Translators are advised to study carefully the picture of the universe as it was understood by the ancient Hebrew authors. This may be done by reading the relevant articles in a Bible dictionary, along with such passages as Psa 104.2-3, 5-9; 148.4; Job 26.11; 37.18; 38.4-11; Pro 8.28-29; Amos 9.6.
In the beginning …: this phrase represents the first Hebrew word in verse 1 and serves as the title for the book in the Hebrew Bible.
Gen 1.1 begins by presenting the translator with the problem of how to interpret In the beginning and the relationship of verse 1 to the following verses. All the ancient versions as well as many modern ones understand verse 1 to be an independent sentence, which serves as a general heading for the entire story of creation and affirms the creation of the earth in the formless state described in Gen 1.2. Since early times this has been the view of most Jewish and Christian interpreters, and it may be seen in such modern versions as Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible (Revised English Bible), French common language version (Bible en français courant), New International Version, German common language version (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), New Jerusalem Bible, (Bible de Jérusalem, and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy.
Other scholars point out that the Hebrew form of the phrase translated In the beginning should be translated as a subordinate time clause, and so “In the beginning when God created” (Good News Translation) or “When God began to create….” In this case verse 2 forms the main clause, asserting that the earth was formless and desolate at the time when God began to create. Some modern versions that translate in this way are Good News Translation, New English Bible, the New Jewish Version (New Jerusalem Bible), New American Bible, the Anchor Bible volume on Genesis, by E. A. Anchor Bible (Anchor Bible), and Moffatt (Moffatt).
Westermann gives a detailed survey of the opinions expressed. Good News Translation gives the translator a good model to follow by placing one form in the text and the alternative form in a footnote.
In the beginning refers to the time when God began to create. If the translator interprets this as a dependent clause, the opening clause may be translated, for example, “When God began to create,” “At the time when God began to create,” or “In the beginning of God’s creation.” If the traditional interpretation is followed, then the beginning refers to the time when the universe came into existence, rather than the beginning or opening of the story of creation.
For languages in which a reference to “the beginning [of everything]” is not an appropriate opening phrase, it is often possible to use an expression that means “a long time ago in the past.” Many languages use such an expression as an opening for their own traditional stories of the past. For instance, in a number of English-based creole languages, an equivalent of the English word “before” is the term that means “in the past”; and a typical beginning for Gen 1.1 in these languages is “Before, before true….”
In many languages the form of an opening phrase like In the beginning gives a signal to the reader or hearer about the type of story that is to follow. One example of this is the opening phrase “Once upon a time” in English, which introduces a story of the “fairy-tale” type. The matter of literary type is discussed under the division heading above; but translators are advised here to be very careful in the choice of an opening time phrase, so that readers are not given a signal that gives the wrong impression about the nature of this whole passage.
In some languages the beginning of a story usually includes the title of the story or tells in a very brief summary what the story is about. The Genesis creation story includes this element, but it may need to be moved or restructured to fit the normal pattern that readers expect. The traditional translation of verse 1, as given in Revised Standard Version, may be quite appropriate. But if verse 1 is translated as a dependent clause, it will probably not be suitable as a title or summary for the story; and in this case something else may have to be provided. In the Hebrew text the summary statement that describes the whole story is given at the end (“And that is how the universe was created,” verse 2.4a, Good News Translation), if we accept the view of most commentators and translations about that statement. If it seems necessary to have a heading or summary statement at the beginning, translators may wish to follow the model of Moffatt, who has moved 2.4a to the beginning of 1.1 as the heading or introduction to the entire passage. See also the discussion at 2.4a.
God translates the Hebrew ʾelohim, the most commonly used of the general words for God in the Old Testament. It is the only word for God found in this creation story. The Hebrew word is plural in form but functions grammatically as a singular noun. For a discussion of the names and titles for God, see “The names of God in Genesis” in “Translating Genesis,” pages 13 and following.
In languages that use several terms for God, ʾelohim should be translated by a general term and not by a name or title, unless, of course, the language has no choice. Some languages have a term or descriptive expression meaning “Creator” or “Creator God” that may be used in the creation story.
The word rendered created, which means “to bring into existence, to cause something to be,” is used only with God as subject and thus suggests that to create is the activity of God alone. Created is replaced by the verb “make” in verses 7, 16, 25, and 26, but the sense is the same as create. The Septuagint translates the Hebrew for created by the verb “to make.”
Numerous languages have creation stories that not only explain how the world and different races came to be, but also give all kinds of explanations for the existence of local rocks, hills, forests, animals, and so on. Very often the word “create” refers to the process of “fashioning, molding, shaping, baking, building,” and requires the existence of materials ready at hand. If the language term simply means molding or fashioning into shape, it may be better in this context to say, for example, “God caused the universe to exist” or “God made the universe.” In a number of languages the expression used is “God made the sky and the ground come [or, appear].”
The heavens and the earth is the Hebrew way of speaking of all that existed. It is an idiom made up of two opposites, like the expression “good and evil,” and in this context it means the universe, or everything in the universe, and not just the earth and the sky.
The heavens and the earth is frequently translated “sky and ground.” Translators may find that this expression does not include all that is understood in the Hebrew expression, and they may therefore need to modify it to say, for example, “sky, ground, and all else,” “sky and earth, and everything in them,” or “everything that is on the earth and in the sky.” If these expressions are unsuitable, it is possible to say “everything that exists.”
Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .