God Creates Light
Study note
The Bible begins with God already existing before anything else. The world starts as an empty, dark, watery chaos. God's first act of creation is to speak light into existence. This sets a pattern for the whole chapter — God speaks, and it happens. The separation of light from darkness and the naming of Day and Night show God's power to bring order out of chaos.
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 The earth didn't have any shape yet and was completely empty. Total darkness covered the deep waters, and God's Spirit was moving over them. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 God spoke and said, "I want light to exist!" And right away, light appeared. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 God looked at the light and thought it was wonderful. Then he split the light apart from the darkness. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 God gave the light the name "Day" and gave the darkness the name "Night." The evening passed, then the morning came. That was day one. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
God Creates the Sky
Study note
On the second day, God creates a space between the waters below and the waters above, forming the sky. Ancient people pictured the sky as a solid dome holding back waters above it. This is the only day where God does not say 'it was good,' which some scholars think points to the work being completed on the next day.
6 Next God spoke: "I want a vast expanse right in the middle of all this water, to push the waters apart." And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7 So God created that open space. He pushed some water below it and some water above it. And it happened just like that. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8 God gave the open space the name "Sky." The evening passed, then the morning came. That was the second day. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
God Creates Land and Plants
Study note
On the third day, God does two creative acts. First, he gathers the waters together to reveal dry land. Then he fills the land with plants, grasses, and fruit trees. Each plant produces seeds 'after its kind,' meaning every type of plant reproduces itself. This day receives two declarations of 'good.'
9 Then God spoke again: "All the water below the sky needs to flow together into one area so that dry land can show up." And it happened. And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
10 God named the dry land "Earth" and named the collected water "Seas." God looked at all of this and was pleased. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
11 Then God spoke: "I want the earth to sprout all kinds of plants — grasses with seeds and fruit trees that grow fruit with seeds inside, each one producing its own type." And it happened. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
12 Sure enough, the earth brought out plants — seed-bearing grasses and fruit trees with seeds in their fruit, each one producing its own type. God looked at it and was pleased. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
13 The evening passed, then the morning came. That was the third day. And the evening and the morning were the third day.
God Creates the Sun, Moon, and Stars
Study note
On the fourth day, God places lights in the sky to mark day and night, seasons, and years. The sun rules the day and the moon rules the night. In the ancient world, many nations worshipped the sun and moon as gods. Genesis makes a point that these are simply objects God created to serve a purpose.
14 Then God spoke: "I want lights up in the sky to tell the difference between day and night. They will also be useful for marking out seasons, days, and years." And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15 "These lights will shine from the sky and give light to the earth." And it happened. And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16 God created two big lights — the bigger one to be in charge during the day and the smaller one to be in charge at night. He also created all the stars. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
17 God set them all up in the sky so they could shine light down on the earth, And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18 be in charge during the day and the night, and mark the difference between light and darkness. God looked at it and was pleased. And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
19 The evening passed, then the morning came. That was the fourth day. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
God Creates Sea Creatures and Birds
Study note
On the fifth day, God fills the seas with living creatures and the sky with birds. This is the first time God creates living, moving beings. God blesses them and tells them to multiply and fill the waters and the earth. The word 'great whales' in the original can also mean large sea creatures or sea monsters.
20 Then God spoke: "I want the water to be packed with all kinds of living things, and I want birds to fly across the sky above the earth." And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
21 So God created the huge ocean creatures, along with every type of living thing that swims through the water, and every type of bird. God looked at them and was pleased. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
22 God gave them a blessing and told them, "Have lots of babies and fill up the seas, and let the birds multiply all over the earth." And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
23 The evening passed, then the morning came. That was the fifth day. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
God Creates Land Animals and Humanity
Study note
On the sixth day, God first creates land animals — livestock, crawling things, and wild animals. Then comes the high point of creation: God makes human beings in his own image. The phrase 'Let us make man in our image' has been understood in different ways, but it means people have a special likeness to God that no other creature has. God gives humans the job of taking care of the earth and ruling over the animals. God blesses them and tells them to have children and fill the earth. After all of this, God looks at everything and declares it 'very good.'
24 Then God spoke: "I want the earth to bring out every kind of animal — farm animals, animals that crawl on the ground, and wild animals, each one producing its own type." And it happened. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
25 God created the wild animals, the farm animals, and every creature that crawls on the ground, each one producing its own type. God looked at them and was pleased. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
26 Then God spoke: "Now let us create people who are like us, who share our image. They will be in charge of the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the farm animals, all the wild animals on earth, and every creature that crawls along the ground." And 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 fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 God gave them a blessing and told them, "Have lots of children and fill up the earth. Take charge of it. Be the rulers over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and every living thing that moves on the earth." And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29 Then God told them, "Look around! I'm giving you every seed-bearing plant on the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seeds in it. All of that will be your food." And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
30 "And I'm giving all the green plants as food for every wild animal, every bird, and every creature that crawls on the ground — everything that breathes." And it happened. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
31 God took a good look at everything he had made, and he thought it was truly good. The evening passed, then the morning came. That was the sixth day. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.