Detailed Walkthrough of Origins in the Book of Genesis

The book of Genesis, the Bible’s inaugural book, is a profound exploration of the universe’s origins, the intricate relationship between God and mankind, and the sequence of events that culminate in the fall of man – the estrangement of mankind from God. Moses is the one who’s generally given credit for writing the Book of Genesis along with the four books following – combined into a set called The Pentateuch.

Genre and Style of the Book of Genesis

Genesis is written in the form of a historical narrative with a unique storytelling style. This style, influenced by early oral traditions, emphasizes memorization. The writing alternates between prose and verse, with certain sections adopting a poetic form. Some parts of Genesis may be interpreted figuratively, while others are clearly literal.

As with other books and all literature in general, these factors are significant as they help us form our strategy for how to read the book properly. Failing to consider this leads us to read Genesis (and any other writing) with interpretation errors, misreading, unfair expectations of the text, and overall general confusion.

What Does the Book of Genesis Describe?

Genesis, being largely a historical narrative, tells us about the past. However, it’s not doing so in a very literal and chronological way, but rather as one telling a story. When informally telling a story to another, one often relays facts, then goes back to fill in some information and color previously glossed over and then continues the story. Also, when telling a story, there isn’t often a strong emphasis on a strict chronological order where one simply lists the events in a very dry and orderly manner. These are very typical of the Book of Genesis as well.

Young Earth or Old Earth?

When it comes to the age of the Earth, there are varying interpretations among Christians. Some read the Genesis origins story with the belief that the Earth is only a thousand years old, while others interpret it as suggesting that the Earth is billions of years old. The scientific evidence notwithstanding, purely considering textual interpretation, gets fairly complex and leads us into various tangents, which we won’t explore here. However, the one thing that this tells us is that the skeptics’ assertion that Genesis is anti-science on the merits of a young earth is patently false since there is an interpretation that is well in line with the predominant position based on science.

Aspects of Interpretation and the Age of the Earth

Some interpret the Bible as a whole in ways that imply that the Earth is only a few thousand years old. Others maintain that the Bible isn’t specific or opinionated about timing; therefore, the Earth can be millions or billions of years old. Let’s consider how these wildly different interpretations can coexist. Two main lines of thinking separate these views.

1. Interpretation of “day” in Genesis.
2. Various genealogies mentioned throughout the Bible.

Based on one’s interpretation decisions, one’s broader view of age and natural function would result in one of three views of the world:

1. Young Earth Creationist
2. Old Earth Creationist
3. Theistic Evolutionist

The one factor that is often glossed over is that between the origin of the universe and the formation of the earth – between Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 1:3 – we’re not given any information about the length of time the initial creative order took. This will be significant in the sections to come as we compare the meaning of “day” and other interpretative differences.

Interpretations of “day” in Genesis

There are three ways to interpret the word “day” in Genesis. In the mesarotic text, the word used for “day” is יוֹם  (yôm), which has numerous interpretation options, including,

• Day as opposed to night
• Day as a 24-hour period
• Day as a division of time, such as working day
• Days, lifetime (plural)
• Indeterminate time period (general)
• Non-consecutive time period
• Year
• Temporal reference (today, yesterday, tomorrow)

Of course, interpretations vary depending on the context. In the Genesis origins story, the interpretation options available to use in context are as follows:

1. An actual day of 24 hours
2. Indeterminate time period
3. Non-consecutive time period

If “day” is interpreted as a literal day of 24 hours, then the days in Genesis are consecutive and made up of “evening and morning.” A “day” would need to be the typical way the Jewish day was constructed – from sundown to sunup.

However, “evening and morning” likely appear to suggest a delineation of “days” instead of actually describing a literal “day” since a literal “day” is far more and longer than merely an evening and morning. Therefore, at first glance, we do have reason to interpret the passages in more ways than a literal day. 

What is Genesis Really Saying?

The way the origins story in Genesis reads, it appears as though Genesis is not attempting to tell us specifically how God manufactured the physical world and everything in it. It seeks to

1. provide a high-level picture of creation and
2. explain the hierarchy of relationship between God and His creation with boundaries established by God.

The seven days can easily be seen to be a simple ordered presentation without the details of creation being provided.

Additionally, much of what is described to have happened in each day would have taken very long periods of time; rudimentary things like Adam naming all of the animals and functions such as geological processes.

The Days of Genesis

Genesis 1 is a grand summary of God’s creation ex nihilo with a quick synopsis of primeval history (pre-history). Let’s take a closer look at what happened on each “day.”

Genesis Creation Day 1

Creation day one is covered in Genesis 1:1-5. In the very first verse of the Bible, God creates the universe ex nihilo (out of nothing).

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

Genesis 1:1

The universe begins to exist. The Earth begins to exist.

“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”

Genesis 1:3

Here, light comes into being. Since God separates the light from the darkness and called the light “day” and darkness “night,” it is a strong indication that the light mentioned here is the Sun and the darkness the obstruction of the light.

Since all of this is taking place on “day 1,” there is no difficulty here with respect to the timing of the formation of the Sun and the Earth. Some skeptics claim that this is a difficulty if the Earth appears to have formed before the Sun as the chronological passages seem to indicate. However, there are at least two problems with the objection.

First, there is actually no scientific proof that the Sun originated before the Earth. There is more than one model of planetary formation, and there is no consensus. Additionally, an alternate translation of the origins narrative can easily fit into either model.

Second, the repeated compound statement of “And God said” is not a series of three words put together. It’s a single phrase (‘āmar) that is combined to simply mean to say, speak, or command. The word “and” was used as a way to create a more natural transition from sentence to sentence. Given this, there is no literal chronology within each “day.” More on this to come as a Narratology of Analepsis, or flashbacks.

Genesis Creation Day 2

On day two, the atmosphere (sky) is formed, the expanse between the waters.

Genesis Creation Day 3

On day three, water is gathered into seas. Dry land appears. The earth starts producing vegetation – seed-bearing plants, fruit trees, etc.

Genesis Creation Day 4

What happened on day four is more involved. At first glance, the mention of “let there be light…to divide the day from night” may appear to be referring to the creation of the Sun and the Moon. This is a challenge often brought up by skeptics. However, this cannot be the actual creation of the Sun and the Moon because the author of Genesis has already told us they were created on Day 1. It’s highly unlikely the author would have contradicted himself within a span of only a few sentences, and millions of Jews throughout the centuries would have been completely at peace with the explicit contradiction.

Given the unlikelihood of the internal contradiction in such a short written time span, how would we understand Day 4? There are two ways to reconcile the passages.

Option1: “Let there be light” as Narratology and Analepsis

As previously mentioned, analepsis is one way to see the repetition of “let there be light.” Analepsis is a manner of narration in which there is a flashback to an earlier time. In this case, it would be used to fill in details after the high-level story is told.

The narrator leaves the “present” to go back to an earlier time to reiterate “let there be light” and add that it was meant to be a sign to mark the sacred times, days, and years. In this view, the operative function of Day 4 would be to imbue the heavenly bodies with their intent and purpose and not their creation.

Option 2: “Let there be light” as Atmospheric Clearing

We know through science that early in Earth’s history, the surface of Earth was fairly dark because the atmosphere had a thick covering, which didn’t allow sunlight to reach the surface. The other way to make sense of the repetition of “let there be lights” is to see it as a clearing of the atmosphere (scientific credence), which would make the perspective from the surface of the planet to that which now sees the light(s).

Now, back to the rest of Day 4. As soon as both the Sun and Moon are visible on Earth, marking days, months, and years can begin. That allows for the marking of sacred times since the sky is now perfectly clear and light can easily reach the surface of the planet.

As mentioned previously, Genesis isn’t necessarily a strict chronology. In this regard, the NIV translation seems better here since it avoids using a strict chronology. While NASB, for example, uses “then” between the days, the NIV uses a more generic form using “and.” It’s important to remember that the original manuscripts don’t have either word. They’re simply used to transition from one statement to another to make the text more readable.

