Genesis 1:1 — What the Hebrew Really Says

Hebrew Text:

בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ

 

Literal Translation:

In a beginning, 'Elohiym

created the heavens and the earth.

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Note: The word “the” before “beginning” is not in the Hebrew. It says בְּרֵאשִׁית (Bereshit) = “in a beginning” or “at the head/start of something.”

 

Word-by-Word Breakdown:

🔹 בְּרֵאשִׁית (Bereshit)

• בְּ = “in”

• רֵאשִׁית = “a beginning,” “first,” or “chief”

• Related to Rosh (head); not just when something begins, but how it is ordered.

 

This may also suggest not the very first moment of time, but the beginning of a particular ordering of creation—a shaping.

 

🔹 בָּרָא (Bara)

• “He created”

• Root: ב.ר.א — used only for divine creative acts

• It doesn't mean "create out of nothing" (ex nihilo)—it means to bring forth order, purpose, or function into what exists.

 

🔹 אֱלֹהִים (Elohim)

• Plural form, but takes a singular verb → speaks of the majestic authority of YHWH, not multiple gods.

• Refers to the all-powerful, supreme Judge and Creator.

 

🔹 אֵת (Et)

• Untranslatable object marker

• Comes before a definite direct object to highlight it.

• Many Jewish sages and Hebraic scholars note it may symbolically represent א and ת (Aleph to Tav)—the first and last.

 

Some say it silently announces that all creation is through the complete expression of YHWH’s Word—from Aleph to Tav.

 

🔹 הַשָּׁמַיִם (HaShamayim)

• “the heavens”

• Root: שָׁם (sham) = “there” → speaks of that which is above or beyond

• Plural form — can refer to skies, space, or the unseen heavens

 

🔹 וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ (v’et ha’aretz)

• “and the earth”

• הָאָרֶץ = ha’aretz → “the earth,” “the land,” or “the ground”

• Root: ר.צ.ה — connected to desire, will, or that which is firm

 

Pictograph Insight (Bereshit — בְּרֵאשִׁית):

Let’s look at the ancient pictographic symbols in Bereshit:

• Bet (ב) – House

• Resh (ר) – Head or beginning

• Aleph (א) – Strength, Ox, Leader

• Shin (ש) – Teeth, Press, Consume

• Yod (י) – Hand, Work

• Tav (ת) – Mark, Sign, Covenant

 

Bereshit pictographically =

The house (ב) of the Head (ר) and Strong One (א) is pressed/crushed (ש), by the hand (י), to establish the Covenant (ת).

Hidden in the first word of the Bible is a prophecy of suffering that brings forth Covenant—creation through crushing, life through ordered sacrifice.

 

Lesson Summary:

Genesis 1:1 isn’t just about the beginning of time—it’s about the beginning of purpose.
YHWH brings order to chaos, design to formlessness, and meaning to what was void.
In Hebrew, we don’t see a God creating from nothing—we see a wise Builder establishing function, placing every element of heaven and earth where it belongs.

Even the word Bereshit whispers of a divine house, a covenant made through pressing, and a plan that unfolds from the very first breath.