GENESIS AND CREATION

A short word study on the Biblical story of creation may give you some interesting insights

Bereshis 1:1-5 Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB)

1 In the beginning Elohim created hashomayim (the heavens, Himel) and haaretz (the earth).² And the earth was tohu vavohu (without form, and void); and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Ruach Elohim was hovering upon the face of the waters.³ And Elohim said, Let there be light: and there was light.⁴ And Elohim saw the light, that it was tov (good); and Elohim divided the ohr (light) from the choshech (darkness).⁵ And Elohim called the light Yom (Day), and the darkness He called Lailah (Night). And the erev (evening) and the boker (morning) were Yom Echad (Day One, the First Day).

Genesis 1:1-5 King James Version (KJV)

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.² And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.³ And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.⁴ And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.⁵ And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Strong’s Hebrew Concordance:

Created = 1254 = bara = to create; the only word in the Bible that means “to create from nothing” as well as to reforming existing materials.

Heaven = 8064 = samayim = region above the earth: the heavens: place of the stars, sky, air: the invisible realm of God.

Earth = 776 = eres = world, earth, all inhabited lands: parts or the earth, land (in contrast to water)), soil, ground, country, region.

Without form = 8414 = tohu = formless, waste, empty, useless, confused, vain:-vanity, confusion.

Void = 933 =  bohu = emptiness, desolation, a void associated with chaos; “empty and void” is a state of total chaos.

Darkness = 2822 = hosek = darkness, dark, blackness, gloom; often darkness has the associative meaning of gloom, despair, terror, ignorance, or hard to understand.

Deep = 8415 = tehom = the deep, depths, with the associative meanings of darkness and secrecy, controlled or inhabited by mysterious powers; the abode of the dead.

Light = 216 = or = light, contrasted with darkness; by extension brightness, daylight, sunshine; the figurative extension “light of the face” is a positive, happy attitude, resulting from relief from trouble.

Spirit = 7307 = ruah = breath, wind, spirit. An immaterial supernatural being, and as the immaterial part of the inner person: mind or heart.

God = 430 =Elohim = God, plural in form but singular in meaning, with a focus on great power. Also can mean and identify other gods; any person characterized by greatness or power: mighty one, great one, judge.

This Hebrew term, Elohim, appears 2597 times in the OT. It conveys the meaning of “mighty ones,” however, it can also denote the singular, “Mighty One.” It is most often used in reference to YAHWEH, but also applies to lesser gods, false deities, and angels. EL is the abbreviated form.

Divided = 914 = badal = separate oneself, be expelled; to separate, sever completely, distinguish between, divide asunder, make a separation.  My thought: establishing borders-- as borders are dividing lines. Evening and morning dividing the day from the night…sunset to sunset.