You asked

did any ancient near eastern creation stories mention other inhabited worlds?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Genesis 1:1-2

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep. God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.”

This passage opens the first book of the Bible, Genesis. It presents a foundational account of creation, describing the initial state of the cosmos and the beginning of God's work to bring order and life.

How does this ancient way of understanding origins shape our questions about the cosmos today?

Then — the setting

Ancient Near Eastern creation stories (including the biblical one) generally focused on the ordering of the known world, the establishment of human society, and the relationship between humanity and the divine powers. Texts like the Babylonian Enuma Elish describe the creation of the cosmos and humanity from primordial chaos, often involving conflict among gods. The biblical account in Genesis 1 shares the common ANE literary form of a creation narrative but distinguishes itself by its monotheistic perspective and the effortless, ordered creation by a single, transcendent God. These narratives were not concerned with 'inhabited worlds' in a scientific, extraterrestrial sense; their scope was the cosmos as understood by the people of that time, primarily Earth and the celestial bodies visible to them, understood as a divine dwelling or ordered space for human habitation.

Across the Testaments

The Old Testament, particularly Genesis 1, provides the foundational narrative for creation. While it describes the 'heavens and the earth,' its focus is establishing God as the sole creator and humanity's place within creation. The New Testament affirms this understanding of creation (e.g., John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:16) but does not expand on the physical nature of the cosmos or speculate about other inhabited worlds. Instead, it builds on the Old Testament's theological implications, emphasizing Christ's role in creation and redemption for 'all things, whether on earth or in heaven' (Colossians 1:20), which is typically understood as referring to spiritual beings (angels) or the full scope of God's created order, not alien life.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Psalm 19:1-4
Describes the heavens declaring God's glory, focusing on their revelatory nature rather than their composition.
Job 38:4-7
Emphasizes God's sole knowledge and power in creation, with no mention of other life.

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