The First Creation Account, the creation of man and the holiness of the Sabbath — prose based on number seven
The first creation account in Genesis primarily focuses on the creation of man and sanctification of the Sabbath rather than the creation of the universe. The number seven, representing divine perfection, structures the entire narrative, emphasizing the seventh day as holy. Ancient cultures, such as those in Mesopotamia, also saw significance in the number seven, associating it with religious and cosmological order. This account in Genesis reflects a poetic order within creation, portraying the Sabbath as a fundamental aspect of the world’s design. Additionally, the institution of the Sabbath implies the future establishment of a Jewish people, who will observe and maintain its sanctity through a divine covenant throughout time.
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Counterintuitive as it may seem, the first creation story is not primarily about the details of the creation of the universe. Rather, it is prose describing the principles underlying Elohim’s creation, the nature of man, and finally God’s resting from creative activities. Like a movie leading us along a path towards a magnificent vista, this chapter is directing us step by step towards a foundational aspect of the Torah — the institution of the holy Sabbath.
The Sabbath day was instituted on the seventh day of the creation of the universe, and the first chapter of Genesis is an exquisitely constructed poem built around numbers six and seven.
The ancient Egyptians and Babylonians developed basic arithmetic, algebra, and geometry, which they used it for engineering, astronomy, and everyday commerce in around 3000 BCE. Meaning was also assigned to certain numbers. The number seven represented perfection, particularly of the Divine. Contrary to the assumption of many Jews, the meaning of number seven was not a Jewish concept, and this number was also connected to pagan gods.
The ziggurat in Babylon, on which the biblical tower of Babylon story is likely based, had seven stories. On the seventh story, closest to the heavens, was the temple of Marduk, the chief god of Babylon. The Armana letters found in an archive in Egypt written on clay tablets between about 1360 to 1332 BCE consist primarily of 382 diplomatic correspondences between the Egyptian administration in the New Kingdom and its representatives in Canaan and Amurua and neighboring kingdom leaders. Two of the letters specifically mention the writer falling before the Egyptian Pharaoh seven times seven i.e., 49 times, thereby acknowledging the divinity of the Pharaoh.1 The Gilgamesh myth, soon to be discussed, mentions the number seven a number of times. Some may be no more than indicative of a week, but others have religious significance. Hence, the hero of this myth, Utnapishtim, offers sacrifices with the contents of jars in groups of seven after his delivery from the flood.
The first sentence of the first creation story, which is also the first sentence of the Torah, contains seven Hebrew words:
Bereishis boro Elohim et hashomayim ve’et ha’aretz — In the beginning, Elohim created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1).
The second sentence of the Torah has 14 words, also a multiple of seven (2 x 7):
Veha’aretz hayeto tohu vovohu vechoshech al pnei tehom veru’ach Elokim merachefet al pnei hamayim — And the earth was without form (tohu), and void (vohu); and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters (ibid 1:2).
It can be proposed that these two sentences indicate that everything in the universe was created by the One God who is represented by the number seven. The second sentence tells us that the disorder and chaos characterizing the beginning of the universe was also the creation of Elohim. Hence, these first two sentences of the first Creation account are indicative of creatio ex nihilo, namely the doctrine that matter is not eternal but was created by a divine creative act.
It is worth noting parenthetically that the opening sentence of the Bible has unusual wording, in that its first word, bereishit, is in the construct form, meaning “in the beginning of . . . ” However, the subject of the “of” is missing! The usual way of saying “in the beginning” in Hebrew is not bereishit but barishona, meaning first of all.
Many Jewish commentators consider this first sentence as a general introduction to the creation story with an implied subject — i.e., “In the beginning of [everything].” Another way of looking at it is as a wake-up sentence: “In the beginning of, God created the heaven and the earth.” What do you mean “in the beginning of”? In the beginning of what? “In the beginning [of everything]” of course!
Just as the Divine was conceptualized in the ancient world by the number seven, so the natural world was represented by the numbers six and 60. Six is a perfect number in that the addition or multiplication of its integers is also equal to 6 — (1+2+3) and (1x2x3).
