THat MOSES wrote this and the Four following Books hath been so constantly believed , both by Jews , Christians , and Heathens , that none , I think , denied it , till Aben Ezra ( a Jewish Doctor , who lived not much above five hundred Years ago ) raised some Doubts about it , in his Notes upon the First of Deuteronomy , out of XII Passages in these Books themselves : Which he pretended could not be his , but the Words of a later Author . But when I meet with those places , I shall make it appear , that all such exceptions are very frivolous , and ought not to shake our belief of this Truth , That these Five Books were penned by MOSES and no Body else .

The first is called GENESIS , because it contains , the History of the Creation of the World , with which it begins ; and the Genealogy of the Patriarchs , down to the death of Joseph , where it ends . It comprehends an History of Two thousand three hundred and sixty nine Years , or thereabouts : The truth of all which it was not difficult for Moses to know , because it came down to his time , through but a very few Hands . For from Adam to Noah , there was one Man ( Methuselah ) who lived so long as to see them both . And so it was from Noah to Abraham : Shem conversed with both . As Isaac did with Abraham and Joseph : From whom these things might easily be conveyed to Moses , by Amram ; who lived long enough with Joseph . In short , Moses might have been confuted , if he had written any thing but the Truth , by learned Men of other Nations , who sprang from the same Root , and had the like means of being acquainted with the great things here reported by tradition from their Fore-fathers : Who lived so long in the beginning of the World , that they more certainly transmitted things to their Posterity . Besides , it is not reasonable to think , they had not the use of Writing as we have ; whereby they conveyed the knowledge of Times foregoing , to those that came after .

Verse 1. In the beginning . ] The World is not eternal , but had a beginning , as all Philosophers acknowledged before Aristotle . So he himself informs us , L. 1. de Coelo , cap. 2. ( speaking of the ancient Opinions concerning the Original of the World ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , they all say it had a beginning : But some thought it might have no End ; others judged it to be Corruptible .

God created . ] He who is Eternal gave a Being to this great Fabrick of Heaven and Earth , out of Nothing . It is observed by Eusebius ( in the beginning of his Book De Praepar . Evang. p. 21 , & 25. Edit. Paris . ) That neither the ancient Historians , nor the Philosophers , do so much as mention GOD , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , no , not so far as to name him , when they write of the beginning of the World . But this Divine Law-giver , designing to hang the whole Frame of his Polity , upon Piety towards GOD , and to make the Creator of all , the Founder of his Laws , begins with him . Not after the manner of the Egyptians and Phoenicians , who bestowed this adorable Name , upon a great Multitude : But puts in the Front of his Work , the Name of the sole Cause of all things ; the Maker of whatsoever is seen or unseen . As if he had told the Hebrew Nation , That he who gave them the Law contained in these Books , was the King and Law-giver of the whole World : Which was , like a great City , governed by him . Whom therefore he would have them look upon , not only as the Enacter of their Laws ; but of those also which all Nature obeys . See L. VII . De Praepar . Evang. c. 9 , 10. & L. XII . c. 16.

The Heaven and the Earth . ] The Hebrew Particle Eth , put before both Heaven and Earth , signifies as much as with , if Maimonides understood it aright ; and makes the Sence to be this : He created the Heavens , with all things in the Heavens , and the Earth with all things in the Earth ; as his Words are in More Nevochim , P. II. cap. 30. Certain it is these two words , Heaven and Earth , comprehend the whole visible World . Some would have the Angels comprehended in the word Heaven ; particularly Epiphanius , Haeres . LXV . n. 45. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . But others of the Fathers are of a different Opinion , as Petavius there observes . It is a pretty Conceit of Theophilus Antiochenus , L. 2. ad Autolycum , That the Heavens are mentioned before the Earth , to show that God's Works are not like ours : For he begins at the top , we at the bottom : That is , he first made the fixed Stars and all beyond them , ( so I take the word Heaven here to signifie ) for they had a beginning , as well as this lower World , though they do not seem to be comprehended in the six days Work , which relates only to this Planetary World , as I may call it , which hath the Sun for its Center . And thus Philo understood the first word Bereschith , in the beginning , to respect the order wherein things were created . God began his Creation with the Heaven , as the most noble Body , and then proceeded to the Earth ; an account of which follows .

Ver. 2. And the Earth was without form , &c. ] Some connect this Verse with the foregoing , by translating the first Verse in this manner , When God first created , or began to create , the Heaven and the Earth , the Earth was without form , &c. That is , at first he only created a rude Matter of those things , which afterwards were fashioned as we now see them .

Without form . ] A confused , indigested heap , without any order or shape .

And void . ] Having no Beasts , nor Trees , nor Herbs , nor any thing else , wherewith we now behold it adorned .

So these two words , Tohu Vabohu , are used in Scripture , where we meet with them ( which is not often ) for confusion and emptiness , XXXIV Isaiah 11. IV Jer. 23. Being a description of that which the Ancients called the CHAOS ( of which the Barbarians had a Notion , no less than the Greeks ) wherein the Seeds and Principles of all things were blended together . This is called , in the Pagan Language , by Epicharmus , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the first of the Gods : Because all things sprang out of this ; which was indeed the first of the Works of God , who , as Moses shows in the sequel , produced this beautiful World out of this CHAOS .

