Genesis 1:16

Hebrew Bible

14 God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs to indicate seasons and days and years, 15 and let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” It was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to rule over the day and the lesser light to rule over the night. He made the stars also. 17 God placed the lights in the expanse of the sky to shine on the earth, 18 to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good.

Isaiah 40:26

Hebrew Bible

24 Indeed, they are barely planted; yes, they are barely sown; yes, they barely take root in the earth, and then he blows on them, causing them to dry up, and the wind carries them away like straw. 25 “To whom can you compare me? Whom do I resemble?” says the Holy One. 26 Look up at the sky! Who created all these heavenly lights? He is the one who leads out their ranks; he calls them all by name. Because of his absolute power and awesome strength, not one of them is missing. 27 Why do you say, Jacob, Why do you say, Israel, “The Lord is not aware of what is happening to me; my God is not concerned with my vindication”?

 Notes and References

"... Several connections occur between Isaiah 40:26 and Genesis 1-2. In addition to the verb אָּרָּב “create”, the most significant connections are God’s naming activity expressed with the verb ארק “to call”, His seeing expressed with האר “to see”, (1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31) and the mention of אָּבָּצ “heavens” (2:1). Although the word םֵשׁ “name” is not used in these verses, ארק “to call” is clearly operating as part of a naming formula (compare Genesis 2:20; 3:20; 4:25). In Isaiah 40:26, YHWH calls by name the hosts He created. The activity in the two passages is related, although not identical. In Genesis, God is giving a name. In Isaiah, YHWH is summoning by name. It is this naming and summoning, rather than ארק “to call”, itself, that constitutes the intertextual connection ..."

Fenlason, Aaron C. Translation Technique and the Intertextuality of Creation in LXX Isaiah 40-55 (pp. 161-164) Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2022

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