What is the meaning of Genesis 1:23? And there was evening - The day’s completion begins with dusk, marking a real, literal transition point just as in Genesis 1:5 where “God called the light ‘day,’ and the darkness He called ‘night.’” - God sets the rhythm of rest first, then work: evening precedes morning. This same pattern runs through Leviticus 23:32 for the Day of Atonement, showing a consistent biblical sunset-to-sunset day. - Darkness is not chaotic here; it is another element God masterfully rules over (Psalm 104:20–23). The verse reminds us that nothing escapes His order. and there was morning - Dawn signals renewed light, underscoring God’s faithfulness to bring fresh beginnings daily (Lamentations 3:22-23). - Morning follows evening by divine design, reinforcing a 24-hour cycle that Exodus 20:11 later connects to our six-day workweek and Sabbath rest. - The progression from darkness to light foreshadows the redemptive theme that runs throughout Scripture: God moves His people from night into day (Isaiah 9:2; John 1:5). the fifth day - “The fifth day” closes a literal, historical day of creative work in which God filled the skies and seas with life (Genesis 1:20-22). - Numbering each day underscores sequence and duration; it counters any notion of overlapping ages or mythic symbolism (Mark 10:6 affirms the creation timeline as factual history). - By ending with this timestamp, Moses roots human timekeeping in God’s own creative acts, establishing a calendar anchored in divine authority (Psalm 90:12). summary Genesis 1:23 captures the orderly close of a real, 24-hour day: evening descends, morning dawns, and God marks it as the fifth day. Each phrase points to His sovereign rhythm of rest then work, darkness then light, underscoring both the reliability of creation’s cycle and the trustworthiness of His Word. |
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