Genesis

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 1:7a):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏וַיַּעַשׂ אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָרָקִיעַ

Transliteration:

wayya‘as ’ᵉlōhīm ’et-hārāqīa‘

Translation (JPS Torah):

God made the expanse

Comment:

God made. This verb verb ‏עשׂה, used again in verse 16 and 25, simply means that the divine intention became a reality. It does not represent a tradition of creation by deed as opposed to word. This is clear from a passage like Psalms 33:6, which features God's creative word and deed with no perceptible difference between them: "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made (Hebrew ‏נַעֲשׂוּ) / by the breath of his mouth, all their host." In the same way, several texts indiscriminately interchange "create" (‏ברא) and "make" (‏עשׂה), with God as the actor. — Nahum M. Sarna, The JPS Torah Commentary.

Glossary (meanings in this contest):

‏wayya‘as/וַיַּעַשׂ : consecutive ‏wᵉ/‏וְ + short imperfect of ‏‘āsāh/‏עָשָׂה : he [God] made
‏’ᵉlōhīm/‏אֱלֹהִים : God.
‏’et/‏אֶת : mark of the accusative; indicates direct object.
‏hārāqīa‘/‏הָרָקִיעַ : definite article + ‏rāqīa‘/‏‏רָקִיעַ : the firmament/vault/expanse.

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 1:7b):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏וַיַּבְדֵּל בֵּין הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר מִתַּחַת לָרָקִיעַ וּבֵין הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר מֵעַל לָרָקִיעַ

Transliteration:

wayyabdēl bēn hammayim ’ᵃsher mittakhat lārāqīa‘ ūbēn hammayim ’ᵃsher mē‘al lārāqīa‘

Translations:

JPS Torah: and it separated the water which was below the expanse from the water which was above the expanse.
Hamilton: and he separated between the waters beneath the vault and the waters above the vault.

Comment:

Syntactically the subject of separated could be either God (he separated) or the vault (it separated). Without being dogmatic, we prefer the former on the basis of the parallel in verse 4, where God is clearly the subject of the same verb. Also, the expressed subject of the verb in the first clause functions as the subject of the verb in the next principle clause unless there is an obvious indication of a subject change, either through a new subject or through a change in the second verbal form, or both. In favor of attaching the verb with vault as subject is the fact that later in the narrative the work of separation is assigned to the created items themselves, and not to the creator. — Victor P. Hamilton, Genesis 1-17 (NICOT).

Glossary (meanings in this contest):

‏wayyabdēl/וַיַּבְדֵּל : consecutive ‏wᵉ/‏וְ + Hiphil imperfect 2 m.s. of ‏bādal/‏‏‏בָּדַל : and he/it separated.
bēn/‏‏בֵּין : construct of preposition bayin/‏‏‏בַּיִן : between.
hammayim/‏‏הַמַּיִם : definite article + mayim/‏‏מַיִם : the water(s).
’ᵃsher/‏‏אֲשֶׁר : relative : which.
mittakhat/‏‏מִתַּחַת : prep. min/‏‏‏מִן (from) + takhat/‏‏‏תַּחַת (below) : beneath.
lārāqīa‘/‏‏‏לָרָקִיעַ : prep. lᵉ/‏‏‏‏לְ + definite article + rāqīa‘/‏‏‏רָקִיעַ : the firmament/vault/expanse.
ūbēn/‏‏‏וּבֵין : conj. ‏wᵉ/‏וְ + construct of preposition bayin/‏‏‏בַּיִן : and between.
mē‘al/‏‏מֵעַל : prep. min/‏‏‏מִן (from) + prep. ‘al/‏‏‏עַל (over) : above.

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 1:7c):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏וַיְהִי־כֵן

Transliteration:

wayᵉhī-kēn

Translation (JPS Torah):

And it was so.

Comment:

Henceforth this is the standard formula for expressing the execution of the divine command. It was only the brevity of God's initial utterance in verse 3 that permitted repetition of its content without stylistic clumsiness. Ibn janikh observed that the formula should follow verse 6 by analogy with verses 24-25. In fact, each occurrence immediately follows the divine speech, which is how it appears in the Septuagint version of the text. The formula ki tov, "that it was good" is omitted because rain has no value unless there is dry land to be fructified, and the creative acts relating to water are not completed until the end of the third day, the account of which appropriately records the formula twice. — Nahum M. Sarna, Genesis (JPS Torah Commentary).

Glossary (meanings in this contest):

‏wayᵉhī/וַיְהִי : consecutive ‏wᵉ/‏וְ + Qal imperfect 3 m.s. of ‏hāyāh/‏הָיָה : and it was.
‏kēn/כֵן : thus.

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 1:8):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לָרָקִיעַ שָׁמָיִם

Transliteration:

wayyiqrā’ ’ᵉlōhīm lārāqīa‘ shāmāyim

Translation (Hamilton):

God called the vault "sky."

Comment:

Only in connection with this second day is the phrase "and God saw how beautiful it was" absent from the MT. LXX has the phrase, probably artificially and for the sake of consistency. It is unlikely that LXX represents an earliest form of the Hebrew text. The omission of the phrase in verse 8 may indicate that the author viewed the creation of the vault as only a preliminary stage in the emergence of the dry land in verse 10, and thus he reserved the phrase until its most appropriate time. The "waters above" are now edged out of the Creation story and dropped from further concern by the author. — Victor P. Hamilton, Genesis 1-17 (NICOT).

Glossary (meanings in this contest):

‏wayyiqrā’/וַיִּקְרָא : consecutive ‏wᵉ/‏וְ + Qal imperfect 3 m.s. of ‏qārā’/‏קָרָא : and he [God] called.
‏’ᵉlōhīm/‏אֱלֹהִים : God.
‏lārāqīa‘/‏לָרָקִיעַ : preposition ‏lᵉ/‏‏לְ + definite article + ‏rāqīa‘/‏רָקִיעַ : the vault.
‏shāmāyim/‏שָׁמָיִם : sky.

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 1:8b):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏וַיְהִי־עֶרֶב וַיְהִי־בֹקֶר יוֹם שֵׁנִי

Transliteration:

wayᵉhī-‘ereb wayᵉhī-bōqer yōm shēnī

Translation (Hamilton):

And there was evening and morning — a second day.

Comment:

evening ... morning. Hebrew ‘erev and boqer mean, strictly speaking, the "sunset" and the "break of dawn," terms inappropriate before the creation of the sun on the fourth day. Here the two words, respectively, signify the end of the period of light, when divine creativity was suspended, and the renewal of light, when the creative process was resumed.

As Rashbam noted, the day is here seen to begin with the dawn. The same idea dictates the order of words in the oft used phrase "day and night," and it underlies the regulations of Leviticus 7:15 and 22:30, which mark off the morning following the bringing of certain sacrifices as the time limit by which they are to be eaten. — Nahum M. Sarna, Genesis (JPS Torah Commentary).

Glossary (meanings in this contest):

‏wayᵉhī/וַיְהִי : consecutive ‏wᵉ/‏וְ + Qal imperfect 3 m.s of ‏hāyāh/‏הָיָה : and there was.
‏‘ereb/‏עֶרֶב : evening.
‏bōqer/‏בֹקֶר : morning.
‏yōm/‏יוֹם : day.
‏shēnī/‏שֵׁנִי : second.

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 1:9a):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יִקָּווּ הַמַּיִם מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמַיִם אֶל־מָקוֹם אֶחָד

Transliteration:

wayyō’mer ’ᵉlōhīm yiqqāwū hammayim mittakhat hashshāmayim ’el-māqōm ’ekhād

Translation (NET):

God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place”

Glossary (meanings in this contest):

‏wayyō’mer/וַיֹּאמֶר : consecutive ‏wᵉ/‏וְ + Qal imperfect 3 m.s. of ‏’āmar/‏אָמַר : he [God] said.
‏’ᵉlōhīm/אֱלֹהִים : God.
‏yiqqāwū/יִקָּווּ : Niphal imperfect/jussive 3 m.p. of ‏qāwāh/‏קָוָה : let them be gathered.
‏hammayim/‏הַמַּיִם : definite article + ‏mayim/‏‏‏‏מַיִם : the water.
‏mittakhat/‏מִתַּחַת : preposition ‏min/‏‏מִן + prepostion ‏takhat/‏‏תַּחַת : under.
‏hashshāmayim/‏‏הַשָּׁמַיִם : definite article + ‏shāmayim/‏‏‏שָׁמַיִם : the sky.
‏ ’el/‏‏‏אֶל : of motion to or unto a person or place : to.
‏māqōm/‏‏‏מָקוֹם : place/site
‏’ekhād/‏‏‏אֶחָד : numeral one.

