This series came about after discussions with people from a variety of back grounds: many denominations of Christianity, Judaism, agnostics, and atheists. I put forth ideas based on ancient manuscripts, theologians, scholars, and modern textual criticisms. There may be several ideas for one section, mainly because the exact explanation cannot be concluded, and the ancients are either silent or the manuscripts have been lost to time. Except for Genesis 1, the format is nearly a sentence by sentence commentary of the Biblical text. The version used is the NASB.
Apology and Opinions of Genesis 1
“In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of G-d was moving over the surface of the waters. Then G-d said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. G-d saw that the light was good; and G-d separated the light from the darkness. G-d called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. Then G-d said, ‘Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.’ G-d made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. G-d called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and morning, a second day. Then G-d said ‘Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear’; and it was so. G-d called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and G-d saw that it was good. Then G-d said, ‘Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them’; and it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and G-d saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning, a third day. Then G-d said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate 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 expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth’; and it was so. G-d made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. G-d placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and G-d saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. Then G-d said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens. G-d created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and G-d saw that it was good. G-d blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. Then G-d said ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind’; and it was so. G-d made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and G-d saw that it was good. Then G-d said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ G-d created man in His own image, in the image of G-d He created him; male and female He created them. G-d blessed them; and G-d said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ Then G-d said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for good’; and it was so. G-d saw all that He had made, and behold it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”
There has long been a debate about whether or not the creation was a literal 6 days of creation and then a seventh day where G-d rested. We cannot say exactly what the original audience believed; however, we do know that about 2000 years ago, believers did not believe the Genesis 1 creation to be literal. Many Jews, as well as ancient Christian communities that still exist, claim that Genesis 1 is a poem, in a prose called parallelism. Parallelism is found many times, mainly in Psalms and Proverbs. Hebrew poetry doesn’t really have a rhythm, nor does it rhyme in the sense that Western culture believe rhymes should be. The words in Hebrew poetry rhyme by their meanings, saying two different words or sentences that say the same thing. For example, in Proverbs 3:1 the Bible states, “My son, my teachings you shall not forget and my commands your heart shall guard.” The sentence says the exact same thing twice. “My teachings you shall not forget” and “my commands your heart shall guard” mean the same thing, and therefore, rhyme in meaning. As will be shown, Genesis 1 uses this type of poetry. Before we get much further, I must point out that the Genesis 1 story continues into the second chapter. The numbering system of chapters and verses were added much later, and sometimes the divisions do not make much sense. The following must be added to fully understand the creation story: “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. And by the seventh day G-d completed His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which he had done. Then G-d blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all his work which G-d had created and made.” These are the first three verses of chapter 2, and the fourth verse begins another account.
Rabbi Akiva, Rashi, Ramban, and Ibn Ezra all believed that the creation story was not a sequence of events, or even a mechanical explanation of how the earth was created, and this was stated during the 1st century CE! They viewed it as pointing out why we are here: to have a relationship with G-d and with each other.[1]
The main problem with reading the text of Genesis 1 literally is the 1st day light was created, but it wasn’t until the 4th day that the Sun and other stars were created to give light. How can there be light with nothing to give light? Another problem of believing in a literal 24 hours is where the text says “there was evening and there was morning,” making the time span be anywhere from 6-8 hours that G-d was creating. But let’s look at how parallelism plays a part of this story. Note what happens each day:
Day 1: Light created
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Day 2: Heaven/Sky and water created
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Day 3: Land created
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Day 4: Sun, moon, and stars created
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Day 5: Animals that occupy the sky and water created
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Day 6: Animals that occupy land (including humans) created
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Day 7: G-d rested
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We can easily group the days together to better understand how the statements are parallel:
Day 1: Light created
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Day 4: Sun, moon, and stars created
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Day 2: Heaven/Sky and water created
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Day 5: Animals that occupy the sky and water created
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Day 3: Land created
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Day 6: Animals that occupy land (including humans) created
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Day 7: G-d rested
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The poetic purpose now becomes more apparent. Notice that every day matches up with another day, except the 7th day. One may ponder also the meaning of how G-d “rested” and “abstained from His work”. The original audience would have had a better understanding of what this day meant, and why it doesn’t have a matching day. The Sabbath, or Shabbat, would have been very familiar to these early readers, since G-d had told them to observe the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a time for rejoicing, spending time with your family, eating an important meal with your friends and family, and worshiping and to have fellowship with G-d. Resting and abstaining can basically be replaced with the word rejoicing. The explanation for the 7th day is G-d is rejoicing with his creation, and enjoying them. The unmatched day can also be said to show that we are still in it, since the day is unfinished, as well as unique. If you noticed, it never says, “there was evening and there was morning, a seventh day.” The text never mentions an ending, suggesting we are still in the “seventh day.”
