The Land

'The Earth' is a concept which continues to obscure the translation of Genesis chapter 1. We know that the ancients did not understand "Earth" as a spinning globe hurling through space, but more simply as the 'Land'. Words can carry subtle meanings which blind us to certain understandings. For instance, "Earth" can mean 'Land' or 'ground' or 'dirt', but it also carries with it the Heliocentric understanding of our galaxy. The more literal and in my opinion better translation of Genesis 1:1 is:

"In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Land."

Here are some reasons for understanding the Hebrew translation as 'Land', rather than "Earth":

The Hebrew word translated, "The Earth", (HaEretz) is literally understood as, 'The Land' in a majority of contexts. Keep in mind that when Moses or an Elder of Israel wrote 'HaEretz' they understood it as 'The Land', so even if the majority of translations use the word, "Earth", it should be understood as, 'The Land', and not as the spinning globe toppling through the universe. One of the most striking examples is The Land of Israel understood as, 'The Land', as evidenced by the popular news outlet, 'HaEretz'.

Genesis Chapter 1 is an account of 'Understanding'. What does this mean? Understanding is one of the primary attributes in the Book of Proverbs. If you are familiar with this, then you know that Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge are together mentioned as integral in the Creation of all things.

Proverbs 3:19,20

"The LORD founded the earth(Land) by wisdom,

He established the heavens by understanding.

By His knowledge the ocean depths were burst open,

And the clouds drip with dew."

The nature of 'Understanding' is to divide a thing into parts in order to gain more information. This is the process of understanding something. Creation itself is wound up in the process of understanding. At first the earth (Land) was formless and void with water over the surface of the deep. This is not to be understood as a globe covered in water, but in my opinion, as all of reality with the Spirit of God brooding over the waters.

First the Light is revealed but it is not separated from the darkness, so God separated the Light from the darkness. This was the first act of division with regard to the Understanding of God.

Next God separated the Waters. God made the Firmament to divide the Waters above from the Waters below. This was the second act of division which regard to the Understanding of God.

Finally we get to the division of the the Seas and "The Dry". This is the separation of the Waters from the Land. This shows us that "The Dry" (HaYaBaShah) was not separated from the Waters in the beginning, for it is at this point that God allowed "The Dry" to appear. This is important to understand for the majority of translations of Gen. 1:10 are incorrect in my opinion. Most translate Gen. 1:10 as follows:

God called the dry land earth,...

The word, "earth" is inserted into the translation as intimated by "The Dry", for the actual Hebrew is "HaYaBaShah Eretz". Literally this would be translated, "The Dry Land". If you look at most translations they correctly italicize the word "earth" as this is not in the Hebrew text. So the correct understand in my opinion is that God called 'The Dry' areas "Land", and He called the Waters, "Seas". The problem of course is that "HaYabaShah" is assuming the dry land, and they are translating 'Eretz' as "earth". This does not make sense in the context because God is naming "The Dry" as "Land". God did not name the "The Dry" as "Earth", but as "Eretz" (Land). These nuances of translation affect our understanding of reality.

Keep Ceeking Truth and Blessings to you and yours!