Genesis Chapter 1 

"The Beginning"

​Context:

God created the Heavens & Earth, Day & Light, Land & Sea, Vegetation, all the Creatures, Sun & Moon, Man & Woman.

Chief People:

  • God
  • Holy Spirit
  • Adam
  • Eve

​Choice Verses:

Genesis 1:1 
​
​In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth

  • The Bible begins with two equally enormous claims: There was a "beginning," and God created everything! The use of the word “created” indicates there was nothing before. If you make something you make it from something, but if you create it, it hadn't existed before. Genesis 1 for many is a controversial chapter. Debates rage about the meanings and implications of its many words. How long ago did God create “the heavens and earth”, how exactly did He create it, and why did he create it? Side note question that's not addressed here are the Angels, and the Devil himself? Did Angels and the Devil preexist Genesis, since we know the Devil tempted Eve, so we know He was before Her?

Genesis 1:2
​
The Earth being unformed & void

  • Here Genesis tells us that in the beginning the Earth was completely covered in water and darkness. Ironically, science also tells us this. How could Genesis know both occurred when Science tells us this too? ​

Genesis 1:2 
​
​and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

  • Hebrew translation for wind (Ruach) is “spirit”, .Hebrew translation for (rachaph) is moved, hovered, sweeping. The more common translation reads ‘and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.“, some translations read “and the wind of God was sweeping over the waters. If we look at “Spirit of God” one has to ask if this was the Holy Spirit? (Ephesians 4:30)  “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption”.

Genesis 1:3
​
God said, “let there be light” and there was

  • ​Was this a metaphor for spiritual light or something else. Throughout history people have understood this to mean “God created Light”, but is there a deeper meaning here? Science tells us our Sun predates Earth so how could there be Earth before light (Sun)? Science also tells us that in the earliest stages of Earth it was covered in darkness even though it tells us there was a Sun, therefore both science and Genesis can agree there could have originally been darkness, even though there were already stars, the moon, and our Sun. Our early planet was covered in solar dust and thick clouds, hence blocking out the Sun. This when understanding the Hebrew translation, in particular the word (Ruach) as wind/spirit gives us a better explanation for the argument that Genesis is inaccurate

Genesis 1:4
​
God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.

  •  “God saw” asks the question: had God already “created” light previously? I think we have to go back to what I previously said about light, and that it already existed, it just couldn't be seen. This is also the first of several times in the creation account where God will pronounce what He has just made as "good." God expresses admiration for, and takes pleasure perhaps in teaching the meaning of humility. Humility means knowing your strengths, but not allowing us to be arrogant. Is there also another lesson of humility in this verse: “God saw that the light was good”. Why did he not say “darkness was good”? Is the lesson here about “good vs evil”?

Genesis 1:5
​
​God called the light day, and the darkness night, and there was evening and there was morning

  • The significance here is this is the first time God actually names something, and shows he has dominion over it: He created it, and it belongs to him. Interesting fact: The Hebrew calendar begins at sunset, not midnight, while for most of us day and night are noon and midnight. Why this difference?

Genesis 1:6
​
​And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”

  • ​Expanse is the Hebrew word translated to (rakiya), waters is the Hebrew word translated to (mayim). The expanse is ultimately referred to as sky, a void between two things; the water in our oceans, and the water in our upper Atmosphere. Is there something symbolic here, or simply an expanse between two things?

Genesis 1:7

​“So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so”

  • In the previous verse God simply spoke something to be, and it was. It doesn't tell us how, it doesn't have to, it just is. (Exodus 3:14) " As much as God's existence is treated as obvious and necessary"

Genesis 1:8

“God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning”

  • ​Here again God names something, the “sky” but what significance if any does Vault have here? Expanse in Hebrew is translated to (rakiya), which refers to a solid barrier, perhaps the space between water on our planet, and our breathable atmosphere. Vault is used 17 times in the Old Testament. Genesis 1:20 And God said, 'Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky. This gives us an indication of what "vault (Rakiya) " is referring to.

Genesis 1:9

And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear” And it was so

  • Verse 9 begins the third day of God's creation week. This actually coincides with Science as Science tells us that early Earth eventually cooled from its molten state. Earth's tectonic plates then shifted, creating trenches within our oceans. With this shift Continents formed, and the trenches were filled with water, which then allowed land to appear.

Genesis 1:10

God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

  • Once again, God has named something, calling dry ground “land” and waters “seas”. The one question here is that He proclaims it was good “and God saw that it was good”. Was it perfect, or just good? Good, and perfect are both positive words, but have different meanings. Humanity is not perfect, as we well know, but is this symbolism for us to be “good” in the eyes of God?

Genesis 1:11

​Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so.

  • “Let the land produce vegetation” I believe this tells us that God did not create the vegetation itself, but He provided the seeds that would. God's decree was that each kind of plant and tree would bear the seed of the next generation of that specific kind of plant and tree. This once again places a claim to God's supremacy over all aspects of creation, including the form and function of all living things. Is there a lesson here for us to work, and plant the right seeds (we reap what we sow)?

Genesis 1:12

​The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good

  • In the previous verse God said the land would produce, but here he says the land “produced”. Produced in the result of what the seeds have done. Knowing this, we also know any seed takes time for its end result, it does not happen in a single day. Day, translated to Hebrew is yom, which as yom itself, has several meanings, could  it here as well? What is clear however is that the Bible intends us to understand that God, and God alone, made living things with the intent of them reproducing, from the very beginning. Perhaps not perfect, but in the beginning his intent was for it to be good.

Genesis 1:13

​And there was evening, and there was morning--the third day.

  • This completes the third day of God’s creation, this first half, and sets the stage for the next three days, and  prepares creation for what God will create in the second three days.

Genesis 1:14

​And God said, 'Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years.

  • Earlier in Genesis 1:5 “God called the light day, and the darkness night, and there was evening and there was morning”, so how is this something new, and yet different from Genesis 1:5? This no doubt has been a widely debated question. One explanation is that there had always been a Sun, stars, and our Moon, but now they were simply made visible. One difference to note between Genesis 1:5 and Genesis 1:14 is “let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years”. This is another example of how God created order within His creation, and perhaps one of the differences between these two verses. ​

Genesis 1:15

​and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.' And it was so.

  • The Hebrew word for lights (mi-ohrot) is not the same as light (ohr) in verse 1:3. Mi-ohrot translated as “illuminators” or “bodies that give light”, the first could be referring to stars, and/or stars and our Sun. However, this could also refer to our Moon being created last between our Sun, Earth, and our Moon. “let them be lights” tells us there was more than one form of light visible (night, and day). Science tells us that in any solar system each follows a set pattern; first comes a sun, then planets form and orbit around that sun, then moons form that orbit a planet.

Genesis 1:16

​God made two great lights--the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.

  • Both the Sun and Moon are referred to here as “great lights” Perhaps this is because the Bible's view is from Earth, and from earth both appear to be the same size (great lights), even though they are not. The Sun’s diameter is 400 times greater than the Moon’s, but the Moon is 400 times closer. Although many cultures worshiped the sun, moon, and stars as if they themselves were gods. Verse 1:16 teaches humanity that the Sun,  moon, and stars are not Deities. God is the only God. Deuteronomy 4:19 explicitly forbids Isrealites from worshiping the Sun, Moon, and Stars. The idea that God created the whole expanse of our universe in a day, with a word, should astound and humble us. Not only does our view of the heavens help us track time (Genesis 1:14), it is also intended by God to provoke us to worship Him, through the immensity and beauty of what He has made (Psalm 19:1). “He also made the stars” does not necessarily tell us this is when stars were created, just that they were created by God, and that all of the Universe was created by him. I don't believe we need to look too much into this, often in Genesis God reinforces what he has already done previously

Genesis 1:17

​God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth

  • The central point becomes all the more clear, heavenly bodies are not gods, they are created by our one true God.

Genesis 1:18

​to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.

  • The fact that these are said to be appointed by God, in order to "rule over" the day and night is also important. They were created by God, and for Man. Both our Sun and Moon play vital roles in our existence, without one or both, we would not be here.

Genesis 1:19

​“And there was evening, and there was morning”

  • This closes out God's fourth day of work.

Genesis 1:20

​“And God said, 'Let the water teem (be full of or swarming with) with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky”

  • This continues a pattern of Genesis, where God used the first three days to prepare an environment, and the second three days to populate that environment. In Genesis 1:11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation” but here He says “Let the water teem with living creatures”. Is there purposely a difference in wording, Genesis 1:11 says the land would produce, but Genesis 1:20 would be “teeming” with living creatures, not that the waters would produce them, but God would.

