Bible Quiz #1 -- Creation

In addition to its obvious religious importance, the Bible is a significant work of literature. Despite this importance and significance, much of what we know about the Bible is through rumors, hearsay, catchphrases, forgotten boring lessons, and the occasional History Channel special. The following is an educational lesson of sorts. It is in "quiz" format, but you are allowed to study, use a book, or even peek at the answers before you respond. If you do not want to use a book, which is a bit Old School, you may use the Internet -- which, in fact, you are using right now if you are reading this. It is in a quiz format simply to trick you into learning something by thinking it's a competition of some kind. However, no grade will be given, and there will be no extra credit.

The Bible in this case refers to the Hebrew Scriptures: the TANACH. Since the original was written in Hebrew, we have to rely on a translation, and I will use the American Jewish Version. This is not the most up-to-date translation available, but it's good enough for here. This quiz will only cover the passages of Creation, Genesis 1.1-2.3.

Since most of you probably do not know Hebrew, I will provide some insight into TANACH passages that are hidden from English readers. Hopefully, your computer screens will render the Hebrew characters correctly -- if not, no big deal, since you cannot read them anyway, right? If you can see them, keep in mind that they are read from the right to left.

For you atheists, please do not slink away. This is not a religious or theological lesson, nor a conversion attempt. It is simply a parsing of a unique piece of literature from a unique perspective. In fact, you can use a few of these questions to stump the next zealots who come to your door with the aim of seducing you into joining their cult. Perhaps their own ignorance of basic biblical facts will lead them to your way of thinking. Only God knows.

QUESTIONS

1. What existed before God began the Creation process?

2. In the very first sentence of the Bible is a phrase that never appears again throughout the Bible. What is that phrase?

3. What verb is used only when God is the one carrying out the action?

4. God gives specific names to only six things. What are they?

5a. During five of the six work-days of Creation, God observes that His work “was good.” Which is the one day that lacks this observation?

5b. During five of the days of Creation, God observes that His work “was good.” What does God observe to be “very good,” not simply “good”?

6. What is the first commandment given by God to humans?

7. On the seventh day, God rests from his work of Creation. What else does He do on that day?

ANSWERS

1. The "deep" and the "waters"
The first sentence of the Bible -- “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” -- is a summary of what is to follow. Heaven is not created until Day-2, and earth is not created until Day-3. However, before the very first act of Creation (“Let there be light”), darkness already is upon “the face of the deep,” and the spirit of God hovers over “the face of the waters.”
Genesis 1:2

2. "In the beginning" -- The very first Hebrew word of the Bible, בראשית [b’ray-sheet / “in the beginning”], is never repeated.
Genesis 1:1

3. “Create” -- The second Hebrew word in the Bible, ברא [bara / “created”], or any of its derivations appear in the Bible only when God is the one carrying out the action. When humans “create,” the Bible uses words such as “make” [עשה / asa]
Genesis 1:1

Similarities between first two words: The first two Hebrew words of the Bible begin with the same first three letters ( ב ר א ), even though they come from different root words and have different meanings and pronunciations.

4. Day, Night, Heaven, Earth, Seas, and Man -- God calls the light “Day,” calls the darkness “Night,” calls the firmament “Heaven,” calls the dry land “Earth,” and calls the gathering of waters “Seas.” He later names humans “Man.”
Genesis 1:5-10, 5:2

5a. The Second Day -- The work to create Heaven, the earth, and the seas begins on Day-2, but not completed until the middle of Day-3. After creating light, day, and night on Day-1 -- and observing “that it was good” -- God creates the firmament (Heaven) on Day-2 without the same observation. Day-3 begins with the creation of earth and the seas, after which God observes “that it was good.” The work then continues on Day-3: God creates vegetation and then observes for a second time that same day “that it was good.”
Genesis 1:6-13

5b. The total of everything that He had made -- After creating the land animals on Day-6, God observes “that it was good.” He resumes His work by creating humans. He does not specifically mention the creation of humans as “good,” but at the end of Day-6, after He “saw every thing that He had made,” He beholds that “it was very good.”
Genesis 1:31

When each day begins: Each day begins at sunset, not sunrise. Darkness existed before light; God creates Day by dividing the light from the darkness. Each day of Creation ends with the phrase “and there was evening and there was morning, a [third] day.”

6. “Be fruitful, and multiply” -- God commands the aquatic animals and birds to “be fruitful, and multiply” (Genesis 1:22). He says this to the humans as well, adding “and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that creeps upon the earth.”
Genesis 1:28

7. He blesses and hallows the seventh day -- God rests on the seventh day from His work of Creation. However, He also “blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it” because of His rest that day.
Genesis 2:3

Day of Rest: The Hebrew word for the seventh day [ שבת / Shabbat ] and its Anglicized version, “Sabbath”, are derived from the Hebrew root verb “cease” or “rest” [ שבת / shavat ], which happens to sound and look similar to the Hebrew word for seven [ שבע / sheva ]. Although the English word “seven” itself might seem similar, it is actually derived from the German word for seven, “sieben.”