The Book of Genesis (2020 Edition) E-Book

Brian Simmons

• Herausgeber: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Serie: The Passion Translation
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Seitenzahl: 451

Beschreibung

The Book of Genesis is God's autobiography and the foundation upon which all revelation rests. The purpose of this book is to give the origin of all things, including the cosmic order of the universe and the covenant relationship between God and his people. Speaking the Word from his eternal dwelling place of light, God fashioned everything from nothing, perfectly displaying his awesome wonder. We will never be able to take the mystery out of Creation, for a God who is incomprehensible in his greatness accomplished it. One of the over-arching themes of Genesis is God's blessing. His highest order is not the earth or the cosmos, it is man and woman, made after his image, to be containers for his glory. Genesis showcases God's redemptive heart toward the world—a theme that can be traced throughout the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures. When God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was completely formless and empty, with nothing but darkness draped over the deep. God's Spirit swept over the face of the waters. And then God announced: "Let there be light," and light burst forth! Genesis 1:1–3

Leseprobe

The Passion Translation®

Genesis: Firstfruits, 2020 Edition

Published by BroadStreet Publishing® Group, LLC

BroadStreetPublishing.com

ThePassionTranslation.com

The Passion Translation is a registered trademark of Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.

Copyright © 2020 Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except as noted below, without permission in writing from the publisher.

The text from Genesis: Firstfruits may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic, or audio), up to and inclusive of 40 verses or less, without written permission from the publisher, provided that the verses quoted do not amount to a complete chapter of the Bible, nor do verses quoted account for 20 percent or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted, and the verses are not being quoted in a commentary or other biblical reference work. When quoted, one of the following credit lines must appear on the copyright page of the work:

Scripture quotations marked TPT are from The Passion Translation®, Genesis: Firstfruits. Copyright © 2020 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com.

All Scripture quotations are from The Passion Translation®, Genesis: Firstfruits. Copyright © 2020 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com.

When quotations from The Passion Translation (TPT) are used in non-saleable media, such as church bulletins, sermons, newsletters, or projected in worship settings, a complete copyright notice is not required, but the initials TPT must appear at the end of each quotation.

Quotations in excess of these guidelines or other permission requests must be approved in writing by BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC. Please send requests through the contact form at ThePassionTranslation.com/permissions.

For information about bulk sales or customized editions of The Passion Translation, please contact [email protected].

The publisher and TPT team have worked diligently and prayerfully to present this version of The Passion Translation Bible with excellence and accuracy. If you find a mistake in the Bible text or footnotes, please contact the publisher at [email protected].

978-1-4245-6310-4 (paperback)

978-1-4245-6313-5 (e-book)

Printed in the United States of America

20 21 22 23 24 5 4 3 2 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Information

A Note to Readers

About the Translator

Genesis

Your Personal Invitation to Follow Jesus

A NOTE TO READERS

It would be impossible to calculate how many lives have been changed forever by the power of the Bible, the living Word of God! My own life was transformed because I believed the message contained in Scripture about Jesus, the Savior.

To hold the Bible dear to your heart is the sacred obsession of every true follower of Jesus. Yet to go even further and truly understand the Bible is how we gain light and truth to live by. Did you catch the word understand? People everywhere say the same thing: “I want to understand God’s Word, not just read it.”

Thankfully, as English speakers, we have a plethora of Bible translations, commentaries, study guides, devotionals, churches, and Bible teachers to assist us. Our hearts crave to know God—to not just know about him, but to know him as intimately as we possibly can in this life. This is what makes Bible translations so valuable, because each one will hopefully lead us into new discoveries of God’s character. I believe God is committed to giving us truth in a package we can understand and apply, so I thank God for every translation of God’s Word that we have.

God’s Word does not change, but over time languages definitely do, thus the need for updated and revised translations of the Bible. Translations give us the words God spoke through his servants, but words can be poor containers for revelation because they leak! Meaning is influenced by culture, background, and many other details. Just imagine how differently the Hebrew authors of the Old Testament saw the world three thousand years ago from the way we see it today!

Even within one language and culture, meanings of words change from one generation to the next. For example, many contemporary Bible readers would be quite surprised to find unicorns are mentioned nine times in the King James Version (KJV). Here’s one instance in Isaiah 34:7: “And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.” This isn’t a result of poor translation, but rather an example of how our culture, language, and understanding of the world has shifted over the past few centuries. So, it is important that we have a modern English text of the Bible that releases revelation and truth into our hearts. The Passion Translation (TPT) is committed to bringing forth the potency of God’s Word in relevant, contemporary vocabulary that doesn’t distract from its meaning or distort it in any way. So many people have told us that they are falling in love with the Bible again as they read TPT.

We often hear the statement, “I just want a word-for-word translation that doesn’t mess it up or insert a bias.” That’s a noble desire. But a word-for-word translation would be nearly unreadable. It is simply impossible to translate one Hebrew word for one English word. Hebrew is built from triliteral consonant roots. Biblical Hebrew had no vowels or punctuation. And Koine Greek, although wonderfully articulate, cannot always be conveyed in English by a word-forword translation. For example, a literal word-for-word translation of the Greek in Matthew 1:18 would be something like this: “Of the but Jesus Christ the birth thus was. Being betrothed the mother of him, Mary, to Joseph, before or to come together them she was found in belly having from Spirit Holy.”

Even the KJV, which many believe to be a very literal translation, renders this verse: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.”

