Genesis 1: God and the Natural Order

God: Maker of Heaven and Earth

Genesis 1 introduces “God” as the Maker of heaven and earth. And all throughout the Bible we see references to this capital-G “God”.

The Hebrew word translated as “God” in verse 1 is “elohim”, which is plural, and “probaby prolonged (emphatically) from “el” (H410)”, which means “mighty one“, according to Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB). “El” is shortened from “ayil” (H352), which means “ram”.

In the Greek Septuagint, “Elohim” is translated as “o theos” (G3588 & G2316) in this verse, which literally translates into English as “the god”, hence the likely reason why it is capitalized in English. According to Thayer’s Greek definitions, it is of uncertain affinity: a deity, especially (with G3588) the supreme Divinity.

The Spirit of God

Genesis 1:2 makes mention of “the Spirit of God”.

The Hebrew word translated there as “Spirit” is “ruach” (H7307), which means “wind, breath, mind, spirit“, according to BDB. It comes from a verb root that means “to smell, scent, perceive odour, accept“.

The Greek counterpart in the Septuagint is “pneuma” (G4151) and comes from the verb “pneo” (G4154), which means “to breathe, to blow“, according to Thayer.

In both the Hebrew and Greek source texts, there is no capitalization.

Capitalization only appears in English translations at the discretion of the translator. “Spirit” is likely capitalized in this verse due to it belonging to capital-G “God” (not because it is a separate entity).

Oftentimes this verse is separated from what comes after it with a period, but there is no punctuation in the Hebrew and Greek source texts either.

If we were to consider the latter part of verse 2 in conjunction with that which comes after it, it would read like this:

“…and the Spirit of God moved over the water and God said…” (Genesis 1:2b-3a Brenton)

All throughout the Bible we see the spirit of God in conjunction with words being spoken.

The Greek word translated as “said” throughout Genesis 1 is “eipen” and is a verb form of “lego” (G3004), which means to say, to speak. Lego is also the verb root of “logos” (G3056), which is seen throughout the Bible translated as “sayings” or “word“.

In the remainder of verse 3 (& many verses that follow in that chapter) the same Hebrew word, “hayah” (H1961), is used where it is translated: “let there be” and “there was”. It means to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out according to BDB.

The Greek counterpart is a form of “ginomai” (G1096), and that word primarily means to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being according to Thayers.

Genesis 1:3 tells us that light was the first to receive being as a result of God’s speaking.

The Making of Heaven and Earth

In the remaining verses of Genesis 1, we see the making of heaven and earth and all that are in them. Every act of creation on the part of God begins with “And God said…” demonstrating all things through God’s saying did happen; and without His saying, happened not even one thing that hath happened.

Life was in the sayings of God.

Seed-Bearing, Reproducing after Like Kind

On the third day, we read:

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the herb of grass bearing seed according to its kind and according to its likeness, and the fruit-tree bearing fruit whose seed is in it, according to its kind on the earth, and it was so. And the earth brought forth the herb of grass bearing seed according to its kind and according to its likeness, and the fruit tree bearing fruit whose seed is in it, according to its kind on the earth, and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:11-12 Brenton)

The Hebrew word translated as seed is “zera” (H2233), which means seed, sowing, offspring. It comes from a verb that means to sow, scatter seed. The Greek word used in the Septuagint is “sperma” (G4690), which is where we get the English word “sperm”.

God made the herb of grass bearing seed and the fruit-tree with seed in the fruit so that they would reproduce after like kind.

Let There Be Lights in the Firmament of Heaven

On the fourth day we’re told God put lights in the firmament of heaven to give light to the earth. These are understood to be the sun, moon and stars, and they are different than the light that was called forth in the beginning.

According to the book of Job, there were angels in existence at this point:

Where wast thou when I founded the earth? tell me now, if thou hast knowledge, who set the measures of it, if thou knowest? or who stretched a line upon it? On what are its rings fastened? and who is he that laid the corner-stone upon it? When the stars were made, all my angels praised me with a loud voice. (Job 38:4-7 Brenton)

The Greek word translated as “angels” (G32) is the plural of “aggelos”, which means a messenger, envoy, one who is sent, an angel, a messenger from God. We see evidence of angels in other places, calling out from heaven and appearing on earth as men. (See Genesis 21:17 and Genesis 19:1-5.)

Let Us Make Man in the Image and Likeness of God

According to Genesis 1, the last thing God made by the power of his speaking (after making the animals on the fifth & sixth days) was man. And we’re told He made him (man) according to His image and likeness. And man was blessed with fruitfulness and given dominion over the works of His hands.

And God said, Let us make man according to our image and likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the flying creatures of heaven, and over the cattle and all the earth, and over all the reptiles that creep on the earth. And God made man, according to the image of God he made him, male and female he made them. And God blessed them, saying, Increase and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the seas and flying creatures of heaven, and all the cattle and all the earth, and all the reptiles that creep on the earth. (Genesis 1:26-28 Brenton)

Some understand the reference in verse 26 to “us” (when God speaks) is indicative of a tri-une God, but it seems more likely to me that God may have been speaking in the presence of an assembly, which included his angels and/or ministers. See Psalm 82.

And according to Psalm 8, man was made a little less than the angels and was crowned in honor and glory.

We also see, according to Psalm 91 (in the Septuagint), that angels are used by God to protect mankind.

In Psalm 103 (in the Septuagint) we read that the angels are mighty in strength and perform the bidding of YHVH.

And Psalm 104 says of them:

A Psalm of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou hast clothed thyself with praise and honour: who dost robe thyself with light as with a garment; spreading out the heaven as a curtain. Who covers his chambers with waters; who makes the clouds his chariot; who walks on the wings of the wind. Who makes his angels spirits, and his ministers a flaming fire. Who establishes the earth on her sure foundation: it shall not be moved for ever. (Psalms 104:1-5 Brenton)

And in Psalm 148 we see the psalmist’s understanding of the angels, being in heaven.

I don’t know for certain if this is the reason for the use of the word “us” in Genesis 1, but it seems reasonable to me.

John 1 is often used to say the Jesus was with God in the beginning — and that he was God. Many are led to believe that Jesus was somehow involved in the creative process of bringing all of creation into being.

However, Genesis 1 makes no such claim.

Genesis 1 clearly identifies only one creative entity: God. And it is through the moving of His spirit (upon the face of the waters) that He speaks, manifesting light and then bringing all else that he says into existence.

Behold, They Were Very Good

The chapter ends by saying,

“And God saw all the things that he had made, and, behold, they were very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

I think it is so important to grasp that this Natural World and its Natural Order set in place by this creator God was determined by Him to be “very good“.

Regardless of what takes place in the coming chapters, it does not negate the fact that all that God had made in the beginning was very good.

God Finished the Works He Made

And finally, Genesis 2:1-3 makes it clear that God finished the works which He made and ceased from all those works.

And the heavens and the earth were finished, and the whole world of them. And God finished on the sixth day his works which he made, and he ceased on the seventh day from all his works which he made. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it he ceased from all his works which God began to do. (Genesis 2:1-3 Brenton)

This tells me that the Creator did not have any unfinished work of this kind of creation left to do, such as making another man from the dust of the earth.

Additionally, given that the seventh day marks the completion & ceasing of God’s created works, I believe the number “seven” denotes completion & rest. We see it all throughout the remainder of the book.

This idea of completion & rest on the seventh day is even worked into the universal calendars we keep worldwide today — apart from the Bible. It is reflected in the period of time known as the “week”, which is simply seven days.