Genesis 1:1

The Creation of the World

1:1 In the beginning ¹  God ²  created ³  the heavens and the earth. ⁴ 

Genesis 2:1

2:1 The heavens and the earth ⁵  were completed with everything that was in them. ⁶ 

Exodus 20:11

20:11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

Job 38:4-7

God’s questions to Job

38:4 “Where were you

when I laid the foundation ⁷  of the earth?

Tell me, ⁸  if you possess understanding!

38:5 Who set its measurements – if ⁹  you know –

or who stretched a measuring line across it?

38:6 On what ¹⁰  were its bases ¹¹  set,

or who laid its cornerstone –

38:7 when the morning stars ¹²  sang ¹³  in chorus, ¹⁴ 

and all the sons of God ¹⁵  shouted for joy?

Proverbs 8:23-36

8:23 From eternity I was appointed, ¹⁶ 

from the beginning, from before the world existed. ¹⁷ 

8:24 When there were no deep oceans ¹⁸  I was born, ¹⁹ 

when there were no springs overflowing ²⁰  with water;

8:25 before the mountains were set in place –

before the hills – I was born,

8:26 before he made the earth and its fields, ²¹ 

or the beginning ²²  of the dust of the world.

8:27 When he established the heavens, I was there;

when he marked out the horizon ²³  over the face of the deep,

8:28 when he established the clouds above,

when the fountains of the deep grew strong, ²⁴ 

8:29 when he gave the sea his decree

that the waters should not pass over his command, ²⁵ 

when he marked out the foundations of the earth,

8:30 then I was ²⁶  beside him as a master craftsman, ²⁷ 

and I was his delight ²⁸  day by day,

rejoicing before him at all times,

8:31 rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth, ²⁹ 

and delighting ³⁰  in its people. ³¹ 

8:32 “So now, children, ³²  listen to me;

blessed are those who keep my ways.

8:33 Listen to my instruction ³³  so that you may be wise, ³⁴ 

and do not neglect it.

8:34 Blessed is the one ³⁵  who listens to me,

watching ³⁶  at my doors day by day,

waiting ³⁷  beside my doorway. ³⁸ 

8:35 For the one who finds me finds ³⁹  life

and receives ⁴⁰  favor from the Lord.

8:36 But the one who does not find me ⁴¹  brings harm ⁴²  to himself; ⁴³ 

all who hate me ⁴⁴  love death.”

Jeremiah 32:17

32:17 ‘Oh, Lord God, ⁴⁵  you did indeed ⁴⁶  make heaven and earth by your mighty power and great strength. ⁴⁷  Nothing is too hard for you!

Hebrews 1:10-12

1:10 And,

“You founded the earth in the beginning, Lord, ⁴⁸ 

and the heavens are the works of your hands.

1:11 They will perish, but you continue.

And they will all grow old like a garment,

1:12 and like a robe you will fold them up

and like a garment ⁴⁹  they will be changed,

but you are the same and your years will never run out.” ⁵⁰ 

Hebrews 3:3-4

3:3 For he has come to deserve greater glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house deserves greater honor than the house itself! 3:4 For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.

[1:1]  ¹ tn The translation assumes that the form translated “beginning” is in the absolute state rather than the construct (“in the beginning of,” or “when God created”). In other words, the clause in v. 1 is a main clause, v. 2 has three clauses that are descriptive and supply background information, and v. 3 begins the narrative sequence proper. The referent of the word “beginning” has to be defined from the context since there is no beginning or ending with God.

[1:1]  ² sn God. This frequently used Hebrew name for God (אֱלֹהִים,’elohim ) is a plural form. When it refers to the one true God, the singular verb is normally used, as here. The plural form indicates majesty; the name stresses God’s sovereignty and incomparability – he is the “God of gods.”

[1:1]  ³ tn The English verb “create” captures well the meaning of the Hebrew term in this context. The verb בָּרָא (bara’) always describes the divine activity of fashioning something new, fresh, and perfect. The verb does not necessarily describe creation out of nothing (see, for example, v. 27, where it refers to the creation of man); it often stresses forming anew, reforming, renewing (see Ps 51:10; Isa 43:15, 65:17).

