Genesis Chapter 20
Other Translations
asv (asv) - eBible.org engASV USFM
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And he said, I pray you, my brethren, do not so wickedly.
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Behold now, I have two daughters that have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing, forasmuch as they are come under the shadow of my roof.
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And they said, Stand back. And they said, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and drew near to break the door.
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But the men put forth their hand, and brought Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.
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And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
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And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son-in-law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whomsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of the place:
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for we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxed great before Jehovah; and Jehovah hath sent us to destroy it.
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And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons-in-law, who married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for Jehovah will destroy the city. But he seemed unto his sons-in-law as one that mocked.
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And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters that are here, lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
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But he lingered; and the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters, Jehovah being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.
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And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the Plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
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And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my lord:
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behold now, thy servant hath found favor in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy lovingkindness, which thou hast showed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest evil overtake me, and I die:
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behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one. Oh let me escape thither (is it not a little one?), and my soul shall live.
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And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow the city of which thou hast spoken.
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Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
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The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot came unto Zoar.
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Then Jehovah rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Jehovah out of heaven;
darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext
1
And Abraham departed thence towards the south country, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned at Gerar.
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And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister. And Abimelech the king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.
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ButGod came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art [but] a dead man, because of the woman that thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.
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But Abimelech had not come near her. And he said, Lord, wilt thou also kill a righteous nation?
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Did he not say to me, She is my sister? and she, even she said, He is my brother. In the integrity of my heart and in the innocency of my hands have I done this.
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AndGod said to him in a dream, I also knew that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart, and I, too, have withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore have I not suffered thee to touch her.
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And now, restore the man's wife; for he is a prophet, and will pray for thee, that thou mayest live. And if thou do not restore [her], know that thou shalt certainly die, thou and all that is thine.
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And Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and spoke all these words in their ears; and the men were greatly afraid.
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And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, What hast thou done to us? And in what have I sinned against thee, that thou hast brought on me, and on my kingdom, a great sin? Thou hast done to me deeds that ought not to be done.
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And Abimelech said to Abraham, What hast thou seen that thou hast done this?
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And Abraham said, Because I said, Surely the fear ofGod is not in this place, and they will kill me for my wife's sake.
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But she is also truly my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
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And it came to pass whenGod caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said to her, Let this be thy kindness which thou shalt shew to me: at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.
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And Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and bondmen and bondwomen, and gave [them] to Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.
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And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it is good in thine eyes.
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And to Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand [pieces] of silver; behold, let that be to thee a covering of the eyes, in respect of all that are with thee, and with all; and she was reproved.
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And Abraham prayed toGod, andGod healed Abimelech, and his wife and his handmaids, and they bore [children].
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For Jehovah had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah Abraham's wife.
lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM
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And Abraam removed thence to the southern country, and dwelt between Cades and Sur, and sojourned in Gerara.
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And Abraam said concerning Sarrha his wife, She is my sister, for he feared to say, She is my wife, lest at any time the men of the city should kill him for her sake. So Abimelech king of Gerara sent and took Sarrha.
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And God came to Abimelech by night in sleep, and said, Behold, thou diest for the woman, whom thou hast taken, whereas she has lived with a husband.
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But Abimelech had not touched her, and he said, Lord, wilt thou destroy an ignorantly [sinning] and just nation?
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Said he not to me, She is my sister, and said she not to me, He is my brother? with a pure heart and in the righteousness of my hands have I done this.
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And God said to him in sleep, Yea, I knew that thou didst this with a pure heart, and I spared thee, so that thou shouldest not sin against me, therefore I suffered thee not to touch her.
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But now return the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live; but if thou restore her not, know that thou shalt die and all thine.
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And Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and he spoke all these words in their ears, and all the men feared exceedingly.
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And Abimelech called Abraam and said to him, What is this that thou hast done to us? Have we sinned against thee, that thou hast brought upon me and upon my kingdom a great sin? Thou hast done to me a deed, which no one ought to do.
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And Abimelech said to Abraam, What hast thou seen in [me] that thou hast done this?
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And Abraam said, Why I said, Surely there is not the worship of God in this place, and they will slay me because of my wife.
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For truly she is my sister by my father, but not by my mother, and she became my wife.
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And it came to pass when God brought me forth out of the house of my father, that I said to her, This righteousness thou shalt perform to me, in every place into which we may enter, say of me, He is my brother.
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And Abimelech took a thousand pieces of silver, and sheep, and calves, and servants, and maid-servants, and gave them to Abraam, and he returned him Sarrha his wife.
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And Abimelech said to Abraam, Behold, my land is before thee, dwell wheresoever it may please thee.
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And to Sarrha he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver, those shall be to thee for the price of thy countenance, and to all the women with thee, and speak the truth in all things.
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And Abraam prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his women servants, and they bore children.
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Because the Lord had fast closed from without every womb in the house of Abimelech, because of Sarrha Abraam's wife.
vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)
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Profectus inde Abraham in terram australem, habitavit inter Cades, et Sur: et peregrinatus est in Geraris.
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Dixitque de Sara uxore suo, Soror mea est. Misit ergo Abimelech rex Geraræ, et tulit eam.
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Venit autem Deus ad Abimelech per somnium nocte, et ait illi: En morieris propter mulierem, quam tulisti: habet enim virum.
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Abimelech vero non tetigerat eam, et ait: Domine, num gentem ignorantem et iustam interficies?
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Nonne ipse dixit mihi: Soror mea est: et ipsa ait: Frater meus est? in simplictate cordis mei, et munditia manuum mearum feci hoc.
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Dixitque ad eum Deus: Et ego scio quod simplici corde feceris: et ideo custodivi te ne peccares in me, et non dimisi ut tangeres eam.
