Preface: Genesis 1 features the creation of the heavens and the earth; followed by the earth falling into disrepair; followed by God restoring the earth as all angels watch.

This should be the most extensive examination of Genesis 1 available, where you will be able to see every word of the original text.

Outline of Chapter 1:

Introduction

         vv.     1–2           Original Creation

         vv.     3–5           Day One: God Makes Light and Differentiates Between Light and Darkness

         vv.     6–8           Day Two: God Makes the Atmosphere to Separate the Waters

         vv.     9–13         Day Three: God Separates Land from Water and Produces Vegetation

         vv.    14–19         Day Four: God Creates the Sun, Moon and Stars

         vv.    20–23         Day Five: God Creates the Animals of the Sea and the Animals of the Air

         vv.    24–31         Day Six: God Creates the Land Animals and Man

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Introduction         Chapter Updates

         v.       1              Ancient Creation Myths

         v.       1              The Creation Verbs of Genesis

         v.       1              The Order of Creation

         v.       1              A Most Fundamental Truth

         v.       2              Why Genesis 1:2a is Translated But the earth became a wasteland and empty...

         v.       2              God and Light and Darkness

         v.       2              The Angelic Conflict

         v.       2              The Judgement of Satan

         v.       2              Genesis Creation Theories

         v.       3              The Trinity in Genesis 1:1–3

         v.       3              How Light Illustrates the Trinity

         v.       3              Light on Day One/the Sun on Day Four

         v.       4              The Doctrine of Light

         v.       5              Two Different Views of Day One

         v.       5              How Long is a Day?

         v.      13              Evolution, Creationism and Devine Design

         v.      13              Some of the Arguments Against Evolution

         v.      14              A New Theory of Creation and Restoration

         v.      14              Creation Theories

         v.      14              The Sun Theories

         v.      15              How the Sun is Analogous to God

         v.      18              What is God Teaching the Angels?

         v.      20              Genesis 1:20d Text from the Greek Septuagint

         v.      26              We are the Shadow Image of God

         v.      26              Heritage Bible Footnote on “Our Image”

         v.      26              The Trinity in the Old Testament (the Abbreviated Version)

         v.      27              The Creation of Man

         v.      27              Man, the Shadow Image of God 

         Summary            An Abbreviated Exegesis of Genesis 1

         Summary            Edersheim Summarizes Genesis 1

         Summary            A Summary of Creation and the Days of Restoration

         Summary            Genesis 1—Bible Art by Vicky Murphy (a graphic)

         Summary 

         Summary 

         Addendum          Josephus’ History of this Time

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Genesis 1

         Addendum          God and His Creation

         Addendum          Doctrinal Teachers Who Have Taught Genesis 1

         Addendum          Word Cloud from the Kukis Paraphrase of Genesis 1

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Genesis 1

——————————

An Introduction to Genesis 1

I ntroduction: Genesis 1 is the appropriate beginning of the Bible, as this is the beginning of the earth and the universe; along with its restoration after a period of slumber, if you will. Most people who get to this point—reading a commentary of the book of Genesis—like believe already that the Bible is the Word of God; or that the Bible has something to do with God. Perhaps you are not fully convinced yet. The more I study the book of Genesis, the more I am convinced that the Bible is indeed, the Word of God.

We live in an amazing universe. It is so vast that, it is beyond our ability to grasp its hugeness. The sizes of the various stars, the variety of the planets and their atmospheres, are the stuff which grabs the imagination of a young child as well as that of an old astronomer. One of the few emails which I forwarded, I also posted on my website called the Perspective of the Universe. It is just a succession of groups of planets and nearby stars, so that we can get a feel for their relative sizes. Not only is it difficult (if not impossible) for man to have some grasp of the size of the earth, the size of Jupiter and then of the sun are even further outside our mind’s ability to perceive. But then to find that there are stars whose size dwarfs that our own sun, is completely mind-boggling.

If we go in the other direction, toward the actual molecular makeup of all that is, we come to molecules, which can be broken down into individual atoms, which are made up of just 3 things: protons, neutrons and electrons. It appears as though these might be further broken down into even smaller component parts. We could take the tiniest speck of dust from around our house and examine it and, for all intents and purposes, write a doctoral thesis on this tiny speck, examining its molecular makeup, its structure, and its origins. If we were to take any living organism within our house, choosing one which is too small to see, not only could we easily write a doctoral’s thesis on this living thing, but we would never begin to plumb the depths of the mystery of it and all of its myriad functions. Modern science does not fully understand most of the functions of the single cell.

Whether we attempt to examine that which is infinite (the universe) or that which is seemingly infinite (all that is microscopic), we inevitably find it to be complex beyond our ability to fully comprehend it; strangely beautiful; and subject to a whole host of laws, all of which interact in a manner which, in itself, is strangely beautiful. Even more amazing, all that we see is made up of 3 essential building blocks: protons, neutrons and electrons, which are too small for us to see with the most powerful of microscopes, yet virtually every person reading this believes in these three things. We all believe that everything that we see and everything that exists is made up of these 3 things, so small that even with the most powerful of microscopes, we cannot fully see or understand. We have some ideas about these building blocks of the universe—one is negatively charged, one is positively charged, and one of them has no charge—and that there are an amazing array of laws based upon these 3 things.

All of this came from somewhere, and the first couple chapters of Genesis give us a primer in the creation of the earth, the universe and man.

With regards to the title of the first book of the Bible, the name Genesis does not come from the Greek or the Hebrew of the first couple verses of the book of Genesis, but from the first verse of the first chapter of the first book of the New Testament, Matt. 1:1, which begins: The Book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the Son of David, the son of Abraham. The first two words in that verse are Biblos geneseôs (βίβλος γενέσεως), accurately translated the Book of [the] genealogy. The Greek word Genesis (γένεσις) [pronounced GHEHN-ehs-iss] means source, origin; genealogy. Strong’s #1078. Quite obviously, the first word is from whence we get the name Bible.

We find these same two Greek words in Genesis 2:4 5:1 in the Septuagint (also known as the LXX, which is a Greek translation made of the Hebrew Old Testament a few centuries prior to the incarnation of Jesus Christ). We find the word Genesis by itself in the Greek of Genesis 6:9 10:1, 32 11:10, 27 25:19 36:1, 9 37:2.

There are all kinds of creation myths in existence, but the Genesis account is clear, concise, and lacks weirdness. It is very similar, at the first, to what science calls the "Big Bang Theory" where all the universe was created suddenly and from a single point (the theory behind the Big Bang Theory is simpler than you may realize—since the universe is expanding, going out in all directions, then, if you reverse this process, you come to a certain point from which all the universe emanated).

From Wikipedia: The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model for the earliest known periods of the universe...If the known laws of physics are extrapolated beyond where they are valid there is a singularity. Big Bang isn't considered as an explosion in space, but rather it was an explosion of space.

Interestingly enough, the concept of the Big Bang Theory is attributed to two theologians. Wikipedia: In his 1225 treatise De Luce (On Light), English theologian Robert Grosseteste explored the nature of matter and the cosmos. He described the birth of the Universe in an explosion and the crystallization of matter to form stars and planets in a set of nested spheres around Earth. De Luce is the first attempt to describe the heavens and Earth using a single set of physical laws.

It is Georges Lemaître who is known as the Father of the Big Bang. According to the Big Bang theory, the expansion of the observable universe began with the explosion of a single particle at a definite point in time. This startling idea first appeared in scientific form in 1931, in a paper by Georges Lemaître, a Belgian cosmologist and Catholic priest. The theory, accepted by nearly all astronomers today, was a radical departure from scientific orthodoxy in the 1930s. Many astronomers at the time were still uncomfortable with the idea that the universe is expanding. That the entire observable universe of galaxies began with a bang seemed preposterous...It is tempting to think that Lemaître's deeply-held religious beliefs might have led him to the notion of a beginning of time. After all, the Judeo-Christian tradition had propagated a similar idea for millennia. Yet Lemaître clearly insisted that there was neither a connection nor a conflict between his religion and his science.

In exegeting the first verse of Genesis, you will see that the Bible appears to be a proponent of this theory.

Modern science—at least, a very vocal subset of the members of modern science—does everything possible to remove God from the creation of matter and from the creation of life. In previous centuries, scientists were able to maintain a faith in God and still be able to discover the wonders of His creation. In the past century, science has become much more antagonistic toward God, to the point of trying to develop theories apart from God, which theories go against well-established scientific principles. Let me give you an example: we all know that if you throw a grenade into a building, the result will be greater disorder than order. No scientist believes that, if we repeat this experiment enough times, an explosion will result in a better building; no scientist believes that, because all of the ingredients are there for a better building, that a grenade will bring that about. However, many godless scientists believe in the big bang theory where, somehow, in someway, the universe exploded, expanded, and the end result was an amazingly ordered universe with a myriad of natural laws, with incredible beauty throughout our universe. The believer in Jesus Christ can easily believe in the Big Bang Theory (where God created everything from a single point), and this is in line with all scientific law; but it is much harder to have faith in the big bang theory, where the universe began from some unguided explosion/expansion from a single point.

Scientist believe and can demonstrate that mutations are a detriment to any living organism (for both man and animal). They might use a figure like 99% of all mutations do not result in a better organism; however, when it comes to observed science, 100% of all mutations result in an inferior creature. Furthermore, no observable mutation (or succession of mutations) results in a brand new function or in a different species. Yet, evolutionists believe that mutation in man and animals is one of the essential building blocks of all living things that you see today. They teach that every living organism is the result of millions of mutations, which resulted in stronger, healthier, more capable organisms—just the exact opposite of what we actually observe 100% of the time.

