Genesis — Chapter 1
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1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
6And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
9And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
10And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
11And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
12And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
13And the evening and the morning were the third day.
14And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
17And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
19And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
20And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
21And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
22And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
23And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
24And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
25And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
30And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
31And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters
3And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
6And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
9And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
10And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
11And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, [and] fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so.
12And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good.
13And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
14And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years:
15and let them be for lights in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16And God made the two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: [he made] the stars also.
17And God set them in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth,
18and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
19And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
20And God said, Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
21And God created the great sea-monsters, and every living creature that moveth, wherewith the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind: and God saw that it was good.
22And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.
23And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
24And God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind, cattle, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth after their kind: and it was so.
25And God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the ground after its kind: and God saw that it was good.
26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food:
30and to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, [I have given] every green herb for food: and it was so.
31And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2Now the earth was without shape and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the watery deep, but the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water.
3God said, “Let there be light.” And there was light!
4God saw that the light was good, so God separated the light from the darkness.
5God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” There was evening, and there was morning, marking the first day.
6God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters and let it separate water from water.”
7So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. It was so.
8God called the expanse “sky.” There was evening, and there was morning, a second day.
9God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place and let dry ground appear.” It was so.
10God called the dry ground “land” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” God saw that it was good.
11God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: plants yielding seeds and trees on the land bearing fruit with seed in it, according to their kinds.” It was so.
12The land produced vegetation—plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. God saw that it was good.
13There was evening, and there was morning, a third day.
14God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs to indicate seasons and days and years,
15and let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” It was so.
16God made two great lights—the greater light to rule over the day and the lesser light to rule over the night. He made the stars also.
17God placed the lights in the expanse of the sky to shine on the earth,
18to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good.
19There was evening, and there was morning, a fourth day.
20God said, “Let the water swarm with swarms of living creatures and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.”
21God created the great sea creatures and every living and moving thing with which the water swarmed, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. God saw that it was good.
22God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”
23There was evening, and there was morning, a fifth day.
24God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: cattle, creeping things, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” It was so.
25God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the cattle according to their kinds, and all the creatures that creep along the ground according to their kinds. God saw that it was good.
26Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth.”
27God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.
28God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.”
29Then God said, “I now give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the entire earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
30And to all the animals of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has living breath in it—I give every green plant for food.” It was so.
31God saw all that he had made—and it was very good! There was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.
1In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
2The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.
3God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
4God saw the light, and saw that it was good. God divided the light from the darkness.
5God called the light “day”, and the darkness he called “night”. There was evening and there was morning, the first day.
6God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
7God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.
8God called the expanse “sky”. There was evening and there was morning, a second day.
9God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.
10God called the dry land “earth”, and the gathering together of the waters he called “seas”. God saw that it was good.
11God said, “Let the earth yield grass, herbs yielding seeds, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with their seeds in it, on the earth”; and it was so.
12The earth yielded grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with their seeds in it, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.
13There was evening and there was morning, a third day.
14God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs to mark seasons, days, and years;
15and let them be for lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth”; and it was so.
16God made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He also made the stars.
17God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light to the earth,
18and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good.
19There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
20God said, “Let the waters abound with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.”
21God created the large sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind. God saw that it was good.
22God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
23There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
24God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures after their kind, livestock, creeping things, and animals of the earth after their kind”; and it was so.
25God made the animals of the earth after their kind, and the livestock after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind. God saw that it was good.
26God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them.
28God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
29God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree, which bears fruit yielding seed. It will be your food.
30To every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food;” and it was so.
31God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
Summary
God creates the universe in six days by His word, culminating in humanity made in His image.
Authorship & Background
- Days 1-3: Forming (giving shape to the formless) Day 1: Light/darkness. Day 2: Sky/waters. Day 3: Land/seas/vegetation.
- Days 4-6: Filling (populating the void) Day 4: Sun/moon/stars. Day 5: Sea creatures/birds. Day 6: Animals/humanity.
Map & Geography
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers the creation account, the meaning of "created," the six days, the image of God, and the cultural mandate.
- Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "In the Beginning" on v.1 (MTP Vol. 34, No. 2028) "In the beginning GOD — not matter, not chance, not evolution, not nothing — God. Before anything else existed, God was. He is the uncaused cause, the unmade maker, the uncreated creator. And He CREATED — brought into existence from nothing. Not shaped pre-existing material but spoke into being what had no being. This is the foundation of all theology: God is, and God creates." Sermon: "The Image of God" on v.27 (MTP Vol. 11, No. 619) "In the image of God created he him — not in the image of animals, not evolved from beasts, but made in God's image. What does this mean? Not physical resemblance but moral likeness — rationality, personality, creativity, moral awareness, relational capacity. You bear God's stamp. However fallen, however marred — the image remains. Every human being carries divine dignity."
Videos
The Bible Project — Genesis 1 Overview (Video)
Animated overview of Genesis 1-11 showing the literary structure, key themes (God brings order from chaos, humanity as God's image-bearers), and how the creation account sets up the rest of the biblical narrative. Excellent visual introduction. (Approx. 8 minutes)
The Bible Project — Image of God (Video)
Explores what it means to be made in God's image — not physical likeness but representing God's rule, wisdom, and love on earth. Connects Genesis 1:26-28 to the whole biblical storyline. (Approx. 6 minutes)
In the Beginning, God Created... | Voddie Baucham. A powerful sermon covering Genesis 1 and the six days of creation. Explores the implications of Genesis 1:1 for worldview — if God created, then He owns, He rules, He defines, and we are accountable. Emphasizes the authority of Scripture from its first verse.
Reflection
- 1. "In the beginning God" (v.1). Everything starts with God. Is He the starting point of your thinking, your decisions, your worldview? Or do you start with yourself and fit God in later?
- 2. "God said... and it was so" (vv.3, 6, 9, etc.). God's word has creative power. When He speaks, reality responds. Do you treat His word (Scripture) with that kind of authority in your life?
- 3. "Let us make man in our image" (v.26). You are made in God's image — designed to reflect Him. How does this shape your sense of identity, purpose, and worth? How does it shape how you treat others?
- 4. "Be fruitful, and multiply... and have dominion" (v.28). God gave humanity a mission: fill the earth and steward it well. How are you fulfilling this mandate — in your family, your work, your community?
- 5. "God saw every thing... and, behold, it was very good" (v.31). Creation was originally good — not evil, not meaningless. Sin corrupted it, but goodness is the original design. How does this shape your view of the physical world, your body, and material creation?
- 6. The chapter shows God as powerful (He creates by speaking), wise (creation is ordered and purposeful), and good (everything is "good"). Which attribute of God do you most need to trust today?