--- title: "Genesis 1 - Study King James Bible with clarkes commentary" description: "Read Genesis 1 with clarkes commentary commentary. 1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the S" image: "/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg" url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/genesis/1" --- [ Read](/kjv/genesis/1)[ Commentary](/study/genesis/1)[ Interlinear](/interlinear/genesis/1) Audio 1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness *was* upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that *it was* good: and God divided the light from the darkness.* 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.* 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. 10 And God called the dry *land* Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that *it was* good. 11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, 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.* 12 And the earth brought forth grass, *and* herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed *was* in itself, after his kind: and God saw that *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.* 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 creature 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. 22 And God blessed them, 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. 25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon 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 upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his *own* image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 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.* 29 ¶ And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which *is* upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which *is* the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.** 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.* [Genesis 2](/study/genesis/2) ## Commentary To verse 1 Verse [Genesis 1:1](/kjv/genesis/1/1). בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ Bereshith bara*******Elohim eth hashshamayim veeth haarets****GOD in the beginning* *created the heavens and the earth*. Many attempts have been made to define the term GOD: as to the word itself, it is pure Anglo-Saxon, and among our ancestors signified, not only the Divine Being, now commonly designated by the word, but also *good*; as in their apprehensions it appeared that *God* and *good* were correlative terms; and when they thought or spoke of him, they were doubtless led from the word itself to consider him as THE GOOD BEING, a fountain of infinite benevolence and beneficence towards his creatures. A general definition of this great First Cause, as far as human words dare attempt one, may be thus given: The eternal, independent, and self-existent Being: the Being whose purposes and actions spring from himself, without foreign motive or influence: he who is absolute in dominion; the most pure, the most simple, and most spiritual of all essences; infinitely benevolent, beneficent, true, and holy: the cause of all being, the upholder of all things; infinitely happy, because infinitely perfect; and eternally self-sufficient, needing nothing that he has made: illimitable in his immensity, inconceivable in his mode of existence, and indescribable in his essence; known fully only to himself, because an infinite mind can be fully apprehended only by itself. In a word, a Being who, from his infinite wisdom, cannot err or be deceived; and who, from his infinite goodness, can do nothing but what is eternally just, right, and kind. Reader, such is the God of the Bible; but how widely different from the God of most human creeds and apprehensions! The original word אלהים *Elohim*, God, is certainly the plural form of אל *El*, or אלה *Eloah*, and has long been supposed, by the most eminently learned and pious men, to imply a *plurality* of Persons in the Divine nature. As this plurality appears in so many parts of the sacred writings to be confined to *three* Persons, hence the doctrine of the TRINITY, which has formed a part of the creed of all those who have been deemed sound in the faith, from the earliest ages of Christianity. Nor are the *Christians* singular in receiving this doctrine, and in deriving it from the first words of Divine revelation. An eminent Jewish rabbin, Simeon ben Joachi, in his comment on the sixth section of Leviticus, has these remarkable words: "Come and see the mystery of the word Elohim; there are *three degrees*, and each degree by itself *alone*, and yet notwithstanding they are all *one*, and *joined together* in *one*, and are not divided from each other." See *Ainsworth*. He must be strangely prejudiced indeed who cannot see that the doctrine of a Trinity, and of a Trinity in unity, is expressed