Proposition 3: “Create” (Hebrew bara) Concerns Functions
Does Genesis follow the ANE concept that existence is related to function, not to material.
- The Hebrew verb “bara” translated create. To read Genesis one literally, you have to understand what “bara" means in Hebrew. That is a complicated task. There is no dictionary nor is there any explanation in Hebrew giving its meaning. Subjects: It occurs 50 times and in every instance God is the subject. All commentators that “bara” is related to divine activity. Objects: Less attention has been paid the objects of “bara”. A table of the objects of “bara’ is presented and they are all either ambiguous or function related. Beginning: How does the phrase, “In the beginning” relate to “bara”? Typical usage is that the word relates to a period of time, not a point in time. In other words, it refers to the time period of creation, not time = zero.The Role of Verse One: It is likely an introduction to the rest of the creation story, not referring to act of creation itself.
“The proposals of this chapter can be summarized by the following expanded interpretive translation of verse 1: “In the initial period, God created by assigning functions throughout the heavens and the earth, and this is how he did it.” The chapter does involve creative activities, but all in relation to the way that the ancient world thought about creation and existence: by naming, separating and assigning functions and roles in an ordered system. This was accomplished in the seven-day period that the text calls “the beginning.” Genesis 2:3 comes back to this in its summary as it indicates the completion of the bārāʾ activities over the seven-day period.”
Quote fx`From: John H. Walton. “The Lost World of Genesis One.” iBooks. https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-lost-world-of-genesis-one/id870735215?mt=11