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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/genesis/1-1.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/1/01_Gen_01_01.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Genesis 1:1 - The Creation" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script 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frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/revelation/22-21.htm" title="Revelation 22:21">◄</a> Genesis 1:1 <a href="/genesis/1-2.htm" title="Genesis 1:2">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/genesis/1.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/genesis/1.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/genesis/1.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/genesis/1.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/genesis/1.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/genesis/1.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/genesis/1.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/genesis/1.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/genesis/1.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/genesis/1.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/genesis/1.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/genesis/1.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />In the beginning God (<i>Elohim</i>) created [by forming from nothing] the heavens and the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/genesis/1.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/genesis/1.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/genesis/1.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/genesis/1.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/genesis/1.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/genesis/1.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />In the beginning God created heaven and earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/genesis/1.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />In the beginning, when God created the universe, <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/genesis/1.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />In the beginning, God created the universe.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/genesis/1.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/genesis/1.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/genesis/1.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/genesis/1.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/genesis/1.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/genesis/1.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />In [the] beginning God created the heavens and the earth,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/genesis/1.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> In the beginning of God's preparing the heavens and the earth -- <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/genesis/1.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />In the beginning God formed the heavens and the earth.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/genesis/1.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />In the beginning God created heaven, and earth. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/genesis/1.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />In the beginning, God created heaven and earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/genesis/1.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth —<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/genesis/1.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/genesis/1.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />GOD created the heavens and the earth in the very beginning.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/genesis/1.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth.<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/genesis/1.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/genesis/1.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/genesis/1-1.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7ehevn8iSgc?start=0" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/genesis/1.htm">The Creation</a></span><br> <span class="reftext">1</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/7225.htm" title="7225: bə·rê·šîṯ (Prep-b:: N-fs) -- Beginning, chief. From the same as ro'sh; the first, in place, time, order or rank.">In the beginning</a> <a href="/hebrew/430.htm" title="430: ’ĕ·lō·hîm (N-mp) -- Plural of 'elowahh; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used of the supreme God">God</a> <a href="/hebrew/853.htm" title="853: ’êṯ (DirObjM) -- Apparent contracted from 'owth in the demonstrative sense of entity; properly, self."></a> <a href="/hebrew/1254.htm" title="1254: bā·rā (V-Qal-Perf-3ms) -- To create, to cut down, select, feed. A primitive root; to create; to cut down, select, feed.">created</a> <a href="/hebrew/8064.htm" title="8064: haš·šā·ma·yim (Art:: N-mp) -- Heaven, sky. Dual of an unused singular shameh; from an unused root meaning to be lofty; the sky.">the heavens</a> <a href="/hebrew/853.htm" title="853: wə·’êṯ (Conj-w:: DirObjM) -- Apparent contracted from 'owth in the demonstrative sense of entity; properly, self.">and</a> <a href="/hebrew/776.htm" title="776: hā·’ā·reṣ (Art:: N-fs) -- Earth, land. From an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth.">the earth.