In the beginning (phrase)
"In the beginning" is the traditional translation of the opening-phrase or incipit "" in Biblical Hebrew used in the Bible in Genesis 1:1. In John 1:1 of the New Testament, the word is translated into English with the same phrase.
Etymology
The mimetic translation of the word bǝrēʾšît in the Hebrew Bible is: 'In beginning'. The word is made of two parts, bǝ and rēʾšît. As a result, this forms part of a genitive phrase, leading to a linguistic and exegetical translation of this word being 'In the beginning of...'. More accurately, the Hebrew word for "In the beginning,", the non-genitive phrase, would be "barēʾšît".A more functional equivalent English translation of the first three words of Genesis 1:1 is: "When God began to create...".
The traditional translation of the word bǝrēʾšît as "In the beginning," may not be accurate. There is debate that despite its traditional translation as “in the beginning,” it’s possible that it wasn’t historically read that way. Thomas Römer, Administrator and theological professor at the Collège de France, says that according to the Massoretes, in the written tradition bǝrēʾšît is "a beginning" among other possible ones and not the absolute Beginning.
is the original word used in John 1:1.
Usage
The Hebrew Bible uses the word bǝrēʾšît on 5 occasions, in Genesis 1:1 and Jeremiah 26:1, 27:1, 28:1 and 49:34. All uses in Jeremiah refer to the beginning of the reign of various kings, translated to: "In the beginning of the reign of...".The King James Version translates John 1:1
The Enuma Elish begins with a similar descriptor, which sets the start of the story as taking place in the beginning of the formation of the world: "When on high the heavens had not been named, firm ground below had not been called by name...".