Subject: when did it rain for the first time? |
Bible Note: I believe Gen. 2 is very clear. First it mentions a situation: "no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted" Then it mentions the REASON for the situation, (connecting the reason to the situation with the word "for"). The reason was two-fold: 1. the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth 2. there was no man to cultivate the ground Gen. 2:6-7 tells how these problems were solved. Verse 6 says, "a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground." This solves part of the problem of the plants and shrubs not yet being on the earth. Verse 7 says, "the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." Now the other part of the problem is solved: there is a man to cultivate the ground. I conclude from this evidence that plants and shrubs were at this point able to grow because there was now water for them -- the mist which watered the ground -- and a man to cultivate them -- Adam. There is no mention of rain. Bringing rain in at this point is only a presupposition and is not, in my opinion, supported in this passage. That is what "makes sense" from my perspective. |