Is it wrong for science to pursue our origins or to propose various theories? Certainly not. I have no problem with scientists who propose evolution as a possible theory of origins. However, they ought to be honest about it. When it is taught in school for the first time, there ought to be honest and genuine caveats. For instance, “Evolution is one theory that many scientists believe. In fact, it is the only theory which is seen as a reasonable alternative to the idea that God created the heavens and the earth and man.” They ought to say, “Evolutionists believe that all men and animals are the result of successive mutations occurring over millions of years, some minor and some major. However, it should be pointed out that no scientist has ever observed a mutation which improved the life of any man or any animal; a mutation which resulted in a new and different function of any sort in any man or animal; nor has science ever observed a new species of animal result from a mutation of any sort.” Simple, honest, scientific statements, made to children when they are age-appropriate. Or, “There are three basic theories of the origins of man which are generally accepted today: (1) man evolved ultimately from nonliving matter; (2) man evolved ultimately from nonliving matter as a result of the guidance of God; or (3) man did not evolve, but was created by God. Now, because it has been deemed inappropriate by most adults to teach the idea of a creative God in the classroom in a science class, that leaves us only with the first theory. I promise you that, as we study this theory, I will present to you not only the theory of evolution, but the many objections and scientific counter-arguments which have been made to it.” If words like these were found in scientific textbooks; if the strength and weaknesses of evolutionary theory were taught, side-by-side, there would be virtually no outside movement to teach Creationsm or Intelligent Design in the classroom.

I should point out, science and a belief in God (and, more specifically, a belief in Jesus Christ) are not antithetical; science and the Bible do not define two sides of some intellectual or philosophical battle. There are many modern scientists who do believe in the Genesis account of creation and do not believe in evolution. Such scientists are in at least the tens of thousands if not more. Almost all scientists of note prior to, say 1900, believed in God, and many of them believed in the Genesis account of creation.

There are basic laws of science which line up with the Genesis account and are fundamentally opposed to evolution. Much of science is based upon cause and effect. For everything that exists, it was caused in some way to come into existence. Nothing can cause itself to come into existence (water, apart from heat and pressure, cannot become ice or steam). At some point, we trace everything back to the First Cause, which is God. The book of Genesis recognizes that; some modern scientists today refuse to.

No matter what it is that we observe in this life, it has great structure, intricacy and beauty. It is subject to a series of laws, many of which we do not fully understand, but some of which we can quantify to some limited degree. Whether we see a house, a car or a watch, we recognize that someone designed and built this thing (in fact, hundreds of people were often involved) and that energy was expended in order to build it as well. These things are built to exacting specifications, and it is adhering to these specifications which make these things work. Man is also built to exacting specifications. The earth is built to exacting specifications. The design, structure and intricacy of every living organism on this planet is built to a set of exact specifications, the blueprint of which appears to be found in every part of the organism itself. If we are able to recognize that every random car that drives by had a myriad of designers and builders who built this car to some very precise specifications (all of whom used some kind of energy in the process); then how hard is it to imagine that our bodies, which are wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), are not the result of a Designer, a Builder as well as the function of Energy as well? In the Bible, this is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

The evolutionist believes that the most complex things on this earth just sort of happened; in fact, they pretty much just caused themselves to occur. However, the person who believes in the creation account of Genesis believes in cause and effect and that things which are made require a Designer, a Builder and Energy—concepts which are completely in line with scientific thought. Just as importantly, these 3 functions or rolls closely mirror the Trinity in the creation and restoration of the earth and all that is in it.

Several times in the Bible, we are told to look to God’s creation in order to recognize God. The heavens [continuously] proclaim the glory of God and their expanse [the ever expanding universe] declares the work of His hands (Psalm 19:1). For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly observed, being understood through that which has been made, so that they [unbelievers] are without excuse (Rom. 1:20). And God has initiated the process by which we are formed today: For You formed my internal organs; You knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well (Psalm 139:13–14). There is nothing superstitious or unscientific about recognizing that we just did not happen; that man is not just the result of an almost infinite series of random events which had no design or originating cause. It is intellectually reasonable to recognize that our very being and existence is based upon the most fundamental scientific principles. If anything, it is superstitious, unscientific and closed-minded to think that there was no First Cause, that we just evolved without a Designer, and that millions of years combined with a fantastic succession of mutations explains who and what we are. It is just as foolish as to imagine our very life (which equals energy) just happened. Any man who is not a fool, recognizes that his thinking is more than just electrical impulses and chemicals sloshing around in our skulls.

In our lives, in the 20^th and 21^st centuries, there have been amazing advances in science, revealing a complexity of life and of our universe far greater than man could have ever imagined. And yet, it seems like a greater percentage of scientists today are willing to believe that all of this sort of happened. Science is all about observation and repeating what we have observed; and yet nothing of the origins of the universe and of life can be observed and then repeated—and yet many choose to believe it just happened.

The first chapter of Genesis begins with the creation of the heavens and the earth (v. 1), the lapse of the earth into an icy darkness (v. 2a) followed by the restoration of the earth with the intent that the earth be populated (vv. 2b–26).

Let’s consider some logic for a moment. If God created the heavens and the earth; and then restored to earth to again be populated; then why did God create the earth in the first place? Let me suggest that it was to be populated and perhaps specifically by fallen angels. This would separate God and the elect angels from the fallen angels and possibly illustrate an important point to all angelic creation: simply giving the fallen angels a place to hang out, outside of the throne room of God, does not solve the problem. The end result is, the earth becomes a wasted place, fit only to be encased in ice.

For those who are aware of what will occur in the next few chapters, Satan will seize control of the earth again and get another bite at the apple, as it were.

——————————

Original Creation

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I compare the Hebrew text to English translations of the Latin, Syriac and Greek texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation; George Lamsa’s translation, and Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton’s translation as revised and edited by Paul W. Esposito, respectively. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.). I often use the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible instead of Brenton’s translation, because it updates the English text.

The Septuagint was the earliest known translation of a book (circa 200 b.c.). Since this translation was made before the textual criticism had been developed into a science and because different books appear to be translated by different men, the Greek translation can sometimes be very uneven.

When there are serious disparities between my translation and Brenton’s (or the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible), I look at the Greek text of the Septuagint (the LXX) to see if a substantive difference actually exists (and I reflect these changes in the English rendering of the Greek text). I use the Greek LXX with Strong’s numbers and morphology available for e-sword. The only problem with this resource (which is a problem for similar resources) is, there is no way to further explore Greek verbs which are not found in the New Testament. Although I usually quote the Complete Apostles’ Bible here, I have begun to make changes in the translation when their translation conflicts with the Greek and note what those changes are.

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew text with all of the vowels (vowel points) inserted (the original Hebrew text lacked vowels). We take the Masoretic text to be the text closest to the original. However, differences between the Masoretic text and the Greek, Latin and Syriac are worth noting and, once in a great while, represent a more accurate text possessed by those other ancient translators.

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Bracketed portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls are words, letters and phrases lost in the scroll due to various types of damage. Underlined words or phrases are those in the Dead Sea Scrolls but not in the Masoretic text.

The Targum of Onkelos is actually the Pentateuchal Targumim, which are The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel. On the Pentateuch With The Fragments of the Jerusalem Targum From the Chaldee by J. W. Etheridge, M.A. Take from http://targum.info/targumic-texts/pentateuchal-targumim/ and first published in 1862.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        In beginnings, created Elohim the [two] heavens and the earth.

Targum of Onkelos                BERASHITH.

At the beginning (min avella) the Lord created the heavens and the earth. [JERUSALEM TARGUM. In wisdom (be-hukema) the Lord created.]

Latin Vulgate                          In the beginning God created heaven, and earth.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    GOD created the heavens and the earth in the very beginning.

Septuagint (Greek)                In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth.

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           World's creation in seven days

When God began to create [Or In the beginning, God created] the heavens and the earth-.

Good News Bible (TEV)         In the beginning, when God created the universe,...

The Message                         First this: God created the Heavens and Earth--all you see, all you don't see.

New Berkeley Version           In the beginning God CREATED the heavens and the earth. Attempts at dating the beginning are not promising. Estimates of a very old age for the earth and the universe are acceptable to many devout Bible students. Cf. Heb. 11:3 (Greek aionas — eon-old worlds).

New Century Version             In the beginning God created the sky and the earth.

New Life Bible                        In the beginning God made from nothing the heavens and the earth.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          In the beginning, The God created the skies and the lands.

Ancient Roots Translinear      First, God created the heaven and the land.

Christian Community Bible     In the beginning, when God began to create the heavens and the earth,.

God’s Word™                         In the beginning God created heaven and earth.

New American Bible              The Story of Creation.

In 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.]-... [1:1-2:3] 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.

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) vegetationb) human beings: male/female

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.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             At the first God made the heaven and the earth.

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 By Periods [Literally “By Headships.” It is curious that all translators from the Septuagint have rendered this word into the singular, although it is plural in the Hebrew. So I rendered it accurately.—F.F.] God created that which produced the Solar Systems; then that which produced the Earth.

HCSB                                     In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               When God began to create heaven and earth—... Others “In the beginning God created.”

NET Bible®                             The Creation of the World

In the beginning [The translation assumes that the form translated "beginning" is in the absolute state rather than the construct ("in the beginning of," or "when God created"). In other words, the clause in v. 1 is a main clause, v. 2 has three clauses that are descriptive and supply background information, and v. 3 begins the narrative sequence proper. The referent of the word "beginning" has to be defined from the context since there is no beginning or ending with God.] [In the beginning. The verse refers to the beginning of the world as we know it; it affirms that it is entirely the product of the creation of God. But there are two ways that this verse can be interpreted: (1) It may be taken to refer to the original act of creation with the rest of the events on the days of creation completing it. This would mean that the disjunctive clauses of v. 2 break the sequence of the creative work of the first day. (2) It may be taken as a summary statement of what the chapter will record, that is, vv. 3-31 are about God's creating the world as we know it. If the first view is adopted, then we have a reference here to original creation; if the second view is taken, then Genesis itself does not account for the original creation of matter. To follow this view does not deny that the Bible teaches that God created everything out of nothing (cf. John 1:3) - it simply says that Genesis is not making that affirmation. This second view presupposes the existence of pre-existent matter, when God said, "Let there be light." The first view includes the description of the primordial state as part of the events of day one. The following narrative strongly favors the second view, for the "heavens/sky" did not exist prior to the second day of creation (see v. 8) and "earth/dry land" did not exist, at least as we know it, prior to the third day of creation (see v. 10).] God [God. This frequently used Hebrew name for God (אֱלֹהִים, 'elohim) is a plural form. When it refers to the one true God, the singular verb is normally used, as here. The plural form indicates majesty; the name stresses God's sovereignty and incomparability — he is the "God of gods."] created [The English verb "create" captures well the meaning of the Hebrew term in this context. The verb בָּרָא (bara') always describes the divine activity of fashioning something new, fresh, and perfect. The verb does not necessarily describe creation out of nothing (see, for example, Genesis 1:27, where it refers to the creation of man); it often stresses forming anew, reforming, renewing (see Psalm 51:10; Isa. 43:15; Isa. 65:17).] the heavens and the earth [Or "the entire universe"; or "the sky and the dry land." This phrase is often interpreted as a merism, referring to the entire ordered universe, including the heavens and the earth and everything in them. The "heavens and the earth" were completed in seven days (see Genesis 2:1) and are characterized by fixed laws (see Jer. 33:25). "Heavens" refers specifically to the sky, created on the second day (see Genesis 1:8), while "earth" refers specifically to the dry land, created on the third day (see Genesis 1:10). Both are distinct from the sea/seas (see Genesis 1:10 and Ex. 20:11).]. When it comes to making an actual material change to the text, the NET Bible® is pretty good about indicating this. Since most of these corrections will be clear in the more literal translations below and within the Hebrew exegesis itself, I will not continue to list every NET Bible® footnote.

