Genesis 1 - The Elect of God Royal Academy

1:1 English:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Hebrew בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ

Verse total: 2701 (= 37 × 73)

Key letter highlights:

First three letters of the verse (ברא) = 203 — the same value as the full word “created.”
אֵת (Aleph-Tav) = 401 — the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, standing as the silent direct-object marker that embraces the whole of creation.

Gospel

John 1:1
Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος, καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν, καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος.

Key word totals (isopsephy, Power):
ἀρχῇ (beginning) ≈ 709 | Λόγος (Word) = 373 | Θεόν / Θεὸς (God) = 134 / 284

English:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Quran

Surah Al-Anbiya 21:30
أَوَلَمْ يَرَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَنَّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ كَانَتَا رَتْقًا فَفَتَقْنَاهُمَا ۖ وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمَاءِ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ حَيٍّ ۖ أَفَلَا يُؤْمِنُونَ

English (clear rendering):
“Do the disbelievers not realize that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, and We separated them? And We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?”

Brief note:
This ayah places the reader at the same primordial threshold as Genesis 1:1 — the moment the heavens and the earth move from unified oneness into ordered distinction by the Creator’s act.

Illumination note

Three witnesses stand at the doorway of creation:
the Hebrew “in the beginning” that opens with the creative verb itself, the Greek “in the beginning” that reveals the Word through whom all things came to be, and the Quranic vision of the heavens and earth once joined, then parted by divine command. The numeric architecture of the Torah verse (seven words, twenty-eight letters, total 2701) invites the eye to count while the heart contemplates. The Gospel identifies the agent of that beginning as the living Word. The Quran corroborates the same primordial separation and the life that flows from it. Together they train the reader to recognize the pattern: one Creator, one beginning, one ordered universe spoken into existence.

1:2 And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Hebrew
וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ וְחֹשֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵי תְהוֹם וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת עַל־פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם

Key highlights:

תֹהוּ (formless) = 411
וָבֹהוּ (and void) = 19
תְהוֹם (the deep) = 451
רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים (Spirit of God)
מְרַחֶפֶת (hovering / brooding) = 728

Gospel
John 1:3–5
πάντα δι’ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν ὃ γέγονεν. ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἦν, καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἦν τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων· καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει, καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν.

Key highlights:
φῶς (light) | σκοτία (darkness)

English:
All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Quran
Surah Hud 11:7
وَهُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ…

English:
And it is He who created the heavens and the earth in six days — and His Throne had been upon the water — that He might test you as to which of you is best in deed…

Brief note:
The Throne resting upon the water places us in the same primordial watery deep described in Genesis, where the Spirit of God hovers before order is spoken into being.

Illumination note
The earth waits in formless emptiness and deep darkness. Over that silent deep the Spirit of God hovers — intimately present. John shows that the same creative Word is also the Light the darkness cannot extinguish. The Quran reveals the Throne itself established over the waters. Three witnesses stand together at the edge of chaos, waiting for the Voice that will soon call forth light.

1:3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Hebrew וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי אוֹר וַיְהִי־אוֹר

Key highlights:

יְהִי אוֹר (“Let there be light”)
אוֹר (light) = 207
The creative word spoken, and the immediate fulfillment

Gospel
2 Corinthians 4:6
ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ὁ εἰπών· Ἐκ σκότους φῶς λάμψει, ὃς ἔλαμψεν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν πρὸς φωτισμὸν τῆς γνώσεως τῆς δόξης τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν προσώπῳ Χριστοῦ.

Key highlights:
φῶς (light) | σκότους (darkness)

English:
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Quran
Surah Al-An’am 6:1
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ الظُّلُمَاتِ وَالنُّورَ…

English:
Praise be to Allah, who created the heavens and the earth and made the darkness and the light…

Brief note:
The same Creator who brought forth the ordered cosmos is the One who made both darkness and light, echoing the first divine command that pierced the primordial night.

Illumination note
With a single spoken word the darkness yields. “Let there be light” — and light is. The Gospel recalls that same creative Voice now shining into human hearts. The Quran joins the praise, naming the One who fashioned both the darkness and the light. Three witnesses again stand in harmony: the spoken command, the light that cannot be overcome, and the praise that rises to the Maker of both night and day.

1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.

Hebrew וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָאוֹר כִּי־טוֹב וַיַּבְדֵּל אֱלֹהִים בֵּין הָאוֹר וּבֵין הַחֹשֶׁךְ

Key highlights:

טוֹב (good) = 17
וַיַּבְדֵּל (and He divided / separated)
The first divine evaluation: the light is declared good, then carefully distinguished from the darkness

Gospel
1 John 1:5
Καὶ ἔστιν αὕτη ἡ ἀγγελία ἣν ἀκηκόαμεν ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀναγγέλλομεν ὑμῖν, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς φῶς ἐστιν καὶ σκοτία ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεμία.

Key highlights:
φῶς (light) | σκοτία (darkness)

English:
This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.

Quran
Surah Ya-Sin 36:37
وَآيَةٌ لَّهُمُ اللَّيْلُ نَسْلَخُ مِنْهُ النَّهَارَ فَإِذَا هُم مُّظْلِمُونَ

English:
And a sign for them is the night: We strip from it the day, and at once they are in darkness.

Brief note:
The deliberate separation of light from darkness in Genesis is echoed in the Quranic sign of the night being peeled away from the day — an ongoing divine ordering of the two realms.

Illumination note
God does not merely create light; He gazes upon it and pronounces it good. Then He draws a clear boundary between light and darkness. The Gospel declares that God Himself is pure light with no darkness in Him. The Quran points to the nightly stripping of day as a living sign of that same ordering power. Three voices affirm: the light is good, the separation is intentional, and the Creator remains the One who keeps light and darkness in their appointed places.

