Bible Study on Genesis 1
New King James Version (NKJV)
With NKJV Study Bible Comments, Thomas Nelson
The Beginning of the World
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
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NKJV Study Bible Comments
1: 1 In the beginning is a thesis statement, which can be paraphrased, “Here is the story of God’s creation of the heavens and the earth.” The focus is on the creation of the material world— the heavens and the earth.
Word Studies
God
(Heb. pl. ’elohim) (1: 1, 26; Deut. 7: 9; Is. 45: 18) Strong’s #430
The standard Hebrew term for God. This word is related to similar words for deity found throughout almost all Semitic languages. The basic meaning is probably “Mighty” or “the Almighty.” In Hebrew, this word often occurs in a form called “the plural of majesty” or “the plural of intensity.” In contrast to
a normal plural (that is, “gods,” such as the false gods of 1 Kin. 19: 2), the Hebrew uses this plural to mean “The Fullness of Deity” or “God— Very God!” Many Christians point to the plural form of this word as revealing the plural nature of God. God is one, but He is also three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of God was hovering like a mother stork might hover over her nest— a portent of life to come. (The Spirit is described as a dove in Matt. 3: 16).
The First Day—Light
3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
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NKJV Study Bible Comments
1: 3 Let there be light: These words express a principal theme of the Bible: God bringing light into the darkness (see Is. 9: 1, 2). Here, God produced physical light. The NT records God sending His Son to be the light of the world (John 8: 12). In the end, there will no longer be any darkness at all (Rev. 21: 23). God said it, and it was done: there was light. His command caused reality.
1: 4 Having examined the light, God declared it to be good— a powerful term of God’s blessing.
1: 5 Day . . . Night: The naming of these elements of creation is a mark of God’s sovereignty. In the thinking of the peoples of the ancient Middle East, naming something was a mark of power or lordship. For them, names were not merely labels, but descriptions with some force to them.
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Continuing in Genesis 1
The Second Day—Sky
6 Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.
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NKJV Study Bible Comments
1: 6 In biblical usage, the term firmament means “heavens.” Literally, it means “something stretched out, like hammered metal.”
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Continuing in Genesis 1
The Third Day—Dry Land and Plants
9 Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the third day.
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NKJV Study Bible Comments
Each act of separation and distinction brings order out of disorder, form out of formlessness. Each act also demonstrates the Lord’s power and wisdom (Prov. 8: 22– 31).
1: 10 Again, naming the creation marks God’s lordship (see v. 5).
1: 11, 12 The broad words grass, tree, and fruit tree encompass all plants, shrubs, and trees. The reference to seed and kind speaks of the fact that the plant kingdom will continue to reproduce. God not only created plant life; He also set in motion the processes that make plant life reproduce.
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Continuing in Genesis 1
The Fourth Day—Sun, Moon, and Stars
14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
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NKJV Study Bible Comments
1: 14, 15 The creation of the sun, moon, and stars is described in general terms in these verses; vv. 16– 18 spell out the details. Lights in the firmament are luminaries (objects that shine). They produce the division between the day and night. signs and seasons: Some have mistakenly viewed these words as a biblical basis for astrology. The signs in this case relate to phases of the moon and the relative positions of stars that mark the passage of time from the vantage point of earth. The two words form a pair that may be translated seasonal signs.
1: 16 As in vv. 14, 15, the term for lights can mean “luminaries.” He made the stars also: This is a remarkable statement. In the ancient Middle East, other religions worshiped, deified, and mystified the stars. Israel’s neighbors revered the stars and looked to them for guidance. In contrast, the biblical creation story gives the stars only the barest mention, as though the writer shrugged and said, “And, oh, yes. He also made the stars.”
1: 17 God set them: Interestingly, the sun and moon are not named here, though they are clearly intended. The principal issue throughout these verses is that God alone is in control.
