Deconstructing Genesis 1:1

A close look at Genesis 1:1 reveals how Hebrew nuance and context uncover layers of meaning often hidden in English translation.

By DAVID PEARCE

Read Time: 6 minutes

The difficulties of translating text from one language to another are very complex and subject to many pitfalls; sometimes, discussion with others is the only way to find a logical solution. Many words may not have a direct equivalent, or a straight match may convey a completely different meaning to native speakers of the second language. Hebrew is a highly contextual language, in which a sentence may not give meaning until all the words are considered; unlike English, where the listener or reader can often grasp the intent before a sentence is complete.

The following article aims to demonstrate some of the peculiarities this highly contextual aspect presents, while giving a broader or more profound understanding of the original text. However, our analysis will not attempt to alter basic Scriptural teaching. Our goal is only to discover some hidden gems that may have been confusing or unnoticed when reading the Scriptural text in English.

We will demonstrate this idea by reviewing the very first verse of the Scriptures of Truth.

“In the beginning”

The word “the” is the standard translation in most versions of the English Old Testament. Yet it causes a conundrum because it suggests a starting point, “the beginning.” However, we are told quite specifically that God has always been and always will be. So, what was before? Only God, or something else? Interestingly, the original Hebrew gives a little more information. We could read the translated Hebrew words as “In a beginning.” The difference lies in a single vowel in the Hebrew text with Masoretic pointing. Originally, the text contained no vowel markings and these markings were added by the Masoretes, a group of Jewish scribes who worked on this effort around AD 500-1000. To avoid the accusation that they had modified God’s original words and enable non-natural Hebrew speakers to learn and read the text, they added a system of dots and dashes that indicate vowel sounds for the consonantal text. Prior to the Masoretes, a vowel was only ever spoken, and the sound could be misheard; therefore, the vowels of the text are not themselves inspired. This difference in Genesis 1:1 between “the” and “a” is simply one vowel. If the correct rendition is “In a beginning,” it implies there was a starting point, but it was not necessarily the only beginning of things—angels were already there, for instance. We could, however, argue that “in the beginning” is the accurate translation if we consider that the whole of Scripture is essentially God’s interest in our planet and the people on it.

Ultimately, we cannot ignore the overall translators’ views that “In the” is appropriate, indicating that the actual interpretation of what follows it is left to the individual to determine.

“God created”

The word translated as “God” in English has often been misinterpreted. The Hebrew word is elohim—note the “im” ending, which generally denotes a masculine plural form (although there are exceptions). So we could imply it must refer to the angels—God’s helpers (v. 26). The words, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,”¹ are often cited as justification of this interpretation. However, elohim has a broad range of meanings. While this word occurs in many places within the O.T., it does not constantly refer to God, but can also be translated “angels” (Psalm 8:5), “rulers” (Psalm 82:1 NASB95), “judges” (Exodus 21:6), and “gods” (Exodus 12:12). Thus, it’s used in reference to Dagon (1 Samuel 5:7). There are similar instances in English. Consider the word “sheep.” Is it singular, plural, or just a metaphor (acting like sheep)? All words have ranges of meaning. The specific understanding comes from the preceding word in the Hebrew text—“created.” This Hebrew verb is third person masculine singular and literally, “He, God, created.” All Jewish scholars indicate this word signifies superiority, i.e., the Supreme God—masculine singular. “The LORD our God [eloheinu] is one LORD.” (Deuteronomy 6:4).

“et/ate”

There is a word that immediately follows, but it isn’t translatable. It is a “hidden” word. There is no English equivalent, yet it is the most common word in the Old Testament. If it were removed, it may not necessarily affect the meaning of the text either. Yet it has been the subject of immense debate since Judah returned from the Babylonian exile due to the need for the Septuagint translation. Greek also does not have an equivalent word. Just Google “et—Hebrew rabbinic opinion,” and you’ll see several different interpretations for this word. But why is it considered controversial if it has no real translatable value? The debate centers around its two letters: aleph and tav. These letters are significant because they are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet and perhaps find echoes in the following verses: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1). Indeed, the first thing created in Genesis 1:1 is et, or aleph to tav, the alphabet. Also, “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’” (Revelation 1:8 ESV). “Alpha” and “omega” are the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet. Later in Revelation, Jesus said, “I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (Revelation 22:12-13 NRSV). Since John’s Gospel refers to “the word,” some have sought to conflate this with Jesus’s words and state that “et” in Genesis 1:1 obviously refers to Jesus being present at the start, hence referring to “the word” as Jesus. Some Hebrew translations of the New Testament from the original Greek render the verses in Revelation as “I am the Aleph and Tav.” (Deilitzsch’s Hebrew NT).

Instead, debate amongst the rabbis for centuries suggests that God’s first creation was language, as John’s Gospel suggests. Grammatically, the Hebrew word “et” is referred to as a “direct object marker” and indicates that the word following it is the object of the action. It occurs twice in this verse, before “the heavens” and again before “and the earth,” showing that they are the objects of the verb “created.” Nevertheless, it’s intriguing to consider the possibly deeper meaning here: not only did God create the heavens and the earth, but He also created words first, and then used His words to create.

“the heaven”

The Hebrew word for “heaven” (shamaim) is similar to that already discussed for elohim. It ends in the plural -im. However, there is no singular variant of the word in this case, so it cannot be translated with any certainty as “Heaven” or “Heavens.” The translators of the KJV clearly could not be definitive, as we see in this verse, where it is translated as “Heaven,” but in chapter 2:1 as “Heavens,” and both clearly refer to the same event.

Hebrew scholars consider that not only is the message of the Scriptures God-given and cannot be altered, but also the order and choice of words. And so, the order here must be considered to have significance in itself. The suggestion that God made the heaven[s] first could thus indicate His dwelling place is there, albeit God is everywhere. Consider:

Solomon said: “Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place.” (1 Kings 8:43).

Jesus said: “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9).

“the earth”

The word for earth, eretz, can have a wide usage and is dependent on context. For example, one of Israel’s leading newspapers is entitled Haeretz (Ha- is the definite article in Hebrew), with its principal focus being the people and politics of the land of Israel. However its usage in the Old Testament can refer to planet earth (Job 26:7), the surface of the earth (Genesis 1:26), soil (Genesis 1:11), a country (Genesis 11:31), a people (Genesis 23:7), a region (Genesis 19:28), or even the grave (Job 10:21). Yet since the rest of creation had not occurred at this point, and as verse 2 indicates, the surface was covered with water, then the only possible translation must refer to planet earth itself. This interpretation is in line with the initial creation in a very general sense, as indicated by the discussion of the word “heaven[s]” and establishes God’s authority over his whole creation as Isaiah records: “The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.” (Isaiah 66:1).

The End Result

Let’s review a potential literal translation of this verse: “In a [the] beginning, He, Supreme One God, created [language], the heaven[s], and the [planet] earth.”

David Pearce,
Castle Bromwitch Ecclesia, UK