Psalms 115:15

115:15 May you be blessed by the Lord,

the creator ¹  of heaven and earth!

Psalms 121:2

121:2 My help comes from the Lord, ² 

the Creator ³  of heaven and earth!

Psalms 134:3

134:3 May the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth,

bless you ⁴  from Zion! ⁵ 

Psalms 146:5-6

146:5 How blessed is the one whose helper is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the Lord his God,

146:6 the one who made heaven and earth,

the sea, and all that is in them,

who remains forever faithful, ⁶ 

Genesis 1:1

The Creation of the World

1:1 In the beginning ⁷  God ⁸  created ⁹  the heavens and the earth. ¹⁰ 

Isaiah 37:16-20

37:16 “O Lord who commands armies, O God of Israel, who is enthroned on the cherubim! ¹¹  You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the sky ¹²  and the earth. 37:17 Pay attention, Lord, and hear! Open your eyes, Lord, and observe! Listen to this entire message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the living God! ¹³  37:18 It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the nations ¹⁴  and their lands. 37:19 They have burned the gods of the nations, ¹⁵  for they are not really gods, but only the product of human hands manufactured from wood and stone. That is why the Assyrians could destroy them. ¹⁶  37:20 Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power, so all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.” ¹⁷ 

Jeremiah 32:17

32:17 ‘Oh, Lord God, ¹⁸  you did indeed ¹⁹  make heaven and earth by your mighty power and great strength. ²⁰  Nothing is too hard for you!

Acts 4:24

4:24 When they heard this, they raised their voices to God with one mind ²¹  and said, “Master of all, ²²  you who made the heaven, the earth, ²³  the sea, and everything that is in them,

[115:15]  ¹ tn Or “maker.”

[121:2]  ² tn Heb “my help [is] from with the Lord.”

[121:2]  ³ tn Or “Maker.”

[134:3]  ⁴ tn The pronominal suffix is second masculine singular, suggesting that the servants addressed in vv. 1-2 are responding to the psalmist.

[134:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “may the Lord bless you from Zion, the maker of heaven and earth.”

[146:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “the one who guards faithfulness forever.”

[1:1]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ 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).

[37:16]  ¹¹ sn Cherubim (singular “cherub”) refers to the images of winged angelic creatures that were above the ark of the covenant.

[37:16]  ¹² tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[37:17]  ¹³ tn Heb “Hear all the words of Sennacherib which he sent to taunt the living God.”

[37:18]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew text here has “all the lands,” but the parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:17 has “the nations.”

[37:19]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and they put their gods in the fire.”

[37:19]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “so they destroyed them” (NASB similar).

[37:20]  ¹⁷ tn The parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:19 reads, “that you, Lord, are the only God.”

[32:17]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “Lord Yahweh.” For an explanation of the rendering here see the study note on 1:6.

[32:17]  ¹⁹ 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]  ²⁰ 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.

[4:24]  ²¹ sn With one mind. Compare Acts 1:14.

[4:24]  ²² tn Or “Lord of all.”

[4:24]  ²³ tn Grk “and the earth, and the sea,” but καί (kai) has not been translated before “the earth” and “the sea” since contemporary English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.