This page is also available in:
Genesis 1 is read here as a spiritual teaching about creation, the growth of the soul, and the responsibility of human beings toward all living beings.Instead of treating Scripture as a description of how the universe was physically formed, this commentary asks what sacred texts should preserve for the soul, conscience, and righteous conduct.
This chapter is part of a series of reflections examining sacred texts and spiritual traditions through reason, conscience, and moral responsibility. The aim is not to challenge faith, but to encourage thoughtful reading and personal reflection on teachings that have shaped our civilization for centuries.
Contents: Genesis 1 — Creation and the Path of the Soul
- Key Questions
- Genesis 1:1 — Creation and the Structure of Worlds
- Genesis 1:2–5 — Primordial Light and Spiritual Reality
- Genesis 1:6–10 — Heaven, Earth, and the Limits of Knowledge
- Genesis 1:11–18 — Ancient Knowledge and the Purpose of Scripture
- Genesis 1:19–25 — Living Souls and the Path of Compassion
- Genesis 1:26–27 — Humanity and the Image of God
- Genesis 1:28 — Responsibility for Living Beings, Not Dominion
- Genesis 1:29–31 — Food, Living Beings, and Non-Violence
- Conclusion — Genesis 1, Creation, and the Path of the Soul
- FAQ — Genesis 1 and the Path of the Soul
- Related Themes
Key Questions
- What is the difference between sunlight and primordial light?
- Why should questions about the physical structure of creation belong to scientific research rather than Scripture?
- What should be the true purpose of Holy Scripture?
- How does Genesis 1 point toward compassion for living beings?
- Why is it spiritually dangerous to claim that humanity is made in the image and likeness of the Almighty?
- What does “dominion” mean in the context of Genesis 1?
- What does Genesis 1 say about food for humans and living beings?
Genesis 1:1 — Creation and the Structure of Worlds
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. *
The world edifice of the Earth-level is created by the Almighty inside a ‘drop’ of water. In addition to the earthly world (the middle one), there are parallel worlds – the lower and the higher. All three worlds exist within the space of our world.
Genesis 1:2–5 — Primordial Light and Spiritual Reality
2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.
5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
This is not referring to sunlight, but to primordial light. The sun is necessary not so much for spreading sunlight and warmth, but as the governing center of the planetary system. In the higher worlds there are no suns, but there is light more majestic than sunlight.
Such questions should not become the content of Holy Scripture. Teachings from Above are given to help the soul grow, not to preserve misconceptions about what the first people discussed, who was born to whom, or where and how they lived.
Genesis 1:6–10 — Heaven, Earth, and the Limits of Knowledge
6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”
7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so.
8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
Here, the separation of the waters by the dome (the firmament of heaven) is described. As stated above, questions about the physical structure of creation belong to research and to those who study such matters. They should not become the content of Holy Scripture.
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.
10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
Here the text describes the creation of the earth within the dome and the separation of the waters on the earth.
Genesis 1:11–18 — Ancient Knowledge and the Purpose of Scripture
11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout 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.
12 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.
13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years,
15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so.
16 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.
17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,
18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
Originally, there were more suns and moons. After a global catastrophe, people tried to restore the Scriptures from fragments of ancient knowledge. But instead of saying only what had been taken from the knowledge of the ancients, they added their own versions and assumptions.
It was unnecessary to mix knowledge about the soul with a historical chronicle. Did Jesus ever say a single word about how the world was created?
Genesis 1:19–25 — Living Souls and the Path of Compassion
19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.”
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.
22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
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.
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.
Here it is said that every living being has been given a soul. Each soul has the potential to grow. Be compassionate toward all living beings and plants, for every person has passed through the path of different forms of existence.
Genesis 1:26–27 — Humanity and the Image of God
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.”
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
No one in the universe is made in the image and likeness of the Almighty. No interpretation can justify comparing oneself with the image of God. The soul grows from a divine spark, but it does not grow into the likeness of the Almighty, just as a calf grows to the level of a bull without becoming something beyond its nature.
Try to conceive the image and likeness of the Almighty by mentally striving to grasp the entire Universe, the Absolute of Love, and the Absolute of Knowledge within Him. No one is capable of this. Do not blaspheme by imagining yourself made in the image and likeness of the Almighty. Assumptions may be forgivable in ordinary thought, but they are not permissible in Scripture when they concern the image of the Almighty.
Genesis 1:28 — Responsibility for Living Beings, Not Dominion
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.”
It is not said in the sense of lording over creatures as a ruler, but in the sense of being responsible toward them with your mercy and care.
Genesis 1:29–31 — Food, Living Beings, and Non-Violence
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.
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.
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.
It speaks here of plant-based food for humans and all other living beings. It does not say that living beings are meant to serve as food for humans. This is important.
Conclusion — Genesis 1, Creation, and the Path of the Soul
This Genesis 1 commentary clarifies that Sacred Scripture was formed from fragments of ancient knowledge and later additions, and therefore should not be treated as a scientific description of the universe.
Its true purpose is to preserve what supports the growth of the soul and to transmit examples of spiritual life and righteous conduct.
Questions about physical structure and scientific explanation belong to research, while Scripture must remain focused on the inner development of the soul and spiritual responsibility.
* The text of the Bible is quoted from the “English Standard Version“. ↑ back
Frequently Asked Questions: Genesis 1 — Creation and the Path of the Soul
Because Sacred Scripture is not intended to explain the physical structure of the universe. Such questions belong to scientific research and should be studied by those who work with them.
This commentary states that after a global catastrophe, people tried to restore the Scriptures from fragments of ancient knowledge. Instead of conveying only what came from the knowledge of the ancients, they added their own versions and assumptions to those attempts.
Because the main purpose of Scripture is to preserve knowledge that helps the soul grow and to transmit examples of the spiritual deeds of righteous people and their followers.
Related Themes
These related chapters continue the same questions raised in Genesis 1: the purpose of Scripture, the growth of the soul, conscience, responsibility, and the difference between spiritual teaching and literal or religious interpretation.
Choose Another Chapter:
Part One
Part Two