Steven P. Wickstrom
all Scriptures quoted from the ESV
Quick Review
Day | Event |
---|---|
In the beginning God created the sky and the land. | |
Day 1 | Light is created and separated from darkness, God's Spirit covers the waters. |
Day 2 | God created the atmosphere by separating the water in the sky from the water on the ground. |
Day 3 | God caused dry land to appear and set the boundaries of the oceans, he then creates plant life. |
Day 4 | God created the Sun, Moon, and the stars. |
Genesis 1:20-23
20 Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.”
21 God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
Day 5 starts with and God said, and ends with there was evening, and there was morning. On day 5, God will create the birds of the air and the fish (and all swimming) creatures of the sea. Up until day 5, the skies had been empty of life. Can you imagine the sky without birds? The water on the earth has also been empty of life. However, since God created the plant life on day 4, the birds and sea creatures have food to eat. The intelligence behind the creation is stunning. God created the atmosphere and then created plants to fill it with oxygen. The plants then provide food for the birds and sea creatures, providing CO2 for the plants to convert back into oxygen. The excrement provided by the birds and animals provides fertilizer, further enhancing plant growth. The creation happened in a very logical progression. God is a genius.
Genesis 1:20
And God (אֱלהִים - Elohim) said (אָמַר - amar), “Let the waters (מַיִם - mayim) teem (שָׁרַץ - sharats) with swarms (שֶׁרֶץ - sherets) of living (חַי - chay) creatures (נֶפֶשׁ - nephesh), and let birds (עוֹף - oph) fly (עוּף - uwph) above (עַל - al) the earth (אֶרֶץ - erets) in the open (פָנִים - pene) expanse (רָקִיעַ - raqia) of the heavens (שָׁמַיִם - shamayim)."
Once again we find God speaking something into existence. As discussed in the fourth lesson (lesson 4), the word Elohim (Strong’s H430) is common noun that means “strength, might, and power(ful).” Since the word Elohim is a common noun, it is a descriptor, not a name. The phrase and said (Strong’s H559) means “to speak from the heart.”
The word waters (Strong’s H4325) is a plural word that can be used for any type of water from lakes, streams, rivers, and seas.1 It is an all-encompassing word. Due to the many possible meanings of this word, it is typically translated simply as water(s).
The word teem (שָׁרַץ - sharats - Strong’s H8317) can also translated as “to swarm, to teem, to breed abundantly.”2 Some translations use the word “swarm.” The word sharats emphasizes immense numbers. In modern English, the word swarm tends to have negative connotations. The word sharats is being used as a verb. Specifically, it is used in the future tense in the active voice. In other words, God started the “teeming” action, but it will continue on into the future.
The word swarms (שֶׁרֶץ - sherets - Strong’s H8318) is the same word being used, but this time as a noun (identifies a person, place, or thing). In this case, it describes a type of movement. It would be better translated as “swimming things.” This translation makes sense since this portion of the verse is talking about creatures that live in the water.
The word living (Strong’s H2416) is typically translated as “life, alive, or living.” The word generically refers to all kinds of animals and birds.3 The emphasis is not so much on the fact that creatures under the water are alive, but instead that God gave them life. Once again, we must remember that the emphasis is always on God. It was God who gave the sea creatures life. Thus, every creature that lives in the water owes their life to God. It is also interesting that scientists have no idea just how many species of animals live in the waters that cover our planet. So far, only about one-quarter of a million species of aquatic creatures have been cataloged.4
The word creatures (Strong’s H5315) refers to the aspects of sentience (the ability to perceive sensations; the ability to feel and sense) in both humans and animals. It is often translated as living being(s) or souls(s). It emphasizes the point that the creatures living under the water are complex beings. They think, feel, and have emotions, and in some sense, can distinguish between right and wrong. The creatures under the water are far more complex than we think. That fact alone demonstrates the greatness of God, who created them. The phrase living creatures answers the question of what the swarms (swimming things) are: they are living creatures.
The word birds (Strong’s H5775) means “bird or fowl.” It generically refers to any creature that can fly. It can also include bats and flying insects. You may be interested to know that there are approximately 20,000 species of birds worldwide (that we know of).5 By now, you may be getting the impression that God loves diversity.
The next word, fly (Strong’s H5774), is the same word as birds. The difference is that עוֹף -oph (birds) is a noun (descriptor), and עוּף -uwph (fly) is a verb (the action). The noun birds names what the verb birds is doing, flying. We are then told where the birds fly (please don’t ask me why), above the land across the expanse (פָנִים - pene) (Strong’s H6440) of the heavens. The word pane is often translated as “face” in many versions of the Bible.
