The Two Creation Accounts in Genesis 1 and 2 Explained

Giải thích khái quát về sự khác biệt trong sự sáng tạo tại Sáng thế ký 1: 1-2: 3 và Sáng thế ký 2: 4-25.

Editor’s note: The views of authors published here do not necessarily represent the views of the whole church.

Genesis opens the Bible with the account of creation. Many readers notice that chapters 1 and 2 describe creation in Genesis 1 and 2 in two different ways and wonder why. This article gives an overview explaining the difference. Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB).

Two Accounts of Creation

Chapter 1 gives an overview of the work of creation, while chapter 2 focuses on humanity and its relationship with the Creator.

Vietnam Evangelical Covenant Church – Reading Genesis 1:1–2:3 and 2:4–25, we see differences significant enough that many call it confusing. Some say there are two creation accounts in Genesis. Some unbelievers say God was muddled, creating humans in chapter 1 and then creating them again in chapter 2. How do we explain this?

We can easily see that both passages present the work of creation as complete: the origins of the heavens and the earth, all things, birds and animals, and humanity (male and female) are all completed. Both passages say God “made” or “formed,” not that things evolved. But there are some differences:

  • Genesis 1:1–2:3 recounts in detail each day of God’s creation, while 2:4–25 recounts the main points, though it mentions the origins of heaven and earth, birds, animals and humans.
  • Genesis 1:1–2:3 tells us God created humanity “in His own image,” while 2:4–25 gives the detail that God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, so that man became a living being. Thanks to 2:4–25 we also learn that God formed the animals from the ground, but they are unlike humans because they do not bear His image.
  • Genesis 1:1–2:3 gives us the purpose God gave humanity: be fruitful, fill the earth, rule over it and so on. It also tells us God gave humanity everything, while 2:4–25 gives a principle for life: do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In other words, here we see God’s command, with a legal dimension, as it describes the consequence if Adam disobeys.
  • Genesis 1:1–2:3 tells us everything God made was good, but 2:4–25 specifies one thing that was “not good”: for man to be alone. Genesis 1:1–2:3 states that God created male and female, while 2:4–25 describes in detail how the woman was made and the essence of marriage: leaving father and mother to become one flesh. Genesis 1:1–2:3 does not tell us their names, but 2:4–25 identifies them as Adam and Eve. Another notable point is their condition at that time: both were naked and unashamed, without sin.
  • Genesis 1:1–2:3 uses the name God (Elohim), while Genesis 2:4–25 uses the compound name LORD God (Yahweh Elohim).
  • The most debated difference is that the arrangement in Genesis 2:4–25 seems confusing, because creation events that appear later actually took place in chapter 1.

Explanation

These differences are intentional on the author’s part. He wanted to present a series of events and actions from “the beginning” to completion, and then describe particular matters in detail, depending on what he wanted readers to focus on. So the differences between the two passages come from the emphasis the author intended. For example, in Genesis 1:1–2:3 the author wants readers to know who created male and female, after what pattern humanity was made and for what purpose. Naturally that had to come first, before describing later details: the “material” used in creation, how creation happened and by whose principles humanity must live. In general, we can understand that first comes “what,” then the description and analysis of “how,” especially in chapter 2, which focuses on Adam and Eve. The author may also emphasize God in chapter 1 and humanity in chapter 2.

Some scholars, such as Weiser, suggest there may be two different sources, two different events or two different collaborators, or that the Pentateuch could not be the work of one person, leading to the two passages above.1 Some scholars claim there is confusion in the arrangement of creation, which led them to the Documentary Hypothesis (JEDP): the J (Yahweh) source, texts from the kingdom of Judah by one or more authors who used the Hebrew name Yahweh for God, dated around 900–850 BC; the E (Elohim) source, texts using the name Elohim for God, dated around 750–700 BC; the D (Deuteronomic) source, mostly written by another author or group, possibly during King Josiah’s reform in 621 BC; and the P (Priestly) source of history, worship rituals and genealogies, such as texts in Leviticus and elsewhere in the Pentateuch, written by one or more priests during the Babylonian exile after 586 BC. It is supposed that around 400 BC an editorial group combined these into the Pentateuch known in Jesus’ day. However, this view has been rejected by scholars such as Bodie Hodge and Dr. Terry Mortenson, who argue and affirm that Moses wrote the Pentateuch.2 Following the JEDP hypothesis, some scholars assign Genesis 1:1–2:3 to the “P” source and Genesis 2:4–25 to the “J” source.3 Of course, these are individual opinions and not the reality. The ministry Compelling Truth suggests that Genesis 1:1–2:3 simply gives a summary of creation, while Genesis 2:4–25 gives a detailed description of the creation of Adam and Eve.4