So what is the point of the Creation Story? It is an introduction to the rest of the Bible. G-d created these things, and wants to rejoice with them, especially with humans, which is why we get a special mention. It is a perfect introduction to the rest of what the Bible is saying, we are here to enjoy life with G-d.[2]
In verse 26, G-d says “let Us.” Who is He talking to? Let’s look at what Rashi said over a thousand years ago: “Let us make man: From here we learn the humility of the Holy One, blessed be He. Since man was created in the likeness of the angels, and they would envy him, He consulted them. And when He judges kings, He consults with His Heavenly household, for so we find regarding Ahab, that Micah said to him, (I Kings 22:19): “I saw the Lord seated on His throne, and all the host of heaven were standing by Him, on His right and on His left.” Now do “left” or “right” apply to Him?! But rather, [the passage means that] these [angels] were standing on the right to defend, and these [angels] were standing on the left to prosecute. Likewise, (Dan. 4:14): “By the decree of the destructive angels is the matter, and by the word of the holy ones is the edict.” Here too, He took counsel with His heavenly household. He said to them, “Among the heavenly beings, there are some in My likeness. If there are none in My likeness among the earthly beings, there will be envy among the creatures of the Creation. ” - [from Tanchuma, Shemoth 18; Gen. Rabbah 8:11, 14:13]. Let us make man: Even though they [the angels] did not assist Him in His creation, and there is an opportunity for the heretics to rebel (to misconstrue the plural as a basis for their heresies), Scripture did not hesitate to teach proper conduct and the trait of humility, that a great person should consult with and receive permission from a smaller one. Had it been written: “I shall make man,” we would not have learned that He was speaking with His tribunal, but to Himself. And the refutation to the heretics is written alongside it [i. e., in the following verse:]“And God created (וַיִּבְרָא) ,” and it does not say, “and they created וַיִּבְרְאוּ.” - [from Gen. Rabbah 8:9].”[3]
The Bible itself also hints to this in several passages: Job 38:4-7; Neh. 9:6; Psa. 148:2-5.
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, who set its measurements, since you know? Or Who stretched the line on it? On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its corner stone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of G-d shouted for joy?”
“Thou alone art the L-RD. Thou hast made the heavens, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on t, the seas and all that is in them and the heavenly host bows down before Thee.”
“Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts! Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light! Praise Him, highest heavens, and the waters that above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the L-RD, for He commanded and they were created.”[4]
On a final point, there seems to be a repetition in the text when G-d created man “in Our image” and “after Our likeness.” The meanings of them are as follows:
Verse
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Meaning
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In Our image
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In Our form
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In Our likeness
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To understand and to discern
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Humans have a distinct characteristic from other animals, a highly developed brain, which the statement “in Our likeness” is pointing out; we are very special indeed.[5]
-Kameron Mazurek
[1] Stone Edition of the Chumash.
[2] For a deeper understanding of the poetry of Genesis 1, read Aramaic Light on Genesis by Dr. George Lamsa.
[3] Parshah (Chabad version) http://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading_cdo/aid/7781/showrashi/true.
[4] This is also a repeat of the 1st and 4th day of creation, further illustrating that the creation story is parallelism.
[5] Stone Edition of the Chumash.
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