Geneva Bible Notes (1560): Genesis 1

^{1 !} God created the heauen & the earth.

^{1 a} First of all, & before that anie creature was, God made heauen and earth of nothing.

^{2 d} He mainteined this confuse heape by his secret power.

^{2 b} As a rude lumpe, & without anie creature in it: for the waters couered all.

^{2 c} Darkenes couered the depe waters: for as yet the light was not created.

^{3 !} The light & the darkenes.

^{3 e} The light was made before ether sunne or moone was created: therefore we must not attribute that to the creatures that are Gods instruments, which onely apperteineth to God.

^{5 /} The 1 day.

^{6 /} Or, spreading ouer, and ayre.

^{7 f} As the sea & riuers, from those waters that are in the cloudes, which are vpholden by Gods power, lest they shulde ouerwhelme the worlde.

^{8 /} The 2 day.

^{8 !} The firmament.

^{8 g} That is, the region of the ayre, and all that is aboue vs.

^{9 !} He separateth the water from the earth.

^{11 h} So that we se it is the onely power of Gods worde that maketh the earth fruiteful, which els naturally is barren.

^{12 i} This sentence is so oft repeated to signifie that God made all his creatures to serue to his glorie, & to the profit of man: but for sinne thei were acursed, yet to the elect by Christ they are restored & serue to their welth.

^{13 /} The 3 day.

^{14 k} By the lightes, he meaneth the sunne, the moone and the starres.

^{14 l} Which is the artificial day, from the sunne rising to the going downe.

^{14 m} Of things apperteining to natural and political ordres and seasons.

^{16 n} To wit, the sunne and the moone: & here he speaketh as man judgeth by his eye: for els the moone is lesse then the planete Saturnns.

^{16 o} To giue it sufficient light, as instruments appointed for the same, to serve to mans vse.

^{16 !} He createth the sunne, the moone & the starres.

^{19 /} The 4 day.

^{20 /} Ebr. the soule of life.

^{20 p} As fish and wormes, which slide swimme or crepe.

^{20 /} Ebr. face of the firmament.

^{21 !} He createth the fish, birdes, beastes.

^{21 q} The fish & foules had bothe one beginning, wherein we se that nature giueth place to Gods wil, forasmuche as one sorte is made to flie aboue in the ayre, & the other to swimme beneth in the water.

^{22 r} That is, by the vertue of his worde, he gaue power to his creatures to ingendre.

^{23 /} The 5 day.

^{24 /} Ebr. soule of life.

^{26 s} God commanded the water and the earth, to bring forthe other creatures: but of man he saith, Let vs make: signifying that God taketh counsel with his wisdome & vertue, purposing to make an excellent worke aboue all the rest of his creacion.

^{26 t} This image and licknes of God in man is expounded {Ephes. 4,24}: where it is written that man was created after God in righteousnes & true holines, meaning by these two wordes all perfection, as wisdome, trueth, innocencie, power, &c.

^{26 !} He createth man and giueth him rule ouer all creatures.

^{28 u} The propagacion of man is the blessing of God, {Psal. 128}.

^{29 x} Gods great liberalitie to man taketh away all excuse of his ingratitude.

^{29 !} And prouideth nourriture for man and beast.

^{31 /} The 6 day.