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Continuing in Genesis 1
The Fifth Day—Fish and Birds
20 Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
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NKJV Study Bible Comments
1: 21 The verb for created is the same one used in v. 1 (see v. 27, the creation of man). According to its kind suggests the capability to reproduce themselves (see v. 12). God not only made the living creatures, but He gave them the power to propagate and to proliferate, to fill the air and the seas in great numbers and in wonderful variety.
1: 22 God blessed them: The first use of this important phrasing in the Bible (see 1: 28; 2: 3; 12: 2, 3), and it is used of fish and birds!
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Continuing in Genesis 1
The Sixth Day—Land Animals and People
24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
29 And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, 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. 31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
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NKJV Study Bible Comments
1: 24 The expression living creature contains the word sometimes used for the soul, but the word can also mean “life,” “being,” “living thing,” or “person,” depending on the context. The same phrase is used for man in
2: 7. cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth: Three sweeping categories, like those of vv. 11, 20, make the point that God created all living things.
1: 25 God saw that it was good: The sixth time that this phrasing is used (see 1: 4, 10, 12, 18, 21). Everything that God had made so far was good.
1: 26 Let Us make emphasizes the majesty of the speaker and allows for the later revelation of the Trinity (see 11: 7; Matt. 28: 19). The Us cannot refer to the angels that are present with God because man is made in the image of God, not of the angels.
in Our image: What is the image of God in man? The traditional view is that God’s image includes certain moral, ethical, and intellectual abilities. A more recent view, based on Hebrew grammar and the knowledge of the ancient Middle East, interprets the phrase as meaning “Let Us make man as our image” (the Hebrew preposition in this phrase can be translated as). God placed humankind as living symbols of Himself on earth to represent His reign. This interpretation fits well with the command that follows— to reign over all that God has made.
according to Our likeness: This phrase draws attention to the preceding figure of speech. Since God is Spirit (John 4: 24), there can be no “image” or “likeness” of Him in the normal sense of these words. Indeed, image-making was later strongly prohibited because of the clear ties it had with idolatry (see Ex. 20: 4– 6). We may not make images of God for He has already done so! We are His images; it is we who are in His likeness. This is the reason God values people so much: We are made to reflect His majesty on earth.
have dominion: Rule as God’s regent. That is, people are to rule as God would— wisely and prudently.
1: 27 So God created man: The third time the verb for create is used in ch. 1 (see vv. 1, 21); here it is used three times. The language of vv. 26, 28 is elevated prose; this verse is pure poetry. The 12 words of the original Hebrew are arranged in three lines that have their own poetic repetition and cadence. The term for man is likely associated with the term for the red earth. Here the word is generic, including male and female.
These words are sexual. Some have thought that the “discovery” of human sexuality was the forbidden fruit of ch. 3. However, these words indicate that human sexuality was a part of the original creation (5: 2). Although the misuse of human sexuality is soundly condemned in Scripture (Lev. 18), its proper use is celebrated (2: 24, 25; Song). Verses 26– 28 include the woman no less than the man in the story of creation.
1: 28 God blessed them: God’s smile; the warmth of His pleasure (1: 22; 2: 3; 9: 1; 12: 2, 3). God delighted in what He had made (Prov. 8: 30, 31). The word translated subdue means “bring into bondage.” This harsh term is used elsewhere of military conquest (Zech. 9: 15) and of God subduing our iniquities (Mic. 7: 19). As a king sets off to war to conquer a territory, so humans are told by the Great King to subdue the earth and rule it.
Why this need to subjugate the earth? There are at least four possibilities:
(1) Sin would ruin the earth, and people would have to expend great effort to live there (see 3: 17– 19).
(2) Satan would defy the will of God and make all good efforts difficult.
(3) The earth left to itself would not remain good. Instead, God planned that people would need to manage and control it.
(4) The beauty of the earth was only in the garden that God planted (see 2: 8); the rest of the earth would be hostile. Whatever the case, subdue does not mean “destroy” or “ruin.” It does mean to “act as managers who have the authority to run everything as God planned.” This command applies equally to male and female.
