Genesis 1

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Heavens' (plural) reflects the Hebrew hashamayim (הַשָּׁמַיִם), which is grammatically plural. Most modern translations render this as 'heavens' rather than the KJV's singular 'heaven.'
2. The Hebrew reshit (רֵאשִׁית) means 'beginning' or 'first.' Whether this refers to an absolute beginning ('In the beginning, God created...') or a temporal clause ('When God began to create...') is debated among scholars. The traditional absolute reading is retained here as it is the most natural reading of the Masoretic vowel pointing.
3. The particle et (אֵת) marks the definite direct object and has no English equivalent. It appears twice, once before 'the heavens' and once before 'the earth,' giving both objects equal grammatical weight.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Now' rather than 'And' signals a circumstantial clause in the Hebrew. The syntax here (waw + noun, rather than the wayyiqtol narrative form) indicates this verse describes the state of the earth, not a sequential action after verse 1.
2. The phrase tohu vavohu (תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ) is a rhyming pair found only here and in Jeremiah 4:23 and Isaiah 34:11. It describes a state of formlessness, emptiness, and disorder — not nothingness, but an unformed, unfilled condition. 'Formless and empty' captures both elements: tohu (formless, waste, chaos) and vohu (emptiness, void).
3. 'The deep' translates tehom (תְהוֹם), referring to the primordial waters or abyss. Some scholars note a possible linguistic connection to the Babylonian Tiamat (the chaos sea-goddess in the Enuma Elish), though this is debated. In the Hebrew text, tehom is not personified or mythologized — it is simply the deep waters.
4. 'Spirit of God' translates ruach Elohim (רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים). This is genuinely ambiguous: ruach can mean 'spirit,' 'wind,' or 'breath,' and Elohim can function as an adjective meaning 'mighty' or 'great.' Possible readings include: (1) 'the Spirit of God' (a divine person), (2) 'a wind from God' or 'a divine wind,' (3) 'a mighty wind.' The traditional reading 'Spirit of God' is retained here.
5. 'Hovering' (merachephet, מְרַחֶפֶת) replaces the KJV's 'moved.' This verb appears elsewhere only in Deuteronomy 32:11, where it describes an eagle hovering over its young. It suggests protective, watchful presence rather than mere motion.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The Hebrew is strikingly brief and powerful — only five words. The jussive form yehi (יְהִי, 'let there be') followed immediately by the identical form vayehi (וַיְהִי, 'and there was') creates a dramatic verbal echo: command and fulfillment mirror each other exactly.
2. 'Then' renders the wayyiqtol (וַיֹּאמֶר), the standard Hebrew narrative verb form, which conveys sequential action. This marks the beginning of God's creative speech.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Good' translates tov (טוֹב), which encompasses a range of meaning: good, beautiful, fitting, pleasing, functioning as intended. This is the first of seven occurrences of God evaluating his creation as 'good' in this chapter (vv. 4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31).
2. 'Separated' (hivdil, הִבְדִּיל) is a key verb in this chapter, appearing five times (vv. 4, 6, 7, 14, 18). The act of creation in Genesis 1 is substantially an act of separation — dividing light from darkness, waters from waters, day from night. This organizing, ordering activity contrasts with the 'formless and empty' state of v. 2.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The act of naming in the ancient Near East signifies authority and dominion. By naming the light and darkness, God demonstrates sovereign authority over them.
2. The Hebrew reads yom echad (יוֹם אֶחָד), literally 'day one' using the cardinal number, not the ordinal 'first day' (which would be yom rishon). This is unique — days 2 through 5 use ordinal numbers (second, third, fourth, fifth), and day 6 uses the ordinal with the definite article ('the sixth day'). Some scholars see significance in 'day one' as emphasizing its uniqueness. The rendering 'the first day' follows convention for English readability, but the literal Hebrew is 'one day.'
3. The formula 'there was evening and there was morning' establishes the pattern for each creative day. The sequence evening-then-morning (rather than morning-then-evening) reflects the Hebrew reckoning of a day from sunset to sunset, a practice still observed in Jewish tradition.
4. The meaning of 'day' (yom) in Genesis 1 is debated. It can refer to a literal 24-hour period, a longer age, or a literary/structural framework. The text itself does not resolve this, and this rendering does not take a position on the question.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Expanse' translates raqia (רָקִיעַ), from the root raqa meaning 'to beat out' or 'to spread out' (as a metalworker hammers metal into a thin sheet). The KJV's 'firmament' comes from the Latin Vulgate's firmamentum, which implies a solid dome — and indeed, ancient Israelite cosmology likely conceived of a solid dome separating the waters above from those below. 'Expanse' is used here as a more neutral term that does not commit to either a solid or atmospheric interpretation. The translator note preserves the original conceptual background.
2. The separation of 'waters from waters' reflects ancient Near Eastern cosmology in which the sky was understood as holding back an upper ocean (the source of rain) from the lower waters (seas, rivers, underground springs). This cosmological framework is shared with other ancient Near Eastern creation texts but is here presented within a monotheistic, ordered framework.

