Genesis 2:15

Context

The verse belongs to the second creation account, which begins in the latter half of Genesis 2:4. After the LORD God forms man from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7) and plants a garden eastward in Eden, he places the man in the garden and gives him a task: "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it" (KJV). The passage is written as third-person narration. Verses 16–17 follow immediately with the command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the account of the woman's creation begins in verse 18.

The Hebrew verbs rendered "to dress" and "to keep" are ʿābad and šāmar. ʿĀbad means both "to work" and "to serve," while šāmar means "to guard," "to take care of," and "to keep" (as in keeping commandments).

Interpretation

• Work and vocation: Many interpreters in the Reformation tradition emphasize that work was given before the Fall. On this reading, work is not a curse but a calling entrusted by God. Painful toil is understood as something added as a consequence of sin in Genesis 3:17–19.
• Stewardship: In his commentary on this verse, John Calvin wrote to the effect that people, as God's stewards, should use what they possess with moderation and take care of what they will pass on to future generations. Various denominations read the command "have dominion" in Genesis 1:28 together with this verse. As a result, they understand human rule not as a right to be exercised at will but as a responsibility of entrusted care.
• Sanctuary and priestly service: The two verbs appear together in passages such as Numbers 3:7–8 to describe the Levites' service at the tabernacle. On this basis some Old Testament scholars, including Gordon Wenham, read Eden as a sanctuary for the service of God and Adam as a priestlike figure who serves and guards it. Some interpretations in the Jewish tradition likewise explain the two verbs as referring to worship and the keeping of the commandments.

Questions of Application

• Translation: Korean Bible versions differ in their rendering of the verse. Where the older Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Hangeul) reads "to rule" (dasurimyeo), the New Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Gaejeong) has "to cultivate and keep," and the Revised New Korean Standard Version has "to take charge of and care for." The word "rule" is easily read as overlapping with the dominion of Genesis 1:28, whereas the revised translations stay closer to the sense of tilling and caring for the ground.
• Environmental issues: In a 1967 article, the historian Lynn White criticized the biblical idea of "dominion" as a root of the ecological crisis. Christian responses cite this verse to argue that the human role is one of care rather than exploitation. In the Catholic Church, Pope Francis likewise interpreted this verse in his 2015 encyclical Laudato si' as expressing a responsibility to till and to keep. Denominations and churches differ, however, on how central a place environmental protection should have in the church's ministry.

In the Korean Church

The verse is frequently cited in sermons on the workplace and faith in one's vocation, in stewardship teaching, and in sermons on environmental themes. It is also often read during the Season of Creation, which some denominations, such as the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea, observe in their church calendars.

Related Passages

• Genesis 1:28
• Genesis 3:17–19
• Psalm 8:5–8
• Numbers 3:7–8
• Colossians 3:23