Genesis 1:1

Hebrew Bible

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was without shape and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the watery deep, but the Spirit of God was hovering11 over the surface of the water. 3 God said, “Let there be light.” And there was light!

Isaiah 65:17

Hebrew Bible

15 Your names will live on in the curse formulas of my chosen ones. The Sovereign Lord will kill you, but he will give his servants another name. 16 Whoever pronounces a blessing in the earth will do so in the name of the faithful God; whoever makes an oath in the earth will do so in the name of the faithful God. For past problems will be forgotten; I will no longer think about them. 17 For look, I am ready to create new heavens and a new earth! The former ones will not be remembered; no one will think about them anymore. 18 But be happy and rejoice forever moreover what I am about to create! For look, I am ready to create Jerusalem to be a source of joy, and her people to be a source of happiness. 19 Jerusalem will bring me joy, and my people will bring me happiness. The sound of weeping or cries of sorrow will never be heard in her again.

 Notes and References

"... in contrast to the Sumerian and Akkadian texts, humankind's hard lot in the world is the result not of a decree of lazy gods, but of the violation by humans themselves of a trust that was part of a favored, blessed situation in which God had placed them. But we must go a little further than this. We have already noted that passages such as Isaiah 65:17-25 envisage a world restored by God to what we have called the 'before'; and it is legitimate to ask whether such a restoration was envisaged by the writer of Genesis 3. If it was not, then humans, not God, would have the final word about the destiny of the world and humankind ..."

Rogerson, J. W., and Philip R. Davie The Old Testament World (p. 119) T & T Clark, 2007

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