International Standard V        .

Catholic Bibles (those having the Imprimatur):

The Heritage Bible                 .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Kaplan Translation                 .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

Kretzmann’s Commentary    .

Lexham English Bible            .

Translation for Translators     .

The Voice                               .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                IN THE beginning God (prepared, formed, fashioned, and) created the heavens and the earth.

Concordant Literal Version    Created by the Elohim were the heavens and the earth.

Context Group Version          In the beginning God created the skies { or heavens } and the land { or earth }.

English Standard Version      In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

exeGeses companion Bible   In the beginning

Elohim creates the heavens and the earth...

Heritage Bible                        First [Genesis, the name of the first book of the Bible, reshiyth, meaning First.] God created [created, bara, means to bring into existence by cutting it out, as a tailor cuts out a garment. Therefore, everything in the material world was not created from nothing, but God used words to cut matter out of the spiritual reality in Himself. Bara occurs 57 times in the Bible, and every place would make good sense if we translated it cut out (or down, etc.). Genesis 1:1 would be just as accurate if we translated it, First God cut out the heavens and the earth...God cut the material, psychological (soulical, animal, and human), and the human spirits out of the spiritual reality within Himself. It is used at three strategic places in Genesis 1. In v. 1 God created matter, then made various parts of the universe from that matter. In v. 21 God created soul life, and made various types of living creatures from that soul life. In v. 27 God created spirit life in Adam (and separated Eve from Adam), and from those two all humans have been made, with a spirit in the likeness of God, with a soul in common with animals, and with a body in common with the earth. In all the other verses the word made is used, Hebrew, asah. It means to make from existing materials. God created all things by His Spirit from within Himself by means of words. His words are spirit and life, John 6:63. They were the force by which spiritual reality was projected from inside of God into material reality. His words were the tools by which He cut out and created and made all things. We do not “create” anything in the ultimate meaning of that word, but we call things that are not in our lives from God’s treasures, as though they] the heavens [heavens, shamayim, is always plural, meaning: 1. The atmosphere around the earth. 2. The heavenly space where the other planets and stars are. 3. The third heaven where God’s throne is. 2 Cor 12:2. Psa 68:33; 148:4. God’s dwelling place is in all three, 1 Kng 8:30, although all the heavens cannot contain Him, 1 Kng 8:27.] and the earth [The earth, erets, is the only place in the universe where plant, animal, and human life have ever existed, or will ever exist until the New Heaven and New Earth. No other heavenly body has the proper conditions to sustain earthly life. See Psalm 115:16. Rev 21-22. God made it that way.].

New RSV                               In the beginning when God created [Or when God began to create or In the beginning God created] the heavens and the earth,...

Syndein/Thieme                     In the beginning which was not a beginning {eternity past}, Elohiym/Godhead created out of nothing {bara'} the heavens {1st -earth to space; 2nd space to heaven; 3rd heaven itself} and the planet earth. {Note: Elohiym is the Hebrew word meaning Gods. It refers to the Godhead - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.}.

Young's Updated LT              In the beginning of God's preparing the heavens and the earth.

The gist of this verse: 

Translation: In a beginning,...

Although the Hebrew noun here is found in the plural, it is not necessarily translated as a plural, as it is never found in a singular form. A very common word in the Hebrew is face, which is always found in the plural in the Hebrew, but nearly always translated as a singular. However, it would be legitimate to translate these first words as At the first...

Two times in the Bible we have the phrase "In the beginning;" here and in John 1:1 in the New Testament. John gives us the first cause, Jesus Christ, the actual beginning. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God...and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us... (John 1:1, 12a). Genesis 1:1 may or may not have been the very first thing created by God, but both verses reach further back into antiquity than we can imagine. We have various scientific instruments which give us the age of the earth as anywhere from five billion to eighteen billion years old. This is time which goes beyond our comprehension and the disagreement is not very trivial.

Translation: ...Elohim had created...

In the Hebrew, God is the word ʾĚlôhîym (אלֹהִים) [pronounced el-o-HEEM, which has a variety of meanings. It can stand for judges or rulers as divine representatives, for pagan gods or goddesses, for superhuman beings, for angels, and for God. The Hebrew has a singular, dual and plural for nouns. Elohim is plural (this is because of the im ending).There is at least one "Christian" cult which teaches that there are only two members in the Godhead, God the Son and God the Father. In that case, the name for "God" here should be in the dual (two) rather than in the plural (three or more). Other cults, including Judaism, presume that this is plural in all cases but when referring to God and then it is singular. The accompanying verb is in the masculine singular. However, for "Christian" cults, this ignores John 1:1,12a and for all cults with that viewpoint, it ignores the "Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness..." (Genesis 1:26a) (make in that verse is in the plural). The point which I am making here is simple. In the Hebrew, we begin the Bible with God in the plural, not the singular or the dual. In other words, the Bible begins by teaching the trinity. God is three in personality—God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit—but God is one in purpose, hence the verb in this verse is in the singular (as the verbs will be throughout most of Genesis 1). As has been said, the seeds for all the major doctrines of the Bible are found right here in Genesis and right from the beginning we have the Trinity.

Elohim (God) is in the plural here; the Hebrew word is Elohim; the –im ending indicates a plural noun. God is One in essence but 3 in person. We find this to be the case from the very first verse of the Bible. All 3 members of the Trinity will be involved in the restoration of the earth; we may reasonably assume that all 3 members of the Trinity were involved in the original creation of the heavens and the earth. We will find allusions to the Trinity even in this first chapter of Genesis. The Holy Spirit will be mentioned in v. 2 (the Spirit of God hovered over the earth) and that creation was accomplished by more than one Person is found in both the plural noun Elohim and in Genesis 1:26a, where God [Elohim] said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” Furthermore, the analogy which I have presented—the Designer, the Builder and Energy—perfectly describe the function of the members of the Trinity in the creation and restoration of the earth, as well as the creation of animals and man. God the Father planned it, God the Son executed it, and God the Holy Spirit provided the energy by which creation and restoration came to pass. We find the exact same functions of the Trinity applied to our salvation, accomplished on the cross.

The verb here is in the perfect tense. The perfect tense sees the action of the verb as a completed state or as a punctiliar action. The imperfect tense looks at the action of the verb in progress or as a process. However, what we find here is the creation of the universe seen as an instantaneous event. Scientific theory might call this the Big Bang Theory. However, what will become apparent, if we take this chapter of the Bible literally, is that God did not create the entire universe at this point, but only the heavens and the earth, minus all of the heavenly bodies.

The Big Bang Theory was first postulated by a Belgium priest/astronomer, which theory was based upon the first chapter of Genesis. John N. Clayton writes: "We have tried over and over again to point out to readers that the big bang theory is not at odds with the Bible nor with the concept of God as Creator."

As we get into this chapter, it may seem strange that God is certain capable of creating everything instantly. So, that would lead us to the question, if God creates everything instantly in this verse, why does there appear to be a process of time in the verses which follow? There are two answers for this: (1) when God creates the heavens and the earth, He also creates time; (2) when God restores the earth, he has an audience. Therefore, He acts in steps rather than instantaneously. God does this, it is observed; God does the next thing, it is observed. God is not constrained by His lack of power; God willingly constrains His power for His audience. Throughout this process, God speaks. Now, to whom do you think God is speaking? Why speak unless there is someone to hear? Why broadcast what you are going to do unless there is someone to hear what you have promised to do, and then see you do it.

There are several verbs association with Genesis 1–2, and this is often presented as creating something out of nothing.

The first two words of Genesis 1:1 could be reasonably rendered in the beginning, at the beginning, or at the first. We do not find this combination of preposition and feminine noun except in Jer. 28:1 49:34. Hosea 9:10.

God, although a plural noun in the Hebrew, always takes a singular verb.

Notice that this has begun without naming a human author, without claiming divine inspiration, without the kind of beginning which man would have affixed. We do not know who wrote the original draft of this document, whether it was Adam or Moses. Genesis was possibly finalized by Moses, who possibly wrote all of Genesis by examining previous historical documents in his possession. It is my opinion that several different authors wrote the book of Genesis, each one beginning where the previous one left off. We will examine that in the future.

It is also possible that this portion of the Word of God was dictated at some point in time. After all, no man was alive when these events took place. God allows throughout the Bible the style of the human author to shine through. However, this chapter of the Bible, along with the next dozen or so, go beyond style and contain a beauty and a grace and a flow found nowhere else in the Bible.

The verb precedes "God" in this verse. It is the Hebrew word bârâʾ (בָּרָא) [pronounced baw-RAWH], and it means to shape, to fashion, to create to carve, to engrave, to bring into existence and to create out of nothing. The Qal stem is only used with God as the subject. It refers to the creation of anything new: Genesis 1:1 (the heavens and the earth), 1:21 (water animals), 1:27 (man), Ex. 34:10 (miracles), Num. 16:30 (a specific miracle), Person singular. 51:10 (a clean heart in a man who has sinned), Isaiah 4:5 (a cloud/smoke by day and a flaming fire by night for guidance), 41:20 (a desert wilderness is transformed), 43:1(Jacob), 65:17,18 (a new heavens and a new earth and a new Jerusalem), Jer. 31:22 (right man/right woman), and Ezek. 28:13,15 (Satan, in his innocent state).

Bârâʿ is in the Qal perfect, third masculine singular (as mentioned before, it is used with the plural form Elohim. The Qal is the basic form of all Hebrew verbs and the perfect tense is not necessarily completed action (although this context indicates that it is) but if observes the action as a whole without reference to duration or completeness. This creative act is viewed as a whole and if there were any steps or graduations of creation, they are not noted or examined.

Translation: ...the heavens...

The Hebrew does not have the same sentence structure that we do. Usually the verb is found first, then the subject of the verb and then the direct object of the verb follows (or indirect object). However, the subject can be anywhere in a sentence for emphasis. If I wanted to emphasize God, I may put His name at the beginning of this verse or before the verb. If I want to emphasize the direct object, then I may place God at the end of this sentence. Therefore, we have to be able to identify which is the subject and which is the direct object. The Hebrew uses a word which we generally do not translate and that word indicates that what follows is the direct object.

The noun heavens is always found as a dual noun, meaning there are two heavens. This bothered me at first, but actually, this will refer to (1) the abode of God and (2) the heavens above. The atmosphere of the earth will be created later on in this chapter.

Genesis 1:1 In a beginning God created the [two] heavens and the earth. The first verb which we find suggests that the heavens and the earth were created out of nothing (more accurately, created out of energy). One of the fantastic aspects to this first verse of the Bible is, the creation of the universe from nothing (again, more accurately, created from energy).

Mark Rooker, writing in Bibliotheca Sacra, Oct-Dec 1992, speaks to this: “It is the first great achievement of the Bible to present a divine creation from nothing in contrast to evolution or formation from a material already in existence. Israel’s religious genius expresses this idea with monumental brevity. In all other creation epics the world originates from a primeval matter, which existed before. No other religion or philosophy dared to take this absolute first step. Through it, God is not simply the architect, but the absolute Creator of the universe. No sentence could be better fitted for the opening Book of Books. Only an all pervading conviction of God’s absolute power could have produced it.”

Heavens is not a plural noun but a dual noun. Where the throne room of God is, is considered the 3^rd heaven (Psalm 11:4 14:2 2Cor. 12:2 Heb. 8:1 1Peter 3:22) and outer space is often called the heavens (Genesis 1:14–15). The earth does not have an atmosphere designed for man yet (as of Genesis 1:1), which is sometimes known the heavens (Genesis 1:8 7:11) or as heaven (James 5:18). The word heaven, in the Old Testament, is typically found as a dual noun (I do not know of an instance, offhand, where it is not found in the dual). The two heavens spoken of here would be space and the location of the throne room of God.

There are many unanswered or only partially answered questions. Obviously, God put all of this into motion, but nothing put God into motion. This is not so much an unanswered question as something which is difficult to grasp. Furthermore, we do not have God’s motivation. However, we do have clues. Man is a creative being and we, being made in the image of God, may reasonably assume that God is also a creative being. Therefore, it is His nature to create.

In this first verse, we will deal with the creation of the heavens and the earth. The verb used here, which means to create, is not found again until God creates animal life and man.

Translation: ...and the earth.

At this time, God created the earth. Now, as science has developed, we know more and more about planets and we know that we cannot inhabit any planet or moon without great modifying the immediate environment around us. However, as science fiction has developed, we seem to think there are space aliens all over the place. However, insofar as we know, the only life that we are aware of is here on earth.

So, essentially we have this great expanse where God is and the earth, which was designed to be occupied.

It is my theory that the earth was first formed to be occupied and that the first life on this planet were angels. We know nothing about how their bodies were composed, but I would not be surprised if they were originally much like ours. When angels appear to men in the Old Testament, most of the time they are indistinguishable from mankind (see, for instance, Genesis 18–19).

Genesis 1:1 In a beginning God created the [two] heavens and the earth.

What is left out of the Genesis account of creation is the creation of angelic beings. Satan, created originally as the angel Lucifer, will show up, seemingly out of nowhere, in Genesis 3. That angels are not created in Genesis 1, and barely alluded to in Genesis 1:3 (you’ll see how when we get there), suggests that, at some point in time, prior to man being created, angels had been created. For this reason, many theologians believe that there was an entire creation which predated man which consisted of the angels, which appear to have lived on the earth. These ideas are pieced together by threadbare Scripture. The Bible clearly teaches that there is more to this world and this universe than just man and God. Angels are spoken of again and again throughout Scripture. There are references to angels speaking to God about us and our actions (Job 1–2) as well as references to our being observed by angels (Heb. 12:1 1Peter 1:12). Satan, as a serpent, will insert himself into human history in Genesis 3. That Satan would spend time on earth suggests that he has some sort of tie to this land. God created the earth to be inhabited (Isa. 45:18), so that it is not a great jump in logic to think that angels may have inhabited this earth before us. It is unclear whether they were subjected to the same sorts of physical laws as we are subjected (some angels now are clearly not so bound).

Genesis 1:1 In a beginning, Elohim had created the heavens and the earth. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Genesis 1:1 In a beginning God created the [two] heavens and the earth. (Kukis paraphrase)

Nothing here is said about stars, planets or the sun. If original creation consists of the two heavens and the earth, let me suggest that there was earth, some sort of an atmosphere on earth, and there were the vast heavens, the “location” of God (although God is omnipresent). The atmosphere of the earth is finite; heaven is infinite.

We do not know anything about the earth itself, although we may reasonably assume that this is the earth that we are standing on today. The changes which God makes to the earth will be described in this first chapter of Genesis, from v. 3 and forward. There is even the posibility that the earth was stationary at this time.

Angels appear to be able to have access to all of this; both to God and to the heavens and earth. It is reasonable that the earth was where angels resided prior to human history. However, for these angels, there was access to and interaction with God.

——————————

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Targum of Onkelos                And the earth was vacancy and desolation, solitary of the sons of men, and void of every animal; and darkness was upon the face of the abyss, and the Spirit of mercies from before the Lord breathed upon the face of the waters. [JERUSALEM TARGUM. And the earth was vacancy and desolation, and solitary of the sons of men, and void of every animal; and the Spirit of mercies from before the Lord breathed upon the face of the waters.]

Latin Vulgate                          And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God moved over the waters.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And the earth was desolate and empty and [extreme] darkness upon faces of an ocean depth and a Spirit of Elohim was hovering over faces of the water.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the water.

Septuagint (Greek)                But the earth was unsightly and unfurnished, and darkness was over the deep, and the Spirit of God moved over the water.

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           —the earth was without shape or form, it was dark over the deep sea, and God's wind swept over the waters—...

Contemporary English V.       The earth was barren, with no form of life; it was under a roaring ocean covered with darkness. But the Spirit of God was moving over the water.

Easy English                          The earth had no shape and it was empty. Everything was dark, and God's Spirit moved gently over the waters.

Easy-to-Read Version            ...the earth was completely empty; nothing was on the earth. Darkness covered the ocean, and God’s Spirit moved over [The Hebrew word means "to fly over" or "to swoop down," like a bird flying over its nest to protect its babies.] the water.

Good News Bible (TEV)         ...the earth was formless and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the Spirit of God was moving over the water.

The Message                         Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God's Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss.

New Berkeley Version           The earth was formless and empty, and darkness lay upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. The Spirit’s moving over the deep suggests His life-giving forces at work in the processes of creation. We do well to read also John 1:1–5 concerning the earth’s forming and Psalm 139:14–16 regarding the human body

New Life Bible                        The earth was an empty waste and darkness was over the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was moving over the top of the waters.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          However, the land was unsightly and unfinished, darkness covered its abysses, and God's Breath moved over its waters.

Ancient Roots Translinear      The land was a chaotic abyss, with darkness over the face of the abyss. The Spirit-wind of God fluttered over the face of the waters.

Beck’s American Translation There was nothing living on the empty earth, and it was dark on the deep sea, but God’s Spirit hovered over the waters.

God’s Word™                         The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep water. The Spirit of God was hovering over the water.

New American Bible              ...and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters [Jer 4:23.]-. 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.

NIRV                                      The earth didn't have any shape. And it was empty. Darkness was over the surface of the ocean. At that time, the ocean covered the earth. The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

New Jerusalem Bible             Now the earth was a formless void, there was darkness over the deep, with a divine wind sweeping over the waters.

Revised English Bible            The earth was a vast waste, darkness covered the deep, and the spirit of God hovered over the surface of the water.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             And the earth was waste and without form; and it was dark on the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God was moving on the face of the waters.

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 But the earth was unorganized and empty; and darkness covered its convulsed surface; while the breath of God rocked the surface of its waters.

HCSB                                     Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

JPS (Tanakh—1917)               Now the earth was unformed and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters.

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               ...the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from [Others, “the spirit of.”] God sweeping over the water—...

Judaica Press Complete T.    Now the earth was astonishingly empty, and darkness was on the face of the deep, and the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the water.

NET Bible®                             Now [The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) at the beginning of Genesis 1:2 gives background information for the following narrative, explaining the state of things when "God said..." (Genesis 1:3). Verse Genesis 1:1 is a title to the chapter, Genesis 1:2 provides information about the state of things when God spoke, and Genesis 1:3 begins the narrative per se with the typical narrative construction (vav [ו] consecutive followed by the prefixed verbal form). (This literary structure is paralleled in the second portion of the book: Genesis 2:4 provides the title or summary of what follows, Genesis 2:5–6 use disjunctive clause structures to give background information for the following narrative, and Genesis 2:7 begins the narrative with the vav [ו] consecutive attached to a prefixed verbal form.) Some translate Genesis 1:2 (i.e., Genesis 1:2a) "and the earth became," arguing that Genesis 1:1 describes the original creation of the earth, while Genesis 1:2 refers to a judgment that reduced it to a chaotic condition. Verses Genesis 1:3 (i.e., Genesis 1:2ff.) then describe the re–creation of the earth. However, the disjunctive clause at the beginning of Genesis 1:2 cannot be translated as if it were relating the next event in a sequence. If Genesis 1:2 were sequential to Genesis 1:1, the author would have used the vav [ו] consecutive followed by a prefixed verbal form and the subject.] the earth [That is, what we now call "the earth." The creation of the earth as we know it is described in Genesis 1:9–10. Prior to this the substance which became the earth (= dry land) lay dormant under the water.] was without shape and empty [Traditional translations have followed a more literal rendering of "waste and void." The words describe a condition that is without form and empty. What we now know as "the earth" was actually an unfilled mass covered by water and darkness. Later תֹהוּ (tohu) and בֹּהוּ (bohu), when used in proximity, describe a situation resulting from judgment (Isa. 34:11; Jer. 4:23). Both prophets may be picturing judgment as the reversal of creation in which God's judgment causes the world to revert to its primordial condition. This later use of the terms has led some to conclude that Genesis 1:2 presupposes the judgment of a prior world, but it is unsound method to read the later application of the imagery (in a context of judgment) back into Genesis 1:2.], and darkness [Darkness. The Hebrew word simply means "darkness," but in the Bible it has come to symbolize what opposes God, such as judgment (Ex. 10:21), death (Psalm 88:13), oppression (Isa. 9:1), the wicked (1Sam. 2:9) and in general, sin. In Isa. 45:7 it parallels "evil." It is a fitting cover for the primeval waste, but it prepares the reader for the fact that God is about to reveal himself through his works.] was over the surface of the watery deep [The Hebrew term תְּהוֹם (tehom, "deep") refers to the watery deep, the salty ocean — especially the primeval ocean that surrounds and underlies the earth (see Genesis 7:11).] [The watery deep. In the Babylonian account of creation Marduk killed the goddess Tiamat (the salty sea) and used her carcass to create heaven and earth. The form of the Hebrew word for "deep" is distinct enough from the name "Tiamat" to deny direct borrowing; however, it is possible that there is a polemical stress here. Ancient Israel does not see the ocean as a powerful deity to be destroyed in creation, only a force of nature that can be controlled by God.], but the Spirit of God [The traditional rendering "Spirit of God" is preserved here, as opposed to a translation like "wind from/breath of God" (cf. NRSV) or "mighty wind" (cf. NEB), taking the word "God" to represent the superlative. Elsewhere in the OT the phrase refers consistently to the divine spirit that empowers and energizes individuals (see Genesis 41:38; Ex. 31:3; Ex. 35:31; Num. 24:2; 1Sam. 10:10; 1Sam. 11:6; 1Sam. 19:20; 1Sam. 19:23; Eze. 11:24; 2Chron. 15:1; 2Chron. 24:20).] was moving [The Hebrew verb has been translated "hovering" or "moving" (as a bird over her young, see Deut. 32:11). The Syriac cognate term means "to brood over; to incubate." How much of that sense might be attached here is hard to say, but the verb does depict the presence of the Spirit of God moving about mysteriously over the waters, presumably preparing for the acts of creation to follow. If one reads "mighty wind" (cf. NEB) then the verse describes how the powerful wind begins to blow in preparation for the creative act described in Genesis 1:9–10. (God also used a wind to drive back the flood waters in Noah's day. See Genesis 8:1.)] over the surface [Heb "face."] of the water [The water. The text deliberately changes now from the term for the watery deep to the general word for water. The arena is now the life–giving water and not the chaotic abyss–like deep. The change may be merely stylistic, but it may also carry some significance. The deep carries with it the sense of the abyss, chaos, darkness — in short, that which is not good for life.].

The Scriptures 1998              And the earth came to be [Or the earth became.] formless and empty, and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of Elohim was moving on the face of the waters.

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

International Standard V        .

Catholic Bibles (those having the Imprimatur):

The Heritage Bible                 .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Kaplan Translation                 .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

Kretzmann’s Commentary    .

Lexham English Bible            .

Translation for Translators     .

The Voice                               .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                The earth was without form and an empty waste, and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters.

Concordant Literal Version    Yet the earth became a chaos and vacant, and darkness was on the surface of the submerged chaos. Yet the spirit of the Elohim is vibrating over the surface of the water.

English Standard Version      The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

exeGeses companion Bible   ...- the earth being waste and void

with darkness upon the face of the abyss:

and the Spirit of Elohim

broods on the face of the waters.

Fred Miller’s Revised KJV     And the earth was without shapeless and formless; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters.

Green’s Literal Translation    ...and the earth being without form and empty, and darkness on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moving gently on the face of the waters,...

Heritage Bible                        And the earth was lying waste and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God brooded 2 upon the face of the waters. Everything God the Father does is through God the Son, Jesus Christ, and by the power of God the Holy Spirit. Genesis 1:2. John 1:3f. Heb 9:14. The Spirit brooded to push-pull everything into its form and place. Rachaph, brooded, appears Genesis 1:2, Deut 32:11, and Jer 23:9.

LTHB                                     ...and the earth being without form and empty, and darkness on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moving gently on the face of the waters,...

NASB                                     The earth was formless and void [Or a waste and emptiness], and darkness was over the surface [Lit face of] of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving [Or hovering] over the surface [Lit face of] of the waters.

New King James Version       The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was [Words in italic type have been added for clarity. They are not found in the original Hebrew or Aramaic.] on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

New RSV                               ...the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God [Or while the spirit of God or while a mighty wind] swept over the face of the waters.

Syndein                                  {Icepack covered in Darkness - then Heat from God}

But the planet earth had become desolate and empty, and darkness was over the raging waters {how the ice pack was formed}; but the Spirit of God {God the Holy Spirit} radiated heat on the face/surface of the frozen waters.

Young’s Updated LT             The earth has existed waste and void, and darkness is on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God fluttering on the face of the waters.

The gist of this verse: 

Translation: And the earth [or, land] had become was desolate and a waste...

This can be interpreted in two ways, grammatically speaking. The earth was desolate and a waste place or the earth became desolate and a wasted place. The latter is the case when we have a lâmed preposition follow the verb to be, which we do not have here. In Isa. 45:18, God is about to speak, and He is first describes Himself and what He created: “For thus says Y^ehowah Who created the heavens, the Elohim who formed the earth and made it, who established it and did not create it a waste, who formed it to be inhabited: I am Y^ehowah; and there is no one else.” God did not create the world tôhûw; He did not create it desolate, empty, an empty waste, chaos, trashed, formless. Therefore, if God did not create the world in this way, it had to become desolate and empty.

Tohu means desolate or a desert. It can indicate confusion, emptiness, empty space, vanity and nothingness. It is a very negative connotation and is found in Deut. 32:10 Job 6:18 12:24 26:7 I Sam. 12:21 Isaiah 34:11 41:29 44:9 45:18 49:4 59:4 Jer. 4:23. Bohu is emptiness; it is the earth under judgement according to Brown-Driver-Briggs. and they cite Jer. 4:23, which should be read in context to see that this was part of a judgement. Isaiah 34:11 is the only other place in the Old Testament where this word is found. As an educated determination, I would say that we are dealing with desolate and unable to be populated.

The Hebrew word for darkness here is extreme or extraordinary darkness. The same word is found in Ex. 10:22. This word, like desolate and uninhabitable, all imply judgement. What we must do is to try to reconstruct what has occurred here. We know there is an angelic creation and that they existed prior to our creation. We also know that one third of the angelic creation chose to follow Satan, once an angel, when he fell from grace. It is likely that God provided a place for the angels to dwell as He provided a place for us to live. It is likely that when God created the heavens and the earth that this was not an imperfect creation, but a creation which corresponded with His character. Therefore, it is easy to conjecture that God originally created the earth for the angelic creation. Along with it, there were animals (dinosaurs) and vegetation (prehistoric plant life). When Satan fell and took one third of the angels with him, God judged their place of inhabitation, the earth, and packed it in ice (the ice age). This allows us to make sense out of this passage along with Isa. 45:18 and Jer. 4:23. This also allows for the age of the earth to be what it is estimated as being yet for the age of man to be young, in fact, very young, by comparison.

There is another thing to consider here. Do you think that God was incapable of making the earth the way that He wanted it to, and therefore, had to build it in stages? That is, He first started out with an earth that was desolate and a mess; and then He worked on that for awhile (6 days) to get it right? This is completely contrary to the essence of the God of the Bible. It is as if God could not get it right the first time, but He goes back and works on it some more, in order to get it right.

Now I should also give you the opposing view. This is a wâw conjunction followed by a perfect tense. If the earth became desolate and a waste after a period of time, we might expect a wâw consecutive followed by an imperfect verb. This would suggest consecutive action. However, if God does not want to discuss or consider the process at this point, then He may speak of this as something which has occurred in the past (perfect tense).

V. 1 is the creation of the heavens and the earth; in v. 2a the earth becomes a desolate wasteland. Given the essence of God and given the ability of the word to be to also mean to become, God created the heavens and the earth, and they were wonderful; but they became desolate and a waste area.

Genesis 1:2a But the earth became a wasteland and empty, and darkness covered the deep water.

The first thing which I should dispense with is some very basic Hebrew grammar. They did not have punctuation as we do—for instance, they do not have periods to end a sentence. In a narrative passage, the Hebrew uses what are called wâw consecutives to tie thoughts together. We translate this word (which is actually just one letter) and, then or and so. The Hebrew also uses what is known as a wâw conjunction, which is the same Hebrew letter, but with a different vowel point (wâw consecutives precede verbs and wâw conjunctions precede nouns). This Hebrew word is generally translated and. However, in the English, these wâw conjunctions and wâw consecutives are sometimes better conveyed with a period and then beginning the new sentence with a capital letter (things which cannot be done in the Hebrew, as they do not have capital letters or symbols of punctuation). If we put in and’s everywhere that they are found, then a Hebrew narrative would sound like the world’s longest run-on sentence. In the English, it is reasonable to leave these wâw’s out and translate this verse: The earth became a wasteland and empty, and darkness covered the deep water. The Spirit of God was hovering over the water. (I have left out two wâw conjunctions in my translation).

In this case, however, the first wâw conjunction is used to connect adversative sentences or thoughts, and therefore rendered but, yet, however.

The first verb found in v. 2 is important: it is hâyâh (הָיָה) [pronounced haw-YAW], which means to be, is, was, are; to become, to come into being; to come to pass. Strong's #1961 BDB #224. Unfortunately, both was and became are accurate translations here.

What the earth became is the onomatopoetic expression: tôhûw wâ bôhûw (וָבֹהוּ תֹּהוּ) [pronounced TOH-hoo-waw-BOH-hoo], which means a wasteland [or, formless, a place of chaos] and empty [or, a waste, a void, emptiness; and possibly unpopulated].

God did not create the earth a wasteland and empty. Isa. 45:18 reads: For thus says the LORD—Who created the heavens (He is God!), Who formed the earth and made it; He established it; He did not create [bârâʾ = to create] it a wasteland [formless, chaotic, a waste place], He formed [or fashioned, designed] it to be inhabited!— "I am the LORD, and there is no other.”

Genesis 1:2a But the earth became a wasteland and empty...

We have this phrase, tôhûw wâ bôhûw (וָבֹהוּ תֹּהוּ) [pronounced TOH-hoo-waw-BOH-hoo] (a wasteland and empty) in one other place in the Bible. Jer. 4:23–28: I looked on the earth, and, lo, it was a wasteland and empty; and [I looked to] the heavens, and they had no light. I looked on the mountains, and, lo, they quaked; and all the hills were shaken. I looked, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens had fled. I looked, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all its cities were broken down before the face of Jehovah, before His fierce anger. For so Jehovah has said, “The whole land shall be desolate, yet I will not make a full end. The earth shall mourn for this, and the heavens above shall be black, because I have spoken, I have purposed, and will not change My mind nor will I turn back from it.” We have to be careful in this interpretation. The context refers to the destruction of Jerusalem during the time of Jeremiah. However, as we find often in the Old Testament, there is a parallel meaning (we will see this when we come to two descriptions of Satan in the next lesson). This suggests, just as God judged Jerusalem in 586 b.c., so He also judged the earth and the sins of the fallen angels before man’s time began.

Translation: ...and [there was] [extreme] darkness upon the surface of the depths [the deep waters]...

Not only was their darkness on the surface of the depths, but that darkness is a word metaphorically used to mean misery, adversity, sadness, destruction and wickedness. These metaphorical meanings may possibly apply here.

Genesis 1:2a But the earth became a wasteland and empty, and darkness covered the deep water.

The word used for darkness here is the one found in the next several verses. After this chapter, the next time we come across this darkness, it marks God’s judgment of Egypt for not releasing the Jews from bondage. Ex. 10:21–22: And Jehovah said to Moses, Stretch out your hand toward the heavens, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, so that one may even feel the darkness. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven. And there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. We have the phrase the wicked are silenced in darkness in 1Sam. 2:9.

It is possible that David even writes of God judging the earth and the fallen angels in 2Sam. 22:8–16: And the earth shook and trembled. The foundations of the heavens moved and shook because He was angry. Smoke went up out of His nostrils, and fire out of His mouth devoured. Coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down. Darkness was under His feet. He rode upon a cherub and did fly and He was seen upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness coverings around Him, dark waters, thick clouds of the skies. From the brightness before Him were coals of fire kindled. Jehovah thundered from the heavens, and the Most High uttered His voice. And He sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and troubled them. And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were uncovered, at the rebuking of Jehovah, at the blast of the breath of His nostrils. Although the context indicates that this is God dealing with the enemies of David, this is yet another example of parallel meanings found throughout the Old Testament.

In any case, darkness is often seen as a part of God’s judgment against His enemies.

Genesis 1:1–2a In a beginning God created the [two] heavens and the earth. But the earth became a wasteland and empty, and darkness covered the deep water.

The most common explanation for the event which occurred between vv. 1 and 2 is as follows: God created angelic beings, a third of hem rebelled against Him, and God judged the angels which fell, the angels who occupied the earth. It is possible that, for a time, the angels were confined to the earth, as twice, Satan is said to have been cast to the earth (Isa. 14:12 Ezek. 28:17—your Bible may read ground); however, in Job 1–2, Satan clearly has access to the Courts of God as well as to the earth. In both passages where Satan is cast to the earth, the immediate context is Satan’s fall.

My hypothesis is, God confined the sinning angels to the earth and then turned the earth on its axis while the angels were on the earth, flooding the earth, freezing it solid, possibly freezing the angels in place (which did not kill them, but kept them in one place). Here are some reasons for this hypothesis: In Rev. 12:4, Satan (the dragon) drew a third of the stars (angels) and cast them to the earth. We have two passages where Satan is said to be cast to the earth. We have some angels being reserved in chains of darkness until the great judgment in Jude 6. Whereas, this is not the same set of angels, this tells us that God may restrain fallen angels in chains of darkness for a time. Darkness covering the deep water may simply refer to God withdrawing His light from the earth and confining all fallen angels to the earth.

Whether God turned the earth on its axis, or simply withdrew His light, it is clear that Satan and the fallen angels were confined to the earth, that the waters of the earth were frozen, and that, for a time, the angels which fell were held by chains of darkness.

As we will find out, much of Genesis 1 will make more sense if we see it from the perspective of being on earth as opposed to the perspective of God the Holy Spirit hovering above the earth. In fact, as we examine the restoration of the earth, what God does is going to be very logical and methodical.

I should point out that there is a slightly different view to all of this, which R. B. Thieme Jr. taught. He has taught that, while the earth was encased in ice, the Satan and the fallen angels were on trial before God, obviously not confined to the frozen earth. Bob, at this time (1971) also taught that there was some sort of salvation offered to angels. Although I would certainly never break fellowship with a believer who believed these things, I have a slightly different opinion. Our opinions of this time between vv. 1–2 in Genesis 1 are based on threadbare Scripture. What we agree upon is, there was a trial and a sentencing; and that God did not carry out this sentence against Satan and the angels who fell. This suggests (1) there was an appeal and (2) man was created to resolve Satan’s appeal. More on this topic in the next lesson.

There are two theories when it comes to the lighting and heating of the earth—one is, the sun was created when the heavens were created, and it provided energy, light and heat for an angel-inhabited earth. In some way, the sun’s light and heat were lessened or withdrawn, resulting in the earth being packed in ice. The other theory, which I am leaning toward, is that God Himself provided the light, heat and energy for the earth. We have a future precedence for this—the New Jerusalem will be lighted by the glory of God rather than by the sun and moon (Rev. 21:23). As we go further into this chapter, keep these two theories in the back of your mind.

So far, we have gone this far in the Bible:

Genesis 1:1 In a beginning God created the [two] heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:2a But the earth became a wasteland and empty, and darkness covered the deep water.

I have shown logically how the Bible reveals that God first created the heavens and the earth, then He created angels, and then He created man. This order was logically documented in Scripture. The reason that I am going to cover angelic creation in this lesson is, between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2a, angels were created.

You may wonder, why in the very beginning does God go, “Boom, there it is!” and later, restores everything over a period of 6 days? Why not do another “Boom, there it is!”? When God restores the earth, there is an audience—all angelic creation, both the fallen and elect angels. In the restoration of the earth from its desolate state, there is an audience, and God reveals His great power and wisdom to this audience.

I send these lessons out to a variety of people, some of whom have heard and understand the Angelic Conflict, and many of whom have no clue as to why there are angels or that there is a relationship between man and angels. For most believers, the mention of angels in the Bible seems unscientific, so they ignore the idea of angels, or they understand angels to be like they are seen on television, invisible, superhuman creatures who watch over us.

Insofar as I know, Lewis Sperry Chafer was one of the first men to present a clear and concise doctrine of the angelic conflict, which doctrine R. B. Thieme Jr. has taught for years, with some extremely important and invaluable additions.

It is important to know that angels do exist, that they have a relationship to both God and man, and that their existence prior to man is related to the creation of the heavens and earth, and the earth becoming a waste place devoid of life.

In covering the Angelic Conflict, I may introduce a few terms which you may not be familiar with.

This study does not even begin to exhaust the concept of the Angelic Conflict; however, it is good to find out just what Satan and fallen angels are up to, so that we can recognize it when Satan tempts the woman in the garden, or when we see examples of it around us.

Let’s look at a more abbreviated approach to the Angelic Conflict, and see it simply as related to Satan:

Translation: ...and the Spirit of Elohim was hovering [moving, brooding] over the surface of the waters.

Already, we are introduced to the Spirit of God in v. 2, and the Spirit of God moves over or hovers over the water. When looking at the functions of the Godhead, the Spirit of God is most often associated with power and energy, so the Holy Spirit here is applying this power and energy to the face of the earth.

The verb here is a Piel participle; the Piel stem indicates that the stem is intensive as compared to the Qal stem. However, when it comes to the meanings, that is already taken into account in the Hebrew exegesis above. The participle indicates continuous action or the action of the verb is seen as a process. This may have occurred over a period of time that lasted many hours or even over millions of years.

God's Spirit hovered over, cherished, brooded over the earth as an animal mother would brood over her offspring (it is used that way in Deut. 32:11). The earth is encased in ice and the Holy Spirit must warm the waters. Furthermore, none of this is a part of the first day. It is possible that v. 2 begins the first day of restoration of the earth but the rest of the restoration process all falls into a formula of "God said....God saw...God made...God called....(not always in just that order); and there was evening and morning, the nth day." However, what is clear from this and other passages is that Genesis 1:1–2 could comprise many billions of years.

The words which are used here paint two pictures for us. The verb can be used for a hen brooding over her eggs; so that God can be seen in this way hovering over the earth as a hen hovers lightly upon her eggs, to keep them warm. The second picture here is, the Spirit of God could also be translated the Breath of God; so it is as if God is blowing over the surface of the waters to warm them (as we blow air over the surface of our coffee to cool it).

What we have covered so far is: God created the heavens and the earth, along with all angelic creation. A third of the angels have sinned, apparently following their leader, Lucifer, son of the morning. Their fall affected the earth, causing it to become a vacant waste place, encased in ice (one might even hypothesize that God withdrew His light from the earth).

Genesis 1:1 In a beginning God created the [two] heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:2a But the earth became a wasteland and empty, and darkness covered the deep water.

At this point, the restoration of the earth begins (the various creation theories will also be discussed in this lesson). The earth will be restored and repopulated in 6 days; vv. 2b–5 cover the first day of restoration.

Genesis 1:2b And the Spirit of God was hovering over the water.

