Hebrew Terms from Genesis

Hebrew Term	Transliteration	Translation	Verse	Notes
בְּרֵאשִׁית	Bereshit	In the beginning	1:1	The very first word of the Bible; introduces time and cosmic order.
אֱלֹהִים	Elohim	God (lit. “gods”)	1:1	Grammatically plural, but used with singular verbs; often interpreted as a majestic plural.
תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ	Tohu va-Vohu	Formless and void	1:2	Chaotic emptiness; a primordial state before creation.
רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים	Ruach Elohim	Spirit/wind of God	1:2	Possibly divine spirit or a great wind hovering over the waters.
אוֹר	Or	Light	1:3	The first thing spoken into existence.
בֵּין	Bein	Between	1:4	Used in separating light from darkness, and other divisions.
חֹשֶךְ	Choshech	Darkness	1:4	The absence or opposite of light.
יוֹם	Yom	Day	1:5	Paired with “night” to create the daily cycle.
לַיְלָה	Lailah	Night	1:5	The dark part of the daily cycle.
רָקִיעַ	Raqia	Firmament/expanse	1:6	A dome separating waters above from below; ancient cosmological concept.
שָׁמַיִם	Shamayim	Heavens	1:8	The sky or the cosmic realm above the earth.
יַבָּשָׁה	Yabasha	Dry ground	1:9	The appearance of land from water.
אֶרֶץ	Eretz	Earth/land	1:10	Used both generally and specifically for land.
מִין	Min	Kind	1:11	A classification for plants and animals; repeated often in creation.
מְאֹרֹת	Meorot	Lights/luminaries	1:14	Celestial bodies set in the sky to govern time.
שֶׁמֶשׁ	Shemesh	Sun	1:16	The greater light for day.
יָרֵחַ	Yareach	Moon	1:16	The lesser light for night.
כּוֹכָבִים	Kochavim	Stars	1:16	Included in the creation of lights but with less emphasis.
נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה	Nephesh Chayah	Living creature/soul	1:20	Applies to animals and humans; denotes vitality and breath.
תַּנִּינִם	Tanninim	Sea monsters	1:21	Large sea creatures, possibly mythic in origin.
בְּהֵמָה	Behemah	Livestock	1:24	Domesticated animals.
רֶמֶשׂ	Remes	Creeping things	1:24	Small creatures that crawl on the ground.
חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ	Chayat HaAretz	Wild animals of the land	1:25	Non-domesticated land animals.

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