Passage Viewer - Bible Claret

Genesis 1:26 - 2:3

Chapter 1

God said:

“Let us make man in our image, in our likeness. Let them rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, the wild animals, and all creeping things that crawl along the ground.”

So God created man in his image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

God blessed them and said:

“Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it, rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky, over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

God said:

“I have given you every seed-bearing plant that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree that bears fruit with seed. It will be for your food.

To every wild animal, bird of the sky, everything that creeps along the ground, and everything that has the breath of life, I give every green plant for food.”

So it was.

God saw everything He had made, and it was good. There was evening, and there was morning —the sixth day.

Chapter 2

That was how the sky and the earth were created, along with all their vast array.

By the seventh day, the work God had done was completed, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work.

And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on that day he rested from all the work he had done in his creation.

Commentaries

1:1 - 2:4a

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:

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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.