Genesis 1-11, Part 3: Genesis 1a

Sunday, 15 June 2008

Step 1: Read the Text

As we begin this study, it would be good if you took a segment of time to sit down and read Genesis 1:1-2:3. My recommendation is that you do it more than once if you have time. The first time just read it through, paying attention to the “feel” of the text. What stands out to you? What are the obvious themes that the text seems to be hitting upon? Then read it again. Allow yourself to be open to noticing elements that you didn’t notice the first time. You might be surprised that something jumps out at you that you’ve never noticed. Great and compelling literature of all ages contains tension. Does this passage contain tensions? Or, perhaps more accurately, ask yourself where are the tensions in this text? Lastly, read the passage in different translation and see if anything changes or becomes clearer to you.

Oh yeah…one further recommendation. If it isn’t too weird for you, you should read the text aloud, at least once or listen to it from a recording. Even though you may be using a translation, it is important to remember that in the ancient world the literacy rate was probably no more than 10% …the hearing of the scriptures was a very literal reality for most people and that has implications. Even for those ancients who could read, there is evidence that they most likely read out-loud even when they were alone. Our culture is vastly different when it comes to texts. Unless we’re in a class or some group and forced to read out-loud, we typically read silently. You can hear the text in English here , and if you want just for kicks, in Hebrew here (these audio files do not have Genesis 2:1-3).

So…moving on…you did it, right? You actually read the text on your own? Yes? Okay…now we can continue.

My Translation
As we begin I’m going to do my own rough translation of the text from the Hebrew and attempt to explain why I’ve made those choices afterwards. When I say “my own translation,” what I mean is that I’m going to do my own translation heavily relying upon the expertise of others. Hebrew is notorious for the variety of translations which can be made (another good reason to learn Hebrew), and this by no means the only or best form--to be honest I've worked it and reworked it, and I'm still not happy with it. English just doesn't quite capture it in any mode. For this reason I ultimately chose to make my translation is a paraphrase of sorts, where I'm trying to capture my feel for text. I really feel that this was a liturgical text of sorts, as can be witnessed by the consistant phrases and pacing. To capture this I have right justified and centered certain of the "refrains" and "choruses". In my mind the refrains (right justified) are responses, and the choruses (centered) are corporate statements summarizing a segment of the liturgy. I know this runs the risk of being overly suggestive to the reader of something that isn't clearly marked in the Hebrew text, but we're so accustomed to reading this passage that we often just miss the repetitions and I didn't want that to happen. This layout, I feel, allows you to see some of the flow of the text, how the it builds and where the emphasis lies (you may need to print it out to see it). If you want a more literal translation, you can see a fairly good,but old, close-to-literal translation of this passage here .

I have also removed verse references in order to keep them from getting in the way of the flow. (You've already read it on your own, right? So you know where things are...)

Genesis 1:1-2:3

At the top when Elohim created the Skies and the Land,
     the Land was unordered and barren,
        Darkness was upon the face of the deep abyss,
          The breath-wind of Elohim fluttered like a mother eagle on the face of the waters.

And Elohim said: “Light, be” and Light was.

Elohim saw the Light, that it was good.

Elohim divided the Light and the Darkness.
Elohim called to the light, “Day!”
and to the darkness he called, “Night!”

And there was evening
and there was morning,
day one.

Elohim said “Let there be a Vaulted Dome in the middle of the Waters,
     and let it separate between Waters and Waters.
Elohim made the Vaulted Dome,
     and He divided the Waters under the Vaulted Dome
         from the Waters above the Vaulted Dome.

And it was so.

Elohim called to the Vaulted Dome: “Skies!”

And there was evening,
and their was morning,
second day.

And Elohim said “Let the Waters from under the Skies gather
to one place and let dry-land be seen.”

And it was so.

And He called to the dry-land: “Land!”
And to the gathering of the Waters He called: “Seas!”

And Elohim saw that it was good.

Elohim said: “The Land will be green with green grass,
        Plants seeding seed,
              Fruit trees making fruit,
                 according to its kind, whatever seed was in it.

And it was so.

The Land brought out the green grass,
     plants seeding seed,
           according to their kind,
                and trees making fruit matching whatever seed was in it,
                      according to their kind.

And Elohim saw that it was good.

And there was evening,
And there was morning,
third day.

Elohim said “Let there be Lights in the Vaulted Dome of the Skies,
to cause to divide between the Day and between the Night,
And they will be for signs, for seasons, for days, and for years.

And there were Lights in the Vaulted Dome of the Skies,
to be light upon the face of the Land.

And it was so.

Elohim made two of the large Lights,
    the Large Light to rule the Day
        and the Small Light to rule the Night
            and the stars.

And Elohim set them in the Vaulted Dome of the Skies
    to be light upon the Land,
        to rule in the Day and in the Night,
           to cause to divide between the Light and between the Darkness

And saw Elohim that it was good.

And there was evening
and there was morning
fourth day.

Elohim said, “Swarm the waters with Swarming Living Souls,
and Flyers flying on the Land,
on the face of the Vaulted Dome of the Skies.

And Elohim created the great Sea Monsters,
    all of the Living Souls,
        the Creeping and Crawling which swarm the Waters,
            and all the Flyers with wings
                according to their kind.

And Elohim saw that it was good.

And Elohim blessed them by saying,
“Bear fruit, become many, and fill the Waters in the Seas,
and the Flyers become many in the Land.”

And there was evening,
and there was morning,
fifth day.

Elohim said, “Land, bring out Living Souls,
according to their kind
Beasts and Creepers

and Animals of the Land
according to their kind.

And it was so.

And Elohim made the Animals of the Land
    according to their kind
        and the Beasts
            according to their kind
                all the Creeping of the Ground
                    according to their kind.

And Elohim saw that it was good.

Elohim said, “We will make Earthling in our image,
    in our likeness.
        And they will rule the Fish of the Sea,
            and the Flying of the Skies,
                and the Beasts
                    and all the Land,
                        and all the Creepers creeping upon the Land.

And Elohim created Earthling in His image,
in the image of Elohim He created him
male and female He created them

And Elohim blessed them
    and Elohim said to them,
        “Be fruitful, become many, and fill the Land,
            And subdue the Fish of the Sea,
                And the Flying of the Skies
                    and in all the Living Crawlers upon the Land.”

And Elohim said,

“Here, I have given to you every plant seeding seed

            that is on the face of all the Land,
                And every tree in it, fruit trees seeding seed,
                    to you it will be for food.

And to all the Living of the Earth
    to all the Flying of the Skies
        to every Creeping upon the Land which have in it a living soul
            I give every green plant for food.

And it was so.

And Elohim saw all that He made
and, look!
It was very good.

And there was evening
and there was morning
sixth day.

And they were finished

    the Skies
        the Land
            and all the army-like array.

And Elohim finished on the seventh day all His work which He had made
and He rested on the seventh day from all his work which He had made.

And Elohim blessed the Seventh Day
and set it apart
for in it He rested from all his work which Elohim created to do.

Next

In the next segment, Part 4, I will break down my translation choices for this passage, and I will also present some comparison texts from other ANE creation accounts. Then in Part Five I will introduce some ancient and modern midrash, or interpretations of the text, followed by my own.

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