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Cosmology, the Study of Origins by WordExplain |
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"God
created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male
and female He created them." Genesis 1:27
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Seventh Day of Creation: Rest
Genesis 2:1-3 The Seventh Day: God's Completion
of Creation and Rest; His Hallowing and Blessing of the Seventh Day.
Gen. 2:1-3
1.
Of the heavens and the earth: {1} "Thus the heavens and the
earth were
completed," Literally, "And were completed the heavens and the earth
and all their army."
"And were completed" consists of an
initial waw
prefixed to the 3rd Masculine Plural Waw
Consecutive Imperfect,
Polel Stem
of the verb kâlâh (3615),
"completed, accomplished, finished" (JTB)
"the heavens" is the article ha, "the," prefixed to the always-plural noun shâmayim (8064), "heavens" "and the earth" is the prefixed conjunction waw, "and" followed by the article ha, "the," followed by the singular common noun 'erets (776), "earth," here referring to the Planet Earth. 2. Of all within them: "and all their hosts." Literally, "and all their army." "and all" - the conjunction waw, "and" followed by the
Masculine Singular Noun in Construct
State kôl (3606),
"all, whole, entirety"
"their hosts" - the either-Gender Singular Absolute Noun in the Construct Chain with a 3rd Masculine Plural Suffix, "their;" tsâbâ' (6635), literally, "army, host." This is a military term, and I prefer the collective, singular translation army, which correctly translates the singular noun in the text. To what was Moses referring when he spoke of "their army?" Certainly to the sun, the moon, and all the stars and galaxies (compare Deut. 4:19; 17:3; 2 Kings 17:16, etc.; Neh. 9:6; Psalm 33:6). But he must also have been referring to all the components of creation upon the earth, including the different plants and animals. He was probably not referring to the angels, who serve as God's army (1 Sam. 4:4; 1 Kings 22:19; Psalm 148:2), but who are not fundamentally connected with the earth or the universe, although they serve Him in both spheres. *** B. God's Resting on the Seventh Day on Account of His Having Completed His Work. Gen. 2:2 1. The day of God's completion of His work:
{2} "By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done,"
"And completed" is the 3rd Person
Masculine Singular Piel
Waw
Consecutive Imperfect
of the verb kâlâh (3615),
"completed, accomplished, finished" (JTB). With
the emphasis conveyed by the Piel stem, we
could translate, "and fully
completed."
"God" is the always plural noun 'elohiym (430), the generic name for God, the Strong One, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and everything in them (Gen. 1:1). "in the day" is the Masculine Singular Noun yôm (3117), "day," preceded by the prefixed Preposition bet, "in" and the article "the" indicated by the patach under the letter bet and by the doubled yod. Here "day" is a 24-hour period characteristic of Gen. 1:1-2:3. "the seventh" consists of the article ha, "the," prefixed to the Masculine Singular Adjective Ordinal Number shebı̂y‛ı̂y (7637), "seventh." "His work" is the noun melâ'kâh (4399), "occupation, work, business" (adapted from BDB), "activity" (JTB), with the 3rd Masculine Singular suffix, "His." "which" is the Relative Pronoun 'ăsher (834), "which" or "that." "He had done" is the 3rd Masculine Singular Qal Perfect of the verb ‛âśâh (6213), "made, done, accomplished" 2. God's rest in commemoration of His completed work: "and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done." (Gen. 2:2). (JTB alternative translation: "and He rested on the seventh day from all His activity which He had accomplished.") "and He rested" is the 3rd Masculine
Singular Qal
Waw
Consecutive Imperfect
of the verb shâbath (7673),
"stopped, ceased, desisted, rested"
on the day the seventh translates the preposition bet, "on" followed by the embedded article he, "the," followed by the Masculine Singular noun yôm (3117), "day," here meaning a 24-hour day; the seventh is the article ha, "the," prefixed to the Masculine Singular Adjective Ordinal Number shebı̂y‛ı̂y (7637), "seventh." "from all His work" translates the prefixed preposition min (4481), "from," followed by the Masculine Singular Noun in Construct State kôl (3606), "all, whole, entirety," followed by the Feminine Singular Absolute Noun in the Construct Chain, melâ'kâh (4399), "occupation, work, business" (adapted from BDB), "activity" (JTB), followed by the 3rd Masculine Singular Suffix, "his." "which He had done." The indeclinable Relative Pronoun 'ăsher (834), "which" or "that" followed by the 3rd Masculine Singular Qal Perfect of the verb ‛âśâh (6213), "He had accomplished" (JTB). Other possibilities include "done," "made," "performed." C. God's Blessing of the Seventh Day. Gen. 2:3 1. God's blessing of the seventh day:
{3} "Then God blessed the seventh day"
"And blessed" is the Waw
Consecutive 3rd Masculine Singular Piel Imperfect
of the verb bârak (1288).