And darkness was upon the face of the deep . ] Nothing was to be seen , for want of Light : Which lay buried , as all things else did , in that great Abyss , or vast confused heap of Matter before-mentioned . So the Hebrew word Tehom signifies ( which we translate deep ) tumult and turbid confusion : The first Matter being very heterogeneous , as they speak , i. e. of various sorts and kinds , hudled together without distinction .

And the Spirit of God moved . ] Men have been extreamly fansiful in the exposition of these plain Words : Some understanding by the Spirit of God , the Sun , which gives Spirit and Life to all things upon Earth ; others the Air , or the Wind : When as yet there was no Sun in the Firmament , nor any Wind that could stir , without the Power of the Almighty to excite it . This therefore we are to understand to be here meant ; The Infinite Wisdom , and Power of God , which made a vehement Commotion , and mighty Fermentation ( by raising , perhaps , a great Wind ) upon the face of the Waters : That is , on that fluid Matter before-mentioned , to separate the parts of it one from the other .

Waters . ] That which Moses before called the Deep , he now calls the Waters : Which plainly shows that some Parts of the confused Mass , were fluid and light ; as other Parts were solid and heavy . The heavy naturally sunk , which he calls the Earth ; and the lighter Parts got above them , which he calls the Waters : For it is clearly intimated the Waters were uppermost .

The Word we here translate moved , signifies literally brooded upon the Waters , as an Hen doth upon her Eggs. So the ancient and modern Interpreters have observed : And Morinus , who opposes it , hath said nothing to make us doubt of this Sence of the Phrase . From whence some have , not unhappily , conjectured , the Ancients took their Notion of a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a first laid Egg , out of which all things were formed . That is , the CHAOS ( out of which all the old Philosophers , before Aristotle , thought the World was produced ) consisting of Earth and Water , of thicker and thinner Parts , as an Egg doth of Yolk and White .

Now the Spirit of God thus moved upon the Waters , that by its incubation ( as we may call it ) it might not only separate , as I said , those Parts which were jumbled together ; but give a vivifick Virtue to them , to produce what was contained in them . The Souls and Spirits , that is , of all living Creatures , were produced by the Spirit of God , as Porphyry saith Numenius understood it . For his Opinion , he tells us , was , That all things came out of the Water 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , being Divinely inspired : For which he quoted these Words of the Prophet , as he called Moses . See Porphyry , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , on those words of Homer : — 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which gives us to understand , that the Spirits of all living Creatures ( which we call their active Forms ) did not arise out of Matter , for that is stupid ; but proceeded from this other Principle , the Powerful Spirit of God , which moved upon the Face of the Waters , by a vital Energy , ( as St. Chrysostom speaks ) so that they were no longer standing Waters , but moving , having 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a certain living Power in them . From whence we may also gather , that the Spirits of living Creatures are distinct things from Matter ; which of it self cannot move at all , and much less produce a Principle of Motion .

And thus indeed all the Ancient Philosophers apprehended this Matter : And some of them have most lively expressed it . For Laertius in the Life of Anaxagoras tells us , that he taught among other things , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , all things were hudled together : And then the Mind came and set them in order . And Thales before him ( as Tully informs us , L. 1. de Nat. Deor. ) Aquam dixit esse initium rerum : Deum autem eam mentem quae ex aqua cuncta fingeret ; said , Water was the beginning of things : And God that Mind who formed all things out of the Water .

By the Spirit of God some of the ancient Jews have understood the Spirit of the Messiah , ( as Hackspan observes in his Cabala Judaica , n. LXVI . out of Baal Hatturim , the Hierusalem Targum , &c. ) which explains the Evangelist St. John , who in the beginning of his Gospel says , all things were made by the Eternal ΛΟΓΟΣ or WORD of God , ( the same with the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the ancient Philosophers ) whose Almighty Spirit agitated the vast confused Mass of Matter , and put it into Form .

Ver. 3. And God said . ] These words are taken notice of by Longinus , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as a truly lofty expression ; wherein appears the Wisdom of Moses , who represents God like himself , commanding things into Being by his Word ; that is , by his Will : For wheresoever we read these words in the History of the Creation , He said , the meaning must be understood to be He willed , as Maimonides interprets it , More Nev. P. I. cap. 65. This Justin Martyr demonstrates Orpheus had learnt out of Moses his Books , when he swears by the Heaven , the Work of the Great and Wise God , and by the Word of the Father , which he spake at first , when he establish'd all the World by his Counsels . So his words are in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , p. 16.

And as there is nothing more famous in Antiquity than the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , Orpheus his Egg , which I before mentioned ; so it is remarkable that the Egyptians ( among whom Orpheus travelled ) described their God KNEPH , with an Egg coming out of his Mouth : Which was a lively representation of this World ( noted by the Egg ) produced by God's Omnipotent Word . For how richly soever the CHAOS was furnished with Materials , it could have brought forth nothing , without his Powerful Motion , and Wise Contrivance , by whom it was created . So Anaxagoras himself resolved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that Mind was the Principle of Motion , ( as Laertius tells us in his Life ) by which Mind he understood God , as others have reported his Opinion more largely in these admirable words . The Beginning of all things is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the Mind , who is the Cause and the Lord of the whole World ; and gave 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. order to things in disorder , and motion to things immovable , and distinction to things confused , and beauty to things deformed .

Let there be Light . ] Having spoken of the Creation of all things , now follows an account of their Formation out of that rude Matter which was at first created . And the first thing produced was Light ; which Greg. Nazianzen ( Orat. XLIII . p. 699. a. ) calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , because it was not yet collected into a Body , as it is now in the Sun . Others think it to have been a dimmer sort of Light from the Sun , not yet perfectly formed . Abarbinel ( upon the XL of Exodus ) takes this to be the SCHECHINAH , the most excellent of all created things , called , in Holy Scripture , the Glory of the LORD ; which God , saith he , sealed up in his Treasures , after the Luminaries were created , to serve him upon special Occasions , ( for instance , to lead the Israelites in the Wilderness , by a cloudy Pillar of Fire ) when he would make himself appear extraordinarily Present . And because of the Perfection of this Light he fansies it is that Moses says in the next Verse , That God saw the Light ( repeating the word Light ) that it was good : Whereas in all the rest of the Six Days Work , he only says , He saw it was good , without naming again the thing he had made .

But it seems to me most rational by this Light , to understand , those Particles of Matter , which we call Fire , ( whose two Properties , every one knows , are Light and Heat ) which the Almighty Spirit that formed all things , produced as the great Instrument , for the Preparation and digestion of the rest of the Matter ; which was still more vigorously moved and agitated , from the top to the bottom , by this restless Element , till the purer and more shining Parts of it , being separated from the grosser , and united in a Body fit to retain them , became Light .

Ver. 4. And God saw the Light , that it was good . ] He was pleased in this Work of his , as agreeable to his Design . Which for the present was ( we may conceive ) to influence the upper Parts of the CHAOS , and to be the Instrument of Rarefaction , Separation , and all the rest of the Operations , which were necessary to mold it into such Creatures , as were afterwards made out of it .

And God divided the Light from the Darkness . ] Appointed that they should constantly succeed one another ; as we see they do now , that this Light is embodied in the Sun ; and as they did then , by the circular Motion of this first Light of Fire , round about the CHAOS , in the space of Twenty-four Hours ; which made it Day to those Parts where it shined ; and Night , where it did not . It is remarkable how Moses ascribes every thing to GOD , the Former of all things ; who by making this Light move round about the Chaos , still more prepared , and exalted the remaining indigested Parts of Matter , for their several uses .

Ver. 5. And God called the light , Day ; and the darkness he called , Night . ] He setled them ( that is ) in such a constant Course , that it gave them these distinct Names .

And the Evening and the Morning were the first Day . ] In the Hebrew Language , Evening and Morning signifie a whole Day ; which the Motion of this Light made , if we conceive it to have been formed about Noon , and to have gone round the fore-mentioned Heap of Matter in Twenty-four Hours .

How long all things continued in mere Confusion , after the CHAOS was created , before this Light was extracted out of it , we are not told . It might be ( for any thing that is here revealed ) a great while ; and all that time the mighty Spirit was making such Motions in it , as prepared , disposed , and ripened every Part of it , for such Productions as were to appear successively in such spaces of time , as are here , and afterward mentioned by Moses ; who informs us , That after Things were so digested , and made ready ( by long fermentations perhaps ) to be wrought into Form , God produced every day , for six days together , some Creature or other , till all was finished ; of which Light was the very first . This Maimonides hath very happily illustrated , in his More Nevochim , P. II. c. 30. where he observing that all things were created at once , and then were afterwards separated one from another successively ; he says , their wise Men resemble this proceeding to that of a Husbandman , who sows several Seeds in the Earth at the same moment ; some of which are to come up after one day , others after two , and others not till three days be past ; though the whole sowing was in one and the same moment . Thus God made all things at the first , which did not appear together ; but , in the space of six Days , were formed and put in order one after another : Light being the Work of the first Day .

Ver. 6. And God said , Let there be a firmament . ] The next thing that God commanded to come forth of the Chaos , was the Air ; particularly , that Region next to us , wherein the Fowls fly , as it is expounded afterwards , verse 20. The Hebrew word Rachia properly signifies a Body expanded , or spread forth , ( as may be seen in Exod. XXXIX . 3. Isai . XL. 19. Jer. X. 9. where it can have no other meaning ) but is by the LXX translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and from thence by us , Firmament ; because the Air , though vastly extended and fluid , yet continues firm and stable in its place .

In the midst of the Waters , and let it divide the Waters from the Waters . ] This Region of the Air , manifestly parts the Waters above it in the Clouds , from those below it , here upon Earth ; the one of which Waters bear a good proportion , and are in some measure equal unto the other ; for there are vast Treasures of Water in the Clouds ; from whence the Waters here below , in Springs and Rivers are supplied . This appeared afterwards in the Deluge , which was partly made by continued Rains for many days . The great Objection against this Exposition is , That now there were no Clouds , neither had it , after this , rained on the Earth , Gen. II. 6. But it must be considered , That neither were the Waters , below , as yet gathered into one place : And therefore Moses here speaks of the Air , as a Body intended to be stretched between the Waters above and beneath , when they should be formed .

That the Clouds above are called Waters in the Scripture-Language , is plain enough from Psalm CIV . 3. Jer. X. 13. and other places .

Ver. 7. And God made the firmament , and divided , &c. ] What his Divine Will ordered , his Power effected ; by that Light which rowled about the CHAOS , and that Heat which was excited within it ; whereby such Exhalations were raised , as made the Firmament . That is , the thicker Parts of them made this Region of the Air , which is the lower firmament , verse 20 : And the thinner Parts of them made the Aether , or higher Firmament , wherein the Sun and the Planets are seated , verse 14 , 15.

Ver. 8. And God called the firmament Heaven . ] Made it so different from the rest of the Mass , called Earth , that it had the Name of Heaven , to distinguish it from the other . So all above the Earth is called , as appears by the following part of the Chapter , in the Verses now mentioned . And that 's the very import of the word Schamaim , which , in the Arabick Language , ( as Aben Ezra observes ) signifies heighth or altitude .

And the Evening and the Morning were the second Day . ] This was the Work of another whole Day . Concerning which it is commonly noted , That it is not said of this , as of all the Works of the other five Days , God saw that it was good . What the reason of this should be , is enquired by all Interpreters ; and the most solid Account that I can find of it , is this ; That the Waters mentioned upon this Day , were not yet separated and distinguished from the Earth : And therefore in the next Day 's Work , when he did gather the Waters together , verse 10. and when he commanded the Earth ( which was become dry ) to bring forth , verse 1.2 . these words , God saw that it was good , are twice repeated . Which made Picherellus and Ger. Vossius , think the two next Verses ( 9 , 10. ) belonged to the second Days Work ; and that the first words of the ninth Verse should be thus translated , And God had said , Let the Waters under the Heaven , &c. And so the words in the end of the tenth Verse , God saw that it was good , relate to the second Day . L. 2. de Orig. Idolol . c. 67.

Ver. 9. And God said , Let the Waters under the Heaven . ] All the Waters which continued mixed with the Earth , and covered the surface of it .

Be gathered together , &c. ] Collected into one Body by themselves .

And let the dry Land appear . ] Distinct and separate from the Waters .

There being such large portions of Matter drawn out of the CHAOS , as made the Body of Fire and Air before-mentioned , there remained in a great Body , only Water and Earth ; but they so jumbled together , that they could not be distinguished . It was the Work therefore of the third Day , to make a separation between them ; by compacting together all the Particles which make the Earth , which before was Mud and Dirt ; and then , by raising it above the Waters which covered its Superficies , ( as the Psalmist also describes this Work , Psalm CIV . 6. ) and , lastly , by making such Caverns in it , as were sufficient to receive the Waters into them . Now this we may conceive to have been done by such Particles of Fire as were left in the Bowels of the Earth : Whereby such Nitro-sulphureous Vapours were kindled , as made an Earthquake ; which both lifted up the Earth , and also made Receptacles for the Waters to run into ; as the Psalmist ( otherwise I should not venture to mention this ) seems in the fore-mentioned place to illustrate it , Psalm CIV . 7. where he says , At thy rebuke they ( i. e. the Waters ) fled ; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away . And so God himself speaks , Job XXXVIII . 10. I brake up for it ( i. e. for the Sea ) my decreed place , and set bars , and doors . Histories also tell us , of Mountains that have been , in several Ages , lifted up by Earthquakes ; nay , Islands in the midst of the Sea : Which confirms this Conjecture , That possibly the Waters were , at the first , separated by this means ; and so separated , that they should not return to cover the Earth . For the Word , in the beginning of this Verse , which we translate gathered , comes from Kav , which signifies a Square , a Rule , or perpendicular Line : And therefore denotes they were most exactly collected , and so poised in such just Proportions , that they should not again overflow the dry Land .

This Work of God ( whereby the Waters were sent down into their proper Channels , and the Earth made dry , and fitted for the habitation of such Creatures , as were afterwards created ) is observed by Strabo in his Geography , as an act of Divine Providence , L. XVII . Because , says he , the Water covered the Earth , and Man is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a Creature that can live in the Water , God made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. many Cavities and Receptacles in the Earth for the Water ; and raised the Earth above it , that it might be fit for Man's habitation .

Ver. 10. And called the dry Land , &c. ] This is sufficiently explained , by what hath been said upon Verse , 5 , & 8. only this may be added , That the word Eretz , Earth , in Arabick , signifies any thing that is low and sunk beneath , opposite to Schamaim , Heavens , which in that Language , as I noted before , signifies high and lifted up .

Ver. 11. And God said , Let the Earth bring forth grass , the Herb yielding , &c. ] Or , rather , it should be translated , and the Herb yielding , &c. though the copula be omitted , which is usual in Scripture : Particularly in Habak . III. 11. the Sun , Moon , i. e. the Sun and Moon .

Moses having shown how the first Matter , ( ver. 2. ) and then the Elements of things , as we call them ( ver. 3 , 6 , 9 , 10. ) were produced , he proceeds to the Production of more compounded Bodies . And here an account is given of all sorts of Vegetables , which are ranged under three Heads ; Grass , which comes up every Year without sowing ; Herbs , bearing a Seed , which comprehends ( as Abarbinel here notes ) all sort of Corn , and whatsoever is sown ; and Trees , which also bear Fruit. There are several kinds of all these ; which some have cast into Eighteen , others into Six and thirty Classes ; none of which could at the first spring out of the Earth , of it self , by the power of external and internal Heat , and of the Water mixed with it , ( no , not so much as one single Pile of Grass ) without the Almighty Power and Wisdom of God ; who brought together those Parts of Matter , which were fitted to produce them ; and then formed every one of them , and determined their several Species ; and also provided for their continuance , by bringing forth Seed to propagate their Species to the end of all things . And here it is very remarkable , how God hath secured the Seeds of all Plants , with singular Care : Some of them being defended by a double , nay , a treble inclosure .

