Contrast the creation of the first man according to Genesis 2 with the creation of the first human beings according to Mesopotamian tradition. True, in both, the recipe starts with dust or clay, the very earth itself, but it is with the second ingredient that the difference is clearly seen. And here we have variation in the Mesopotamian tradition.

In the Enuma Elish, humanity's dust is mixed with the blood of a demon god killed for his treachery against the second generation of gods. Humans are demons from their creation. According to Atrahasis, the second ingredient is the spit of the gods, a far cry from the glorious breath of the Creator!

The creation process according to Mesopotamian tradition fits well with the overall low view of humanity professed by that culture. After all, according again to Atrahasis, humans were created with the express purpose of relieving the lesser gods from the arduous labor of digging irrigation ditches. On the other hand, the Genesis account conforms well to the high view of Scripture concerning humanity. Human beings, male and female, were created in the image of God.