Creation by speech: וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים

Says In Genesis 1 each creative act begins with וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים (vayyo'mer elohim, "and God said"; vv. 3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, 29, with the related form in v. 28). The first command is a jussive answered by a wayyiqtol of the same verb: יְהִי אוֹר (yehi or, "let there be light") … וַיְהִי־אוֹר (vayhi-or, "and there was light"). The text presents God's speech as the means by which creation happens, and it names no intermediary between the word and the result.

Says The LXX keeps the pattern with γίνομαι in both halves: Γενηθήτω φῶς· καὶ ἐγένετο φῶς (genēthētō phōs; kai egeneto phōs).

Implies When John says πάντα διʼ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο (panta di' autou egeneto, "all things came into being through him"), he gives the Word the role that God's spoken word plays in Gen 1. Ps 33:6, 9 has already drawn that conclusion inside the OT (see the davar note).

Uncertain It is uncertain whether John's repeated ἐγένετο consciously echoes the LXX's καὶ ἐγένετο. The verb is extremely common, so this note does not rest anything on it. The link rests on the "beginning" frame (John 1:1) and on the creative role assigned to the Word.