Gen 1:1
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (KJV)
[FONT="]בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ[/FONT] (Hebrew in Hebrew text)
[FONT="]Bereshith bara Elohim eth hashshamayim veeth haarets [/FONT](Hebrew in English text)
Author’s Note:
First, let me emphatically state that this paper is just a short opinionated commentary, not an exhaustive study of Genesis 1:1 (though it did take longer than I first anticipated). I have consciously made an effort to use phrases like “I think” or “I believe” in areas where I have made a personal statement of belief and/or opinion. Also, I tagged all outside sources credited in constructing the “facts” of this essay. Please read this as simply a good starting point to pursue your own Biblical study whether it is in agreement with what I have written or not. – JPC
Introduction:
This statement is clear, direct, and stated very “matter-of-factly”. I do not want to take away in any fashion this “first glance” approach to Genesis 1:1. Who? God. Did what? created the heaven and the earth. When? in the beginning. This verse does not try to prove God exists in any way; it demands that the reader already believes this to be fact. God is real and He created all that we see and all the we do not see. This simple, yet profound, statement MUST be believed on an intimate level in order for the rest of the Bible to have any personal meaning. All Biblical truth is built on Genesis 1:1. Dr. Vernon McGee states it this way:
[FONT="][/FONT] Thru the Bible Commentary By J. Vernon McGee
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (KJV)
[FONT="]בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ[/FONT] (Hebrew in Hebrew text)
[FONT="]Bereshith bara Elohim eth hashshamayim veeth haarets [/FONT](Hebrew in English text)
Author’s Note:
First, let me emphatically state that this paper is just a short opinionated commentary, not an exhaustive study of Genesis 1:1 (though it did take longer than I first anticipated). I have consciously made an effort to use phrases like “I think” or “I believe” in areas where I have made a personal statement of belief and/or opinion. Also, I tagged all outside sources credited in constructing the “facts” of this essay. Please read this as simply a good starting point to pursue your own Biblical study whether it is in agreement with what I have written or not. – JPC
Introduction:
This statement is clear, direct, and stated very “matter-of-factly”. I do not want to take away in any fashion this “first glance” approach to Genesis 1:1. Who? God. Did what? created the heaven and the earth. When? in the beginning. This verse does not try to prove God exists in any way; it demands that the reader already believes this to be fact. God is real and He created all that we see and all the we do not see. This simple, yet profound, statement MUST be believed on an intimate level in order for the rest of the Bible to have any personal meaning. All Biblical truth is built on Genesis 1:1. Dr. Vernon McGee states it this way:
This is a majestic verse. It is a tremendous verse. I am of the opinion that it is the doorway through which you will have to walk into the Bible. You have to believe that God is the Creator, for he that cometh to God must believe that He is.http://www.christianforums.com/#_edn1
The follow essay is an attempt (1) to give the Biblical background of this verse, (2) to break down each phrase into a Hebrew word study, and (3) to explore other verses in the Bible that relate to Genesis 1:1.
[FONT="][/FONT] Thru the Bible Commentary By J. Vernon McGee
