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Contradiction
Between Genesis 1 and Genesis 2
God created animals,
man, and woman - in that order?
by Paul F. Taylor
A common misconception made by
skeptics of the Bible is to assume that Genesis 1 and 2 are separate creation
accounts without looking carefully at the text.
“I
looked for answers in Genesis...and only got confused.
“Did
God Create animals and then man, as in the first book of Genesis, or did He
Create man first, as in the second book?
“Did
he create Eve at the same time as Adam, as in the first, or later, as in the
second?
“Patiently
waiting for an Answer, because all I found searching your site for the past
hour was endless pages about how Adam could
name all the animals in a day, which I think is a rather insignificant problem
compared to God’s inability to lay down a proper chronology and stick to it.”
—S.J.
This feedback, which comes from a well-known skeptic and
nay-sayer, highlights some of the misunderstandings that can arise by careless
reading of the first two chapters of Genesis.
Although the feedback falls foul of our rules - because
the answers to the two issues are easily found on our website - it is worth
restating them in simplified form.
“I looked for answers in Genesis...and only got confused.”
In order to assist you with your confusion, it is
necessary to be clear as to how to interpret Genesis.
The accounts of Abraham from chapter 12 onwards read like
a historical account.
The first 11 chapters are written in the same style, so it
makes sense to interpret them also as historical.
Therefore, we do not expect to find hidden meanings in
these chapters. They are
best interpreted by plain reading.
A True Revelation
“I know you
must receive numerous messages like this a day, but your ministry is such a
blessing. I have
been looking into the Creation/Evolution debate for a long time, and not even a
year ago I was a die-hard evolutionist myself. I wasn’t an evolutionist because I had chosen out of a number of
views, but because I was indoctrinated at school to believe that there simply
were no other viable alternatives. Then I found your ministry, and after reading
some of the material I was simply blown away! I was astounded to find that it didn’t simply
LOOK like science, it WAS science.
The
realization that evolution wasn’t
true was a revelation to me. I have even started an email newsletter on
the debate, called Genesis vs Darwin (GvD) thanks to your inspiration. The world needs more
organizations like you, willing to defend the Bible literally “from the first
verse.” You have been an integral part in restoring my faith in the Bible and
the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you.”
—S.J., U.S.
Did God Create animals and then man,
as in the first book of Genesis, or did He Create man first, as in the second
book?
I assume that, by referring to the first and second books
of Genesis you really mean the first and second chapters.
It seems you have adopted the common presupposition that
chapters one and two contain different creation stories. They do not.
I have written on this matter before, in a web article about a
Catholic Bible study guide 1 and in my book, The Six Days of Genesis.
Genesis 2 is not a different account of creation.
It is an expansion of, and comment upon, the events of Day
Six of creation.
When Genesis 2:19 states “The LORD God formed every beast of the
field ...,” the Hebrew verb can be translated as a pluperfect.
A better translation would be “Now
the LORD God had formed ...,” which is how it is
rendered in the NIV.
When read as a pluperfect, there is no contradiction
between the order of creation.
God made animals first, then people.
Correctly read, Genesis 2 does not contradict the
order given in Genesis 1.
Even if one accepts the translation of Genesis 2:19 with a simple past tense, there are ways of
interpreting the whole verse that do not contradict the order of creation given
in Gen. 1.
“Did
he create Eve at the same time as Adam, as in the first, or later, as in the
second?”
Once again, the two-stories interpretation prevents those
who employ it from seeing the plain harmony of the two chapters.
When we understand that Genesis 2 is an expansion of
Genesis 1 Day 6, we realize that Genesis 1:27 is just a summary of the fact that God made
humankind. Genesis 2 then supplies us with
the detail of how God made the first man and woman.
Once again, there is no contradiction.
Patiently
waiting for an Answer, because all I found searching your site for the past
hour was endless pages about how Adam could
name all the animals in a day, which I think is a rather insignificant problem
compared to God’s inability to lay down a proper chronology and stick to it.”
Unbiased readers will see how simple it is to understand
the relationship between Genesis chapters one and two.
Of course, the easy interpretation is hidden if one tries
to force the two-story presupposition onto the text.
God’s Word makes sense, so long as one is prepared to
accept what it says.
Paul
Taylor (BSc, MEd) was a science teacher in
a number of United Kingdom state comprehensive schools for almost 20 years,
becoming a head of science in one post. In 2000, he left teaching and set up an ICT
training and web development business before working for Answers in
Genesis–UK/Europe for six years (2005–2011) as a speaker, writer, and head of
media and communications. In 2011,
he moved to the United States to work for the ministry Creation Today in
Pensacola, Florida. Since
October 2014, Paul and his wife, Geraldene, have been the directors of Mount St. Helen’s Creation Center
in Washington State, near the famous volcano.
Paul has authored nine books
including The Six Days of Genesis, Itching Ears, and Don’t Miss the Boat. He continues to speak on
creation and apologetics (and against evolution) across the United States in
churches and at conferences. He has also spoken widely in the United
Kingdom, Ireland, and other European countries.
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