This comparison makes the KJV look like a paraphrase next to a strictly literal translation! To some degree, every Bible translator is forced to move words around in a sentence to convey with meaning the thought of the verse. There is no such thing as a truly literal translation of the Bible, for there is not an equivalent language that perfectly conveys the meaning of the biblical text. Is it really possible to have a highly accurate and highly readable English Bible? We certainly hope so! It is so important that God’s Word is living in our hearts, ringing in our ears, and burning in our souls. Transferring God’s revelation from Hebrew and Greek into English is an art, not merely a linguistic science. Thus, we need all the accurate translations we can find. If a verse or passage in one translation seems confusing, it is good to do a side-by-side comparison with another version.

It is difficult to say which translation is the “best.” “Best” is often in the eyes of the reader and is determined by how important differing factors are to different people. However, the “best” translation, in my thinking, is the one that makes the Word of God clear and accurate, no matter how many words it takes to express it.

That’s the aim of The Passion Translation: to bring God’s eternal truth into a highly readable heart-level expression that causes truth and love to jump out of the text and lodge inside our hearts. A desire to remain accurate to the text and a desire to communicate God’s heart of passion for his people are the two driving forces behind TPT. So for those new to Bible reading, we hope TPT will excite and illuminate. For scholars and Bible students, we hope TPT will bring the joys of new discoveries from the text and prompt deeper consideration of what God has spoken to his people. We all have so much more to learn and discover about God in his holy Word!

You will notice at times we’ve italicized certain words or phrases. These portions are not in the original Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic manuscripts but are implied from the context. We’ve made these implications explicit for the sake of narrative clarity and to better convey the meaning of God’s Word. This is a common practice by mainstream translations.

We’ve also chosen to translate certain names in their original Hebrew or Greek forms to better convey their cultural meaning and significance. For instance,

A Note to ReAdeRs v some translations of the Bible have substituted James for Jacob and Jude for Judah. Both Greek and Aramaic manuscripts leave these Hebrew names in their original forms. Therefore, this translation uses those cultural names.

The purpose of The Passion Translation is to reintroduce the passion and fire of the Bible to the English reader. It doesn’t merely convey the literal meaning of words. It expresses God’s passion for people and his world by translating the original, life-changing message of God’s Word for modern readers.

We pray this version of God’s Word will kindle in you a burning desire to know the heart of God, while impacting the church for years to come.

Please visit ThePassionTranslation.com for more information.

Brian Simmons and the translation team

ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR

Dr. Brian Simmons is known as a passionate lover of God. After a dramatic conversion to Christ, Brian knew that God was calling him to go to the unreached people of the world and present the gospel of God’s grace to all who would listen. With his wife, Candice, and their three children, he spent nearly eight years in the tropical rain forest of the Darien Province of Panama as a church planter, translator, and consultant. Having been trained in linguistics and Bible translation principles, Brian assisted in the Paya-Kuna New Testament translation project, and after their ministry in the jungle, Brian was instrumental in planting a thriving church in New England (U.S.). He is the lead translator for The Passion Translation Project and travels full time as a speaker and Bible teacher. He has been happily married to Candice since 1971 and boasts regularly of his three children and nine grandchildren.

Follow The Passion Translation at:

Facebook.com/passiontranslation

Twitter.com/tPtBible

Instagram.com/passiontranslation

For more information about the translation project please visit:

ThePassionTranslation.com

GENESIS

(return to table of contents)

Introduction • One • Two • Three • Four • Five • Six • Seven • Eight • Nine • Ten • Eleven • Twelve • Thirteen • Fourteen • Fifteen • Sixteen • Seventeen • Eighteen • Nineteen • Twenty • Twenty-One • Twenty-Two • Twenty-Three • Twenty-Four • Twenty-Five • Twenty-Six • Twenty-Seven • Twenty-Eight • Twenty-Nine • Thirty • Thirty-One • Thirty-Two • Thirty-Three • Thirty-Four • Thirty-Five • Thirty-Six • Thirty-Seven • Thirty-Eight • Thirty-Nine • Forty • Forty-One • Forty-Two • Forty-Three • Forty-Four • Forty-Five • Forty-Six • Forty-Seven • Forty-Eight • Forty-Nine • Fifty

GENESIS

Introduction

AT A GLANCE

Author: Moses the seer-prophet

Audience: Originally Israel, but this theological history speaks to everyone

Date: Sometime between 1520 and 1400 BC

Type of Literature: Theological history

Major Themes: Cosmic origins, God’s blessing, the people of God, faith, and redemptive history

Outline: There are ten sections in the book of Genesis after its prologue, and each one begins with the Hebrew word for “Generation,” or “The Family History”:

Prologue — 1:1–2:3

Generations of Heaven and Earth — 2:4–4:26

Generations of Adam — 5:1–6:8

Generations of Noah — 6:9–9:29

Generations of Noah’s Sons — 10:1–11:9

Generations of Shem — 11:10–26

Generations of Terah — 11:27–25:11

Generations of Ishmael — 25:12–18

Generations of Isaac — 25:19–35:29

Generations of Esau — 36:1–37:1

Generations of Jacob — 37:2–50:26

ABOUT GENESIS

Genesis is God’s autobiography. The seal of perfection is stamped upon everything written in his Word. The combined skill of all the greatest literary minds could never design a composition that equals the splendor of the first chapter of Genesis. It stands in a class all by itself.

We see God at the very beginning as powerful, purposeful, wise, and full of glory. Speaking the word of creation from his eternal dwelling place of light, he created everything from nothing (Heb. 11:3). Creation takes us into the mystery of worship—we have no answers to our curiosity; we can only worship. Man was made by God not simply to analyze God as a scientist, astronomer, or philosopher. First and foremost, man was created to be a worshiper (John 4:24). We will never be able to take the mystery out of creation, for a God who is incomprehensible in his greatness accomplished it.

