Genesis 2:8

The Lord God planted an orchard ¹  in the east, ²  in Eden; ³  and there he placed the man he had formed. ⁴ 

Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.

The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.

Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he placed the man he had created.

Then GOD planted a garden in Eden, in the east. He put the Man he had just made in it.

And the Lord God made a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had made.

And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.

The Lord God planted an orchard ¹  in the east, ²  in Eden; ³  and there he placed the man he had formed. ⁴ 

¹ tn Traditionally “garden,” but the subsequent description of this “garden” makes it clear that it is an orchard of fruit trees.

sn The Lord God planted an orchard. Nothing is said of how the creation of this orchard took place. A harmonization with chap. 1 might lead to the conclusion that it was by decree, prior to the creation of human life. But the narrative sequence here in chap. 2 suggests the creation of the garden followed the creation of the man. Note also the past perfect use of the perfect in the relative clause in the following verse.

² tn Heb “from the east” or “off east.”

sn One would assume this is east from the perspective of the land of Israel, particularly since the rivers in the area are identified as the rivers in those eastern regions.

³ sn The name Eden (עֵדֶן, ’eden) means “pleasure” in Hebrew.

⁴ tn The perfect verbal form here requires the past perfect translation since it describes an event that preceded the event described in the main clause.