Genesis 1
1
The Story of Creation.#This section, from the Priestly source, functions as an introduction, as ancient stories of the origin of the world (cosmogonies) often did. It introduces the primordial story (2:4–11:26), the stories of the ancestors (11:27–50:26), and indeed the whole Pentateuch. The chapter highlights the goodness of creation and the divine desire that human beings share in that goodness. God brings an orderly universe out of primordial chaos merely by uttering a word. In the literary structure of six days, the creation events in the first three days are related to those in the second three.
The seventh day, on which God rests, the climax of the account, falls outside the six-day structure.Until modern times the first line was always translated, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Several comparable ancient cosmogonies, discovered in recent times, have a “when…then” construction, confirming the translation “when…then” here as well. “When” introduces the pre-creation state and “then” introduces the creative act affecting that state. The traditional translation, “In the beginning,” does not reflect the Hebrew syntax of the clause. 1In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth#Gn 2:1, 4; 2 Mc 7:28; Ps 8:4; 33:6; 89:12; 90:2; Wis 11:17; Sir 16:24; Jer 10:12; Acts 14:15; Col 1:16–17; Heb 1:2–3; 3:4; 11:3; Rev 4:11.—2#This verse is parenthetical, describing in three phases the pre-creation state symbolized by the chaos out of which God brings order: “earth,” hidden beneath the encompassing cosmic waters, could not be seen, and thus had no “form”; there was only darkness; turbulent wind swept over the waters. Commencing with the last-named elements (darkness and water), vv. 3–10 describe the rearrangement of this chaos: light is made (first day) and the water is divided into water above and water below the earth so that the earth appears and is no longer “without outline.” The abyss: the primordial ocean according to the ancient Semitic cosmogony. After God’s creative activity, part of this vast body forms the salt-water seas (vv. 9–10); part of it is the fresh water under the earth (Ps 33:7; Ez 31:4), which wells forth on the earth as springs and fountains (Gn 7:11; 8:2; Prv 3:20). Part of it, “the upper water” (Ps 148:4; Dn 3:60), is held up by the dome of the sky (vv. 6–7), from which rain descends on the earth (Gn 7:11; 2 Kgs 7:2, 19; Ps 104:13). A mighty wind: literally, “spirit or breath [ruah] of God”; cf. Gn 8:1. and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters—#Jer 4:23.
1. | light (day)/darkness (night) | = | 4. | sun/moon |
2. | arrangement of water | = | 5. | fish + birds from waters |
3. | a) dry land | = | 6. | a) animals |
b) vegetation | b) human beings: male/female |
3Then God said: Let there be light, and there was light.#2 Cor 4:6. 4God saw that the light was good. God then separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” Evening came, and morning followed—the first day.#In ancient Israel a day was considered to begin at sunset.
6Then God said: Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters, to separate one body of water from the other. 7God made the dome,#The dome: the Hebrew word suggests a gigantic metal dome. It was inserted into the middle of the single body of water to form dry space within which the earth could emerge. The Latin Vulgate translation firmamentum, “means of support (for the upper waters); firmament,” provided the traditional English rendering. and it separated the water below the dome from the water above the dome. And so it happened.#Prv 8:27–28; 2 Pt 3:5. 8God called the dome “sky.” Evening came, and morning followed—the second day.
9Then God said: Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin, so that the dry land may appear. And so it happened: the water under the sky was gathered into its basin, and the dry land appeared.#Jb 38:8; Ps 33:7; Jer 5:22. 10God called the dry land “earth,” and the basin of water he called “sea.” God saw that it was good. 11#Ps 104:14. Then God said: Let the earth bring forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree on earth that bears fruit with its seed in it. And so it happened: 12the earth brought forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree that bears fruit with its seed in it. God saw that it was good. 13Evening came, and morning followed—the third day.
14Then God said: Let there be lights in the dome of the sky, to separate day from night. Let them mark the seasons, the days and the years,#Jb 26:10; Ps 19:2–3; Bar 3:33. 15and serve as lights in the dome of the sky, to illuminate the earth. And so it happened: 16God made the two great lights, the greater one to govern the day, and the lesser one to govern the night, and the stars.#Dt 4:19; Ps 136:7–9; Wis 13:2–4; Jer 31:35. 17God set them in the dome of the sky, to illuminate the earth, 18to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good. 19Evening came, and morning followed—the fourth day.
