The Toledot of Heaven and Earth

The Toledot of Heaven and Earth

⁴ This is what became of the heavens and the earth after they were created. (2:4a)

    This half verse provides the transition between the Priestly creation story and the Yahwist creation story. It was provided by the Priestly editor of the final form of Genesis. This verse contains the Hebrew word toledot, which is often translated "generations." The phrase "these are the generations of" or, as we translate it, "this is what became of," introduces outcomes. Here it introduces the story of Adam and Eve as a continuation of the broad-scale creation story.

Toledot. Verse 2:4a is the closing bracket matched to 1:1, a technique literary analysts call inclusion. Verse 2:4a contains the first of eleven toledot formulas in Genesis (see Chapter 2). Toledot formulas are usually attributed to the Priestly editor who used them to organize the large blocks of Genesis. The Hebrew term toledot is derived from the verb "give birth," and can be translated "generations," "story," "history," or "developments." A narrative section introduced by a toledot formula typically elaborates the outgrowth of the specified figure, in this case, heaven and earth. Thus, the following Yahwist creation story relates what became of heaven and earth.