In the previous blogs we looked at Genesis 1:1, the mighty words, that in (a) beginning God created the heavens and the earth. There is of course much more to say about this and we will do so when we look at the remainder of Genesis 1, for it mentions how God created the heavens and earth and what He created.
Genesis 1
2 And the earth is without form and empty…
is, was or became?
Genesis 1:2 raises quite a few questions about the translation. That starts with this first sentence. Usually the discussion is whether it says: was or became, but it literally says: the earth is desolate and empty. And because it points back to the past, in the beginning, translators usually choose a past tense: was or became. I read a comment about this in the Scripture translation (www.schriftwoord.nl) that says:
Literally at the beginning of this verse it says: “And the earth is chaos and empty.” However, it has been translated as “became chaos and vacancy.” The reason for this is that when God creates, it is never chaos and never empty. God is a God of order, not chaos.
misunderstanding
Do we alter Scripture because of our own misunderstanding? Or should we just read what it says and if we don’t understand it, accept it and leave it as it is until we do?
desolate and empty
Desolate (Hebrew: tohuw) and empty (Hebrew: bohuw) are concepts that overlap. Tohuw occurs 20 times in the Old Testament and is translated as: the waste, desolation, vanity, vanities. The latter in the sense of idols (1 Sam.12:21). They are nothing, empty. The second concept, bohuw, occurs only three times and is translated as: empty, void(ness).
chaos?
In studying these words, I see no reason to translate tohuw as chaos, as the Scripture translation has done. Although Scripture is a concordant translation, which, as far as possible, translates the Hebrew word in the original text with the same Dutch word each time, this has not been done in all cases with tohuw, because it is not possible. Then a conclusion could, and perhaps should, be that chaos is not a good translation word. In addition, where chaos has been chosen as a translation word, an incomprehensible sentence sometimes results, while vain or empty would be a suitable and understandable translation word (e.g. 1 Sam. 12:21; Isa. 40:17,23; 49: 4).
organize and fill
God created the earth, or land, and in the beginning it was without form and void, in the sense of disordered, without form, and vain. Like a painter who makes a painting and starts with a blank canvas and then paints some lines on it. The subjects to be painted must be arranged on the canvas and the canvas filled. Or a sculptor who starts with a piece of stone and starts carving pieces from this lump and adding shapes and lines. But an architect also starts by pouring a foundation for building his building. A formless beginning, most of which is not even visible. But it is rightly fundamental.
Isaiah 45
18 For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens, God who formed the earth and is its maker. He has established it, He has not created it to be desolate, but He has formed it to be inhabited. I am YAHWEH, there is no other.
to inhabit
Of course, God did not create the earth to be and remain desolate, but to inhabit it. Therefore He ordered it and filled it with waters, land, animals, plants and man. He also made light bearers to order times, such as days and years (1:14).
We would wonder to what extent God ordered the earth, which was desolate and empty. There are large and vast areas on earth that we can still call desolate and empty. The order that God has established in creation is not perfect. After all, it is God himself who has subjected creation to vanity.
Romans 8
20 For the creation was subjected to vanity, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it…
ephemerally designed
Creation is not subordinated to vanity (> meaninglessness) because of “a fall from Satan”, as is taught, but it is God himself who designed it this way. Not voluntarily, it says, so not because of the free will of Satan and also not of Adam, who ate the fruit. God has ordained it this way.
God saw that it was good
We read six times in Genesis 1 that God saw that it was good (verses 4,10,12,18,21 and 25) and finally that it was very good (verse 31), but the creation was not perfect. This “old creation” is good for the purpose that God has set and will make way for a new creation.
Revelation 21
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away.