20#Jb 12:7–10. Then God said: Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures, and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky. 21God created the great sea monsters and all kinds of crawling living creatures with which the water teems, and all kinds of winged birds. God saw that it was good, 22and God blessed them, saying: Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the seas; and let the birds multiply on the earth.#Gn 8:17. 23Evening came, and morning followed—the fifth day.
24#Sir 16:27–28. Then God said: Let the earth bring forth every kind of living creature: tame animals, crawling things, and every kind of wild animal. And so it happened: 25God made every kind of wild animal, every kind of tame animal, and every kind of thing that crawls on the ground. God saw that it was good. 26#Gn 5:1, 3; 9:6; Ps 8:5–6; Wis 2:23; 10:2; Sir 17:1, 3–4; Mt 19:4; Mk 10:6; Jas 3:7; Eph 4:24; Col 3:10. Then God said: Let us make#Let us make: in the ancient Near East, and sometimes in the Bible, God was imagined as presiding over an assembly of heavenly beings who deliberated and decided about matters on earth (1 Kgs 22:19–22; Is 6:8; Ps 29:1–2; 82; 89:6–7; Jb 1:6; 2:1; 38:7). This scene accounts for the plural form here and in Gn 11:7 (“Let us go down…”). Israel’s God was always considered “Most High” over the heavenly beings. Human beings: Hebrew ’ādām is here the generic term for humankind; in the first five chapters of Genesis it is the proper name Adam only at 4:25 and 5:1–5. In our image, after our likeness: “image” and “likeness” (virtually synonyms) express the worth of human beings who have value in themselves (human blood may not be shed in 9:6 because of this image of God) and in their task, dominion (1:28), which promotes the rule of God over the universe. human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth.
27God created mankind in his image;
in the image of God he created them;
male and female#Male and female: as God provided the plants with seeds (vv. 11, 12) and commanded the animals to be fertile and multiply (v. 22), so God gives sexuality to human beings as their means to continue in existence. he created them.
28God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.#Fill the earth and subdue it: the object of the verb “subdue” may be not the earth as such but earth as the territory each nation must take for itself (chaps. 10–11), just as Israel will later do (see Nm 32:22, 29; Jos 18:1). The two divine commands define the basic tasks of the human race—to continue in existence through generation and to take possession of one’s God-given territory. The dual command would have had special meaning when Israel was in exile and deeply anxious about whether they would continue as a nation and return to their ancient territory. Have dominion: the whole human race is made in the “image” and “likeness” of God and has “dominion.” Comparable literature of the time used these words of kings rather than of human beings in general; human beings were invariably thought of as slaves of the gods created to provide menial service for the divine world. The royal language here does not, however, give human beings unlimited power, for kings in the Bible had limited dominion and were subject to prophetic critique. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that crawl on the earth.#Gn 8:17; 9:1; Ps 8:6–9; 115:16; Wis 9:2. 29#According to the Priestly tradition, the human race was originally intended to live on plants and fruits as were the animals (see v. 30), an arrangement that God will later change (9:3) in view of the human inclination to violence. #Gn 9:3; Ps 104:14–15. God also said: See, I give you every seed-bearing plant on all the earth and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food; 30and to all the wild animals, all the birds of the air, and all the living creatures that crawl on the earth, I give all the green plants for food. And so it happened. 31God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed—the sixth day.#1 Tm 4:4.
