Beginnings · Old Testament
The Story of Creation
God creates the heavens and the earth in six days and rests on the seventh; a second account tells of the first man and woman in the garden of Eden.
Editorial text in English. Scripture is quoted from the version you choose; references stay the same in every version.
Introduction
The Bible opens with two accounts of creation. The first moves through six days in which God speaks and the world takes shape, and it ends with the seventh day, when God rests. Genesis 1:1–2:3
The second account tells the story again from the ground up: the LORD God forms the man from the dust, plants a garden in Eden and makes the woman from the man’s side. The two accounts differ in order and emphasis, and both are read here as Genesis presents them. Genesis 2:4–25
Principal passages
People in this story
Places named
- Eden Genesis 2:8
- The rivers Pishon, Gihon, Hiddekel (Tigris) and Euphrates Genesis 2:10–14
Only places the passages name. Locations are not guessed.
The story, event by event
In the order Scripture presents them. Expand an event to read its passage here.
In the beginning
God creates the heavens and the earth. The earth is formless and empty, darkness is over the deep, and God’s Spirit hovers over the waters.
Light, and the sky between the waters
God speaks light into being and separates it from the darkness (the first day), then makes an expanse, the sky, between the waters above and below (the second day).
Dry land and plants
The waters gather, dry land appears, and the land produces plants and fruit trees, each with seed according to its kind (the third day).
Sun, moon and stars
God makes lights in the sky to separate day from night and to mark seasons, days and years (the fourth day).
Creatures of sea, sky and land
The waters swarm with living creatures and birds fly in the sky (the fifth day); on the sixth day the land produces livestock, creeping things and wild animals.
Humankind in God’s image
God creates humankind in his own image, male and female, blesses them, gives them responsibility over the living creatures, and sees everything he has made as very good.
The seventh day
God finishes his work and rests on the seventh day, blessing it and making it holy.
The man formed from the dust
In the second account, before any plant has sprung up, the LORD God forms the man from the dust of the ground and breathes into his nostrils the breath of life.
The garden of Eden
God plants a garden in Eden, puts the man there to work it and keep it, and forbids him to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The woman
God says it is not good for the man to be alone. The man names the animals, but no suitable helper is found among them; God makes the woman from the man’s side, and the two become one flesh.
Related and parallel passages
Related stories
- The Fall Continues the story
Genesis 3 continues directly from the garden account. Genesis 3:1
Later in the Bible
Later passages that recall or interpret this story. They are not events within it.
- Exodus 20:8–11 Direct reference — The Sabbath commandment points back to the six days and the seventh day of rest.
- Psalm 104:1–30 Teaching or quotation mentioning them — A psalm praising God as the one who made and still sustains the world.
- Matthew 19:4–6 Direct reference — Jesus quotes Genesis 1:27 and 2:24 when asked about marriage.
- John 1:1–3 Teaching or quotation mentioning them — John describes the Word through whom all things were made.
- Colossians 1:15–17 Teaching or quotation mentioning them — Paul speaks of Christ as the one in whom all things were created.
- Hebrews 11:3 Teaching or quotation mentioning them — By faith the universe is understood to have been formed by God’s word.
Connected themes
- Worship
Later psalms call on all creation to praise its Maker. Psalm 104:24Psalm 148:1–5
Related life situations
- Marriage
Marriage first appears in the garden account. Genesis 2:24
Questions for study
Written by BibleKenya editors. They are not Scripture.
- What do the repeated phrases in Genesis 1 (“God said”, “it was so”, “God saw that it was good”) emphasise?
- How does the second account in Genesis 2 differ in order and focus from the first?
- What responsibilities are given to people in Genesis 1:28 and 2:15?
- What reason does Genesis 2:18 give for making the woman?
Study guides
- Understanding the Book of Genesis
The first lesson’s passages as a story with every event. Genesis 1:1
- How to Start Reading the Bible
Genesis 1 is a common place to begin reading. Genesis 1:1
Reading plans
- Getting Started with the Bible
Day one reads the creation account. Genesis 1:1
Use offline
Save this story on your device, then download the Bible books it uses in your version: Genesis. The study keeps only its own notes and references; the Scripture comes from the books on your device, never a second copy.