Genesis 1:19 kjv
And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
Genesis 1:19 nkjv
So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
Genesis 1:19 niv
And there was evening, and there was morning?the fourth day.
Genesis 1:19 esv
And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
Genesis 1:19 nlt
And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day.
Genesis 1 19 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 1:5 | And there was evening and there was morning—the first day. | Establishes the divine "day" formula. |
| Gen 1:8 | And there was evening and there was morning—the second day. | Continues the consistent pattern for creative days. |
| Gen 1:13 | And there was evening and there was morning—the third day. | Shows the continuity of God's structured creation. |
| Gen 1:23 | And there was evening and there was morning—the fifth day. | Repeats the formula, demonstrating God's consistent order. |
| Gen 1:31 | And God saw everything that He had made... And there was evening and there was morning—the sixth day. | Culminates the creation week with the same distinct pattern. |
| Gen 8:22 | As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall never cease. | God's established order ensures predictable cosmic cycles. |
| Exod 20:8-11 | Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy... for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them... | The foundation for the Sabbath command, rooting it in a literal six-day creation. |
| Lev 23:32 | From evening to evening you shall keep your Sabbath. | Defines the biblical day's boundaries (evening to evening). |
| Num 28:1-2 | The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Command the people of Israel and say to them, 'My offering, my food for my food offerings... you shall be careful to offer to me at its appointed time.'" | God commands specific observances at appointed times (moons/seasons) relying on established time. |
| Deut 4:19 | And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them... | Warning against idolatry, highlighting that celestial bodies are created, not deities. |
| Job 31:26-28 | if I have looked at the sun when it shone, or the moon moving in splendor, and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my mouth has kissed my hand, this would be an iniquity to be punished... | Condemns the worship of celestial bodies. |
| Psa 19:1-2 | The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky proclaims the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. | The created lights display God's wisdom and glory, not their own. |
| Psa 74:16 | The day is Yours, the night also is Yours; You have prepared the light and the sun. | God's absolute sovereignty over day, night, and all celestial bodies. |
| Psa 104:19 | He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting. | God specifically ordained the celestial bodies for marking time and seasons. |
| Isa 40:26 | Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name... | God's supreme power over the vastness of the starry hosts. |
| Jer 31:35 | Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night... | God established the enduring, unchangeable order of celestial lights. |
| Amos 5:8 | He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns midnight into dawn and darkens day into night... | God is the ultimate Creator and controller of all cosmic events. |
| Col 1:16-17 | For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth... all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. | Christ as the ultimate Creator through whom Day 4's creation occurred and is sustained. |
| Heb 1:10 | And, "You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands." | Reaffirms the divine nature of the Creator responsible for all creation, including celestial bodies. |
| Heb 11:3 | By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. | The power of God's spoken word to create the cosmos and its intrinsic order. |
| 2 Pet 3:8 | But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. | Though God's creative "days" are defined, His perception of time is distinct from human measure. |
| Rev 21:23 | And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. | Illustrates ultimate divine self-sufficiency beyond created lights in the new heavens and earth. |
| Rev 22:5 | And night will be no more. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light... | God's uncreated light will ultimately supersede the function of created luminaries in the eternal state. |
Genesis 1 verses
Genesis 1 19 Meaning
Genesis 1:19 concludes the account of the fourth creative period, signifying its precise completion and definition within God's methodical work. Following the divine decree that brought forth the greater light (the sun) to govern the day, the lesser light (the moon) to govern the night, and the stars (Gen 1:16), this verse states that this specific period of creation, marked by an evening and a morning, constituted the "fourth day." It underscores God's ordered progression in shaping the cosmos and establishing time.
Genesis 1 19 Context
Genesis chapter 1 systematically lays out the sequential and orderly account of God's creation of the cosmos. Verse 19 specifically concludes the description of the fourth day, as detailed in verses 14-18. On this day, God spoke the celestial luminaries—the sun, moon, and stars—into existence. Their primary purpose was entirely functional: to separate day from night, to provide light on the earth, and to serve as divinely appointed indicators for "signs, seasons, days, and years." This divine action firmly established the rhythm and timing of the earthly calendar and seasons. The repetitive "evening and morning" formula, used consistently for each creative period, unequivocally marks these as distinct, sequential time segments. Historically, this account stood in direct opposition to ancient Near Eastern cosmogonies, which often deified the sun, moon, and stars. Genesis 1 presents them not as gods worthy of worship but as God's created objects, obediently serving the specific functions He assigned to them, thus demystifying and dethroning pagan deities.