Translator Notes

1. The verb here is asah (עָשָׂה, 'made'), distinct from bara (בָּרָא, 'created') in verse 1. Asah is the common word for making or doing and is not restricted to divine activity. The alternation between bara and asah throughout this chapter has been much discussed; the two verbs appear to be used as near-synonyms here, though bara carries a stronger sense of bringing into being something new.
2. 'And it was so' (vayehi-khen, וַיְהִי־כֵן) is a formulaic confirmation that God's command was carried out. It appears six times in this chapter (vv. 7, 9, 11, 15, 24, 30).

Translator Notes

1. The Hebrew shamayim (שָׁמַיִם) is the same word translated 'heavens' in verse 1. Here it refers specifically to the visible sky (the raqia), while in verse 1 it refers to the cosmic heavens. English requires a distinction that the Hebrew leaves fluid. 'Sky' is used here to differentiate from the broader 'heavens' of verse 1.
2. Day 2 is notably the only day in the creation account that lacks the formula 'God saw that it was good.' Many scholars suggest this is because the separation of the waters is not completed until day 3, when the lower waters are gathered and dry land appears — and day 3 receives two 'good' evaluations (vv. 10 and 12), perhaps compensating for the absence here.

Translator Notes

1. 'Gathered' translates yiqqavu (יִקָּווּ), from the root qavah, meaning 'to gather, to collect, to converge.' The same root appears in the noun miqveh ('gathering, collection, pool') in the next verse.
2. 'Dry land' translates yabbashah (יַבָּשָׁה), which specifically denotes land that is dry in contrast to water. It is named 'earth' (erets) in the next verse, but here its defining characteristic is its dryness — its emergence from the waters.

Translator Notes

1. 'Earth' translates erets (אֶרֶץ), which can mean earth, land, ground, territory, or country depending on context. Here it refers to the dry land as opposed to the seas.
2. 'Gathering' translates miqveh (מִקְוֵה), from the same root as the verb in verse 9. This word later gives its name to the miqveh — the ritual immersion pool in Jewish practice.
3. 'Seas' (yammim, יַמִּים) is plural, indicating multiple bodies of water, even though they were gathered into 'one place' (v. 9). This may reflect the observable reality of distinct seas and oceans.
4. This is the first of two 'good' evaluations on day 3 (see also v. 12), which some scholars connect to the absence of a 'good' declaration on day 2.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The Hebrew uses a cognate construction: tadshé ha'arets deshe (תַּדְשֵׁא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא) — literally 'let the earth vegetate vegetation' or 'let the earth sprout sprouts.' The verb and its object share the same root (d-sh-a), creating an emphatic expression. 'Sprout vegetation' captures this.
2. The text appears to describe three categories of plant life: (1) deshe (דֶּשֶׁא) — vegetation or green growth in general; (2) esev mazria zera (עֵשֶׂב מַזְרִיעַ זֶרַע) — seed-bearing plants/herbs; (3) ets peri (עֵץ פְּרִי) — fruit trees. However, the precise relationship between these categories is debated. Some read deshe as the general category with the other two as subcategories. The rendering treats deshe as the general term, with the other two specifying types of vegetation.
3. 'According to their kinds' (lemino, לְמִינוֹ) introduces a key concept in this chapter — that plants and animals reproduce 'according to their kind' (min, מִין). This phrase establishes the idea of distinct, ordered categories in creation.

