Genesis2_7

Genesis 2:7

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

God formed (יָצַר) man from the dust of the ground, which describes the detailed process of making the human physical body. According to scientific research, the elements of our bodies are similar to those of the earth; the difference lies in the ratios of those elements. Our physical bodies interact with the material world through different organs. Since our current technology is still limited, we can only extract and purify certain elements as building or industrial materials; we cannot create a living being from dust.

There are two kinds of development involving the earth: one is the creation of living beings by God, and the other is the production of industrial materials by humans.

The breath (נְשָׁמָה) of life came from God. This means that a different kind of existence was added to humanity. In the original context, “breath” also carries the meaning of spirit. Since God is eternal, this breath becomes our spirit, giving us life. As a result, man became a living soul (נֶפֶשׁ).

Different words are used to represent different meanings; if they were the same, only one word would be used. Human beings consist of three distinct parts: the spirit from God, the body from dust, and the soul formed by the union of these two different essences. In fact, our core is the soul, which is unique and serves as a bridge between the spiritual realm and the physical realm.

Let us use an analogy—perhaps not a perfect one, but helpful for understanding. When electric current flows through a diode, light appears.