Gr. choïkos, “made of dust.” Adam, the first man, the one who stands at the head of the human race, was made by God out of the “dust of the ground” (Gen. 2:7).
Textual evidence favors (cf. p. 10) the omission of these words, but the omission does not essentially alter the meaning of the passage, because Jesus is the only one who came down from heaven to become the head of humanity. This “second man” already existed before associating Himself closely with men, but He humbled Himself and shrouded His divinity with humanity (see Gal. 4:4; DA 48, 49) when He came to dwell among men.