Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Peter Kirk" <Peter_Kirk AT sil.org>]

I see creation ex nihilo in verse 1, which I still interpret as an
independent sentence - don't let's get back into discussing the syntax
again. On my interpretation, which is certainly a very ancient one going
back at least to the LXX, there is no mention of preexisting matter,
just that God created the heavens and the earth. This interpretation
takes v.2 as a description of the state of the earth just after it had
been created.

Peter Kirk

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bill Ross [mailto:BillRoss AT norisksoftware.com]
> Sent: 22 July 2002 15:26
> To: Biblical Hebrew
> Subject: RE: Ex nihilo? Was Raqiyah
> 
> If this is off topic, then please ignore.
> 
> But in light of this discussion I wonder what in Gen 1 gives one *any*
> cause to view this as a description of creation ex-nihilo? Clearly it
is
> "out of water," no?
> 
> Bill Ross
> BillRoss AT norisksoftware.com
>