The purpose of creation is to display the glory of God. We are able to see in the created order of our universe the awesome wonder of the Maker of the heavens. The universe is God’s advertisement—the display of his glory (Ps. 19:1). The earth is not “mother earth”; it is his footstool, and heaven is his throne. All of creation is for his pleasure.

But it is not the earth or the cosmos that is God’s highest order; it is man and woman made after his image—creations in the likeness of God. God has created mankind to become a container for his glory. He longs to have the worship of those who love him, freely and with all their hearts!

PURPOSE

The purpose of Genesis is to give the origin of all things, both the cosmic order of the universe and the covenant relationship of God’s people—demonstrating that God is the Creator and Originator of redemption. Not only do we find the beginning of the heavens and the earth, but we also see that Genesis provides the origin of nations, with God’s choice of the Hebrews as the people through whom the Redeemer will come to the world.

Many have noted that Genesis is the “seed-plot” of the whole Bible, since every truth can be traced back to its source in this first book of God’s Word. Genesis is the foundation upon which all revelation rests. It is quoted over sixty times in the New Testament. One of the over-arching themes of Genesis is God’s blessing. We see the word “blessing” or “bless” eighty-eight times in this first book of the Bible. Does that not tell us that our Father God wants to bless us? If God blesses the fish and birds, how much more will he bless his beloved sons and daughters?

The primary way in which the Creator blessed created humanity was by bringing order to this disordered relationship. Through covenant, Yahweh lovingly sought after his beloved by choosing a people to be his very own, to steward and showcase his redemptive heart toward the world—a theme begun in Genesis and traced throughout the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures.

AUTHOR AND AUDIENCE

The book of Genesis is set within the larger collection of books known as the Pentateuch. Moses is traditionally attributed as the author of the first five books of the Bible, called the Torah or “the law of Moses” (Luke 24:27, 44; Acts 28:23) and the “Book of Moses” (Mark 12:26). Moses was a seer and a prophet who wrote his inspired account of creation and the days of the patriarchs for God’s people between their leaving Egypt and reaching the promised land. Only God could have brought this level of revelation to Moses in order to offer revelation-insight into the formation and continuation of Israel’s covenant relationship with Yahweh.

MAJOR THEMES

Origin of God’s Creation. The first word of Genesis in Hebrew is beresheet and means “first,” “chief,” or “firstfruits.” While the New Testament takes us into the new creation life of Christ until all things are made new, Genesis gives us the firstfruits of God’s creation—from the heavens and the earth to the land and the seas; from stars, planets, and plants to birds, sea creatures, and land animals; and finally God’s crowning creative achievement, man and woman.

Many have noted how Gen. 1 is poetic in nature, showcasing the progress of creation from the lower to the higher, from the darker to the brighter, from the evening to the morning, from vessels to forms. Note that the Hebrew word for day is yom and can be translated in English into over fifty different words, such as “a twenty-four-hour day,” “today,” “time,” “forever,” “continually,” “age,” “life,” “season,” “perpetually,” or “a period of time.” The Hebraic mindset does not necessarily view yom as a twenty-four-hour period. The Scriptures speak frequently of the day of the Lord, which points to a time period of God’s divine activity, not a day with a sunrise and sunset. Both Moses and Peter spoke of a thousand years being like one day.

The opening chapters of Genesis make it clear who created the heavens and the earth and everything in it: the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—Yahweh. Not only that, we also see the origin of the God-man relationship: Eden, a bliss-filled paradise became the home of Adam and Eve. Eden’s very name reveals God’s nature of love and grace. Humanity was created to experience the pleasure of being loved by God and relating to his heart. However, all is not as it was intended. For we witness in this first book of the Bible the origins of sin and all of the ensuing fallout.

Because Adam and Eve ate what was forbidden, pain entered the world: there is conflict in the home; the man produces food to eat through painful toil and the woman endures painful childbirth; all creation now labors with painful contractions; and we seek to make a name for ourselves through self-worship. Yet all is not lost! From the very beginning, God had a plan to rescue humanity and put this world back together, promising the famous Head-crusher of Gen. 3:15. This is the Protoevangelium, God’s first announcement of a Savior, and presents a preview of Jesus Christ who would be wounded by the snake/sin on his heel but bring a death-blow to Satan by the power of his cross and resurrection—eventually restoring God’s creation to the way he intended it to be.

Blessed to Be a Blessing. Blessing is perhaps the most important theological “glue” that holds Genesis together and connects it to the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures. In Gen. 1, God blesses humans (1:22, 28), and then they lose that blessing (ch. 3). God returns to this theme again in Gen. 12, where he seeks to restore this blessing to humanity once more through choosing a couple, Abraham and Sarah, and their zera—their seed, their offspring, their “nation.” And this blessing is manifested in several lives, like Abraham’s and Joseph’s.

But what is this blessing? What does it mean to be “blessed” by Yahweh? A working definition is to “empower for abundant living in every sphere of life.” This abundant-life empowerment flows from a vibrant relationship with God. When God blesses you, your life will soar into his abundance! This blessed, abundant life includes being fruitful (reproduction) and multiplying (increasing in number) (1:25); equal empowerment for both men and women to live on this planet (1:28); an infusion of power and favor to succeed in life (5:1–2); a relationship with the God of the universe (17:6); prosperity, abundance, and success (39:2). And yet, Yahweh’s blessing was never an end in and of itself. We were always meant to leverage our abundant life for the sake of the world—we truly are blessed to be a blessing!

