© koninklijke brill nv, leiden, ���7 | doi �0.��63/�5685330-� �34� �95 Vetus Testamentum 67 (�0 �7) 6��-647 brill.com/vt Vetus Testamentum Separation and Creation in Genesis 1 and Psalm 104, A Continuation of the Discussion of the Verb ברא Ellen van Wolde Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands e.vanwolde@ftr.ru.nl Abstract The meaning of the verb בראis the subject of fierce discussions. Conventionally it has been rendered by biblicists and Hebraists as “to create,” but this traditional inter- pretation fails to explain adequately numerous linguistic and conceptual aspects of the verb’s usage. Historical solutions of these problems are discussed. The alternative hypothesis defended here is that the verb בראQal designates “to separate.” It is consid- ered to be a spatial concept, not a concept that figures in the domain of construction. In the present article I present further analyses of the verb בראin Gen 1 and explain the significance for the idea of creation it represents, and of the most famous creation psalm, Ps 104, and especially of vv. 26-30 in which the term בראis used. The similarities and dissimilarities between these two texts demonstrate that each context of usage of בראmust be independently investigated and appreciated. Keywords creation – Genesis 1 – Psalm 104 1 Introduction It is carved in our collective memory, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” What if Gen 1:1 said something else? What if the verb בראdenoted “to separate” in the sense of spatial separation? And what are the ramifications of this meaning for the entire story of Gen 1:1-2:4a? And what would it tell us about other biblical texts with creation motifs, such as the well-known creation psalm, Ps 104? The aim of this article is to examine these kinds of questions.