1:5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

Hebrew וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לָאוֹר יוֹם וְלַחֹשֶׁךְ קָרָא לָיְלָה וַיְהִי־עֶרֶב וַיְהִי־בֹקֶר יוֹם אֶחָד

Key highlights:

יוֹם (Day) = 56
לָיְלָה (Night) = 75
אֶחָד (one / first) = 13
The first act of naming, and the first full cycle of evening and morning

Gospel
1 Thessalonians 5:5
πάντες γὰρ ὑμεῖς υἱοὶ φωτός ἐστε καὶ υἱοὶ ἡμέρας. οὐκ ἐσμὲν νυκτὸς οὐδὲ σκότους.

Key highlights:
φωτός (of light) | ἡμέρας (of day) | νυκτὸς (of night)

English:
For you are all children of light and children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.

Quran
Surah Al-An’am 6:96
فَالِقُ الْإِصْبَاحِ وَجَعَلَ اللَّيْلَ سَكَنًا وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ حُسْبَانًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ

English:
[He is] the cleaver of daybreak and has made the night for rest and the sun and the moon for calculation. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing.

Brief note:
The naming of Day and Night, and the establishment of their ordered cycle, finds a clear echo in the Quran’s description of the One who splits the dawn and appoints the night for rest.

Illumination note
God does not leave the newly created light and darkness unnamed. He calls them Day and Night, then seals the first full rhythm of time: evening, morning — one day. The Gospel invites believers to live as children of that same light and day. The Quran praises the Cleaver of daybreak who set the night for rest. Three witnesses affirm the same ordered beginning: light receives its name, darkness receives its name, and time itself begins to turn under the Creator’s voice.

1:6 And God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”

Hebrew וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי רָקִיעַ בְּתוֹךְ הַמָּיִם וִיהִי מַבְדִּיל בֵּין מַיִם לָמָיִם

Key highlights:

רָקִיעַ (firmament / expanse) = 380
מַבְדִּיל (dividing / separating)
The second creative command that begins to order the waters by placing an expanse between them

Gospel
Colossians 1:16–17
ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς… τὰ πάντα δι’ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἔκτισται· καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν πρὸ πάντων καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκεν.

Key highlights:
οὐρανοῖς (heavens) | ἐκτίσθη (were created)

English:
For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth… all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Quran
Surah Al-Anbiya 21:32
وَجَعَلْنَا السَّمَاءَ سَقْفًا مَّحْفُوظًا ۖ وَهُمْ عَنْ آيَاتِهَا مُعْرِضُونَ

English:
And We made the sky a protected ceiling, but they, from its signs, are turning away.

Brief note:
The firmament that divides the waters is echoed in the Quran’s description of the sky as a safeguarded roof or ceiling stretched above the earth.

Illumination note
With another spoken word God begins to separate the chaotic waters, placing an expanse—a firmament—between them. The Gospel reminds us that this same ordering of heaven and earth took place through the eternal Word, in whom all things continue to hold together. The Quran points to the sky itself as a protected ceiling, a living sign of that divine architecture. Three voices again testify: the waters are being ordered, the heavens are being formed, and the Creator’s word continues to shape the cosmos.

1:7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.

Hebrew וַיַּעַשׂ אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָרָקִיעַ וַיַּבְדֵּל בֵּין הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר מִתַּחַת לָרָקִיעַ וּבֵין הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר מֵעַל לָרָקִיעַ וַיְהִי־כֵן

Key highlights:

הָרָקִיעַ (the firmament) = 385
וַיַּבְדֵּל (and He divided)
וַיְהִי־כֵן (“and it was so”) — the first appearance of this sealing phrase in the creation account

Gospel
Hebrews 1:10
Καὶ Σὺ κατ’ ἀρχάς, Κύριε, τὴν γῆν ἐθεμελίωσας, καὶ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν σού εἰσιν οἱ οὐρανοί·

Key highlights:
οὐρανοί (heavens) | ἀρχάς (beginnings)

English:
And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.”

Quran
Surah An-Nazi’at 79:27–28
أَأَنتُمْ أَشَدُّ خَلْقًا أَمِ السَّمَاءُ ۚ بَنَاهَا رَفَعَ سَمْكَهَا فَسَوَّاهَا

English:
Are you a more difficult creation or is the heaven? He constructed it. He raised its ceiling and proportioned it.

Brief note:
The making and raising of the firmament that separates the waters is mirrored in the Quran’s description of the heaven whose ceiling was raised and perfectly proportioned by the Creator.

Illumination note
God does not only speak the firmament into being; He makes it, and with precise care He divides the waters below from the waters above. Then comes the quiet seal: “and it was so.” The Gospel affirms that the heavens themselves are the work of the Lord’s hands from the beginning. The Quran invites reflection on the raised and proportioned ceiling of the sky. Three witnesses stand in agreement: the expanse is formed, the waters are ordered, and the Creator’s work is complete and sure.

1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

Hebrew וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לָרָקִיעַ שָׁמָיִם וַיְהִי־עֶרֶב וַיְהִי־בֹקֶר יוֹם שֵׁנִי

Key highlights:

שָׁמָיִם (Heaven / heavens) = 390
יוֹם שֵׁנִי (second day)
The naming of the firmament and the completion of the second full cycle of evening and morning

Gospel
Matthew 6:9
Οὕτως οὖν προσεύχεσθε ὑμεῖς· Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς…

Key highlights:
οὐρανοῖς (heavens)

English:
Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven…”

Quran
Surah Al-Mulk 67:3
الَّذِي خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ طِبَاقًا ۖ مَّا تَرَىٰ فِي خَلْقِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ مِن تَفَاوُتٍ…

English:
[He] who created seven heavens in layers. You do not see in the creation of the Most Merciful any inconsistency…Brief note:
The naming of the firmament as “Heaven” resonates with the Quran’s repeated affirmation of the layered heavens fashioned by the Most Merciful without any flaw.

