The Two Accounts of Creation

The separate accounts of creation in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 are extremely dissimilar. One of the most notable discrepancies is that of the different orders of creation in the two chapters. The first few words in the first chapter of Genesis tell of how before God actually created anything, there wasn't simply nothing- rather, the earth existed as a 'formless void' and wind blew over the water. The creation starts with God forming light and darkness, which God called Day and Night. The second day includes the creation of the sky, which God created by splitting the expanse of water. On the third day, God told the waters He had made to form seas, so that dry land could form in between them. On the same day He made all kinds of vegetation on the earth. With the fourth day came the formation of the luminaries- the sun, moon, and all of the stars. With them came the separation of the light from the dark. The next day God produced birds and creatures of the sea to populate the sky and waters that He had formed. With the sixth day came the creation of all kinds of land animals, as well as of male and female humankind. Humankind was created in God's image, and was given rule over the animals, birds, and sea creatures that God had created previously. On the seventh day, God rested from His great work.

The second chapter of Genesis is obviously much different from the first chapter. There is no mention of anything like wind or water being in existence before God started to create. No actual days are referred to, but the text states that God started His creation with the earth and the heavens. This is unlike the first day in chapter one, as it states there that God made the sky in the second day of creation, and land in the third day. Next, chapter two discusses water coming up out of the ground. It states very specifically that no plants were yet in existence because no water had formed before this point. This shows a drastic difference between Genesis 1 and 2, since Genesis 1 states that there was water before God had even started the creation. Also, in Genesis 1 God created the land and the vegetation at the same time. After that God created a man from the ground, followed by the creation of vegetation for the man to enjoy. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which isn't mentioned in the first chapter, is also created at this time according to Genesis 2. God then created birds and land animals out of the ground in hopes of finding a helper for the man. When a helper could not be found, He caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. He then created woman out of one of his bones. The story of the creation ends there in Genesis 2. When laid out in a list, it is extremely obvious that the two creation accounts vary greatly. Not only is the order of the things God created different, but also some things are cut out of the creation story completely. For instance, the creation of fishes and the luminaries are not even mentioned in the second chapter.

The order of creation is not the only difference between the two chapters. The literary style and structure also vary greatly. Genesis 1 has a more historical feel to it. Because it tells what happens in a structured, chronological way, it seems more like historical list than Genesis 2 does. Genesis 2 seems more like a story than Genesis 1 because it doesn't tell the dates on which certain things happen. It is not nearly as structured. Genesis 1 has a very poetic feel to it. The words flow smoothly to and from the different parts of the account. This happens because each part starts with "And God said..." and end with "And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the ... day." The repetition points at the balance and order of the world God was creating. According to the New Oxford Annotated bible, Genesis 1 is a priestly account of creation, written from priestly sources and told in the way that priest would tell it. This first chapter of Genesis is obviously God-centered. It starts with the statement, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." It ends by saying that God rested on the seventh day and blessed it. Every new section begins with God calling something else into being, and ends with God saying that what He had created was good. This shows that the text's structure has God as its centerpiece. The person who wrote Genesis 1 realized that it was not the creation that mattered, but the Person who made the creation who mattered. Last of all, God is simply called God in Genesis 1.

The literary style and structure are quite different in Genesis 2. The first half of the chapter seems to be an overview of what happened in the first chapter of Genesis. However, it is also more explanatory than Genesis 1. Rather than just stating what God created on a certain day, it gives some background information about what else was happening at the time. For example, it talks about how water came out of the ground, and it lists the names of the rivers and precious metals that were around Eden. It also continues the story of humankind beyond simply stating that God created humans. It tells of how Adam was given the task of naming the animals, and how God created woman out of one of Adam's bones. God is also called by a different name in Genesis 2- instead of simply being called Elohim, which is just the word for god in Hebrew, he is called the LORD God. The word LORD in the Bible is the English substitution for God's personal name in Hebrew. This name is so sacred that it is never even said; doing so is considered disrespectful to God. Instead, the Hebrews called him Adonai, which means Lord or Master. The fact that He is called by different names in the two chapters emphasizes the large difference in the structure and style between the two chapters. These differences are what led experts to believe that Genesis 1 and 2 were written by two different people.

The differences in the creation order and the literary style and structure make it obvious that the two accounts are trying to emphasize different things. The first chapter emphasizes God's power and might. He is so powerful that He can create simply by speaking things into existence. Another purpose of the first chapter is to show that creation is good. Some people believe that the physical world is bad, and that we should try to distance ourselves from it. However, as Christians we know that God created creation, and saw that what he had created was good. This account also serves to emphasize the ancient temple imagery that is used. Many experts believe that the 'us' in verse 26 refer to those who make up God's court, such as angels and cherubim. The Garden of Eden is believed to represent God's sacred garden, a tradition among the Hebrews.

The second chapter, however, is not trying to emphasize God so much as what he created. Instead, one of the purposes of this account is to lead up to humankind's fall into sin. This chapter is more focused on the humans and what they did, which is why the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is mentioned. The second chapter in Genesis tells of Adam's and Eve's doings, such as naming the animals and Eve's creation. This account also emphasizes the creation. Though it is not laid out in list format like the first chapter of Genesis, Genesis 2 adds more details to the story, such as the names of the rivers. This allows the reader to understand and enjoy what God created during that time. This account, like in Genesis 1, emphasizes ancient temple imagery as well. There is a Jewish tradition that a temple is built where waters flow from the earth during creation; this is believed to be the place where a stream rose from the earth in the account in Genesis 2.

Though there are some similarities to the two accounts of Genesis 1 and Genesis 2, there are major differences between the two. These differences are found in the creation order, the literary style and structure, and the emphasis of the accounts.