New Living Translation
Genesis 1:1
1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
- New International Version (NIV)In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
- English Standard Version (ESV)In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
- New King James Version (NKJV)In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Context of Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Read all of Genesis 1Genesis 1:1 word by word
בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Genesis 1:1
- Proverbs 8:22“The Lord formed me from the beginning, before he created anything else.
- Proverbs 16:4The Lord has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster.
- Mark 13:19For there will be greater anguish in those days than at any time since God created the world. And it will never be so great again.
- John 1:1In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- Hebrews 1:10He also says to the Son, “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands.
- 1 John 1:1We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.
- Exodus 20:11For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
- Exodus 31:18When the Lord finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, written by the finger of God.
- 1 Chronicles 16:26The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens!
- Nehemiah 9:6“You alone are the Lord. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve them all, and the angels of heaven worship you.
- Job 26:13His Spirit made the heavens beautiful, and his power pierced the gliding serpent.
- Job 38:4“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much.
- Psalms 8:3When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place—
- Psalms 33:6The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born.
- Psalms 89:11The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours; everything in the world is yours—you created it all.
- Psalms 96:5The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens!
Commentaries on Genesis 1:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1God in the beginning created the heavens and the earth - הארץ ואת השמים את אלהים ברא בראשית Bereshith bara Elohim eth hashshamayim veeth haarets ; God in the beginning created the heavens and the earth. Many attempts have been made to define the term God: as to the word itself, it is pure Anglo-Saxon, and among our ancestors signified, not only the Divine Being, now commonly designated by the word, but also good; as in their apprehensions it appeared that…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1- Section I - The Creation - The Absolute Creation ראשׁית rḕshı̂̂yt the “head-part, beginning” of a thing, in point of time Genesis 10:10, or value Proverbs 1:7. Its opposite is אחרית 'achărı̂̂yth Isaiah 46:10. בראשׁית rê'shı̂̂yth “in the beginning,” is always used in reference to time. Here only is it taken absolutely. ברא bārā' “create, give being to something new.” It always has God for its subject. Its object may be anything: matter Genesis 1:1…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Genesis is a name taken from the Greek, and signifies "the book of generation or production;" it is properly so called, as containing an account of the origin of all things. There is no other history so old. There is nothing in the most ancient book which exists that contradicts it; while many things recorded by the oldest heathen writers, or to be traced in the customs of different nations, confirm what is related in the book of Genesis. God creates…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth: This statement summarizes the entire creation story (1:3–2:3). It answers the key question: Who created the world? (see also Proverbs 8:22–31; John 1:1–3). Genesis affirms God's role and purpose in creation. The common Hebrew name for God is ʾelohim. This name shows that God has supreme power over all things. The word ʾelohim is plural in form. However, it usually takes singular verbs. This shows…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1by Robert Jamieson The Pentateuch, the name by which the first five books of the Bible are designated, is derived from two Greek words, pente, "five," and teuchos, a "volume," thus signifying the fivefold volume. Originally these books formed one continuous work, as in the Hebrew manuscripts they are still connected in one unbroken roll. At what time they were divided into five portions, each having a separate title, is not known, but it is certain that…Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 1:1
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Genesis 1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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