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 1:9b):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏וְתֵרָאֶה הַיַּבָּשָׁה וַיְהִי־כֵן

Transliteration:

wᵉtērā’eh hayyabbāshāh wayᵉhı̂-kēn

Translation (Hamilton):

"and let dry land appear.” And it was so.

Comment:

Perhaps the use of the two jussives in verse 9 suggest that the two developments (the concentration of the subcelestial waters and the emergence of dry land) be understood as concomitant events. If the author had intended the relationship between the two events to be simultaneous, sequential, or cause and effect, one would expect a different construction of the phrase and let the dry land appear. Thus it seem best to read the waw on this second jussive simply as and instead of supplying something like "and [at the same time] ..." or "and [subsequently] ..." or "so that ..." — Victor P. Hamilton, Genesis 1-17 (NICOT).

Glossary (meanings in this contest):

‏wᵉtērā’eh/וְתֵרָאֶה : conjunction ‏wᵉ/וְ + Niphal imperfect/jussive of ‏rā’āh/‏רָאָה : and let appear.
‏hayyabbāshāh/‏הַיַּבָּשָׁה : definite article + ‏yabbāshāh/‏‏יַבָּשָׁה : the dry land.
‏wayᵉhī/וַיְהִי : consecutive ‏wᵉ/‏וְ + Qal imperfect 3 m.s. of ‏hāyāh/‏הָיָה : and it was.
‏kēn/כֵן : thus.

From The JPS Torah Commentary, by Nahum M. Sarna:

9. The two sets of this day are interconnected, the first being the prerequisite of the second.

• below the sky. That is, the terrestrial waters.

• the dry land. The terrain now visible to man.

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 1:10):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לַיַּבָּשָׁה אֶרֶץ

Transliteration:

wayyiqrā’ ’ᵉlōhīm layyabbāshāh ’erets

Translation (Hamilton):

God named the dry land "earth";

Comment:

Just as there is a shift in emphasis from 1:1 from "heavens and earth" to simply "earth" in verse 2, so on this third day of creation there is a shift away from waters/seas and dry land/earth (verses 9-10) to dry land/earth alone in verses 11-12. Also, although the waters are mentioned before the dry land in verse 9, the dry land is named first in verse 10. The geocentric emphasis of the Creation story thus begins to emerge. The OT has at least three poetic allusions to God's creation of the earth that involve a separation from water: Job 38:4-11; Psalm 104:5-9; Proverbs 8:27-29. As one might expect, a bit of poetic license is used in these three verses that is not found in the more prosaic account of Genesis. — Victor P. Hamilton, Genesis 1-17 (NICOT).

Glossary (meanings in this contest):

‏’ᵉlōhīm/אֱלֹהִים : God.
‏wayyiqrā’/וַיִּקְרָא : consec. ‏wᵉ’/‏וְ + Qal impf. 3 m.s. of ‏qārā’/‏קָרָא with ‏lᵉ/‏‏לְ (see below) named.
‏layyabbāshāh/‏לַיַּבָּשָׁה : preposition ‏lᵉ/‏‏לְ + definite article + ‏yabbāshāh/‏יַּבָּשָׁה : the dry land.
‏’erets/‏אֶרֶץ : earth.

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 1:10b):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏וּלְמִקְוֵה הַמַּיִם קָרָא יַמִּים

Transliteration:

ūlᵉmiqwēh hammayim qārā’ yammīm

Translation (Hamilton):

the collection of waters he named "seas."

Comment:

Verse 10 is structured exactly like verse 5. They both share the verbal pattern wayyiqrā’ ... qārā’, and the chiastic structure abc::bac (verb, indirect object, object::indirect object, verb, object).

The narration of the Creation story now advances from the category of time to that of space. This is the last time, in the creation context, that God will name anything. He continues to create, but he ceases to name. That responsibility will be delegated to man, once he arrives on the scene [...]. — Victor P. Hamilton, Genesis 1-17 (NICOT).

