Scripture Analysis: Genesis 1:2

Welcome back to another Scripture Analysis! Today we're going to take a closer look at Genesis 1:2. Translating scriptures is fun because it helps us get a better feel for Japanese grammar and sentence structure, and looking at a single scripture from two different angles can help us to better grasp the meaning.

行きましょう！ Let's go!
Click the link below to see the lesson.

As a warm-up, let's review how to say the first book of the Bible in Japanese.

In English, we say "Genesis." In Japanese, it's "創世記 (そうせいき)." It means "Account of the origin of the world.

Now let's read the scripture!

First, in English:

"Now the earth was formless and desolate, and there was darkness upon the surface of the watery deep, and God’s active force was moving about over the surface of the waters."
(Source)

And in Japanese:

"地は荒れていて何もなかった。深い水の上に闇があった。神が送り出す力が水の上を動いていた。"
(Source)

Vocabulary

     地 (ち) : (n) Earth

     は : (particle) Marks the topic.

     荒れていて (あれていて) : (v) Stormy, rough

     何も (なにも) :  (n) Nothing

     なかった : (adj) Did not exist

     深い (ふかい) : (adj) Deep

     水 (みず) : (n) Water

     の : (particle) Possessive particle

     上 (うえ) : (n) Above, up

     に : (particle) At

     闇 (やみ) : (n) Darkness

     が : (particle) Marks the topic

     あった : (v) There was

     神 (かみ) : (n) God

     送り出す (おくりだす) : (v) To send out

     力 (ちから) : (n) Force, strength, energy

     を : (particle) Marks the direct object of a verb

     動いていた (うごいていた) : (v) To move, was moving

Grammar

It's time to put it all together!

地は荒れていて何もなかった。

地は (Earth, marked as the topic by the particle "は") 荒れていて (stormy, rough) 何も (nothing) なかった (there was)。

I would translate this sentence as "The earth was stormy, and there was nothing."

深い水の上に闇があった。

深い (deep) 水の上に (above the water) 闇が (darkness, marked as the topic by the particle "が" あった (there was)。

"Above the deep water, there was darkness."

神が送り出す力が水の上を動いていた。
神が (God, marked as the topic by "が") 送り出す (to send out) 力が (force, strength, energy - marked as the topic by "が") 水の上 (above the water) を (marks "above the water" as the direct object which receives the action of the following verb) 動いていた (was moving)。
"God's force was moving on the water."

地は荒れていて何もなかった。深い水の上に闇があった。神が送り出す力が水の上を動いていた。

Here's my translation: "The earth was stormy, and there was nothing. Above the deep water, there was darkness. God's force was moving on the water."

Let's compare our translation to the English version and see if the meanings match up.

"Now the earth was formless and desolate, and there was darkness upon the surface of the watery deep, and God’s active force was moving about over the surface of the waters."

What do you think? Even though the wording is different, the message is still there! Isn't that cool?

Great job today!

And bonus points to you for making it through the whole lesson. This was a long one!

Can you imagine what the earth must have been like at the time this scripture tells about? It was nothing like what we know now- no plants, no animals, no breathable air, and no people. Aren't you glad our planet isn't still in that condition? I sure am!

Next week's scripture is a pretty famous one. It's often quoted, even by people who don't realize it's from the Bible! Stick around, and we'll learn it together.

Here's a Quizlet flashcard deck to help you learn today's vocabulary:

     Flashcard Deck: Genesis 1:2 Vocabulary

またね！

-Kitty

-All scripture quotations are from the English and Japanese versions of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.