Can Genesis 1:1 be translated 'When God began to create the heavens and the earth'?

Author: Frank Luke

Genesis 1:1 has been the topic of much controversy in the last few decades.  A recent retranslation has the above sentence.  The justification is that this is one possibility that an ancient Jew or Hebrew would understand.  This essay will attempt to explore that possibility from a grammatical standpoint.

There are at least four reasons that the above translation will not work under Biblical Hebrew’s rules of grammar.

1. Changes      the state of the verb.  The Hebrew verb bara’ is      in a finite form.  Specifically, the Hebrew verb used here is in      the Qal perfect state (more specifically      the Qal perfect 3rd masculine      singular).  The perfect state is always a finite      verb.  The translation in question requires      a Qal infinitive construct (‘to create’) and would read bero’ (as      in Genesis 5:1).  There is no way to confuse      a Qal perfect 3ms with a Qal infinitive construct.

2. Turns      a noun into a verb.  “When God began to create” not only      requires confusing an infinitive construct and perfect but also requires      that one confuse a noun and a verb.  Though several Hebrew words      are translated “begin, began” none can be confused with re’shith (used      51 times in the Old Testament).  The most common word for      “began” as a verb in Genesis is chalal.  The two      words look nothing alike in Hebrew.  Similarly, the Bible never      uses a verb form for re’shith or its root re’sh.

3. Puts      the prepositional phrase in the wrong place.  As many      languages (Hebrew included) do not allow splitting an infinitive, Hebrew      also forbids splitting the prepositional phrase.  In fact, the      most common Hebrew prepositions are prefixed onto the noun they modify      (hence the grammars refer to them as “inseparable prepositions”). Genesis      1:1 uses one of the inseparable prepositions on “beginning” but not      “God.”  The text reads bere’shith not beElohim.  Therefore,      God is not the object of the preposition and we cannot justify “When God”      instead of “in beginning.”

4. The      new verse becomes a dependent clause.  Hebrew grammar and      syntax forbid a dependent clause (rare enough in Hebrew anyway) from being      joined to the independent clause by a waw conjunction.  Genesis      1:2 begins with this waw conjunction meaning “and” or      “but.”  The traditional (and correct) translation of these two      verses renders, “In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth,      and the earth was¼”

The next two observations do not deal with the translation offered above but with similar arguments that could be made.

1. There      is no other way of saying “when” in Hebrew besides the simple      preposition be.  Actually, there      is.  One way is beyom.  This is      the normal word for “day” prefixed by the preposition for      “in.”  It reads literally as “in day” (no      article).  However, the Hebrews use this construction      idiomatic for “when” (for example Gen 2:4, 17).

2. What      about “When beginning¼?”  This translation fares little      better.  Though the preposition be can      mean “when” in the proper context, doing so makes this occurrence an      adverb.  As mentioned above, re’shith is not a      verb, cannot be confused with a verb, and is never used as a verb.

In conclusion, Genesis 1:1 should not be translated as proposed.  The translation breaks no less than four rules of Hebrew grammar.