Ver. 12. And the Earth brought forth Grass , and the Herb , &c. ] These things did not grow up out of Seed , by such a long process , as is now required to bring them to maturity ; but they sprung up in their Perfection , in the space of a Day , with their Seeds in them , compleatly formed , to produce the like throughout all Generations . Thus Moses gives a plain Account of the first Production of things , according to the natural Method : For supposing they had a Beginning , the Herb and the Tree must naturally be before the Seed they bear : As the Hen is before the Egg she lays . And to make a Question , which was first ( as some of the Philosophers did ) is very frivolous ; because that Power which alone could produce the Seeds of all things , could as easily make the things themselves , with a power to propage their kind , by Seed .

It is therefore most judiciously noted by Abarbinel , a learned Jew , That the Production of Plants in the beginning , differed from their Production ever since in these two things : First , That they have sprung ever since out of Seed , either sown by us , or falling from the Plants themselves ; but at the beginning were brought out of the Earth , with their Seed in them , to propage them ever after . And , Secondly , They need now , as they have done since the first Creation , the influence of the Sun , to make them sprout : But then they came forth by the Power of God , before there was any Sun , which was not formed till the next Day . Of this last Theophilus Antiochenus , long before Abarbinel took notice , L. II. ad Autolycum , where he says , God produced things in this order ; foreseeing the Vanity of Philosophers , who , saying nothing of him , made all things to be produced by the Sun , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , out of the Elements . Porphyry himself also ( L. II. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) could observe out of Theophrastus , That the Earth brought forth Trees and Herbs before Beasts , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. Which Eusebius remembers in his Praepar . Evang. L. I. c. 9. p. 28.

Ver. 14. Let there be Lights . ] This is a different word from what we had , verse 3. signifying , as Paulus Fagius observes , that which is made out of Light , luminous Bodies , whereby Light is communicated to us : The Hebrew Particle , Mem , before a word , being used to express the Instrument of an Action : And so now we are to conceive , that the Light produced at first , having for three Days circulated about the Earth , and that near unto it , to further the Production of the things before-mentioned , was on this fourth Day distributed into several Luminaries , at a great distance from the Earth . So it follows ; In the firmament of Heaven , in the upper Region , which we call the Aether , or Sky , where the Sun and the Planets are placed .

To divide the Day from the Night . ] By a continued circular Motion , finished in four and twenty Hours ; in one part of which , by the presence of the Sun , the Day is made ; and in the other part , by the Sun's absence , Night is made , in a constant succession .

And let them be for Signs and for Seasons . ] That is , for Signs of the Times or Seasons ; as Ger. Vossius expounds it , by the Figure of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . And by Times are meant , the Spring , Summer , Autumn , and Winter : And , by consequence , the Seasons for Ploughing , Sowing , Planting , Pruning , Reaping , Vintage , Sailing , &c. L. de Scientiis Mathemat . c. 38.

And for Days , and Years . ] By a speedy swift Motion round , in twenty-four Hours to make Days ; and by a slower , longer Motion to make Years ; and a grateful variety of Seasons in the several Parts of the Earth , which by this annual Motion are all visited with the Sun's Beams .

Ver. 15. And let them be for Light , &c. ] i. e. Let them there continue to give constant Light and Warmth to the Earth : And so they do immovably .

Ver. 16. And God made two great Lights . ] It is observable , that nothing is said to have been created , since the first Matter , out of which all things were made or formed . And the two great Lights , or Luminaries , Inlightners , ( as the word signifies ) are the Sun , which inlightens us by Day ; and the Moon , which inlightens us by Night . The Moon indeed is not so great as the rest of the Planets , ( for it is the least of all , except Mercury , ) but it affords the greatest Light to us ; by reflecting the Beams of the Sun to us , in its absence ; and thereby very much abating the disconsolate darkness of the Night .

He made the Stars also . ] That is , the rest of the Planets , and their attendants .

Ver. 17. And God set them in the Firmament of Heaven , &c. ] By the repetition of this so often , Moses intended to fix in the Peoples Mind this Notion ; That though the heavenly Bodies be very Glorious , yet they are but Creatures , made by God , and set or appointed by his Order , to give us Light : And therefore he alone is to be worshipped , not they .

It is commonly taken notice of , that there is no mention of the Creation of Angels , in all this History ; nor was there any need of it . For the ancient Idolatry consisting in the worship of the Sun , Moon , and Stars , ( as appears from the very Names of the most ancient Idols in the Old Testament , such as Moloch , Ashtaroth , and the like , ) which they believed to be eternal Beings : The great Design of Moses was to confute this Opinion , by representing them ( over and over ) as the Work of the Eternal God ; which struck at the very Root of Idolatry . The worship of Angels was a later invention .

Ver. 18. And to rule over the day , and over the Night . ] Some have fansied , that the ancient Idolatry sprung from this word Rule : Men looking upon these glorious Lights , as having a dominion over them . Whence the Sun was called Baal , that is , Lord , or Governor , by the Eastern People ; and Moloch , that is , King , by the Egyptians . But one word sure was not the ground of so foul an Error ; when the scope of Moses was to show that these things were made by an higher Being , and made not to rule over Men , but over the Day and the Night ; which the Sun makes when it rises and sets , by the order and appointment of God .

