Genesischapter 1

The Creation of Light — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain

The account that begins here does not stop at the end of the chapter. It closes on the seventh day, at Genesis 2:3. Read Genesis 2:1 to 2:3→

A.In the Beginning, Lightvv. 1-5

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

B.Sky, Sea, and Dry Landvv. 6-13

6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters, to separate the waters from the waters.” 7 So God made the expanse and separated the waters beneath it from the waters above. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. 9 And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered into one place, so that the dry land may appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of waters He called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each bearing fruit with seed according to its kind.” And it was so. 12 The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

C.Lights to Rule the Daysvv. 14-19

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to distinguish between the day and the night, and let them be signs to mark the seasons and days and years. 15 And let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. And He made the stars as well. 17 God set these lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth, 18 to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

D.Swarms of Living Creaturesvv. 20-25

20 And God said, “Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters teemed according to their kinds, and every bird of flight after its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. 24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, land crawlers, and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that crawls upon the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

E.Man Made in God's Imagevv. 26-31

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Commentary on this chapter: read the Exposition

Continue: Genesis 2 →

Chapter summary

Creation in six ordered days, climaxing in humanity made in the image of God and blessed with dominion.

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Creation in six ordered days, climaxing in humanity made in the image of God and blessed with dominion. The Spirit hovers over the deep; God speaks, and it is. Light and darkness, waters above and below, land and seas, sun and moon, sea creatures and birds, land animals and man. Each day pronounced good, the whole pronounced very good. Calvin reads the chapter as the theatre of God's glory; Henry calls it the foundation stone of all religion. Creation is by speech (echoed in John 1), by free will, and ex nihilo. And the chapter ends not with exhaustion but with preparation for rest.

Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary and John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament.

Context

Law · Moses — Genesis overview

A. 1–5 In the Beginning, Light
B. 6–13 Sky, Sea, and Dry Land
C. 14–19 Lights to Rule the Days
D. 20–25 Swarms of Living Creatures
E. 26–31 Man Made in God's Image

Top cross-references8 chapters ▾

Psalms 1044 verses
- Psalms 104:14He makes the grass grow for the livestock and provides crops for man to cultivate, bringing forth food from the earth:
- Psalms 104:19He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows when to set.
- Psalms 104:24How many are Your works, O LORD! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures.
- Psalms 104:30When You send Your Spirit, they are created, and You renew the face of the earth.
- Read Psalms 104 →
Genesis 93 verses
- Genesis 9:1And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
- Genesis 9:3Everything that lives and moves will be food for you; just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you all things.
- Genesis 9:7But as for you, be fruitful and multiply; spread out across the earth and multiply upon it.”
- Read Genesis 9 →
Isaiah 452 verses
- Isaiah 45:7I form the light and create the darkness; I bring prosperity and create calamity. I, the LORD, do all these things.
- Isaiah 45:18For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens—He is God; He formed the earth and fashioned it; He established it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD, and there is no other.
- Read Isaiah 45 →
John 12 verses
- John 1:1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- John 1:5The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
- Read John 1 →

4 more chapters this one speaks with

Psalms 1472 verses
- Psalms 147:8who covers the sky with clouds, who prepares rain for the earth, who makes grass to grow on the hills.
- Psalms 147:9He provides food for the animals, and for the young ravens when they call.
- Read Psalms 147 →
Psalms 82 verses
- Psalms 8:3When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place—
- Psalms 8:4what is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You care for him?
- Read Psalms 8 →
Deuteronomy 41 verse
- Deuteronomy 4:19When you look to the heavens and see the sun and moon and stars—all the host of heaven—do not be enticed to bow down and worship what the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.
- Read Deuteronomy 4 →
Jeremiah 311 verse
- Jeremiah 31:35Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day, who sets in order the moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of Hosts is His name:
- Read Jeremiah 31 →

Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.