Genesis 1:21

​“So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good”

  • This now emphasizes that these creatures were created by the one true God. This verse is also the second time in this chapter the word “created” has been used. There are three things created in Genesis: The world,  animals, human beings. Interestingly though the wording of “great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it” does not say “fish” specifically, since we know such things as whales are mammals, and not fish.

Genesis 1:22

​God blessed them and said, 'Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth

  • For the first time in Genesis, God gives a direct spoken blessing. His blessing is about reproduction and fertility and comes in the form of a command to these creatures: “Be fruitful and multiply”. In other words, God both commands them to multiply, and blesses them with the ability to do so. God created them, and gave them the ability to continue His creation without having to recreate Himself, he gave them that authority.

Genesis 1:23

​“And there was evening, and there was morning”

  • This verse completes the fifth day

Genesis 1:24

​“And God said, 'Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.' And it was so”

  • Here, on the sixth day of creation, God moves from the seas and the air, to the land. What is curious is once again (Genesis 1:11) God says “Let the land  produce” but this time it's living creatures. In Genesis 1:21 “He created the great creatures of the sea”. In the first “He” created, while here and Genesis 1:11  the “land” produced them. This brings up an interesting question that's been widely debated as well: in literal terms, would this imply the land animals were produced by the earth itself?

Genesis 1:25

​God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

  • ​Once again, more questions; God has now “made”, where “create” indicates something new while “made” generally means something made from something.

Genesis 1:26

​Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground

  • There are endless questions within this verse,  The biggest for many is “us” and “our”; “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness”. Whom was he referring to with “Us and Our”. Many believe it is in reference to the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). Another thought is God may be referring to Himself and the angels. This seems unlikely given the rest of Scripture's depiction of angels. These beings are presented as servants and messengers, not creators or rulers.

Genesis 1:27

​So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them

  • ​In the previous verse God “makes”, but in this verse God “creates”. In the last verse also, he “makes in our image”, but here God “creates in his image”. Why the difference,  “create” indicates something new, which implies something preexisted.

Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground

  • For the second time in this chapter God has blessed what he has created (great creatures of the sea and birds), but why had he not also blessed living creatures: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals?

Genesis 1:29

​Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food

  • Here God granted man dominion over all living things and of nature, because man is a greater being, He alone is created in God's image, like God, outside of nature.

Genesis 1:30

​And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so

  • God does not expressly offer animals as food for humans or for other animals. Later, God would specifically change His instructions to man about what other parts of His creation were available for food. What we do know is God is the creator and provider . In His own way, by His own will, He provides food for man and beast (Matthew 6:26)

​Crucial Words

Israel - Hebrew translation is “Struggle with God” 
Tohu - Hebrew translated to Unformed
Void - Hebrew translated to Voho
Expanse: Hebrew translated to (rakiya) Which refers to a solid barrier, perhaps the space between land and water on our planet and our breathable atmosphere, which makes life on this planet possible. It is used 17 times in the Old Testament. Genesis 1:20, NIV: And God said, 'Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky. This gives us an indication of what "vault (Rakiya) " is referring to.
Created: Hebrew translated to Bara: create, shape, form) Implies that prior nothing pre-existed, there was nothing. Only God can create, Man can only make.
Earth - It originates from the 'Anglo-Saxon' (English-German) language where the word 'erda' and its Germanic equivalent 'erde' meaning ground, dirt, soil, or country. In Old English, the word 'Earth' became 'eor(th)e' or "ertha".
Wind - Hebrew translated to Rauch; both Spirit. wind or breath
Elohim - In the Hebrew Bible this almost always refers to God, but on occasion it can mean “mighty, or Great”.
Day - The Hebrew word for “day” is the word “Yom.” Yom in the Old Testament can mean a wide variety of time periods. First we must understand the Hebrew language is not nearly as diverse as our English language.  Whereas our vocabulary is around half a million words, the Hebrew language has only 8,700. Yom can have several meanings, not just Day. 
  • ​Examples (Genesis 4:3), it says "And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord."  In this instance, Yom refers to a growing season, probably several months. (Deuteronomy 10:10), it refers to a "time" equal to forty days. (I Kings 11:42), it says "And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years."  In this case, Yom translated as the word "time" is equivalent to a 40 year period. Four times in the Old Testament Yom is translated "year." Four times in the Old Testament Yom is translated "year." One time Yom was translated "ago." Four times yom is translated as "always," Three times yom is translated as "season." Nineteen times Yom is translated "ever."  Even within the creation account, Yom is used to represent four different time periods. Genesis 1:5  "And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night."  Here, Moses uses Yom to indicate a 12-hour period Genesis 1:14  "And God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years."  Here, Moses uses Yom to indicate 24-hour days Genesis 2:4  "...in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens."  Here, Moses uses Yom to indicate the entire creative week.
Waters - Hebrew translated to mayim