And God saw that it was good . ] He was pleased with this Work , as suitable to the Ends for which he intended it . The first Light was good ( ver. 4. ) for the purpose to which it served ; which was , by its heat , to agitate , rarefie , and separate the Matter of the CHAOS , for the making of Air , and gathering together the Waters , and drying the Earth , and producing Grass , Herbs , and Trees ; which made it necessary it should continue some Days near to the Earth , that it might powerfully penetrate into the Matter it was to digest : But , if it should have continued longer so near to the Earth , it would not have been good for it ; because it would have burnt up all the Plants , that the Earth had brought forth ; and , by its too scorching heat , have hindred the Production of those living Creatures , which were ready on the next Day to be made ; or , at least , made the Earth unfit for their habitation . For the Air , which all living things , even Fishes themselves , need , ( nay , the Plants also , which have Vessels for conveying Air to all their Parts , ) would have been so very hot , that it would have afforded no refreshment to them : Therefore it was good that it should be advanced into the Firmament of the Heaven , and there embodied in those Luminaries , which , being removed further from us , give such a moderate heat , as is necessary for the preservation of us , and of all things living that dwell upon the Earth .

Ver. 19. And the Evening , &c. ] Thus the fourth Day concluded .

Ver. 20. And God said , Let the Waters , &c. ] Now God proceeded to form the lower sort of Animals , or living Creatures , viz. The Fish , and the Fowl ; which are in many respects inferior to Beasts . And the Fishes are called moving ( in the Hebrew , creeping ) Creatures ; because their Bellies touch the Water , as creeping things do the Earth . Both Fishes and Fowls were made out of the Waters ; that is , out of such Matter as was mixed with the Waters , which contained in them many things besides simple Water ; for the Sea and Rivers are still very richly furnished with various Compounds , for the nourishment of an innumerable multitude of Fishes . The great congruity that there is between Fish and Fowl in many particulars , will not let us doubt they had the same Original : For they are both oviparous , which makes them more fruitful than the Beasts of the Earth ; neither of them have any Teats ; they both direct , ( and , as I may say , steer ) their Course by their Tail , &c. See Ger. Vossius , de Orig. & Progr . Idolol . L. III. c. 78.

Bring forth abundantly . ] That is , various sorts of both kinds ; there being many hundred kinds of Fishes , and Birds , or Fowls ; many of the latter of which live in the Water , ( which shows their Original to have been from thence , ) and others of them live both in the Air and Water . The formation of these Creatures is , in every part of them , very wonderful , especially in those parts whereby they are fitted to swim , and to fly . Which demonstrate a most wise Agent , by whose infinite Power they were so contrived , as to be able also to propagate their Kind .

Ver. 21. And God created great Whales . ] The vastness of these Creatures , perhaps , made Moses again use the word Create , ( which he had not done since the beginning of the Chapter , not because they were made as the CHAOS was , out of Nothing ; but because it required a greater Power to make out of the precedent Matter , moving things of so huge a Bulk , and of such great Agility , than to make any other thing hitherto formed .

The Hebrew word Tanim , which we translate Whales , comprehends several sorts of great Fishes , as Bochartus observes in his Hierozoic . P. 1. L. I. c. 7. where he shows the prodigious bigness of some of them . But he should have added , that this word also signifies Crocodiles , which , he himself shows , are set forth in Job XLI . as the most astonishing Work of God . For Job Ludolphus , I think , hath demonstrated , that nothing but the Crocodile can be meant by this word Tanim , in Ezek. XXIX . 3. and XXXII . 2. and some other places . Vid. L. I. Comment. in Histor. Aethiop . Cap. XI . n. 86.

And God saw that it was good . ] Was pleased with the Structure of these several Creatures : Of the Birds , who were furnished with Wings to fly in the Air ; and of the Fishes , whose Fins serve them to swim in the Water ; and of Water-Fowl , whose Feet are formed so , as to serve for the same use ; and some of them ( such as dive under Water ) covered so thick with Feathers , and those so smooth and slippery , ( as the Learned and Pious Mr. Ray hath observed ) that their Bodies are thereby defended from the cold of the Water ; which cannot penetrate or moisten them . See Wisdom of God in the Creation , P. I. p. 135.

Ver. 22. And God blessed them , &c. ] His blessing them , was giving them a Power to Multiply and Increase , till they had filled the Water with Fish , and the Air with Fowl . Which required a particular Care of Divine Providence , as Abarbinel observes ; because they do not bring forth young Ones perfectly formed , as the Beasts do ; but lay their Eggs in which they are formed , when they are out of their Bodies . This , saith he , is a wonderful thing , That when the Womb , as we may call it , is separate from the Genitor , a living Creature like it self should be produced . Which is the reason , he fansies , that a Blessing is here pronounced upon them , and not on the Beasts , that were made the next Day . The ancient Fathers are wont to observe , That the first Blessing was given to the Waters , as a Type of Baptism . Theophilus ad Autolyc . L. II. and Tertullian de Baptismo , cap. 3.

And let Fowl multiply in the Earth . ] There , for the most part , they have their Habitation and their Food ; though some live upon the Water .

Ver. 23. See verse 19.

Ver. 24. And God said , Let the Earth bring forth . ] Thus by a gradual process , the Divine Power produced Creatures still more Noble : The Matter being more digested and prepared in five Days time , than it was at first . I do not know whether there be any weight in the Note of Abarbinel , who observes that Moses here uses a new word , which we translate bring forth ; to show the difference between Plants and Animals . The former of which spring out of the Earth indeed , but continue fix'd in it , and perish if they be separated from it : Whereas Animals , though made out of the Earth , and living upon it , have a separate existence , and do not still adhere to it .