Illumination note
God gives the newly formed expanse its name: Heaven. Then the second day is sealed with evening and morning. The Gospel teaches us to lift our eyes and address the Father who dwells in those same heavens. The Quran invites us to look upon the seven layered heavens and find no inconsistency in the work of the Most Merciful. Three witnesses again agree: the firmament receives its name, the second day is complete, and the heavens stand as a testimony to the ordered wisdom of the Creator.

1:9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.

Hebrew וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יִקָּווּ הַמַּיִם מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמַיִם אֶל־מָקוֹם אֶחָד וְתֵרָאֶה הַיַּבָּשָׁה וַיְהִי־כֵן

Key highlights:

יִקָּווּ (let them be gathered)
הַיַּבָּשָׁה (the dry land) = 322
וַיְהִי־כֵן (“and it was so”)

Gospel
2 Peter 3:5
λανθάνει γὰρ αὐτοὺς τοῦτο θέλοντας, ὅτι οὐρανοὶ ἦσαν ἔκπαλαι καὶ γῆ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ δι’ ὕδατος συνεστῶσα τῷ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγῳ…

Key highlights:
γῆ (earth / land) | ὕδατος (water)

English:
For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God…

Quran
Surah An-Nazi’at 79:30–31
وَالْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ دَحَاهَا أَخْرَجَ مِنْهَا مَاءَهَا وَمَرْعَاهَا

English:
And after that He spread the earth. He extracted from it its water and its pasture.

Brief note:
The gathering of the waters so that dry land appears finds a clear parallel in the Quran’s description of the earth being spread out and its water brought forth by the Creator.

Illumination note
Once more the divine word goes forth: the waters under the heavens are commanded to gather into one place so that the dry land may appear. And it was so. The Gospel reminds us that the earth itself was formed out of water and through water by that same word. The Quran describes the earth being spread and its water drawn forth. Three witnesses testify together: the seas are ordered, the land emerges, and the Creator’s command continues to shape the world with perfect precision.

1:10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas; and God saw that it was good.

Hebrew וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לַיַּבָּשָׁה אֶרֶץ וּלְמִקְוֵה הַמַּיִם קָרָא יַמִּים וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים כִּי־טוֹב

Key highlights:

אֶרֶץ (Earth) = 291
יַמִּים (Seas) = 100
כִּי־טוֹב (“that it was good”) = 17 for טוֹב
The second divine naming and the second declaration of goodness

Gospel
Revelation 21:1
Καὶ εἶδον οὐρανὸν καινὸν καὶ γῆν καινήν· ὁ γὰρ πρῶτος οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ πρώτη γῆ ἀπῆλθαν, καὶ ἡ θάλασσα οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι.

Key highlights:
γῆν (earth) | θάλασσα (sea)

English:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

Quran
Surah Al-Baqarah 2:164
…وَمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مِن مَّاءٍ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ دَابَّةٍ…

English:
…and what Allah has sent down from the heavens of rain, giving life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness and dispersing therein every [kind of] moving creature…

Brief note:
The naming of the dry land as Earth and the gathered waters as Seas, together with the declaration that it was good, resonates with the Quran’s frequent praise of the earth brought to life by water from the heavens.

Illumination note
God names what He has formed: the dry land is called Earth, the gathered waters are called Seas. Then He looks upon the ordered landscape and pronounces it good. The Gospel points forward to a new heaven and a new earth in which the old order is transformed. The Quran continually invites reflection on the living earth sustained by water from above. Three witnesses stand in harmony: the land and seas receive their names, the Creator declares them good, and the ordered world testifies to His wisdom.

1:11 And God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth”; and it was so.

Hebrew

וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים תַּדְשֵׁא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא עֵשֶׂב מַזְרִיעַ זֶרַע עֵץ פְּרִי עֹשֶׂה פְּרִי לְמִינוֹ אֲשֶׁר זַרְעוֹ־בוֹ עַל־הָאָרֶץ וַיְהִי־כֵן

Key highlights:

תַּדְשֵׁא (let it sprout / put forth)
לְמִינוֹ (according to its kind)
זֶרַע (seed) = 277
The first command for living growth to rise from the earth, each according to its kind

Gospel
Mark 4:28
αὐτομάτη ἡ γῆ καρποφορεῖ, πρῶτον χόρτον, εἶτα στάχυν, εἶτα πλήρης σῖτος ἐν τῷ στάχυϊ.

Key highlights:
γῆ (earth) | καρποφορεῖ (bears fruit)

English:
The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.

Quran
Surah Al-An’am 6:99
وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ نَبَاتَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ…

English:
And it is He who sends down rain from the sky, and with it We bring forth vegetation of all kinds…

Brief note:
The command for the earth to bring forth vegetation, seed-bearing plants, and fruit trees according to their kinds is echoed in the Quran’s repeated testimony that Allah brings forth every kind of plant by the water He sends down.

Illumination note
The dry land, newly named Earth, is now commanded to live. Vegetation springs forth—grass, seed-bearing herbs, and fruit trees, each according to its kind, with seed already within them. The Gospel later points to the earth’s natural fruitfulness as a picture of the kingdom. The Quran continually praises the One who causes every kind of plant to grow by the rain from heaven. Three witnesses affirm the same truth: life rises from the earth at the Creator’s word, ordered, fruitful, and full of seed for the generations to come.