Cross Reference

  • (Exodus 3:14) “God said to Moses, “I am who I am.[a] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.”
  • ​(Psalm 19:1) “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
  • (John 1:1–3) “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
  • (John 4:24) "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth."
  • ​(James 3:9) "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness."
  • (Matthew 6:26) "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

Questions:

  • ​When were the Angels created?: Before the earth was formed, there were no people, only innumerable angels in heaven, who ministered and served God. Among them was Lucifer who was “the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.” (Ezekiel 28:12.).
  • Who created God? - If God was created, God wouldn’t be God. This is an Infintium question and answer, you’d be left with the endless question of who was God’s Dad, and God’s Dad’s Dad, it would be an infinite answer.
  • Did God literally create everything in 6 consecutive 24 hour days? The Bible says the World was created in 7 days, Science says the Universe is 13.8 billion years old.
  • ​Can both Science & Genesis be true?: Science says that both time and space expanded with the “Big Bang”, therefore many Scientists believe that both can be true?
  • Genesis 1:26 "Let us make man in our image”: Why does God speak of Himself as more than one person?             
    • God may be referring to Himself and the angels. This seems unlikely given the rest of Scripture's depiction of angels. These beings are presented as servants and messengers, not creators or rulers.
    • Could be what scholars call a plural of self-exhortation or self-encouragement, meaning He is referring only to Himself. This would also be referred to as "the royal 'we”
    • God is speaking as a Trinity, of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. According to Scripture as a whole, the full Trinity was present at creation. Genesis 1:2 describes the Spirit of God hovering over the waters, and John 1:1–3 reveals that the Word, Christ, was active in the creation of all things.
  • ​Genesis 1:26 “Our image, in our likeness”:  This statement does not mean that God created humans to resemble Him physically (John 4:24) God endowed humans with a certain kind of awareness, one which animals and birds and fish were not given. We have capacity for reason, morality, language, personality, and purpose. In particular, the ability to use morality and spirituality are unique to human beings.
  • ​​Genesis 1:27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them: Why does it say “his, he”, is God male?
  • Genesis 1:29 Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food: God in this verse does not instruct humans to use animals for food? Is this just a beginning and end thing, before sin (Adam & Eve), and after there is no sin in Revelations? Also (Isaiah 65:25). But how does this square with the next verse is Genesis?

​Christ seen (or mentioned)?

Maybe

​Central Lessons(s), and Timeless Truth(s):

  • ​God: No mention of the creation of God is ever mentioned in Genesis 1:1, God has no origins, he just was.
  • ​The Creator, and Nature: The creator(God) is outside of nature, it exists independently of the world. whereas science can only provide information on things within nature.
  • ​The Big Bang Theory: First off, it is a theory, not a definitive explanation of exactly what they know with 100% certainty. Science can only give insight into what happened after the “Big Bang”, not how it all came into existence.
  • The Torah & Jews: The Torah does begin with the Jews, and God did not begin with the Jews. It is not until Abraham (Abram) Jews are spoken of (chapter 11 verse 27). The Torah, and God are preoccupied with all humanity.

Conclusion:

  • ​Truth: Religion, Science, and Atheism all agree that with the Universe there was a “beginning”. Religion explains “what is”, and how “what is” came about. Science can only explain “what is”. Atheists either rely on Science or simply have no theory at all.
  • ​Wisdom: Genesis does not seek to teach Science, it seeks to teach wisdom.  Our current Generation knows more about Science than any other generation yet we process less wisdom. The biggest reason is we rely less on God, and the Bible, and believe Religion is not necessary, only Science is.

Sidenotes: