Genesis 1
Genesis Chapter 1
© Veritable King James Version, 2025. Veritable King James Version (VKJV). All Rights Reserved.
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening, and there was morning, the first day.
Notes on the Translation
Verse 1: The LXX’s en archē epoiēsen ho Theos (in the beginning God made) aligns with the KJV’s “created.” The DSS are limited for Genesis but support the creation framework.
Verse 2: The LXX’s aoratos kai akataskeuastos (formless and empty) and pneuma Theou (Spirit of God) are translated directly, with “hovering” echoing the KJV’s vivid imagery. Capitalized “Spirit” follows divine pronoun rules.
Verse 3–4: The LXX’s phōs (light) and eiden ho Theos hoti kalon (saw that it was good) align with the KJV, with “separated” modernizing “divided.”
Verse 5: The LXX’s ekalesen (called) and hēmera (day) align with the KJV’s naming of “Day” and “Night.” The DSS support the day structure.
6 And God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 God made the firmament and separated the waters that were under the firmament from the waters that were above the firmament. And it was so. 8 God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening, and there was morning, the second day. 9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning, the third day.
Notes on the Translation
Verse 6–7: The LXX’s stereōma (firmament) and diairein (separate) are retained, with “firmament” echoing the KJV for poetic continuity. The DSS are fragmentary but consistent.
Verse 8–10: The LXX’s naming (ekalesen) of “Heaven,” “Earth,” and “Seas” aligns with the KJV, with “gathered” modernizing “gathered together.”
Verse 11–12: The LXX’s botanēn (vegetation) and kata genos (according to its kind) are translated directly, with “sprout” and “bearing fruit” echoing the KJV’s agricultural imagery. The DSS support the focus on kinds.
Verse 13: The day structure (hēmera tritē, third day) aligns with the KJV and DSS fragments.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning, the fourth day.
Notes on the Translation
Verse 14–15: The LXX’s phōstēres (lights) and eis sēmeia (for signs) align with the KJV, with “seasons” modernizing “appointed times.”
Verse 16–18: The LXX’s duo phōstēres megaloi (two great lights) and archein (rule) are retained, with “rule” echoing the KJV’s authority imagery. The DSS are limited but consistent.
Verse 19: The day structure (hēmera tetartē, fourth day) aligns with the KJV and DSS fragments.
20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the firmament of the heavens.” 21 God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning, the fifth day.
Notes on the Translation
Verse 20–21: The LXX’s psuchas zōsas (living creatures) and kata genos (according to their kinds) align with the KJV, with “swarm” and “birds” modernizing for clarity.
Verse 22–23: The LXX’s eulogēsen (blessed) and plēthunesthai (multiply) echo the KJV’s blessing, with “fill” modernizing “replenish.” The DSS support the fifth day structure.
24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 And God said, “Let Us make humankind in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created humankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.
Notes on the Translation
Verse 24–25: The LXX’s kata genos (according to their kinds) and ktēnē (livestock) align with the KJV, with “creeping things” retaining poetic imagery.
Verse 26–27: The LXX’s poiēsōmen anthrōpon (let Us make man) and kat’ eikona hēmeteran (in Our image) are translated as “humankind” for gender-neutrality, with “male and female” preserving the KJV’s distinction. Capitalized “Us” and “Our” follow divine pronoun rules. The DSS support the image motif.
Verse 28–30: The LXX’s eulogēsen (blessed) and archate (have dominion) align with the KJV, with “subdue” and “fill” modernizing “replenish.” The DSS are fragmentary but consistent.
Verse 31: The LXX’s panta kala lian (everything very good) echoes the KJV’s “very good,” with the sixth day structure supported by the DSS.