Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
We understand - we perceive with our spiritual intelligence the world's creation by God, though we see neither Him nor the act as described, Genesis 1:1-31. The natural world could not, without revelation, teach us this, though it confirms it when apprehended by faith (Romans 1:20). Adam is passed over here as to faith, being the first who brought sin on us all; though it does not follow that he did not repent and believe the promise.
Worlds - literally, 'ages:' all that exists in time and space, visible and invisible, present and eternal.
Framed, х kateertisthai (G2675)] - 'fitly formed;' including the creation of the single parts, their harmonious organization, and the continual providence which maintains the whole throughout all ages. As creation is the foundation and a specimen of the whole divine economy, so faith in creation is the foundation and a specimen of all faith (Bengel).
By the word of God - not the personal Word х logos (G3056), John 1:1] here, but the spoken word х reema (G4487)], though by the instrumentality of the personal Word (Hebrews 1:2).
Not made ... - Greek, 'so that not х mee (G3361), the subjective negative, not as one might think] out of things which appear hath that which is seen been made:' not as in all things reproduced from previously-existing and visible materials; for instance, the plant from the seed, the animal from the parent, etc., has the visible world sprung into being from apparent materials. Bengel explains by distinguishing "appear" - i:e., begin to be seen (namely, at creation) from that which is seen as already in existence; 'so that the things seen were not made of things which appear' - i:e., which began to appear to us in the act of creation. We were not spectators of creation: it is by faith we perceive it (Job 38:4).