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 1:17

1:17 God placed the lights ⁵  in the expanse of the sky to shine on the earth,

Genesis 2:12

2:12 (The gold of that land is pure; ⁶  pearls ⁷  and lapis lazuli ⁸  are also there).

Genesis 7:10

7:10 And after seven days the floodwaters engulfed the earth. ⁹ 

Genesis 7:12

7:12 And the rain fell ¹⁰  on the earth forty days and forty nights.

Genesis 7:24

7:24 The waters prevailed over ¹¹  the earth for 150 days.

Genesis 8:14

8:14 And by the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth ¹²  was dry.

Genesis 9:14

9:14 Whenever ¹³  I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds,

Genesis 9:19

9:19 These were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated. ¹⁴ 

Genesis 11:1

The Dispersion of the Nations at Babel

11:1 The whole earth ¹⁵  had a common language and a common vocabulary. ¹⁶ 

Genesis 19:23

19:23 The sun had just risen ¹⁷  over the land as Lot reached Zoar. ¹⁸ 

Genesis 23:7

23:7 Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people, ¹⁹  the sons of Heth.

Genesis 42:12

42:12 “No,” he insisted, “but you have come to see if our land is vulnerable.” ²⁰ 

[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).

[1:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “them”; the referent (the lights mentioned in the preceding verses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:12]  ⁹ tn Heb “good.”

[2:12]  ¹⁰ tn The Hebrew term translated “pearls” may be a reference to resin (cf. NIV “aromatic resin”) or another precious stone (cf. NEB, NASB, NRSV “bdellium”).

[2:12]  ¹¹ tn Or “onyx.”

[7:10]  ¹³ tn Heb “came upon.”

[7:12]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “was.”

[7:24]  ²¹ sn The Hebrew verb translated “prevailed over” suggests that the waters were stronger than the earth. The earth and everything in it were no match for the return of the chaotic deep.

[8:14]  ²⁵ tn In v. 13 the ground (הָאֲדָמָה, ha’adamah) is dry; now the earth (הָאָרֶץ, ha’arets) is dry.

[9:14]  ²⁹ tn The temporal indicator (וְהָיָה, vÿhayah, conjunction + the perfect verb form), often translated “it will be,” anticipates a future development.

[9:19]  ³³ tn Heb “was scattered.” The verb פָּצָה (patsah, “to scatter” [Niphal, “to be scattered”]) figures prominently in story of the dispersion of humankind in chap. 11.

[11:1]  ³⁷ sn The whole earth. Here “earth” is a metonymy of subject, referring to the people who lived in the earth. Genesis 11 begins with everyone speaking a common language, but chap. 10 has the nations arranged by languages. It is part of the narrative art of Genesis to give the explanation of the event after the narration of the event. On this passage see A. P. Ross, “The Dispersion of the Nations in Genesis 11:1-9,” BSac 138 (1981): 119-38.

[11:1]  ³⁸ tn Heb “one lip and one [set of] words.” The term “lip” is a metonymy of cause, putting the instrument for the intended effect. They had one language. The term “words” refers to the content of their speech. They had the same vocabulary.

[19:23]  ⁴¹ sn The sun had just risen. There was very little time for Lot to escape between dawn (v. 15) and sunrise (here).

[19:23]  ⁴² tn The juxtaposition of the two disjunctive clauses indicates synchronic action. The first action (the sun’s rising) occurred as the second (Lot’s entering Zoar) took place. The disjunctive clauses also signal closure for the preceding scene.

[23:7]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “to the people of the land” (also in v. 12).

[42:12]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “and he said, ‘No, for the nakedness of the land you have come to see.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for clarity.