</a> </span><span class="reftext">2</span>Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/1-1.htm">John 1:1-3</a></span><br />In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. / He was with God in the beginning. / Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hebrews/11-3.htm">Hebrews 11:3</a></span><br />By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/colossians/1-16.htm">Colossians 1:16-17</a></span><br />For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. / He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/33-6.htm">Psalm 33:6</a></span><br />By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the stars by the breath of His mouth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/45-18.htm">Isaiah 45:18</a></span><br />For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens—He is God; He formed the earth and fashioned it; He established it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD, and there is no other.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/4-11.htm">Revelation 4:11</a></span><br />“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and were created.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/nehemiah/9-6.htm">Nehemiah 9:6</a></span><br />You alone are the LORD. You created the heavens, the highest heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all things, and the host of heaven worships You.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/102-25.htm">Psalm 102:25</a></span><br />In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/40-28.htm">Isaiah 40:28</a></span><br />Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary; His understanding is beyond searching out.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/10-12.htm">Jeremiah 10:12</a></span><br />The LORD made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/proverbs/8-22.htm">Proverbs 8:22-31</a></span><br />The LORD created me as His first course, before His works of old. / From everlasting I was established, from the beginning, before the earth began. / When there were no watery depths, I was brought forth, when no springs were overflowing with water. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/job/38-4.htm">Job 38:4-7</a></span><br />Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. / Who fixed its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched a measuring line across it? / On what were its foundations set, or who laid its cornerstone, ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/acts/17-24.htm">Acts 17:24</a></span><br />The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/1-20.htm">Romans 1:20</a></span><br />For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_peter/3-5.htm">2 Peter 3:5</a></span><br />But they deliberately overlook the fact that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water,</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.</p><p class="hdg">beginning.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/proverbs/8-22.htm">Proverbs 8:22-24</a></b></br> The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/proverbs/16-4.htm">Proverbs 16:4</a></b></br> The LORD hath made all <i>things</i> for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/mark/13-19.htm">Mark 13:19</a></b></br> For <i>in</i> those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.</p><p class="hdg">God.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/exodus/20-11.htm">Exodus 20:11</a></b></br> For <i>in</i> six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them <i>is</i>, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/exodus/31-18.htm">Exodus 31:18</a></b></br> And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/1_chronicles/16-26.htm">1 Chronicles 16:26</a></b></br> For all the gods of the people <i>are</i> idols: but the LORD made the heavens.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/revelation/22-13.htm">Beginning</a> <a href="/revelation/10-6.htm">Created</a> <a href="/revelation/21-24.htm">Earth</a> <a href="/revelation/22-13.htm">First</a> <a href="/revelation/22-21.htm">God's</a> <a href="/revelation/21-10.htm">Heaven</a> <a href="/revelation/14-7.htm">Heavens</a> <a href="/1_peter/3-20.htm">Preparing</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/genesis/4-26.htm">Beginning</a> <a href="/genesis/1-21.htm">Created</a> <a href="/genesis/1-2.htm">Earth</a> <a href="/genesis/1-5.htm">First</a> <a href="/genesis/1-2.htm">God's</a> <a href="/genesis/1-8.htm">Heaven</a> <a href="/genesis/1-8.htm">Heavens</a> <a href="/genesis/5-1.htm">Preparing</a><div class="vheading2">Genesis 1</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/1-1.htm">God creates heaven and earth;</a></span><br><span class="reftext">3. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/1-3.htm">the light;</a></span><br><span class="reftext">6. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/1-6.htm">the firmament;</a></span><br><span class="reftext">9. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/1-9.htm">separates the dry land;</a></span><br><span class="reftext">14. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/1-14.htm">forms the sun, moon, and stars;</a></span><br><span class="reftext">20. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/1-20.htm">fishes and fowls;</a></span><br><span class="reftext">24. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/1-24.htm">cattle, wild beasts, and creeping things;</a></span><br><span class="reftext">26. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/1-26.htm">creates man in his own image, blesses him;</a></span><br><span class="reftext">29. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/1-29.htm">grants the fruits of the earth for food.