Creation – Day One

A new translation of Gen 1:1-5

As I’ve been saying, next week I’ll start publishing on a regular Sunday-Tuesday-Thursday schedule. Last week, there was just a Sunday posting. This week, I’m adding one on Thursday – stretching my muscles a little bit.

What’s in this post? My translation of Gen 1:1-5, the words that tell us about the first day of creation. As I said in Sunday’s post, the פ paragraph mark after v. 5 tells us to pause before continuing. (As I also said, I’ll have more to say about these marks in the text when we get to the end of Genesis 1.)

What I’m posting today is the translation I’ll be discussing and explaining as we work through those five verses. I’m not saying – and don’t listen to anyone who ever says – that this translation is correct and that all others are wrong. There are many ways to translate all but the simplest words and phrases, and translators make choices for different but (often) equally valid reasons.

Translators do make mistakes, and of course we can learn more and realize that a previous translation actually was wrong … but choosing (for example) to translate שמים (shamáyim) as “sky” or “heaven” or “heavens” is a translator’s prerogative.

That said, here’s the translation of Gen 1:1-5 that I intend to begin with for purposes of our discussion:

1 When God began to create the sky and the earth — 2 at the time the world was a tohu-bohu, with darkness over Deep and a God-wind hovering over the water —  3 God thought, Let there be light, and there was light.  4 God saw that the light was good, and God distinguished light from darkness.  5 God named the light Day and the darkness Night.  There was an evening and a morning: Day One.

And an interleaved version for those who want the Hebrew in front of them as they read:

1 When God began to create the sky and the earth —

בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃

2 at the time the world was a tohu-bohu, with darkness over Deep and a God-wind hovering over the water — 

וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֨הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְה֑וֹם וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם׃

3 God thought, Let there be light, and there was light. 

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֖ים יְהִ֣י א֑וֹר וַֽיְהִי־אֽוֹר׃

4 God saw that the light was good, and God distinguished light from darkness. 

וַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶת־הָא֖וֹר כִּי־ט֑וֹב וַיַּבְדֵּ֣ל אֱלֹהִ֔ים בֵּ֥ין הָא֖וֹר וּבֵ֥ין הַחֹֽשֶׁךְ׃

5 God named the light Day and the darkness Night.  There was an evening and there was a morning: Day One.

וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ לָאוֹר֙ י֔וֹם וְלַחֹ֖שֶׁךְ קָ֣רָא לָ֑יְלָה וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם אֶחָֽד׃ פ

See you on Sunday, when we’ll get started on a deep dive into this paragraph.