Genesis 1:5 kjv
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
Genesis 1:5 nkjv
God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
Genesis 1:5 niv
God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning?the first day.
Genesis 1:5 esv
God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
Genesis 1:5 nlt
God called the light "day" and the darkness "night." And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.
Genesis 1 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 1:3-4 | "And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light...God separated the light from the darkness." | God creating light and separating it. |
| Gen 1:14-18 | "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night... to govern the day and the night." | God appointing greater/lesser lights for further distinction. |
| Job 38:19 | "Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And darkness, where is its place?" | God's absolute knowledge and control over light and darkness. |
| Psa 104:19-20 | "He made the moon for appointed seasons; the sun knows its setting. You make darkness, and it is night." | God is the ordainer of day and night cycles. |
| Isa 45:7 | "I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things." | God's sovereignty over light and darkness. |
| John 1:4-5 | "In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." | Jesus, the divine Word, is the true light. |
| John 3:19 | "And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light." | Spiritual choice between light (Christ) and darkness (sin). |
| John 8:12 | "Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness.'" | Jesus as the spiritual "Day." |
| 1 Cor 4:5 | "Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness." | God will reveal all hidden things (darkness to light). |
| 2 Cor 4:6 | "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." | Echoes creation in the new spiritual creation. |
| Eph 5:8-9 | "For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." | Believers transformed from darkness to light. |
| Col 1:12-13 | "giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness." | Deliverance from spiritual darkness into God's light. |
| 1 Pet 2:9 | "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." | Believers called from darkness to God's light. |
| 1 John 1:5 | "This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." | God's essence is pure light, utterly without darkness. |
| Psa 74:16 | "Yours is the day, yours also is the night; you have established the heavenly lights and the sun." | God's ultimate ownership and establishment of day and night. |
| Psa 147:4 | "He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names." | God's power and sovereignty shown in naming. |
| Isa 40:26 | "Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name." | God's act of naming signifies His absolute control. |
| Rom 13:12 | "The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light." | Ethical implications of spiritual light and darkness. |
| Rev 21:23-25 | "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. Its gates will never be shut by day, and there will be no night there." | In the new heaven and earth, physical light cycles will cease as God's presence suffices. |
| 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." | Provides perspective on the biblical concept of "day" in God's time. |
| Heb 4:3-11 | "For we who have believed enter that rest...There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God." | The concept of "days" culminates in God's rest on the seventh day. |
| Exo 12:18 | "In the first month, from the evening of the fourteenth day of the month until the evening of the twenty-first day..." | Demonstrates the Hebrew practice of beginning a day from evening. |
Genesis 1 verses
Genesis 1 5 Meaning
Genesis 1:5 records God's act of naming and defining the initial segments of time. He assigned the name "Day" to the light He had just created and "Night" to the darkness. This verse establishes the first unit of time, framed by evening and morning, which is designated as "the first day," marking the very beginning of the divinely structured chronological order for creation.
Genesis 1 5 Context
Genesis 1:5 follows immediately after God's command for light ("Let there be light," Gen 1:3) and His act of separating it from darkness (Gen 1:4). This sequence emphasizes God as the sole initiator and organizer of the cosmos from a pre-existent formless and void state. The verse establishes the foundational unit of time, the "day," which is defined by the alternation of light and darkness.
Historically and culturally, this passage stood in stark contrast to the polytheistic creation accounts prevalent in ancient Near Eastern cultures, such as Babylonian and Egyptian myths. In those systems, the sun, moon, and other celestial bodies were often revered as deities or divine emanations. Genesis 1:5 presents a powerful polemic against such beliefs: God does not consult or derive power from existing divine entities; rather, He, as the transcendent Creator, simply names, defines, and organizes what He Himself has created. The light and darkness are not gods to be worshipped, but mere creations under God's sovereign command, tools He employs to structure time and space. The naming signifies ownership and control, underlining that God is entirely distinct from His creation.
Genesis 1 5 Word analysis
And God called (wayyiqra' 'Elohim):
- "And God": Refers to 'Elohim, the majestic plural Hebrew noun for God, emphasizing His supreme power and authority as the creator and ruler of all. It sets Him apart from all other beings or forces.
- "called" (qara'): This verb implies not just naming but also defining, ordaining, and asserting sovereignty over. It signifies ownership and the bestowal of function. This is an act of sovereign dominion, classifying and establishing order within creation. It's a statement of God's authority over His creation; what God names, He also controls and characterizes.
the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. (la'or qara' yom, welahoshekh qara' laylah):
- "light" ('or): This is the primal light created on Day One, distinct from the sun, moon, and stars created later (Gen 1:14-18). It underscores that light itself is a creation, not a self-existent deity, thereby countering pagan worship of light sources.
- "Day" (yom): God designates this period of light as "Day."
- "darkness" (choshek): Refers to the pre-existent state from Gen 1:2, which God now formally separates and names. It's not inherently evil but part of God's structured order.
- "Night" (laylah): God names the period of darkness "Night." The deliberate act of naming both reinforces their distinct identities and places them both under God's dominion, part of His good design for the cosmos.
And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. (wayehi 'erev wayehi voqer, yom 'echad):
- "And there was evening" (wayehi 'erev): 'Erev signifies the going down or setting. In ancient Hebrew reckoning, a new day traditionally began with the sunset. This highlights the boundary of the first defined temporal unit.
- "and there was morning" (wayehi voqer): Boqer signifies the breaking forth or opening. The "morning" concludes this temporal unit as observed in the narrative sequence.
- "the first day" (yom 'echad): Literally "day one." The use of 'echad ("one") instead of rishon ("first") is significant. It might emphasize the uniqueness or singular nature of this inaugural day as a complete unit, or that it initiated the sequence of days, setting the pattern for all subsequent days of creation. This phrase precisely defines the duration of each "day" in the Genesis account: a distinct unit of time demarcated by an evening and a morning.
Genesis 1 5 Bonus section
The phrase "yom 'echad" (day one) has sparked significant scholarly discussion. While "yom rishon" (first day) is used elsewhere for numerical ordering, the use of 'echad (one) here can suggest that this was a uniquely "one-of-a-kind" day, a complete unit in itself, establishing the blueprint for the creation week. Some scholars view this as affirming a literal 24-hour day, emphasizing its completed cyclical nature within the divine schedule. The creation of light and its division from darkness before the sun, moon, and stars appear on the fourth day (Gen 1:14-19) indicates that God's light is not dependent on celestial bodies. This serves as a powerful theological statement: God is the source of all light and life, transcending His creation. It underscores His pre-eminence and distinguishes biblical creation from pantheistic views where the Creator is merged with the cosmos.
Genesis 1 5 Commentary
Genesis 1:5 is a foundational statement of God's absolute sovereignty and orderly creation. After speaking light into existence and separating it from darkness, God proceeds to name these fundamental elements of His created order. This act of naming is paramount; it's not merely labeling, but a declaration of authority, definition, and the imposition of cosmic structure. God designates distinct identities—"Day" for light and "Night" for darkness—ensuring clarity and avoiding the chaotic intermingling often found in other ancient cosmogonies.
The precise phrasing, "there was evening and there was morning, the first day," defines the temporal unit from God's perspective. This pattern of an evening followed by a morning as constituting a "day" (which begins with evening, consistent with ancient Hebrew calendrical practices) establishes a clear, recurring, and structured rhythm for time itself. This contrasts sharply with vague, timeless mythical beginnings, demonstrating God's meticulousness and His desire for an ordered universe where time itself is His creation and under His control. The "first day" sets the template for the subsequent six days, underscoring that the entire creation process unfolds within a specific, divinely appointed chronological framework. This verse thereby presents God as the supreme time-keeper, laying the groundwork for all future events, human history, and even the Sabbath command.
