New Beginnings - Part II. Genesis 1:6-13

May the mumbling commence!

Let’s continue our look at Eugene Peterson’s The Message beside the NIV translation.  It’s a time of beginning.  Yesterday we began to look at the first account of creation as recorded in Genesis chapter one and the beginning of chapter two.  We looked at the first day of creation.  Today, we will look at days two and three.  Read them from The Message:

            God spoke: “Sky! In the middle of the waters;

                        separate water from water!”

            God made sky.

            He separated the water under the sky

                        from the water above sky.

            And there it was:

                        he named sky the Heavens;

            It was evening, it was morning –

            Day Two.

            God spoke: “Separate!

                        Water-beneath-Heaven, gather into one place;

            Land appear!”

                        And there it was.

            God named the land Earth.

                        He named the pooled water Ocean.

            God saw that it was good.

            God spoke: “Earth, green up!

Grow all varieties of seed-bearing plants,

            Every sort of fruit-bearing tree.”

                        And there it was.

            Earth produced green seed-bearing plants, all varieties,

            And fruit-bearing trees of all sorts.

                        God saw that it was good.

            It was evening, it was morning –

            Day Three. (Genesis 1:6-13)

Now read it from the NIV translation:

 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water."  So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so.  God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning – the second day. 

And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so.  God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good. 

Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so.  The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.  And there was evening, and there was morning – the third day. (Genesis 1:6-13)

I find it interesting that Peterson introduces the words Heavens and Earth.  It allows for a more concise rendering that emphasizes the poetic nature of the passage… perhaps overemphasizes it.  The Hebrew language is often sparse.  Any words used are important.  

And I’m not sure about the introduction of the emphasis on separation at the beginning of day three.  The separation is there, but the gathering is emphasized.

I am glad to see that Peterson holds fast to the rhythm and repetition of the passage.  There is much that is true to the Scripture passage as rendered in the NIV.

Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out