After his kind . ] Three sorts of living Creatures are immediately mentioned , which were formed out of such Matter , as the Earth afforded , ( not simple Earth , we must understand , no more than before simple Water ; for it was impregnated with many other Principles ; ) the first of which , Behemah , which we translate Cattle , always signifies the Flocks and Herds of tame Beasts , when it is distinguished from Chaja , which we translate in the end of the Verse , Beasts of the Earth , that is , wild Beasts : Between which two , he mentions a third kind of living Creatures on the Earth , which he calls Remesh , creeping things ; because whatever Feet they have , they are so short and small , that they seem to the naked Eye to have none at all ; but to crawl on their Bellies upon the Ground . Of all these three kinds , there are various sorts wherewith God hath replenished the Earth : And of every kind , some vastly great , and others very little ; as Abarbinel notes even among Reptiles , there being Serpents of a prodigious length , and other creeping things far smaller than Ants.

Ver. 25. And God made , &c. ] The Earth did not bring them forth by Virtue of the Influence of Heaven , upon prepared Matter : But God framed them out of the Matter so prepared , and produced them in their full perfection , after their several kinds .

And God saw it was good . ] Was pleased with the great variety of these Creatures , and their compleat Structure , fitting them for their several uses .

Ver. 26. Let us make Man . ] God not only reserved Man for the last of his Works ; but doth , as it were , advise and consult about his Production . Not to signifie any Deliberation within himself , or any Difficulty in the Work ; but to represent to us the Dignity of Man , and that he was made ( as Abarbinel glosses ) with admirable Wisdom , and great Prudence . To the same purpose S. Chrysostom here speaks . And see Greg. Nyssen , de Opificio Hominis , cap. 3. and Orat. I. on these words : With Greg. Nazianzen , Orat. XLIII . p. 699. who observes that God brought him into this World , as into a noble Palace , ready furnished with all manner of things . Which is the Notion also of Methodius : See Epiphanius , Haeres . LXIV . n. 18. It is to be observed also , That God doth not say , Let the Earth bring forth Man , as he said before , verse 24. of other Animals ; for the same reason : To represent Man as a far more noble Work , than any other upon Earth . For though he was made ( as we read in the next Chapter ) of the dust of the ground ; yet a greater Power and Skill was imployed , in producing a Creature of such Beauty and Majesty .

Let us . ] The ancient Christians look'd upon this as a plain intimation of a Plurality of Persons in the Godhead . Insomuch that Epiphanius says , This is the Language of God to his WORD and only Begotten , as all the faithful believe , Haeres . XXIII . n. 2. and see Haeres . XLIV . n. 4. and Haeres . XLVI . n. 3. where he says , Adam was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , formed by the Hand of the Father , and the Son , and the Holy Ghost . To which one cannot but incline , who considers how poorly the Jews expound this place : Who fansie a kind of Senate or Council of Angels , without whom God doth nothing , ( which they ground upon Dan. IV. 14. ) whereas there is not the least signification as yet of any such Beings ; much less , that they had any hand in the making Man ; who was not made in their Image , but in the Image of God . Yet thus Saturnilus foolishly expounded these words , as Epiphanius informs us , in the fore-named Haeres . p. 62. Edit. Paris . And Moses Gerundensis still more foolishly imagines God spake to the Earth , that it should bring forth Man , as it had done other Creatures . But Maimonides , who magnifies that Saying of their Masters , ( That God doth nothing without his Council , ) is forced to acknowledge , ( More Nevoch . P. II. cap. 6. ) That it is not to be understood , as if he askt their Advice , or was assisted by their Judgment , but only that he used them as Instruments in the producing of every thing . Which is directly contrary to the very words , which are not in the form of a Command , but of a Consultation before Execution . Others therefore think God speaks after the manner of Kings ; who advise with their Council , but do things themselves : And are wont to speak in the Plural Number , when they declare their Pleasure . But I take this to be a Custom much later than the Days of Moses ; when they spake as the King of Egypt doth to Joseph , Gen. XLI . 41 , 44. I am Pharaoh ; and see I have set thee ( not we have set thee ) over the land of Egypt . In which Stile the King of Persia writes long after this , Ezra VI. 8. I Darius make a decree .

All these poor shifts are a plain confession , that they found it very hard ( as the Socinians do at this day ) to give any account of this way of speaking , without granting a Plurality of Persons in the Godhead . And therefore Menasseh Ben Israel in his Conciliator , mentions one of their Doctors , who , in Bereschith Rabba , says , That when Moses by God's Direction was about to write these words , Let us make Man , he cryed out , O Lord of the World , why wilt thou give Men occasion to err , about thy most simple Vnity ? To which he received this answer , Write as I bid thee ; and if any Man love to err , let him err . The same Story is told by Joseph Albo. Which shows that their Doctors have been long puzzled with this manner of Speech , which unavoidably suggested to their Thoughts , more than One Person in the Deity : Which till they believe , they are at a loss what to say about it .