Moreover, writing in strict chronological order was not something ancient writers always did, nor something writers must strictly follow today; we write that way ourselves. Scripture shows this clearly in other passages. For example, consider David killing Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:48–58. Verses 48–54 describe David defeating and killing Goliath, but verse 55 goes back to David going out to face Goliath and Saul asking Abner whether he knew who David was. Another view comes from Archbishop Nguyễn Văn Khảm, who holds that the first eleven chapters of Genesis are not written in the genre of history but to present the origins of the world and humanity, why there is suffering, why evil entered the world and why there is death.

A group of scholars, Gordon J. Wenham, J. A. Motyer, D. A. Carson and R. T. France, agree that the difference in Genesis 2:4–25 is that the author wants to go back to the situation before humanity was created on the sixth day (2:4–7), and to emphasize God’s care for humanity, even though it was mentioned earlier in 1:29.5 Samuel J. Schultz emphasizes that Genesis 2:4–25 distinguishes humanity as the most important part of God’s entire creation, which accounts for the difference between the two chapters.6

Scholar Wayne Jackson adds that Jesus Himself supported the traditional view, not the modern Documentary Hypothesis, combining quotations from Genesis 1:27 and 2:24 in Matthew 19:3–6.7 Let us look at this passage:

“Then some Pharisees came and tested Him by asking, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?’ Jesus answered, ‘Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh”? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.’” (Matthew 19:3–6)

In this passage, Jesus presents that “from the beginning” God made them male and female (drawing on 1:27) and that God said a man will leave his father and mother and become one flesh (drawing on 2:24). Jesus’ seamless, consistent use gives us confidence that there are not two different source documents or theories of creation, but that the author recorded them with a different approach and arrangement according to what he wanted to present and describe.

The difference in God’s names in Genesis 1 and 2 is also intentional, helping us understand the Triune God. In Genesis 1:1–2:3, by using Elohim (a plural form) for God, the author refutes atheistic and polytheistic ideas, since the verb that follows is singular, and presents God as distinct from creation, not identified with it.8 Genesis 2:4–25 uses the compound name LORD God (Yahweh Elohim). This is not a name of complete separation, but describes one God in more than one person, the mystery of the Trinity we can partly understand by combining the Old and New Testaments, a large topic not addressed here.

From this analysis, we see there is much debate, but our faith does not depend on scholarly debates. What matters is that Jesus affirmed both Genesis 1 and 2 as God’s Word by the way He used them. In my personal view, there are not two separate sources or theories of creation in Genesis 1:1–2:3 and 2:4–25, even though at first glance they may seem disordered. The difference is simply in description and explanation according to the author’s intention, or his emphasis on the content he wanted to present. The important attitude for us today is to respect differing views, even when they differ from our own. With Jesus’ use of Scripture and His affirmation of the Law of Moses (Luke 24:44), we can reaffirm the continuity and the author’s purpose in these two passages.

Article by Deacon Nguyễn Trọng Bình

Notes

  1. Wayne Jackson, M.A., “Are There Two Creation Accounts in Genesis?” Apologetics Press.
  2. Bodie Hodge & Dr. Terry Mortenson, “Did Moses Write Genesis?” Answers in Genesis.
  3. Wayne Jackson, ibid.
  4. Compelling Truth, “Do Genesis 1 and 2 record two different creation accounts?”
  5. Gordon J. Wenham, J. A. Motyer, D. A. Carson, R. T. France, New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition (Vietnamese edition, Hanoi: Religion Publishing House, 2001), commentary on Genesis.
  6. Samuel J. Schultz, The Old Testament Speaks (Vietnamese edition, BEE International, 2007), p. 28.
  7. Wayne Jackson, ibid.
  8. Charles C. Ryrie, Basic Theology (Vietnamese edition, Ho Chi Minh City: Religion Publishing House, 2010), p. 219.

What Does Creation Say to Us Today?

From whatever angle we look, both accounts affirm one truth: God is the Creator, and humanity was made in His image for fellowship with Him. This is the foundation for every person’s worth and purpose.

As you read about creation, take time to praise God for the work of His hands, and remember that the One who made heaven and earth also cares about every detail of your life.

You may also like: Move Beyond Tweetable Bible Reading and Faith and the Power of God.

Prayer

God our Creator, we praise You for Your wonderful work of creation. Thank You for making us in Your image. Help us live according to the purpose You have ordained. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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