Genesis is so important to understand. Here is a breakdown of the first 50 chapters of the book.
The word “Genesis” is not part of the Hebrew title. The Hebrew title is simply: “in [the] beginning.” Genesis is Greek. See Appendix 3 of the Companion Bible.
A book ascribed to Moses. See Appendix 2 of the Companion Bible.
Chapter 1
1-In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
The world that then was. Creation in the eternity past. This was done in the first earth age. See 2 Peter 3.5,6.
God is the Hebrew word “Elohim” here, see #430 in the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Plural for the Creator and His creation. Directs back to #410 in the Hebrew, which is strength or might, mighty, i.e. the Almighty.
Notice all three of the things that make up the universe are present in this one verse: time is “In the beginning.” space is “the heavens,” and matter is “the earth.” It was not until the twentieth century that we understood the universe to be made up of these three things. This was written 30 centuries ago.
2- And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
The word “was” here is became or come to pass. Without form is waste. Not created as waste but became waste. Another indication of the world that was or the first earthly and heaven age. Appendix 146 in the Companion Bible explains the foundation of the world in detail. It describes the katabole as well. This is the disruption or ruin, and the verb kataballo means casting down or overthrow. See 2 Peter 3:6 for a reference to the world that then was. This is a result of Satan’s rebellion during the first earth age.
Also see Jeremiah 4:23 for comparison when God says he destroyed everything before.
2(cont.)- And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
This is the heavens and the earth which are now, i.e. the second earth age, which we are currently inhabiting. See the companion text of the Companion Bible.
Moved is to brood, to be relaxed , flutter, move, shake. #7363 in the Strong’s Concordance. The prime root of face is #6437 and is to appear, look or face amongst other meanings.
3- And God said, “Let there be light:” and there was light.
Be light is to become light. Not the verb “to be.” His word enters and gives light. See E.W. Bullinger’s side notes.
4- And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
Good is also beautiful. #2896 in the Strong’s Concordance.
5- And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
6- And God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
Firmament is expanse, something spread out. #7549 in the Strong’s as an expanse, visible arch of the sky. As if the oceans were in the sky at one point protecting the earth and providing perfect climate world wide before the earth was off its axis.
7- And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.
8- And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
9- And God said, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear:” and it was so.
God is still Elohim (#430 in the Strong’s Concordance,) in all of the instances here until chapter 6:5.
10- And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas; and God saw it was good.
11- And God said, “Let the earth bring forthgrass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind whose seed is in itself, upon the earth:” and it was so.
See appendix 10 in the Companion Bible.
12- And the earth brought forth grass, and the herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw it was good.
13- And the evening and the morning were the third day.
14- And God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15- And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth:” and it was so.
16- And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: He made the stars also.
The lights are #3974 in the Strong’s Concordance. A luminous body, brightness i.e. cheerfulness.
17- And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18- And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
19- And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
20- And God said, “Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creatures that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.”
21- And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
See #8577 in the Strong’s for “whales.” It is a sea monster or serpent, dragon, whale. Bullinger side note in the Companion Bible reads, “great sea-creatures.”
Creature here is the Hebrew word “nephesh,” #5315 in the Strong’s Concordance. Nephesh has several meanings; a breathing creature, body, man, person, pleasure, soul, and many more. It comes from the prime root “naphash,” which is #5314 in the Strong’s. Naphash is to breathe, be breathed upon or refreshed as if by a current of air.
22- And God blessed the saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.”
23- And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
24- And God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: ” and it was so.
Beast is #2416 in the Strongs Concordance. “Chay,” which means alive, plant, life or living thing. From #2421 “chayah”- to live.
25- And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth on the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
26- And God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth on the earth.”
According to the side panel of the Companion Bible, “Let Us” indicates Divine purpose. Bullinger also reveals that image…likeness is one thing not two, and is purely physical not moral likeness of Elohim. One could take this to mean that God and the angels physically look like man.
God is still Elohim. Man is “Adam,” #120 in the Strong’s Concordance. From #119, ruddy complected showing blood in the face.
27- So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created He him; male and female created He them.
Image is #6754 in the Strong’s, “tselem.” It means shade, phantom, illusion, resemblance, image vain shew. This could be a copy of but far removed from reality.
28- And God blessed them, and God said unto them, ” Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
Replenish is “mala,” #4390 in the Strong’s Concordance. It means to fill.
29- And God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
Meat is #402 in the Strong’s “oklah,” which is food or to eat.
30- And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: “and it was so.
31- And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Bullinger notes that the other five days did not include the article “the'” as in “the sixth day.” Six is the number of man, as well as the antichrist or the devil, see appendix 10 in the Companion Bible for the significance of numbers in the Bible.