Genesis 1. In the Beginning

Before Day 1

¹ In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. ² 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.

• According to Bible Project (See Here) a way to read these words in Genesis is
  • Heavens = God’s space
  • Earth = Human’s space
  • Waters = Nobody’s space
• The deep: תְּהוֹם (təhôm) is used as chaos throughout the Bible.
  • During Noah’s flood (Genesis 7:11), “the fountains of the great deep” burst forth
  • At the Red Sea (Exodus 15:5, 8)
  • Frequently seen in the Psalms as a symbol of chaos, danger, or mystery (yet always under God’s authority!) (Psalms 33:7; 42:7; 104:6).
  • In Jonah 2:5, the deep surrounds Jonah

Day 1 Day and Night

³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

• Creation of Light (Day)
• Technically does not say that Night was created, but that light and darkness separated
• Evening and Morning also mentioned before Day 4
• Notice that light was created before the Sun (v. 14)
  • See Revelation 22:5 – God as our Light source.
• Each day ends with what is “good”. Light is called “good” but not night

Day 2 The Sky

⁶ And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” ⁷ And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. ⁸ And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

• Creation of Waters vs. Sky
• No mention of “good”
• The Hebrew word רָקִיעַ (raqia’) that appears as “expanse” in 1:6-8 – the border between the waters above and the waters below- where life can flourish. See these other verses:
  • Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the raqia proclaims his handiwork.
  • Ezekiel 1:22 A dazzling raqia is over the heads of the living creatures.
  • Ezekiel 1:23, 25, 26 The creatures stand beneath the raqia…A voice comes from above the raqia….Above the raqia is God’s throne.
  • Ezekiel 10:1 The throne appears above the raqia.
  • Daniel 12:3 The wise shine like the brightness of the raqia.
• Heaven שָׁמַיִם( shamayim) is technically plural “Heavens”

Day 3 Land and Vegetation

⁹ And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

• Creation of Earth (dry land) vs. Sea (waters)
• The chaotic deep (tehom) now becomes The seas (yammim). They are named and gathered and controlled. 
• The dry land and and waters are called “good”

¹¹ And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. ¹² The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ¹³ And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

• Creation of Vegetation
• Vegetation is called “good”

Day 4 Sun, Moon, Stars

¹⁴ And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, ¹⁵ and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. ¹⁶ And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. ¹⁷ And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

• Creation of lights in the expanse of the shamayim
  • for signs
  • for seasons
  • for days
  • for years
  • give light upon the earth
• Creation of Greater Light (Sun) and Lesser Light (Moon) and Stars
  • rule over the day and night
  • separate light from darkness
• Two great lights called “good”
• And let them be for signs: Signs of seasons, days, phases, festivals. See also the following for when they are signs of God
  • Joel 2:30-31 the sun darkened and the moon turned to blood before the Day of the LORD.
  • Matthew 24:29 cosmic disturbances associated with Christ’s return.
  • Luke 21:25 “there will be signs in sun and moon and stars.”
  • Revelation 6:12-13, Revelation 8:12- more cosmic disturbances. 

Day 5 Birds and Sea Creatures

²⁰ And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” ²¹ So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” ²³ And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

• 1: 21 Sea creatures in Hebrew: Sea monster! תַּנִּין (tannin) We see this used later on to refer to mythical creatures
  • Exodus 7:9-12 Aaron’s staff becomes a tannin before Pharaoh (not word for ordinary snake!) 
  • Psalm 74:13  God crushes the heads of the sea monsters (tanninim)
  • Psalm 91:13  The righteous trample the tannin 
  • Isaiah 27:1  Leviathan is described with imagery closely associated with the tannin (dragon in the sea),
  • Isaiah 51:9  God pierces the dragon (tannin)
  • Ezekiel 29:3,32:2  Pharaoh is called the great tannin,
  • Jeremiah 51:34  Nebuchadnezzar is likened to a devouring tannin

Day 6 Part 1 Land Animals

²⁴ And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. ²⁵ And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

• Creation of Living creatures (livestock, creeping things, beasts)
• Called “good”

Day 6 Part 2 Humanity

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

• “Our” likeness could mean the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, Spirit)
• Michael Heiser would argue for the Divine Council. See the following:
  • Job 1-2 “the sons of God” present themselves before the LORD.
  • Psalm 82 God stands in the divine council.
  • 1 Kings 22:19-23 Micaiah sees the LORD on His throne with the host of heaven standing around Him.
  • Isaiah 6 Seraphim surround God’s throne.

²⁷ So God created man in his own image,
    in the image of God he created him;
    male and female he created them.

²⁸ And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” ²⁹ And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. ³⁰ And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 

• Man commanded to
  • Be fruitful
  • Multiply
  • Fill the earth
  • Subdue it
  • Exercise dominion over fish, birds, living things on earth
• Man given
  • plant yielding seed
  • fruit
• Animal given: green plant for food
• Were we not meant to eat meat originally?

³¹ And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

• Everything called “very good”
• There are several seemingly intentional patterns built around the number 7 in Genesis 1-2:3. (See See paper here)

Creation Story (Genesis 1:1–2:3)	Count	Pattern
אֱלֹהִים (Elohim, “God”)	35	5 × 7
אֶרֶץ (‘erets, “earth”)	21	3 × 7
שָׁמַיִם (shamayim, “heavens”)	21	3 × 7
“And God said”	10	Completeness (10 creative speeches)
“It was so”	7	7 × 1
“God saw that it was good”	7	7 × 1
Genesis 1:1	7 Hebrew words	7 × 1
Genesis 1:1	28 Hebrew letters	4 × 7