Text: Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

The King James council chose the singular word heaven to translate from the Hebrew word shamayim in Genesis 1. Shamayim is translated 420 times in the Bible. Over half of the verses were translated heaven. About a fourth of the verses use the plural heavens.

Why did the translators prefer the singular rather than the plural in Genesis 1:1? Genesis 1:1 is referring to the physical creation, and physical heaven is being referred to in verse one. On the first day of creation, there was earth, and there was heaven around it.

Some prefer to interpret Genesis 1:1 as meaning the heavens to include the three heavens mentioned by Paul in Second Corinthians 12:2. Since the second heaven was not created until day two with the firmament, then verse one is thought by some to be a summarization of the creation week.

However, the third heaven already existed. It was not created. We know this because heaven is the dwelling and throne of God (Mt 5:34; 1Pe 3:22). And because God is eternal, then His throne and dwelling in heaven are also eternal.

Genesis 1:1 is best understood as God creating the earth with a heaven around it on day one.

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