One of the clearest pictures Genesis offers of not only the meaning of blessing, but also the means of God’s blessing through his people, is Joseph’s story. Chapter 39 reveals “Yahweh’s presence was with Joseph and he became successful while living in the house of his Egyptian master” (39:2). The implication is that Joseph excelled in everything, which carried over into Potiphar’s household as well. And of course this blessing eventually flowed to Egypt and the surrounding nations when he assumed the role of second-in-command over Egypt. God blessed Joseph and in turn blessed the nations through him, opening the door for others to be fed. Joseph knew that God was in control and that he had been raised up by God to wear a yoke—the yoke of serving the will of God and nothing else, resulting in blessing over his life, the lives of his family, and the lives of the nations. As you read through Genesis, be sure to note every time you find the words “bless” and “blessing.”

Origin of God’s People. Coinciding with this renewed desire for God-empowered abundant living through an intimate, vibrant relationship with the Lord is his calling of a people to himself. One Old Testament scholar suggests this calling in Gen. 12 is a sort of second creation account, in which God’s holy people are “created” through an act of grace, inviting Abram, who became Abraham, into a loving covenant relationship in order to birth a nation. Abram means “exalted father.” Abraham means “father of a multitude.” A generational transfer is in the heart of God and is here revealed to Abraham. Yahweh confirmed this covenant relationship not only between him and Abraham but also with all of his descendants throughout their generations.

Later in the New Testament, we see that this nation of descendants extends not only to Abraham’s physical offspring, Israel and the Jewish people, but also to his spiritual “seed,” the church. As the apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians: “Our reconciling ‘Peace’ is Jesus! He has made Jew and non-Jew one in Christ. By dying as our sacrifice, he has broken down every wall of prejudice that separated us” (Eph. 2:14). He continues in Galatians: “And since you’ve been united to Jesus the Messiah, you are now Abraham’s ‘child’ and inherit all the promises of the kingdom realm!” (Gal. 3:29). Non-Jewish believers are to be grateful for the Jewish roots of our faith. Our Messiah is Jewish and the Scriptures we read were given to the beloved Jewish people. We feast on the new-covenant riches, promises, and blessings that have been handed down to us through the “olive tree” of Judaism—the roots of which extend all the way back to Genesis!

Faith in God’s Promises. Nearly half of the names listed in the famous Hall of Faith chapter in the book of Hebrews (ch. 11) are drawn from the book of Genesis. Abel had his heart set on the coming Sacrifice, confessed his sin, and brought the first and best of his flock as a sacrifice in faith, and God was pleased. Enoch was a man who walked in faith and was translated from earth to heaven without dying (apotheosis). Noah was moved with faith and acted on the revelation given to him. Leaving all that is familiar would display an incredible act of faith on Abraham’s part, not to mention believing that barren Sarah would bear him a son that would multiply to descendants as numerous as the stars! Prompted by faith and contrary to his natural inclination, Isaac acted by faith in imparting his blessing to Jacob instead of Esau. In faith, Jacob asked to be buried near the spot where the Messiah would be crucified, knowing the fulfillment of the promise would be in Canaan, not Egypt. And Joseph’s faith in God and the fulfillment of his dreams kept him faithfully waiting for his day of promotion, believing and trusting in God’s perfect plans. We learn from these forebears of our faith that God really can be trusted, for he makes good on his promises!

Perhaps the greatest of all of these heroes of faith is Abraham, whom the apostle Paul offered as an example in explaining our own justification. Quoting Gen. 15:6, he wrote, “Because Abraham believed God’s words, his faith transferred God’s righteousness into his account” (Rom. 4:3). Abraham trusted every single word that Yahweh had spoken over his life. Paul goes on, extolling the virtues of Abraham’s example, especially in offering up his son Isaac: “Against all odds, when it looked hopeless, Abraham believed the promise and expected God to fulfill it. . . . He never stopped believing God’s promise, for he was made strong in his faith to father a child. And because he was mighty in faith and convinced that God had all the power needed to fulfill his promises, Abraham glorified God!” (Rom. 4:18, 20–21). Oh that we would follow in the footsteps of Abraham, truly the father of faith!

History of God’s Redemption. From the beginning, the Lord God wanted nothing more than to plant himself in the dust of Adam and become life within him. Both a tree planted in a garden and God planted in man are the pictures we see in Gen. 2. As the tree was to receive nourishment from the soil, so Adam was to draw life and sustenance from his Maker, as one “planted” by the Lord. Obviously, things didn’t turn out that way—and yet God didn’t give up on his beloved! Genesis launches Yahweh’s redemptive history.

The first question God asks in the Bible appears after our ancestors first sinned: “Adam, where are you?” (3:9). The question clearly shows that we belong to God, and that he longs for each of us to examine our own lives, be honest with him, and come out of hiding. It also launched God’s redemptive movement to rescue us and restore our world—beginning with Yahweh-God making garments from animal skins to clothe Adam and Eve. Father God did what any good father would do when a child fails. He wrapped his love around them and did not degrade them. Moved by love, he clothed them to cover their shame. For God to use blood-stained animal skins as royal robes to clothe his beloved meant that animals had to be sacrificed to provide their covering. These themes continue throughout the book of Genesis, foreshadowing God’s ultimate redemption in Jesus.