in the above words. The verb *bara*, he created, being joined in the singular number with this plural noun, has been considered as pointing out, and not obscurely, the *unity* of the Divine Persons in this work of creation. In the ever-blessed Trinity, from the infinite and indivisible unity of the persons, there can be but one will, one purpose, and one infinite and uncontrollable energy. "Let those who have any doubt whether אלהים *Elohim*, when meaning the true God, Jehovah, be *plural* or not, consult the following passages, where they will find it joined with adjectives, verbs, and pronouns *plural*. "[Genesis 1:26](/kjv/genesis/1/26); [Genesis 3:22](/kjv/genesis/3/22); [Genesis 11:7](/kjv/genesis/11/7); [Genesis 20:13](/kjv/genesis/20/13); [Genesis 31:7](/kjv/genesis/31/7); [Genesis 31:53](/kjv/genesis/31/53); [Genesis 35:7](/kjv/genesis/35/7). "[Deuteronomy 4:7](/kjv/deuteronomy/4/7); [Deuteronomy 5:23](/kjv/deuteronomy/5/23); [Joshua 24:19](/kjv/joshua/24/19); [1 Samuel 4:8](/kjv/1-samuel/4/8); [2 Samuel 7:23](/kjv/2-samuel/7/23); "[Psalms 58:6](/kjv/psalms/58/6); [Isaiah 6:8](/kjv/isaiah/6/8); [Jeremiah 10:10](/kjv/jeremiah/10/10); [Jeremiah 23:36](/kjv/jeremiah/23/36). "See also [Proverbs 9:10](/kjv/proverbs/9/10); [Proverbs 30:3](/kjv/proverbs/30/3); [Psalms 149:2](/kjv/psalms/149/2); [Ecclesiastes 5:7](/kjv/ecclesiastes/5/7); [Ecclesiastes 12:1](/kjv/ecclesiastes/12/1); "[Job 5:1](/kjv/job/5/1); [Isaiah 6:3](/kjv/isaiah/6/3); [Isaiah 54:5](/kjv/isaiah/54/5); [Isaiah 62:5](/kjv/isaiah/62/5); [Hosea 11:12](/kjv/hosea/11/12), or [Hosea 12:1](/kjv/hosea/12/1); [Malachi 1:6](/kjv/malachi/1/6); [Daniel 5:18](/kjv/daniel/5/18); [Daniel 5:20](/kjv/daniel/5/20); [Daniel 7:18](/kjv/daniel/7/18); [Daniel 7:22](/kjv/daniel/7/22)." - PARKHURST. As the word *Elohim* is the term by which the Divine Being is most generally expressed in the Old Testament, it may be necessary to consider it here more at large. It is a maxim that admits of no controversy, that every noun in the Hebrew language is derived from a *verb*, which is usually termed the *radix* or root, from which, not only the noun, but all the different flections of the verb, spring. This radix is the third person singular of the preterite or past tense. The *ideal* meaning of this root expresses some essential property of the thing which it designates, or of which it is an appellative. The root in *Hebrew*, and in its sister language, the *Arabic*, generally consists of *three* letters, and every word must be traced to its root in order to ascertain its genuine meaning, for there alone is this meaning to be found. In Hebrew and Arabic this is essentially necessary, and no man can safely criticise on any word in either of these languages who does not carefully attend to this point. I mention the *Arabic* with the *Hebrew* for two reasons. 1. Because the two languages evidently spring from the same source, and have very nearly the same mode of construction. 2. Because the deficient roots in the Hebrew Bible are to be sought for in the Arabic language. The reason of this must be obvious, when it is considered that the whole of the Hebrew language is lost except what is in the Bible, and even a part of this book is written in Chaldee. Now, as the *English* Bible does not contain the whole of the *English language*, so the Hebrew Bible does not contain the whole of the Hebrew. If a man meet with an English word which he cannot find in an ample concordance or dictionary to the Bible, he must of course seek for that word in a general English dictionary. In like manner, if a particular form of a Hebrew word occur that cannot be traced to a root in the Hebrew Bible, because the word does not occur in the third person singular of the past tense in the Bible, it is expedient, it is perfectly lawful, and often indispensably necessary, to seek the deficient root in the Arabic. For as the Arabic is still a living language, and perhaps the most copious in the universe, it may well be expected to furnish those terms which are deficient in the Hebrew Bible. And the reasonableness of this is founded on another maxim, viz., that either the Arabic was derived from the Hebrew, or the Hebrew from the Arabic. I shall not enter into this controversy; there are great names on both sides, and the decision of the question in either way will have the same effect on my argument. For if the *Arabic* were derived from the Hebrew, it must have been when the Hebrew was a *living* and *complete* language, because such is the Arabic now; and therefore all its essential roots we may reasonably expect to find there: but if, as Sir William Jones supposed, the *Hebrew* were derived from the Arabic, the same expectation is justified, the deficient roots in Hebrew may be sought for in the *mother* tongue. If, for example, we meet with a term in our ancient English language the meaning of which we find difficult to ascertain, common sense teaches us that we should seek for it in the *Anglo-Saxon*, from which our language springs; and, if necessary, go up to the *Teutonic*, from which the Anglo-Saxon was derived. No person disputes the legitimacy of this measure, and we find it in constant practice. I make these observations at the very threshold of my work, because the necessity of acting on this principle (seeking deficient Hebrew roots in the Arabic) may often occur, and I wish to speak *once for* *all* on the subject. The first sentence in the Scripture shows the propriety of having recourse to this principle. We have seen that the word אלהים *Elohim* is plural; we have traced our term *God* to its source, and have seen its signification; and also a general definition of the *thing* or *being* included under this term, has been tremblingly attempted. We should now trace the *original* to its *root*, but this root does not appear in the Hebrew Bible. Were the Hebrew a *complete* language, a pious reason might be given for this omission, viz., "As God is without beginning and without cause, as his being is infinite and *underived*, the Hebrew language consults strict propriety in giving *no root* whence his name can be *deduced*." Mr. Parkhurst, to whose pious and learned labours in Hebrew literature most Biblical students are indebted, thinks he has found the root in אלה *alah, he swore, bound himself by oath*; and hence he calls the ever-blessed Trinity אלהים Elohim, as *being* *bound by a conditional oath to redeem man, c., c*. Most pious minds will revolt from such a definition, and will be glad with me to find both the *noun* and the *root* preserved in Arabic. ALLAH [Arabic] is the common name for GOD in the Arabic tongue, and often the emphatic [Arabic] is used. Now both these words are derived from the root *alaha*, he *worshipped, adored, was struck* *with astonishment, fear, or terror* and hence, *he adored with* *sacred horror* and *veneration*, cum sacro horrore ac veneratione coluit, adoravit. - WILMET. Hence *ilahon*, fear, veneration, and also *the object of religious fear*, the *Deity*, the supreme God, the *tremendous Being*. This is not a new idea God was considered in the same light among the ancient Hebrews; and hence Jacob swears by the *fear* of his father Isaac, [Genesis 31:53](/kjv/genesis/31/53). To complete the definition, Golius renders *alaha, juvit, liberavit, et tutatus* *fuit*, "he succoured, liberated, kept in safety, or defended." Thus from the *ideal* meaning of this most expressive root, we acquire the most correct notion of the Divine nature; for we learn that God is the *sole object of adoration*; that the perfections of his nature are such as must *astonish* all those who piously contemplate them, and fill with *horror* all who would dare to give his glory to *another*, or break his commandments; that consequently he should be *worshipped* with *reverence* and *religious fear*; and that every sincere worshipper may expect from him *help* in all his weaknesses, trials, difficulties, temptations, c, *freedom* from the power, guilt, nature, and consequences of sin; and to be *supported,* *defended*, and saved to the uttermost, and to the end. Here then is one proof, among multitudes which shall be adduced in the course of this work, of the importance, utility, and necessity of tracing up these sacred words to their *sources*; and a proof also, that subjects which are supposed to be out of the reach of the common people may, with a little difficulty, be brought on a level with the most ordinary capacity. ***In the beginning*** — Before the creative acts mentioned in this chapter all was ETERNITY. *Time* signifies *duration* measured by the revolutions of the heavenly bodies: but prior to the creation of these bodies there could be no measurement of duration, and consequently no *time*; therefore *in the beginning* must necessarily mean the commencement of time which followed, or rather was produced by, God's creative acts, as an effect follows or is produced by a cause. ***Created*** — Caused existence where previously to this moment there was no being. The rabbins, who are legitimate judges in a case of verbal criticism on their own language, are unanimous in asserting that the word ברא *bara* expresses the commencement of the existence of a thing, or egression from nonentity to entity. It does not in its *primary* meaning denote the *preserving* or *new* *forming* things that had previously existed, as some imagine, but *creation* in the proper sense of the term, though it has some other acceptations in other places. The supposition that God formed all things out of a pre-existing, eternal nature, is certainly absurd, for if there had been an eternal nature besides an eternal God, there must have been two self-existing, independent, and eternal beings, which is a most palpable contradiction. את השמים eth hashshamayim. The word את *eth*, which is generally considered as a *particle*, simply denoting that the word following is in the accusative or oblique case, is often understood by the rabbins in a much more extensive sense. "The particle את," says Aben Ezra, "signifies the *substance* of the thing." The like definition is given by Kimchi in his *Book of* *Roots*. "This particle," says Mr. Ainsworth, "having the *first* and *last* letters of the Hebrew alphabet in it, is supposed to comprise the *sum* and *substance* of *all things*." "The particle את *eth* (says Buxtorf, Talmudic Lexicon, sub voce) with the cabalists is often mystically put for the *beginning* and the *end*, as α alpha and ω omega are in the Apocalypse." On this ground these words should be translated, "God in the beginning created the *substance* of the heavens and the *substance* of the earth," i.e. the *prima materia*, or first elements, out of which the heavens and the earth were successively formed. The Syriac translator understood the word in this sense, and to express this meaning has used the word [Arabic] *yoth*, which has this signification, and is very properly translated in Walton's Polyglot, ESSE, *caeli* et ESSE *terrae*, "the *being* or *substance* of the heaven, and the *being* or *substance* of the earth." St. Ephraim Syrus, in his comment on this place, uses the same Syriac word, and appears to understand it precisely in the same way. Though the Hebrew words are certainly no more than the notation of a *case* in most places, yet understood here in the sense above, they argue a wonderful philosophic accuracy in the statement of Moses, which brings before us, not a *finished* heaven and earth, as every other translation appears to do, though afterwards the process of their formation is given in detail, but merely the *materials* out of which God built the whole system in the six following days. ***The heaven and the earth***.] As the word שמים *shamayim* is plural, we may rest assured that it means more than the *atmosphere*, to express which some have endeavoured to restrict its meaning. Nor does it appear that the atmosphere is particularly intended here, as this is spoken of, [Genesis 1:6](/kjv/genesis/1/6), under the term *firmament*. The word *heavens* must therefore comprehend the whole *solar system*, as it is very likely the whole of this was created in these six days; for unless the earth had been the *centre* of a system, the reverse of which is sufficiently demonstrated, it would be unphilosophic to suppose it was created independently of the other parts of the system, as on this supposition we must have recourse to the almighty power of God to suspend the influence of the earth's gravitating power till the fourth day, when the sun was placed in the centre, round which the earth began then to revolve. But as the design of the inspired penman was to relate what especially belonged to our world and its inhabitants, therefore he passes by the rest of the planetary system, leaving it simply included in the plural word *heavens*. In the word *earth* every thing relative to the terraqueaerial globe is included, that is, all that belongs to the solid and fluid parts of our world with its surrounding atmosphere. As therefore I suppose the whole solar system was created at this time, I think it perfectly in place to give here a general view of all the planets, with every thing curious and important hitherto known relative to their revolutions and principal affections. This is a small but accurate sketch of the vast solar system; to describe it fully, even in all its *known* revolutions and connections, in all its astonishing energy and influence, in its wonderful plan, structure, operations, and results, would require more volumes than can be devoted to the commentary itself. As so little can be said here on a subject so vast, it may appear to some improper to introduce it at all; but to any observation of this kind I must be permitted to reply, that I should deem it unpardonable not to give a general view of the solar system in the very place where its creation is first introduced. If these works be stupendous and magnificent, what must He be who formed, guides, and supports them all by the *word* of his power! Reader, stand in awe of this God, and sin not. Make him thy friend through the Son of his love; and, when these heavens and this earth are no more, thy soul shall exist in consummate and unutterable felicity. See the remarks on the *sun, moon*, and *stars*, after [Genesis 1:16](/kjv/genesis/1/16). 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