answer to this it should be noted that the order of statement is not chronological. Can we seriously think that the writer intended us to understand that God formed man (verse 7) before there was any place to put him? To insist upon a chronological order in chapter 2 is to place a construction upon the writer’s words that was never intended. In reality, chapter 2 declares nothing regarding the relative priority of man and vegetation. Nor does chapter 2 teach the creation of man before the animals.