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Nunc ergo redde viro suo uxorem, quia propheta est: et orabit pro te, et vives: si autem nolueris reddere, scito quod morte morieris tu, et omnia quæ tua sunt.
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Statimque de nocte consurgens Abimelech, vocavit omnes servos suos: et locutus est universa verba hæc in auribus eorum, timueruntque omnes viri valde.
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Vocavit autem Abimelech etiam Abraham, et dixit ei: Quid fecisti nobis? quid peccavimus in te, quia induxisti super me et super regnum meum peccatum grande? quæ non debuisti facere, fecisti nobis.
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Rursumque expostulans, ait: Quid vidisti, ut hoc faceres?
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Respondit Abraham: Cogitavi mecum, dicens: Forsitan non est timor Dei in loco isto: et interficient me propter uxorem meam:
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alias autem et vere soror mea est, filia patris mei, et non filia matris meæ, et duxi eam in uxorem.
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Postquam autem eduxit me Deus de domo patris mei, dixi ad eam: Hanc misericordiam facies mecum: In omni loco, ad quem ingrediemur, dices quod frater tuus sim.
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Tulit igitur Abimelech oves et boves, et servos et ancillas, et dedit Abraham: reddiditque illi Saram uxorem suam,
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et ait: Terra coram vobis est, ubicumque tibi placuerit habita.
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Saræ autem dixit: Ecce mille argenteos dedi fratri tuo, hoc erit tibi in velamen oculorum ad omnes qui tecum sunt, et quocumque perrexeris: mementoque te deprehensam.
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Orante autem Abraham, sanavit Deus Abimelech et uxorem, ancillasque eius, et pepererunt:
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concluserat enim Dominus omnem vulvam domus Abimelech propter Saram uxorem Abrahæ.
web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV
1
Abraham traveled from there toward the land of the South, and lived between Kadesh and Shur. He lived as a foreigner in Gerar.
2
Abraham said about Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
3
But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man, because of the woman whom you have taken; for she is a man’s wife.”
4
Now Abimelech had not come near her. He said, “Lord, will you kill even a righteous nation?
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Didn’t he tell me, ‘She is my sister’? She, even she herself, said, ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this in the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands.”
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God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also withheld you from sinning against me. Therefore I didn’t allow you to touch her.
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Now therefore, restore the man’s wife. For he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. If you don’t restore her, know for sure that you will die, you, and all who are yours.”
8
Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ear. The men were very scared.
9
Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done!”
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Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you see, that you have done this thing?”
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Abraham said, “Because I thought, ‘Surely the fear of God is not in this place. They will kill me for my wife’s sake.’
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Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
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When God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This is your kindness which you shall show to me. Everywhere that we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”
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Abimelech took sheep and cattle, male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and restored Sarah, his wife, to him.
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Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you. Dwell where it pleases you.”
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To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. Behold, it is for you a covering of the eyes to all that are with you. In front of all you are vindicated.”
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Abraham prayed to God. So God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants, and they bore children.
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For the LORD had closed up tight all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8
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And Abraham journeyeth from thence toward the land of the south, and dwelleth between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourneth in Gerar;
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and Abraham saith concerning Sarah his wife, `She is my sister;' and Abimelech king of Gerar sendeth and taketh Sarah.
3
And God cometh in unto Abimelech in a dream of the night, and saith to him, `Lo, thou <FI>art<Fi> a dead man, because of the woman whom thou hast taken--and she married to a husband.'
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And Abimelech hath not drawn near unto her, and he saith, `Lord, also a righteous nation dost thou slay?
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hath not he himself said to me, She <FI>is<Fi> my sister! and she, even she herself, said, He <FI>is<Fi> my brother; in the integrity of my heart, and in the innocency of my hands, I have done this.'
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And God saith unto him in the dream, `Yea, I--I have known that in the integrity of thy heart thou hast done this, and I withhold thee, even I, from sinning against Me, therefore I have not suffered thee to come against her;
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and now send back the man's wife, for he <FI>is<Fi> inspired, and he doth pray for thee, and live thou; and if thou do not send back, know that dying thou dost die, thou, and all that thou hast.'
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And Abimelech riseth early in the morning, and calleth for all his servants, and speaketh all these words in their ears; and the men fear exceedingly;
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and Abimelech calleth for Abraham, and saith to him, `What hast thou done to us? and what have I sinned against thee, that thou hast brought upon me, and upon my kingdom, a great sin? works which are not done thou hast done with me.'
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Abimelech also saith unto Abraham, `What hast thou seen that thou hast done this thing?'
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And Abraham saith, `Because I said, `Surely the fear of God is not in this place, and they have slain me for the sake of my wife;
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and also, truly she is my sister, daughter of my father, only not daughter of my mother, and she becometh my wife;
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and it cometh to pass, when God hath caused me to wander from my father's house, that I say to her, This <FI>is<Fi> thy kindness which thou dost with me: at every place whither we come, say of me, He <FI>is<Fi> my brother.'
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And Abimelech taketh sheep and oxen, and servants and handmaids, and giveth to Abraham, and sendeth back to him Sarah his wife;
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and Abimelech saith, `Lo, my land <FI>is<Fi> before thee, where it is good in thine eyes, dwell;'
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and to Sarah he hath said, `Lo, I have given a thousand silverlings to thy brother; lo, it is to thee a covering of eyes, to all who are with thee;' and by all this she is reasoned with.
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And Abraham prayeth unto God, and God healeth Abimelech and his wife, and his handmaids, and they bear:
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for Jehovah restraining had restrained every womb of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.
Explanations by Age Level
Explain Like I'm 5
A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!
Explain Like I'm 10
Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.
Explain Like I'm 15
Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).