Question:
Were there two men created in Genesis 1 and 2, or one? Do not the first two chapters of Genesis teach us that there are two?
Answer:
Genesis 1:26-28 and 2:7, 18-25 are different accounts of the same thing. The first is a general account of creation; the second is a particular account of the first pair. There is no contradiction or paradox between them. In 1 Corinthians 15:45, the apostle speaks of “the first man Adam,” which must include the first man of Genesis 1:27. In fact, the original word for “man” in Genesis 1:27 is ‘âdâm. The Bible does not give details to satisfy our curiosity. It sweeps whole centuries often in a sentence, providing some great facts with its lesson, but little of the details unless those details are necessary to man’s wellbeing. And we are not the judge of that.
