Genesis 1:1 - 2:3
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An account of the creation of all things
- A summary of how the heavens and earth were created. (The focus is on what happened on earth; no details are given about the creation of the heavens, other than the fact that they were created.)
- This is the foundation for all the rest of Scripture.
- Most of the things in this account could not have been witnessed by humans. Until the later part of Day 6, the only eyewitness who could report what happened was God.
Details
Creation of form and boundaries
- Day 1 - Earth (and the heavens), light/darkness.
- Day 2 - Waters above the earth, water on the earth, sky.
- Day 3 - Dry land, plant life.
Inhabitants
- Day 4 - Sun, moon, stars, etc.
- Day 5 - Sea creatures, flying creatures.
- Day 6 - Land creatures, humans.
Completion
- Day 7 - Rest.
Scripture
Genesis 1:1 - 2:3 - An account of the creation of all things
- See also: Creation Account Differences (for comparison to the Chapter 2 account), The Concept of "Day", First World Ecosystem, and Taxonomy in the Bible.
- Throughout this account, God gives things names. These names explain (or define) the significance of what is being named. See: The Concept of "Name"
- God only has to tell us once that he created everything in 7 days. But for some additional references to this, see: Days of Creation.
| Scripture Passage | Comments and Links |
| Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. | DAY 1 - God existed prior to creation. (Contrast this to the false gods that humans invent!) |
| Gen 1:2 Now the earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep. God's Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters. | No boundaries to distinguish forms; no inhabitants |
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Gen 1:3 God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. Gen 1:4 God saw the light, and saw that it was good. God divided the light from the darkness. Gen 1:5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. There was evening and there was morning, one day. |
When God commands something to happen, it does. Note that light existed prior to the luminaries in the sky. |
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Gen 1:6 God said, "Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." Gen 1:7 God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. Gen 1:8 God called the expanse sky. There was evening and there was morning, a second day. |
DAY 2 - The waters are divided. There are now waters on the earth, as well as waters above the sky. Many believe that these "waters above the sky" are a reference to clouds.
Some have suggested that the "waters above the sky (expanse)" refers to a layer higher than the clouds, and that it plays an important role during the Global Flood that occurred during the days of Noah. There are some weaknesses to this view. |
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Gen 1:9 God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear;" and it was so. Gen 1:10 God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters he called Seas. God saw that it was good. |
DAY 3 (Part 1) - Two events occur on Day 3 (just as two events occur on Day 6). The fact that the water is located in "one" place may indicate that it had a much smaller size than do the oceans today. |
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Gen 1:11 God said, "Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with its seed in it, on the earth;" and it was so. Gen 1:12 The earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with its seed in it, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. Gen 1:13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day. |
DAY 3 (Part 2) - Basic categories of plant life. |
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Gen 1:14 God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of sky to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years; Gen 1:15 and let them be for lights in the expanse of sky to give light on the earth;" and it was so. Gen 1:16 God made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He also made the stars. Gen 1:17 God set them in the expanse of sky to give light to the earth, Gen 1:18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good. Gen 1:19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. |
DAY 4 - Luminaries in the sky - sun, moon, stars. The events on this day would also include the creation of any other objects in space, such as planets, meteors, etc. |
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Gen 1:20 God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of sky." Gen 1:21 God created the large sea creatures, and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind. God saw that it was good. Gen 1:22 God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." Gen 1:23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. |
DAY 5 - Sea creatures, air creatures. Note that the blessing was a command! (So are some of the other blessings in this passage.) Blessings are not merely the reception of things to enjoy, or a happy feeling. They may be obligations and responsibilities - things that are good for us, and which bless us as we do them! |
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Gen 1:24 God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind, livestock, creeping things, and animals of the earth after their kind;" and it was so. Gen 1:25 God made the animals of the earth after their kind, and the livestock after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind. God saw that it was good. |
DAY 6 (Part 1) - Land creatures. |
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Gen 1:26 God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." Gen 1:27 God created man in his own image. In God's image he created him; male and female he created them. Gen 1:28 God blessed them. God said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." |
DAY 6 (Part 2) - The creation of humans. This is just a summary of specific details. Other details are given in Genesis 2:4-25. This passage (and the Genesis 2 account) are foundational for the entire Bible's concept of what it means to be "human" (including both male and female). |
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Gen 1:29 God said, "Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree, which bears fruit yielding seed. It will be your food. Gen 1:30 To every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food;" and it was so. |
Food source prior to the global Flood. |
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Gen 1:31 God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day. Gen 2:1 The heavens and the earth were finished, and all their vast array. |
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Gen 2:2 On the seventh day God finished his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. Gen 2:3 God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work which he had created and made. |
DAY 7 - Because the work of creating is completed, this day is set apart as special. |
Scripture Passages
(Only books that have relevance to this study have active links. The others are in italics.)
Genesis • Exodus • Leviticus • Numbers • Deuteronomy • Joshua • Judges • Ruth • 1 Samuel • 2 Samuel • 1 Kings • 2 Kings • 1 Chronicles • 2 Chronicles • Ezra • Nehemiah • Esther • Job • Psalms • Proverbs • Ecclesiastes • Song of Solomon • Isaiah • Jeremiah • Lamentations • Ezekiel • Daniel • Hosea • Joel • Amos • Obadiah • Jonah • Micah • Nahum • Habakkuk • Zephaniah • Haggai • Zechariah • Malachi Matthew • Mark • Luke • John • Acts • Romans • 1 Corinthians • 2 Corinthians • Galatians • Ephesians • Philippians • Colossians • 1 Thessalonians • 2 Thessalonians • 1 Timothy • 2 Timothy • Titus • Philemon • Hebrews • James • 1 Peter • 2 Peter • 1 John • 2 John • 3 John • Jude • Revelation |
—— To avoid any copyright issues, all Scripture is either from a public domain translation (such as the World English Bible), my own translation, or a combination of these. ——
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The name "Yahweh," when present in an Old Testament passage, represents the Hebrew name for the God of the Bible.
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Unless otherwise noted, all notes and comments are © by Dennis Hinks.
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