And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
What does Genesis 1:5 mean?
God said, Let there be light; he willed it, and at once there was light. Oh, the power of the word of God!
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Genesis 1:3-5 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Genesis 1:5
And the evening and the morning were the first day. Called to the light, day, ... - After separating the light and the darkness, he gives them the new names of day and night, according to the limitations under which they were now placed. Before this epoch in the history of the earth there was no rational inhabitant, and therefore no use of naming. The assigning of names, therefore, is an indication that we have arrived at that stage in which names for things will be necessary, because a rational creature is about to appear on the scene. Naming seems to be designating according to the specific mode in which the general notion is realized in the thing named.
Key words
- called
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And God called the light day, and the darkness he called night,.
- light
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And God called the light day, and the darkness he called night,.
- darkness
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And God called the light day, and the darkness he called 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.
Related topics
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Passages on the nature of truth, honesty, deception, the word of God as truth, and Jesus' claim to be the truth.
Who quoted Genesis 1:5?
Find out who used Genesis 1:5 in their speeches and writings. Which famous people quoted Genesis 1:5?
Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders used Genesis 1:5 in Apollo 8 Christmas Eve broadcast.