Genesis 2:7

Genesis 2:7 means that the human being is the union of two things: the dust of the earth shaped by God's hands, and the breath of life given directly from God. The verse pictures God not as a distant commander here but as an intimate craftsman who "formed" man, the same word used of a potter working clay.

Two images stand side by side. First, humanity is earthly -- made of "the dust of the ground," sharing substance with the soil and the creatures. This is a humbling truth and a tie to the physical world. Second, humanity is enlivened by God's own breath, breathed "into his nostrils." The result is that "man became a living soul" -- a whole, living person, body and life together. The verse holds these in balance: we are dust, and yet we live by the breath of God. This gives every human both humility and dignity. We are not self-made; our very life is a gift continually held by the One who first breathed it. To read this verse is to remember where life comes from and to whom it belongs.