We have a vestige of this system today in our 24-hour day (6 x 4). There is no scientific reason that the number of hours in a day should be a multiple of six. It is a made-up construct based on an ancient convention.
A sexagesimal system, i.e., a number system based on 60 (which is also 6 x 10), was also used in the ancient world. Vestiges of this system are our 60-minute hour, 360-degree circle (60 x 6), and 180-degree triangle (60 x 3). Again, there is no underlying scientific reason that any of these constructs should be integers of 60.
The universe was, of course, created in billions of years and not in six days. Nor is there any scientific meaning in subdividing the creation of the world into six phases. Rather, this chapter is describing in poetic form the order and design that typifies the creation of the natural world and about the creation of man. It is also directing us to the seventh day of creation using a numerical system whose meaning would have been familiar to people living in that historic period.
Each day of creation is described in a fairly consistent format. Day 3 is a typical example:
Elohim said, "Let the waters beneath the heavens be gathered to one place, that the dry land may appear"; and it was so. Elohim called the dry land "earth", and to the gathering of waters He called "seas." And Elohim saw that it was good. And Elohim said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation (desheh), herbage (eysev) yielding seed, and fruit trees producing fruit each according to its kind, containing its own seed on the earth;" and it was so. And the earth sprouted vegetation (desheh), herbage (eysev) yielding seed according to its kind, and trees bearing fruit, each containing its seed after its kind. And Elohim saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a third day (Genesis 1:9-13).
First God speaks. But who is He speaking to? Because of the final creation of the Sabbath and its implications for humanity, this chapter is written with human-like terminology. One can assume, therefore, that God is speaking to Himself and this is more in the way of planning than talking. There are also other instances in the Torah of God speaking to Himself. It is of interest that the last time this is seen is a comment made about Abraham “And YHWH had said: “Shall I conceal from Abraham what I do. . . . “ (ibid 18:17-19). After this, and the beginning of the formation of the Israelite family and then the Israelite nation, God has whom to talk to! Many of the classic commentators, on the other hand, interpret it as an expression of God’s purposeful will.2
There then follows the details of these expressions — let there be light, let there be a firmament, let the waters beneath the heavens be gathered etc. All the verbs used are in the Hebrew kal construction. This is the simplest form of a Hebrew verb, and implies that no further molding is needed with these first creations. It is enough for God to will it, and it happens to its completeness.
There is also within this third day of creation the notion that to a degree the earth does its own creating — “And Elohim said, ‘Let the earth sprout vegetation (desheh), herbage (eysev) yielding seed. . . .” (Ibid 1:24) This is also apparent on the fifth day of creation with the seas and firmament when God said: “Let the waters teem with creeping living creatures. . . . (ibid 1:20), and the sixth day when Elohim said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kind” (ibid 1:24). It is not the point of this chapter to discuss the science of creation. Nevertheless, these verses are not incompatible with evolution. Nevertheless, the paragraph about day 6 clarifies that this is not random Darwinian evolution. The text clarifies that after God said: “let the earth bring forth living creatures (ibid 1:24), the text follows with: “And Elohim made the beasts of the earth according to their kind, and the cattle according to their kind, and all the creeping things of the ground according to their kind; and Elohim saw that it was good (ibid 1:28).
Most days of the week terminate with the expression that Elohim saw that it was good, or that “it was so” (vayehi chen), namely that it fulfilled its designated function. And ends with the expression “it was evening and it was morning one day, a second day, a third day etc.
The format of all this prose serves to express the design, order and purpose of God’s creative activities, and hence the design, order and purpose pervading the universe. Nothing in the universe occurred randomly, but only by the will of God. And its purpose was to provide a globe suitable for the habitation of man, namely the last of God’s creative activity.
Cassuto has noted that the purpose manifested throughout creation in the Torah is emphasized by a specific stylistic form that is summarized in table 1.3 From days 1 to 3, Elohim creates stationary domains, while on days 4 to 6 their purpose becomes established when these domains become filled with moving entities.
