Genesis
Chapter 1
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters.
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
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.
And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
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, on the earth: and it was so.
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.
And the evening and the morning were the third day.
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:
And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light on the earth: and it was so.
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.
And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light on the earth,
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.
And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that has life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
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.
And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
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.
And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creeps on the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
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 creeps on the earth.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
And God blessed them, and God said to 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 moves on the earth.
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is on 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.
And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creeps on the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
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.
Historical Background
Genesis 1
Genesis 1 is the foundational account of the creation of the heavens, the earth, and all living beings by God, presented in a structured six-day sequence followed by a day of rest.
Historical Context
Written for the Israelites during the wilderness wandering or early settlement period to establish their identity as a people belonging to the Creator God, contrasting their faith with the polytheistic cosmologies of Mesopotamia and Egypt.
Cultural Setting
The passage polemically addresses Ancient Near Eastern creation myths like Enuma Elish, replacing chaotic divine conflict with sovereign, orderly divine speech.
Narrative Role
Serves as the theological prolegomenon to the entire Bible, establishing God as the sole Creator and humanity as the crowning act of creation with the dignity of the Imago Dei.
Psalm 8:3-9
"3. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained; 4. What is man, that you are mindful of him? and the son of man, that you visit him? 5. For you have made him a little lower than the angels, and have crowned him with glory and honor. 6. You made him to have dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet: 7. All sheep and oxen, yes, and the beasts of the field; 8. The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatever passes through the paths of the seas. 9. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth!"
Reflects on the majesty of the Creator and the high status given to humans described in Genesis 1.
Psalm 33:6-9
"6. By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. 7. He gathers the waters of the sea together as an heap: he lays up the depth in storehouses. 8. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 9. For he spoke, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast."
Describes the act of creation through God's spoken word as established in the first chapter.
Isaiah 40:26
"26. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who has created these things, that brings out their host by number: he calls them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one fails."
Affirms that the Creator of the heavens maintains and controls the hosts of the stars.
John 1:1-3
"1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2. The same was in the beginning with God. 3. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."
Identifies the Word (Logos) as the divine agent present and active in the original creation.
Colossians 1:15-17
"15. Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16. For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17. And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."
Expounds on Christ as the agent and sustainer of all things created.
Hebrews 11:3
"3. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."
Highlights the role of faith in understanding that the universe was framed by the word of God.
Revelation 21:1
"1. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea."
References the creation of new heavens and a new earth as the culmination of the work begun in Genesis 1.