The word expanse (Strong’s H7549) means “very high place” but is often translated “firmament.” This is the Hebrew word raqia which we discussed in previous lessons. In modern terms, we could better think of raqia as “atmosphere.” It refers to all of the visible arch of the sky, from horizon to horizon. The expanse is the area that God gave to birds.
The word heavens (Strong’s H8064) simply means sky. The birds fly in the sky. While this may seem obvious, God is setting boundaries. He was setting up the order by which his creation would operate. This demonstrates that God is completely in control.
Genesis 1:21
God (אֱלהִים - Elohim) created (בָּרָא - bara) the great (דָּדוֹל - gadol) sea monsters (תַּנִּין - tannin) and (אֵת - eth) every (כּל - kol) living (חַי - chay) creature (נֶפֶשׂ - nephesh) that moves (רָמַשׂ - ramas), with which (אֲשֶׁר - asher) the waters (מַיִם - mayim) swarmed (שָׁרַץ - sharats) after their kind (מִין - min), and (אֵת - eth) every (כּל - kol) winged (כָּנָפ - kanaph) bird (עוֹף - oph) after its kind (מִין - min); and God (אֱלהִים - Elohim) saw (רָאָה - raah) that (כִּי - kee) it was good (טוֹב - towb).
The phrase God created refers to verse 20, where God said, “Let the waters teem.” God created through speaking. As I pointed out in a previous lesson, “creating” means bringing something material into existence that did not previously exist. Theologians emphasize this fact by using the Latin term “ex nihilo,” meaning “from nothing.” Dr. Skip Moen states this about the use of bara in verse 21:
Swarms of animate creatures are created, not fashioned. These are described as having nephesh hayyah. In other words, there is a significant, essential difference between the inanimate creation (which includes all plant life) and the animate creation. Animate beings are not of the same order nor are they ontologically connected to inanimate beings. In the biblical narrative, life does not evolve from non-life. Life must be added to the equation by the action of God. The “stuff” might be the same, but the result is entirely different because now God engages in the renewal of the original creative process. Genesis 1:1 creates. Genesis 1:2-19 forms. Genesis 1:20-21 creates.6
The word great (Strong’s H1419) (in this context) means “many” in number.7 Itrefers to magnitude or amount of the creatures that God created. It is telling us that there are too many to be numbered. It is calling attention to diversity. It also calls attention to God. It is God who created the creatures that swim under the water and the creatures that fly above them. Contrast this with ancient Egypt, where several fish and bird gods existed. But the Israelites had only one God. Their God created what the Egyptians worshiped. Monotheism (only one God) made the religion of the Israelites a superior religion (not to mention much simpler).
The phrase sea monsters (Strong’s H8577) gets translated in various ways. Some versions translate it as creature, leviathan, dragon, monster, or serpent. Dr. Maarten J. Paul has an interesting take on the word tannin.
This generic term refers to great creatures in Genesis 1:21 and Psalms 148:7. In Exodus 7 and Psalms 91 it refers to a kind of serpent that must be much smaller and may be similar to an adder. These texts contain no mythological connotation. From Psalm 74:13-14 and Isaiah 27:1 it appears that the Leviathan belongs to the tannin or that the tannin are helpers of Leviathan. This name is also symbolically for the power of the enemy/evil (Isaiah 51:9 and Jeremiah 51:34). From Ezekiel 29:3 and 32:2, many deduce that the crocodile or the hippopotamus is intended. Yet a greater and mightier sea creature is more likely.8
So, what exactly is a sea monster? We don’t really know. If we consider that the Israelites had just come out of Egypt, they may have associated the sea monster with a crocodile or hippopotamus, both of which populated the Nile River. But ancient Egypt may also have had legends and myths about sea creatures that were much larger, like a whale.
The text then reinforces the fact that God created every living creature that moves in the waters. Once again, the focus is on God, not the multitude of sea life. He created everything that swims, from the very small to the very large. Every living creature that exists in the waters exists because God willed it to exist and spoke it into existence.
The word living (Strong’s H2416) is typically translated as “living thing, living being.” The word generically refers to all kinds of animals and birds.9 The emphasis is not so much on the fact that creatures under the water are alive but that God gave them life. Once again, we must remember that the emphasis is always on God. It was God who gave the animals life. Thus, every creature on the land owes their life to God. Scientists estimate that there are around 6.5 million species of land animals.10 When God spoke the animal kingdom into existence, he created a multitude of them.
The word creatures (נֶפֶשׂ - nephesh - Strong’s H5315) means “breath, life, desire.” In the context of this verse, it means the literal breath of the animals. Since breath is tantamount to life itself, nephesh essentially means life.11 It is interesting that nephesh also includes desire. This desire refers to the aspects of sentience (the ability to perceive sensations; the ability to feel and sense) in both humans and animals. It is often translated as living being(s). It emphasizes the point that the creatures living under the water are complex beings. They think, feel, and have emotions. The creatures under the water are far more complex than we think. That fact alone demonstrates the greatness of God, who created them. The phrase living creatures answers the question of what the swarms (swimming things) are: they are living creatures.
