Genesis creation narrative facts for kids

Genesis creation narrative
Quick facts for kids The Creation of Light by Gustave Doré
Genre:	Creation myth
Written:	1000-560 BC
Part of:	Book of Genesis in the Bible.

The Genesis creation story is a famous tale found in the first two parts of the Book of Genesis. This book is part of the Bible, which is a holy book for both Judaism and Christianity. The story tells how the world and all life began in a supernatural way. It ends with the creation of humans, made in the image of God.

The Story of Creation

The Genesis story explains how God created everything we see around us. It describes a powerful God who brought order out of nothing. This narrative is a key part of the beliefs of many people around the world.

God Creates the World

The first part of the story, in Chapter 1 of Genesis, describes God creating the world in six days. Each day, God speaks, and something new appears.

• Day 1: God creates light and separates it from darkness. He calls the light "day" and the darkness "night."
• Day 2: God creates a dome, or "expanse," to separate the waters above from the waters below. This dome is what we call the sky.
• Day 3: God gathers the waters on Earth into seas and makes dry land appear. He then creates plants, trees, and all kinds of vegetation.
• Day 4: God creates the sun, moon, and stars. These lights are meant to mark seasons, days, and years.
• Day 5: God fills the waters with sea creatures and the sky with birds. He blesses them and tells them to multiply.
• Day 6: God creates land animals, including livestock, creatures that crawl, and wild animals. Finally, God creates humans—both male and female—in his own image. He gives them power over the Earth and all its creatures.

The Seventh Day and the Garden

After creating everything, God rests on the seventh day. He makes this day special and holy. This is why many people observe the Sabbath as a day of rest.

Chapter 2 of Genesis gives more details about the creation of humans. It describes God planting a beautiful garden called Eden. He places the first man, Adam, in this garden to care for it. God then sees that Adam needs a companion. So, God creates the first woman, Eve, from Adam's rib. The story ends by saying that marriage is a sacred bond between a man and a woman.

Images for kids

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  Cuneiform tablet with the Atra-Hasis Epic in the British Museum

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  Marduk, god of Babylon, destroying Tiamat, the dragon of primeval chaos

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  The Ancient of Days by William Blake (Copy D, 1794)

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  The first day of creation, by Jean Colombe from the Heures de Louis de Laval [fr]

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  The Creation – Bible Historiale (c. 1411)

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  The Creation of the Animals (1506–1511), by Grão Vasco

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  Seventh Day of Creation, from the 1493 Nuremberg Chronicle by Hartmann Schedel

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  The Creation by Lucas Cranach, 1534

See also

In Spanish: Narración de la creación del Génesis para niños