Genesis 1:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

NIV: to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.

NASB: and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.

CSB: to rule the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.

NLT: to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

KJV: And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

NKJV: and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

As with verse 17, these words repeat information given previously. This is part of a poetic structure known as a chiasm, which arranges ideas around a central theme. This verse repeats the intended purposes of the sun, moon, and the stars as lights in the expanse of the sky. They were made to rule over the day and to rule over the night, to separate the light from the darkness.

The fact that these are said to be appointed by God, in order to "rule over" the day and night is also important. Genesis 1 is very explicit that these lights are not persons and they are not gods. They are not to be worshipped in hopes of earning their favor or avoiding their anger. These are created things, subject to the one and only God.

In other words, these things "rule" only in the sense that without their light, all productive life on the earth would come to a halt. Directly or indirectly, all life on earth has become dependent on the sun's light during the day, and the light of moon and stars at night. Even now, in the era of artificial light, the rule of sun, moon, and stars is absolute in that they mark the passing of time. We often speak of running things "by the clock" even though clocks themselves only show time passing. In the same sense, the movement of the sun, moon, and stars display the passage of time, though they themselves don't make time itself operate.

Following the same pattern as the other days of this creation "week," God recognizes His creation as "good." He approves of the sun, moon, and stars and their dominant place in the life of our planet. In doing so, He declared their glory and His own.

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.