MCo:Bereshith in construct form: Difference between revisions
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The first vowel in ''bereshith'' indicates that it is in the construct (rather than in the absolute) state, and has the meaning "In the beginning of (God's creating ...)" rather than "In the beginning (God created ...)" | The first vowel in ''bereshith'' indicates that it is in the construct (rather than in the absolute) state, and has the meaning "In the beginning of (God's creating ...)" rather than "In the beginning (God created ...)" | ||
Rashi wrote "But if you are going to interpret [this passage] in its plain sense, interpret it thus: At the beginning of the creation of heaven and earth, when the earth was (or the earth being) unformed and void ... God said, 'Let there be light.' For the passage does not intend to teach the order of creation, to say that these [namely, heaven and earth] came first; because if it had intended to teach this, | Rashi wrote "But if you are going to interpret [this passage] in its plain sense, interpret it thus: At the beginning of the creation of heaven and earth, when the earth was (or the earth being) unformed and void ... God said, 'Let there be light.' For the passage does not intend to teach the order of creation, to say that these [namely, heaven and earth] came first; because if it had intended to teach this, it would have been necessary to use the form ''barishona'' ... " | ||
... verse 2 describes the circumstances under which the action in verses 1 and 3 took place: " ... the earth being unformed and void," etc. | ... verse 2 describes the circumstances under which the action in verses 1 and 3 took place: " ... the earth being unformed and void," etc. | ||
Revision as of 12:30, 19 June 2019
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There is helpful discussion about what the Hebrew of Genesis 1:1 actually says in Orlinsky, Harry M., ed., Notes on the New Translation of the Torah, Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, 5730-1969
A very brief summary appears below. (This is not verbatim - please see the original for more detail.) The upshot has to do with what was the first action - the Bible may start with either of these:
- In the beginning, God created heaven and earth.
- In the beginning ..., God said "Let there be light!"
Since the LXX was made translations have rendered bereshith bara elohim mechanically, "In the beginning God created." There are several cogent reasons, each independent of the others, for rejecting this, and for accepting the temporal ("When ...") construction.
The first vowel in bereshith indicates that it is in the construct (rather than in the absolute) state, and has the meaning "In the beginning of (God's creating ...)" rather than "In the beginning (God created ...)" Rashi wrote "But if you are going to interpret [this passage] in its plain sense, interpret it thus: At the beginning of the creation of heaven and earth, when the earth was (or the earth being) unformed and void ... God said, 'Let there be light.' For the passage does not intend to teach the order of creation, to say that these [namely, heaven and earth] came first; because if it had intended to teach this, it would have been necessary to use the form barishona ... " ... verse 2 describes the circumstances under which the action in verses 1 and 3 took place: " ... the earth being unformed and void," etc.
The Hebrew text tells us nothing about "creation out of nothing" or about the beginning of time. ... the first thing that God did when He created the universe, as ancient man knew it, was to create light. This conclusion is further supported by the fact that light was the first element to receive a name ...
The JPS translation reads --
- When God began to create the heaven and the earth - the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the water - God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.
See Wilfred Lambert on the translation of Genesis 1:1. — Bruce
As Rashi pointed out [1], Jeremiah 27:1, with the same construction, doesn't say "In the beginning, Jehoiakim reigned." Bruce (talk) 19:06, 24 March 2018 (UTC)