Hence, day 1 is linked to day 4 when Elohim forms the heavenly luminaries from the light created on day 1 placed within a firmament created on day 2. The reasons for the creation of these heavenly bodies are described as: (i). To separate day from night; (ii). For signs, seasons, days, and years; and (iii). To provide light to the earth. (As will be explained in the next chapter, two of these reasons are mentioned in Enuma Elish myth and all may have been mentioned in the original version as the fragment containing the description of the sun has been damaged). Animals and man are created on day 6 on a land with vegetation that has already been prepared for them on day 3.
A focus on day 6 is of considerable interest, since this is when man, the entire purpose of creation, was created. As the Talmud relates:
Man was created last so he should find all things ready for him. If he is worthy, he is told: “All things were created in your behalf.” At the same time his late appearance on earth conveys an admonition of humility. If man becomes too proud, he is reminded: Even gnats proceeded you in the order of creation.4
Given the importance of man in the overall scheme of creation, one might have thought that he would warrant his own day of creation. That he is created on the same day as the animals is a powerful message, namely that as organic material with a limited lifespan the dividing line between him and the animals is not that great:
And Elohim said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kind: cattle and creeping things, and beasts of the earth according to their kind": And it was so. And Elohim made the beasts of the earth according to its own kind, and the cattle according to its own kind, and every creeping thing of the ground according to their kind: And Elohim saw that it was good. And Elohim said, "Let us make man in Our image (bezalmeinu), after Our likeness (kidmuteinu), and they shall rule over the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the heaven, and over the cattle, the entire earth, and every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." And Elohim created man in His image (bezalmo), in the image (bezelem) of Elohim He created him; male and female He created them. And Elohim blessed them and said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and every living thing that moves upon the earth." And Elohim said: "Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing herb which is upon the surface of the entire earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit; it shall be yours for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to all the fowl of the heavens, and to everything that moves upon the earth in which there is a living spirit, every green herb is for food:” And it was so. And Elohim saw all that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And ther was evening and there was morning, the sixth day (ibid 1:24-31).
Despite man and animals being created on the same day, the text makes many differentiations between their creation. Instead of the earth being the source of creation as it is for the plants on day 3 and the oceans for creeping living creatures and fish on day 5, man warrants his own creation on day 6. “And Elohim said: “Let us make man in Our image . . . “ (ibid 1:26).
There is much discussion among Jewish commentators as why God suddenly uses the plural form of the verb to make. Some commentators suggest He was addressing the angels. It has to be admitted, though, that angels and all other agents used by God hardly constitute a committee, but are no more than yes-men.5 Imaginatively, Nachmanides suggests that the plural denotes the involvement of God together with the earth.6 Others suggest this expression is as a pluralis majestis (the royal “we”). This is not unusual in the Bible. In fact, we will meet it soon in the Tower of Bavel story when YHWH says “Come, let us go down . . .” (Genesis 11:7).
There is also much discussion as to what is meant by the expression the “image (bezelem) of Elohim.” By far the simplest definition is that this means all the faculties that man possesses that an animal does not.
Some commentators see the image or tzelem of Elohim as a sheath of the spiritual image of God.7 Artscroll summarizes many of the opinions that have been written about as follows:
Taken in sum total, then, the two parallel terms tzelem (image) and demut (likeness) describe man in his spiritual resemblance to his Creator, his endowment with the intellectual perception that gives preeminence over the animals, that guides him consciously in the exercise of his free-choice, his moral sense of right and wrong, and finally that gives man his fundamental distinction of approximating some spiritual resemblance to His Creator.8
I would like to stress two of these factors, in particular. The “image of God” gives man the faculties necessary to rule the earth to “subdue it [the earth], and rule over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and to everything that moves that moves upon the earth." Another faculty is the sense of right or wrong, or what we call the conscience. This is why there were individuals between the generation of Seth and Noah, and even Noah himself, who “walked” (yithale’ach) with Elohim, even though they had never received any formal moral code. Nevertheless, what is often called natural law has never been a particularly strong moral force in that the sense of right and wrong can easily be rationalized away, which is why the world eventually needed to be destroyed by a flood.