Noah’s ark is a beautiful picture of Christ: it was made from sturdy wood (the humanity of Christ, Isa. 53:2; Dan. 9:26) and is sealed with tar (blood atonement); it was a place of salvation and preservation (Jesus our Savior); humanity is invited into this ark to find a place of security from judgment, and so we are hidden in Christ (Col. 3:3). When Abraham sacrifices his only son, there is a hint that one day God would require a human sacrifice to take away the sin of the world. On Yahweh’s mountain, Moriah, where Abraham offered up Isaac, we see clearly the vision of God placing our sins upon his Son. Solomon’s Temple was later built on Moriah (2 Chron. 3:1), where Israel offered sacrifices of atonement for their sins. The book ends with the death of Jacob, who longed to be buried in the cave of Machpelah purchased by Abraham from the Hittites in Gen. 23. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were all buried near the ancient site of Jerusalem, where, many centuries later, Jesus would be crucified, buried, and raised from the dead.

Many have noted how Jesus Christ is seen in Genesis in different pictures:

The Creator (Gen. 1:1; Col. 1:16)

The Beginning (Rev. 1:8)

The Light (Gen. 1:3, 16; John 8:12)

The Tree of Life (Gen. 2:9; John 15:1–5)

The Seed of the Woman (Gen. 3:15; Matt. 1:23)

The Clothing for Adam and Eve (Gen. 2:21; Rom. 13:11–14)

The Fire-Sword (Gen. 3:24; Heb. 4:12)

The Sacrifice of Isaac (Gen. 22; John 3:16)

The Heavenly Stairway (Gen. 28:12; John 1:51; 1 Tim. 2:5)

The Anointed Stone (Gen. 28:18–19; Acts 10:38; 1 Peter 2:1–5)

The Midnight Wrestling Man (Gen. 32:24–32; Gal. 5:17)

The Savior, Joseph (Gen. 37–50; Matt. 3:17)

GENESIS

Firstfruits

In the Beginning

1Whena Godb createdc the heavens and the earth,d2the earth was completely formless and empty, with nothing but darknesse draped over the deep. God’s Spirit hoveredf over the face of the waters.

3And then God announced,g “Let there be light,” and light burst forth!h

4And God saw the light as pleasing and beautiful;i he used the light to dispel the darkness. 5God called the light “Day,” and the darkness “Night.” And so, evening gave way to morning—the first day.j

6And God said, “Let there be a domek between the waters to separate the water above from the water below.” 7–8He made the dome and called it “Sky,” and separated the water above the dome from the water below the dome. Evening gave way to morning—day two.

9And God said, “Let the water beneath the sky be gathered into one place, and let the dry ground appear.”l And so it happened. 10God called the dry ground “Land,” and the gathered waters he called “Seas.” And God saw the beauty of his creation, and he was very pleased.

11Then God said, “Let the land burst forth with growth: plants that bear seeds of their own kind, and every variety of fruit tree, each with power to multiplym from its own seed.”n And so it happened. 12The land flourished with grasses, every variety of seed-bearing plant, and trees bearing fruit with their seeds in them. And God loved what he saw, for it was beautiful. 13Evening gave way to morning—day three.

14–15And God said, “Let there be bright lights to shine in space to bathe the earth with their light. Let them serve as signso to separate the day from night, and signify the days, seasons,p and years.” And so it happened. 16God made two great lights: the brighter light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. He also spread the tapestry of shining starsq17and set them all in the sky to illuminate the earth, 18to rule over the day and to rule over the night, and to separate the light from darkness. God loved what he saw, for it was beautiful. 19Evening gave way to morning—day four.

20God said, “Let there be life! Let the waters swarm with sea life, and let the sky be filled with soaring birds of every kind.”

21God created huge sea creaturesr and every living creature that moves of every kind—swarming in the water and flying in the sky, according to their species. God loved what he saw, for it was beautiful. 22God blesseds them, saying, “Reproduce and be fruitful! Fill the waters of the sea with life, and the earth with flying birds!” 23Evening gave way to morning—day five.

24God said, “Let the earth produce every class and kind of living creature: livestock, crawling things, wild animals, each after its kind.” And so it happened. 25God made the wild animals according to their species, livestock according to their species,t and all the creatures that creep along the ground according to their species. And God loved what he saw, for it was beautiful.

Shaped by Love

26Then God said, “Let usu make a man and a womanv in our imagew to be like us.x Let them reign over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the livestock, over the creatures that creep along the ground,y and over the wild animals.”

27So God created man and woman

and shaped them with his image inside them.

In his own beautiful image, he created his masterpiece.

Yes, male and female he created them.

28And God blessed them in his love,z saying, “Reproduce and be fruitful! Populate the earth and subdue it!aa Reign over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every creature that lives on earth.”ab

29And God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant growing throughout the earth, vegetables, and every fruit-bearing tree with its seed within itself. They will be your food.ac30They will also be food for every animal and bird, and every creature that moves on the ground—every creature with the breath of life.”ad And so it happened.

31God surveyed all he had made and said, “I love it!” For it pleased him greatly. Evening gave way to morning—day six.ae

a1:1 Although most translations view v. 1 as an independent sentence serving as a general heading, it is likely that the fi rst phrase serves as a subordinate time clause, such as “At the beginning [of time], God created” or “When God began the creation of heaven and the earth.” The fi rst word in Hebrew is re’shiyth and means “fi rst,” “chief,” or “fi rstfruits.” Genesis gives us the fi rstfruits of God’s creation. The New Testament takes us into the new creation life of Christ until all things are made new.

b1:1 This is the word Elohim, the commonly used Hebrew term for God. It stresses his sovereignty and power and could be translated “Mighty God.” Elohim is the plural of Eloah and occurs nearly 2,600 times in the Bible. Eloah is derived from the word ahlah, which means “to worship” or “to adore,” and presents God as the one worthy of worship and adoration. After the word Elohim, there is an untranslatable marking, which most scholars believe is a direct object marker with the fi rst and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. However, it is seen by some as the word known as Aleph-Tav, which occurs over seven thousand times in the Hebrew text of the Old Testament. Some believe that this could be pointing to Jesus Christ who declared himself to be “the Aleph and the Tav,” or “the Beginning and the End” (Rev. 1:8, 17; 2:8; 22:13). The fi rst verse of the Bible shouts out: “God is all powerful!”