The reason that we know that the Spirit of God hovering over the earth is actually warming the waters is, the same verb used for a mother hen laying atop of her eggs warming them (Deut. 32:11). At some point in time, after Genesis 1:1 (the creation of the earth) and after v. 2a (the earth falling into a frozen chaos)—maybe millions of years later—God the Holy Spirit warmed the earth: The Spirit of God brooded [as a mother hen] over the [frozen] waters (Genesis 1:2b).

What you have observed in these first few verses of the Bible is a very precise use of language. However, even with that precision of language, one can take v. 2b in two ways: (1) the Holy Spirit enveloped the earth, holding everything in place until the restoration process was to begin. Or, (2) this describes the first step of the restoration process, which is the heating of the earth.

Ichthys.com renders these two first two verses: Before all else, God created the heavens and the earth. But the earth came to be ruined and despoiled - darkness lay upon the face of the abyss while God's Spirit brooded over the surface of its waters. This interpretation does not suggest the beginning of the restoration as of yet. The language of the Holy Spirit brooding over the earth may be reasonably understood as a hen sitting atop her eggs; she is waiting for the time that they will break forth out of the shells, exposing themselves to the light. Once the chicks come out of their shells, the mother hen remains on the scene, but she no longer fully covers her young (and, perhaps I have taken this analogy too far).

The word translated waters can refer to water in any state—as ice, liquid or vapor. Given all that happens, I am going to suggest that the earth was packed in ice—an Ice Age—which was the earth becoming tohu wa bohu (v. 2a). The ice that the earth was packed in became water and steam because of the warming effect of the energy of the Holy Spirit. A second option is, when God said, “Let there be light,” that began the actual process of restoration. In any case, the end result would have been a great deal of steam, and, for a time, the earth was very humid, the entire earth enveloped by steam.

It is also important to note that nothing is said about God creating the water in the first place; the water was a package deal with the earth and the chemical composition of the earth. When God created the heavens and the earth, He created the entire molecular structure of things, and all that was on the earth. The earth fell into a chaotic frozen state with the fall of the angels, which suggests that was a part of the judgment of the angels who sinned. If the earth is judged along with the angels, then it is only reasonable that the earth was the primary angelic habitat.

Before we take this any further, let’s look at the various theories which have developed over the years:

Either v. 2b or v. 3 begins the first day of restoration (called, incorrectly, the first day of creation). In either case, there was likely a gap of millions and even billions of years between God’s creation of the heavens and the earth (v. 1) and God’s restoration of the heavens and earth (vv. 3–31).

There are many men of God who believe otherwise who, despite that mistake in their theology, are excellent teachers of God's Word. However, paraphrasing what J. Vernon McGee would say, “There are other viewpoints held by brilliant men of God; but if you're interested in the correct viewpoint, then here it is.”

Genesis 1:2 And the earth [or, land] had become desolate and a waste and [there was] [extreme] darkness upon the surface of the depths [the deep waters] and the Spirit of Elohim was hovering [moving, brooding] over the surface of the waters. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Genesis 1:2b And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

I believe that the actual mechanics here, are as follows: the Holy Spirit hovers above the earth, as the earth spins on its axis, turning much of the ice instantly to steam. One entire revolution of the earth (24 hours) would allow the Holy Spirit to heat the entire earth. Associated with the heating of the earth is light, which is v. 3.

Bear in mind that, during this time, the fallen angels have likely been held immobile in the ice.

Genesis 1:2 And the earth [or, land] had become desolate and a waste and [there was] [extreme] darkness upon the surface of the depths [the deep waters] and the Spirit of Elohim was hovering [moving, brooding] over the surface of the waters. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Genesis 1:2 And the earth had become desolated and a waste place and there was extreme darkness upon the surface of the ocean depths. Then, after a passage of time, the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water. (Kukis paraphrase)

——————————

Day One: God Makes Light and Differentiates Between Light and Darkness

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Targum of Onkelos                And the Lord said, Let there be light and to enlighten above; and at once there was light.

Latin Vulgate                          And God said: Be light made. And light was made.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so says, Elohim, “[Let there] be light;” and so is light.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And God said, Let there be light; and there was light.

Septuagint (Greek)                And God said, Let there be light, and there was light..

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           God said, "Let there be light." And so light appeared.

Contemporary English V.       God said, "I command light to shine!" And light started shining.

Easy-to-Read Version            Then God said, “Let there be light!” And light began to shine. Or "In the beginning, God made the heavens and the earth. While ²the earth had no special shape, and darkness covered the ocean, and God’s Spirit hovered over the water, ³God said, ’Let there be light!’" Or, "When God began to create the sky and the earth, ²while the earth was completely empty, and darkness covered the ocean, and a powerful wind blew over the water, ³God said, ’Let there be light.’"

Good News Bible (TEV)         Then God commanded, "Let there be light"---and light appeared.

The Message                         God spoke: "Light!" And light appeared.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Then The God spoke, saying, 'May there be light,' and light came to be.

God’s Word™                         Then God said, "Let there be light!" So there was light.

New American Bible              Then God said: Let there be light, and there was light. 2 Cor 4:6.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 God then said, “Let there be light;’ and light came.

NET Bible®                             God said [The prefixed verb form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the narrative sequence. Ten times in the chapter the decree of God in creation will be so expressed. For the power of the divine word in creation, see Psalm 33:9; John 1:1–3; 1Cor. 8:6 and Col. 1:16.] [God said. By speaking, God brings the world into existence. The efficacious nature of the word of the LORD is a prominent theme in this chapter. It introduces the Law, the words and commandments from the LORD that must be obeyed. The ten decrees of God in this chapter anticipate the ten words in the Decalogue (Ex. 20:2–17).], "Let there be ["Let there be" is the short jussive form of the verb "to be"; the following expression "and there was" is the short preterite form of the same verb. As such, יְהִי (yehi) and וַיְהִי (vayehi) form a profound wordplay to express both the calling into existence and the complete fulfillment of the divine word.] light [Light. The Hebrew word simply means "light," but it is used often in scripture to convey the ideas of salvation, joy, knowledge, righteousness, and life. In this context one cannot ignore those connotations, for it is the antithesis of the darkness. The first thing God does is correct the darkness; without the light there is only chaos.]." And there was light!

The Scriptures 1998              And Elohim said, “Let light come to be,” and light came to be.

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

International Standard V        .

Catholic Bibles (those having the Imprimatur):

The Heritage Bible                 .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Kaplan Translation                 .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

Kretzmann’s Commentary    .

Lexham English Bible            .

Translation for Translators     .

The Voice                               .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Concordant Literal Version    And saying is the Elohim, "Become light!" And it is becoming light.

English Standard Version      And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.

Heritage Bible                        And God said [amar, to bring something out to the light where it can be seen. When God said something He gave revelation knowledge. He brought knowledge to light where it could be seen. Today, when He says something to you, He gives you revelation knowledge. Read and quote His words in the Bible. God will use those words to say special things to you. see Pro 6:20-24.], Light [God is light, owr, 1 John 1:5. God called forth the light of Himself to give physical light to this world.], be, and light was.

Syndein                                  {Concentrated light to Keep it stable as water}

And Elohiym/Godhead said, "Light . . . BE"; and light . . . WAS.

Young’s Updated LT             And God says, “Let light be;” and light is.

The gist of this verse: 

Translation: And Elohim said,...

Generally speaking, the imperfect tense refers to continuous action or the action of the verb viewed as a process. However, God says two words here and it does not appear that God is saying these two words over and over. In the Hebrew when we string together some wâw consecutives with some imperfect verbs, we are viewing logical or chronological actions; and all of these actions together form a process of things which occur over a period of time (it does not have to be a lengthy period of time). More explanation is given in the Hebrew exegesis above.

One of the things that you should ask yourself is, why is God speaking? Certainly, as a believer in Jesus Christ, I believe in the Trinity—that God is One in essence, but three in personality, three in function, three in person. Several explanations could be offered. God is speaking aloud simply because that is the way God does things; or, God speaks aloud for our benefit, so that this could be recorded. However, I believe that God is speaking because He has an audience. He speaks, and angelic creatures here was He is saying.

God does not have to take 6 days in order to restore the earth. God can snap His fingers and, poof, there is a new earth. Everything that we read in this chapter could be done by God instantaneously, but, instead, He follows a process. Angels, who are observing all that God does, hear Him speak and then they watch what happens after He speaks.

Translation:...“Let there be light;”...

God says two words: “Light be!” As you can see from the Hebrew above, this should be translated, “Let light be.”

So the Holy Spirit is hovering over the earth, brooding over it as a hen broods over her chicks; and God calls for there to be light.

The first act of the six day restoration, after warming the earth, was to provide light for the earth. This was light from God, not from any celestial star in the heaven, because God is light and in Him is no darkness at all (James 1:17 I John 1:5). This is a completely supernatural act as there was nothing physical, such as the sun or the stars, created to provide this light. All that would come later. The verb "was" is the same verb from Genesis 1:2, except that it is in the Qal imperfect. Vv. 3 and 4 are tied together by a Waw consecutive. This means that we are dealing with a continuous narrative in past time. In a Waw consecutive, the main verb in the previous verse should be in the perfect tense and the main verb in the next verse is in the imperfect tense. This is why we have the slight difference in tenses.

Genesis 1:3a-b And Elohim said, “Let there be light;”...

Why is the first thing that God does (once the waters of the earth have been warmed) is provide light?

In original creation, the Trinity observed the creation of the heavens and the earth. They did not need this slowed down to water everything being done. It could be done instantly. However, at this point in time, perhaps millions of years later (after the original creation), there are angels (both elect and fallen) and God wants them to be able to see what He is about to do. God has to deal with this problem of there being both fallen and elect angels. Now, how can they watch what God does unless they can see it? So, #1 on God’s list of things to do is, make His work visible to those watching Him.

Translation: ...and so light is.

There is certainly a lot of disagreement as to what exactly this light is. Some understand this to be the sun, which, for the first time in awhile, filters its way to the surface of the oceans. Others understand this to be God’s light or light from God. From a verse which follows, we know that there is no dry land, which suggests that (1) water covered the earth and (2) this water was probably in the form of ice. The energy of the Holy Spirit combined with the light are very likely warming the earth and melting the ice.

