NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible CBSB_Digital Sampler | Page 6
4 | Genesis 1:1
The Beginning
In the beginning a God created the
heavens and the e arth. b 2 Now the
earth was formless and empty, c dark
ness was over the surface of the deep,
1
1:1 a Jn 1:1-2
b Job 38:4;
Ps 90:2;
Isa 42:5;
44:24; 45:12,
18; Ac 17:24;
Heb 11:3;
1:1 In the beginning. In the OT “beginning” refers to a pre-
liminary period of time rather than the first in a series of
events. In English, we might refer to such an initial period
as “the primordial period.” This leads us to conclude that
the “beginning” is a way of talking about the seven-day
period rather than a point in time prior to the seven days.
1:2 formless and empty. Prior to creation the Egyptian texts
talk about the “nonexistent.” In their thinking this nonex-
istent realm continues to be present in the sea, in the dark
night sky, and even in the desert — places without role
or function (see the article “Creation and Existence,” p. 4).
In the Egyptian precreation state of nonexistence there
are two elements: primeval waters and total darkness. In
Hebrew, “formless” (tohu) is also used to refer to the desert
(e.g., Dt 32:10). In general it designates a situation in which
positive values such as purpose and worth are lacking. As
a result, it is more appropriate to translate “without func-
and the Spirit of God d was hovering
over the waters.
3 And God said, e “Let t here be l ight,” and
Rev 4:11 1:2 c Jer 4:23 d Ps 104:30 1:3 e Ps 33:6, 9; 148:5;
Heb 11:3
tion” rather than “without form,” the idea being similar to
the Egyptian “nonexistent.” This is also apparent in Jer 4:23,
where the same pair of Hebrew terms is used to describe a
nonfunctional, nonproductive state. deep. Hebrew tehom;
it refers to the primordial or primeval sea. In the precreation
period it covered everything. In creation it was pushed out
to the edges of the cosmos, where it was restrained by
God’s power. There it is identified as the cosmic waters of
chaos that can be brought back at any moment if deity
requires its services. Although the Hebrew word is the cog-
nate of the Babylonian tamtu/Tiamat, it is not personified
as a being associated with chaos, nor can it be considered
a depersonification or demythologization that is depen-
dent on the ancient Near Eastern texts. It is simply used to
describe the “precosmic condition.”
1:3 Let there be light. As God calls the cosmos into exis-
tence, it is important to remember that it is a functional
GENESIS 1:1
I
Creation and Existence
f creation is the act of bringing something into existence, we must ask what con-
stituted existence in the ancient world. In our culture, we consider existence to be
either material (i.e., having molecules/taking up space and extending to energy
and subatomic particles) or experiential (e.g., abstractions such as love or time).
Those definitions, however, are culturally determined. By contrast, in the ancient
world something existed when it had a function — a role to play.
In Mesopotamia one way to accomplish this was to name something, because a
name designated a thing’s function or role. Thus, in the Babylonian creation account,
bringing the cosmos into existence begins “When on high no name was given in
heaven, nor below was the netherworld called by name . . . When no gods at all had
been brought forth, none called by names, none destinies ordained, then were the
gods formed.” In Egyptian accounts existence was associated with something having
been differentiated. The god Atum is conceptualized as the primordial monad — the
singularity embodying all the potential of the cosmos, from whom all things were
separated and thereby created. The Genesis account includes both of these concepts
as God separates and names.
The actual Hebrew verb “create” (bara) also focuses our attention in this direction.
In the Bible, only God can perform this action of bringing something into existence.
What is even more intriguing is that the objects of this verb point consistently toward
its connection to functional existence rather than material existence; e.g., God “cre-
ates” fire, cloud, destruction, calamity, darkness, righteousness and purity. This is
much like the ancient Near Eastern way of thinking that it was more important to
determine who controlled functions rather than who/what gave something its physical
form. In the ancient world something was created when it was given a function. In the
ancient world, the cosmos is less like a machine, more like a kingdom. ◆