Genesis 1:1-11:26

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Genesis 1:1

"THE WORLD THAT THEN WAS" (2 Peter 3:5 , 2 Peter 3:6 ). See Structure shown in Genesis Book comments. Creation in eternity past, to which all Fossils and "Remains" belong. God. Hebrew. Elohim, plural. First occurrence connects it with creation, and denotes, by usage, the Creator in relation to His creatures. See App-4 . The Hebrew accent Athnach places the emphasis, and gives pause, on "God" as being Himself the great worker, separating the Worker from His work. created (singular) Occurs 6... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Genesis 1:1

THE FIRST DAY"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."There is absolutely nothing either unreasonable or hard to understand about this. That there was indeed a beginning of our universe and the world we live in is absolutely certain. No matter how far back into the mists of prehistoric time men may postulate the point of origin for our universe, it is precisely THERE that they must confront God, the omnipotent, eternal, all-pervading, omniscient First Cause, known to Christians... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Genesis 1:1

Genesis 1:1. This verse may be understood as a general introduction to the account of the creation, which Moses is about to give; asserting, in confutation of all who held the eternity or fortuitous formation of the world, that the Almighty God gave a beginning to it, by creating the heaven and the earth. It may also be understood as a part of the following account, expressing, that God, in the first place, created that substance in a chaotic form, out of which the regular and beautiful system... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Genesis 1:1

1. In the beginning—a period of remote and unknown antiquity, hid in the depths of eternal ages; and so the phrase is used in Proverbs 8:22; Proverbs 8:23. God—the name of the Supreme Being, signifying in Hebrew, "Strong," "Mighty." It is expressive of omnipotent power; and by its use here in the plural form, is obscurely taught at the opening of the Bible, a doctrine clearly revealed in other parts of it, namely, that though God is one, there is a plurality of persons in the Godhead—Father,... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Genesis 1:1

1. An initial statement of creation 1:1There are three major views concerning the relationship of Genesis 1:1 to the rest of the creation account.1. Genesis 1:1 describes an original creation of the universe. God began fashioning the earth as we know it in Genesis 1:2 or Genesis 1:3. This view may or may not involve a gap in time between Genesis 1:1-2. [Note: Advocates of this view include Kidner; C. F. Keil and Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Pentateuch, vol. 1; G.... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Genesis 1:1-3

A. The story of creation 1:1-2:3God created the entire universe and then formed and filled it in six days. He brought order and fullness for humankind to enjoy and to rule over. He then blessed and set apart the seventh day as a memorial of His creative work. [Note: Ross, Creation and Blessing, has influenced this and subsequent introductory and concluding summaries of the major sections of the text, though I have not always footnoted his views, as I have done here.] The God of Israel, the... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Genesis 1:1-26

I. PRIMEVAL EVENTS 1:1-11:26Chapters 1-11 provide an introduction to the Book of Genesis, the Pentateuch, and the whole Bible."What we find in chaps. 1-11 is the divine initiation of blessing, which is compromised by human sin followed by gracious preservation of the promise: blessing-sin-grace." [Note: Mathews, p. 60.] "His [Moses’] theological perspective can be summarized in two points. First, the author intends to draw a line connecting the God of the Fathers and the God of the Sinai... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 1:1-4

The Creation’The foundation of foundations and pillar of all wisdom is to know that the First Being is, and that He giveth existence to everything that exists! ’Thus wrote Moses Maimonides, a Jewish scholar of the 12th cent, a.d., concerning whom the Jewish proverb runs: ’From Moses to Moses there arose none like Moses.’ He had in his mind the opening chapter of the Bible, the object of which is to lay this foundation; to declare the existence of the One God; to teach that the Universe was... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 1:1-31

The Creation'The foundation of foundations and pillar of all wisdom is to know that the First Being is, and that He giveth existence to everything that exists! 'Thus wrote Moses Maimonides, a Jewish scholar of the 12th cent, a.d., concerning whom the Jewish proverb runs: 'From Moses to Moses there arose none like Moses.' He had in his mind the opening chapter of the Bible, the object of which is to lay this foundation; to declare the existence of the One God; to teach that the Universe was... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Genesis 1:1

THE CREATIVE WEEK (Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 2:3).(1) In the beginning.—Not, as in John 1:1, “from eternity,” but in the beginning of this sidereal system, of which our sun, with its attendant planets, forms a part. As there never was a time when God did not exist, and as activity is an essential part of His being (John 5:17), so, probably, there was never a time when worlds did not exist; and in the process of calling them into existence when and how He willed, we may well believe that God acted... read more

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