The opening verse of the Bible, Genesis 1:1 — “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” — is among the most profound statements in all of Scripture. Its simplicity belies a depth that has captivated theologians, philosophers, and lay readers for millennia. When read alongside the ancient Jewish Targum Neofiti, Genesis 1:1 takes on even richer dimensions, offering surprising insights into the plurality of the Godhead and pointing unmistakably toward the person of Jesus Christ as both God and Creator. This blog will explore the interwoven testimony of Genesis 1:1 and Targum Neofiti, demonstrating that only through the lens of the plurality of the Godhead — what Christians call the Trinity — can these texts be fully understood, and that they ultimately reveal Jesus as God.
The Meaning of Genesis 1:1 in Its Original Context
Genesis 1:1 stands as a foundational claim: there was a beginning, and God alone is the Creator of all that exists. This verse immediately distinguishes the God of Israel from pagan notions of a cyclical or accidental universe, or a cosmos birthed by competing deities. The Hebrew word for God, Elohim, is grammatically plural but is used with singular verbs, a unique construction that hints at complexity within the divine nature.
“The significant fact, however, is not the origin of the word, for this cannot be definitely known. Rather, it is the way it is used of Israel’s God in the OT. When used of Yahweh, it refers to the sole God of the world, who is addressed in the plural as the fullness of Deity… In some sense God is plural; yet He is also singular (cf. the singular verbs in v. 27). Although the Christian doctrine of the Trinity is not taught in the chapter, it emerges from it.”
The narrative continues with God speaking creation into existence, a motif that will become central in understanding the role of the Word (Logos) in the New Testament.
Targum Neofiti: An Ancient Jewish Interpretation
The Targum Neofiti is an Aramaic paraphrase and interpretation of the Torah, reflecting Jewish thought from the early centuries CE. Its rendering of Genesis 1:1 is striking:
“From the beginning with wisdom the Memra of the Lord created and perfected the heavens and the earth.”
Here, the term Memra (Aramaic for “Word”) is introduced as the agent of creation. The Targum continues:
“And the Memra of the Lord said: ‘Let there be light’ and there was light according to the decree of his Memra.”
This translation does not merely paraphrase the Hebrew; it interprets, adding layers of meaning. The Memra — the Word — acts as a distinct agent, yet is fully divine, and is the means by which God creates.
The Plurality of the Godhead in Genesis and the Targum
Plural Language in Genesis:
Throughout Genesis 1, the Hebrew text uses plural forms for God (Elohim) and, notably, plural pronouns: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). This plurality appears again in Genesis 11:7 (“Let us go down and confuse their language”) and Isaiah 6:8 (“Who will go for us?”). While some Jewish interpreters have suggested these are majestic plurals or references to the heavenly court, the consistent use of plural language in contexts that emphasize God’s creative power suggests something more profound — a plurality within the Godhead itself.
Targum Neofiti’s Plurality:
Targum Neofiti makes this even more explicit. Not only does it introduce the Memra (Word) as the creative agent, but it also refers to the Spirit of God as a distinct presence:
“And a spirit of mercy from before the Lord was blowing over the surface of the waters.”
Later, the Targum refers to the Glory of the Lord and the Word of the Lord acting in concert, especially in the creation of humanity. This threefold presence — God, His Word, and His Spirit — mirrors the Christian understanding of the Trinity.
The Memra: The Word as Divine Agent
The Memra in the Targum Neofiti is not a mere poetic flourish. In Jewish Aramaic thought, the Memra functioned as a way to speak of God’s interaction with the world while maintaining His transcendence. Yet, in Neofiti, the Memra is not simply God’s speech, but an active, personal agent by whom creation is accomplished.
Some scholars have even noted that certain readings of Neofiti translate Genesis 1:1 as “the Son of YHWH created the heavens and the earth,” drawing on connections between “beginning” (bereshit) and “firstborn” (bekor) in Hebrew, as well as Proverbs 30:4, which speaks of God’s Son as the one who established the ends of the earth. While this translation is debated, it reflects the ancient Jewish recognition of a plurality within God and the presence of a divine Son at creation.
The New Testament Fulfillment: John 1 and Colossians 1
The New Testament opens with a deliberate echo of Genesis 1:1:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.” (John 1:1–3)
John identifies Jesus as the eternal Logos (Word), who is both with God and is God, and through whom all things were made. This is a direct theological development of the Memra in the Targum and the plural language of Genesis.
Paul makes this even more explicit in Colossians 1:
“For by Him [Jesus] all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible… all things have been created through Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:16)
Thus, the New Testament writers are not inventing a new doctrine, but are drawing out what is already latent in the Old Testament and its ancient interpretations: the Word by which God created is a divine Person, fully God, and this Person is Jesus.
Only the Plurality of the Godhead Makes Sense of These Texts
The Problem of Singular Monotheism:
If God is a solitary monad, the language of Genesis and the Targum Neofiti becomes difficult to explain. Why would God speak in the plural? Why would the Targum introduce the Memra as a distinct agent? Why is the Spirit of God described as moving over the waters, and the Glory of the Lord as blessing creation?
The Solution in Plurality:
The answer is that the God of the Bible is not solitary, but a unity of divine Persons. The Old Testament hints at this in its language and structure; the Targum Neofiti makes it explicit by introducing the Memra and the Spirit as active, divine agents; and the New Testament fulfills this by revealing the triune God — Father, Son (the Word), and Holy Spirit.
“Targum Neofiti furnishes ancient support that there were in fact non-Christian Jews who realized from their reading of the Hebrew Bible that the one true God is a multi-Personal Being. These Jews could plainly see that God has a Son by whom he created the heavens and earth. They further saw that the Word of this God and his Spirit, who is the very Glory of this God, are eternal divine Persons, since they were already present from before the creation was brought into existence.”
Jesus as God: The Only Coherent Reading
Jesus as the Creator:
Genesis 1:1, when read in light of the Targum Neofiti and the New Testament, reveals that Jesus is not a created being or a mere prophet, but the very God who created all things. The Memra of the Targum is the Logos of John, and both are the preincarnate Christ.
Jesus as the Only Way to Understand God:
Without the plurality of the Godhead, the richness of Genesis 1:1 and its ancient interpretations is lost. Only by recognizing that God is Father, Son, and Spirit can we make sense of the text. The Memra is not a metaphor, but a Person. The Spirit is not an impersonal force, but the third Person of the Trinity. The God who speaks, the Word by whom He speaks, and the Spirit who moves are one God in three Persons.
Conclusion: Genesis 1:1, Targum Neofiti, and the Triune Revelation
Genesis 1:1 is more than a statement about origins; it is a revelation of the nature of God. The Targum Neofiti, reflecting ancient Jewish interpretation, points toward a plurality within the Godhead, introducing the Memra (Word) and the Spirit as divine agents in creation. The New Testament identifies the Memra as Jesus Christ, the eternal Word, who is both with God and is God, and through whom all things were made.
Only the doctrine of the Trinity — the plurality of the Godhead — makes sense of these texts. It is in Jesus, the Word made flesh, that the fullness of God is revealed, and only by recognizing His divinity can we understand the profound mystery proclaimed in the very first verse of Scripture.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.” (John 1:1–3)
Thus, Genesis 1:1 and Targum Neofiti together point us to the eternal Son, Jesus Christ, as God and Creator — a truth that can only be grasped through the plurality of the Godhead.