We then see the phrase after their kind used again. This phrase represents the boundaries within which the sea life can reproduce. These boundaries, however, allow for a significant amount of variation among the sea life yet provide limits or boundaries to that variation. Organisms have never varied outside the boundaries of their “kinds,” and they never will in the future. For example, dolphins only produce dolphins, but there are many different types (kinds) of dolphins. Keep in mind that the Israelites were farmers and shepherds. God was using language that they could easily relate to and understand.
Not only did God set boundaries for sea life, but he also created every winged bird after its kind. The same boundaries apply to the avian community as they do to sea life. God seems to like boundaries. They prevent chaos, and God loves order. It also demonstrates the intelligent design of God’s creation. Because God set the boundaries, evolution is not possible. Evolution would cross the boundaries that God set in place. If evolution were possible, it would mean that God was/is not in control of his creation.
Verse 21 confirms that what God had spoken had come to pass. Everything God had planned with and for the aquatic and avian life had happened exactly as he wanted and willed it to. God’s power to create the fish and the birds was on display through his spoken word. Once again, we have the phrase, and God saw that it was good. God was pleased with the aquatic and avian lifeforms he had created, and his inspection revealed that they operated precisely as designed. He, therefore, gave them his stamp of approval.
Genesis 1:22
God (אֱלהִים - Elohim) blessed (בָרַךְ - barak) them (אֵת - eth)), saying (אָמַר - amar), “Be fruitful (פָרָה - parah) and multiply (רָבָה - rabah), and fill (מָלֵב - male) the waters (מַיִם - mayim) in the seas (יָם - yam), and let birds (עוֹף - oph) multiply (רָבָה - rabah) on the earth (אֶרֶץ - erets).”
The word blessed (Strong’s H1288) is a verb in the piel form. In Hebrew, the piel form intensifies the verb. The word blessed means “to kneel and present a gift.”12 Another definition explains it as “to endue with power for success, prosperity, fecundity, longevity, etcetera.”13 This is the first time we see God pronouncing a blessing on his creation. God isn’t commanding the marine animals, fish, and birds to be fruitful and multiply; instead, he gave them the gift of reproducing and multiplying and told them to use that gift.
The word fruitful (Strong’s H6509) means “to bear fruit, or produce, to reproduce.”14 It is an agricultural term that farmers and herders, such as the Israelites, easily understood. From their perspective, if God blessed a fig tree, it would produce a lot of fruit. Since God was blessing the aquatic and avian life, they would obviously produce many offspring. This ability to reproduce is the result of God’s will and design.
The word multiply (Strong’s H7235) means “to become numerous, to increase.” It conveys the idea of multiplication, to increase in number.15 It amplifies the blessing. God wants his creatures to fill the waters and the air. When we combine the words fruitful and multiply, we get “reproduce and become numerous.” Remember that God’s words in this verse are a blessing, not a command. The blessing of abundance has been poured out on the animal kingdom so that they can procreate and reproduce.
There is an implication in this verse we seldom think of. God has the ability to communicate with his creation and his creatures. How do I know?
- The animals knew to go to the ark. Who do you think told them?
- Five of the Egyptian plagues involved insects or amphibians. How did they know what to do?
- God commanded the Ravens to feed Elijah. (1 Kings 17:4-6)
- Psalm 104:21 says lions seek their food from God. (Who do you think tells them where it is?)
- Psalm 148:7-10 commands all the creature to praise God.
- The huge fish (or whale or whatever) knew to swallow Jonah and exactly where to vomit him up onto land.
- How did the hungry lions know that they were not supposed to eat Daniel?
In Psalm 148:7, 10, the aquatic and avian life, in all their diversity, are commanded to glorify and praise the Lord. Considering that all the creatures can either vocalize or make noise, there is no reason to think that these creatures are not glorifying and praising God. It would be a humbling thought indeed if they are praising God, and I am not. I would rather have my voice join theirs (or vice versa) than to have them praise God without me
Genesis 1:23
And there was (וַֽיְהִי - wayhi) evening (עֶרֱֶ - ereb) and there was (וַֽיְהִי - wayhi) morning (בֹּקֶר - boqer), the fifth (הֲמִישִׁי - chamishi) day (יוֹם - yom).
There was evening, and there was morning, the fifth day. Remember, an evening and a morning was simply another way of stating that another twenty-four hours had passed. The evening is at sunset, and the morning is at sunrise. Another way of looking at this portion of the verse is, “There was sunset, and there was sunrise, the fifth day.”
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