“Doctor,” Moon Knight (Vol. 7/2014), #9.

Writer: Brian Wood; Penciler and Inker: Greg Smallwood; Colorist: Jordie Bellaire; Letterer: Travis Lanham

“The lineage of the Sky and the Earth” (Genesis 1:1-2:4a)

Detail from Marc Chagall's "Creation."

This is the first creation story that the Bible gives us.  Note the de-mythologizing tendencies of the author; creation happens in an orderly sequence, without conflict or suspense, and entities who have voices and personalities elsewhere in the ancient Near East are inanimate creations, such as the sun [Shamash], the Great Deep [Tiamat], and the sea monsters [Tannin].

When Elohim began to create the heavens and the earth, [1]        while the earth was vapor and void,        and darkness across the face of Great Deep,        and a wind of Elohim fluttering across the face of the waters — Elohim said, "let light be!"        And light was. Elohim saw that the light was pleasing,        and Elohim separated the light and the dark. Elohim named the light "Day,"        and the darkness, he named "Night." Evening came, then morning: the first day.

Then Elohim said, "Let there be a hemisphere between the waters.        Let it be the separation between waters and waters. Elohim made the hemisphere,        and it separated between the waters below the hemisphere,        and the waters above the hemisphere. And so it was. Elohim named the hemisphere "Sky." Evening came, then morning: the second day.

Then Elohim said, "Let the waters under the sky assemble in a single place.        Let the mainland be seen!" And so it was. Elohim named the mainland "Earth,"        and the collection of water, he named "Oceans." Elohim saw that it was pleasing. Elohim said, "Let the earth sprout sprouts:        seed-bearing seedlings,        fruit trees of every kind on earth that bears fruit with seeds within." And so it was. The earth sent out sprouts,        seed-bearing seedlings of every kind,        and trees of every kind bearing fruit with seeds within. Elohim saw that it was pleasing. Evening came, then morning: the third day.

Then Elohim said, "Let there be luminaries in the hemisphere of the Sky,        to separate the day from the night.        Let them be for seasonal signs, for days and years,        and let them be luminaries in the hemisphere of the Sky,        to illuminate the Earth." And so it was. Elohim made the two great luminaries,        the great luminary for control over Day        and the small luminary for control over Night,        and the stars. Elohim put them in the hemisphere of the Sky        to illuminate the earth,        to control Day and Night,        and to separate the light from the dark. Elohim saw that it was pleasing. Evening came, then morning: the fourth day.

Then Elohim said, "Let the water swarm with swarms of living beings,        and let birds fly over the Earth,        across the hemisphere of the Sky." Elohim created the great sea-dragons,        and all the living creatures that crawl,        with which the water swarms,        of every kind —        and all the winged birds of every kind. Elohim saw that it was pleasing. Elohim blessed them, saying:        "Be fruitful and multiply,        and fill the Oceans' waters,        and may the birds multiply on the Earth." Evening came, then morning: the fifth day.

Then Elohim said, "Let the Earth send forth living creatures of every kind:        livestock and crawlers and wild beasts of the Earth, of every kind." And so it was. Elohim made the wild beasts of the earth, of every kind,        and the livestock of every kind,        and everything that crawls on the ground, of every kind. Elohim saw that it was pleasing.

Then Elohim said, "Let's make humans in our image,        based on our shape.        They shall subjugate the fish of the Ocean,        and the birds of the Sky,        and the livestock,        and the entirety of the Earth,        and all the crawlers that crawl on the Earth. Elohim created humanity in his image;        in the image of Elohim, he created them;        male and female, he created them. Elohim blessed them, and Elohim said to them:        "Be fruitful and multiply,        and fill the Earth,        and conquer her, [2]        and subjugate the fish of the Ocean,        and the birds of the Sky,        and all creatures that crawl upon the Earth." Elohim said, "Look!        I hereby give you every seed-bearing seedling on the surface of the Earth,        and every tree whose tree-fruit bears seeds within;        they will be your food.        To every creature of the Earth,        and to all birds of the Sky,        and to everything that crawls on the earth,        everything with the breath of life:        all the green seedlings are your food." And so it was. Elohim saw everything he had made,        and (look!) it was very good. Evening came, then morning: the sixth day.

Then the Sky and the Earth were finished,        with all their entourage. Elohim had finished on the seventh day from the handiwork he made,        so he rested on the seventh day from all the handiwork he made. Elohim blessed the seventh day and set it apart,        because he rested from all the handiwork that he had made by creating. [3]

This is the lineage of the Sky and the Earth at their creation.

[1] Most English translations start with "in the beginning" -- a loaded phrase which implies creation ex nihilo, an absolute beginning before which there was nothing.  However, the text implies quite the opposite: when God began to create our world, there was already a watery chaos, which God shaped and molded and ordered into a world.

[2] As an environmentalist, I am hardly happy about the language of "subjugating and conquering" the Earth, but those violent connotations reflect the original Hebrew words.  In normal usage, one verb (K-B-Š) means "to enslave or rape someone"; the other verb (R-D-H) means "to rule oppressively/harshly."

[3] The word for "rest" here is shabat — i.e., the same root for the word "Sabbath."  It's a bit like saying "God sat down and took a break, and that's why we have Saturday": a clear etiology, like so much of Genesis.