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.
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,
- BSB This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made them.
- 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,
- 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 God’s likeness.
- Rev 1:8“I am the Alpha and the Omega, ” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
- Exod 15:3Yahweh is a man of war. Yahweh is his name.
- Gen 36:1Now this is the history of the generations of Esau (that is, Edom).
- Gen 1:31God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
- Gen 1:4God saw the light, and saw that it was good. God divided 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 it, they fell on their faces. They said, “Yahweh, he is God! Yahweh, he is God!”
- Exod 6:16These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari; and the years of the life of Levi were one hundred thirty-seven years.
- 2 Chr 20:6and he said, “Yahweh, the God of our fathers, aren’t you God in heaven? Aren’t you ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in your hand, so that no one is able to withstand you.
- Gen 36:9This is the history of the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir:
- Gen 11:10This is the history of the generations of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old when he became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood.
- Ps 18:31For who is God, except Yahweh? Who is a rock, besides our God,
- Gen 1:28God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
- Job 38:28Does the rain have a father? Or who fathers the drops of dew?
- Gen 10:1Now this is the history of the generations of the sons of Noah and of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.
- Gen 25:12Now this is the history of the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham.
- Gen 25:19This is the history of the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham became the father of Isaac.
- Ps 90:1–2A Prayer by Moses, the man of God. Lord, you have been our dwelling place for all generations.
- Rev 16:5I heard the angel of the waters saying, “You are righteous, who are and who were, you Holy One, because you have judged these things.
- Rev 11:17saying: “We give you thanks, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who was; because you have taken your great power, and reigned.
- Rev 1:4John, to the seven assemblies that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from God, who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before his throne;
- Isa 44:6This is what Yahweh, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Yahweh of Armies, says: “I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God.
- Ps 86:10For you are great, and do wondrous things. You are God alone.
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.