c1:1 This is the word bara’, which is used in the Old Testament exclusively for God’s creativity, things that only God can do. Creating is an integral part of God’s nature.

d1:1 Or “the sky and the land.” This is a merism (a fi gure of speech using two contrasting words to refer to an entirety) for the entire universe. See Ps. 33:6, 9. The Hebrew word for “heaven” appears seven times in this chapter (vv. 1, 8, 9, 14, 15, 17, 20).

e1:2 See Jer. 4:23–27. Darkness is a frequent biblical metaphor for evil, misfortune, and death. It appears here as something more than an absence of light—it is a distinct entity. See Isa. 45:7.

f1:2 Or “God’s Spirit gently vibrated.” The Syriac cognate word can mean “to incubate” or “to brood.” The Hebrew verb rachaph means “to fl utter,” “to gently move,” “to hover over with gentle wavering,” or “to be relaxed [grow soft]” and describes the utmost care and affection of a mother eagle caring for her young (see Deut. 32:11). This word is also used for a bridegroom hovering over his bride. This same Holy Spirit overshadowed (brooded over) a virgin named Mary to bring the perfect man into the world (see Luke 1:35). God’s Spirit danced over the waters on creation’s morning.

g1:3 This is the Hebrew word ’amar, which is most often translated “said,” but it can also mean “to think,” “to imagine,” or “to speak inside your heart.” God imagined light and there was light. God spoke and shattered the cosmic silence to give birth to creation. God spoke ten times in the creation account—the Ten Commandments of creation. See Ps. 33:9; John 1:1–3. God’s thoughts had already imagined and shaped the largest galaxy and the smallest atom before he created them. With exquisite skill and creativity, God shaped all things by his word and spoke them into being with intricate detail and skill (see Heb. 11:3). A dimension separate from the being of God was birthed. No detail was too small for God as he prepared to unveil his masterpiece of wisdom, his dream come true. God spoke order and goodness into his creation.

h1:3 Or “and there was light.” God created light but did not create the sun until the fourth day. God himself filled the universe with the light of his presence and glory. The Hebrew verbs used with the phrases “Let there be” and “and there was” are both related to the holy name Yahweh: yehi (“let there be”) and wayhi (“and there was”). As he released this word of power, the universe began to expand and has been expanding ever since (see Heb. 1:3). God’s kingdom operates according to the principle of endless increase (see Isa. 9:6–7), not of power that diminishes over time.

i1:4 The Hebrew word tov can be translated “pleasing” or “good [beautiful]” and is used seven times in this chapter (vv. 4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). God is mentioned 35 times (7 × 5) and the earth 21 times (7 × 3) in the creation account. God’s goodness was his intention in creation, and he embedded beauty within all he made.

j1:5 God begins in darkness and brings forth a new day. Chaos never hinders God from bringing forth light and order. It is not difficult for God to work where there is darkness, chaos, and confusion. See Ps. 139:12.

k1:6 Or “vault” or “expanse [atmosphere].” See Ezek. 1:22.

l1:9 On the third day, the dry ground was raised up out of the waters (see Ps. 104:6–9), then God clothed it with vegetation. This can be compared to the new birth that comes to a believer, who is raised up and then clothed with the virtues of Christ. See Rom. 6:1–11; Eph. 2:1–10. The progress of creation moves from the lower to the higher, from the darker to the brighter, from the evening to the morning. The Word of God put light into darkness, land in the midst of sea, air in the midst of water, and life in the midst of the uninhabited earth. In creation, God started with form and filled it with fullness. In nature, the seed sprouts: first the bud, then the blossom, and then the fruit. In human life the baby is first, then the child, and then the mature adult. So it is also in grace.

m1:11 Or “with seed within itself” or “seeding seed.” The work of God at creation involved three separations: (1) God separated the light from darkness (v. 4). (2) God separated the waters above from the waters beneath (vv. 6–8). (3) God separated the water from the land (v. 9). Out of this separated, resurrected land, God brought a variety of life.

n1:11 Everything with life produces life after its own kind. Each species is able to reproduce itself. The Lord Jesus was the firstfruit of a new species of humanity. See Matt. 7:16–19; John 3:6; 2 Cor. 5:17; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23; 2 Peter 1:4.

o1:14–15 The heavens contain the embedded codes of God’s glory, and are full of symbolic signs that testify to his greatness and wisdom. They are like huge billboards and advertisements in the sky telling people how good and great our Creator is. See Ps. 19:1–6; Rom. 10:18.

p1:14–15 Or “appointed times [feasts].” See Lev. 23:4. The stars are for signs, signals, and seasons.

q1:16 Scripture often uses stars as a picture of believers or ministries who shine with supernatural light (see Dan. 12:3; 1 Cor. 15:40–41; Phil. 2:15). We see from Ps. 147:4 that just as God named the “sun” and the “moon,” he also gave names to each of the stars. It is noted by numerous scholars that Gen. 1 never uses the names for sun (shemesh) or moon (yareach) that were also Canaanite names of deities. This served a polemical purpose against the stories of the gods and other creation narratives in the ancient Near East.

r1:21 Or “sea monsters,” “dragons,” or “dinosaurs.”

s1:22 This is the first mention of God’s blessing in the Bible. On this day, God created life—birds and sea life—and blessed them. This blessing included being fruitful (reproduction) and multiplying (increasing in number).

