In Genesis 2:15 the man is divinely commissioned to ‘work and keep’ the garden. Interestingly, the verb ‘keep’, in Hebrew, šāmar, may also be translated ‘guard, protect’. In Deuteronomy 5:12 the same verb is used to instruct the Israelites to keep or guard the sanctity of the Sabbath. In all likelihood, Adam was commissioned to keep or guard the garden so that it would remain holy.
