ESV Global Study Bible :: Footnotes for Genesis 1

Gen. 1:1–11:26 Primeval History. Genesis 1–11 surveys the history of the world before Abraham, while chs. 12–50 focus on one main family. There are no real parallels to chs. 12–50 in the literature of other ancient civilizations. However, other ancient stories do exist about both creation and the flood. These stories stand in sharp contrast to the biblical account. Generally they depict creation as a great struggle, often involving conflict between the gods. For example, they claim that the flood was sent because the gods could not stand the noise made by human beings but were unable to control it in any other way. Genesis disproves such stories by its teachings. There is only one God, whose word is almighty. He spoke the world into being. The sun and moon are not gods in their own right but are created by the one God. It is human sin that prompts the flood. These principles in Genesis 1–11 run through the rest of Scripture.

1:1–2:3 God’s Creation and Ordering of Heaven and Earth. The book of Genesis opens with a majestic description of how God created the heavens and earth and then put everything in order so that it might become his dwelling place. God assigns humanity to govern the other creatures on his behalf, so that the whole earth should become the temple of God, the place of his presence, displaying his glory.

Gen. 1:1 In the beginning. The opening verse of the Genesis creation account can be taken as either (1) a summary of the entire process of creation or (2) a description of the first event in creation. This event would have occurred sometime before the first day (vv. 3–5), and would have included the creation of matter, space, and time. This second view emphasizes the fact that God created the universe from nothing (compare Heb. 11:3). God created. The Hebrew word for God, ’Elohim, is plural, possibly to express God’s majesty, but the verb “created” is singular, indicating that God is one being. In contrast to other ancient Near Eastern accounts of creation, Genesis always emphasizes that there is only one God. Whenever the Hebrew verb for “create” occurs in the OT, God is the subject. Heavens and the earth here means “everything.” Thus, “in the beginning” refers to the beginning of everything. The text indicates that God created everything in the universe, which means that he created it out of nothing.

Gen. 1:2 Before the first actual day of creation (vv. 3–5), the earth was without form and void (compare Jer. 4:23), implying that it lacked order and content. The reference to darkness . . . over the face of the deep points to the absence of light. The Spirit of God was hovering suggests that something was about to happen. There is no reason to think that a long time elapsed between Gen. 1:1 and 1:2.

Gen. 1:3–5 And God said. God’s absolute power is seen in that he merely speaks and things are created. Each new section of ch. 1 is introduced by God’s speaking. Everything that God speaks into being is good (vv. 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). These verses show how God has arranged time in a weekly cycle (Day . . . Night). God is pictured as working for six days and resting on the seventh, which is a model for human activity. Day 4 will develop this idea further: the lights are placed in the heavens for signs and seasons, for marking days and years and the times of the festivals, such as Passover. This sense of time having a structure is further emphasized as each stage of God’s creative work is separated into specific days. there was evening and there was morning, the first day. After each workday there is an evening and then a morning, implying that there is a nighttime (the worker’s daily time of rest) in between. Similar phrases divide ch. 1 into six distinctive workdays, with 2:1–3 being a seventh day, God’s Sabbath. On the first three days God creates the environment that the creatures of days 4–6 will inhabit. For example, the sea and sky (day 2) are occupied by the fish and birds (day 5). These days can be understood as days in the life of God, but how his days relate to human days is more difficult to determine (see 2 Pet. 3:8).

Gen. 1:6–8 As light was separated from darkness, so the waters are separated to form an expanse, which God calls Heaven. It is difficult to find a single English word that accurately translates the precise meaning of this Hebrew term (see esv footnote). In this context, it refers to what humans see above them, that is, the region that contains both heavenly lights (vv. 14–17) and birds (v. 20).

Gen. 1:9–13 God organizes two further regions: the dry land, forming Earth; and the waters, forming Seas (vv. 9–10). God then instructs the earth to bring forth vegetation (vv. 11–12). The creation of distinctive locations in days 1–3, along with vegetation, prepares for the filling of these locations in days 4–6.

Gen. 1:14–19 These verses, describing the fourth day, correspond with the separating of light and darkness on the first day (vv. 3–5). Here is the creation of lights that will govern time, as well as provide light upon the earth (v. 15). By referring to them as the greater light and lesser light (v. 16), the author of Genesis avoids using terms that were also proper names for pagan gods linked to the sun and the moon. The term made may simply mean that God “fashioned” or “worked on” these greater and lesser lights. It does not necessarily mean that they did not exist in any form before this. On this day God made it possible that the sun and moon would define the passing of time. The references to seasons (v. 14) or “appointed times” (esv footnote) and to days and years probably refer to appointed times for religious observances in the Hebrew calendar (see Ex. 13:10).

Gen. 1:16 and the stars. The immense universe that God created (see note on Isa. 40:25–26) is mentioned here only briefly, almost as an afterthought. The focus of Genesis 1 is on the earth.

Gen. 1:20–23 This section, on day 5, describes how the waters and the expanse of the heavens are filled with various kinds of creatures.

Gen. 1:21 The Hebrew term for great sea creatures can mean large serpents, dragons, or crocodiles, as well as whales or sharks. Some have suggested that this could also refer to extinct creatures such as dinosaurs.

Gen. 1:24–25 livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth. These terms group the land-dwelling animals into three broad categories, probably reflecting the way nomadic shepherds would experience them. This list is not intended to be exhaustive, and it is hard to know in which category to put some animals.

Gen. 1:26 Let us make man in our image. Some have suggested that God may be addressing the members of his heavenly court, whom the OT elsewhere calls “sons of God” (e.g., Job 1:6) and the NT calls “angels.” But man is not made in the image of angels (see Gen. 1:27), and the Bible never teaches that angels participated in the creation of human beings. Since God alone creates man (v. 27), many Christians believe that “let us” means God is speaking to himself. If so, this would be the first biblical mention of the “Trinity” (see note on John 1:1).

Gen. 1:27 The term image of God can be seen as describing the ways in which man is different from all other created beings. It describes how humans resemble God in their ability to think, to communicate, to understand right and wrong, to be creative, and to experience relationships with God and with one another. This allows men and women to represent God as they exercise authority over the rest of creation (see v. 26; and note on v. 28). The Hebrew word for man (’adam), is often a generic term for both male and female, though sometimes it refers to man in distinction from woman (e.g., 2:22; 23; 3:8). It can also be the proper name “Adam” (2:20; 3:17; 4:1; 5:1).

Gen. 1:28–30 Although the word “covenant” does not occur in the Bible until 6:18, many consider 1:28–30 along with 2:16–17 to be God’s covenant with Adam. See Hos. 6:7 and note. Adam receives this covenant on behalf of the rest of mankind. Thus, in the NT, Paul views Adam as a representative head of the human race (1 Cor. 15:22).

Gen. 1:28 Be fruitful and multiply. From the time of creation, God’s plan has been that the whole earth should be populated by those who know him and who serve wisely as his representatives. To subdue the earth and to have dominion over it probably means that humans are permitted to make the earth beneficial for themselves. They are to investigate and develop its resources. This command provides a basis for wise scientific and technological development. It does not mean that humans may exploit the earth and its creatures simply to satisfy their own greed.

Gen. 1:31 One final occurrence of behold, it was very good invites the reader to imagine seeing creation through God’s eyes. Despite the invasion of sin (ch. 3), the material creation retains its basic goodness (see 1 Tim. 4:4).