1:12 And the earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Hebrew
וַתּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא עֵשֶׂב מַזְרִיעַ זֶרַע לְמִינֵהוּ וְעֵץ עֹשֶׂה־פְּרִי אֲשֶׁר זַרְעוֹ־בוֹ לְמִינֵהוּ וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים כִּי־טוֹב

Key highlights:

וַתּוֹצֵא (and it brought forth)
לְמִינֵהוּ (according to its kind) — repeated
כִּי־טוֹב (“that it was good”)

Gospel
James 3:12
μὴ δύναται, ἀδελφοί μου, συκῆ ἐλαίας ποιῆσαι ἢ ἄμπελος σῦκα; οὔτε ἁλυκὸν γλυκὺ ποιῆσαι ὕδωρ.

Key highlights:
(trees and fruit according to their nature) English:
Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

Quran
Surah Ta-Ha 20:53
…وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْרَجْنَا بِهِ أَزْوَاجًا مِّن نَّبَاتٍ شَتَّىٰ

English:
…and He sent down water from the sky and with it We brought forth pairs of various kinds of plants.

Brief note:
The earth’s obedient response—bringing forth vegetation and fruit trees each according to its kind—is mirrored in the Quran’s description of Allah bringing forth varied pairs of plants by the water from heaven.

Illumination note
What God commanded, the earth now performs. Vegetation rises, seed-bearing plants appear, and fruit trees stand with their seed already within them—each according to its kind. God looks upon the living landscape and again declares it good. The Gospel later uses the principle of “according to its kind” to teach about the nature of true fruit. The Quran repeatedly points to the varied plants that spring from the earth by divine provision. Three witnesses agree: the earth has obeyed, life has multiplied in ordered kinds, and the Creator sees that it is good.

1:13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.

Hebrew
וַיְהִי־עֶרֶב וַיְהִי־בֹקֶר יוֹם שְׁלִישִׁי

Key highlights:

יוֹם שְׁלִישִׁי (third day)
The familiar sealing rhythm of evening and morning that closes each day of creation

Gospel
John 2:1
Καὶ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ γάμος ἐγένετο ἐν Κανὰ τῆς Γαλιλαίας…

Key highlights:
ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ (the third day)

English:
On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee…

Quran
Surah Yunus 10:3
إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ…

English:
Indeed, your Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and the earth in six days…

Brief note:
The completion of the third day forms part of the six-day framework of creation that the Quran also affirms as the ordered work of the Creator.

Illumination note
The third day closes with the same quiet cadence that has marked each previous day: evening, then morning. The earth has now brought forth living vegetation, and the Creator’s rhythm continues unbroken. The Gospel later highlights a “third day” as a moment of new beginning and revelation. The Quran places the entire creative work within the span of six days under the sovereign Lord. Three witnesses again stand together: the day is complete, the order is established, and the Creator’s time moves forward with perfect regularity.

1:14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years.”

Hebrew
וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי מְאֹרֹת בִּרְקִיעַ הַשָּׁמַיִם לְהַבְדִּיל בֵּין הַיּוֹם וּבֵין הַלַּיְלָה וְהָיוּ לְאֹתֹת וּלְמוֹעֲדִים וּלְיָמִים וְשָׁנִים

Key highlights:

מְאֹרֹת (lights) = 641
לְאֹתֹת וּלְמוֹעֲדִים (for signs and for seasons)
The appointment of the lights not only to divide day from night but also to mark sacred times, days, and years

Gospel
Matthew 24:29
Εὐθέως δὲ μετὰ τὴν θλῖψιν τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐκείνων ὁ ἥλιος σκοτισθήσεται, καὶ ἡ σελήνη οὐ δώσει τὸ φέγγος αὐτῆς…

Key highlights:
ἥλιος (sun) | σελήνη (moon)

English:
Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light…

Quran
Surah Yunus 10:5
هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ ضِيَاءً وَالْقَمَرَ نُورًا وَقَدَّرَهُ مَنَازِלَ لِتَعْلَمُوا عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ…

English:
It is He who made the sun a shining light and the moon a derived light and determined for it phases—that you may know the number of years and account [of time]…Brief note:
The appointment of the lights for signs, seasons, days, and years finds a clear parallel in the Quran’s description of the sun and moon given for measuring time and the counting of years.

Illumination note
On the fourth day the Creator places lights in the firmament—not merely to shine, but to serve. They will divide day from night, mark the sacred seasons, and measure the passage of days and years. The Gospel later speaks of the sun and moon as signs that will be shaken at the end of the age. The Quran praises the One who made the sun a shining light and the moon a light with phases so that humanity may know the number of the years. Three witnesses testify: the heavens receive their luminaries, time itself is ordered under their rule, and the Creator’s wisdom shines through the appointed lights.

1:15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth”; and it was so.

Hebrew
וְהָיוּ לִמְאוֹרֹת בִּרְקִיעַ הַשָּׁמַיִם לְהָאִיר עַל־הָאָרֶץ וַיְהִי־כֵן

Key highlights:

לִמְאוֹרֹת (for lights)
לְהָאִיר (to give light / to shine)
וַיְהִי־כֵן (“and it was so”)

Gospel
John 1:9
Ἦν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον.

Key highlights:
φῶς (light) | φωτίζει (gives light / enlightens)

English:
The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

Quran
Surah Nuh 71:16
وَجَعَלَ الْقَمَرَ فِيهِنَّ نُورًا وَجَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ سِرَاجًا

English:
And made the moon therein a light and made the sun a lamp.

Brief note: Genesis 1:16

English
And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.

Hebrew
וַיַּעַשׂ אֱלֹהִים אֶת־שְׁנֵי הַמְּאֹרֹת הַגְּדֹלִים אֶת־הַמָּאוֹר הַגָּדֹל לְמֶמְשֶׁלֶת הַיּוֹם וְאֶת־הַמָּאוֹר הַקָּטֹן לְמֶמְשֶׁלֶת הַלַּיְלָה וְאֵת הַכּוֹכָבִים

Key highlights:

שְׁנֵי הַמְּאֹרֹת הַגְּדֹלִים (the two great lights)
לְמֶמְשֶׁלֶת (to rule / for the dominion of)
הַכּוֹכָבִים (the stars)

Gospel
1 Corinthians 15:41
ἄλλη δόξα ἡλίου, καὶ ἄλλη δόξα σελήνης, καὶ ἄλλη δόξα ἀστέρων· ἀστὴρ γὰρ ἀστέρος διαφέρει ἐν δόξῃ.

Key highlights:
ἡλίου (of the sun) | σελήνης (of the moon) | ἀστέρων (of stars)

English:
There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

Quran
Surah Al-Anbiya 21:33
وَهُوَ الَّذِي خَלَقَ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ ۖ كُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ

English:
And it is He who created the night and the day and the sun and the moon; all [heavenly bodies] in an orbit are swimming.

Brief note:
The making of the two great lights—one to rule the day and one to rule the night—together with the stars is mirrored in the Quran’s affirmation that Allah created the night, the day, the sun, and the moon, each moving in its course.

Illumination note
God now fashions the two great lights and sets them in their appointed places: the greater to rule the day, the lesser to rule the night, and with them the stars. Dominion is given, order is established, and the heavens receive their governors. The Gospel later speaks of the differing glory of sun, moon, and stars. The Quran points to the same luminaries swimming in their orbits under the Creator’s command. Three witnesses stand in harmony: the lights are made, their rule is assigned, and the night sky is filled with the work of His hands.

The purpose of the lights—to shine upon the earth—is echoed in the Quran’s description of the moon as a light and the sun as a lamp placed in the heavens.

Illumination note
The command continues: these lights are not only to mark times and seasons; they are also to shine upon the earth. And once more the text seals the word with “and it was so.” The Gospel reveals the true Light that enlightens every person. The Quran points to the sun as a lamp and the moon as a light set in the heavens for the benefit of the world below. Three witnesses affirm the same gracious purpose: the lights are given so that the earth may be illuminated, and the Creator’s provision reaches every place under the sky.

1:17 And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth.

Hebrew
וַיִּתֵּן אֹתָם אֱלֹהִים בִּרְקִיעַ הַשָּׁמַיִם לְהָאִיר עַל־הָאָרֶץ

Verse total: 2412 Key highlights:

וַיִּתֵּן (and He set / placed)
לְהָאִיר (to give light / to shine)
The deliberate placement of the lights in the firmament for the sake of the earth

Gospel
Matthew 5:14–16
Ὑμεῖς ἐστε τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου… οὕτως λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων…

Key highlights:
φῶς (light) | λαμψάτω (let it shine)

English:
You are the light of the world… let your light shine before others…

Quran
Surah Al-Furqan 25:61
تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ فِي السَّمَاءِ بُرُوجًا وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا سِرَاجًا وَقَمَرًا مُّنِيرًا

English:
Blessed is He who has placed in the sky great stars and placed therein a [burning] lamp and a luminous moon.

Brief note:
God’s act of setting the lights in the firmament to shine upon the earth is reflected in the Quran’s praise of the One who placed a lamp and a luminous moon in the sky.

Illumination note
The lights have been made; now they are set in place. God positions them in the firmament specifically so that they may give light upon the earth. The Gospel later calls the followers of Jesus to be light that shines for the world. The Quran blesses the One who fixed a lamp and a luminous moon in the heavens. Three witnesses affirm the same gracious intent: the lights are placed not for their own sake alone, but so that the earth below may be illuminated by the Creator’s provision.

1:18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

Hebrew
וְלִמְשֹׁל בַּיּוֹם וּבַלַּיְלָה וּלְהַבְדִּיל בֵּין הָאוֹר וּבֵין הַחֹשֶׁךְ וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים כִּי־טוֹב

Key highlights:

וְלִמְשֹׁל (and to rule)
וּלְהַבְדִּיל (and to divide)
כִּי־טוֹב (“that it was good”) — the fourth declaration of goodness

Gospel
Ephesians 5:8–9
ἦτε γάρ ποτε σκότος, νῦν δὲ φῶς ἐν κυρίῳ· ὡς τέκνα φωτὸς περιπατεῖτε…

Key highlights:
σκότος (darkness) | φῶς (light)

English:
For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light…

Quran
Surah Al-Isra 17:12
وَجَعَלْنَا اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ آيَتَيْنِ ۖ فَمَحَوْنَا آيَةَ اللَّيْلِ وَجَعَلْنَا آيَةَ النَّهَارِ مُبْصِرَةً…

English:
And We have made the night and day two signs, and We erased the sign of the night and made the sign of the day visible…Brief note:
The assignment of the lights to rule day and night and to divide light from darkness is echoed in the Quran’s description of night and day as two signs, with the day made visible and clear.

Illumination note
The lights are given their final charge: to rule over day and night, and to keep the boundary between light and darkness. Once more God looks upon His work and declares it good. The Gospel later calls believers out of darkness into light, to walk as children of light. The Quran presents night and day themselves as signs of the Creator’s ordering power. Three witnesses stand together: the lights receive their dominion, the division is maintained, and the Creator sees that the ordered heavens are good.

1:19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

Key highlights:

יוֹם רְבִיעִי (fourth day)
The familiar sealing rhythm of evening and morning that closes the day

Gospel
John 11:9
ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς· Οὐχὶ δώδεκά εἰσιν ὧραι τῆς ἡμέρας; ἐάν τις περιπατῇ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, οὐ προσκόπτει, ὅτι τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου τούτου βλέπει.

Key highlights:
ἡμέρας (of the day) | φῶς (light)

English:
Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.”

Quran
Surah Fussilat 41:12
…فَقَضَاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ…

English:
…And He completed them as seven heavens within two days…Brief note:
The completion of the fourth day continues the ordered sequence of creation days that the Quran also affirms as the measured work of the Creator.

Illumination note
The fourth day closes with the same quiet cadence: evening, then morning. The lights have been made, set in place, and given their rule over day and night. Time itself now moves under their appointed order. The Gospel later speaks of walking in the light of the day. The Quran points to the measured days in which the heavens were completed. Three witnesses affirm the same truth: the day is finished, the lights are established, and the Creator’s rhythm continues unbroken.

1:20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.”

Hebrew
וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יִשְׁרְצוּ הַמַּיִם שֶׁרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה וְעוֹף יְעוֹפֵף עַל־הָאָרֶץ עַל־פְּנֵי רְקִיעַ הַשָּׁמַיִם

Key highlights:

יִשְׁרְצוּ (let them swarm / abound)
נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה (living creature / living soul)
יְעוֹפֵף (let birds fly)
The first command for living, moving creatures to fill the waters and the skies

Gospel
Matthew 6:26
ἐμβλέψατε εἰς τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὅτι οὐ σπείρουσιν οὐδὲ θερίζουσιν οὐδὲ συνάγουσιν εἰς ἀποθήκας, καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος τρέφει αὐτά.

Key highlights:
πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ (birds of the air / heaven)

English:
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Quran
Surah An-Nahl 16:79
أَلَمْ يَرَوْا إِلَى الطَّيْرِ مُسَخَّرَاتٍ فِي جَوِّ السَّمَاءِ ۖ مَا يُمْسِكُهُنَّ إِلَّا اللَّهُ…

English:
Do they not see the birds controlled in the atmosphere of the sky? None holds them up except Allah…

Brief note:
The command for the waters to swarm with living creatures and for birds to fly across the face of the firmament is echoed in the Quran’s invitation to observe the birds held aloft in the sky by Allah alone.

Illumination note
A new word goes forth: the waters are to swarm with living creatures, and birds are to take flight across the face of the firmament. Life that moves, swims, and soars now enters the created order. The Gospel later points to the birds of the air as a living testimony of the Father’s care. The Quran calls us to look at the birds held in the sky by none other than Allah. Three witnesses affirm the same wonder: living creatures fill the waters, birds fill the skies, and the Creator’s word brings forth abundant, moving life.

1:21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Hebrew
וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הַתַּנִּינִם הַגְּדֹלִים וְאֵת כָּל־נֶפֶשׁ הַחַיָּה הָרֹמֶשֶׂת אֲשֶׁר שָׁרְצוּ הַמַּיִם לְמִינֵהֶם וְאֵת כָּל־עוֹף כָּנָף לְמִינֵהוּ וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים כִּי־טוֹב

Key highlights:

וַיִּבְרָא (and He created) — the second use of “bara” in the chapter
הַתַּנִּינִם הַגְּדֹלִים (the great sea creatures)
לְמִינֵהֶם / לְמִינֵהוּ (according to their/its kind)
כִּי־טוֹב (“that it was good”)

Gospel
Luke 12:24
κατανοήσατε τοὺς κόρακας, ὅτι οὔτε σπείρουσιν οὔτε θερίζουσιν, οἷς οὐκ ἔστιν ταμεῖον οὐδὲ ἀποθήκη, καὶ ὁ θεὸς τρέφει αὐτούς.

Key highlights:
(birds cared for by God)

English:
Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them.

Quran
Surah An-Nur 24:45
وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَ كُلَّ دَابَّةٍ مِّن مَّاءٍ ۖ فَمِنْهُم مَّن يَمْشِي عَلَىٰ بَطْنِهِ وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَمْشِي عَلَىٰ رِجْلَيْنِ وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَمْشِي عَلَىٰ أَرْبَعٍ…

English:
And Allah has created every living creature from water. Among them are those that move on their bellies, those that walk on two legs, and those that walk on four…

Brief note:
The creation of the great sea creatures, every living thing that moves in the waters, and every winged bird according to its kind is echoed in the Quran’s declaration that Allah created every living creature from water and gave them their varied forms of movement.

Illumination note
Here the text returns to the strong verb “created” (bara). God forms the great sea creatures, every swarming living soul in the waters, and every winged bird—each according to its kind. Then He looks upon this new abundance of life and declares it good. The Gospel later points to the birds as living examples of the Father’s care. The Quran affirms that every living creature was created from water and given its distinctive way of moving. Three witnesses stand in harmony: the waters and skies are filled with living creatures, each according to its kind, and the Creator sees that it is good

1:22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”

Hebrew
וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם אֱלֹהִים לֵאמֹר פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וּמִלְאוּ אֶת־הַמַּיִם בַּיַּמִּים וְהָעוֹף יִרֶב בָּאָרֶץ

Key highlights:

וַיְבָרֶךְ (and He blessed) — the first blessing in Scripture
פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ (be fruitful and multiply)
The first divine blessing spoken over living creatures

Gospel
Matthew 28:19–20 (echo of the multiplication and filling command in the Great Commission)
πορευθέντες οὖν μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη…

English:
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…

Quran
Surah An-Nahl 16:14
وَהוُوَ الَّذِي سَخَّرَ الْبَحْرَ لِتَأْكُلُوا مِنْهُ لَحْمًا طَرِيًّا…

English:
And it is He who subjected the sea for you to eat from it tender meat…

Brief note:
The blessing to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters (and for birds to multiply on the earth) resonates with the Quran’s frequent affirmation of Allah’s provision through the sea and the living creatures He has made abundant.

Illumination note
For the first time in the creation account God speaks a blessing. The newly created living creatures of the sea and air are given the command and the power to be fruitful, multiply, and fill their realms. The Gospel later carries a similar expansive commission to fill the earth with disciples. The Quran continually points to the abundance of life in the sea as a sign of the Creator’s generosity. Three witnesses agree: life is not only created — it is blessed to increase.

1:23 And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

Hebrew
וַיְהִי־עֶרֶב וַיְהִי־בֹקֶר יוֹם חֲמִישִׁי

Key highlights:

יוֹם חֲמִישִׁי (fifth day)
The familiar sealing rhythm of evening and morning

Gospel
John 1:5 (continuing light theme in the ordered days)
καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει…

English:
The light shines in the darkness…

Quran
Surah Al-A’raf 7:54
…خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ…

English:
…who created the heavens and the earth in six days…

Brief note:
The close of the fifth day continues the measured six-day framework that the Quran also affirms.

Illumination note
The fifth day ends with the same quiet cadence that has marked every previous day. Living creatures now fill the waters and the skies, and they have received the first blessing of Scripture. The ordered rhythm of evening and morning continues unbroken. Three witnesses again stand together: the day is complete, life has been blessed to multiply, and the Creator’s time moves steadily forward.

1:24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so.

Hebrew
וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים תּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה לְמִינָהּ בְּהֵמָה וָרֶמֶשׂ וְחַיְתוֹ־אֶרֶץ לְמִינָהּ וַיְהִי־כֵן

Key highlights:

נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה ( living creature / living soul)
לְמִינָהּ (according to its kind) — repeated
The earth is now commanded to bring forth land animals

Gospel
Romans 1:20
τὰ γὰρ ἀόρατα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου τοῖς ποιήμασιν νοούμενα καθορᾶται…

English:
For His invisible attributes… have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.

Quran
Surah An-Nahl 16:5
وَالْأَنْعَامَ خَلَقَهَا ۗ لَكُمْ فِيهَا دِفْءٌ وَمَنَافِعُ وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ

English:
And the grazing livestock He has created for you; in them is warmth and [many] benefits, and from them you eat.

Brief note:
The command for the earth to bring forth living creatures according to their kinds is echoed in the Quran’s frequent mention of the livestock and animals Allah has created for the benefit of mankind.

Illumination note
The earth, already fruitful with plants, is now called to bring forth living, moving creatures of the land — livestock, creeping things, and beasts — each according to its kind. And it was so. Three witnesses affirm the same ordered abundance: the land receives its animals, each in its proper kind, by the word of the Creator.

1:25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Hebrew
וַיַּעַשׂ אֱלֹהִים אֶת־חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ לְמִינָהּ וְאֶת־הַבְּהֵמָה לְמִינָהּ וְאֵת כָּל־רֶמֶשׂ הָאֲדָמָה לְמִינֵהוּ וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים כִּי־טוֹב

Verse Power: 3864

Key highlights:

וַיַּעַשׂ ( and He made)
לְמִינָהּ / לְמִינֵהוּ ( according to its kind)
כִּי־טוֹב (“that it was good”) — the fifth declaration of goodness

Gospel
1 Timothy 4:4
ὅτι πᾶν κτίσμα θεοῦ καλόν…

English:
For everything created by God is good…

Quran
Surah Al-An’am 6:38
وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا طَائِرٍ يَطِيرُ بِجَنَاحَيْهِ إِلَّا أُمَمٌ أَمْثَالُكُم…

English:
And there is no creature on the earth or bird that flies with its wings except [that they are] communities like you…

Brief note:
God making the beasts, livestock, and creeping things according to their kinds, then declaring them good, resonates with the Quran’s affirmation that every creature on earth forms communities and is under the Creator’s care.

Illumination note
What was commanded is now made. The beasts of the earth, the livestock, and every creeping thing appear — each according to its kind. God looks upon them and again declares them good. The Gospel later affirms that everything created by God is good. The Quran reminds us that every creature forms its own community under the same Creator. Three witnesses stand together: the land animals are formed, ordered by kind, and pronounced good by the One who made them.

1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Hebrew
וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם בְּצַלְמֵנוּ כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ וְיִרְדּוּ בִדְגַת הַיָּם וּבְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּבַבְּהֵמָה וּבְכָל־הָאָרֶץ וּבְכָל־הָרֶמֶשׂ הָרֹמֵשׂ עַל־הָאָרֶץ

Verse Power: 4764

Key highlights:

נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם (Let Us make man)
בְּצַלְמֵנוּ כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ (in Our image, after Our likeness)
וְיִרְדּוּ (and let them have dominion)

Gospel
Colossians 1:15
ὅς ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου…

English:
He is the image of the invisible God…

Quran
Surah Al-Baqarah 2:30
وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً…

English:
And when your Lord said to the angels, “Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority (khalifah)…”

Brief note:
The divine counsel to make mankind in the image and likeness of God, with dominion over the earth, finds a clear parallel in the Quran’s account of Allah announcing the placement of a khalifah (vicegerent / successive authority) on the earth.

Illumination note
For the first time the Creator speaks in the plural: “Let Us make…” Mankind is to be formed in the very image and likeness of God and given dominion over the rest of the living creation. Three witnesses stand in awe: the image of God, the authority entrusted to humanity, and the deliberate counsel of the Creator before this crowning work.

1:27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Hebrew
וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָאָדָם בְּצַלְמוֹ בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים בָּרָא אֹתוֹ זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בָּרָא אֹתָם

Verse Power: 2816

Key highlights:

וַיִּבְרָא … בָּרָא … בָּרָא (created… created… created) — the verb “bara” used three times
בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים (in the image of God)
זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה (male and female)

Gospel
Matthew 19:4
ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν· Οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε ὅτι ὁ κτίσας ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἐποίησεν αὐτούς;

English:
He answered, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female…”

Quran
Surah An-Nisa 4:1
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا…

English:
O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate…Brief note:
The creation of mankind in the image of God as male and female is echoed in the Quran’s affirmation that Allah created humanity from one soul and from it created its mate.