Glossary (meanings in this contest):

‏ūlᵉmiqwēh/וּלְמִקְוֵה : conj. ‏wᵉ/‏וְ + prep. ‏lᵉ/לְ + construct of ‏miqweh/‏מִקְוֶה : and the collection of
‏hammayim/הַמַּיִם : definite article + ‏mayim/‏מַיִם : the waters.
‏qārā’/קָרָא : Qal perfect 3 m.s. (with ‏lᵉ/לְ [see above]) : he named.
‏yammīm/יַמִּים : plural of ‏yām/‏יָם : seas.

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 1:10c):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים כִּי־טוֹב

Transliteration:

wayyar’ ’ᵉlōhīm kī-tōb

Translation (Wenham):

And God saw that it was good.

Comment:

The "one place" is in contrast to an implied "every place" when the waters covered the whole earth. It is not that the OT envisages all the water being gathered into a single ocean, as the mention of "seas" in verse 10 makes clear. Whereas we view the continents as islands surrounded by oceans, the phraseology here suggests they saw the world as dry land with seas in it [...]. It was God's power that had limited the waters to certain areas (cf. Jeremiah 5:22). When these great acts of separation were finished, God's glory was again apparent: "It was good." — Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 1-15 (WBC).

Glossary (meanings in this contest):

‏wayyar’/וַיַּרְא : consecutive ‏wᵉ/‏וְ + Qal imperfect 3 m.s. of ‏rā’āh/‏רָאָה : and he [God] saw.
‏’ᵉlōhīm/אֱלֹהִים : God.
‏kī/כִּי : conjunction that.
‏tōb/טוֹב : (it was) good.

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 1:11a):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים תַּדְשֵׁא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא

Transliteration:

wayyō’mer ’ᵉlōhīm tadshē’ hā’ārets deshe’

Translation (JPS Torah):

And God said, "let the earth sprout vegetation:

Comment:

11-13. These verses move from the creation of the bare earth to the ornamentation of the earth. Unlike the first and second days, which feature one act of creation, this day has two acts of creation: earth and vegetation. For this reason creations involving divine separation are now augmented by a creation involving divine covering. He who will later cover Adam and Eve in the garden with garments of skin first covers the earth with lush vegetation. Shortly he will dot his sky with luminaries. — Victor P. Hamilton, Genesis 1-17 (NICOT).

Glossary (meanings in this contest):

wayyō’mer/‏וַיֹּאמֶר : consecutive wᵉ/‏‏וְ + Qal imperfect of ’āmar/‏‏אָמַר : and he [God] said.
’ᵉlōhīm/‏‏אֱלֹהִים : God.
tadshē’/‏‏תַּדְשֵׁא : Hiphil imperfect/jussive 3 f.s. of dāshā’/‏‏‏דָּשָׁא : let it [the earth] sprout.
hā’ārets/‏‏‏הָאָרֶץ : definite article + ’erets/‏‏‏‏אֶרֶץ : the earth.
deshe’/‏‏‏דֶּשֶׁא : vegetation.

From The JPS Torah Commentary, by Nahum M. Sarna:

• Let the earth sprout. The creative act constitutes an exception to the norm that God's word directly effectuates the desired product. Here the earth is depicted as the mediating element, implying that God endows it with generative powers that He now activates by His utterance. The significance of this singularity is that the sources of power in what we call nature, which were personified and deified in the ancient world, are now emptied of sanctity. The productive forces of nature exist only by the will of one sovereign Creator and are not independent spiritual entities. There is no room in such a concept for the fertility cults that were features of ancient Near Eastern religions.

• vegetation. Hebrew deshe’ is the generic term, which is subdivided into plants and fruit trees. A similar botanical classification is found in Leviticus 27:30. The function of these productions is revealed in Genesis 1:29-30.

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 1:11b):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏עֵשֶׂב מַזְרִיעַ זֶרַע עֵץ פְּרִי עֹשֶׂה פְּרִי לְמִינוֹ אֲשֶׁר זַרְעוֹ־בוֹ עַל־הָאָרֶץ

Transliteration:

‘ēseb mazrīa‘ zera‘ ‘ēts pᵉrī ‘ōseh pᵉrī lᵉmīnō ’ᵃsher zar‘ō-bō ‘al-hā’ārets

Translation (JPS Torah):

seed-bearing plants, fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.

Comment:

God's creative design is that both the plant and the trees will reproduce themselves by bearing seed "each according to its kind" (AV, RSV). Here the concept of both the supernatural and the natural have their place. What exists exists because of the creative word of God. This spoken word is the ultimate background to all terrestrial phenomena. Yet this same word grants the means of self-perpetuation to various species and orders of creation. Here then is both point and process, with neither eclipsing the other. — Victor P. Hamilton, Genesis 1-17 (NICOT).

