Genesis 1
Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · Beginnings · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·
31 verses · 739 words · ~4 min read · ~5 min listen
The Creation
1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2Now 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.
The First Day
3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.”
And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
The Second Day
6And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters, to separate the waters from the waters.” 7So God made the expanse and separated the waters beneath it from the waters above. And it was so. 8God called the expanse “sky.”
And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
The Third Day
9And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered into one place, so that the dry land may appear.” And it was so. 10God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of waters He called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
11Then 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. 12The 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.
13And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
The Fourth Day
14And 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. 15And let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth.” And it was so.
16God 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.
17God set these lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth, 18to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
The Fifth Day
20And God said, “Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.” 21So 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.
22Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
23And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
The Sixth Day
24And 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. 25God 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.
26Then 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.”
28God 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.”
29Then 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. 30And 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.
31And 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.
Footnotes (5)
- a v3 Cited in 2 Corinthians 4:6
- b v5 Literally day one
- c v6 Or a canopy or a firmament or a vault; also in verses 7, 8, 14, 15, 17, and 20
- d v26 MT; Syriac and over all the beasts of the earth
- e v27 Cited in Matthew 19:4and Mark 10:6
Study notes on this chapter · 4
Let there be light, and the new creation
Paul compares God's first command ('Let light shine out of darkness') to the light that shines in believers' hearts in the face of Christ. John's gospel opens with the words 'In the beginning', echoing Genesis 1 and describing the Word as the agent of creation and the light that shines in darkness.
When: Genesis; 2 Corinthians, c. AD 55–56; John, c. AD 80–95.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
How to read the days of creation
Genesis 1 describes God creating in six days and resting on the seventh. Christians have read the days in several ways, and the question of how to relate the chapter to modern science is among the most discussed in biblical interpretation. The New Testament affirms creation through Christ and the created order, and Exodus ties the Sabbath to the six days.
When: Genesis; ancient readers such as Philo, Origen and Augustine already debated the nature of the days.
Ways people read this (5)
- Six ordinary days, with a young earth (young-earth creationism).
- Days as long periods, with an old earth (day-age, progressive creation).
- A literary framework: the days form a structure for teaching God's ordering of creation, without timing (framework view).
- An ancient cosmology: the chapter describes the cosmos as a temple, and its claims are functional, not material (cosmic temple or 'functional' readings).
- Augustine read creation as instantaneous, with the days an account for human understanding.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
Humanity in God's image, and Christ the image of God
Genesis says God made humankind in his own image. The New Testament calls Christ the image of the invisible God, and says believers are being renewed after the image of their Creator, as if what Adam was meant to be is seen fully in Christ.
When: Genesis; Colossians, c. AD 60–62; 2 Corinthians, c. AD 55–56.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
From the beginning: male and female, one flesh
Asked about divorce, Jesus goes back past Moses' legislation to creation, quoting Genesis 1:27 and 2:24 to ground marriage in God's design. Paul later quotes Genesis 2:24 too and calls it a great mystery that refers to Christ and the church.
When: Creation accounts in Genesis; Jesus' teaching, c. AD 30; Ephesians, c. AD 60.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.