Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott Pitta
Since the sun and the moon were not creates until day 4, our understanding of what a "day" meant must reflect that fact.
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Day 4 is interesting. I was always taught that God created the sun, moon, and stars on day 4, but the text might actually not support that. I'll share what I found in my studies...
Genesis 1:14-19
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also .
17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18 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.
19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
In verse 16, the word "made" is translated from the Hebrew "asah". "Asah," the Hebrew for "made," is a different word than the one used back in the first verse where God "created" the heaven and the earth. There the word was "bara" which means "to carve out." The meaning of "Asah" is more general. It can mean "to labor," "to work about (or upon) anything," "to make," or "to produce by labor." The word is translated many different ways.
So, in
Genesis 14-19, we're not seeing a creative act like we see referenced in
Genesis 1:1. We're seeing God essentially, making the sun, moon, and stars (which were created "In the beginning") visible from the surface of the planet. Imagine standing on a darkened and watery world and watching God speak and suddenly rays of light penetrate the clouds, but the sun, moon, and stars are still not yet visible. It's overcast. But on the fourth day, God clears away the clouds and makes the sun, moon, and stars visible to you. By clearing away the think cloud cover (mentioned in verse 2), He has now essentially set the sun, moon, and stars as objects to be seen in the sky above your head.