t1:25 God had a lamb before he had a man. Metaphorically, Jesus (God’s Lamb) was slain before the foundation of the world (see Rev. 13:8). The print of the nails was upon him even as his hands formed the world. As the Creator shaped Adam from dust, redeeming mercy was stamped upon him.

u1:26 The plural form of the verb indicates there were more beings than Father God in the activities of creation. When taken as a whole, the Bible also points to the Holy Spirit and God the Son as participators in the glory of creation. See John 1:1–3; Heb. 1:1–3.

v1:26 That is, humanity. The Hebrew word is simply ’adam, which can be translated “man,” but without a definite article it is used here as a collective term for man and woman. The definite article the does not occur before the word man until after God made woman, and together, they are ’adam. According to the Talmud, the three Hebrew letters of Adam’s name represent the initials of three men: Adam, David, and Messiah. The Hebrew word ’adam means “to show [blood] red,” and adamu means “to make.” The statement to “make [adamu] Adam [ruddy] from [red] soil [adamah]” is full of Hebrew puns that are lost in translation.

w1:26 Or “as our image.” “Image” can also be translated “representation” or “resemblance.” God created someone like himself to reflect who he is into all his creation. He created trees after their kind, birds after their kind, fish after their kind, and animals after their kind, but now he creates a God-kind of being. Christ is the image of God; man and woman will resemble him and bring his image into the created order (see Rom. 8:29; 1 Cor. 11:7; 2 Cor. 3:18; 4:4; Col. 1:15; 3:10; Heb. 1:3). The first man, Adam, was a type or figure of the Last Adam, Christ. See Rom. 5:14; 1 Cor. 15:40–58.

x1:26 Or “according to our likeness,” or “to be like us [comparable to us].” God is neither male nor female (see John 4:23–24), but he has both male and female dimensions to his nature. What is this image given to each of us? It includes personality, the capacity for worship, the ability to make moral decisions (our conscience), and the ability to reflect God. Created as his image-bearers, all human beings bear the expression or image of God. As “photographs” of God, our characteristics are copies of his. Because he desired to give himself for you and to you, he took his own nature and likeness and fashioned a creature just like him—one he could love with unlimited passion.

y1:26 Man was meant to rule over all the things that creep along the ground, including the serpent and scorpion, which represent the powers of darkness (see Luke 10:18–20; James 3:7–8).

z1:28 God’s blessing upon the human family implies love. God blesses both men and women, empowering them to live on this planet, infusing them with power and favor to succeed in life.

aa1:28 The word subdue means “to take dominion” or “to control.” This would imply harnessing natural resources in an appropriate fashion, caring for the earth, cultivating and harvesting its fields, mining its resources, and releasing its potential to benefit God’s highest creation, humankind. See Ps. 8:6–8.

ab1:28 Man and woman were both given the command to care for the earth and subdue all things. Man and woman are blessed by their Creator with authority to rule with him as coregents. God’s image is reflected in both men and women, and so is rulership.

ac1:29 After the fall of Adam and Eve, meat was likely included in their diet. See Gen. 9:3; 1 Tim. 4:4–5.

ad1:30 A day will come when the carnivorous animals will become herbivorous again. See Isa. 11:7; 65:25.

ae1:31 Because God created man on the sixth day, the number six is the biblical number of man.

Creation Details

2And so the creation of the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.a2By the seventh day,b God had completed creating his masterpiece, so on the seventh day, he rested from all his work. 3So God blessed the seventh day and made it sacred, because on it, he paused to restc from all his work of creation.

4This is the accountd of the heavens and the earth after they were created.e

At the timef Yahweh-Godg created earth and heaven, 5there was yet no vegetation, grains of the field, or shrubs sprouting on the earth, for there was no one to cultivate the land,h and Yahweh-God had not yet sent rain. 6In those days a misti arose from the soil and watered the whole face of the ground.

7Yahweh-God scooped up a lump of soil,j sculpted a man, and blew into his nostrils the breath of life.k The man came alive—a living soul!l

8Then Yahweh-God plantedm a lush garden paradisen in the East,o in the Land of Delight,p and there he placed the man he had formed. 9Yahweh-God made all kinds of beautiful trees to grow there—fruitful trees to satisfy the taste. In the middle of the garden,q he planted the Tree of Lifer and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.s

10Flowing from the Land of Delight was a rivert to water the garden, and from there, it divided into four branches.u11The first river, Overflowing Increase,v encircles the gold-laden land of Havilah.w12The gold of that land is pure, with many pearls and onyxx found there.y13The second river, Gushing,z flows through the entire land of Cush.aa14The third river, Swift Flowing,ab flows east of Assyria.ac And the fourth is the river Fruitfulness.ad

15Yahweh-God tookae the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to workaf and watch over it.ag16And Yahweh-God commanded him, “You may freely eat of every fruitah of the garden. 17But you must not eat of the Tree that gives the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will most certainly die.”ai

Creation of Adam and Eve

18Then Yahweh-God said, “It is not goodaj for the man to be alone. Therefore, I will fashion a suitable partner to be his help and strength.”ak19For Yahweh-God had formed from the soil every animal of the field and every bird of the air and brought them before the man to see what he would call them. So, whatever the man called the living creature, that was its name.al20He gave names to all the various cattle, birds, and wild animals, but Adam could not find a fitting companion that corresponded to him. 21So Yahweh-God caused Adam to fall into a deep trance, and while he slept, he took a portion of Adam’s sideam and closed its place with flesh. 22Then Yahweh-God used the portion of Adam’s side and skillfully craftedan a woman and presented her to him.ao23Then Adam said:

“At last! One like me!