From the standpoint of being on earth, suddenly, there was light. This is in contrast to the darkness over the deep water ([and there was] darkness on the face of the deep water). This did not mean that, during this process, there was no light anywhere above the earth. However, if a person stood on land upon the earth, this land would have been under a chunk of ice and it would have been pitch black dark. From a vantage point above the earth, there may have always been light from the sun on the earth; but from the vantage point of the earth, all would have been dark.

There is the other theory that, there was no light at all and God created (or restored) light at this point in time. The problem with this idea is, we do not have any verb here which means to make, to create. Therefore, God is not necessarily creating something here where was not here already. On the other hand, God does not necessarily need to create light since He Himself is light. The Holy Spirit brooding over the earth may have provided both light and heat. I’ll discuss these various theories in a moment.

I should first deal with chronology and Hebrew writers. You and I tend to think sequentially or chronologically. First this happened, and then this happened, and that is how we often present our perception of anything which we have seen. Therefore, when we read: Genesis 1:2b–3 And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light!" So there was light. we think in terms of God hovering over the water, heating the earth and then, once that is done, then He makes it light. God the Holy Spirit can be hovering over the earth, and then, suddenly, there is light and heat applied to the frozen earth. You will recall how I made the analogy between the Trinity and the Designer, the Builder and Energy. The Holy Spirit, being energy, may be reasonably seen as producing the heat and light which are applied to the earth.

The Hebrew is actually very simple and poetic here.           And so says Elohim,

“Light be.”

And so light is.

In the Hebrew, the verbs are first and the subjects are second; which is typical Hebrew. In both cases, we have the 3^rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect of the verb to be followed by the substantive light. The first time the verb is used, it is a jussive, which is often used for a 3^rd person command. This is where we get the common translation, “Let there be light.” It may be more accurately rendered, “Let light be.” After God calls for there to be light, we have 3 very short words And light is. The imperfect is either future or ongoing action; and the perfect tense is completed action. The imperfect tense is used here to indicate that light came about as a command from God, but that this light continues to be.

Interestingly enough, the verbs to create or to make are not found in vv. 2–15. This does not mean that there was no creative activity taking place; it is just not called that.

One of the few particular objections to the Genesis record of creation and restoration (apart from those who simply reject it out of hand) is that God says, “Let there be light” and there is light on day one, but the sun is not mentioned until day four. This also distinguishes the thinking of man from the thinking of God. Ancient man and ancient religions have always seen the sun as the great life-giver, and, for this reason, many have worshiped the sun. Today, we have a more full understanding as to the importance of the sun, the light, energy and the heat which it provides; and we know that the sun has a life span which will far outlive the earth, and that the earth and the sun are in a perfect juxtaposition with one another as well (the earth at an axis, spinning around the sun, a perfect distance from the sun, with the perfect amount of atmosphere upon the earth). Quite obviously, for this period of time, the sun is necessary to our very existence. And, if we do not believe in God, it is, quite frankly, even reasonable to worship the sun.

Putting these views aside for a moment, let me ask you a question: why is light of any sort necessary? God is fully capable of doing all that we find here in the light, in darkness, or in a very dim light. God does not require light in which to work. He may want to turn on the lights before man walks on planet earth, but prior to this, why is there light? Three answers: (1) God is light and in Him is no darkness, so it is His very nature to be light. (2) Light is needed so that God can reveal to angelic creation just what He is doing. Although the fallen angels have been temporarily restrained in chains of darkness, God reveals to the elect angels what He is doing (as well as to the fallen angels, who have probably been confined to the earth). (3) It is possible that the light and the heat are both from God the Holy Spirit is principally His light which heats the earth.

We do not know the exact nature of angels and how much this nature has changed over time, nor do we know the exact restrictions which God has placed upon angels throughout their history. In Genesis 6, angels are able to have physical relationships with women, and that women bear their children. In Job 1–2, we have angels speaking to God in the throne room of God. Therefore, angels have a mode of travel available to them which may be related to the composition of their bodies and physical changes which their bodies can go through.

It is possible and even reasonable that God created the universe and the earth, and either gave the angels the earth to live upon and/or, gave them full access to all the universe. In my opinion, the earth was originally made for angelic creation, and that it was packed in ice when a third of the angels fell (this done as a part of the judgment of the angels which fell, which judgment has not been brought to its fruition yet). Quite obviously, the ability of angels to live and move is not based upon the earth or upon the sun.

In any case, the light of God being shown upon planet earth—particularly if this was once an angelic habitat—would certainly get the attention of all angels. That God, from the very beginning, would make it so that His work on earth could be seen by all the angels, makes perfect sense.

In case you question whether God could or would restrict or affect the physical nature of angels, bear in mind that we will be given resurrection bodies at the resurrection, which bodies will be like the resurrection body of Christ, capable of many things which our bodies cannot do now (Jesus walked through a closed door and He ascended into heaven in His resurrection body). Adam’s body was originally designed to live forever. However, he will be subject to death when he eats the fruit in the garden, which is another dramatic physical change, as well as a very serious restriction placed upon the physical body. Therefore, it is reasonable to suppose that fallen angels have, from time to time, been restricted as to what their bodies were capable of (for instance, fallen angels being frozen upon the earth; fallen angels being allowed physical contact with man and then having that privilege revoked).

Quite obviously, you may question the existence of angels in the first place, because you have never personally seen an angel. My belief in angels comes solely from the Bible. I have never seen one before either nor have I even talked to an angel. There are a lot of things which I believe in which I have never seen with my own two eyes: Australia, Uranus, bacteria, the expanding of the universe, atoms, my own kidneys, and the souls of the people I know—I have never actually seen any of these things myself (although I have obviously seen photos of the first three), but I strongly believe that they all exist.

In any case, at least one passage suggests that the angels observed the creation and restoration of the heavens and earth. God speaking to Job, said, “Where were you [spoken not just to Job, but to mankind in general] when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell [Me], if you have understanding. Who determined the measures of it, if you know? Or who stretched the line on it? To what were the foundations of it fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars [angels] sang together, and all the sons of God [angels] shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4–8).

There is a lot which we can say about angels based upon the Bible; however, suffice it to say that the light of God shown upon the earth is, in part, for their benefit. When Satan drops in on the woman (in Genesis 3), we will examine angelic creation again—and Satan himself—in greater depth.

Twice now, in 3 short verses, angels are implied, yet not spoken of directly. They have already been created, and I would postulate that has occurred around the time the earth was created (in Job 38, the angels are apparently observing and shouting about the foundations of the earth (the physical laws associated with the earth). Secondly, God makes the earth light, which implies that He shown a light upon the earth for a reason. I have suggested that reason is, angelic creation.

Interestingly enough, in a December 2008 Harris poll survey of Americans, 80% of Americans believe in God and 71% believe in angels.

This creation of light for the earth suggests how God judged the earth and its angels—God simply removed His light. This would have plunged the world immediately into darkness and ice.

Genesis 1:3 And Elohim said, “Let there be light;” and so light is. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Genesis 1:3 And God said, “Let there be light;” and light comes to be. (Kukis paraphrase)

——————————

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Targum of Onkelos                And the Lord beheld the light, that it was good; and the Lord divided between the light and the darkness.

Latin Vulgate                          And God saw the light that it was good; and he divided the light from the darkness.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so sees, Elohim, the light, that [it is] good. And so distinguishes, Elohim, between the light and between the [extreme] darkness.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.

Septuagint (Greek)                And God saw the light that it was good, and God divided between the light and the darkness.

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           God saw how good the light was. God separated the light from the darkness.

Contemporary English V.       God looked at the light and saw that it was good. He separated light from darkness...

Easy-to-Read Version            God saw the light, and he knew it was good. Then God separated the light from the darkness.

Good News Bible (TEV)         God was pleased with what he saw. Then he separated the light from the darkness, ...

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          And God saw that the light was good. Then God created a division between the light and the darkness.

Ancient Roots Translinear      God saw the light was-good. God separated between the light and the darkness.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             And God, looking on the light, saw that it was good: and God made a division between the light and the dark,...

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 And God gazed upon that beautiful light; and God divided the light from the darkness.

NET Bible®                             God saw [Heb "And God saw the light, that it was good." The verb "saw" in this passage carries the meaning "reflected on," "surveyed," "concluded," "noted." It is a description of reflection of the mind - it is God's opinion. ] that the light was good [The Hebrew word ???? (tov) in this context signifies whatever enhances, promotes, produces, or is conducive for life. It is the light that God considers "good," not the darkness. Whatever is conducive to life in God's creation is good, for God himself is good, and that goodness is reflected in all of his works.], so God separated [The verb "separate, divide" here explains how God used the light to dispel the darkness. It did not do away with the darkness completely, but made a separation. The light came alongside the darkness, but they are mutually exclusive - a theme that will be developed in the Gospel of John (cf. John 1:5).] [The idea of separation is critical to this chapter. God separated light from darkness, upper water from lower water, day from night, etc. The verb is important to the Law in general. In Leviticus God separates between clean and unclean, holy and profane (Lev 10:10, 11:47 and 20:24); in Exodus God separates the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (Exod 26:33). There is a preference for the light over the darkness, just as there will be a preference for the upper waters, the rain water which is conducive to life, over the sea water.] the light from the darkness.

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

International Standard V        .

Catholic Bibles (those having the Imprimatur):

The Heritage Bible                 .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Kaplan Translation                 .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

Kretzmann’s Commentary    .

Lexham English Bible            .

Translation for Translators     .

The Voice                               .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                And God saw that the light was good (suitable, pleasant) and He approved it; and God separated the light from the darkness.

Concordant Literal Version    And seeing is the Elohim the light, that it is good. And separating is the Elohim between the light and the darkness.

exeGeses companion Bible   And Elohim sees the light is good:

and Elohim separates

between the light and between the darkness:.

LTHB                                     And God saw the light, that it was good, and God separated between the light and darkness.

Syndein                                  And Elohiym/Godhead saw that the light . . . {was} good; then Elohiym/Godhead caused to separate between the light and between the darkness.

World English Bible                God saw the light, and saw that it was good. God divided the light from the darkness.

Young’s Updated LT             And God sees the light, that it is good, and God separates between the light and the darkness.