Genesis 1:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

NIV: And there was evening, and there was morning--the fifth day.

NASB: And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

CSB: Evening came and then morning: the fifth day.

NLT: And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day.

KJV: And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

NKJV: So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

This verse completes the normal blueprint for the creation days in Genesis. In each case, God speaks a command, which then becomes real, God sees what He has created, and then considers it "good." This verse features the typical reference to "evening and morning," reflecting the Jewish concept of days beginning at sunset.

On this fifth day, God has created all sea creatures and all birds and blessed them with the ability to reproduce and populate water and air. This also follows a pattern seen in Genesis chapter 1, where the six days of creation are paired between the first three and the last three. God created light on day one, and the sun and moon on day four. He created the sky and seas on day two, and formed air and sea life on day five. This now sets the stage for day six: on day three, God created dry land. So, on the next day of creation, He will form both land animals and human beings.

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.

Accessed 4/28/2024 11:10:51 PM