Board index ‹ Specific Bible verses, texts, and passages ‹ Genesis

[Cooing]

When the Earth is 1/3 the age of the stars, why does it say "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth?"

[jimwalton]

Since the first of 10 toledoth statements ("these are the generations of...") doesn't come until Gn. 2.4, 1.1-2.3 can rightfully be considered a preface to the book, and Gn. 1.1 functions as a title. It is the heading of the chapter—a literary introduction, a summary of what follow—and the chapter then explains what is meant by "God created the heavens and the earth."