[1:1]  ⁴ tn Or “the entire universe”; or “the sky and the dry land.” This phrase is often interpreted as a merism, referring to the entire ordered universe, including the heavens and the earth and everything in them. The “heavens and the earth” were completed in seven days (see Gen 2:1) and are characterized by fixed laws (see Jer 33:25). “Heavens” refers specifically to the sky, created on the second day (see v. 8), while “earth” refers specifically to the dry land, created on the third day (see v. 10). Both are distinct from the sea/seas (see v. 10 and Exod 20:11).

[2:1]  ⁵ tn See the note on the phrase “the heavens and the earth” in 1:1.

[2:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “and all the host of them.” Here the “host” refers to all the entities and creatures that God created to populate the world.

[38:4]  ⁷ tn The construction is the infinitive construct in a temporal clause, using the preposition and the subjective genitive suffix.

[38:4]  ⁸ tn The verb is the imperative; it has no object “me” in the text.

[38:5]  ⁹ tn The particle כּ (ki) is taken here for a conditional clause, “if you know” (see GKC 498 §159.dd). Others take it as “surely” with a biting irony.

[38:6]  ¹⁰ tn For the interrogative serving as a genitive, see GKC 442 §136.b.

[38:6]  ¹¹ sn The world was conceived of as having bases and pillars, but these poetic descriptions should not be pressed too far (e.g., see Ps 24:2, which may be worded as much for its polemics against Canaanite mythology as anything).

[38:7]  ¹² sn The expression “morning stars” (Heb “stars of the morning”) is here placed in parallelism to the angels, “the sons of God.” It may refer to the angels under the imagery of the stars, or, as some prefer, it may poetically include all creation. There is a parallel also with the foundation of the temple which was accompanied by song (see Ezra 3:10,11). But then the account of the building of the original tabernacle was designed to mirror creation (see M. Fishbane, Biblical Text and Texture).

[38:7]  ¹³ tn The construction, an adverbial clause of time, uses רָנָן (ranan), which is often a ringing cry, an exultation. The parallelism with “shout for joy” shows this to be enthusiastic acclamation. The infinitive is then continued in the next colon with the vav (ו) consecutive preterite.

[38:7]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “together.” This is Dhorme’s suggestion for expressing how they sang together.

[38:7]  ¹⁵ tn See Job 1:6.

[8:23]  ¹⁶ tn The first parallel verb is נִסַּכְתִּי (nissakhti), “I was appointed.” It is not a common word; it occurs here and in Ps 2:6 for the coronation of the king. It means “installed, set.”

[8:23]  ¹⁷ tn The verb “existed” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation in the light of the context.

[8:24]  ¹⁸ sn The summary statements just given are now developed in a lengthy treatment of wisdom as the agent of all creation. This verse singles out “watery deeps” (תְּהֹמוֹת, tÿhomot) in its allusion to creation because the word in Genesis signals the condition of the world at the very beginning, and because in the ancient world this was something no one could control. Chaos was not there first – wisdom was.

[8:24]  ¹⁹ tn The third parallel verb is חוֹלָלְתִּי (kholalti), “I was given birth.” Some (e.g., KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV) translate it “brought forth” – not in the sense of being presented, but in the sense of being “begotten, given birth to.” Here is the strongest support for the translation of קָנָה (qanah) as “created” in v. 22. The verb is not literal; it continues the perspective of the personification.

[8:24]  ²⁰ tn Heb “made heavy.”

[8:26]  ²¹ tn Heb “open places.”

[8:26]  ²² tn Here רֹאשׁ (ro’sh) means “beginning” with reference to time (BDB 911 s.v. 4.b).

[8:27]  ²³ sn The infinitive construct בְּחוּקוֹ (bÿkhuqo, “to cut; to engrave; to mark”) and the noun חוּג (khug, “horizon; circle”) form a paronomasia in the line.

[8:28]  ²⁴ tn To form a better parallel some commentators read this infinitive בַּעֲזוֹז (ba’azoz), “when [they] grew strong,” as a Piel causative, “when he made firm, fixed fast” (cf. NIV “fixed securely”; NLT “established”). But the following verse (“should not pass over”) implies the meaning “grew strong” here.

[8:29]  ²⁵ tn Heb “his mouth.”

[8:30]  ²⁶ tn The verb form is a preterite with vav consecutive, although it has not been apocopated. It provides the concluding statement for the temporal clauses as well as the parallel to v. 27.

