Bible Verse Lookup
Gen 1:6-7
Chapter 1
6
God said:
“Let there be a firm ceiling between the waters and let it separate waters from waters.”
7
So God made the ceiling and separated the waters below it from those above it. And so it was.
God said:
“Let there be a firm ceiling between the waters and let it separate waters from waters.”
So God made the ceiling and separated the waters below it from those above it. And so it was.
Commentaries
The Story of Creation.
For a long time, it was believed that this account was the first part written in the Bible, but it has since been shown to be untrue. Following the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Babylonians in 587 B.C., the Jewish people faced a crisis. They needed a narrative to help them regain perspective. Where was God? Why did he not defend his people? Why did he allow the city and the temple to be destroyed?
Through stories from various Eastern cultures, the editors create a hymn that conveys the message that, from the very beginning, God designed everything with harmony and goodness in mind. From the start, he desires the well-being of his people. This hymn serves as a comprehensive catechesis to foster adherence and strengthen faith in the One True God of Israel. Let’s examine some of the intentions and implications this narrative presents:
1. Creation is the result of God’s absolute goodness. During the primordial chaos, the Spirit of God moves; he is not absent, and his Word organizes things, causing everything that exists to emerge, with the characteristic note that everything is “good.”
2. In creation, everything follows a plan; nothing is random, and each element serves a specific function (even misfortunes). The pinnacle of creation is the human being, who has the other creatures at his command.
3. God creates man and woman in his image and likeness; He creates them male and female to oversee his work. Being a couple and living in community reflects a God who communicates, loves, transcends himself, and expresses his love for his creations. Through this dynamic, man and woman must also care for the creation that God places at their disposal.
4. God blesses his creation. Creation is not a cursed place or a place of punishment; rather, it is where all creatures are blessed by God and called to glorify him.
5. Finally, the Sabbath rest is the culmination of creation. God blesses and consecrates it. This “rest,” more than leisure, represents an expression of maturity and fullness. Like God in creation, human beings—men and women—along with all creatures, are directed toward it, toward fullness.