our understanding. The account of how time passed after the initial creation and how the governance of those originally formed creatures, completed on the sixth day, was maintained is not fully articulated. The Spirit guiding the writer only deemed it necessary to convey what was critical for understanding both present realities and future revelations. Thus, lacking complete knowledge, we must rely on supposition regarding what might have transpired, acknowledging that whatever was omitted was not due to ignorance but an effort to align our speculations with our conditions, as useful insight, preventing us from assuming inconsistencies or contradictions in the sacred texts, which could undermine faith or mislead the reader’s understanding. Chapter IX. Questions surrounding the Source that nourished all the earth. If, therefore, any apprehensions arise regarding the assertion that "a spring came out of the earth, and watered all the face of the earth," let them pursue another interpretation that remains true to the essence of Scripture (which is undeniably true, even if sometimes misunderstood). If one argues against its validity, one may risk promoting falsehoods about creation, or if they manage to convey truth, they might misapprehend Scripture as erroneous. For example, insisting that one spring could not possibly irrigate the entire earth, as it would either fail to envelop the mountains or would render the land a boundless sea without solid ground. Chapter X. Understanding the spring that nourished the whole earth. In response to such claims, it must be acknowledged that this may have occurred in a manner akin to how the Nile occasionally floods the vast plains of Egypt, later receding to its banks. Similarly, when the Nile swells with waters and winter’s snows from distant lands, what may be said of the periodic tides of the ocean and specific shorelines that alternate between exposure and submersion? There are remarkable records of springs that periodically overflow their banks to inundate nearby lands before receding, which provides evidence that the entire earth could have been nourished from one channel during periods of flooding. Moreover, considering the great abyss—outside of the sea encircling the land—the Scriptures refer only to the depths from which all springs and rivers originate, designating it as the Source. This Source, from countless fissures and crevices, emerged from the earth like rays of light, nourishing the face of the earth not as a permanent sea but rather as flowing waters coursing down riverbeds. Thus, who would fail to comprehend this except one driven by opposition? The statement that the whole face of the earth was watered might be perceived as one describes a garment, indicating it is wholly colored, albeit not uniformly but in patches; particularly during that primeval period when much of the land was likely a plain, enabling waters to spread more broadly upon their emergence. Therefore, let us refrain from debating the magnitude or plurality of this spring, which might be characterized by a singular source, or one spring with multiple branches. It may also be that the historical figure did not say, "one spring came out," but rather "the spring came out," signifying many springs that nourished various regions, akin to how we refer to numerous soldiers but imply many individuals, or as when citing the plagues of Egypt, which included locusts and frogs, despite their not being named for quantity. The face of the earth, representing the earth's dignity, is appropriately likened to the mother of the Lord, the Virgin Mary, who was nourished by the Holy Spirit, represented in the Gospels as spring and water (cf. Jn. 7:38-39). The creation of man from dust and his establishment in paradise to tend to and safeguard it illustrates the divine purpose that he abide in the Father’s will, fulfilling and obeying it.

Importantly, this source did not arise from beneath the earth; rather, it emerged from the earth itself, for scripture does not assert that it originated from below but rather that it flowed from within. The waters present upon the earth are not more ancient than the earth itself; this is demonstrated by the earth, which holds them within its depths. Thus, as the Scripture states, a spring emerged from the earth, irrigating the entire surface, and subsequently produced herbs, grasses, and plants. It was not that God lacked the power to create plants from the earth in another manner; rather, it pleased Him that the earth should yield vegetation through the waters, establishing a process to continue until the end.

However, certain phrases, when linked with those mentioned earlier, might be interpreted negatively, much like the words found in the Psalm (Psalms 9:19): The destitute will not be entirely overlooked; the endurance of the poor will not be lost (it should be understood in connection with the preceding phrase: will not be lost forever).

Regarding the watering of the land with mists, the historian remarks: The source emerged from the earth and drenched the whole expanse of the earth. This ‘source,’ when rendered most precisely and clearly from the Hebrew, signifies mist. The mists, resembling waters from a plentiful spring, moistened the land so profusely that the sun’s light could hardly penetrate them.