Genesis 1-1

Genesis 1:1

בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים

In beginning God created

1:1 · WORD 1

Prep. בְּ + noun · fem. · sing.

“In beginning.” Reshit comes from rosh (רֹאשׁ) “head,” with the feminine ending ־ִית. The shewa under בְּ shows there is no article: not “in the beginning,” but “in beginning.” The א is silent.

1:1 · WORD 2

Verb · Qal · perfect · 3ms

“He created.” The bare perfect 3ms. In the Qal, bara always has God as its subject in the Bible. The final א is silent: ba-ra.

1:1 · WORD 3

Noun · masc. · plural

“God.” The form is masculine plural (־ִים), but the verb bara is singular, so it refers to the one God. The “o” is a holem (לֹ).

אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ

the heavens and the earth

1:1 · WORD 4

Direct-object marker

Not translated: it marks the definite direct object, “the heavens.” It is spelled with aleph (א) and tav (ת), the first and last letters of the alphabet.

1:1 · WORD 5

Article + noun · masc. · plural

“The heavens.” Article הַ with a dagesh in שּׁ. Shamayim is always plural in form (־ַיִם), like mayim “water.”

1:1 · WORD 6

Conj. + object marker

“And” + the object marker, pointing to the second object, “the earth.”

1:1 · WORD 7

Article + noun · sing.

“The earth.” א cannot take a dagesh, so the article is הָ. With the article, erets (אֶרֶץ) also lengthens its first vowel: הָאָרֶץ.

Genesis 1:2

וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֨הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ

And the earth was formlessness and emptiness

1:2 · WORD 1

Conj. + article + noun · sing.

“And the earth” — verse 1’s ha-arets with vav. Placed before the verb, it introduces a description: “now the earth…”

1:2 · WORD 2

Verb · Qal · perfect · 3fs

Hayah “to be.” The ending ־ָה (-ah) marks “she” (perfect 3fs), because the earth is treated as feminine → “it (the earth) was.”

1:2 · WORD 3

Noun · masc. · sing.

“Formlessness.” The “o” is a holem (תֹ); the final “u” is written with vav (וּ).

1:2 · WORD 4

Conj. + noun · masc. · sing.

“And emptiness.” In this pair the vav is וָ (va); ב has no dagesh, so it is soft (v): “tohu va-vohu,” a rhyming pair.

וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְה֑וֹם

and darkness was upon the face of the deep

1:2 · WORD 5

Conj. + noun · masc. · sing.

“And darkness.” The final כ takes its final form ךְ, with a shewa under it.

1:2 · WORD 6

Preposition

“Upon.” Joined to the next word by a maqaf (־), read as one unit.

1:2 · WORD 7

Noun · plural · construct

“The face of.” Panim (פָּנִים) “face” is always plural; ־ֵי is the plural construct ending.

1:2 · WORD 8

Noun · sing.

“The deep.” Used without the article; the “o” is written with vav (וֹ).

וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם

and the spirit of God was hovering upon the face of the waters

1:2 · WORD 9

Conj. + noun · sing. · construct

“And the spirit of.” Ruach “wind, breath, spirit”; the patach under final ח is read first: ru-ach. Construct: “the spirit of God.”

1:2 · WORD 10

Noun · masc. · plural

“God,” as in verse 1 — bound to ruach: “the spirit of God.”

1:2 · WORD 11

Verb · Piel · participle · fem. · sing.

Rachaf “to hover.” The prefix מְ (me-) marks the Piel participle; the ending ־ֶת (-et) is feminine singular, matching ruach → “was hovering” (ongoing).

1:2 · WORD 12

Preposition

“Upon,” as above, again joined by a maqaf.

1:2 · WORD 13

Noun · plural · construct

“The face of,” the construct ־ֵי seen above.

1:2 · WORD 14

Article + noun · masc. · plural

“The waters.” Article הַ with a dagesh in מּ; mayim is always plural in form (־ַיִם).

Genesis 1:3

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֖ים יְהִ֣י א֑וֹר

And God said, "Let there be light,"

1:3 · WORD 1

Conj. + verb · Qal · vav-consecutive imperfect · 3ms

Amar “to say.” Vav with patach (וַ) plus a dagesh in the yod (יּ) marks the narrative vav-consecutive → “and he said.” Yod = “he”; the root’s first letter א is silent.

1:3 · WORD 2

Noun · masc. · plural

“God,” the one who speaks.

1:3 · WORD 3

Verb · Qal · jussive · 3ms

Jussive of hayah: “let it be.” Yod = “it.” A shortened form of the imperfect yihyeh (יִהְיֶה).

1:3 · WORD 4

Noun · sing.

“Light.” The “o” is written with vav (וֹ).

וַֽיְהִי־אֽוֹר

and there was light

1:3 · WORD 5

Conj. + verb · Qal · vav-consecutive imperfect · 3ms

“And it was.” Vav-consecutive (וַ) + the short form of hayah; the yod has a shewa, so its dagesh drops. Joined to “light” by maqaf.

1:3 · WORD 6

Noun · sing.

“Light.” The command is fulfilled word for word: yehi … vayhi.

Genesis 1:4

וַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶת־הָא֖וֹר כִּי־ט֑וֹב

And God saw the light, that it was good

1:4 · WORD 1

Conj. + verb · Qal · vav-consecutive imperfect · 3ms

Ra’ah “to see.” Vav-consecutive (וַ + dagesh in יּ) → “and he saw.” A short form: the final ה of ra’ah drops off.

1:4 · WORD 2

Noun · masc. · plural

“God.”

1:4 · WORD 3

Direct-object marker

The object marker, like אֵת in verse 1; joined by maqaf, its vowel shortens (אֶת).

1:4 · WORD 4

Article + noun · sing.

“The light.” Before א the article is הָ.

1:4 · WORD 5

Conjunction

“That,” introducing what he saw.

1:4 · WORD 6

Adjective · masc. · sing.

“Good.” The “o” is written with vav (וֹ).

וַיַּבְדֵּ֣ל אֱלֹהִ֔ים בֵּ֥ין הָא֖וֹר וּבֵ֥ין הַחֹֽשֶׁךְ

and God divided between the light and between the darkness

1:4 · WORD 7

Conj. + verb · Hiphil · vav-consecutive imperfect · 3ms

Badal “to divide,” Hiphil. Vav-consecutive (וַ + יּ) with the Hiphil prefix vowel יַ (ya) → “and he divided.”

1:4 · WORD 8

Noun · masc. · plural

“God.”

1:4 · WORD 9

Preposition

“Between” — used twice, “between the light and between the darkness,” to make the division sharp.

1:4 · WORD 10

Article + noun · sing.

“The light,” as above.

1:4 · WORD 11

Conj. + preposition

“And between.” Before ב the vav is וּ (u); after a vowel the ב is soft: u-vein.

1:4 · WORD 12

Article + noun · masc. · sing.

“The darkness.” ח cannot take a dagesh, yet the article stays הַ (no lengthening).

Genesis 1:5

וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים לָאוֹר֙ י֔וֹם וְלַחֹ֖שֶׁךְ קָ֣רָא לָ֑יְלָה

And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night

1:5 · WORD 1

Conj. + verb · Qal · vav-consecutive imperfect · 3ms

Qara “to call.” Vav-consecutive (וַ + יּ) → “and he called.” Yod = “he.”

1:5 · WORD 2

Noun · masc. · plural

“God.”

1:5 · WORD 3

Prep. לְ + article + noun · sing.

“The light” (lit. “to the light”). לְ merges with the article into לָ, lengthened before א.

1:5 · WORD 4

Noun · masc. · sing.

“Day.” The same word means both “daytime” and “a day”; here it names the light. The “o” is vav (וֹ).

1:5 · WORD 5

Conj. + prep. לְ + article + noun

“And the darkness” (lit. “and to the darkness”). לְ + article → לַ.

1:5 · WORD 6

Verb · Qal · perfect · 3ms

“He called.” A plain perfect, not vav-consecutive: the object “darkness” is placed first for emphasis. The final א is silent.

1:5 · WORD 7

Noun · masc. · sing.

“Night,” seen in Psalm 1:2 — masculine despite its final ה.

וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם אֶחָֽד

And there was evening and there was morning, day one

1:5 · WORD 8

Conj. + verb · Qal · vav-consecutive imperfect · 3ms

“And there was,” the vav-consecutive form seen in verse 3, joined by maqaf.

1:5 · WORD 9

Noun · masc. · sing.

“Evening.” The text names evening first — then morning.

1:5 · WORD 10

Conj. + verb · Qal · vav-consecutive imperfect · 3ms

“And there was,” the same form again.

1:5 · WORD 11

Noun · masc. · sing.

“Morning.” Holem (בֹ); after a vowel the ב is soft (v): voker.

1:5 · WORD 12

Noun · masc. · sing.

“Day,” as in “day one.”

1:5 · WORD 13

Adjective · cardinal · masc. · sing.

“One” — a cardinal number, not the ordinal “first” (rishon, רִאשׁוֹן): “day one.” From the second day on, the text uses ordinals (sheni, shelishi …).