This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made them.
Parallel translations
- WEB This is the history of the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that Yahweh God made the earth and the heavens.
- KJV These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
- NKJV This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,
- NASB This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven.
- NLT This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth. When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A new section begins, recounting the creation of the heavens and earth. The narrative now focuses on God's relationship with humanity.
Overview
This verse introduces a new account ('the history of the generations') and is the first place the covenant name Yahweh is joined to God in Genesis. The focus shifts from the cosmic sweep of chapter 1 to a closer, more personal portrait of God forming and caring for humanity. The use of the divine name signals that the transcendent Creator is also the personal, covenant-keeping God who draws near to his people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 24
- Gen 5:1This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in His own likeness.
- Rev 1:8“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come—the Almighty.
- Exod 15:3The LORD is a warrior, the LORD is His name.
- Gen 36:1This is the account of Esau (that is, Edom).
- Gen 1:31And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
- Gen 1:4And God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness.
- Gen 1:1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
- 1 Kgs 18:39When all the people saw this, they fell facedown and said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”
- Exod 6:16These were the names of the sons of Levi according to their records: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived 137 years.
- 2 Chr 20:6and said, “O LORD, God of our fathers, are You not the God who is in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can stand against You.
- Gen 36:9This is the account of Esau, the father of the Edomites, in the area of Mount Seir.
- Gen 11:10This is the account of Shem. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad.
- Ps 18:31For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?
- Gen 1:28God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.”
- Job 38:28Does the rain have a father? Who has begotten the drops of dew?
- Gen 10:1This is the account of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, who also had sons after the flood.
- Gen 25:12This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham.
- Gen 25:19This is the account of Abraham’s son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac,
- Ps 90:1–2A prayer of Moses the man of God. Lord, You have been our dwelling place through all generations.
- Rev 16:5And I heard the angel of the waters say: “Righteous are You, O Holy One, who is and was, because You have brought these judgments.
- Rev 11:17saying: “We give thanks to You, O Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.
- Rev 1:4John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from Him who is and was and is to come, and from the seven Spirits before His throne,
- Isa 44:6Thus says the LORD, the King and Redeemer of Israel, the LORD of Hosts: “I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God but Me.
- Ps 86:10For You are great and perform wonders; You alone are God.
Resources, by level
Lay
The single best free starting point for Genesis 1–11 — clear, visual, and faithful to the literary design.
Pastoral
The beloved devotional-pastoral classic, free and public domain — warm, quotable, verse by verse.
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 2:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.