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Does the Bible really say that?

Creation - What does Genesis actually say?

There has been more arguments in modern history about creationism, than probably any other Christian topic. But I hardly see any side in the argument refer back to what the Bible says.

In this article I will look at what exactly Genesis says about creation.

In general terms, the first two chapters in Genesis is extremely rich in information, allegory and historical cultural references, but most people know it as far as the first and second grade story that they learned as children. For this article I will restrict myself only to the methods of God’s creation process.

For a more complete understanding of the creation myths, it is extremely important to realise that these stories did not appear in isolation, but are a product of the early Israelites’ interaction with the nations around them, and the creation stories that those neighbours told. Unfortunately space and time prevents me looking at those aspects as well.

Two creation stories

First off, there are two creation myths in the first two chapters of Genesis. Below I will first summarise what EXACTLY stands in the Bible, then point out some implications of that, especially where the popular narrative differs from what the Bible actually says.

6 Days of creation (Gen 1:1 to Gen 2:2)

This is the version where most of our general knowledge comes from. But it excludes mention of Adam, Eve, or the whole Eve-from-Adam’s-rib narrative.

This story is written in a very distinctive pattern - the six days, and then in each of those six days, there is an instruction, a response, and God’s reaction.

Shortly:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ....earth was formless and empty.... Spirit of God was hovering....

In this version of the story, it is notable that the Bible uses the word

@create⁠

in only three places: heaven and earth, the great sea-creature, and mankind. Even more interesting is that only in the first instance God sets out to create. On day 5, God said, “Let there be...” , and then creates the big sea monster. On day 6, God’s initial instruction regarding humanity, was to

@make⁠

, but then in the end God’s actions resulted in creating human kind.

On the third day of creation, we see a marked departure from the other six days of creation. On all of the other days, the response was either recorded in the passive form, or explicitly attributed to God. It seems to me that the passive voice is used where the process is less complex, and explicitly attributed to God when it is more complex, a multi-step process.

Day 1 - Let there be light .... and there was light Day 6 - Let the land

@produce⁠

.... God made the wild animals But on day 3 God’s instruction is “let the land produce vegetation...”, and the response is from the land itself. In the original Hebrew, there is a little more detail than what the New International Version here reflects. Included in the instruction is the phrase peri ets asah peri (fruit trees bearing fruit), but the earth’s response is ets asah peri (trees bearing fruit). Even here, God’s creation does not do exactly as God instructs it to do....

In general, note the diversity in the ways that God uses. In response to God’s “Let there be...”,

sometimes it just happens (light, parting of water and earth);

sometimes God made (the vault, great lights, land animals);

once the land produced (vegetation);

and finally, God created. Once with intent, twice without setting out to do so.

I think it is safe to say, God pulled out all the stops ...

The search for a helper for Adam (Gen 2:4 and following)

Verse 4: “This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.”

A completely different sequence of events is now recounted:

Verses 5-7: Streams watered the earth → God formed a man from dust → God gave the man the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Man was the first creation.

Verse 8,9: God planted a garden in the east → put the man in it → God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground → pleasing to the eye, good for food → in the middle, two special trees: the tree of life, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Verse 10: A river watering the garden flowed from Eden.

Verses 15-17 : Man in Eden to take care of it → free to eat from ANY tree in the garden

Including the tree of life!, but not from the tree of knowledge.

Verses 18 - 20: Man alone is not good → a helper suitable → God forms out of the ground all the wild animals, all the birds in the sky → man names them - but no suitable helper is found among the animals.

Only now are the animals created, so that Adam could have a companion. But no suitable companion was found. In some translations God explicitly says that He will create a helper that is Adam’s equal.

Verses 21 - 22: Deep sleep - God takes a rib - makes a woman from the rib.

Verses 23 - 24: Adam acknowledges the woman - bones of my bones, flesh of my flesh - names her Woman. (Note that she is only called Eve after the man and the woman were punished after the Fall.)

Verses 25: Adam were naked, but felt no shame.

⁠

@Commentary on Genesis: Chapter 1 by John Calvin⁠

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