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NASB | Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God (Elohim) created [by forming from nothing] the heavens and the earth. [Heb 11:3] |
Bible Question: For the Hebrew buffs out there: Gen1:1-"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." The Hebrew word for heavens is "shamayim," a dual Hebrew word...My question: Why is it translated into English as "heavens" plural, instead of TWO heavens since that is what dual means, TWO? Would it be wrong to say "In the beginning God created TWO heavens and the earth?" |
Bible Answer: Greetings, My Hebrew is very rusty, but from the grammars I consulted I was able to find the following information about dual nouns. Dual nouns usually refer to things like body parts that naturally occur in pairs, and are normally simply translated as plurals. However, there are some nouns which have a dual form without having a dual meaning. For instance, the Hebrew word for 'water' has a dual form, but does not have a dual meaning. The word for 'heavens' seems to be the same kind of word. It has a dual form, but can be translated as either a singular or a plural. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |