The creation of the heavens and the earth take place in such a way as to emphasise the following.
- A move from chaos to order (seen in the organising and separation of elements on each day but also in two triads of action, the second of which allows the created elements to particpate in the creative activity.)
- A greater concern with time than with matter or space (Each day consists of the following elements: announcement, imperative, report, evaluation & temporal framework; the first step away from chaos is the creation of light and with it the separation of night and day and the beginning of time.)
- The ease with which God creates (imperative monologue and lack of dialogue)
- That without needing to God wishes to work through intermediaries (why are the luminaries needed on day 4?)
- The special status of humans is emphasised by the 'switch to the plural' in 'let us make...'
- The blessings and commands to humans suggest an analogy between human and divine activity (subdue the earth) and separation from other animals, whereas 'be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth' is common to humans and other animals.
- God's commands to non-animal creation gets an instant response, but the bessings to animals and humans anticipate an ongoing activity
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