</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; 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It signifies the start of God's creative work and sets the stage for the entire biblical narrative. The concept of "beginning" is echoed in <a href="/john/1.htm">John 1:1</a>, where the Word is described as being present at the start, indicating the eternal nature of Christ. The Hebrew word "bereshit" implies an absolute beginning, emphasizing that God existed before creation and initiated all things.<p><b>God</b><br>The Hebrew word used here is "Elohim," a plural form that suggests the majesty and fullness of God. This plurality hints at the Trinity, a foundational Christian doctrine, though the full revelation of the Trinity is developed later in Scripture. The use of "Elohim" underscores God's sovereignty and power as the sole creator. This sets the monotheistic tone of the Bible, contrasting with the polytheistic beliefs of surrounding cultures in the ancient Near East.<p><b>created</b><br>The Hebrew verb "bara" is used exclusively for divine activity, indicating that creation is an act of God alone. This term implies creation ex nihilo, or "out of nothing," highlighting God's omnipotence. The act of creation is a central theme throughout Scripture, with God as the ultimate source of all life and existence. This creative power is further demonstrated in passages like <a href="/psalms/33-6.htm">Psalm 33:6</a> and <a href="/hebrews/11-3.htm">Hebrews 11:3</a>.<p><b>the heavens and the earth</b><br>This phrase encompasses the totality of the universe, indicating that God is the creator of both the spiritual and physical realms. "Heavens" refers to the sky and celestial bodies, while "earth" denotes the land and all it contains. This comprehensive creation account establishes God's authority over all creation, a theme reiterated in passages like <a href="/isaiah/45-18.htm">Isaiah 45:18</a> and <a href="/revelation/4-11.htm">Revelation 4:11</a>. The phrase also sets the stage for the detailed account of creation that follows in <a href="/genesis/1.htm">Genesis 1</a>, where the order and purpose of creation are further elaborated.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/g/god.htm">God (Elohim)</a></b><br>The supreme, eternal being who is the creator of the universe. The Hebrew word "Elohim" is a plural noun, which can imply the majesty and fullness of God, and is often understood to hint at the Trinity in Christian theology.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_beginning.htm">The Beginning</a></b><br>Refers to the start of time and creation. It marks the commencement of the universe as we know it, initiated by God's creative act.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/c/creation.htm">Creation</a></b><br>The act of God bringing the universe into existence. This includes everything in the heavens and the earth, signifying the totality of creation.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_heavens.htm">The Heavens</a></b><br>Represents the sky, outer space, and the spiritual realm. It encompasses all that is above the earth.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_earth.htm">The Earth</a></b><br>Refers to the physical world, the planet on which we live. It is the focus of much of the biblical account.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/g/god_as_creator.htm">God as Creator</a></b><br>Recognize God as the ultimate source of all life and existence. This understanding should lead to a posture of worship and reverence.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_beginning_of_time.htm">The Beginning of Time</a></b><br>Reflect on the concept of time as a creation of God, reminding us of His eternal nature and our place within His timeline.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_majesty_of_creation.htm">The Majesty of Creation</a></b><br>Appreciate the complexity and beauty of the universe as a testament to God's power and creativity. This can inspire awe and stewardship of the earth.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/theological_implications_of_elohim.htm">Theological Implications of Elohim</a></b><br>Consider the plural form of "Elohim" as an early hint of the Trinity, encouraging deeper exploration of the nature of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/f/foundation_for_faith.htm">Foundation for Faith</a></b><br>Use <a href="/genesis/1.htm">Genesis 1:1</a> as a foundational truth for faith, affirming that God is the origin of all things and has a purpose for His creation.<a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/genesis/1.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>THE CREATIVE WEEK </span>(<a href="/genesis/1-1.htm" title="In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.">Genesis 1:1</a> to <a href="/genesis/2-3.htm" title="And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.">Genesis 2:3</a>).<p>(1) <span class= "bld">In the beginning.</span>--Not, as in <a href="/john/1-1.htm" title="In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.">John 1:1</a>, "from eternity," but in the beginning of this sidereal system, of which our sun, with its attendant planets, forms a part. As there never was a time when God did not exist, and as activity is an essential part of His being (<a href="/john/5-17.htm" title="But Jesus answered them, My Father works till now, and I work.">John 5:17</a>), so, probably, there was never a time when worlds did not exist; and in the process of calling them into existence when and how He willed, we may well believe that God acted in accordance with the working of some universal law, of which He is Himself the author. It was natural with St. John, when placing the same words at the commencement of his Gospel, to carry back our minds to a more absolute conceivable "beginning," when the work of creation had not commenced, and when in the whole universe there was only God.<p><span class= "bld">God.</span>--Heb., <span class= "ital">Elohim.</span> A word plural in form, but joined with a verb singular, except when it refers to the false gods of the heathen, in which case it takes a verb plural. Its root-meaning is <span class= "ital">strength, power;</span> and the form <span class= "ital">Elohim</span> is not to be regarded as a <span class= "ital">pluralis majestatis, but</span> as embodying the effort of early human thought in feeling after the Deity, and in arriving at the conclusion that the Deity was One. Thus, in the name <span class= "ital">Elohim</span> it included in one Person all the powers, mights, and influences by which the world was first created and is now governed and maintained. In the Vedas, in the hymns recovered for us by the decipherment of the cuneiform inscriptions, whether Accadian or Semitic, and in all other ancient religious poetry, we find these powers ascribed to different beings; in the Bible alone Elohim is one. Christians may also well see in this a foreshadowing of the plurality of persons in the Divine Trinity; but its primary lesson is that, however diverse may seem the working of the powers of nature, the Worker is one and His work one.<p><span class= "bld">Created.</span>--Creation, in its strict sense of producing something out of nothing, contains an idea so noble and elevated that naturally human language could only gradually rise up to it. It is quite possible, therefore, that the word <span class= "ital">bara</span>, "he created," may originally have signified to <span class= "ital">hew</span> stone <span class= "ital">or fell</span> timber; but as a matter of fact it is a rare word, and employed chiefly or entirely in connection with the activity of God. As, moreover, "the heaven and the earth" can only mean the totality of all existent things, the idea of creating them out of nothing is contained in the very form of the sentence. Even in <a href="/genesis/1-21.htm" title="And God created great whales, and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.">Genesis 1:21</a>; <a href="/genesis/1-27.htm" title="So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.">Genesis 1:27</a>, where the word may signify something less than creation <span class= "ital">ex nihilo,</span> there is nevertheless a passage from inert matter to animate life, for which science knows no force, or process, or energy capable of its accomplishment. . . . <div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/genesis/1.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 1.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">In the beginning</span>, <span class="accented">Bereshith</span>, is neither "from eternity," as in <a href="/john/1-1.htm">John 1:1</a>; nor "in wisdom" (Chaldee paraphrase), as if parallel with <a href="/proverbs/3-19.htm">Proverbs 3:19</a> and <a href="/psalms/104-24.htm">Psalm 104:24</a>; nor "by Christ," who, in <a href="/colossians/1-18.htm">Colossians 1:18</a>, is denominated <span class="greek">ἀρχὴ</span>; but "at the commencement of time." Without indicating when the beginning was, the expression intimates <span class="accented">that</span> the beginning was. <a href="/exodus/20-11.htm">Exodus 20:11</a> seems to imply that this was the initiation of the first day's work. The formula, "And God said," with which each day opens, rather points to ver. 3 as its proper <span class="accented">terminus a quo</span>, which the beginning absolute may have antedated by an indefinite period. God <span class="accented">Elohim</span> (either <span class="accented">the highest Being to be feared</span>, from <span class="accented">alah</span>, to fear, - Hengstenberg, Delitzsch, Keil, Oehler, etc., or, more probably, <span class="accented">the strong and mighty One</span>, from <span class="accented">aul</span>, to be strong - Gesenius, Lange, Tayler Lewis, Macdonald, Murphy, etc.) is the most frequent designation of the Supreme Being in the Old Testament, occurring upwards of 2000 times, and is exclusively employed in the present section. Its plural form is to be explained neither as a remnant of polytheism (Gesenius), nor as indicating a plurality of beings through whom the Deity reveals himself (Baumgarten, Lange), nor as a plural of majesty (Aben Ezra, Kalisch, Alford), like the royal "we" of earthly potentates, a usage which the best Hebraists affirm to have no existence in the Scriptures (Macdonald), nor as a cumulative plural, answering the same purpose as a repetition of the Divine name (Hengstenberg, Dreschler, and others); but either <p><span class="note_emph">(1)</span> as a <span class="accented">pluralis intensitatis</span>, expressive of the fullness of the Divine nature, and the multiplicity of the Divine powers (Delitzsch, Murphy, Macdonald); or, <p><span class="note_emph">(2)</span> notwithstanding Calvin s dread of Sabellianism, as a <span class="accented">pluralis trinitatis</span>, intended to foreshadow the threefold personality of the Godhead (Luther, Cocceius, Peter Lombard, Murphy, Candlish, etc.); or <p><span class="note_emph">(3)</span> both. The suggestion of Tayler Lewis, that the term may be a contraction for El-Elohim, the God of all superhuman powers, is inconsistent with neither of the above interpretations That the Divine name should adjust itself without difficulty to all subsequent discoveries of the fullness of the Divine personality and nature is only what we should expect in a God-given revelation. Unless where it refers to the angels (<a href="/psalms/8-5.htm">Psalm 8:5</a>), or to heathen deities (<a href="/genesis/31-32.htm">Genesis 31:32</a>; <a href="/exodus/20-3.htm">Exodus 20:3</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/16-20.htm">Jeremiah 16:20</a>), or to earthly rulers (<a href="/exodus/22-8.htm">Exodus 22:8, 9</a>), <span class="accented">Elohim</span> is conjoined with verbs and adjectives in the singular, an anomaly in language which has been explained as suggesting the unity of the Godhead. <span class="cmt_word">Created</span>. <span class="accented">Bara</span>, one of three terms employed in this section, and in Scripture generally, to describe the Divine activity; the other two being <span class="accented">yatzar</span>, "formed," and <span class="accented">asah</span>, "made" - both signifying to construct out of pre-existing materials (cf. for <span class="accented">yatzar</span>, <a href="/genesis/2-7.htm">Genesis 2:7</a>; <a href="/genesis/8-19.htm">Genesis 8:19</a>; <a href="/psalms/33-15.htm">Psalm 33:15</a>; <a href="/isaiah/44-9.htm">Isaiah 44:9</a>; for <span class="accented">asah</span>, <a href="/genesis/8-6.htm">Genesis 8:6</a>; <a href="/exodus/5-16.htm">Exodus 5:16</a>; <a href="/deuteronomy/4-16.htm">Deuteronomy 4:16</a>), and predicable equally of God and man. <span class="accented">Barn</span> is used exclusively of God. Though not necessarily involved in its significance, the idea of creation <span class="accented">ex nihilo is</span> acknowledged by the best expositors to be here intended. Its employment in vers. 21, 26, though seem ugly against, is really in favor of a distinctively creative act; in both of these instances something that did not previously exist, <span class="accented">i.e.</span> animal life and the human spirit, having been called into being. In the sense of producing what is new it frequently occurs in Scripture (cf. <a href="/psalms/51-12.htm">Psalm 51:12</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/31-12.htm">Jeremiah 31:12</a>; <a href="/isaiah/65-18.htm">Isaiah 65:18</a>). Thus, according to the teaching of this venerable document, the visible universe neither existed from eternity, nor was fashioned out of pre-existing materials, nor proceeded forth as an emanation from the Absolute, but was summoned into being by an express creative fiat. The New Testament boldly claims this as a doctrine peculiar to revelation (<a href="/hebrews/11-3.htm">Hebrews 11:3</a>). Modern science explicitly disavows it as a discovery of reason. The continuity of force admits of neither creation nor annihilation, but demands an unseen universe, out of which the visible has been produced "by an intelligent agency residing in the unseen," and into which it must eventually return ('The Unseen Universe,' pp. 167, 170). Whether the language of the writer to the Hebrews homologates the dogma of an "unseen universe" (<span class="greek">μὴ φαινομένον</span>), out of which <span class="greek">τὸ</span> <span class="greek">βλεπόμενον γεγονέναι</span>, the last result of science, as expressed by the authors of the above-named work, is practically an admission of the Biblical doctrine of creation. <span class="cmt_word">The heavens and the earth</span> (<span class="accented">i.e.</span> <span class="accented">mundus universus</span> - Gesenius, Kalisch, etc. Cf. <a href="/genesis/2-1.htm">Genesis 2:1</a>; <a href="/genesis/14-19.htm">Genesis 14:19, 22</a>; <a href="/psalms/115-15.htm">Psalm 115:15</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/23-24.htm">Jeremiah 23:24</a>. The earth and the heavens always mean the terrestrial globe with its aerial firmament. Cf. <a href="/genesis/2-4.htm">Genesis 2:4</a>; <a href="/psalms/148-13.htm">Psalm 148:13</a>; <a href="/zechariah/5-9.htm">Zechariah 5:9</a>). The earth here alluded to is manifestly not the dry land (ver. 10), which was not separated from the waters till the third day, but the entire mass of which our planet is composed, including the superincumbent atmosphere, which was not uplifted from the chaotic deep until the second day. The heavens are the rest of the universe. The Hebrews were aware of other heavens than the "firmament" or gaseous expanse which over-arches the earth. "Tres regiones," says Poole, "ubi ayes, ubi nubes, ubi sidera." But, beyond these, the Shemitie mind conceived of the heaven where the angels dwell (<a href="/1_kings/22-19.htm">1 Kings 22:19</a>; <a href="/matthew/18-10.htm">Matthew 18:10</a>), and where God specially resides (<a href="/deuteronomy/26-15.htm">Deuteronomy 26:15</a>; <a href="/1_kings/8-30.htm">1 Kings 8:30</a>; <a href="/psalms/2-4.htm">Psalm 2:4</a>), if, indeed, this latter was not distinguished as a more exalted region than that occupied by any creature - as "the heaven of heavens," the pre-eminently sacred abode of the Supreme (<a href="/deuteronomy/10-14.htm">Deuteronomy 10:14</a>; <a href="/1_kings/8-27.htm">1 Kings 8:27</a>; <a href="/psalms/105-16.htm">Psalm 105:16</a>). The fundamental idea associated with the term was that of height (<span class="accented">shamayim</span>, literally, "the heights" - Gesenius, Furst). To the Greek mind heaven meant "the boundary" (<span class="greek">οὑρανος</span>, from <span class="greek">ὁρος</span> - Arist.), or, "the raised up" (from <span class="greek">ὀρ</span> - to be prominent - Liddell and Scott). The Latin spoke of "the con cavity" (<span class="accented">coelum</span>, allied to <span class="greek">κοῖλος</span>, hollow), or "the engraved" (from <span class="accented">coelo</span>, to engrave). The Saxon thought of "<span class="accented">the</span> heaved-up arch." The Hebrew imagined great spaces rising tier upon tier above the earth (which, m contradistinction, was named "the flats"), just as with regard to time he spoke of <span class="accented">olamim</span> (Gr. <span class="greek">αἰῶνες</span>). Though not anticipating modern astronomical discovery, he had yet enlarged conceptions of the dimensions of the stellar world (<a href="/genesis/15-5.htm">Genesis 15:5</a>; <a href="/isaiah/40-26.htm">Isaiah 40:26</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/31-37.htm">Jeremiah 31:37</a>; <a href="/amos/9-6.htm">Amos 9:6</a>); and, though unacquainted with our present geographical ideas of the earth's configuration, he was able to represent it as a globe, and as suspended upon nothing (<a href="/isaiah/40-11.htm">Isaiah 40:11</a>; <a href="/job/26-7.htm">Job 26:7-10</a>; <a href="/proverbs/8-27.htm">Proverbs 8:27</a>). The connection of the present verse with those which follow has been much debated. The proposal of Aben Ezra, adopted by Calvin, to read, "In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was" is grammatically inadmissible. Equally objectionable on the ground of grammar is the suggestion of Bunsen and Ewald, to connect the first verse with the third, and make the second parenthetical; while it is opposed to that simplicity of construction which pervades the chapter. The device of Drs. Buckland and Chalmers, so favorably regarded by some harmonists of Scripture and geology, to read the first verse as a heading to the whole section, is exploded by the fact that no historical narration can begin with "and." To this <a href="/exodus/1.htm">Exodus 1</a>. It is no exception, the second book of Moses being in reality a continuation of the first. Honest exegesis requires that ver. I shall be viewed as descriptive of the first of the series of Divine acts detailed in the chapter, and that ver. 2, while admitting of an interval, shall be held as coming in immediate succession - an interpretation, it may be said, which is fatal to the theory which discovers the geologic ages between the creative beginning and primeval chaos. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/genesis/1-1.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word"> In the beginning</span><br /><span class="heb">בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית</span> <span class="translit">(bə·rê·šîṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7225.htm">Strong's 7225: </a> </span><span class="str2">The first, in place, time, order, rank</span><br /><br /><span class="word">God</span><br /><span class="heb">אֱלֹהִ֑ים</span> <span class="translit">(’ĕ·lō·hîm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_430.htm">Strong's 430: </a> </span><span class="str2">gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative</span><br /><br /><span class="word">created</span><br /><span class="heb">בָּרָ֣א</span> <span class="translit">(bā·rā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1254.htm">Strong's 1254: </a> </span><span class="str2">To create, to cut down, select, feed</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the heavens</span><br /><span class="heb">הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם</span> <span class="translit">(haš·šā·ma·yim)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article | Noun - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_8064.htm">Strong's 8064: </a> </span><span class="str2">Heaven, sky</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and</span><br /><span class="heb">וְאֵ֥ת</span> <span class="translit">(wə·’êṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Direct object marker<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_853.htm">Strong's 853: </a> </span><span class="str2">Untranslatable mark of the accusative case</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the earth.</span><br /><span class="heb">הָאָֽרֶץ׃</span> <span class="translit">(hā·’ā·reṣ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article | Noun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_776.htm">Strong's 776: </a> </span><span class="str2">Earth, land</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/genesis/1-1.htm">Genesis 1:1 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/genesis/1-1.htm">Genesis 1:1 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/genesis/1-1.htm">Genesis 1:1 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/genesis/1-1.htm">Genesis 1:1 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/genesis/1-1.htm">Genesis 1:1 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/genesis/1-1.htm">Genesis 1:1 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/genesis/1-1.htm">Genesis 1:1 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/genesis/1-1.htm">Genesis 1:1 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/genesis/1-1.htm">Genesis 1:1 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/genesis/1-1.htm">Genesis 1:1 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/genesis/1-1.htm">OT Law: Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens (Gen. Ge Gn)</a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/revelation/22-21.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Revelation 22:21"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Revelation 22:21" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/genesis/1-2.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Genesis 1:2"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Genesis 1:2" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>