Genesis 1:14

Genesis 1:14 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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:
• New International Version (NIV)And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years,
• English Standard Version (ESV)And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years,
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years;

Context of Genesis 1:14

12The earth sprouted and abundantly produced vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, according to their kind; and God saw that it was good and He affirmed and sustained it. 13And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. Then God said, “Let there be light-bearers (sun, moon, stars) in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be useful for signs (tokens) [of God’s provident care], and for marking seasons, days, and years; 15and let them be useful as lights in the expanse of the heavens to provide light on the earth”; and it was so, [just as He commanded]. 16God made the two great lights—the greater light (the sun) to rule the day, and the lesser light (the moon) to rule the night; He made the [galaxies of] stars also [that is, all the amazing wonders in the heavens].

Genesis 1:14 word by word

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֗ים יְהִ֤י מְאֹרֹת֙ בִּרְקִ֣יעַ הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם לְהַבְדִּ֕יל בֵּ֥ין הַיּ֖וֹם וּבֵ֣ין הַלָּ֑יְלָה וְהָי֤וּ לְאֹתֹת֙ וּלְמ֣וֹעֲדִ֔ים וּלְיָמִ֖ים וְשָׁנִֽים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Let there be lightsמָאוֹרmâ'ôr mâ'ôr me'ôrâh me'ôrâh · lightH3974
• in the firmamentרָקִיעַrâqîya‛ · expanseH7549
• of the heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
• to divideבָּדַלbâdal · to separateH914
• the dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• from the nightלַ֫יְלָהlayil lêyl layelâh · nightH3915
• and let them be for signsאוֹת'ôth · sign: indicatorH226
• and for seasonsמוֹעֵדmô‛êd mô‛êd mô‛âdâh · meeting: time appointedH4150
• and yearsשָׁנָהshâneh shânâh · yearH8141

Cross-references for Genesis 1:14

• Deuteronomy 4:19And beware that you do not raise your eyes toward heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and let yourselves be led astray and worship them and serve them, [mere created bodies] which the Lord your God has allotted to [serve and benefit] all the peoples under the whole heaven.
• Job 25:3Is there any number to His [vast celestial] armies? And upon whom does His light not rise?
• Job 38:12“Since your days began, have you ever commanded the morning, And caused the dawn to know its place,
• Psalms 8:3When I see and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have established,
• Psalms 19:1The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And the expanse [of heaven] is declaring the work of His hands.
• Psalms 74:16The day is Yours, the night also is Yours; You have established and prepared the [heavenly] light and the sun.
• Psalms 104:19He made the moon for the seasons; The sun knows the [exact] place of its setting.
• Psalms 119:91They continue this day according to Your ordinances, For all things [all parts of the universe] are Your servants.
• Psalms 136:7To Him who made the great lights, For His lovingkindness endures forever;
• Psalms 148:3Praise Him, sun and moon: Praise Him, all stars of light!
• Isaiah 40:26Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these heavenly bodies, The One who brings out their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one is missing.
• Jeremiah 31:35Thus says the Lord, Who gives the sun for light by day And the fixed order of the moon and of the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea’s roaring billows or stills the waves when they roar; The Lord of hosts is His name:
• Jeremiah 33:20“Thus says the Lord, ‘If you can break My covenant for the day and My covenant for the night, so that day and night do not take place at their appointed times,
• Genesis 1:3And God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
• Genesis 8:22While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”
• Genesis 9:13I set My rainbow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.

Commentaries on Genesis 1:14

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14And God said, Let there be lights, etc. - One principal office of these was to divide between day and night. When night is considered a state of comparative darkness, how can lights divide or distinguish it? The answer is easy: The sun is the monarch of the day, which is the state of light; the moon, of the night, the state of darkness. The rays of the sun, falling on the atmosphere, are refracted and diffused over the whole of that hemisphere of the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14-19Verses 14-19 - VI. The Fourth Day 14. מאור mā'ôr “a light, a luminary, a center of radiant light.” מועה mô‛ēd “set time, season.” Words beginning with a formative מ m usually signify that in which the simple quality resides or is realized. Hence, they often denote place. 17. נתן nāthan “give, hold out, show, stretch, hold out.” Latin: tendo, teneo; ́ teinō darkness has been removed from the face of the deep, its waters have been distributed in due…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-19Verses 14-19 In the fourth day's work, the creation of the sun, moon, and stars is accounted for. All these are the works of God. The stars are spoken of as they appear to our eyes, without telling their number, nature, place, size, or motions; for the Scriptures were written, not to gratify curiosity, or make us astronomers, but to lead us to God, and make us saints. The lights of heaven are made to serve him; they do it faithfully, and shine in their…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14let them … mark the seasons and days and years: The movement of the heavenly objects ordered Israel’s liturgical calendar. This calendar, rooted in creation, provided sacred timing for Israel’s festivals and celebrations (see Exodus 23:15; Leviticus 23:4).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 14-1914. let there be lights in the firmament--The atmosphere being completely purified, the sun, moon, and stars were for the first time unveiled in all their glory in the cloudless sky; and they are described as "in the firmament" which to the eye they appear to be, though we know they are really at vast distances from it.Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 1:14

• Firmament
• God
• Seasons
• Sun
• Time
• Token
• Year

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Appear
• Astronomy
• Beginning
• Call
• Create
• Darkness
• Divide
• Earth

Commentaries on Genesis 1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings