The Mary T. and
Frank L. Hoffman
Family Foundation
and All-Creatures.Org

Letters and Responses

Letter from Gary about Genesis 2:19 - 22 Jul 2006

Hi,

Hope you remember me! (Gary from www.animalwritings.com).

I have a question on Genesis 2:19. I interpret it as God �kicking off� / giving blessing to a loving guardianship between humans and animals. It says God �formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky,� but He had already created the animals I thought. Does �formed� mean fashioning an individual from the various species? A pesky skeptic asked me and I figured I�d consult with someone who has studied this more. Not that I tend to get bogged down in hair-splitting. I like to look at the bigger picture, e.g., what�s required of us.

Thanks so much.

Gary

Reply from Frank and Mary Hoffman

Dear Gary:

Yes, we remember you.

You�re correct in your interpretation of Genesis 2:19. The naming is a personal naming such as one gives to a child or to a companion animal.

God formed both humans and animals from the earth/ground and not from other species; thus we have a kindred relationship with all the other animals.

We hope this helps.

In the Love of the Lord,

Frank and Mary