THE CREATION 'The foundation of foundations and pillar of all wisdom is to know that the First Being is, and that He giveth existence to everything that exists! 'Thus wrote Moses Maimonides, a Jewish scholar of the 12th cent, a.d., concerning whom the Jewish proverb runs: 'From Moses to Moses there... [ Continue Reading ]
GOD] Heb. _EloMm_. The word probably signifies 'strength,' but the etymology is obscure; cp. Arabic _Allah._ The Heb. word is plural in form, but as a rule it is significantly followed by verbs in the singular, except when used of heathen gods. The plural form may be used to express the variety of a... [ Continue Reading ]
AND GOD SAID, LET THERE BE LIGHT] A sublime sentence! 'By the word of the Lord were the heavens made.' Light and darkness are regarded as two objects, each occupying a place of its own (Job 38:19). Light is created on the first day, the luminaries on the fourth. Not as an explanation, for this it is... [ Continue Reading ]
GOOD] i.e. perfect for the purpose for which God designed it.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE EVENING, etc.] RV 'and there was evening and there was morning, one day.' In the endeavour to bring the Creation story into harmony with the ascertained results of science, it is often maintained that the writer meant indefinite periods of time by the term 'days.' But the science of Geology... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FIRMAMENT] the sky, heavens. The word means something 'solid' or 'beaten out,' like a sheet of metal. The ancients supposed that the sky was a solid, vaulted dome stretched over the earth, its ends resting on the mountains, and the heavenly bodies fastened to its inner surface. It served as the... [ Continue Reading ]
LIGHTS] rather, 'luminaries,' to hold and distribute the light created on the first day. IN] rather, 'on' or 'before' the firmament; so Genesis 1:17. See on Genesis 1:6. SIGNS.. SEASONS.. DAYS.. YEARS] For some of the modes in which the heavenly bodies were believed to serve as signs see 2 Kings 20:... [ Continue Reading ]
LET THE WATERS] render, 'let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures,' animalculæ, insects, fish, etc. FOWL THAT MAY FLY] RV 'let fowl fly.'... [ Continue Reading ]
GREAT WHALES] Heb. denotes rather creatures like serpents, crocodiles, etc.... [ Continue Reading ]
BLESSED THEM] As animate creatures they received a divine blessing, which suggests God's pleasure in the creation of beings capable of conscious enjoyment. 24-31. Sixth day:—Creation of animals and man.... [ Continue Reading ]
LET US MAKE MAN] the crowning work of creation and its highest development. The plural form 'us,' which occurs again Genesis 3:22; Genesis 11:7 and Isaiah 6:8, has been interpreted of the Holy Trinity, but this would be anticipating a doctrine which was only revealed in later ages. The thought is pe... [ Continue Reading ]
MALE AND FEMALE] There is nothing in this account of the Creation to suggest that the sexes were not simultaneously created: contrast Genesis 2:21, which is from the earlier document. 29, 30. The writer of the Priestly narrative here represents men and animals as living only on vegetable food. We se... [ Continue Reading ]
VERY GOOD] Certain systems of philosophy and morality, ancient and modern, have proceeded on the assumption that evil is inherent in matter, and therefore that God and the world are antagonistic. This idea is quite foreign to the Scriptures, which teach that 'every creature of God is good.' Genesis... [ Continue Reading ]