What does the Hebrew word bara in Genesis 1:1 mean?
The Hebrew word bara in Genesis 1:1 means 'out of nothing.' It denotes creation from nothing, not from pre-existing material. In the context, this is tied to God's eternal counsel before anything was called into being, when there was still nothing.
Les explains that the Hebrew word bara in Genesis 1:1 means 'out of nothing.' He connects it to the time before anything was ever called into being, when there was still nothing. At that point, the triune God had a counsel, and the three persons of the Godhead counseled with one another. Though they did not need to deliberate for half an hour, the Trinity came together in a counseled agreement and set everything in motion. They agreed to create the universe and to put one little planet there like a speck in the midst of it.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.