The factor intended to being spirituality to man was the institution of the Sabbath, either its diligent practice by the Jewish people, or the internalization of its philosophical principals by the rest of humanity.
The institution of the Sabbath is deeply embedded within creation. It is as much a part of creation as say the forming of the waters and the dry land. Its institution began at the beginning of time on the seventh day of creation and its recognition will continue into eternity.
The final paragraph describing the institution of the Sabbath has a wonderful lilt to it. This is best appreciated in the Hebrew, although it is also noticeable to a degree in English. It reads as follows:
(Sentence #1): Thus, the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their hosts.
(Sentence #2): And Elohim finished on the seventh day
His work (melachto) which He had made (asa);
(Sentence #3): And He rested (vayishbot) on the seventh day
from all His work (melachto) which He had made (asa).
(Sentence #4): And Elohim blessed the seventh day and sanctified it;
because in it He had rested (shovat) from all his work (melachto) which Elohim created and made (la’asot). (Genesis 2:1-3).
There are a number of reasons for is poetic form. First, the middle of each of the three sentences labeled #2 to #4 contain the words “bayom hashevi’i” or “yom hashevi.” This means “on the seventh day” or just “the seventh day,” and the phrase therefore acts as a refrain for the passage. In addition, each of sentences #2 to #4 contains seven Hebrew words.9
וַיְכֻלּ֛וּ הַשָּׁמַ֥יִם וְהָאָ֖רֶץ וְכׇל־צְבָאָֽם׃
(ב) וַיְכַ֤ל אֱלֹקים֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מְלַאכְתּ֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֑ה
וַיִּשְׁבֹּת֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מִכׇּל־מְלַאכְתּ֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָֽׂה׃
(ג) וַיְבָ֤רֶךְ אֱלֹקים֙ אֶת־י֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י וַיְקַדֵּ֖שׁ אֹת֑וֹ כִּ֣י ב֤וֹ שָׁבַת֙ מִכׇּל־מְלַאכְתּ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָ֥א אֱלֹקים לַעֲשֽׂוֹת׃
The end of sentence #4 is a summary of the end of sentences #2 and #3. All these features provide a structure and rhythm that make this paragraph stand out as a fitting ending to this chapter.
Moreover, this section contains 35 Hebrew words (5 x 7). This happens to be the same number of times the word Elohim is mentioned in this entire chapter. Both words are keywords and on the Sabbath they are interrelated, despite the fact that God is not doing anything on this day.
The Sabbath is not called this by name in Genesis, only “the seventh day.” Nevertheless, the three-letter root of the noun Shabbat שבת is a verb for God’s resting in sentence #4.10 This paragraph also calls God’s creative work “melacha.” This noun is not used elsewhere in the first Creation story, but is used in the Book of Exodus. In other words, this section on the Sabbath was never intended to stand alone, but is an introduction to the development of a concept that will continue throughout the Torah, including the Book of Deuteronomy.
Hence, God’s sanctification of the Sabbath at the time of Creation implies that at some time in the future there will be a people who will assiduously sanctity this day. It is not an exaggeration to say, therefore, that the establishment of an eternal Jewish people is already written into the very first chapter of Genesis.
The Jewish sages express this notion in the midrashic literature in the form of a beautiful exchange between the Sabbath and God HImself:
The Shabbat said: “Master of the universe, everyone has a partner except for me. The six days of creation pair off: Only I have no partner.” God replied: “The people of Israel are your partner.” When Israel stood before Sinai, God said to them: “Remember what I told Shabbat: “The people of Israel are your partner.” This is the meaning of the commandment “Commemorate (or remember) the day of Shabbat to sanctify it (Exodus 20:8).11
The next mention of the Sabbath in detail after the Book of Genesis is the fourth of the Ten Commandments in the Book of Exodus.12 This is also an Elohim-passage, although the name YHWH is also mentioned. As an Elohim-passage it has both a universal and particularistic application. It is in the form of a chiasmus:
A1. Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it.
B1. Six days shall you labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is Sabbath to YHWH, your God.
