Genesis Chapter 1 Comparison

As the introduction of the Bible, Genesis explains the creation of the world and the following stories of the generation of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman. Using priestly narrative voice is common in the text; however, there is non-priestly narrative version text that comes after and obtains different descriptions from the priestly narrative version. Both chapter 1 and 2 are the whole processes of the creation of the world, but chapter 1 uses priestly narrative voice and chapter 2 uses non-priestly narrative voice. In chapter 1, the creation is so abstract because many things including sky are created after the God says something that follows his will. For example, there is an abstract description of plants: “God said, ‘Let the earth grow grass, plants yielding

seed of each kind and trees bearing fruit of each kind, that has its seed within it.’ And so it was. And the earth put forth grass, plants yielding seed of each kind, and trees bearing fruit that has its seed within it of each kind, and God saw that is was good.’” Instead of explaining what a seed or a plant is, the text is saying that the things will show up when the God says what he wants. Surely, this line expresses that the God is mighty by materializing his thought.

However, the abstraction is pretty obvious here. First, it doesn’t explain how those fruits are grown, which people at that time should understand how to grow a plant or they had starved to death already. Second, it is too brief to all of the plants because not all of the plants bear fruit with their seeds such as potato and carrot. Generally, chapter 1 is giving an outline of how this world is created. In chapter 2, it becomes more detailed in describing how the world is made since it is non-priestly narrative version. In non-priestly narrative version, the existence of many existing things in reality such as the four rivers and human are fully described. In this chapter, the God is really creating something instead of realizing his thoughts. In line 5 and 6, it talks about the growth of the plant:” no shrub of the field being yet on the earth and no plant of the field yet sprouted, for the LORD GOD had not caused rain to fall on the earth and there was no human to till the soil.” In these lines, we may understand the fact that plants need water and till to grow, which is an interpretation of the existence of real

objects.
In my opinion, the priestly narrative voice is more likely used to describe the conceptual objects that can’t be explained by human knowledge; therefore, with priestly narrative voice, the God becomes the mightiest among everything. Then, the next chapter is followed up as the add-on to the creation of the world which people may connect to the reality and understand the existence of those existing objects.