What did God create first Earth or Heaven?

Answer:

heaven

Answer

There are two creation stories in Genesis: (1) verses 1:1 to 2:4a; (2) 2:4b to 2:22; therefore there should be two answers. The first of the creation stories (1:1-2:4a) is recognised by scholars as the work of the Priestly (P) source, based on a Mesopotamian myth encountered by the Jews in Babylon, while the second is from the Yahwist (J) source and is therefore older in Judaism.

Genesis 1:1 to 2:4a ( up to first sentence of 2:4)

Since the early centuries of the Common Era, tradition has held that Genesis 1:1 says "In the beginning God created heaven and earth." But as long ago as the eleventh century CE, the influential Jewish scholar, Rashi, said that Genesis 1:1 should be read, "When God began to create" or "In the beginning of God's creation ". Correctly translated, the Earth itself seems to have been uncreated. There was a pre-existing watery chaos. The ocean was already present and a wind moved across the surface. The seas rested on the dry land, which appeared on day 3 when God gathered the waters together.

The firmament, which was believed to separate the waters of the heavens from the lower waters, was created on day 2, while the sun, moon and stars were created on day 4. In terms of this question, this is ambiguous - if there were waters in the heavens, then there was already a heaven, but the firmament and the sun, moon and stars were clearly regarded as created after the Earth was present.

Genesis 2:4b to 2:15

This begins by saying "in the day that the Lord God made the earth and heaven". But then it goes on to say there was pre-existing dry land, but God had yet to make it rain for plants to grow. Thus, the earth appears to be pre-existing. Apart from the opening clause, there is no mention of creation of the heavens.

Comparison

The first creation account in Genesis allows us to interpret Genesis chapter 1 as (i) either saying that both the Earth and heaven were present before creation, or (ii) that only the Earth was present before creation and the heavens were created later.

On the other hand, the second creation account is generally read as saying that the Earth was already there, waiting for God to make it rain.

It may seem surprising that, in both creation stories, the basics were already there - the waters, the dry land, the wind and therefore the air. Many experts in Hebrew have carefully examined the texts and confirm that this is what they say. The biblical creations were not ex nihilo.