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Genesis 1
1
In the Beginning
1When # 1:1 Although most translations view v. 1 as an independent sentence serving as a general heading, it is likely that the first phrase serves as a subordinate time clause, such as “At the beginning [of time], God created” or “When God began the creation of heaven and the earth.” The first word in Hebrew is re’shiyth and means “first,” “chief,” or “firstfruits.” Genesis gives us the firstfruits of God’s creation. The New Testament takes us into the new creation life of Christ until all things are made new. God # 1:1 This is the word Elohim, the commonly used Hebrew term for God. It stresses his sovereignty and power and could be translated “Mighty God.” Elohim is the plural of Eloah and occurs nearly 2,600 times in the Bible. Eloah is derived from the word ahlah, which means “to worship” or “to adore,” and presents God as the one worthy of worship and adoration. After the word Elohim, there is an untranslatable marking, which most scholars believe is a direct object marker with the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. However, it is seen by some as the word known as Aleph-Tav, which occurs over seven thousand times in the Hebrew text of the Old Testament. Some believe that this could be pointing to Jesus Christ who declared himself to be “the Aleph and the Tav,” or “the Beginning and the End” (Rev. 1:8, 17; 2:8; 22:13). The first verse of the Bible shouts out: “God is all powerful!” created # 1:1 This is the word bara’, which is used in the Old Testament exclusively for God’s creativity, things that only God can do. Creating is an integral part of God’s nature. the heavens and the earth, # 1:1 Or “the sky and the land.” This is a merism (a figure of speech using two contrasting words to refer to an entirety) for the entire universe. See Ps. 33:6, 9. The Hebrew word for “heaven” appears seven times in this chapter (vv. 1, 8, 9, 14, 15, 17, 20). 2the earth was completely formless and empty, with nothing but darkness # 1:2 See Jer. 4:23–27. Darkness is a frequent biblical metaphor for evil, misfortune, and death. It appears here as something more than an absence of light—it is a distinct entity. See Isa. 45:7. draped over the deep. God’s Spirit hovered # 1:2 Or “God’s Spirit gently vibrated.” The Syriac cognate word can mean “to incubate” or “to brood.” The Hebrew verb rachaph means “to flutter,” “to gently move,” “to hover over with gentle wavering,” or “to be relaxed [grow soft]” and describes the utmost care and affection of a mother eagle caring for her young (see Deut. 32:11). This word is also used for a bridegroom hovering over his bride. This same Holy Spirit overshadowed (brooded over) a virgin named Mary to bring the perfect man into the world (see Luke 1:35). God’s Spirit danced over the waters on creation’s morning. over the face of the waters.
3And then God announced, # 1:3 This is the Hebrew word ’amar, which is most often translated “said,” but it can also mean “to think,” “to imagine,” or “to speak inside your heart.” God imagined light and there was light. God spoke and shattered the cosmic silence to give birth to creation. God spoke ten times in the creation account—the Ten Commandments of creation. See Ps. 33:9; John 1:1–3. God’s thoughts had already imagined and shaped the largest galaxy and the smallest atom before he created them. With exquisite skill and creativity, God shaped all things by his word and spoke them into being with intricate detail and skill (see Heb. 11:3). A dimension separate from the being of God was birthed. No detail was too small for God as he prepared to unveil his masterpiece of wisdom, his dream come true. God spoke order and goodness into his creation. “Let there be light,” and light burst forth! # 1:3 Or “and there was light.” God created light but did not create the sun until the fourth day. God himself filled the universe with the light of his presence and glory. The Hebrew verbs used with the phrases “Let there be” and “and there was” are both related to the holy name Yahweh: yehi (“let there be”) and wayhi (“and there was”). As he released this word of power, the universe began to expand and has been expanding ever since (see Heb. 1:3). God’s kingdom operates according to the principle of endless increase (see Isa. 9:6–7), not of power that diminishes over time.
4And God saw the light as pleasing and beautiful; # 1:4 The Hebrew word tov can be translated “pleasing” or “good [beautiful]” and is used seven times in this chapter (vv. 4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). God is mentioned 35 times (7 × 5) and the earth 21 times (7 × 3) in the creation account. God’s goodness was his intention in creation, and he embedded beauty within all he made. he used the light to dispel the darkness. 5God called the light “Day,” and the darkness “Night.” And so, evening gave way to morning—the first day. # 1:5 God begins in darkness and brings forth a new day. Chaos never hinders God from bringing forth light and order. It is not difficult for God to work where there is darkness, chaos, and confusion. See Ps. 139:12.
6And God said, “Let there be a dome # 1:6 Or “vault” or “expanse [atmosphere].” See Ezek. 1:22. between the waters to separate the water above from the water below.” 7-8He made the dome and called it “Sky,” and separated the water above the dome from the water below the dome. Evening gave way to morning—day two.
