Genesis 1:5

Genesis 1:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
• New International Version (NIV)God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
• English Standard Version (ESV)God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
• New King James Version (NKJV)God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

Context of Genesis 1:5

3And God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4God saw that the light was good (pleasing, useful) and He affirmed and sustained it; and God separated the light [distinguishing it] from the darkness. And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. 6And God said, “Let there be an expanse [of the sky] in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters [below the expanse] from the waters [above the expanse].” 7And God made the expanse [of sky] and separated the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so [just as He commanded].

Genesis 1:5 word by word

וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים׀ לָאוֹר֙ י֔וֹם וְלַחֹ֖שֶׁךְ קָ֣רָא לָ֑יְלָה וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם אֶחָֽד׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• calledקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call byH7121
• the lightאוֹר'ôr · lightH216
• Dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• and the darknessחֹ֫שֶׁךְchôshek · darknessH2822
• Nightלַ֫יְלָהlayil lêyl layelâh · nightH3915
• And the eveningעֶ֫רֶב‛ereb · eveningH6153
• and the morningבֹּ֫קֶרbôqer · morningH1242
• were the firstאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259

Cross-references for Genesis 1:5

• Genesis 8:22While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”
• Psalms 19:2Day after day pours forth speech, And night after night reveals knowledge.
• Psalms 74:16The day is Yours, the night also is Yours; You have established and prepared the [heavenly] light and the sun.
• Psalms 104:20You [O Lord] make darkness and it becomes night, In which prowls about every wild beast of the forest.
• Isaiah 45:7The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing peace and creating disaster; I am the Lord who does all these things.
• 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,
• 1 Corinthians 3:13each one’s work will be clearly shown [for what it is]; for the day [of judgment] will disclose it, because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality and character and worth of each person’s work.
• Ephesians 5:13But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light [of God’s precepts], for it is light that makes everything visible.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:5for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We do not belong to the night nor to darkness.
• Genesis 1:8God called the expanse [of sky] heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

Commentaries on Genesis 1:5

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3-5Verses 3-5 - III. The First Day 3. אמר 'āmar “say, bid.” After this verb comes the thing said in the words of the speaker, or an equivalent expression. In this respect it corresponds with our English “say.” אור 'ôr “light.” Light is simply what makes a sensible impression on the organs of vision. It belongs to a class of things which occasionally produce the same effect. ויאמר vayo'mer “then said.” Here we have come to the narrative or the record of a…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 3-5Verses 3-5 God said, Let there be light; he willed it, and at once there was light. Oh, the power of the word of God! And in the new creation, the first thing that is wrought in the soul is light: the blessed Spirit works upon the will and affections by enlightening the understanding. Those who by sin were darkness, by grace become light in the Lord. Darkness would have been always upon fallen man, if the Son of God had not come and given us…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5God called (or named): Naming something shows authority over it (see also 2:19–20). day: The Hebrew word yom can mean: daylight (1:5a), a 24-hour period (1:5b), or an unspecified time (2:4b, “when,” literally in the day; compare Exodus 20:8–11). evening … morning: The Hebrew day started at sundown. This was like the first day that began with darkness and led to morning light.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. first day--a natural day, as the mention of its two parts clearly determines; and Moses reckons, according to Oriental usage, from sunset to sunset, saying not day and night as we do, but evening and morning.Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 1:5

• Darkness
• Day
• God
• Light
• Night

In the dictionaries

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

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