C. You shall not do any work — you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your maidservant and your animal, and the stranger within your gates —
A2. Therefore, YHWH blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it (Exodus 20:8-11).
B2. For in six days YHWH mad the heavens and the earth
Chiastic structures are common in the Torah and are worth recognizing. Firstly, they provide emphasis. They also help explain otherwise wordy passages. They typically consist of two parts, with the second part mirroring the first. The centerpiece of a chiasmus is often the main point being made within the chiasmus, in this case line C. There is nothing new in relation to the Creation story in lines A and B, but line C emphasizes the total cessation of work that should take place within a household on the Sabbath, the concept of freedom for everyone, including slaves, and a total reliance on God for sustenance on this day.
A further dimension to the particularistic understanding of the nature of the Sabbath and its holiness is found in the Book of Exodus in relation to the building of the Sanctuary. Within this book. The concept of the holiness of time has now become a building block for the concept of the holiness of place, in this instance the Sanctuary. Nevertheless, the construction of the Sanctuary never overrides the sanctity of the Sabbath. Furthermore, keeping the Sabbath has now become a “sign,” which is specific to the Jewish people.
Linguistically, this passage is very much a sequel to the last paragraph in the first Creation story, although it is completely a YHWH-passage. It uses the same verb for doing work as in the first Creation story (oseh) and the same noun for work (melacha). The Sabbath is no longer just “the seventh day” but has been given a name — Shabbat. This passage also has a chiastic structure:13
A1. Nevertheless, you must keep my Sabbaths (shabtotei)
B1. for it is a sign between Me and you for your generations
C1. that you may know that I am YHWH Who sanctifies you.
D1. You shall keep the Sabbath (hashabat), for it is holy to you;
E1. those who profane it shall be put to death, for whoever does (ha’oseh) work (melacha) on it, that person shall be cut off from among its people.
F. Six days may work be done (ye’oseh melacha), but on the seventh day there shall be a Sabbath of complete rest (shabat shabaton), holy to God;
E2. whoever does work (ha’oseh melacha) on the Sabbath day (b’yom hashabbat) shall be put to death.
D2. The Children of Israel shall observe the Sabbath (hashabbat)
C2. to make (la’asot) the Sabbath (hashabbat) an eternal covenant for their generations.
B2. It is a sign forever between Me and the Children of Israel
A2. for in six days YHWH made (asa) the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He ceased (shavat) from work (melacha) and was refreshed (Exodus 31:13-17).
The apex of this chiasmus is at F and it summarizes the passage — “Six days may work be done (ye’oseh melacha), but on the seventh day there shall be a Sabbath of complete rest (shabat shabaton), holy to God.” Noteworthy is that the first half of the chiasmus is directed at the individual and is written in the second person singular, while the second part is directed to the Children of Israel as a whole.13
I would like to suggest that this passage is the first of several contradictions between YHWH and Elohim passages found in the Torah. The presence of such contradictions was already noted by R’ Mordechai Breuer, who regards the Torah as a Divine composition that encompasses within it a wide range of conflicts and contradictions.14 My viewpoint is far narrower than that of R’ Breuer. Nevertheless, it is the case that YHWH and Elohim have different perspectives and these are reflected in the Torah. The contradiction is that the first Creation story, which includes the Sabbath is universal, whereas the YHWH description of the Sabbath in the Book of Exodus is nothing but particularistic.
Most biblical readers tend not to notice this contradiction because the inconsistency has already been sorted out within history — as it was intended to be.
Rabbinic Judaism has dogmatically chosen the particularistic aspect of Shabbat. The Sabbath is a sign meant exclusively for the Jewish people.15 Even someone in the process of learning about Judaism for the purpose of conversion should not keep entirely the Sabbath laws.
Nevertheless, the universal aspects of the seventh day have been adopted by both Christianity and Islam.