Another important note in Day 4 is word usage. In Genesis 1:1, it says God created the heavens and the earth. The word “create” there is bara (בָּרָא). However, on Day 4, when God “made two great lights,” the word used for “made” is asa (וַיַּעַשׂ עָשָׂה). Ancient Hebrews did not have as many words as we do in English. In light of the economy of word choices, using different words in these two passages is significant.

• bara means to create, to fashion.
• asa means to do, fashion, accomplish, prepare. It is looser and does not entail creation.

Genesis Creation Day 5

On Day 5, God created (bara) the sea and winged creatures.

Genesis Creation Day 6

On Day 6, God sanctioned Earth to “bring forth” (yatsa’) “come out of” land animals. God made (asa) all the land animals. God made (asa) man to rule the animal kingdom (1:26) (male and female). God orders mankind to be fruitful, multiply, and spread the earth (1:28). He gives plants and trees of fruit as food to man and animals. Notice how before we get to Genesis 2, the narrative has been a flashpoints of summaries of actions performed by God. This further validates the Narratology of Analepsis because Genesis 2 goes back to fill in many more details.

Genesis Creation Day 7

On Day 7, creation is completed. God “rests” in the sense of cessation of action, not from fatigue. God blessed the 7th day. The word used here is “shabbath,” from which we derive the word “Sabbath.” One very important thing here that is often overlooked is that there is no cessation of day 7. There’s no end boundary. This is significant at the outset because we are presently in day 7…and it’s been a very, very long time since “day 6.”

The Summation in Genesis 2

Genesis 2 is another analepsis. It actually provides a summation of Genesis 1. It is a bit redundant but fills in some of the gaps. It states that the “heavens and earth” were completed in their vast array. This indicates that the creation is complete, and the author has completed giving a high-level outline of events. Genesis 2:3 ends the creation account summary. Starting at Genesis 2:4, the author fills in some details of the creation account. 

In Genesis 2:5 there are still no plants and no people, which would place it before Day 6 when the animals and man were created. In Genesis 2:6, we see that subterranean water watered the earth. In Genesis 2:7 we get to Day 6 in which God formed a man (yatsar) from the dust of the ground, elaborating on Genesis 1:26.

In Genesis 2:8-22, God establishes Eden. We are told about the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. What’s interesting is that, at this point, sin had not yet entered the world. The extremely interesting thing here is that Adam was the only one to whom God commanded not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil since Eve did not yet exist, which would obviously be a short time later.

We are told that Eden was watered by the rivers Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates. God commands Adam not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. God then “fashioned” (banah) Eve from Adam’s rib after putting him to sleep.

Genesis and The Fall

At the end of Day 6, all that God had created was seen to be “very good.” Since the Fall begins in Genesis 3:1, and since, at that point, God had ceased creation, it’s clear that the Fall begins on Day 7. God made the perfect world, and through man’s disobedience, sin entered the world and tarnished the perfect creation. In Genesis 3:1, the “serpent” tempts Eve. It’s important to note that since Eve had not heard the command directly from God, not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. This means that, in all likelihood, Adam was the one who informed her. In no way does it relieve her of the responsibility of breaking God’s command, but Eve’s knowledge of the command was second-hand. In Genesis 3:16, we get a foreshadowing of Christ (Savior). In Genesis 3:23, God banishes Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. The rest of Genesis is prehistory and history.

The Significance of Day 7 for Timing

It’s clear from the text that Day 7 has not ended. We are still on Day 7, which means that, at the very least, Day 7 is neither a literal 24-hour period nor a limited time period. It is indefinite and not literal. This fact is helpful. It means we are not necessarily strictly bound to have any one particular interpretation.

Further still, it creates a loose guide for being open to all options. There are no boundaries, and we have plenty of flexibility. In light of how Genesis is written, the flexibility it confers, and the fact that there are no real difficulties, it passes the test of deeper exploration.