Translator Notes

1. The fulfillment (v. 12) closely mirrors the command (v. 11), following the pattern established throughout this chapter: God speaks, and creation responds in exact obedience. Minor variations between command and fulfillment are characteristic of Hebrew narrative style.
2. This is the second 'good' evaluation on day 3. See the note on verse 8 regarding the absence of this formula on day 2.

Translator Notes

1. The formula is identical in structure to verse 5 and will recur for each subsequent day. Beginning with day 2, the ordinal numbers are used (sheni, 'second'; shelishi, 'third'; etc.), whereas day 1 uniquely uses the cardinal number echad ('one'). See the note on verse 5.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Lights' translates meorot (מְאֹרֹת), meaning 'luminaries' or 'light-bearers.' This is distinct from or (אוֹר, 'light') in verse 3. The luminaries are vessels or bearers of light, not light itself — light was already created on day 1.
2. 'Appointed times' translates moadim (מוֹעֲדִים), which the KJV renders 'seasons.' However, moadim does not primarily mean seasons of the year (spring, summer, etc.) but rather 'appointed times' or 'fixed occasions' — including festivals, sacred assemblies, and liturgical seasons. This word later becomes the technical term for Israel's appointed feasts (Leviticus 23). The rendering 'appointed times' preserves this broader meaning.
3. 'Signs' (otot, אֹתוֹת) refers to indicators or markers. The celestial bodies serve as signs — marking times, seasons, and possibly portents. This does not imply astrology but rather the observable use of celestial cycles for timekeeping and calendar-setting.
4. God's speech in verse 14 continues through verse 15. The verse division is an editorial addition; the Hebrew flows as a single command.

Translator Notes

1. This verse completes God's speech that began in verse 14. The closing quotation mark is placed here. The practical function of the luminaries is stated: to give light on the earth. This is their purpose — they serve creation, not the other way around.
2. In the context of the ancient Near East, where sun and moon were widely worshiped as deities, this text is strikingly demythologizing. The sun and moon are not named; they are merely 'lights' that God made and placed in the sky. They are servants of God's purposes, not objects of worship.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The Hebrew deliberately avoids the words shemesh ('sun') and yareach ('moon'). These are referred to only as 'the greater light' (hammaor haggadol) and 'the lesser light' (hammaor haqqaton). This is widely understood as a deliberate polemical choice — in surrounding cultures, the sun (Shamash) and moon (Sin/Yarikh) were major deities. By reducing them to unnamed functional objects, the text strips them of any divine status.
2. 'Govern' translates memshelet (מֶמְשֶׁלֶת), from the root m-sh-l ('to rule, to have dominion'). The KJV's 'rule' is also accurate. 'Govern' is used here to convey the orderly, administrative nature of their role.
3. 'And the stars' (ve'et hakkokhavim) appears almost as an afterthought in the Hebrew — a brief addition at the end of the verse. This is another element of the text's anti-mythological perspective: the stars, also worshiped in the ancient Near East, are given no elaboration. God simply made them.

Translator Notes

1. 'Set' translates natan (נָתַן), which primarily means 'to give' but here carries the sense of 'to place, to set, to appoint.' God gives the luminaries their position — they are placed where God determines, reinforcing their subordinate, created status.
2. Verses 17–18 form a single sentence continuing from the making of the lights in verse 16. The verse divisions break up what is a continuous statement of purpose.

Translator Notes

1. This verse completes the purpose statement for the luminaries, echoing the language of verse 4 where God himself separated light from darkness. Now the luminaries are given this function as God's instruments — maintaining the separation that God established.
2. The verb 'to separate' (lehavdil) appears here for the fifth time in the chapter (vv. 4, 6, 7, 14, 18), underscoring that creation is fundamentally an act of ordering and distinguishing.

Translator Notes

1. The standard day-closing formula. Day 4 corresponds structurally to day 1: on day 1 God created light and separated it from darkness; on day 4 God creates the light-bearers to govern that separation. This pattern of correspondence (days 1–3 forming domains, days 4–6 filling those domains with rulers/inhabitants) is a widely recognized structural feature of Genesis 1.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Swarm' translates yishretsu (יִשְׁרְצוּ), from the root sh-r-ts, meaning 'to swarm, to teem, to multiply abundantly.' The noun sherets (שֶׁרֶץ, 'swarming things') from the same root emphasizes the abundance and teeming nature of aquatic life. The KJV's 'bring forth abundantly' captures the sense but loses the vividness of 'swarm.'
2. 'Living creatures' translates nephesh chayyah (נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה), literally 'a living soul' or 'a living being.' Nephesh here refers to animate life — creatures that breathe, move, and live. It does not carry the later Greek philosophical meaning of an 'immortal soul' separable from the body.
3. 'Birds' translates oph (עוֹף), which broadly covers flying creatures — not just birds but potentially including winged insects. 'Birds' is used for readability, but the Hebrew category is broader.
4. 'Across the face of the expanse' — the Hebrew al-penei (עַל־פְּנֵי, 'upon the face of') indicates the birds fly in front of or against the backdrop of the sky, not within the raqia itself.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The verb bara (בָּרָא, 'created') reappears here — its second use in the chapter (after v. 1). Its use for the sea creatures may be significant: the creation of animate life is presented as a new, distinctly divine act, not merely a continuation of the previous creative work.
2. 'Great sea creatures' translates tanninim hagedolim (הַתַּנִּינִם הַגְּדֹלִים). The KJV's 'great whales' is too narrow. Tannin (תַּנִּין) can refer to large sea creatures, serpents, or even mythological sea monsters (cf. Isaiah 27:1; Psalm 74:13; Job 7:12). In ancient Near Eastern mythology, the sea and its monsters represented chaos, and the creator deity's defeat of the sea monster was a central motif. Here, God simply creates these creatures — they are not rivals or adversaries but part of his ordered creation. The text demythologizes what surrounding cultures mythologized.
3. 'Every winged bird' translates kol-oph kanaph (כָּל־עוֹף כָּנָף), literally 'every bird of wing' or 'every winged flyer.' The addition of kanaph ('wing') specifies that this refers to winged flying creatures.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. This is the first occurrence of divine blessing (vayyevarekh, וַיְבָרֶךְ) in the Bible. Blessing in the Hebrew Bible is not merely a wish or prayer — it is a bestowal of power, vitality, and capacity. God's blessing here empowers the creatures to reproduce and fill their habitats.
2. 'Be fruitful and multiply' (peru urevu, פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ) is a command that becomes a major theme in Genesis, repeated to humanity (1:28), to Noah (9:1, 7), and echoed throughout the patriarchal narratives. It is a word of blessing and empowerment, not merely a command.
3. The KJV's 'fowl' is updated to 'birds' for modern readability. The Hebrew oph (עוֹף) is the same word as in verse 20.

Translator Notes

1. Day 5 corresponds structurally to day 2: on day 2 God separated the waters and created the sky-domain; on day 5 he fills those domains with sea creatures and birds. This 'forming-then-filling' pattern continues the structural symmetry of the chapter.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. Three categories of land animals are specified: (1) behemah (בְּהֵמָה) — domesticated animals or livestock; (2) remes (רֶמֶשׂ) — crawling or creeping things, including small animals, reptiles, and insects; (3) chayyat-erets (חַיְתוֹ־אֶרֶץ) — wild animals, literally 'living things of the earth.' The distinction between behemah (domesticated) and chayyah (wild) is important in later biblical legislation (Leviticus 11).
2. 'Let the earth bring forth' (totse ha'arets) — the earth is commanded to participate in producing land animals. This is notable: unlike the sea creatures, which God bara ('created'), the land animals are brought forth from the earth. The earth is an agent in God's creative process, though under God's sovereign command.

Translator Notes

1. The order of the animal categories changes between the command (v. 24: livestock, crawling things, wild animals) and the fulfillment (v. 25: wild animals, livestock, crawling things). Such variation in repeated lists is a common feature of Hebrew style and does not imply a different order of events.
2. Note that 'ground' here translates adamah (אֲדָמָה), distinct from erets (אֶרֶץ, 'earth/land') used elsewhere. Adamah refers to the cultivable soil or ground — the same word from which adam ('humanity/man') is derived in Genesis 2:7. The wordplay between adamah and adam is a significant motif in Genesis.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Humanity' translates adam (אָדָם), which here is clearly a collective noun referring to humankind as a whole, not a specific individual or male. This is confirmed by the plural pronoun 'them' (yirdu, 'let them rule') in the same verse and by the explicit 'male and female' in verse 27. The KJV's 'man' reflects older English usage where 'man' could mean 'humankind,' but this is no longer standard usage.
2. The plural 'Let us make' (na'aseh, נַעֲשֶׂה) and 'our image... our likeness' (betsalmenu... kidmutenu) have generated extensive debate. Major interpretations include: (1) God addresses a heavenly court or divine council (cf. 1 Kings 22:19; Isaiah 6:8; Job 1:6); (2) a 'plural of deliberation' — God deliberating with himself; (3) a 'plural of majesty' (the 'royal we'); (4) Christian tradition reads this as a reference to the Trinity. The text does not resolve this ambiguity, and this rendering does not favor any particular interpretation.
3. 'Image' (tselem, צֶלֶם) and 'likeness' (demut, דְּמוּת) are near-synonyms used together for emphasis. Tselem often refers to a physical representation or statue (cf. the 'images' of tumors in 1 Samuel 6:5). Demut indicates resemblance or similarity. Together they convey that humanity bears a resemblance to God — though the precise nature of this resemblance (physical? functional? relational? vocational?) has been debated throughout Jewish and Christian history.
4. 'Rule' translates yirdu (יִרְדּוּ), from radah (רָדָה), meaning 'to rule, to have dominion, to tread.' This is a strong verb implying authoritative governance. The scope of human rule extends over all other living creatures — fish, birds, livestock, and crawling things — and over 'all the earth' itself.

Translator Notes

1. This verse is structured as Hebrew poetry — three parallel lines, each using the verb bara ('created'). The threefold repetition of bara is emphatic and unique in this chapter; no other creative act receives this level of emphasis. The poetic structure is preserved in the rendering with line breaks.
2. The shift from singular 'him' (oto, אֹתוֹ) to plural 'them' (otam, אֹתָם) within the same verse is significant. It reflects the movement from adam as a collective singular ('humanity') to the concrete reality of male and female individuals. Both male and female together constitute the 'image of God' — the image is not limited to one sex.
3. 'Male and female' (zakhar unqevah, זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה) are biological terms — zakhar ('male,' literally 'the one who is remembered/marked') and neqevah ('female,' literally 'the one who is pierced/bored'). These terms emphasize the sexual differentiation of humanity as part of God's creative design.
4. The verb bara ('created') appears three times in this single verse — and only three other times in the entire chapter (vv. 1, 21, and here). Its concentration in this verse underscores that the creation of humanity is the climactic act of divine creation.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The blessing and commission to humanity echoes the blessing given to the sea creatures and birds in verse 22, but with significant additions: 'subdue' the earth and 'rule over' all living creatures. Humanity shares the blessing of fertility with the animals but receives a unique mandate of governance.
2. 'Fill' translates mil'u (מִלְאוּ). The KJV's 'replenish' reflected 17th-century English where 'replenish' simply meant 'fill' (not 'fill again'). The Hebrew carries no implication of refilling something previously filled.
3. 'Subdue' translates kivshuha (וְכִבְשֻׁהָ), from the root k-v-sh (כָּבַשׁ), which is a strong verb meaning 'to subdue, to bring under control, to conquer.' Elsewhere it is used for subjugating enemies (Numbers 32:22, 29) or forcing someone into servitude (Nehemiah 5:5; Jeremiah 34:11, 16). Its strength has generated much discussion about humanity's relationship to the earth — whether this authorizes exploitation or responsible management. The text presents it as a divine commission within the context of a creation pronounced 'very good.'
4. 'Rule' translates redu (וּרְדוּ), the imperative of radah, the same verb used in verse 26. Here it is addressed directly to humanity as a command.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Look' translates hinneh (הִנֵּה), the Hebrew attention-getting particle. The KJV's 'Behold' is archaic; 'Look' serves the same function in modern English — drawing attention to what follows.
2. 'Food' translates okhlah (אָכְלָה), from the root '-k-l ('to eat'). The KJV's 'meat' reflected older English usage where 'meat' simply meant 'food' in general, not specifically animal flesh. 'Food' is the accurate modern rendering.
3. This verse, along with verse 30, prescribes a vegetarian diet for both humans and animals at creation. Explicit divine permission to eat animal flesh does not come until after the flood (Genesis 9:3). This has been noted by Jewish and Christian commentators throughout history as indicating an ideal or original state that differs from the post-fall, post-flood reality.
4. God's speech continues into verse 30. The quotation remains open.

Translator Notes

1. 'Everything that has life in it' translates asher-bo nephesh chayyah (אֲשֶׁר־בּוֹ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה), literally 'in which is a living being/soul.' This defines which creatures receive the provision of green plants — those possessing animate life (nephesh chayyah).
2. 'Every green plant' translates kol-yereq esev (כָּל־יֶרֶק עֵשֶׂב), literally 'all greenness of plants.' Yereq means 'green,' 'greenery,' or 'vegetation.' The animal diet prescribed here is entirely plant-based, paralleling the human diet of seeds and fruits in verse 29.
3. This verse completes God's speech that began in verse 29. The closing quotation mark is placed after 'for food.'
4. The statement that all animals were originally given plants for food includes predators. The text presents an originally non-violent creation — a theme echoed in Isaiah's vision of the restored creation where 'the lion will eat straw like the ox' (Isaiah 11:7; 65:25).

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Very good' (tov meod, טוֹב מְאֹד) is the climactic evaluation of the entire creation. All previous evaluations were simply 'good' (tov); now, with creation complete and humanity in place, the whole is assessed as 'very good.' The intensifier meod ('very, exceedingly') elevates this final assessment above all previous ones.
2. The Hebrew has 'the sixth day' (yom hashishi, יוֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁי) with the definite article ha- (הַ) before the ordinal — the only day (besides possibly the seventh day in 2:3) to receive the definite article. Days 2–5 are simply 'a second day,' 'a third day,' etc., but this is 'THE sixth day.' Many scholars see this as marking the climactic significance of day 6 as the culmination of creation.
3. The hinneh (הִנֵּה, 'behold/look') before 'very good' has been integrated into the English naturally. The Hebrew reads literally: 'And God saw all that he had made, and look — very good.' The 'look' functions as an exclamation emphasizing the quality of the assessment.