"In the beginning" means the dateless past, when God Almighty created the heavens and earth. The word "created" is the Hebrew word "Bara" which means to make from nothing. "Earth" in Hebrew is the word "eretz," meaning dry ground. At the end of Genesis 1:1, there is a complete creation.

So who was the original owner of the hotly contested strip of real estate on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea? The answer is not Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob. The correct answer is God Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth.