I decided to watch this video by Dr. Michael S. Heiser about how we are reading the first chapter of the book of Genesis wrong. I started it a bit skeptical believing I wasn’t going to learn anything. But I was wrong. I learned something fascinating.
I’ll attempt to explain it. But, you will see and understand better hearing him explain it.
In short, he started by giving a basic lesson on Hebrew and the variations of Hebrew. There are versions with and without vowels. Those are symbols, markers, or accents above or below the letters. There are similarities to Arabic, which I have studied a little. So this made sense.
Then he explained the words and which statements were leading or following other statements in the chapter. Likewise, the word with or without the vowels could mean other words. This is where it got really interesting. What he ended up with was that Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. This was actually the first action God took even though it is verse 3 in the chapter. And that verses 1 and 2 were modifiers of verse 3. However, when you read it in English, it has been translated to be the third action.
So, if you looked at it as “WHEN” God was in the process of creating the earth. It feels like it completely changes the way it reads. It turns the first three verses into a period of time in which each of those things took place, but the first and second were not the first.
So Dr Heiser talks about scribes doing their best to translate the true meaning of ancient texts. There were plain and precious truths lost. It’s pretty simple.
1 When God began to create the heaves and the earth-
2 Now the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the water’s-
3 Then God said, “Let there be Light,” and there was light.
I think there is truth there. Interestingly, it is a good reminder that the messages within the scriptures may not always be how they plainly read and the messages over time could have been altered through translation over time.
Jehovah Creates the Earth by Walter Rane used without permission. You have to agree it’s a pretty awesome image.