Genesis 2:6 (KJV)

What does Genesis 2:6 mean?

Genesis 2:6 describes water rising from the earth and wetting the surface of the ground. In the KJV’s account, the ground receives moisture from below, rather than from the rain mentioned in the preceding verse.

The verse is part of the narrator’s description of the land before the man is formed. The phrase “the whole face of the ground” pictures the ground’s surface being watered, not just one small patch.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 2:6

• “mist” — אֵד (ʾed): This word refers to moisture rising from the earth. Its precise meaning is uncertain; the KJV’s “mist” pictures it as a fine moisture, while some translations understand a flow of water.
• “ground” — אֲדָמָה (ʾadamah): This word refers to the soil or land. It draws attention to the surface that receives the water, rather than to the earth as a whole.

Why Genesis 2:6 matters

• The verse places the watering before the man is formed. In verse 7, the man is formed from dust of the ground, linking the account of the land with the account of the man.
• The passage moves from uncultivated land toward a place prepared for human life. Verse 5 mentions that there was no man to till the ground; later, verse 15 places the man in the garden to work and keep it.