Nevertheless, even a cursory look at the word will suggest that its meaning varies within the Old Testament just as is the case with its usage outside the Old Testament, and it includes the idea of planet earth, earth surface, and land. To examine all of these, or even a good part of them, would take us beyond the scope of this essay. The Hebrew Éeres (earth) occurs more than 2500 times in the Hebrew (and Aramaic) Old Testament. A word "earth," related to the Hebrew Éeres, was used commonly in the ancient Near East with the meanings of "earth," "ground," and "land." Only its context will indicate if reference is made to the whole world (what we call the planet), to the surface of the earth on which life is lived, or to a territory of the earth. These illustrations could be multiplied, but the emerging picture would not change much. Finally the word appears in the Mesha inscription (Moabite) meaning "land" (Chemosh is angry with his land). Elsewhere it specifies the ground to which someone can fall, upon which it rains, and from which produce grows. In Ugaritic Érs means "earth", and again stands in antithesis to heaven/clouds, thereby indicating the sphere of human life. Finally, it means "ground," the material which can be plowed, soaked in blood, and used for burial.Ĭlosely related to the Hebrew language are the west Semitic dialects of Canaan and Phoenesia. Interestingly enough, it also refers to the underworld, the land of no return, and less frequently to the land or territory of a ruler. It is used together with the word amu (heaven) to form the familiar pair, heaven and earth, meaning the whole world, or even universe. The Accadian language of ancient Mesopotamia employed several words for earth, but one, eresetu, is clearly related to the Hebrew Éeres. Unfortunately it is not possible to determine which of these meanings is original. It also occurs with the word for heaven, thereby forming a word pair indicating the larger (deified) cosmos. The most common Egyptian word for "earth" or "land" has several meanings ranging from "earth," "dust," "dirt," and "ground" to "land," "nation," and "country". Can we be more specific about its meaning? In answering this question the interpreter commonly begins by looking for the root meaning by examining the word in its Near Eastern context. The Hebrew word from which the English word "earth" is a translation in Genesis 1:1 is Éeres, and it is generally rendered "ground," "earth," or the like. Finally, we will seek to ascertain what is the biblical conception of the physical world as expressed in this verse. Thirdly, we will review the problem of Genesis 1:2. Secondly, we will consider the word in the context of Genesis 1:1. First we will examine the meaning and usage of the word "earth" (Heb. The question is, does it refer a) to the physical material of the earth b) to the planet earth as a part of our solar system c) or to our earth in the sense of the land upon which life can exist ? We will address this question very briefly by reviewing four problems. The word "earth" under discussion here is no exception. The opening sentence of the Old Testament is beautiful in its simplicity, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Even a child can understand it, and yet every single word in it has been the object of interpretative disagreement. With the author’s observations about the Hebrew usage of the word “earth,” it is possible to allow for either an entire creation event of inanimate and animate material in close succession or a long interval between the two. While one view postulates that both life and the inorganic matter of our earth was created during creation week, others interpret the verse to allow for the possibility of the existence of the inorganic matter long before creation week. Among creationists are two major divisions of thought concerning the meaning of this verse. In the context of Genesis 1:1, it is not possible to circumscribe the Hebrew term to fit any specific category.Ī time problem is presented in Genesis 1:2, because it seems to imply preexisting material on the first day of creation. Among the meanings of “earth” are the concepts of the whole world (or universe), a ruler’s territory, the sphere of human life, and land (or ground). Genesis 1:1 states that “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” however, a serious question can be raised as to what is meant by the word “earth.” Is it the physical (inorganic) material of our planet, the planet itself as part of our solar system, or the ground upon which life exists? This study presents a linguistic analysis which reveals that the usage of the word “earth” in its Near Eastern setting is as varied as its present-day usage. Download PDF JanuTHE WORD "EARTH" IN GENESIS 1:1 by
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |