The Importance of First Things
GENESIS 1-15
"In" the Beginning "for" the Beginning
The Importance of First Things
It is said that the most important book of the Bible is the first book of the Bible.
Likewise, the most important chapter of the Bible is the first chapter—the first verse being the
most important verse. What about the first word? How important is the Hebrew preposition
translated by most of our English versions "in?"
The Complete Biblical Library Hebrew English Dictionary says: "This is a common
Hebrew preposition that has a diverse range of nuances and meaning."1 One Jewish scholar
translates the Hebrew preposition "from the beginning."2 By translating the first word "from"
rather than "in" how does this change the meaning of the sentence?
This Hebrew preposition is very important. A preposition locates the subject of the
sentence, i.e. God, in space or in time. Thus, by translating the Hebrew into the English "in" we
understand that when the beginning began, God was already "in" it. The preposition translated
"in" lends a theological condition about God—He was already in existence before there was
anything else. "From" could denote that the beginning had already occurred before God began
creating. The English "from" tells us very little about God.
This translation could cause us to think of God as a kind of powerful director on the
cosmic stage of the universe. As its director, rather than creator, God would then be making sure
that the universe doesn't get out of control—out of what He hopes to make of it.3 "In" locates
God as already existing when the beginning began.
However, in light of all the Bible from Genesis 3 on, the Hebrew makes better since to be
translated "for"—"for the beginning God created." This understanding does not lose its locative
qualities. God is still already preexisting the universe when He created, but God has another
universe already in mind—the one Revelation 21 reveals. His aim in creating this one is to
prepare a unique people for the new one coming at Jesus Return.
The 8th chapter of Proverbs tells us that "wisdom" was the first of God's creations. The
st
1 chapter of John tells us that Jesus Christ already existed prior to anything else and that He
actually did the creating. Why was it necessary that Jesus Christ do the creating of the universe?
We start our answer by understanding that God does nothing without purpose and reason. We
will answer this question as we get down into the 3rd verse of Genesis 1.
My purpose in arguing that the Hebrew proposition of Genesis 1:1 ["in," ְּ‫ ] ב‬can be
equally understood as "for" is not to argue that the English translations are wrong. However, in
light of the following, "in" and "for" are both important.
First, "in" is used to identify location.4 Texts such as Psalm 102:25-26, Luke 21:33, 2
Peter 3:10 and Revelation 21:1 indicate that this universe is not the world God envisioned as "the
beginning." Second, the Hebrew ‫ ְּב‬can be translated "for, through or on account of to denote the
1
The Complete Biblical Library, The Old Testament Hebrew-English Dictionary (Springfield: World Library Press,
1995. #904. 428.
2
Samson Raphael Hirsch, translated into English by Isaac Levy, The Pentateuch, Vol. 1, Genesis (London: L. Honig
& Sons, Ltd, 1959). 1.
3
This is Norman Geisler's "Panantheism."
4
See note 1 above.
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The Importance of First Things
cause of or basis for something."5 This understanding, in light of numerous biblical references to
the "real beginning" occurring at Jesus' second coming, would help us understand the text to
read: "on account of or for the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
Third, "in" is necessary to locate God as already existing prior to the creation. This
universe was created by God in time and space for one reason: to prepare for a universe created
for a people who had willingly accepted the gospel and stood the tests of this "world" and who
graduated into the New creation at Jesus second coming by grace.
Fourth, if we do not understand that it was a part of God's plan to create twice we would
get the impression that God is fallible because He somehow failed in making the first creation
turn out right.6 God did in fact create this universe "for" the real one He has in store for the
future. God created with light into darkness. Darkness is a metaphor, not for sin, but for the
wrath of God. Those who dwell in darkness dwell in God's wrath.7 Therefore, darkness is the
absence of righteousness—completely unhealthy feelings and thinking.
A Dark formless void
Genesis 1:2, The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of
the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God
said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And
God separated the light from the darkness.
Notice that the "earth" was already there before God began creating. However, it was
"without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep." The earth is the center of
every aspect of God's creation. It existed prior to the universe.
The Hebrew translated "without form" means 1. a desolation (of surface), i.e. desert 2.
(figuratively) a worthless thing 3. adverbially, in vain." The KJV translates it variously,
confusion, empty place, without form, nothing, (thing of) nought, vain, vanity, waste, wilderness.8
Some have understood this to mean that God's Spirit hovered over "chaos" and "confusion."9
"Darkness was over the face of the deep." The Hebrew translated "darkness" was used to
denote "(figuratively) misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness."10 The Hebrew
could also mean the result of "an act of judgment."11 "The deep" could be translated "abyss"12
5
Ibid. 430.
Randy Alcorn, Heaven (NC: Eternal Perspective Ministries, 2004). 152. Alcorn quotes Anthony Hoekema: "If
God would have to annihilate the present cosmos, Satan would have won a great victory..."
7
One of God's attributes is his omnipresence—he is everywhere present at the same time. Since He is everywhere
present [i.e. ubiquitous] he is also present where sin and evil also exist. His wrath keeps resident evil at bay within
His creation by wrath. His wrath is an extension of His holiness and sin cannot be in the presence of God without
God destroying it. Since angels and humans are created immortal, God's wrath is hell for the unsaved dead.
8
H8414 ‫ ּתֹוהּו‬tohuw (to'-hoo) n-m. 1. a desolation (of surface), i.e. desert 2. (figuratively) a worthless thing 3.
adverbially, in vain [from an unused root meaning to lie waste] KJV: confusion, empty place, without form, nothing,
(thing of) nought, vain, vanity, waste, wilderness. Theword.net. http://www.theword.net/index.php?
home&l=english. April, 2011.
9
TCBLSB Hebrew-English Dictionary, Sin-Taw, #8744, ‫ ּתֹוהּו‬tōhû, (to'-hoo). 444.
10
H2822 ‫ חֹושֶׁ ך‬choshek (kho-shek') n-m. Theword.net. http://www.theword.net/index.php?home&l=english. April,
2011.
11
TCBLSB Hebrew-English Dictionary, Heth-Yodh, #2932, ‫ חֹושֶׁ ך‬chōshekh. 293
12
H8415 ‫ ְּּתהֹום ְּּתהֹום‬thowm (teh-home') (or thom {teh-home'}) n-e. 1. an abyss (as a surging mass of water),
especially the deep (the main sea or the subterranean water-supply). KJV: deep (place), depth. Theword.net.
http://www.theword.net/index.php?home&l=english. April, 2011.
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The Importance of First Things
and carries the possible meaning in Hebrew of a primordial element13—something that was
already there before God began creating. The Hebrew "hovering over"14 can mean "above, over,
upon, or against."
We get the picture here that the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, is hovering over a dark,
chaotic, degenerate place—a place where misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow and
wickedness pervade. This would have been a place assigned by God to Satan and his minions, a
place God banished Satan and the demonic hoards to before He began the creation of the
physical universe. God then created "light," the Light of John 1 and put it right in the middle of
the darkness. What was this light?
According to John, it is the light of salvation—the light of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ
created that light by His death and resurrection and it is the "light" that shows the way to the
need for grace. However, in foreknowledge God saw the plan of salvation already completed
before there was anything else: the plan of salvation was already in place before He began
creating anything.15 That plan of salvation included a new universe to replace the original.
Thus, the very first of God's mighty acts of creation was to put His plan of grace in the
middle of darkness and put His human creation in the light of grace. Adam was created in grace
and put in the garden of grace. While the Bible does not say it, it seems to me that God then
gathered the "world" of Satan's domain, this incredible perversity, misery and chaos and put it in
one spot—the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
This one location, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, bottled up and comprised
what had been the universal darkness and chaos of Satan's world. The light was everywhere and
the darkness limited to one location. God invaded Satan's domain and put man in God's
invasion. Why?
The 8th Psalm tells us that man was created a little lower than God. Though some
translations use angel or spiritual being, the Hebrew word is 'Elohiym, the same word translated
God in Genesis 1:1. The Hebrews used this term to apply to pagans who worshiped other gods
or to rulers or magistrates.16 God created us as god-like beings. He created these beings with a
free-will to choose. Of all that comprises human nature, God honored free will more than
anything else.
Thus, God shown His light into the darkness of sin and Satan and put us into it. He gave
us a choice. Adam had to choose and so do we. Like Adam and Eve, we come into this world in
"original grace" [Romans 5:12ff]. Adam fell from grace and had to choose to come back. We
also must make a decision to accept or reject the grace of God when we reach the moment we
see death.
TCBLSB Hebrew-English Dictionary, Sin-Taw, ‫ ְּּתהֹום‬tᵉhōm (teh-home'). 444.
H5921 ‫` עַל‬al (al) prep. 1. above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in
a great variety of applications…KJV: above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among… Theword.net. April,
2011.
15
John 17:4; Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:20; Rev.13:8; Col. 1:17; Titus 1:2.
16
H430 ‫' אֱלֹוהִ ים‬elohiym (el-o-heem') n-m. 1. gods in the ordinary sense 2. but specifically used (in the plural thus,
especially with the article) of the supreme God 3. occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates 4. and
sometimes as a superlative [plural of H433]. Theword.net. May, 2011.
13
14
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