Genesis 1:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so.

NIV: and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so.

NASB: and they shall serve as lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth'; and it was so.

CSB: They will be lights in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth." And it was so.

NLT: Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.' And that is what happened.

KJV: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

NKJV: and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so.

This verse concludes the statement begun in the previous verse. In this passage, God completes His command to create the sun, moon, and stars, on day 4 of creation. In verse 14, God commanded lights to appear in the heaven—meaning the sky. The purpose of these lights, according to God, is to serve several purposes: to separate day from night, to mark the days, years, and seasons and, in this verse, to provide light upon the earth.

This demonstrates the common pattern of Genesis chapter 1. Each of the first three days prepares a setting, while each of the second three days populates that setting. On the first day of creation, God created light. On day four, He creates specific sources of daily and nightly light upon the earth. As mentioned earlier, the idea of light existing prior to the sun and stars seems backwards, but according to modern science it's not so far-fetched.

Regardless of how one reads this verse, it concludes with four unmistakable and remarkable words: "and it was so." This uses the Hebrew phrase wa yehi kēn. This is an almost comically simple way of explaining something as awesome as the creative power of God: He spoke, and the sun, moon, and stars came into being.

The prior verse says God intended our view of the universe to be used for timekeeping. Psalm 19 tells us that the heavens above us serve another purpose: to declare God's glory, to proclaim in what He has made the Creator's magnificence. Both Psalm 19 and Romans 1 insist no language is necessary to see the glory of God from what He has made.

Genesis 1:14–25 describes the second three days of creation: days four, five, and six, just prior to the creation of human kind. As with the first three, there is a common pattern. God's spoken word results in creation, which God then names and declares ''good.'' The day is then numbered. Each of these days fills something created in one of the prior three days. The sun and moon are created on day four, while day and night were created on day one. Sea creatures are created on day five, for the oceans formed on day two. Land animals—and, later, human beings—are made on day six, for the dry land and plants which God created on day three.

Genesis 1 is nothing less than a bare-bones claim that God created the universe. Setting all of the debates on models and interpretations aside, the chapter undeniably insists on one thing: God means to be known as the Creator of all things. Written in the original Hebrew language according to a rigid, poetic structure, the chapter unfolds in a series of patterns and revelations. For those who believe these words, our response should be nothing less than to worship our Maker.

Genesis 1 is the first chapter of what came to be known as the Pentateuch: the first five books of the Bible. Likely written by Moses, Genesis 1 begins the story of God and His relationship with His people Israel. The role of God as Creator is not only important for setting up His work in later chapters, but also in His supremacy and authority for all of the other words of the Scriptures. God intends first to be known to all peoples as the Creator of all things—from sun, moon, and stars, to human life itself. And as the Creator, He is owed worship by all He has made, including and especially human beings

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.