Unlike the topic of intelligent design, there are very few books I can recommend on the subject of biblical creation. The vast majority of books which discuss Genesis are from a young-Earth creationist perspective. There are a few other books which discuss gap theology, day-age theology, and literary interpretations. All of these books miss the mark in inaccurately interpreting and translating Genesis Chapters 1 and 2. Four of the books below are reference works primarily used by serious Bible students. They are not books one would typically sit down and read. Peril in Paradise discusses the problem of suffering, disease, and death associated with an old earth, and is valuable from that perspective.
Lexham Hebrew-English Interlinear Bible. The electronic version of this book was released in 2004 (not a physical book). This is what started my in-depth examination of the Bible creation story and the writing of my first book about Genesis. The Lexham Hebrew-English Interlinear Bible was created by Logos Research Systems of Bellingham, Washington. Logos Bible Software is a leading supplier of personal computer based biblical reference material. The Lexham Hebrew-English Interlinear Bible is capable of running on a personal computer. The Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (a standardized copy of the Hebrew text of the Old Testament) is used as the basis for the Lexham Hebrew-English Interlinear Bible. The Hebrew text appears in a right to left format (opposite our English style) as originally written. The English translation is placed below the Hebrew text and translated on a word-for-word basis.
Hebrew-English interlinear Bibles (bound paper books) have been around for a long time. The beauty of the electronic Lexham Hebrew-English Interlinear Bible is that it permits rapid searches on Hebrew words of interest. For example, in Genesis 1:1 “earth” is translated from the Hebrew word erets. With a few mouse clicks a search can be initiated which shows this word occurs 2,770 times in the Old Testament. This permits the Bible student to easily examine Hebrew words of interest for consistency of translation and multiple legitimate meanings. It also permits the analysis of questionable translations based on a faulty interpretative framework.
Strong’s Bible Concordance. My second favorite Bible related book is also not a physical book, but a free Internet concordance at http://www.eliyah.com. This electronic concordance contains information similar to a paper copy of the 1890 Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible; however, the online Strong’s version is considerably easier to use. For example, if a search is executed for the word “made” we find that in Genesis 2:22 the English word “made” is translated from the Hebrew banah (Strong’s 01129). A search can be executed on this Hebrew word by clicking on “01129.” This reveals that banah occurs 376 times in the Old Testament and is translated “build” 340 times in the KJV (and should be translated “build” in Genesis 2:22). The reader can also access fifteen different English translations of the verse plus a Spanish translation, the Latin Vulgate, Septuagint, and Hebrew.
The disadvantage of Strong’s Concordance is that some important Hebrew words in the study of Genesis are not included. It often does not distinguish between the Hebrew word used in a specific verse and its Hebrew root. The Lexham Hebrew-English Interlinear Bible has the ability to be more precise when searching Hebrew words and their roots. When the Lexham Interlinear Bible and Strong’s are used together, they make a powerful Bible study combination.
A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1907) by Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs. This is the foremost authoritative biblical Hebrew lexicon (dictionary) used by Hebrew scholars throughout the world for biblical study. Although somewhat difficult to use because all defined words are in Hebrew, it is worth the effort.
Old Testament Parsing Guide (2000) by Todd S. Beall, William A. Banks, and Colin Smith. This book identifies and classifies every Hebrew verb in the Old Testament. This is a good starting point for studying the verbs of Genesis and comparing their classification and usage throughout the Old Testament.
Peril in Paradise: Theology, Science and the Age of the Earth (2005) by Mark S. Whorton. The author accepts scientific evidence for an old Earth. His book discusses scripture in the context of young-Earth belief and old-Earth belief. The author addresses in detail the theological issues of suffering, disease, and death related to young-Earth and old-Earth belief. Both science and scripture are addressed to refute the erroneous young-Earth creationist interpretation of “very good” in Genesis 1:31 to mean there was no death on the entire Earth prior to Adam’s sin. The book is definitely worth reading; however, the author does not have a good explanation for Genesis Chapters 1 and 2, and how they can be reconciled with archeology, history, and evidence of extensive time.