Her bones were formed from my bones,

and her flesh from my flesh!

This one will be called ‘Woman,’

for she was taken from man.”ap

24For this reason, a man leaves his father and his mother to be unselfishly attached toaq his wife. They become one flesh as a new family! 25The man and his wife felt no shame, unaware that they were both naked.

a2:1 The seven days of creation hint at the seven stages through which one passes to become fully mature in Christ, complete in his image. Once, when we lived our sinful, empty lives in spiritual darkness (see Eph. 2:1–3), the Holy Spirit brooded over our souls to draw us to salvation (see John 6:44). Then God spoke his Word of power, cascading revelation-light into our being (see 2 Cor. 4:6), our Savior, Jesus the Word, the Light of salvation (see John 8:12). Finally, we will cease from our own striving and enter into the Sabbath rest of completion and maturity (see Heb. 4:11).

b2:2 The Hebrew word for “day” is yom and can be translated in English into over fifty different words, such as “a twenty-four-hour day,” “today,” “time,” “forever,” “continually,” “age,” “life,” “season,” “perpetually,” or “a period of time.” The Hebraic mindset does not necessarily view yom as a twenty-four-hour period. For example, the Scriptures speak frequently of the day of the Lord, which points to a time period of God’s divine activity, not a day with a sunrise and sunset.

c2:3 God was not weary; he simply rejoiced in his masterpiece. God’s work in us, for us, and through us continues through time. God’s last day of creating (the sixth) was man’s first day. As soon as man was created, he rested with God. In this way, he became one with God, dwelling with him and resting in his accomplishments. There is no mention of evening and morning completing the seventh day, for God’s Sabbath rest endures forever and there is no night there. Our true Sabbath rest is found in the finished work of Christ (see Matt. 11:28–30; Col. 2:16–17; Heb. 3:17–4:9; Rev. 21:25). Only one day of Creation was given a name: the seventh day, which was called “Shabbat.” The Hebrew root word for “Sabbath” contains two letters that mean “to return to a seat (rest) and learn.”

d2:4 Or “These are the generations [genealogies].” This phrase is used numerous times to begin a new section in the story line of Genesis.

e2:4 This is the word bara’, which is used in the Old Testament exclusively for God’s creativity, things that only God can do. However, here the Hebrew letter hei is inserted into the word, which is incorrect grammatically. The letter hei is the fifth letter in the Hebrew alphabet and is recognized by Jewish sages as the “divine breath of God.” Its occurrence here signifies that it was God’s breath that gave birth to all that was created. See Ps. 33:6.

f2:4 See footnote on Gen. 2:2 on the Hebrew word yom.

g2:4 The Hebrew is Yahweh-Elohim, or “the God who is Yahweh,” the God of mercy and power.

h2:5 Before the earth could flourish under God’s blessing, there needed to be a man and woman to take dominion. The Lord created them to walk with him and to cultivate a garden. God made the earth to need a human touch. God and man were to work together to subdue, cultivate, and take dominion of the earth. See Ps. 115:16.

i2:6 Or “vapor” or “subterranean spring.”

j2:7 Or “clay” or “dust.” The Hebrew contains an obvious play on words, a paronomasia, for the word for “man” is ’adam, and the Hebrew word for “soil [dust]” is ’adamah. See Job 10:9. Everything else was formed by an act of speech—only man was sculpted by the hands of God (see Isa. 29:16). One day, Jesus picked up some earth, spat on it, and made clay; he touched the eyes of a blind man with it, and the blind man saw (see John 9:6–7).

k2:7 Or “the breath of lives.” To breathe into someone’s nostrils is what happens when two people kiss. God kissed life into Adam. God’s Word likewise is “God-breathed” (2 Tim. 3:16). Jesus also blew his breath upon his beloved disciples (see John 20:21–22). The lovers of God long for this “Spirit-kiss” (Song. 1:2). See also Ezek. 37:9. Instantly, every portion of Adam’s being was filled with life as Spirit-Wind poured into the man of clay lying in his Creator’s arms. Adam’s first sight was looking into the eyes of the Image-Maker. The dust of earth and the breath of Deity mingled as one, so that Adam could interact in both realms (physical and spiritual). This breath or “Spirit of life” was more than air; it brought intelligence, wisdom, light, and the image of God into Adam (see Job 32:8).

l2:7 The Mishnah (a collection of oral law and rabbinical teachings) uses the word mav’eh, a synonym for nephesh (soul), here. Mav’eh is derived from the root ba’ah, a verb that means “to ask,” “to seek,” or “to request [as in prayer].” In other words, the Talmud (an extensive commentary on the Mishnah) defines man as “the creature that prays.” Furthermore, the Talmud teaches that even nephesh, the life-sustaining soul, is synonymous with prayer. A nuanced translation could be “and man was manifested as a praying being [one who could commune with God].” In a sense, being human means moving in the direction of the divine design that God embedded within us. See Ps. 109:4.

m2:8 The Lord wanted to plant himself in the dust of Adam and become life within him. In Genesis 2, we see the pictures of both a tree planted in a garden and God planted in man. As the tree was to receive nourishment from the soil, so Adam was to draw life and sustenance from his Maker. Life for Adam depended on what he did with the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Life for you and me depends on what we do with the tree on which Jesus died. Jesus Christ is now the Tree of Life to us and is accessible to all who come by faith (see John 15:1–8; Heb. 10:19–20; Rev. 2:7; 22:2).

n2:8 Man began in a garden, sinned in a garden, and was driven out of a garden (see Gen. 3:23