[8:30]  ²⁷ tn Critical to the interpretation of this line is the meaning of אָמוֹן (’amon). Several suggestions have been made: “master craftsman” (cf. ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV), “nursing child” (cf. NCV), “foster father.” R. B. Y. Scott chooses “faithful” – a binding or living link (“Wisdom in Creation: The ‘Amon of Proverbs 8:30,” VT 10 [1960]: 213-23). The image of a child is consistent with the previous figure of being “given birth to” (vv. 24, 25). However, “craftsman” has the most support (LXX, Vulgate, Syriac, Tg. Prov 8:30, Song 7:1; Jer 52:15; also P. W. Skehan, “Structures in Poems on Wisdom: Proverbs 8 and Sirach 24,” CBQ 41 [1979]: 365-79).

[8:30]  ²⁸ tn The word is a plural of intensification for “delight”; it describes wisdom as the object of delight. The LXX has the suffix; the Hebrew does not.

[8:31]  ²⁹ tn The two words are synonymous in general and so could be taken to express a superlative idea – the “whole world” (cf. NIV, NCV). But תֵּבֵל (tevel) also means the inhabited world, and so the construct may be interpreted as a partitive genitive.

[8:31]  ³⁰ tn Heb “and my delights” [were] with/in.”

[8:31]  ³¹ tn Heb “the sons of man.”

[8:32]  ³² tn Heb “sons.”

[8:33]  ³³ tn Heb “discipline.”

[8:33]  ³⁴ tn The construction uses two imperatives joined with the vav (ו); this is a volitive sequence in which result or consequence is being expressed.

[8:34]  ³⁵ tn Heb “the man.”

[8:34]  ³⁶ tn The form לִשְׁקֹד (lishqod) is the infinitive construct serving epexegetically in the sentence. It explains how the person will listen to wisdom.

[8:34]  ³⁷ tn Heb “keeping” or “guarding.”

[8:34]  ³⁸ tn Heb “at the posts of my doors” (so KJV, ASV).

[8:35]  ³⁹ tc The Kethib reads plurals: “those who find me are finders of life”; this is reflected in the LXX and Syriac. But the Qere is singular: “whoever finds me finds life.” The Qere is generally favored as the original reading in such cases as these.

[8:35]  ⁴⁰ tn The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive carries the same nuance as the perfect tense that came before it, setting out the timeless principle.

[8:36]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “the one sinning [against] me.” The verb חָטָא (khata’, “to sin”) forms a contrast with “find” in the previous verse, and so has its basic meaning of “failing to find, miss.” So it is talking about the one who misses wisdom, as opposed to the one who finds it.

[8:36]  ⁴² tn The Qal active participle functions verbally here. The word stresses both social and physical harm and violence.

[8:36]  ⁴³ tn Heb “his soul.”

[8:36]  ⁴⁴ tn The basic idea of the verb שָׂנֵא (sane’, “to hate”) is that of rejection. Its antonym is also used in the line, “love,” which has the idea of choosing. So not choosing (i.e., hating) wisdom amounts to choosing (i.e., loving) death.

[32:17]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “Lord Yahweh.” For an explanation of the rendering here see the study note on 1:6.

[32:17]  ⁴⁶ tn This is an attempt to render the Hebrew particle normally translated “behold.” See the translator’s note on 1:6 for the usage of this particle.

[32:17]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “by your great power and your outstretched arm.” See 21:5; 27:5 and the marginal note on 27:5 for this idiom.

[1:10]  ⁴⁸ sn You founded the earth…your years will never run out. In its original setting Ps 102:25-27 refers to the work of God in creation, but here in Hebrews 1:10-12 the writer employs it in reference to Christ, the Lord, making a strong argument for the essential deity of the Son.

[1:12]  ⁴⁹ tc The words “like a garment” (ὡς ἱμάτιον, Jw" Jimation) are found in excellent and early mss (Ì⁴⁶ א A B D* 1739) though absent in a majority of witnesses (D¹ Ψ 0243 0278 33 1881 Ï lat sy bo). Although it is possible that longer reading was produced by overzealous scribes who wanted to underscore the frailty of creation, it is much more likely that the shorter reading was produced by scribes who wanted to conform the wording to that of Ps 102:26 (101:27 LXX), which here lacks the second “like a garment.” Both external and internal considerations decidedly favor the longer reading, and point to the author of Hebrews as the one underscoring the difference between the Son and creation.

[1:12]  ⁵⁰ sn A quotation from Ps 102:25-27.