Many early Christians met together on Sunday. The emperor Constantine made a significant move toward formalizing Sunday as a day of rest and worship when he issued an edict in 321 CE declaring Sunday (referred to as "the day of the sun") a day of rest for Roman citizens. The Council of Laodicea in 364 CE decreed that Christians should, if possible, honor Sunday as their primary day of worship and rest rather than observing the Jewish Sabbath on Saturday. This council's rulings reflected an effort to differentiate Christian practices from Jewish customs. Seventh-day Adventists are the only Christian church that observes Saturday as their day of rest. No secular work or business activities are performed.
In Islam, Friday is seen as a day for heightened spirituality, reflection and community bonding through congregational prayer. It is not a day for complete cessation from work or regular activities. Some Islamic scholars highlight that Friday commemorates the completion of creation, as the Quran mentions that the heavens and earth were created in six days.
All these complex ideas began with seven simple Hebrew words: Bereishis boro Elokim et hashomayim ve’et ha’aretz — In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1).
References:
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Armana letters in Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amarna_letters. The correspondence between the patriarch Jacob bowing down seven times to his brother Esau is very apparent (Genesis 33:3).
2. This is the opinion of Rav Sadia Gaon, Maimonides, Nachmanides, and the Kuzari.
3. Fourth Paragraph. The Story of the Fourth Day in A Commentary on the Book of Genesis. Part One. From Adam to Noah by U. Cassuto, p42. The Magnes Press, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 1998.
4. TB. Sanhedrin 38a.
5. This is the view of Bereishit Raba 8:3-7, Targum Yonasan, Rashi, Maimonides, and Ibn Ezra. Rashi sees within this expression the notion of proper conduct and of consulting even those low down in the totem pole, even though this leaves an opening for heretics to question the notion of One God. Nevertheless, verse 27 is back to the singular in the creation of man.
6. See Nachmanides to ibid 1:26. He explains that just as the earth brought forth the bodies of animals and beasts, so too did the earth provide the body of humans. Nevertheless, the spirit came “from the mouth of the Supreme One” (Lamentations 3:38). Moreover, the spirit of man comes directly from God, as this verse in Lamentations continues “and He blew into his nostrils the soul of life.” Nevertheless, this explanation provides no general principle for use of the plural elsewhere in the Torah.
7. Commentary to ibid 1:26 in Bereishis. Genesis. A New Translation with a Commentary Anthologized from Talmudic, Midrashic and Rabbinic Sources. Volume Ia. P71. Mesorah Publications 1977, Brooklyn, NY., United States.
8. See the Arbarbanel and Vilna Gaon.
9. Seventh Paragraph. Introduction in A Commentary on the Book of Genesis. Part One. From Adam to Noah by U. Cassuto, p 15. The Magnes Press, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 1998.
10. Chapter 1. The First Story of Creation (P) in “In the Beginnings. Discovering the Two Worldviews Hidden within Genesis 1-11 by David Harbater, p30, Gefen, Jerusalem.2023.
11. Bereishit Rabba 11:8.
12. The Sabbath is also discussed briefly in relation to collecting the manna (Exodus 16:23).
13. “Shabbat of Sinai, Shabbat of the Mishkan” by Rav Yonatan Grossman in Torah Mietzion. New Readings in Tanach. Shemot. Eds: Ezra Bick and Yaakov Beasley. Maggid Books. Koren Publishers Jerusalem Ltd, p489, 2012.
14. Breuer’s Shitat Habehinot (Aspects Theory) in the Introduction to The First Story of Creation (P) in “In the Beginnings. Discovering the Two Worldviews Hidden within Genesis 1-11 by David Harbater, p12-14, Gefen, Jerusalem.2023.
15. The Talmud says:"Rabbi Yohanan said: A gentile who observes Shabbat is liable to receive the death penalty, as it is stated: 'And day and night shall not cease' (Genesis 8:22)” (Sanhedrin 58b). This is an exaggeration, but nevertheless expresses strongly the Rabbinic sentiment that the Sabbath is only for Jews. It may also reflect the historical situation that the Rabbis felt a distinction had to be made between Jews and non-Jews who were Sabbath-observing, particularly Sabbath-observing Christians. This antipathy was reciprocated when Christianity changed the day of rest from Saturday to Sunday.
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