Glossary (meanings in this contest):

‘ēseb/‏עֵשֶׂב : plants.
mazrīa‘/‏מַזְרִיעַ : Hiphil participle of zāra‘/‏‏זָרַע : seed-bearing.
zera‘/‏זֶרַע : seed.
‘ēts/‏עֵץ : collective trees.
‘ōseh/‏עֹשֶׂה : Qal participle of ‘āśâ/‏‏עָשָׂה : bearing.
pᵉrī/‏פְּרִי : fruit.
lᵉmīnō/‏לְמִינוֹ : preposition lᵉ/‏לְ + mīn/‏‏מִין + pronominal suffix : each according to its kind.
’ᵃsher/‏‏אֲשֶׁר : relative in which.
zar‘ō/‏זַרְעוֹ : zera‘/‏זֶרַע + pronominal suffix : its seed.
bō/‏בוֹ : preposition bᵉ/‏‏בְּ + pronominal suffix : in it.
‘al/‏עַל : on.
hā’ārets/‏הָאָרֶץ : definite article + ’erets/‏‏אֶרֶץ : the earth.

From The JPS Torah Commentary, by Nahum M. Sarna:

• seed-bearing. That is, endowed with the capacity of self-replication.

• of every kind. That is, the various species that collectively make up the genus called deshe’. That this is the meaning of lᵉmīnō is clear from several texts [Note (page 353): So verses 21, 24; 6:20; Leviticus 11:14-16, 19, 22; Ezekiel 47:10. This latter passage is so explained in TJ Shek 6:2 (3a)].

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 1:11c):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏וַיְהִי־כֵן

Transliteration:

wayᵉhī-kēn

Translation (JPS Torah):

And it was so.

Comment:

Actually Gen. 1 describes eight creative acts by God over a six-day period. The Pattern into which these creative acts fall provides even further evidence of the author's intention to describe the creation schematically:

Day one: one work: light
Day two: one work: vault
Day three: two works: earth and vegetation (indicated by the double use of the evaluation, verses 10, 12)
Day four: one work: luminaries
Day five: one work: birds, fish
Day six: two works: land animals and man (indicated by the double use of the evaluation formula, verses 25, 31)

With the conclusion of the third day yet another color is added to God's cosmos. To the basic white and black of day and night has been added the blue of sky and sea. Now the canvas is adorned with green. The golden-yellow sun and the reddish human being will complete the rainbow of colors. — Victor P. Hamilton, Genesis 1-17 (NICOT).

Glossary (meanings in this contest):

‏wayᵉhī/וַיְהִי : consecutive ‏wᵉ/‏וְ + Qal imperfect 3 m.s. of ‏hāyāh/‏הָיָה : and it was.
‏kēn/כֵן : so.

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 1:12a):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏וַתּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא

Transliteration:

wattōtsē’ hā’ārets deshe’

Translation (JPS Torah):

The earth brought forth vegetation:

Comment:

See here, here, and here.

Glossary (meanings in this contest):

‏hā’ārets/הָאָרֶץ : definite article + ‏’erets/‏אֶרֶץ : the earth.
‏wattōtsē’/וַתּוֹצֵא : consecutive ‏‏wᵉ/‏וְ + Hiphil imperfect 3 f.s. of ‏yātsā’/‏יָצָא : produced.
‏deshe’/דֶּשֶׁא : vegetation.

[John Reece]

BHS Text (Genesis 1:12b):

‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏עֵשֶׂב מַזְרִיעַ זֶרַע לְמִינֵהוּ

Transliteration:

‘ēseb mazrīa‘ zéra‘ lᵉmīnēhū

Translation (JPS Torah):

seed-bearing plants of every kind

Comment:

See here, here, and here.

Glossary (meanings in this contest):

‏‘ēseb/עֵשֶׂב : herbage.
‏mazrīa‘/מַזְרִיעַ : Hiphil participle of ‏zāra‘/‏זָרַע : yielding.
‏zéra‘/זֶרַע : seed.
‏lᵉmīnēhū/לְמִינֵהוּ : preposition ‏lᵉ/לְ + noun ‏mīn/‏מִין + pronominal 3 m.s. suffix : according to its kind.