When looking at the creation stories in the book of Genesis, there seems to

be two totally different stories. The first story is in Genesis 1:1 - 2:3 and the
second is in Genesis 2:4-25. The purpose of this essay is to compare the two
stories of creation by explaining how they differ in 1) the names of God, 2) the
order in which God creates things, 3) the way in which God creates, 4) the
portrait of God presented in each, and 5) the style of writing used to tell each
creation story. For the purpose of this paper Genesis 1:1-2:3 will be referred to
as the first account and Genesis 2:4-25 will be referred to as the second account.
The first topic I will discuss is the difference in the names for God. In
discussing the different names used for God, it really depends on the version you
are using. In all the versions I read, the first account references the name as
Elohim or God. However, in the second account in most translations, God is called
LORD (all capital letters) God. The Darby Bible Translation says "Jehovah
Elohim," the World English Bible says "Yahweh", and the Young's Literal
Translation says "Jehovah God."
The second topic I will discuss is the difference in the order of creation.
The first major difference is the "time" it takes to create things. In the first
account, creation is listed as taking place in six days; while in the second
account, creation is stated as being in the day. However, the number of days is
not the only difference that can be found between the first and second accounts.
In the first account, man and woman are created on the sixth day after the
animals. In the second account, man is formed first and woman is made after the
animals. In the first account, the order of creation of earthly things is 1-
vegetation, 2- animals of the sea and the birds of the air, 3- other living
creatures, and 4- man and woman. In the second account, the order of formation
becomes 1- man, 2- vegetation, 3- animals, and 4- woman. Creations made only in
the first account are: 1- the light, (the first night and day), 2- the sky
(heaven and earth separated), 3- earth or land (separation of the seas), 4- lights
in the heavens (marking the seasons, days, and years), 5- the sun, moon, and
stars, and 6- creatures of the sea. The second account is the only one to
mention: 1- the Garden of Eden, 2- the tree of knowledge of good and evil, 3- the
tree of life, and 4- the rivers, as well as other lands. Another is the formation
of the "creatures." In the first account, the earth (land) creatures are made on
the sixth day and the birds are made on the fifth. In the second account, every
beast of the field and birds are formed, and then brought to man. In the first
account, the earth is formless, void, and covered in darkness. In the second
account, the earth has no shrubs, no plants of the field, no rain, and no man.
The third topic I will discuss is the difference in the way God creates.
The vegetation of the first account was spoke into existence; while in the second
account, God planted a garden (Eden). In the first account, God is said to speak
things into existence. To me this means all God had to do was say it and it
became so. It did not come from anything else. Whatever God called to existence,
simply became so. In the second account, God uses things that were already
formed. For instance, God formed the man out of the dust of the earth. The
second account sounds more "humanly" in terms of creation, because it uses:
planted, formed, and created from man.
The fourth topic I will compare is the portrayal of God. In the first
account, God controls all things in the cosmos. In the second account, God
becomes personal and involved in human affairs. In the first account, man is
created and not restricted. In the second account, man is given restrictions
regarding eating of the tree of knowledge between good and evil. Because of this,
man receives his first set of rules from God. In the first account, God is the
most important factor. In the second account, man becomes important. In the
first account, God is portrayed as Almighty, Strong, and Creator. In the second
account, God is involved in a relationship with man; hence, he creates so man will
not be alone.
The final topic I will discuss is the different style of writing used. In
the first account, the creation story is told in a chronological type story. It
shows the progression of all creation. In the second account, the creation story
is told more from a human perspective with the formation of Eden, and life there.
In the first account, the creation takes place with eight divine commands over a
period of six days and rest on the seventh day (Sabbath). In the second account,
the creation addresses the creation of the first man and woman and ultimately
their joining (marriage). The first account is focused on the creation of all
things, including the light and dark. The second account focuses on the creation
of man. In the first account, man is to "subdue" all things on the earth. In the
second account, man tends the fields.
In the first account, God is shown as "pleased" with what he has created,
which is a positive portrayal of the earth. In the second account, God is shown
as more of a problem solver. In example, the land needed someone to tend it, so
he created man. Another example of God solving a problem is the man being lonely,
so He created the beasts of the field, the birds, and ultimately, woman. Also in
the first account, man and woman are told to be fruitful and multiply, which means
to have children and populate the earth. The second account, explains the joining
of man and woman into marriage and the separation from their parents.
I believe the main reason the two creation stories seem to be different is
because they were written with different emphasis. The first account is like a
chronological, broad outline of creation. The second account is more like a story
about the formation of man and his importance to God. The first account is also
written more from a historical setting about how it all happened. The second
account gives more detailed explanations as to why this all happened. Both
accounts of the creation story have very similar themes; however, they are to
reach different final climax points. Hence, very different versions of the same
story.
In conclusion, the first account of creation and the second account of
creation seem to be very different stories. I conclude this could be true, if we
consider them only from a literal sense. However, if we are more open-minded,
then we see that the first and second really have several things in common. It is
simply the climax point or the purpose of the story, which affects the way the
story is being portrayed.