In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God spoke the subject and the verb
The Bible is a collection of 66 books, each written independently. The passage mentioned above is the very first line of Genesis, the first book among them. It ultimately tells the story that God created the world we live in. Hearing the statement, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” naturally raises questions such as “Why?” “How?” and “When?” The answers to these questions are recorded in Genesis chapters 1 and 2.
The problem is that not everyone is satisfied with those answers. Believers and atheists think differently, and there are differing opinions between mainstream scientists and creation scientists. Between the creationism based on faith in the Bible, the theory of evolution which argues that life evolved by natural selection, and the ‘Intelligent Design’ theory that explains evolution as part of God’s creation, ordinary people can only be confused. In such cases, a good approach is to “assume” that it was created. This does not simply mean accepting it as true, but rather setting up such a hypothesis and reading the Bible to see whether or not the hypothesis holds. At the very least, one might find the reason and purpose for which God created this world in the Bible.
“We speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.” – 1 Corinthians 2:7
Of course, the answers are not easily found. As the Bible verse above implies, most wisdom is always hidden. Therefore, like many who have come before, one must continue to seek wisdom.
“Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.” – Psalm 119:34
In the beginning God spoke the subject and the verb
The Bible records a special event concerning the languages of the world. This is the story from Genesis 11:
“Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” – Genesis 11:7
Originally, there was only one language in the world, but as humans became arrogant, God divided the language into many (according to Wycliffe Bible Translators, about 5,500 kinds) so that they could not understand each other.
Therefore, for some people, learning English becomes a challenging task. While Europeans relatively learn English easily, the difficulty individuals from Korea face in becoming accustomed to English is due to the order of words.
If we could think in English or at least think like a native English speaker, it might become a bit easier for all of us to speak English. Thinking in English means knowing the corresponding English words and thinking in their way means being able to naturally accept the order of English. This order of words is known as Syntax, a major component of English grammar. Though this theory is diverse and complex, and there is quite a lot of it, fortunately, there is a rule to the order of English as well. This has been organized in “Why Is It So Hard for Koreans to Learn Speaking in English?”.
Here, we plan to learn English using a simpler common sense based on the order of English. And with that method, let’s try reading and understanding the Bible in English.
The first principle we must learn about the order of English is that English speakers start with a subject and verb, coming straight to the conclusion. This principle is consistently observed across various English grammar rules. Therefore, it could be called the first principle of English.
English’s 1st Principle (Principle of Starting with the Conclusion)
English starts with the subject + verb, coming straight to the conclusion.
We in Korea use the verb at the very end, as in “God the heavens and the earth created.” However, in English, it starts with <subject + verb>, meaning it starts with the conclusion. Perhaps their ancestors were very hasty or there were many misunderstandings due to speech. So they start straight with “created!” Of course, this is just a stretch of imagination.
A key factor that makes English syntax differ from Korean is the way each language indicates grammatical relationships. English primarily relies on word order to convey the function of words in a sentence, typically following a <subject + verb> structure. This means the position of a word within a sentence is crucial for understanding its role, such as whether it’s acting as the subject, object, or something else.
In contrast, Korean utilizes a variety of particles attached to words to signify their grammatical roles or to add meaning. These particles indicate whether a word serves as the subject, object, an adverb modifying a verb, or an adjective modifying a noun, among other functions. Because of these particles, the exact position of a word in a Korean sentence is less critical for determining its grammatical function than in English. This system allows for a more flexible word order without losing clarity over each word’s role in the sentence.
In Korea, there’s an expression that goes, “To truly understand what someone is saying, you must listen until the very end.” This reflects a key aspect of Korean communication where the crucial information or verdict of a sentence is often revealed at its conclusion. For instance, if you catch the phrase “God the heavens and the earth,” you might jump to the conclusion that the next word will be “created.” However, in Korean, the sentence could end in various ways, such as “didn’t create” or “visited,” altering the meaning entirely. This structure leads to moments in conversation where one might impatiently ask, “What’s the bottom line?”
Korean sentence construction typically follows a pattern: <subject + object + additional details + verb>. The verb, which often carries the core meaning or action of the sentence, is placed at the end, along with any markers that indicate if the statement is negative or affirmative. This format underscores the importance of patience in listening to the entirety of a Korean sentence to grasp its full meaning.
In contrast, English communication tends to lead with the main point or action right at the beginning of a sentence, with the details and explanations following. This structural difference means that, in English, the listener gets the gist of the message upfront, but may need to stay tuned for further elaboration to understand the full context or reasoning.
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