"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being ... And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food ... Cursed is the ground for your sake ... Till you return to the ground ... the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken." (Genesis 2:7,9; 3:17,19,23 may begin with the creation of "the earth" (הארץ hâ-'ârets, Strong's #776) but it is "of the ground" האדם ... מן־האדמה hâ'âdhâm ... min-hâ'adhâmâh (Genesis 2:7) that man is made, not the earth. You can hear the wordplay on the word for man, Adam, and the ground itself.The word 'ground' אדמה 'adhâmâh (Strong's #127) is just the feminine form of אדם 'âdhâm, 'man, Adam', with the Hebrew feminine ה -âh suffix attached. So the ground is man's partner and mother effectively. Man must till the ground in partnership with creation and as a result of the Fall do this in toil and sweat and at death return to the ground from whence he came (Genesis 3:17-19,23).
As opposed to the earth, which is in contrast to sky and heaven and can indicate a land or the whole globe, אדמה 'adhâmâh 'ground' is more related to its colour and productiveness than its extent. We have already noted in our word study on 'man' אדם 'âdhâm (Strong's #120, see separate Word Study) the kindred words denoting redness from the colour of the earth (a red jewel, red dye, even of blood).
אדמה 'adhâmâh is used 225 times in the Hebrew bible and translated as 'land' in over 120 of these, 'earth', some 50+ times, and 'ground', 40+ times. On 45 occasions it appears in the same verse as ארץ 'erets. In the very first of these (Genesis 1:25) the uses appear to be synonymous, that is identical in meaning:
"And God made the beast of the earth ('erets) according to its kind, ..., and everything that creeps on the earth ('adhâmâh) according to its kind..."The expression "the face of the earth" is used interchangeably of both words. Rain falls similarly upon both earth-words, though more frequently upon 'erets. Although 'adhâmâh appears to be more associated with the ground and produce, both appear in the phrase "the land shall yield its produce", in fact 'erets three times more frequently.
The dust of the ground/'adhâmâh from which man was created (Genesis 2:7) can also be described as the dust of the earth/'erets (Genesis 28:14). In fact, only in Daniel 12:2 does the dust occur again with 'adhâmâh, on all other occasions it is with 'erets. In 1 Samuel 4:12, 2 Samuel 1:2 and 15:32, in the NKJV 'adhâmâh is translated as 'dust' when it refers to the act of daubing earth on one's head during mourning. Clearly one cannot have the whole 'land' or 'planet' on your head so 'adhâmâh means only a portion of the earth.
When the two words are not meant to be taken as parallel terms then 'erets appears to be the more general and global and 'adhâmâh the more specific, often of Israel's land and especially when relating to her restoration to the land. That said, where God promises Israel the land/'adhâmâh it is often paired with the phrase a "a land/'erets flowing with milk and honey" (e.g., Leviticus 20:4; Deuteronomy 11:9; 26:15). So, in this case, it is 'erets rather than 'adhâmâh that is associated with productivity. To every new rule there is an exception and in this case Deuteronomy 31:20 uses 'adhâmâh for the milky honeyed land.
Thus although there is large overlap and parallel usage, 'adhâmâh does emphasize the ground as tilled or productive, comparable to the dust of man's creation or his humility in placing the same on his head during mourning or repentance indicating abasement or sorrow. The ground and its fruitfulness can be blessed or cursed, lost and regained through sin and obedience.
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