The root means "to
kneel down" (Gen. 24:11, Hiphil
stem).
The idea is that when you kneel down you honor someone and
acknowledge his worth. Most frequently, the verb is translated in a
derived sense, "to bless", i.e. to respect and honor another by
prescribing or wishing good things to befall him. In this sense it
stands in opposition to cursing another (Gen. 12:3). In this instance,
God did not bless a man (cf. Gen. 1:28) or even any animals (cf. Gen.
1:22). Rather he blessed a particular day, the seventh day, and He set
apart the seventh day, as the next verb explains.
"God" is the always-plural Common Noun 'ĕlôhı̂ym (430), the generic name for God, the Strong One, the Creator of the Universe and everything in it. "the day" is the indeclinable, untranslatable Direct Object Marker 'êth (853), followed by the Masculine Singular Common Noun yôm (3117), "the day," here meaning a particular day, the seventh day, the 24-hour period that recurs every week. "the seventh" consists of the article ha, "the," followed by the Masculine Singular Adjective, the Ordinal Number shebı̂y‛ı̂y (7637) "seventh." The term, "the day, the seventh" refers to the specific day of each week, the seventh day, which is a 24-hour day. This recurring day God blessed. He honored it, and as the next verb reveals, He placed it in a category all its own. That is the meaning of "and He sanctified it" or "set it apart." 2. God's sanctification of the seventh day: "and sanctified it" "and sanctified it" consists of the
3rd Masculine Singular Waw
Consecutive Piel Imperfect
of the verb qâdash (6942),
"sanctified, consecrated,
made holy," followed by the indeclinable, untranslatable Direct Object Marker 'êth
(853),
with a 3rd Person Masculine Singular Suffix, "it."
3. The reason for His blessing and sanctification of the seventh day: "because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made." "because in it" – "because" is the indeclinable
Conjunction kı̂y (3588),
in this instance, "because," explaining the reason for God's having set
apart the seventh day; "in it"
is the Preposition bet, "in," with the 3rd Masculine
Singular Suffix "it." The
phrase "in it" refers to the seventh day during which God rested.
"He rested" is the 3rd Masculine Singular Qal Perfect of the verb shâbath (7673), "stopped, ceased, desisted, rested" "from all His work" – "from all" is the prefixed Preposition min (4481), "from," followed by the Masculine Singular Noun in Construct State kôl (3606), "all, whole, entirety," followed by the Feminine Singular Absolute Noun in the Construct Chain, melâ'kâh (4399), "occupation, work, business" (adapted from BDB), "activity" (JTB), followed by the 3rd Masculine Singular Suffix, "His." "which God had created" translates the indeclinable Relative Pronoun 'ăsher (834), "which" or "that" followed by the 3rd Masculine Singular Qal Perfect of the verb bârâ' (1254), in the Qal stem, "shaped, fashioned, created," and, in the Qal, always with God as the subject, followed by the subject of the clause, the always-plural Masculine Common Noun 'ĕlôhı̂ym (430), God, the Strong One, the creator of the Heavens and the Earth (Gen. 1:1) and everything in them. The NASB translates the verb "had created" (past perfect in English) in that this is a summary verb looking backward over all that God had done in the previous six days; "and made" is the Qal Infinitive Construct of the verb ‛âśâh (6213), "made, done, accomplished", preceded by the Preposition Lamed, in this instance, translated by NASB as "and." "And" is a highly unusual translation. Alternative translations are as follows: ESV: "because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation." NIV: "because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." Probably the most accurate translation is to be found in Chabad.org, which translates the entirety of Gen. 2:3 as follows: "And God blessed the seventh day and He hallowed it, for thereon He abstained from all His work that God created to do." This translation correctly translates the Lamed as "to." 4. Reflections on the Sabbath a.
