Priest

Genesis 2:15: The LORD God then took the man and settled him in the Garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it.

Numbers 3:5-8: Now the LORD said to Moses: Summon the tribe of Levi and station them before Aaron the priest to serve him. They shall discharge his obligations and those of the whole community before the tent of meeting by maintaining the tabernacle. They shall have responsibility for all the furnishings of the tent of meeting and discharge the obligations of the Israelites by maintaining the tabernacle.

God gave the man (Adam) a job: “to cultivate and care for” the Garden of Eden. The Hebrew word shamar describes Adam’s job “to cultivate and care for” or “to guard and protect” the Garden and everything in it, including his wife, Eve. To shamar is a priestly role. Numbers 3 describes the work of the Levitical priests pertaining to the tabernacle in the Israelite camp. At this time, the tabernacle was where God dwelled among His people as they wandered the desert for 40 years. Numbers 7 describes the priestly “obligations … before the tent of meeting by maintaining the tabernacle,” and the priestly “responsibility for all the furnishings of the tent of meeting … by maintaining the tabernacle.” The Hebrew word used in these passages, shamar, is the same word used to describe the work of Adam.

Therefore, we can conclude that Adam was the first priest, fulfilling the work of a priest in the garden. The Garden of Eden, then, can be understood to be the original tabernacle, God’s dwelling place among His people.

eir dominion as either good kings or bad kings. Good kings rule their subjects by serving them and caring for them. This is seen in the kinds of laws they pass, the way those laws are enforced, and how justly the people are judged according to the law. Bad kings are tyrants. They do not serve their subjects and only take for themselves while abusing the rights of their subjects. God gave Adam and Eve dominion to be good rulers, royalty in the image and likeness of God.

Prophet

Genesis 2:18-20: The LORD God said: It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suited to him. So the LORD God formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each living creature was then its name. The man gave names to all the tame animals, all the birds of the air, and all the wild animals; but none proved to be a helper suited to the man.

From ancient times through today, the right to name something has belonged to its creator or discoverer. For example, parents name their children and scientists name the things they discover.

In Genesis 2, God brings all the animals to Adam to name. “He brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each living creature was then its name.” In this instance, this means that God gave Adam the right to speak for Him.

The Hebrew word for “prophet,” navi, means “mouth.” In other words, a prophet speaks for God. He or she is God’s spokesperson. Therefore, when Adam speaks for God in naming the animals, he is acting as a prophet.

King 

Genesis 1:28: God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that crawl on the earth.

God gave Adam and Eve dominion over all creation. To have dominion is to have authority or to rule over, as in how a king rules over his kingdom and its subjects. Dominion is a kingly role. When God gave Adam and Eve dominion, He made them royalty: a king and a queen. 

Kings can choose to exercise their dominion as either good kings or bad kings. Good kings rule their subjects by serving them and caring for them. This is seen in the kinds of laws they pass, the way those laws are enforced, and how justly the people are judged according to the law. Bad kings are tyrants. They do not serve their subjects and only take for themselves while abusing the rights of their subjects. God gave Adam and Eve dominion to be good rulers, royalty in the image and likeness of God.

Son/Daughter 

Genesis 1:27: God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; 

Genesis 5:3: Adam was one hundred and thirty years old when he begot a son in his likeness, after his image; and he named him Seth.

To discover the immediate meaning of being made in God’s image and likeness, we must turn to the next time this language is used in Scripture, Genesis 5:3. There we learn that Adam “begot a son in his likeness, after his image.” Thus, it becomes clearer that to be in one’s “image and likeness” is to be his or her child, a son or daughter. Therefore, Adam and Eve, made in God’s image and likeness, were His children, a son and daughter of God.

Spouse

Genesis 1:28: God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and multiply.

Genesis 2:18-25: The LORD God said: It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suited to him, So the LORD God formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each living creature was then its name. The man gave names to all the tame animals, all the birds of the air, and all the wild animals; but none proved to be a helper suited to the man. So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The LORD God then built the rib that he had taken from the man into a woman. When he brought her to the man, the man said: “This one, at last, is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; This one shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of man this one has been taken.” 

In Genesis 1, God gives Adam and Eve one initial command: “Be fertile and multiply.” That is, to come together in marriage to have children and start a family.

Later, this union is explored more deeply in Genesis 2, where God tells Adam that it is not good for him to be alone. Then God brings all the animals to Adam in order to find a suitable mate. This is not to say that God thought Adam would find a companion in the animals. Rather, in bringing the animals to Adam, God helps Adam realize that he is unique among all of creation. 

God creates woman as Adam’s equal. This is evidenced by the fact that she was created from his side, from his middle, and more specifically, from a bone that is close to his heart, a rib.

When Adam first sees the woman, he instantly recognizes her as a being like him, made in God’s image and likeness. He proclaims, “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” In other words, “At last! One who is like me!”