Thank you for the question on word choice on “prepare” or “create”, “I’m reading Young’s Literal Translation of the Bible and in Genesis he uses ‘prepare’ instead of ‘create’ or ‘made’ like other versions. Say you were trying to translate the Bible, would you use ‘prepare’ or the usual ‘create’?”
The translation of a word is to be viewed in its context and its usages in other text. I don’t know the reason why Robert Young decided to use the word, “prepare” in his translation of the Bible. In the 1860’s the debate on evolution and creation had begun and is still debated to day. Was he trying to show there was an “evolutionary” process in God’s creation of the Universe and earth? I do not know but that can be a factor in one’s choice as circumstances affect our word choice.
As one respondent observe wisely, when we hear the word, prepare, in our language usage, the emphasis is on the already existence of material and or the process of forming the desired object. The nuance of create would be making something that “no one” has made or hasn’t been made yet. It would be almost like the first of it’s kind when we think of Thomas Edison in his inventions.
Personally, I would chose the word, create, over prepare since there was nothing that is revealed in Scripture that the universe and earth were already in existence before Genesis 1:1. The creative act of God from nothing to something demonstrates the eternality of God and the omnipotence of God over creation. God brought forth from nothing something wonderful beautiful in our universe and on earth. The context would argue more so for create than for prepare in God’s action.
SUMMARY: God brought the universe and earth from nothing to something astonishing wonderful and beautiful.
For more perspectives: