27. So God created.… This verse is the first poem in the Bible. The shift to poetry highlights God’s creation of humanity as God’s image bearers. The truth expressed here undergirds all of Genesis. The unique repetition of the word “create” (bārāʾ) intensifies this significant act. Humanity is uniquely shaped by the hand of God. 28. blessed. Three times God blesses52 humanity, and it is this blessing that enables humanity to achieve its twofold destiny: to procreate in spite of death and to rule
Page 67