I subscribe to the weekly newsletter of Answers in Genesis. I believe that Christians must take the biblical view of a literal 6 day creation. Without this foundation the floodgates are opened to erode our faith. I found this weeks Q & A was a great example of why informed exegesis of the Biblical text is important. The following explains why the "gap theory" does not hold water.Q: Why do some people say that there is a gap between the first two verses of Genesis 1?
A: The idea of adding a break between the first two verses of Genesis 1 is called the gap theory, and there are many different versions of this theory. But they all, in some way, try to fit the supposed billions of years of earth’s history between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.
But the Hebrew grammar does not allow for such a gap.
Genesis 1:2 begins: “And the earth … .” The use of the English word “and” there is because of what’s called an explanatory use of a waw disjunctive in Hebrew, when it is connected to a noun like “earth.” In Hebrew grammar, this means this verse is a comment on the previous verse. It is not a part of the sequence of the narrative.
Now in verse 1:3, we read “And God said … .”
When the waw is connected to a verb like “said,” this is called a waw consecutive. This means this is part of the sequence of the narrative.
Thus, Genesis 1:1 actually connects directly to verse 1:3—so verse 1:2, where there is an alleged gap, is a comment or description of the earth in verse 1:1.
The bottom line is that the original Hebrew grammar does not allow for a gap between the first two verses.
A: The idea of adding a break between the first two verses of Genesis 1 is called the gap theory, and there are many different versions of this theory. But they all, in some way, try to fit the supposed billions of years of earth’s history between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.
But the Hebrew grammar does not allow for such a gap.
Genesis 1:2 begins: “And the earth … .” The use of the English word “and” there is because of what’s called an explanatory use of a waw disjunctive in Hebrew, when it is connected to a noun like “earth.” In Hebrew grammar, this means this verse is a comment on the previous verse. It is not a part of the sequence of the narrative.
Now in verse 1:3, we read “And God said … .”
When the waw is connected to a verb like “said,” this is called a waw consecutive. This means this is part of the sequence of the narrative.
Thus, Genesis 1:1 actually connects directly to verse 1:3—so verse 1:2, where there is an alleged gap, is a comment or description of the earth in verse 1:1.
The bottom line is that the original Hebrew grammar does not allow for a gap between the first two verses.
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