It means "in beginning."
It's not only the first word in the Bible, but it's a word that tells a story. Before God created, a plan of redemption was already in place. Before Elohim (which is a plural noun) prepared the world for humanity, Jesus' death on the Cross was already decided... and yet they still created.
You and I. We were born with a spiritual disability called sin. But Jesus. He conquered sin and death so that we could be set free.
And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him."
{John 3:16-18}
