Likewise, there is no evident influence of a potential Syriac translation of the Hexaemeron of Basil of Caesarea on Jacob's work.
[3] Jacob opens his poetic homily with a prayer asking God to give him the ability to write about something that is beyond human speech.
[4] When describing God's works during the second days, Jacob distinguishes between two verbs used in the narrative: brʾ and bdʿ or: to create versus to make.
Genesis 1:1, referring to the creation of the heavens and the Earth (and in general, matter and the elements) ex nihilo, uses the first verb and signifies God's rule as Creator.
The second verb is used afterwards, on the second day to the sixth, signifying God's role as a 'Workman' who molds the created materials to produce additional forms and structures.
Jacob invoked the popular architectural symbol of describing a domed church as representing a microcosm of the cosmos.