Clearly there is a rigid time framework that adheres in modern
societies. No matter whether societies have or once had a Christian
past, an Islamic past, an atheistic past, or some other religion, they
all have a seven-day week. That is not an accident. A seven-day week
seems to be "genetically" ingrained in all societies.
b. Clearly God, in the Creation narrative, uniquely set apart the seventh day (Gen. 2:1-3). c. The historical narrative that outlines Israel's founding as a nation (not merely as an ethnicity) (Exodus 19:1-20:17) also sets apart the Seventh Day as one of the "Ten Words" or "Ten Commandments" (Ex. 20:8-11). This commandment forbade work by any adult or child or alien or domesticated animal. d. The Sabbath (Seventh) was ordained by God to be a special sign between Himself and the Sons of Israel (Ex. 31:12-17). It was to be a perpetual covenant (Ex. 31:16), a sign between the Sons of Israel and God forever (Ex. 31:17). e. God also instituted a "Sabbatical Year" for Israel (Exod. 23:10-11; Lev. 25:1-7). Israelis were to let the ground lie fallow and were forbidden from planting crops. They were allowed to eat the volunteer grain and fruits that grew. God would make sure there was enough to eat. Israel failed to observe the Sabbatical Years. Consequently God sentenced the nation to seventy years' exile so the land could enjoy its Sabbaths (1 Chron. 36:20-21). f. As far as I know, there is no commandment in the New Testament Epistles that the Church is to obey the Jewish Sabbath. It was, after all, a special sign between God and Israel. Of course, the early Church was almost exclusively Jewish, and the early Church continued to observe the Sabbath. But as the Church began to spread out over the Gentiles (nations) of the earth, it seems that practice began to be altered. g. Nevertheless, traditionally, Sunday the first day of the week has, in many Christian circles, become the "Christian Sabbath." The usual justification is that Christ was raised on the first day of the week, and therefore Christians celebrate that day as the Christian Sabbath. I have encountered Christians, some of them from a Reformed background, that have rigidly adhered to a "Christian Sabbath." Their zeal is commendable, but their Scriptural foundation appears to be lacking. Paul wrote to the Colossians not to allow anyone to judge them in regard to a religious festival, a New Moon, or a Sabbath day (Col. 2:16-17). Christ, through His death on the cross, canceled the Law as a mandatory code of life for Christians (Col. 2:13-14). h. I know Christians who live in Muslim countries. Where allowed, these churches meet on Friday evenings, the beginning of the actual Sabbath, which goes from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday. In this regard, they fit in neatly with the Islamic culture, which continues, in some fashion, to observe the Sabbath as the Seventh Day of the week. i. For a great portion of my life, I have been a preacher. My busiest and socially most-exhausting days are Sundays. I have adopted Mondays as my day when I recuperate and recover from the demands of spending time with people and preaching and teaching on Sundays. There was a time when I tried to make Saturdays my own personal "Sabbath." That did not work. And I reverted to Mondays, which, to this very day I observe. I feel refreshed and invigorated to begin my work week on Tuesdays. j. For a further discussion of the Sabbath, see the Glossary Entry, "Sabbath." In addition, see "What day is the Sabbath, Saturday or Sunday?" See also "What is the Sabbath day?" Both of these latter two links are off-site.
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