Day Five → Day Six
Reading through the story of creation
Below – since this is a free Sunday post – a rough draft of what we have to look forward to on Day Six (starting next time). As usual, I’ll comment in much more detail and no doubt change some of the wording as I work through it with you. Also: since Hebrew audio of every chapter of the Bible is freely available on the web, I’m going to stop recording it specifically for this blog.
But before we move forward, we should once again sum up what we’ve found by our careful reading so far of the first five days of Creation Week. Here’s a somewhat simplified outline:
Day One: light comes into being, it is separated from darkness, Day and Night are named
Day Two: God makes the cupola, he/it separates the water, it is named Sky
Day Three part 1: water moves away, dry land appears, they are named Earth and Seas
Day Three part 2: Earth sprouts greenery
Day Four: God makes the sun, moon, and stars, and sets them in Sky
Day Five: God creates sea-serpents and other Sea and Sky life
To put it even more simply:
God makes Sky and the things that go into it
Earth surfaces and brings forth plants
God creates life
Note further that separation is mentioned explicitly on Days One, Two, and Four. It is implicit elsewhere: twice on Day Three, when the water moves aside and again when multiple distinct varieties of plants come into being, and the same on Day Five, when multiple kinds of animal life come into being. That is, the plants and animals are separate kinds.
And now [drumroll] Day Six:
24 God thought, Let the Earth bring forth life, species by species: animals, creeping things, and beasts of every species. 25 God made the beasts of every species, and the animals of every species, and everything that creeps on the ground of every species. God saw that it was good. 26 God thought, Let’s make an earthling – in our image, according to our likeness. Let him control the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the animals, the beasts, and all the things that creep over the ground. 27 God created the earthling in his image. In the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them, and God said to them: Reproduce, proliferate, and fill the earth and subdue it so that you control the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, and every beast that creeps over the ground. 29 God said, “Now, I have given you all the plants seeding seed all over the earth and every tree that has in it tree-fruit sowing seed: they are yours to eat, 30 and to all the beasts of the earth, all the birds of the sky, and everything that creeps on the ground that has life in it, every green plant to eat.” And it was so. 31 God saw all that He had made, and wow! it was really good. There was an evening and there was a morning: a day, the sixth.
And again with the Hebrew verses interleaved:
24 God thought, Let the Earth bring forth life, species by species: animals, creeping things, and beasts of every species.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֗ים תּוֹצֵ֨א הָאָ֜רֶץ נֶ֤פֶשׁ חַיָּה֙ לְמִינָ֔הּ בְּהֵמָ֥ה וָרֶ֛מֶשׂ וְחַֽיְתוֹ־אֶ֖רֶץ לְמִינָ֑הּ וַֽיְהִי־כֵֽן׃
25 God made the beasts of every species, and the animals of every species, and everything that creeps on the ground of every species. God saw that it was good.
וַיַּ֣עַשׂ אֱלֹהִים֩ אֶת־חַיַּ֨ת הָאָ֜רֶץ לְמִינָ֗הּ וְאֶת־הַבְּהֵמָה֙ לְמִינָ֔הּ וְאֵ֛ת כָּל־רֶ֥מֶשׂ הָֽאֲדָמָ֖ה לְמִינֵ֑הוּ וַיַּ֥רְא אֱלֹהִ֖ים כִּי־טֽוֹב׃
26 God thought, Let’s make an earthling – in our image, according to our likeness. Let him control the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the animals, the beasts, and all the things that creep over the ground.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֔ים נַֽעֲשֶׂ֥ה אָדָ֛ם בְּצַלְמֵ֖נוּ כִּדְמוּתֵ֑נוּ וְיִרְדּוּ֩ בִדְגַ֨ת הַיָּ֜ם וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם וּבַבְּהֵמָה֙ וּבְכָל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וּבְכָל־הָרֶ֖מֶשׂ הָֽרֹמֵ֥שׂ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
27 God created the earthling in his image. In the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
וַיִּבְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ אֶת־הָֽאָדָם֙ בְּצַלְמ֔וֹ בְּצֶ֥לֶם אֱלֹהִ֖ים בָּרָ֣א אֹת֑וֹ זָכָ֥ר וּנְקֵבָ֖ה בָּרָ֥א אֹתָֽם׃
28 God blessed them, and God said to them: Reproduce, proliferate, and fill the earth and subdue it so that you control the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, and every beast that creeps over the ground.
וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֹתָם֮ אֱלֹהִים֒ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר לָהֶ֜ם אֱלֹהִ֗ים פְּר֥וּ וּרְב֛וּ וּמִלְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ וְכִבְשֻׁ֑הָ וּרְד֞וּ בִּדְגַ֤ת הַיָּם֙ וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וּבְכָל־חַיָּ֖ה הָֽרֹמֶ֥שֶׂת עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
29 God said, “Now, I have given you all the plants seeding seed all over the earth and every tree that has in it tree-fruit sowing seed: they are yours to eat,
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֗ים הִנֵּה֩ נָתַ֨תִּי לָכֶ֜ם אֶת־כָּל־עֵ֣שֶׂב ׀ זֹרֵ֣עַ זֶ֗רַע אֲשֶׁר֙ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י כָל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וְאֶת־כָּל־הָעֵ֛ץ אֲשֶׁר־בּ֥וֹ פְרִי־עֵ֖ץ זֹרֵ֣עַ זָ֑רַע לָכֶ֥ם יִֽהְיֶ֖ה לְאָכְלָֽה׃
30 and to all the beasts of the earth, all the birds of the sky, and everything that creeps on the ground that has life in it, every green plant to eat.” And it was so.
וּֽלְכָל־חַיַּ֣ת הָ֠אָרֶץ וּלְכָל־ע֨וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֜יִם וּלְכֹ֣ל ׀ רוֹמֵ֣שׂ עַל־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־בּוֹ֙ נֶ֣פֶשׁ חַיָּ֔ה אֶת־כָּל־יֶ֥רֶק עֵ֖שֶׂב לְאָכְלָ֑ה וַֽיְהִי־כֵֽן׃
31 God saw all that He had made, and wow! it was really good. There was an evening and there was a morning: a day, the sixth.
וַיַּ֤רְא אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֔ה וְהִנֵּה־ט֖וֹב מְאֹ֑ד וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם הַשִּׁשִּֽׁי׃ פ