Genesis Part I
Let’s begin with Genesis 1:1 and I will write until the post looks long enough. I am using the KJV, because it is widely accepted, and because with my programs and web resources, it is the most easily and thoroughly searchable. I have no burden to convince you that other versions are not appropriate. In fact, I most often use the NIV study Bible, and am generally pleased with the NRSV and the TNIV as well. There are certainly other excellent translations in less common use.
First, we must rely on scholars of ancient Hebrew to tell us what the Old Testament says in English. I am not one of those scholars, but can talk to them, and can study the verses with help from programs that explain the ancient Hebrew in a simple way. I cannot make a simple Hebrew sentence, however.
Genesis 1:1 says “In the beginning…” Now in Hebrew it is clear that the word "the" is not implied at all. It is a beginning, not the beginning. I suspect that there is difficulty among newer translators with arriving at a pleasant sounding way of translating these passages from Hebrew, and there is a desire to not drastically differ from the KJV. Yet it seems clear that this verse is not describing THE beginning of all things. It says so right there in Genesis 1:2. In Hebrew this is called a conditional clause. This is the state of affairs, the condition, that existed before “the beginning” took place. Before “the beginning,” there is already darkness, waters, and the Spirit of God. This Spirit of God (ruach) can also be translated as a strong wind, or as the breath of God, but I won't confuse the issue further.
In the 1950’s this was a way that a few creationists, who attempted to translate the Bible with the literal scientific precision of modernity, explained why we find dinosaur bones millions of years old, in a world which could not have existed more than 10,000 years, according to their Biblical interpretation. This “gap theory” suggested that dinosaurs and other very ancient beings existed on the earth before God began the creation we commonly know today.
The “gap theory” has generally fallen out of favor. Still, there is much general agreement among Biblical scholars, that God had already done some creating before the Genesis story picks up. That, I believe, is why the Hebrew lacks the definitive article, “the.” It is not “the” beginning. It is “a” beginning.
Isn’t it awesome to consider that God had a life before we did? That God had other creations before the heavens and the earth, before Genesis 1:1? It’s certainly not all about us. It’s about God and what He wants for us. He loves us and cares for us. He wants us to love and care for each other. Maybe God did some “uncreating” at some point; sort of like the flood story of Noah, which begins in chapter 6. I don’t know, but I am thoughtfully trying to consider the possibilities.
Please feel free to make any comments on this post. Do you agree, disagree, have questions? Let’s keep it public so all can see, reflect, and keep us accountable. Is anyone familiar with other creation stories from the Ancient Near East?
Grace and Peace to you and your house.
Nicholas R
First, we must rely on scholars of ancient Hebrew to tell us what the Old Testament says in English. I am not one of those scholars, but can talk to them, and can study the verses with help from programs that explain the ancient Hebrew in a simple way. I cannot make a simple Hebrew sentence, however.
Genesis 1:1 says “In the beginning…” Now in Hebrew it is clear that the word "the" is not implied at all. It is a beginning, not the beginning. I suspect that there is difficulty among newer translators with arriving at a pleasant sounding way of translating these passages from Hebrew, and there is a desire to not drastically differ from the KJV. Yet it seems clear that this verse is not describing THE beginning of all things. It says so right there in Genesis 1:2. In Hebrew this is called a conditional clause. This is the state of affairs, the condition, that existed before “the beginning” took place. Before “the beginning,” there is already darkness, waters, and the Spirit of God. This Spirit of God (ruach) can also be translated as a strong wind, or as the breath of God, but I won't confuse the issue further.
In the 1950’s this was a way that a few creationists, who attempted to translate the Bible with the literal scientific precision of modernity, explained why we find dinosaur bones millions of years old, in a world which could not have existed more than 10,000 years, according to their Biblical interpretation. This “gap theory” suggested that dinosaurs and other very ancient beings existed on the earth before God began the creation we commonly know today.
The “gap theory” has generally fallen out of favor. Still, there is much general agreement among Biblical scholars, that God had already done some creating before the Genesis story picks up. That, I believe, is why the Hebrew lacks the definitive article, “the.” It is not “the” beginning. It is “a” beginning.
Isn’t it awesome to consider that God had a life before we did? That God had other creations before the heavens and the earth, before Genesis 1:1? It’s certainly not all about us. It’s about God and what He wants for us. He loves us and cares for us. He wants us to love and care for each other. Maybe God did some “uncreating” at some point; sort of like the flood story of Noah, which begins in chapter 6. I don’t know, but I am thoughtfully trying to consider the possibilities.
Please feel free to make any comments on this post. Do you agree, disagree, have questions? Let’s keep it public so all can see, reflect, and keep us accountable. Is anyone familiar with other creation stories from the Ancient Near East?
Grace and Peace to you and your house.
Nicholas R
posted by Nick | 11:08 AM
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