When Genesis 1:13 and Culture Collide

We’ve reached day three! Our third closing refrain is in verse 13:

Genesis 1:13: “Day Three”


 וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר יֹ֥ום שְׁלִישִֽׁי׃

“So there was evening, and there was morning. Day three.”

So it’s been three days so far in the creation account, but no sun or moon (yet). Interesting. How can there be light without the sun? It’s not until the next blog post (which will have to wait until Monday—I’m going on a retreat this weekend) that we’ll see the creation of these two “lamps” in the dome.

So far, here’s what’s been created:

1.      Day (a.k.a. “light”), separated from night (a.k.a. “darkness”)

2.      The skies (a.k.a. the “dome”)

3.      The earth (a.k.a. the “dry ground”)  

4.      Plants, trees, and various fruits and vegetation (all without the sun!)

Lend Me Your Thoughts

What are your thoughts on days one, two, and three so far?

When Genesis 1:12 and Culture Collide

Here is when Genesis 1:12 and culture really collide in an interesting way:


Genesis 1:12: “So the Land Brought Forth Greenery”



וַתֹּוצֵ֨א הָאָ֜רֶץ דֶּ֠שֶׁא עֵ֣שֶׂב מַזְרִ֤יעַ זֶ֙רַע֙ לְמִינֵ֔הוּ וְעֵ֧ץ עֹֽשֶׂה־פְּרִ֛י אֲשֶׁ֥ר זַרְעֹו־בֹ֖ו לְמִינֵ֑הוּ וַיַּ֥רְא אֱלֹהִ֖ים כִּי־טֹֽוב׃

“So the land brought forth greenery, a plant bearing seed after its kind and a tree bearing fruit with its seed in it after its kind. Then God saw that it was good.”

Creation obeys the word of God once again, and the land brings forth greenery, complete with seed-bearing plants and trees bearing fruit with their seed in them…

And each one is לְמִינֵהוּ (l’miynehu, “after its kind”). Here the operative word is מִין (min, “kind”). Many creationists who reject evolution will appeal to this term to say something like, “See? ‘After its kind.’ God created each creature ‘after its kind,’ suggesting that evolution from a single-celled organism could never have happened.”

In part 1 of this post, I’ll just present you with two interesting perspectives on this view:

http://biologos.org/blog/the-meaning-of-min-part-1 (check out part 2 as well)

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v4/n1/meaning-min

Lend Me Your Thoughts

What are your responses to these articles?