What is the meaning of Genesis 1:13?

And there was evening

• God brings Day 3 to a close with the same phrase used on the first two days (Genesis 1:5, 8), underscoring a real, rhythmic sunset that ends a literal calendar day.

• Scripture often marks the start of a day at sundown: “From evening to evening you shall celebrate your Sabbath” (Leviticus 23:32). Genesis 1:13 sets that pattern in motion.

• Evening’s arrival signals that the creative work of that day is complete and perfectly timed (Psalm 104:19; Exodus 16:12-13).

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And there was morning

• Dawn follows dusk, highlighting God’s orderly design. He doesn’t leave creation in darkness; He ushers in light once more (2 Corinthians 4:6).

• Morning reveals what God finished the previous daylight period—on Day 3 the dry land and every seed-bearing plant (Genesis 1:9-12).

• Morning stands throughout Scripture as a metaphor for fresh mercy: “His compassions never fail. They are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23; cf. Psalm 30:5).

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The third day

• The phrase tallies the literal sequence:

– Day 1: light distinguished from darkness.

– Day 2: sky separating waters.

– Day 3: land and vegetation, now sealed with the evening-morning formula.

• Exodus 20:11 grounds the Ten Commandments in these six historical days—“in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth…”. Genesis 1:13 pins Day 3 firmly within that framework.

• Throughout Scripture “the third day” frequently precedes life and blessing (Hosea 6:2; John 2:1). That resonance begins here, as the earth springs with food for all future creatures.

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summary

Genesis 1:13 shows God closing and opening a literal 24-hour Day 3 with evening and morning, confirming His precise, orderly, and life-giving rhythm.