Other Descriptions of Creation

Genesis 2:4 ff.

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.

Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground.

But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground.

Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.

Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers....

Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.

Ps 104 (see the whole)
Ps 33

[See both in your Reader.]

Ps 19 (God's Glory in the Heavens and in the Law)

The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.

Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.

Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their utterances to the end of the world.
In them He has placed a tent for the sun,

Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber;
It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.

Its rising is from one end of the heavens,
And its circuit to the other end of them;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.

They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.

Moreover, by them Your servant is warned;
In keeping them there is great reward.

Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults.

Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins;
Let them not rule over me;
Then I will be blameless,
And I shall be acquitted of great transgression.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.

Psalms 148

Praise the LORD !
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
Praise Him in the heights!

Praise Him, all His angels;
Praise Him, all His hosts!

Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all stars of light!

Praise Him, highest heavens,
And the waters that are above the heavens!

Let them praise the name of the LORD,
For He commanded and they were created.

He has also established them forever and ever;
He has made a decree which will not pass away.

Praise the LORD from the earth,
Sea monsters and all deeps;

Fire and hail, snow and clouds;
Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;

Mountains and all hills;
Fruit trees and all cedars;

Beasts and all cattle;
Creeping things and winged fowl;

Kings of the earth and all peoples;
Princes and all judges of the earth;

Both young men and virgins;
Old men and children.

Let them praise the name of the LORD,
For His name alone is exalted;
His glory is above earth and heaven.

Daniel 3

52
    "Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.
53
    Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory, praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.
54
    Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
55
    Blessed are you who look into the depths from your throne upon the cherubim, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
56
    Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven, praiseworthy and glorious forever.
57
    Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
58
    Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
59
    You heavens, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
60
    All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
61
    All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
62
    Sun and moon, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
63
    Stars of heaven, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
64
    Every shower and dew, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
65
    All you winds, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
66
    Fire and heat, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
67
    [Cold and chill, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
68
    Dew and rain, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
69
    Frost and chill, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
70
    Ice and snow, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
71
    Nights and days, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
72
    Light and darkness, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
73
    Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
74
    Let the earth bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
75
    Mountains and hills, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
76
    Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
77
    You springs, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
78
    Seas and rivers, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
79
    You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
80
    All you birds of the air, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
81
    All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
82
    You sons of men, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
83
    O Israel, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
84
    Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
85
    Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
86
    Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
87
    Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.


Job 38 ff. (God's Response to Job from the Whirlwind)

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said,

"Who is this that darkens counsel
By words without knowledge?

"Now gird up your loins like a man,
And I will ask you, and you instruct Me!

"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding,

Who set its measurements? Since you know.
Or who stretched the line on it?

"On what were its bases sunk?
Or who laid its cornerstone,

When the morning stars sang together
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

"Or who enclosed the sea with doors
When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb;

When I made a cloud its garment
And thick darkness its swaddling band,

And I placed boundaries on it
And set a bolt and doors,

And I said, 'Thus far you shall come, but no farther;
And here shall your proud waves stop'?

"Have you ever in your life commanded the morning,
And caused the dawn to know its place,

That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
And the wicked be shaken out of it?
        
"It is changed like clay under the seal;
And they stand forth like a garment.

"From the wicked their light is withheld,
And the uplifted arm is broken.

"Have you entered into the springs of the sea
Or walked in the recesses of the deep?

"Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
Or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?

"Have you understood the expanse of the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.

"Where is the way to the dwelling of light?
And darkness, where is its place,


That you may take it to its territory
And that you may discern the paths to its home?

"You know, for you were born then,
And the number of your days is great!

"Have you entered the storehouses of the snow,
Or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,

Which I have reserved for the time of distress,
For the day of war and battle?

"Where is the way that the light is divided,
Or the east wind scattered on the earth?

"Who has cleft a channel for the flood,
Or a way for the thunderbolt,

To bring rain on a land without people,
On a desert without a man in it,

To satisfy the waste and desolate land
And to make the seeds of grass to sprout?

"Has the rain a father?
Or who has begotten the drops of dew?

"From whose womb has come the ice?
And the frost of heaven, who has given it birth?

"Water becomes hard like stone,
And the surface of the deep is imprisoned.

"Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades,
Or loose the cords of Orion?

"Can you lead forth a constellation in its season,
And guide the Bear with her satellites?

