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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:
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth". Genesis 1:1(ASV) what is the meaning of "beginning" in the above verse;what is the word for "beginning" in original text? |
Bible Answer: in the original text, the word "beginning" is, re’shiyth(pronounced ray-sheeth). this word means exactly what you would think.....first or start.....the real question to consider is "beginning of what?" regarding Genesis 1:1, commentators that i have studied seem to fall into 1 of 2 camps. 1)Genesis 1:1 refers to the beginning of the sequence of creation, depicting God bringing the heavens and the earth into existence before the rest of the events of the chapter; or 2) Genesis 1:1 summarizes the following 6 days and is therefore a statement explaining the start of the process and activities which follow. a difficulty you might encounter in the first interpretation (opinion #1) of Genesis 1:1 is the contrast between the lack of commentary for what would be the initial act of creation compared with the consistent pattern that holds for the rest of creation week. for example, there's none of the “God said .. and it happened” sequence for this most spectacular event. i'm not convinced that this tension would necessarily eliminate this opinion. taking Genesis 1:1 as a summary of the verses that follow,(opinion #2) eliminates this literary tension. also, to summarize prior to providing the details being summarized is a literary technique occasionally employed by OT writers. there is a third, less credible opinion in this matter (and perhaps others as well that i'm not aware of). this third opinion is that the "beginning" refers to the shaping of a pre-existent planet into one which would support life. to my knowledge, there is no Biblical support for this opinion that our planet existed prior to the Genesis days of Creation. what is most important in all of this however, is to know that it was God who created the heavens and the earth rather than some interplanetary, explosive event! i pray that this answer provided some assistance in your study of God's word. i will be interested in seeing the input of my brothers and sisters. God bless you! |