GENESIS 1:6-8, THE SONG OF THE CREATION ON THE SECOND DAY

This song sung acapella, the first of a series of six (see the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth), was finished by me on 17 June 2023. The song is an ethnographically inspired literal translation of the verses six through eight of the first chapter of Genesis, the second paragraph according to the Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible which, in Biblical Hebrew, is as follows:Show more

וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי רָקִיעַ בְּתוֹךְ הַמָּיִם וִיהִי מַבְדִּיל בֵּין מַיִם לָמָיִם
וַיַּעַשׂ אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָרָקִיעַ וַיַּבְדֵּל בֵּין הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר מִתַּחַת לָרָקִיעַ וּבֵין הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר מֵעַל לָרָקִיעַ וַיְהִי־כֵן
וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לָרָקִיעַ שָׁמָיִם וַיְהִי־עֶרֶב וַיְהִי־בֹקֶר יוֹם שֵׁנִי פ
http://www.qbible.com/hebrew-old-testament/genesis/1.html

As ethnography aims at understanding a people through their own eyes and ears at a particular point in their history, this translation strove to provide a translation that, to the extent this might be possible, would exactly convey the meaning the words of this text had for the first people who encountered it, either in writing or listening. The translation, thus, ignores over 2000 years of Biblical interpretation, both Jewish and Christian and makes a best effort to let the words speak for themselves. The translation is sung because the translation, due to the repetitive nature of its phraseology, lends itself more to song than to normal recitation. However, as the language of the translation is English, it is sung according to the traditions imposed on song by English rhythmic structures. Accordingly, it could not be rendered in English in the manner of Hebrew and so, in this regard, no effort was made to do so. Nevertheless, I cannot help but think that the joyous nature of the content was, to a certain extent, respected in the choice of the melody used when sung. Rumble is the only video sharing platform to which there are any plans for an upload.