"Do you know the ordinances of the heavens,
Or fix their rule over the earth?

"Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
So that an abundance of water will cover you?


"Can you send forth lightnings that they may go
And say to you, 'Here we are'?

"Who has put wisdom in the innermost being
Or given understanding to the mind?

"Who can count the clouds by wisdom,
Or tip the water jars of the heavens,

When the dust hardens into a mass
And the clods stick together?

"Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

When they crouch in their dens
And lie in wait in their lair?

"Who prepares for the raven its nourishment
When its young cry to God
And wander about without food?

"Do you know the time the mountain goats give birth?
Do you observe the calving of the deer?

"Can you count the months they fulfill,
Or do you know the time they give birth?

"They kneel down, they bring forth their young,
They get rid of their labor pains.

"Their offspring become strong, they grow up in the open field;
They leave and do not return to them.

"Who sent out the wild donkey free?
And who loosed the bonds of the swift donkey,

To whom I gave the wilderness for a home
And the salt land for his dwelling place?

"He scorns the tumult of the city,
The shoutings of the driver he does not hear.

"He explores the mountains for his pasture
And searches after every green thing.


"Will the wild ox consent to serve you,
Or will he spend the night at your manger?

"Can you bind the wild ox in a furrow with ropes,
Or will he harrow the valleys after you?

"Will you trust him because his strength is great
And leave your labor to him?

"Will you have faith in him that he will return your grain
And gather it from your threshing floor?

"The ostriches' wings flap joyously
With the pinion and plumage of love,

For she abandons her eggs to the earth
And warms them in the dust,

And she forgets that a foot may crush them,
Or that a wild beast may trample them.

"She treats her young cruelly, as if they were not hers;
Though her labor be in vain, she is unconcerned;

Because God has made her forget wisdom,
And has not given her a share of understanding.

"When she lifts herself on high,
She laughs at the horse and his rider.

"Do you give the horse his might?
Do you clothe his neck with a mane?

"Do you make him leap like the locust?
His majestic snorting is terrible.

"He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength;
He goes out to meet the weapons.

"He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
And he does not turn back from the sword.

"The quiver rattles against him,
The flashing spear and javelin.

"With shaking and rage he races over the ground,
And he does not stand still at the voice of the trumpet.

"As often as the trumpet sounds he says, 'Aha!'
And he scents the battle from afar,
And the thunder of the captains and the war cry.

"Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars,
Stretching his wings toward the south?

"Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up
And makes his nest on high?

"On the cliff he dwells and lodges,
Upon the rocky crag, an inaccessible place.

"From there he spies out food;
His eyes see it from afar.

"His young ones also suck up blood;
And where the slain are, there is he."

Then Job answered the LORD and said,

"I know that You can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.

'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?'
"Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know."

'Hear, now, and I will speak;
I will ask You, and You instruct me.'

"I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear;
But now my eye sees You;

Therefore I retract,
And I repent in dust and ashes."


Wisdom 11:15 ff.

And in return for their senseless wicked thoughts,
which misled them into worshiping dumb serpents and worthless insects,
You sent upon them swarms of dumb creatures for vengeance;
that they might recognize that a man is punished by the ver things through which he sins.

For not without means was your almighty hand,
that had fashioned the universe from formless matter ...

... they [the idolaters] could have been killed by at a single blast,
pursued by retribution
and winnowed out by your might spirit;
But you have disposed all things by measure and number and weight.
For with you great strength abides always;
who can resist the might of your arm?
Indeed, before you the whole universe is as a grain from a balance,
or a drop of morning dew come down upon the earth.
But you have mercy on all, because you can do all things;
and you overlook the sins of men that they may repent.
For you love all things that are
and loathe nothing that you have made;
for what you hated, you would not have fashioned.
And how could a thing remain, unless you willed it;
or be preserved, had it not been called forth by you?
But yo spare all things, because they are yours, O Lord and lover of souls,
for your imperishable spirit is in all things!
Therefore you rebuke offenders little by little,
warn them, and remind them of the sins they are committing,
that they may abandon their wickedness
and believe in you, O Lord!



Some General Characteristics:

1. No mention of the seven days, nor any vestiges of any of the "days."
2. But in all, we find God the Creator as the God of justice and mercy.
3. God created all, down to the smallest parts, and it was all very good.