Portillo writes:
There is no evidence in the Hebrew text of a gap between Genesis 1 and 2
gap, no. difference, yes. for instance, there's a clear instance of bookending going on here:
quote:
אֵלֶּה תוֹלְדוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ, בְּהִבָּרְאָם
בְּיוֹם, עֲשׂוֹת יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים--אֶרֶץ וְשָׁמָיִם
בְּרֵאשִׁית 2:4
notice how the lines contain basically the same words, but suddenly in a different style? suddenly, שמים and ארץ switch order, and lose their definite articles. the first half of the verse takes the תולדות style, which is a pretty clear sign it was an addition by P (the author of the genealogies). another clear sign of the break is the beginning dependent clause:
- ביום (complex preposition, "in the day" or "when")
- עשות (infinitive construct, "the making of")
- יהוה אלהים (subject "yahweh god")
- ארץ ושמים (direct objects, "earth and heaven")
this directly mirrors the grammar of genesis 1:1,
- בראשית (complex preposition, "in the beginning of" or "when ___ began")
- ברא (probably mispointed infinitive construct, "creating of", cf; nJPS translation, rashi)
- אלהים (subject, "god")
- את הארץ ואת השמים (direct objects, "the earth and the heaven")
it also directly mimics the beginning of another section, genesis 5:1,2:
quote:
זֶה סֵפֶר, תּוֹלְדֹת אָדָם: בְּיוֹם, בְּרֹא אֱלֹהִים אָדָם, בִּדְמוּת אֱלֹהִים, עָשָׂה אֹתוֹ
זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה, בְּרָאָם; וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם, וַיִּקְרָא אֶת-שְׁמָם אָדָם, בְּיוֹם, הִבָּרְאָם.
notice the תולדות again, as well as the fact that ביום ברא אלהים אדם is precisely the same grammar as above: complex preposition, infinitive construct, subject, direct object, forming a dependent clause.
note also that the text suddenly begins using
hashem. it's very, very clear that one story ends in genesis 2:3, and another begins in genesis 2:4. it's likely that the original story began in 2:4b (the second half of the verse), and the first half was added by the redactors in the style of the P (or perhaps the redactors
are P, to smooth out the transition.
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