In our Image , after our likeness . ] Two words ( some think ) to express the same thing : With this difference only , as Abarbinel explains it , That the last words , after our likeness , give us to understand that Man was not created properly and perfectly in the Image of God ; but in a resemblance of him . For he doth not say , in our likeness ( says that Author , ) as he had said in our Image , but after our likeness : where the Caph of similitude ( as they call it ) abates something of the Sence of what follows ; and makes it signifie only an approach to the Divine Likeness , in Vnderstanding , freedom of Choice , Spirituality , Immortality , &c. Thus Tertullian explains it , Habens illas ubique lineas Dei , quà immortalis anima , quà libera & sui arbitrii , quà praescia plerumque , quà rationalis , capax intellectus & scientiae , L. II. contra Marcion . cap. 9. And so Gregor. Nyssen , cap. 16. De Opific . Hom. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. All have a Power of Considering and Designing , of Consulting and Fore-appointing what we intend to do . Purity and Holiness likewise seem to be comprehended in this : As may be gathered from the Apostle , Coloss. III. 10. For the new Man consists in righteousness , and true holiness , Ephes. IV. 24. But though he was created with a Faculty to judge aright , and with a Power to govern his Appetite , which he could controul more easily than we can do now ; yet he was not made immutably good , ( quia hoc Soli Deo cedit , which belongs to God alone , as Tertullian excellently discourses in that place , ) but might , without due care , be induced to do evil , as we see he did . For an habituated , confirmed estate of Goodness , was even then to have been acquired by Watchfulness and Exercise : Whereby in process of time , he might have become so stedfast , that he could not have been prevailed upon by any Temptation , to do contrary to his Duty .

And let them have dominion , &c. ] Some have thought the Image of God consisted in this alone . ( See Greg. Nyssen , cap. 4. De Opific . Hom. p. 143. ) . Which rather follows upon Man's being made in God's Image , viz. An intelligent being ; which gave him Dominion over other things , that are not indued with such Understanding . I conclude this Note with a very pertinent Observation of his in that Book , cap. 16. That Moses speaks more Magnificently of Man , than any Philosopher ever did : For they could say nothing of him beyond this , That he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a little World : But according to the Churches account , his Greatness consists not in his Likeness to the created World ; but in his being made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , after the Image of the Nature of the Creator of all things .

Over all the Earth . ] Over all four-footed Creatures in the Earth , though never so wild ; as Bochartus observes .

Ver. 27. And God created Man in his own Image . ] From these words Origen gathers there is a great deal of difference between 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , Image , and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , Likeness ; because , though God said , verse 26. Let us make Man in our Image , and after our Likeness , yet here he is said to have made him only in his own Image ; and not , for the present , after his Likeness . For that , saith he , ( Lib. IV. contra Celsum ) is reserved to the other World ; when , as St. John says , 1 Epist. III. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , we shall be like him . But this seems too curious . No doubt God made Man just as he designed , in such a compleat resemblance of himself , that there is no Creature like to Man , no more than God hath any equal to himself : As some of the Hebrew Doctors explain this Matter . And therefore Moses repeats it again , In the Image of God created he him : To imprint upon the Minds of Men , a Sense of the great Dignity of Humane Nature ; which was foully debased by worshipping any Creature .

Male and Female created he them . ] He made Woman the same Day he made Man ; as he did both Sexes of all other living Creatures , and as he made Herbs and Plants with Seed in them to propagate their Species , on the same Day they were produced . It is plain by this also , That Woman as well as Man was made in the Image of God . And it seems to be pertinently observed by Abarbinel , That Moses here again uses the word Create , ( and that three times ) to denote the Original of Humane Souls ; which are not made out of pre-existent Matter , as our Bodies are ; but by the Power of God , when they had no Being at all .

Ver. 28. And God blessed them , &c. ] The former part of this Blessing , be fruitful and multiply , God had bestowed before ( verse 22. ) upon other Creatures : Unto which he adds two things here , replenish the Earth and subdue it . He gives them the whole Earth for their Possession , with a Power to subdue it : That is , to make it fit for their Habitation , by bringing under , or driving away wild Beasts . For , Secondly , he gives them the Dominion ( unto which he designed them in their Creation ) over all other Creatures ; whether in the Water , Air , or Earth . And he speaks to them in the Plural Number ; which is a demonstration , that Man and Woman were both created , and received his Blessing , on the same Day .

Ver. 29. Behold , I have given you , &c. ] Here he assigns them their Food ; and makes no mention at all of Beasts , but only of Plants and Fruits of the Earth . For Beasts being made by pairs , in their several Species , ( we may well suppose ) as Man and Woman were , and not being yet multiplied ; the killing of Beasts , Birds , and Fishes , would have been the destruction of the kind : Whereas there were Plants innumerable , and great variety of Fruit for their sustenance . And therefore here being no grant made to them of Animals for their Food , though no prohibition neither , it is very probable they abstained from eating Flesh , till after the Flood , ( when God expresly gave them every living thing for Meat , as much as the Herbs , IX . 2. ) unless it were upon some special occasions : As , perhaps , when they sacrificed living Creatures ; which they did in process of time , ( IV. 4 ) though not at the first .

Ver. 30. And to every Beast , &c. ] Here he gives to the Beast , and Fowl , and Creeping things , all Herbs for their Food , but saith nothing of Fruit ; from which we cannot well think the Birds would abstain : And therefore they are included in the Phrase , of every green Herb.

Ver. 31. Very good . ] From these words Epiphanius confutes the Manichees , Haeres . LXVI . n. 18. where there is an explanation of this Phrase ( God saw that it was good ) throughout this whole Chapter . Where it being said at the end of every Day 's Work , God saw it was good ; and particularly here on the Sixth Day , before he had quite ended the Work of it , he saith so of the formation of the Beasts , ver. 25. Abarbinel will have this to relate peculiarly to the Creation of Man and Woman . But the beginning of the Verse plainly shows that he speaks of every thing that he had made : And therefore their Doctors in Bereschith Rabba ( whom he mentions ) say a great deal better , That Man is meant in the first and principal place , when Moses says , God saw every thing that he had made ; and behold , it was very good .