What is the Old Testament version of creation?

Answer 1

Actually, Biblical scholars have recognized two different stories of creation in the Old Testament book of Genesis [literally, "in the beginning"]. The first story, Genesis 1:1 - 2:4a, is the story of creation in six days and resting on the seventh. The emphasis of this story is the creation of order out of chaos. The second story, Genesis 2:4b - 4:16 is the familiar story of Adam and Eve. The emphasis of this story, generally agreed to be the older story of the two, is on the development of the problem of evil and what its origins are. Another recognized division of the two accounts is that the first gives a detailed account of the whole creation whereas the second one is focused on the creation of man.

Of course, the creation event is mentioned in a number of other places in the Old Testament besides Genesis. The Hebrew word for creating 'bara', contains the idea that God created out of nothing and in all cases elsewhere in the Old Testament, He is also all powerful and all-wise. The work of the creation is often cited as evidence of this. The one defining statement being Genesis 1:1:

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

28Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 6Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee. 25Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.