Illumination note
The counsel becomes action. Three times the strong verb “created” (bara) is used. Mankind is formed in the image of God — male and female. The Gospel later recalls this foundational truth. The Quran points to the one soul from which both male and female were drawn. Three witnesses proclaim the same sacred reality: humanity bears the image of the Creator, created male and female by His deliberate hand.

1:28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Hebrew

וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם אֱלֹהִים וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם אֱלֹהִים פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וּמִלְאוּ אֶת־הָאָרֶץ וְכִבְשֻׁהָ וּרְדוּ בִּדְגַת הַיָּם וּבְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּבְכָל־חַיָּה הָרֹמֶשֶׂת עַל־הָאָרֶץ

Verse Power: 5457

Key highlights:

וַיְבָרֶךְ (and He blessed) — the second blessing
פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וּמִלְאוּ ( be fruitful and multiply and fill)
וְכִבְשֻׁהָ וּרְדוּ ( and subdue it and have dominion)

Gospel

Matthew 28:18–19

ἐδόθη μοι πᾶσα ἐξουσία ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς. πορευθέντες οὖν μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη…

English: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…

Quran

Surah Al-Baqarah 2:30 …إِنِّي جَاعِלٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً…

English: …“Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority (khalifah)…”

Brief note: The blessing to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue it, and exercise dominion is closely related to the Quran’s description of mankind as khalifah (vicegerent / successive authority) on the earth.

Illumination note

God now speaks the blessing directly to the newly created male and female. They are given the same fruitful command first spoken to the creatures of sea and air, but with the added charge to fill, subdue, and have dominion over the earth. Three witnesses affirm the high calling: humanity is blessed, commissioned, and entrusted with authority under the Creator.

1:29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.”

Hebrew

וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים הִנֵּה נָתַתִּי לָכֶם אֶת־כָּל־עֵשֶׂב זֹרֵעַ זֶרַע אֲשֶׁר עַל־פְּנֵי כָל־הָאָרֶץ וְאֶת־כָּל־הָעֵץ אֲשֶׁר־בּוֹ פְרִי־עֵץ זֹרֵעַ זָרַע לָכֶם יִהְיֶה לְאָכְלָה

Verse Power: 6158

Key highlights:

הִנֵּה נָתַתִּי לָכֶם ( Behold, I have given you)
זֹרֵעַ זֶרַע ( yielding seed)
לְאָכְלָה ( for food)

Gospel 1

Timothy 4:3–4

…ἃ ὁ θεὸς ἔκτισεν εἰς μετάλημψιν μετὰ εὐχαριστίας τοῖς πιστοῖς…

English:

…foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe…

Quran

Surah Al-Baqarah 2:168

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ كُلُوا مِمَّا فِي الْأَرْضِ حَلَالًا طَيِّبًا…

English: O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth [that is] lawful and good…Brief note: God’s gift of every seed-bearing plant and fruit tree for food is echoed in the Quran’s invitation for mankind to eat of what is lawful and good on the earth.

Illumination note

The Creator now provides. Every seed-bearing plant and every fruit tree is given to humanity for food. Provision precedes the fall; generosity is built into the original design. The Gospel later affirms that God created foods to be received with thanksgiving. The Quran calls mankind to eat of the good and lawful things of the earth. Three witnesses declare the same gracious truth: the earth is filled with the Creator’s provision for those made in His image.

1:30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

Hebrew
וּלְכָל־חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ וּלְכָל־עוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּלְכֹל רוֹמֵשׂ עַל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר־בּוֹ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה אֶת־כָּל־יֶרֶק עֵשֶׂב לְאָכְלָה וַיְהִי־כֵן

Verse Power: 4747

Key highlights:

נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה ( breath of life / living soul)
יֶרֶק עֵשֶׂב ( green plant)
וַיְהִי־כֵן (“ and it was so”)

Gospel
Matthew 6:26
ἐμβλέψατε εἰς τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ… ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος τρέφει αὐτά.

English:
Look at the birds of the air… your heavenly Father feeds them.

Quran
Surah Hud 11:6
وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا عَلَى اللَّهِ رِزْقُهَا…

English:
And there is no creature on earth but that upon Allah is its provision…

Brief note:
God’s provision of green plants for every living creature is echoed in the Quran’s declaration that the provision of every creature on earth rests upon Allah.

Illumination note
The same generous provision given to humanity is now extended to every beast, bird, and creeping thing that has the breath of life. Green plants are appointed as their food. And it was so. Three witnesses affirm the Creator’s care: every living creature is provided for by the hand that made it.

1:31 And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Hebrew
וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה וְהִנֵּה־טוֹב מְאֹד וַיְהִי־עֶרֶב וַיְהִי־בֹקֶר יוֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁי

Verse Power: 3065

Key highlights:

וְהִנֵּה־טוֹב מְאֹד (“ and behold, it was very good”)
יוֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁי ( the sixth day)
The climactic evaluation of the entire creation

Gospel
1 Timothy 4:4
ὅτι πᾶν κτίσμα θεοῦ καλόν…

English:
For everything created by God is good…

Quran
Surah As-Sajdah 32:7
الَّذِي أَحْسَنَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقَهُ…

English:
Who perfected everything which He created…

Brief note:
The declaration that everything God had made was “very good” resonates with the Quran’s affirmation that Allah perfected everything He created.

Illumination note
The Creator looks upon the finished work of the six days — heavens, earth, lights, plants, creatures of sea, air, and land, and finally mankind in His own image — and pronounces the whole “very good.” The sixth day closes with the familiar rhythm of evening and morning. Three witnesses stand in final agreement: the creation is complete, it is very good, and the ordered work of the six days is finished.