Gen. 2:4
The generations of
Because this phrase is used often in Genesis, some have speculated that Moses borrowed from Noah, Abraham, and others. However, any internal textual evidence - like the dividing of parts of Genesis by the words “the generations of” - is almost certainly there as a method that the Spirit used to set landmarks, to help readers.
This is especially likely when one considers that chapter and verse headings are not inspired. Each book of the Bible was divided into chapters in the 1200s. These chapters were divided into verses in the 1500s. Before that, people needed some kind of marking to show them when a section of material, or an important point, was being made.
This is the purpose of this phrase. Each occurrence lets one understand that a section of Genesis, dealing with some of the patriarchs, is starting. It can mean the same thing if this phrase, in Genesis 2:4, is being used to indicate that the telling of the “generations of the Heavens and the earth” is ending, with more specifics to come.
The notion that anyone before or after Moses assisted in the writing also goes against common sense. Moses may have written the Torah over decades, given the time spent in the wilderness. People change styles bit by bit, and may write differently depending on their feelings that day.
Finally, even if Moses used a list of names, this does not mean someone earlier “wrote” parts of it. It just means that he incorporated these lists in ways that only the Spirit could instruct him. God, after all, did not dictate his Word, word for word. He supernaturally used human writers to write what He wanted, while still somehow allowing each to retain his individual style.
In the day
This doesn’t mean a literal day. “Day” is used here to refer to a time, just as the end is often referred to as “the day of the Lord.”
God
Another of God’s names is used here, just as we see new names for the Lord at other times through the Bible – Jehovah Jireh, for instance, meaning “God will provide.”
This shows the many aspects of God, and the many hats He wears. He is the Almighty, the Creator, our Provider, the Godhead, and so on. So many different ways exist to describe Him, because of His all-powerful nature. One can’t be satisfied just giving Him a name like “the Creator,” He does so much more than that.
Those who think this is a change don’t understand just how incredible He is. One explanation of the Godhead which has often been used, as mentioned earlier, is how a man can be a father, a son, and a brother at the same time. If this same man has several jobs – like Bo Jackson did back in the 1980s – one might say he is a power hitter, an outfielder, a powerful running back, an incredible athlete, and so on. A person can have many, many different descriptions given to him.
So it is with God. Moses, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wanted a way to describe God which was different than he’d used earlier, because he felt another way was better. This way points to God as the great “I AM,” the eternally existing one.
