Genesis 1:1 – Hebrew Word Breakdown
Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ
“In The Beginning God Created The Heavens and The Earth”
1. **בְּרֵאשִׁית – **Bereshit
Root: רֹאשׁ (rosh) = head, beginning, chief
Prefix בְּ (be) = “in”
Literally: “In beginning” (no definite article in Hebrew)
Significance:
Introduces time as a created concept.
Not just the beginning of the world, but of everything: time, space, order.
Implies God existed before “beginning” itself.
2. **בָּרָא – **Bara
Verb (Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular)
Means: “He created”
Used only for divine creation in the Hebrew Bible (never of man)
Significance:
Indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo)
Points to God's exclusive power to initiate existence.
Used in major creation texts (Isaiah 45:18, Psalm 51:10)
3. **אֱלֹהִים – **Elohim
Plural form of El / Eloah but always used with singular verbs when referring to the God of Israel
Implies majesty, fullness, intensity
Possible echo of triune nature
Significance:
From the start, God is revealed as plural in form, yet unified in being
Sets stage for later revelation (John 1:1, Col. 1:16)
4. **אֵת – **Et
Direct object marker – has no English equivalent
Precedes the object being acted upon by the verb
Significance:
Highlights that “the heavens and the earth” are the objects of God's creative action
5. **הַשָּׁמַיִם – **Hashamayim
Root: שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) – heavens/skies
Dual/plural form – possibly indicating multiple layers or realms
Prefix הַ (ha) = “the”
Significance:
Includes both the visible heavens (sky, stars) and spiritual realms (angelic, divine)
Refers to all that is above and unseen
6. **וְאֵת – **Ve’et
וְ (ve) = “and”
Combined with אֵת (et) – second object marker
Significance:
Connects the creation of the heavens and earth into one unified creative act
7. **הָאָרֶץ – **Ha’aretz
Root: אֶרֶץ (eretz) – land, earth
Prefix הַ (ha) = “the”
Refers to the material, physical world
Significance:
Not just soil—but the domain of human history
Earth is not eternal—it had a beginning, and it had a purpose set by its Creator
Summary Translation:
“In beginning, [He] created, God, [direct object] the heavens and [direct object] the earth.”
Theological Weight:
God precedes time.
God alone creates from nothing.
All realms—spiritual and physical—are made by Him.
He defines all things.
From the first sentence, God is shown as eternal, sovereign, and completely distinct from His creation.
