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to Creation - Genesis
(The
Elohiym – The Holy Trinity)
Depending upon your prior level of experience in the Bible
and before proceeding further into the study of these scriptures, there is a very
important fact about the name used for God in Genesis which you must
know and understand first. This important fact is, simply put, that God
was NOT just “all alone”, or “all by Himself”, during His wonderous and majestic
works of creation. He had “others” (Spiritual Beings) there with
Him as co-workers during these works. To illustrate this, we will refer to
Genesis, Chapter 1, Verse 1 (Genesis 1:1):
(Genesis 1:1 From the Orthodox Study Bible):
1 In the beginning God made
heaven and earth.1
***Verse-By-Verse Study Notes Contained in This
Bible***
(1) Verses 1-3: God the Father made heaven and
earth. “I believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
(from the Nicene Creed).
“The Spirit of God is the Holy Spirit” (written by Early
Christian Church Fathers Basil the Great and Ephraim the Syrian). He proceeds
from the Father, and is “the Lord and Giver of Life” (from the Nicene Creed).
Since He is Lord, He is coequal with the Father, and is His Coworker in making
heaven and earth.
“God the Father spoke to His Word and Only-begotten Son,
through whom He made the light” (written by Early Christian Church Father
Athananius the Great). Since the Son, too, is Lord, He is coequal with the
Father, and is His Coworker in making heaven and earth.
The Holy Fathers teach that the Father made heaven and
earth through the Son and in the Holy Spirit. Thus, the Holy Trinity made
heaven and earth, and the Church sings, “We glorify the Father, we exalt the
Son, and we worship the Holy Spirit – the indivisible Trinity who exists as One
– the Light and Lights, the Life and Lives, who grants light and life to the
ends of the world” (from the Canon of Saint Andrew).
(Genesis 1:1 From the New
Analytical King James Study Bible):
1 In the beginning God1
created the heaven and the earth.
***Brother
Glenn’s Footnotes***
(1) In this verse, the name “God” comes from the original
ancient Hebrew name “Elohiym” (or “Elohim” in modern language) (Strong’s
Concordance H430). In this case, “Elohiym” is used in the plural
sense (referring to more than one of some particular thing) to
describe a singular object (referring to only one
of some particular thing). So, in this case, the name “God” serves to identify
the ONE Supreme God along with the OTHERS (Spiritual Beings) who were with Him.
Here is Strong’s Definition of “Elohiym”:
אֱלֹהִים ʼĕlôhîym, el-o-heem'; plural of H433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically
used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God;
occasionally applied by
way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:—angels, × exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), × (very) great, judges, × mighty.
(Genesis 1:1 From the
Amplified Holy Bible):
1 IN THE beginning God (Elohim)1
created2 [by forming from nothing] the heavens and the earth.
***Verse-By-Verse
Study Notes Contained in This Bible***
(1) Verse
1: This is originally a plural form based on el (root meaning:
strength), which itself is used to refer to God in compounds like El Shaddai
(Almighty God). The word el is also used to refer to false gods, so the
context determines whether Elohim means “God” or is better understood as
“gods” (elohim).
Verse
1:
Hebrew: bara. Here and in 1:21, God created from nothing which is
something only He can do. In 1:27, God used preexisting materials (man from the
dust of the ground; Eve from Adam’s rib); each use of the word bara
(“create”) must be considered in its specific context.
(Genesis 1:1 From The Complete
Jewish Study Bible):
1 In the beginning God1 created
the heavens and the earth.
***Verse-By-Verse Study Notes
Contained in This Bible***
(1) In
the beginning God. Before time began, God created space for heaven and
earth. God speaks and it happens. Genesis 1:1 foreshadows the language of John
1:1, “In the beginning was the Word.”
(Genesis 1:1 From the New American Standard
Version Bible):
1 In the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth.
(Genesis 1:1 From The
Knox Bible – The Latin Vulgate):
1 God, at the beginning of
time, created heaven and earth.
***Another illustration of these “others” who were
with God is found in Genesis 1:26***
(Genesis 1:26 from the Orthodox Study Bible):
26 Then God said, “Let Us make
man in Our image, according to Our likeness.”1
***Verse-By-Verse
Study Notes Contained In This Bible***
(1) Verse 26: The Holy Trinity also made man. God
the Father is speaking to God the Son, and He uses the personal pronouns Us
and Our. These pronouns indicate three distinct Persons: The Father, The
Son, and The Holy Spirit (written by Early Christian Church Father John
Chrysostom).
The word image is in the singular, and shows the
three distinct Persons of the Holy Trinity are one in nature and undivided. For
it does not say, “Our images” (written by Early Christian Church Father
Hilary of Poitiers). Therefore, the Holy Trinity is one undivided nature in
three distinct Persons.
Man is not one in nature with the Holy Trinity. But He was
made in the image and likeness of the Holy Trinity; and he was made male and
female. Therefore, the dignity of each man and each woman is this image and
likeness.
(Genesis 1:26 from the New Analytical King
James Study Bible):
26 And God said, Let us make man
in our image1, after our likeness2;
***Brother
Glenn’s Footnotes***
(1) In this sentence, the term “image” comes from the
original ancient Hebrew word tselem.
Its original ancient script, spelling, pronunciation, and definitions include: צֶלֶם tselem, tseh'-lem;
from an unused root meaning to shade; a phantom, i.e. (figuratively) illusion, resemblance; hence, a representative figure,
especially an idol:—image, vain shew
(2) In this sentence, the term “likeness” comes
from the original ancient Hebrew word demuwth. Its original
ancient script, spelling, pronunciation, and definitions include: דְּמוּת dᵉmûwth, dem-ooth';
from H1819;
resemblance; concretely, model, shape; adverbially, like:—fashion, like (-ness,
as), manner,
similitude.
(Genesis 1:26 from the Amplified Holy Bible):
26 Then God said, “Let Us
(Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, according to Our likeness
[not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness];
(Genesis 1:26 From The Complete Jewish Study
Bible):
26 Then God said, “Let us make
humankind in our image, in the likeness of ourselves;
(Genesis 1:26 From the New American Standard
Version Bible):
26 Then God said, “Let Us make
man in Our image, according to Our likeness;
(Genesis 1:26 From The Knox Bible – The Latin
Vulgate):
26 And God said, Let us make man,
wearing our own image and likeness;