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.
What does Genesis 1:18 mean?
In the fourth day's work, the creation of the sun, moon, and stars is accounted for. All these are the works of God.
Key themes
Read with
Keep this verse inside Genesis 1:14-18 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Genesis 1:18
To rule. - From their lofty eminence they regulate the duration and the business of each period. The whole is inspected and approved as before. Now let it be remembered that the heavens were created at the absolute beginning of things recorded in the first verse, and that they included all other things except the earth. Hence, according to this document, the sun, moon, and stars were in existence simultaneously with our planet. This gives simplicity and order to the whole narrative. Light comes before us on the first and on the fourth day.
Key words
- night
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And to rule over the day, and over the night,.
Context in Genesis 1
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Genesis 1 belongs to the opening movement of the book, especially the section often described as primeval history from creation to Babel. Genesis opens the whole Bible with creation, fall, flood, Babel, and the long patriarchal story that carries the reader from Eden to Egypt. Read this chapter with the wider themes of creation, fall, and covenant in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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