Genesis 1 And 2 Comparison

The first book of the Hebrew bible, the book of Genesis, is responsible for outlining the context and the setting of the accounts to come. The first two chapters of Genesis describe the creation of the world and of the human race as believed by the Israelites, however, each chapter tells a slightly different version of the events of creation. Genesis chapters 1 and 2 do share some similarities such as the belief that man was created in God’s own image and that there is only one God. The two accounts differ in the state of the world prior to creation, the order of events, and the characterization of God.
To begin, the first story of creation (referred to as the Elohim story) takes place from Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 2:4 and discusses in great detail the process of creation. The story begins with a pre-existing but chaotic world that is plunged in dark waters and void of life (Gen 1:2). The deity called “Elohim” choses to bring order to this world first by creating and bringing light to the darkness; this action represents the introduction of goodness and order into an unruly evil world (Gen 1:4). This version of events contrasts with the events described within the second account

(referred to as the YHWH Elohim story) which begins with the creation of heaven and earth in a void universe. In this account the world is not pre-existent and evil is not already present within it, but is introduced later by the acts of man (Gen 3). Although these stories begin with a different setting both mention the creation of light and of the heavens as the initial acts of God, or Elohim.
Secondly, these chapters are dissimilar in the description of events that culminated in the finished world. The first story mentions the acts of creation happening in a specific order over a span of six days, with the seventh day being a holy day of rest (Gen 2:2) while the second story does not provide a specific timeline or mention of the Sabbath. The order of creation varies as well, for in the first chapter man and women were created together and at the same time as the animals and plants, in the second story man came first then animals and plant life and lastly woman was created to be his companion. The second story goes into great detail about the first humans, Adam and Eve, by discussing the steps of their creation, and the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden is greatly described in this chapter, including mention of its location in relation to well-known rivers of that time (Gen 2:10-14). The first account does not include the names of Adam and Eve or the story of how Eve was created from the rib of Adam (Gen 2:22).
Lastly and possibly most significantly, these stories differ in their portrayal of the deity behind creation.

In the first account God is simply called Elohim and is characterized as existing and acting without need for explanation; he creates the world by simply commanding it into being with his voice “ Let there be Light” (Gen1:3). The second account portrays a deity called YHWH Elohim who is more willing to listen to the needs of humanity and foster an intimate relationship with all of life; he uses physical action to create the world “… breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Gen 2:7).The use of action instead of command creates an image of God as a craftsman instead of a mysterious and unknowable deity like that of the first

account.
Overall, both accounts include the same information at the most basic level; a single deity created life. The deities name and personality vary, but it clear the Israelites believed in a monotheistic religion based around a God who wanted to create goodness .The order of creation and the story's beginnings differ but for the most part the same events occur, the creation of animals, plants, man, the heavens, and so on, which illustrates that the Israelites believed in creation as a process not a singular event. This also reveals that even though the stories compare two different versions of the same events, the Israelites were united in agreement on the steps of the process that lead to the competition of the world.