9And God said, “Let the water beneath the sky be gathered into one place, and let the dry ground appear.” # 1:9 On the third day, the dry ground was raised up out of the waters (see Ps. 104:6–9), then God clothed it with vegetation. This can be compared to the new birth that comes to a believer, who is raised up and then clothed with the virtues of Christ. See Rom. 6:1–11; Eph. 2:1–10. The progress of creation moves from the lower to the higher, from the darker to the brighter, from the evening to the morning. The Word of God put light into darkness, land in the midst of sea, air in the midst of water, and life in the midst of the uninhabited earth. In creation, God started with form and filled it with fullness. In nature, the seed sprouts: first the bud, then the blossom, and then the fruit. In human life the baby is first, then the child, and then the mature adult. So it is also in grace. And so it happened. 10God called the dry ground “Land,” and the gathered waters he called “Seas.” And God saw the beauty of his creation, and he was very pleased.
11Then God said, “Let the land burst forth with growth: plants that bear seeds of their own kind, and every variety of fruit tree, each with power to multiply # 1:11 Or “with seed within itself” or “seeding seed.” The work of God at creation involved three separations: (1) God separated the light from darkness (v. 4). (2) God separated the waters above from the waters beneath (vv. 6–8). (3) God separated the water from the land (v. 9). Out of this separated, resurrected land, God brought a variety of life. from its own seed.” # 1:11 Everything with life produces life after its own kind. Each species is able to reproduce itself. The Lord Jesus was the firstfruit of a new species of humanity. See Matt. 7:16–19; John 3:6; 2 Cor. 5:17; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23; 2 Peter 1:4. And so it happened. 12The land flourished with grasses, every variety of seed-bearing plant, and trees bearing fruit with their seeds in them. And God loved what he saw, for it was beautiful. 13Evening gave way to morning—day three.
14-15And God said, “Let there be bright lights to shine in space to bathe the earth with their light. Let them serve as signs # 1:14–15 The heavens contain the embedded codes of God’s glory, and are full of symbolic signs that testify to his greatness and wisdom. They are like huge billboards and advertisements in the sky telling people how good and great our Creator is. See Ps. 19:1–6; Rom. 10:18. to separate the day from night, and signify the days, seasons, # 1:14–15 Or “appointed times [feasts].” See Lev. 23:4. The stars are for signs, signals, and seasons. and years.” And so it happened. 16God made two great lights: the brighter light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. He also spread the tapestry of shining stars # 1:16 Scripture often uses stars as a picture of believers or ministries who shine with supernatural light (see Dan. 12:3; 1 Cor. 15:40–41; Phil. 2:15). We see from Ps. 147:4 that just as God named the “sun” and the “moon,” he also gave names to each of the stars. It is noted by numerous scholars that Gen. 1 never uses the names for sun (shemesh) or moon (yareach) that were also Canaanite names of deities. This served a polemical purpose against the stories of the gods and other creation narratives in the ancient Near East. 17and set them all in the sky to illuminate the earth, 18to rule over the day and to rule over the night, and to separate the light from darkness. God loved what he saw, for it was beautiful. 19Evening gave way to morning—day four.
20God said, “Let there be life! Let the waters swarm with sea life, and let the sky be filled with soaring birds of every kind.”
21God created huge sea creatures # 1:21 Or “sea monsters,” “dragons,” or “dinosaurs.” and every living creature that moves of every kind—swarming in the water and flying in the sky, according to their species. God loved what he saw, for it was beautiful. 22God blessed # 1:22 This is the first mention of God’s blessing in the Bible. On this day, God created life—birds and sea life—and blessed them. This blessing included being fruitful (reproduction) and multiplying (increasing in number). them, saying, “Reproduce and be fruitful! Fill the waters of the sea with life, and the earth with flying birds!” 23Evening gave way to morning—day five.
