Things you might have not noticed about Genesis 1! || Reading Genesis with the eyes of ancient cultural context || 2025

 

Sometimes, we read the first chapter of Genesis with our modern ideas. We try to connect it to things like the Big Bang, evolution, or geological time periods. We even try to see the creation of Adam and Eve as a medical operation with anesthesia. But trying to fit these modern ideas into Genesis can lead to creative theories that sound exciting but often cause confusion. We might think Genesis is teaching us modern science, but that’s not its main point. Focusing on finding science in Genesis can make us miss its deeper spiritual messages.

1) Genesis describes a three-part world: Sky, Earth, and Underworld

As modern readers, we sometimes think Genesis explains the universe the way science does today. But to make it fit, we have to stretch its words, leading to many different interpretations.

The ancient writers of the Old Testament thought the earth was flat, round, and covered by a solid dome called the sky. Above this dome, they believed there was a huge ocean of water. This might sound strange to us, but it was a common belief in the ancient world, not just among the Hebrews. Anthropologists say most ancient cultures shared this idea. Genesis 1:6-8 introduces this dome, called the firmament, which separates the waters above from the earth below.

Key parts of this view include:

The sky dome

The firmament

The waters above the sky

The pillars holding up the earth or sky

2) Genesis 1:1 isn’t about the very start of the universe

We often read Genesis 1:1 as, “In the beginning…” and think it’s talking about the absolute start of everything. But many experts who study the Hebrew language say a better translation is, “When God began to create the heavens and the earth.” This makes the verse a background description, not the first act of creation. It suggests that the materials for creation were already there before God started working. We don’t know how long those materials existed—maybe a few minutes, maybe billions of years. The text doesn’t say.

So, Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 set the scene for the first real act of creation, which is making light in Genesis 1:3. This doesn’t mean the universe is eternal, but it does mean Genesis doesn’t tell us when or how the raw materials came to be. The text simply doesn’t focus on that.

3) The number seven is special in Genesis

The number seven is important in the Bible because it represents completeness and something holy. Genesis 1 uses seven in clever ways, not just for the seven days of creation. Scholars like Jeff Morrow point out that in the Hebrew text, key words and phrases often appear in groups of seven. For example:

Genesis 1:1 has seven words.

Genesis 1:2 has fourteen words (2 x 7).

The word “God” appears thirty-five times (5 x 7).

Words like “earth” and “heavens” appear twenty-one times (3 x 7).

Phrases like “and it was so” and “God saw it was good” show up seven times.

The word “light” and “day” appear seven times in one section, and “living beings” appears seven times in another.

The seventh day’s section has three sentences, each with seven words, and the phrase “seventh day” is in the middle. These patterns show Genesis 1 is like a carefully written poem, not a scientific report. Sometimes, the text skips certain phrases to keep these patterns of seven, which shows it’s more about meaning than exact history.

4) Genesis challenges other gods

Some strange parts of Genesis 1 exist because the author was responding to other ancient creation stories. The writer wanted to show that the God of Genesis is greater than other gods. For example, in Genesis, God easily commands the chaotic waters (called “tehom”) without any struggle, unlike other myths where gods fight chaos. This shows God as all-powerful. Also, Genesis 1:21 mentions sea monsters, which other cultures feared, but in Genesis, they’re just creatures God made, nothing special.

5) The seven days are real but not like our days

The seven days in Genesis are important because they connect to the idea of building a temple, which was a big deal in the author’s culture. The days aren’t meant to be a scientific timeline of how the world was made. Instead, they follow a pattern: God creates a space (like the sky or sea) and then fills it later in the week. This shows Genesis is more about order and meaning than exact history.

6) Humans are highly valued in Genesis

Genesis 1 gives humans a very special role. In other ancient stories, like those from Mesopotamia, humans were made to be slaves for the gods. But in Genesis 1:29, God creates plants to feed humans, not the other way around. Humans are described as God’s representatives on earth, like royalty carrying God’s authority. This is a much higher view of humanity than in other ancient myths.

Certain insightful questions:

1) Does it mean Genesis wasn't history but a Myth? 

This question again fails to understand the way ancient culture observed the world, nature, gods and humanity. All the discussed points have indeed a deeper implication than the concrete demand of Genesis as history. 

History tells us nothing unless we lay down interpretation within an appropriate method. The uses of symbols and figures doesn't demean the significance of the book of Genesis and should never be obstacle for us. The historical, grammatical and cultural context indeed demands the reading of Genesis in this manner. 

Meanwhile, I leave this up to reader's choice: Do you wish to respect the scripture and read in its ancient cultural context or try building up many theories to fit in modern concepts into the scripture?

2) If we happened to receive Genesis interpretation as misguided for thousands of years and it seems there are lots of things we have to revise today (although not mandatory or necessary) what about Jesus? They had the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible. Wouldn't Jesus at that time had taught everything correctly to his audience? 

Well this question is very profound! The answer would obviously be yes Jesus did correct many misconception that people had in Genesis [like divorce issue in Matt. 19:3-9, Sabbath issue in Mark 2:27, etc.] . However, the way we didn't have questions on multiverse and parallel universe in near past decades, the time of Jesus didn't also have the questions on Genesis the way we do have today! 

a) First-century Jewish audiences were not debating the age of the Earth or the literal vs. figurative nature of the six days. Their concerns revolved around Messianic expectations, moral living, and covenant faithfulness. Jesus tailored His teachings to these immediate spiritual needs.

b) The Jewish and Greco-Roman audiences of Jesus’ time did not approach Genesis with the same scientific or chronological questions as modern audiences.

c) Today’s questions about Genesis 1:1 (e.g., young-earth creationism, theistic evolution) stem from tensions between biblical texts and modern science. These debates were absent in Jesus’ time, so He had no reason to address them.

d) Possibly, Jesus’ mission was to lay the foundation for the Gospel, not to answer every possible question. The Holy Spirit’s role includes helping believers interpret Scripture in light of new contexts, such as modern scientific discoveries. Jesus’ silence on the age of the Earth or the six days leaves room for faithful exploration. John 16:12-13: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” This implies that not all details were given during Jesus’ earthly ministry.

Its quite same issue today when we discuss a lot about videos and images whether they are generated by AI or not while this was never the issue back in 90s and even a decade further! Hence, the question itself begins with a wrong assumption of our modern mind! What's even more? We use the word 'Rib' today every time for either fun or sarcasm! Meanwhile, nobody did that in Jesus' time! 

The tension is not about interpretation of the scripture but the difference in evolving cultural environments that shape our minds. 

Resources concerned:

1) Ben Stanhope, (Mis) Interpreting Genesis: how the Creation Museum Misunderstands the Ancient Near Eastern Context of the Bible, 2020

2) John Walton

3) Late Dr. Michael Heiser

4) Sam Shamoun 

5) Dan Kimball 

6) Biologos 

7) Inspiring Philosophy