Genesis 1 19 Word analysis
- And (וַיְהִי - wayhî): A crucial Hebrew sequential conjunction and verb, meaning "and it was," or "and there was." It acts as a direct narrative connector, indicating the consequence or completion of a preceding action and moving the historical account forward. Here, it explicitly links the work performed on Day 4 to its divinely appointed temporal boundary.
- the evening (עֶרֶב - ’erev): Refers to the period of dusk or sunset, marking the end of the light period. In the biblical creation narrative, and consistent with ancient Hebrew tradition, a "day" begins with evening and concludes with the following morning. This emphasizes that God's day starts in darkness and culminates in light.
- and the morning (וּבֹקֶר - u·ḇō·qer): "And the morning." Bōqer refers to the dawn or sunrise, initiating the light period. Its pairing with ’erev ("evening") creates the defining unit of a creative "day" in Genesis 1. This phrase "evening and morning" functions as a divinely established temporal bookend for each creative period, clearly delineating it.
- were (הָיָה - hāyāh - implied from wayhî in context): This verb signifies existence, occurrence, or the completion of a state of being. In this structured statement ("there was evening, and there was morning, a fourth day"), it denotes the established reality and definite completion of that unique time unit, showing God's finality in His decree for that period.
- the fourth (רְבִיעִי - rəḇî‘î): An ordinal number, literally "fourth one." Its specific inclusion emphasizes the sequential, methodical, and progressive nature of God's creation process. It distinctly delineates this period as unique and separate from the preceding three, contributing to the calendrical and historical flow.
- day (יוֹם - yôm): This crucial Hebrew word can refer to a 24-hour solar day, the daylight portion of a day, an indefinite period, or an age. Within Genesis 1, the consistent pairing with "evening and morning" and the use of ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.) strongly indicate a literal, finite period, understood by mainstream Christian interpretations as a regular 24-hour day, fitting the pattern God sets for the human week and Sabbath (Exod 20:11). Its consistent usage across all six creative acts defines the precise unit of God's work.
Words-group analysis:
- And the evening and the morning were the... day: This recurring formula is a powerful literary and theological device that consistently marks the closure and definition of each distinct creative period. It sets a structured, calendrical pattern, implying finite, deliberate, and complete units of time in God's creation week. This fixed formula contrasts starkly with speculative and often chaotic creation myths of surrounding cultures which lack such precise chronological markers. The consistent "evening and morning" also solidifies the definition of the biblical "day" (yom) within this creation context, reinforcing its bounded and sequential nature, crucial for the foundation of a literal creation week. It vividly underscores God's sovereign establishment and measurement of time itself.
Genesis 1 19 Bonus section
- The timing of the luminaries' creation on Day 4, subsequent to the existence of light, water, land, and plant life, strategically underscores God's utter independence from created things. He doesn't require the sun to produce light (He is the source of light), nor does initial plant life depend on the sun for its genesis. This highlights that the functionality and sustenance of the created world are entirely dependent on God's initial word and ongoing power, not on cosmic entities that were often deified in ancient cultures.
- The meticulous numbering of the days (first, second, third, etc.) points towards an intentional chronology, vital for establishing the basis of the week and the Sabbath later commanded in Scripture (Exod 20:11). This numerical precision distinguishes the biblical account as a historical record rather than a metaphorical tale.
- The very simplicity and repetitive nature of these verses in Genesis 1 speak to their fundamental truth and the unadorned power of God's creative word. They emphasize His authority and control over every aspect of existence, from cosmic time to physical phenomena.
Genesis 1 19 Commentary
Genesis 1:19 is the culmination of the fourth day of creation, concisely stating that this period, marked by its distinctive evening and morning, became "the fourth day." This simple declaration holds profound theological weight, building upon the creation of the sun, moon, and stars detailed just prior (vv. 14-18). The repetition of the "evening and morning" formula across all creative periods is not merely a poetic flourish but a robust affirmation of the definite, sequential, and completed nature of God's work. It establishes the foundational structure for time, demonstrating God's meticulous and deliberate progression in shaping the cosmos. The significance of the luminaries being created on Day 4, after light and vegetation already existed, fundamentally counters ancient pagan beliefs. God does not need these created lights for His existence or to provide light (He is Light). Instead, He fashions them for a purpose: to serve as functional elements within His ordered creation—marking "signs, seasons, days, and years" (Gen 1:14). This showcases God's absolute sovereignty over all of creation and time itself. His creative acts are purposeful, methodical, and serve His overall plan, laying the groundwork for life and future divine appointments on earth.