24God said, “Let the earth produce every class and kind of living creature: livestock, crawling things, wild animals, each after its kind.” And so it happened. 25God made the wild animals according to their species, livestock according to their species, # 1:25 God had a lamb before he had a man. Metaphorically, Jesus (God’s Lamb) was slain before the foundation of the world (see Rev. 13:8). The print of the nails was upon him even as his hands formed the world. As the Creator shaped Adam from dust, redeeming mercy was stamped upon him. and all the creatures that creep along the ground according to their species. And God loved what he saw, for it was beautiful.
Shaped by Love
26Then God said, “Let us # 1:26 The plural form of the verb indicates there were more beings than Father God in the activities of creation. When taken as a whole, the Bible also points to the Holy Spirit and God the Son as participators in the glory of creation. See John 1:1–3; Heb. 1:1–3. make a man and a woman # 1:26 That is, humanity. The Hebrew word is simply ’adam, which can be translated “man,” but without a definite article it is used here as a collective term for man and woman. The definite article the does not occur before the word man until after God made woman, and together, they are ’adam. According to the Talmud, the three Hebrew letters of Adam’s name represent the initials of three men: Adam, David, and Messiah. The Hebrew word ’adam means “to show [blood] red,” and adamu means “to make.” The statement to “make [adamu] Adam [ruddy] from [red] soil [adamah]” is full of Hebrew puns that are lost in translation. in our image # 1:26 Or “as our image.” “Image” can also be translated “representation” or “resemblance.” God created someone like himself to reflect who he is into all his creation. He created trees after their kind, birds after their kind, fish after their kind, and animals after their kind, but now he creates a God-kind of being. Christ is the image of God; man and woman will resemble him and bring his image into the created order (see Rom. 8:29; 1 Cor. 11:7; 2 Cor. 3:18; 4:4; Col. 1:15; 3:10; Heb. 1:3). The first man, Adam, was a type or figure of the Last Adam, Christ. See Rom. 5:14; 1 Cor. 15:40–58. to be like us. # 1:26 Or “according to our likeness,” or “to be like us [comparable to us].” God is neither male nor female (see John 4:23–24), but he has both male and female dimensions to his nature. What is this image given to each of us? It includes personality, the capacity for worship, the ability to make moral decisions (our conscience), and the ability to reflect God. Created as his image-bearers, all human beings bear the expression or image of God. As “photographs” of God, our characteristics are copies of his. Because he desired to give himself for you and to you, he took his own nature and likeness and fashioned a creature just like him—one he could love with unlimited passion. Let them reign over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the livestock, over the creatures that creep along the ground, # 1:26 Man was meant to rule over all the things that creep along the ground, including the serpent and scorpion, which represent the powers of darkness (see Luke 10:18–20; James 3:7–8). and over the wild animals.”
27So God created man and woman
and shaped them with his image inside them.
In his own beautiful image, he created his masterpiece.
Yes, male and female he created them.
28And God blessed them in his love, # 1:28 God’s blessing upon the human family implies love. God blesses both men and women, empowering them to live on this planet, infusing them with power and favor to succeed in life. saying, “Reproduce and be fruitful! Populate the earth and subdue it! # 1:28 The word subdue means “to take dominion” or “to control.” This would imply harnessing natural resources in an appropriate fashion, caring for the earth, cultivating and harvesting its fields, mining its resources, and releasing its potential to benefit God’s highest creation, humankind. See Ps. 8:6–8. Reign over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every creature that lives on earth.” # 1:28 Man and woman were both given the command to care for the earth and subdue all things. Man and woman are blessed by their Creator with authority to rule with him as co-regents. God’s image is reflected in both men and women, and so is rulership.
29And God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant growing throughout the earth, vegetables, and every fruit-bearing tree with its seed within itself. They will be your food. # 1:29 After the fall of Adam and Eve, meat was likely included in their diet. See Gen. 9:3; 1 Tim. 4:4–5. 30They will also be food for every animal and bird, and every creature that moves on the ground—every creature with the breath of life.” # 1:30 A day will come when the carnivorous animals will become herbivorous again. See Isa. 11:7; 65:25. And so it happened.
31God surveyed all he had made and said, “I love it!” For it pleased him greatly. Evening gave way to morning—day six. # 1:31 Because God created man on the sixth day, the number six is the biblical number of man.
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