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Genesis 2:21

King James Version (KJV)

“In our prayers we talk to God, in our Bible study God talks to us, and we had better let God do most of the talking.”
— D.L. Moody

Genesis 2:21

Verse 21 of 25

Scripture focus

And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

Genesis 2:21 — KJV

Commentary

Commentary on Genesis 2:21

Theological / Devotional

A deep sleep. God, planning to create Adam’s companion from his body, caused him to fall into a deep sleep that may be compared to unconsciousness under anesthetic. And surgery indeed it was that God performed on Adam during his sleep, taking out one of his ribs and filling its place with flesh. The Hebrew word sela‘, meaning elsewhere in the Bible “side,” “door leaf,” “wing” (of a building), and “panel” (of a wall covering), has here the meaning “rib.” This traditional translation, taken over in modern Bibles from the LXX and the Vulgate, has more recently been proved correct from cuneiform records.

In the Assyrian language, which was closely related to Hebrew, the word for rib was selu.

By SdaBc