Genesis Chapter 1

Genesis is the first book of the bible and the first book in the Pentateuch (1^st five books of the bible).  It is a part of the Torah and the Christian Old Testament.  Genesis is Greek for “origin” or “birth”.  It is called Bereshit, in the Torah, which means “in the beginning.”  The writer(s) of Genesis is unknown but tradition attributes authorship to Moses.  It is speculated to be written around the 8-10^th century BCE.

*When you see information in parenthesis, it means that I am giving you the Strong’s English definition for the translated Hebrew word or an alternate translation of the word/phrase.

Genesis 1:1 begins with God creating the earth (or when God began to create). 

V.2 says that the earth was a formless (empty, confused, chaotic) void (waste) and darkness (obscurity, secret place) covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God (or the spirit of God or a mighty wind) swept over the face of the waters.

Is God creating from nothing or is God bringing order from chaos?  The original words are ambiguous in this.  What is happening in the chaos?

v. 3 God commanded that light be and it became.  

God begins his creations in vs. 4-31

Day 1-God created night and day.

Day 2-God separated water from sky.

Day 3-God creates dry land, seas, and vegetation.

Day 4- God creates the sun, moon, and stars.

I find day 4 interesting because this makes the earth the center of all creation and the rest of the universe is an afterthought.  According to this, the heavenly bodies were placed just to give light to the earth and to measure time.  If this is to be taken as literal, this may contribute to why people may not believe there is life on other planets.

The sun, moon, and stars, are unnamed because the neighboring people worshiped the heavenly bodies.  The writer(s) of Genesis wanted to ensure that the heavenly bodies were not emphasized.

Day 5- God created the sea creatures and birds.

Day 6- God created the land animals and humans.

v.26 God says let’s make man in our image and likeness. 

Who is “us” and “our”?  Is it the trinity?  Is it a heavenly council including God and God’s angels?  Is this a polytheistic writer?  The word used in this text is Elohim (God or gods).

v.27 God created male and female in his image.  Man and woman were created together.  They were created equal.

v.28 God tells man and woman to be fruitful and multiply, subdue the earth, and have dominion over all living creatures. 

Sex is blessed act.  This contradicts America’s Puritanical ideas about sex being dirty.  Heterosexual sex is actually the first commandment God gives to humanity and all living creatures.  Procreation is vital to survival.

Vs. 29-30 God gives humans and beasts vegetation for food.   This can support the argument that a vegetarian diet is the diet of a perfect world.

v. 31 All creation is good. 

Everything that God made is good in its natural state.  Nothing or no one is created to be a catalyst for evil.  Everything that God made at this point is completely good.