1: 29 Many suggest that Adam and Eve were vegetarians because God gave them every herb and the fruit of every tree for food.
1: 31 This is the seventh use of the term good in the creation story (1: 4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25). It is only one of several key terms that are used in multiples of seven in this text.
Summary of Genesis Chapter 1
Young Biosphere Creationist View
God creates “the heavens and the earth”. This Hebrew phrase refers to the universe, including all the heavenly bodies and our own earth. The earth was at first unformed, without mountains or valleys, covered completely by ocean with no light upon its surface. God said, “Let there be light”, and for the first time there was light on the surface of the ocean, beginning the cycles of day and night. Evidently, the watery blanket covering the ocean was now translucent. “So the evening and the morning were the first day.”
On day 2, God created the expanse of the sky, between the waters above and the waters below.
On day 3, God gathered the waters under the sky so that dry land appeared. From this we can infer that the earth was now formed into higher elevations and lower elevations including ocean basins. Also on day 3, God created plants bearing seeds after their own kind.
On day 4, God established the Sun, Moon and Stars to be visible from the earth, evidently by thinning the translucent watery layer above the atmosphere to make it transparent.
On day 5, God created the fish of the sea and the birds of the air.
On day 6, God created all of the land animals. Then God created man in His own image; “in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Then God blessed them and told them to be fruitful and multiply and to have dominion over all the creatures of the earth. Then God blessed all that He had made, and it was very good.
| Day 1 – Light breaks upon the ocean | Day 4 – Sources of light made visible |
| Day 2 – Sky, dividing waters below from waters above | Day 5 – Birds and Fish |
| Day 3 – Land and plants | Day 6 – Land animals and Man |
Questions
- Reading across the above table, do you see a relationship between days 1 and 4, 2 and 5, and 3 and 6?
- God created both plants and animals to procreate “after their kind”.
This implies that the descendants of each basic type of animal and plant will only be of that same kind. For example, the canine kind will always give birth to canines, and the feline kind will always give birth to felines.
How does this description compare with the evolutionary view that somehow our distant ancestors were not human?
(Recent breakthroughs in DNA research and analysis support a six thousand year history of life on earth, and a worldwide flood 1500 years after the Creation. This is brilliantly explained in Nathaniel T. Jeanson’s book, “Replacing Darwin – The New Origin of Species”, Oct. 2017, Master Books, Green Forest, AR.)
- God created man “in His own image.” How do you understand this statement?
- When do the days begin in Genesis 1 – at Dusk or at Dawn?
Some thoughts:
The sentence, “So the evening and the morning were the [nth] day” occurs at the conclusion of each set of creative acts. The endpoint of the cycle is designated as “morning”, as in “dawn” – the point in time when darkness is beginning to be replaced with light. Since dawn is the endpoint of the cycle just concluded, it is also the beginning point of the next. Therefore the days in Genesis 1 are from dawn to dawn.
Granted there was darkness on the face of the deep before God commanded light. However, that indefinite period of time when “darkness was on the face of the deep and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” is not part of the day and night cycle described in the verses that follow: “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.” The regular day and night cycle begins with the advent of light – that is, with the dawn – and is consistent in length.
- Does a straightforward reading of Genesis 1 point to a young earth or an old earth, or does it leave this question open?
(This question hinges on the meanings in the original language of the words translated “the heavens and the earth” in verse 1, and “made” in verse 16. Gorman Gray does a masterful analysis of this question in his book,
“The Age of the Universe: What are the Biblical Limits?”, July, 2010, Morningstar Publications, Washougal, WA.)
- Does a straightforward reading of Genesis 1 point to a recent creation of life on earth?
(Very definitely, according to the genealogies from Adam to Abraham. Since all forms of life including man were created in the same week, they are all created recently – approximately 6,000 years ago. This perspective is called “Young Biosphere Creationist”, as opposed to “Young Earth Creationist”.)
- What stands out most to you in Genesis chapter 1?
Compelling Love 
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