See Conant, Genesis, 1; Bible Com., 1:37—“ ‘created to make’ (in _Gen. 2:3_) = created out of nothing, in order that he might make out of it all the works recorded in the six days.” Over against these texts, however, we must set others in which there appears no accurate distinguishing of these words from one another. _Bara_ is used in _Gen. 1:1_, _asah_ in _Gen. 2:4_, of the creation of the heaven and earth. Of earth, both _yatzar_ and _asah_ are used in _Is. 45:18_. In regard to man, in _Gen. 1:27_ we find _bara_; in _Gen. 1:26_ and _9:6_, _asah_; and in _Gen. 2:7_, _yatzar_. In _Is. 43:7_, all three are found in the same verse: “_whom I have_ _bara_ _for my glory, I have_ _yatzar_, _yea, I have_ _asah_ _him_.” In _Is. 45:12_, “_asah_ _the earth, and_ _bara_ _man upon it_”; but in _Gen. 1:1_ we read: “_God_ _bara_ _the earth_,” and in _9:6_ “_asah_ _man_.” _Is. 44:2—__“__the Lord that_ _asah_ _thee_ (_i. e._, man) and _yatzar_ _thee_”; but in _Gen. 1:27_, God “_bara_ _man_.” _Gen. 5:2_—“_male and female_ _bara_ _he them_.” _Gen. 2:22_—“_the rib_ _asah_ _he a woman_”; _Gen. 2:7_—“_he_ _yatzar_ _man_”; _i. e._, _bara_ male and female, yet _asah_ the woman and _yatzar_ the man. _Asah_ is not always used for _transform_: _Is. 41:20_—“_fir-tree, pine, box-tree_” in nature—_bara_; _Ps. 51:10_—“_bara_ _in me a clean heart_”; _Is. 65:18_—God “_bara_ _Jerusalem into a rejoicing_.” (_c_) The context shows that the meaning here is a making without the use of preëxisting materials. Since the earth in its rude, unformed, chaotic condition is still called “the earth” in verse 2, the word ברא in verse 1 cannot refer to any shaping or fashioning of the elements, but must signify the calling of them into being. Oehler, Theology of O.T., 1:177—“By the absolute _berashith_, ‘_in the beginning_,’ the divine creation is fixed as an absolute beginning, not as a working on something that already existed.” _Verse 2_ cannot be the beginning of a history, for it begins with “_and_.” Delitzsch says of the expression “_the earth was without form and void_”: “From this it is evident that the void and formless state of the earth was not uncreated or without a beginning. ... It is evident that ‘_the heaven and earth_’ as God created them in the beginning were not the well-ordered universe, but the world in its elementary form.” (_d_) The fact that ברא may have had an original signification of “cutting,” “forming,” and that it retains this meaning in the Piel conjugation, need not prejudice the conclusion thus reached, since terms expressive of the most spiritual processes are derived from sensuous roots. If ברא does not signify absolute creation, no word exists in the Hebrew language that can express this idea.