Earth

The word earth in Scripture carries two primary meanings that must be distinguished by context. In the sense of soil or ground, it translates the Hebrew adamah — the material from which Adam (adam) was formed (Genesis 2:7). In the sense of the whole terrestrial world or inhabited land, it translates erets, the same word used for a specific country or region. This ambiguity runs through the creation narrative: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (erets)" (Genesis 1:1).

Theologically, the earth belongs to the LORD (Psalms 24:1), was created good (Genesis 1:31), was cursed at the fall (Genesis 3:17), and will be renewed at the consummation (Revelation 21:1; Isaiah 65:17). The "new earth" is a central hope of biblical eschatology, in which the created order is not abandoned but redeemed. The concept of adamah as soil also grounds the covenant of stewardship: humanity was placed in the garden "to work it and keep it" (Genesis 2:15), establishing a relationship of care with the physical creation.