Genesis 1:16

Genesis 1:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
• New International Version (NIV)God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.

Context of Genesis 1:16

14Then God said, “Let there be lights in the sky to separate the day from the night. They will be signs and will mark religious festivals, days, and years. 15They will be lights in the sky to shine on the earth.” And so it was. God made the two bright lights: the larger light to rule the day and the smaller light to rule the night. He also made the stars. 17God put them in the sky to give light to the earth, 18to dominate the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:16 word by word

וַיַּ֣עַשׂ אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֶת־שְׁנֵ֥י הַמְּאֹרֹ֖ת הַגְּדֹלִ֑ים אֶת־הַמָּא֤וֹר הַגָּדֹל֙ לְמֶמְשֶׁ֣לֶת הַיּ֔וֹם וְאֶת־הַמָּא֤וֹר הַקָּטֹן֙ לְמֶמְשֶׁ֣לֶת הַלַּ֔יְלָה וְאֵ֖ת הַכּוֹכָבִֽים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• madeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
• twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
• greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
• lightsמָאוֹרmâ'ôr mâ'ôr me'ôrâh me'ôrâh · lightH3974
• to ruleמֶמְשָׁלָהmemshâlâh · dominionH4475
• the dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• and the lesserקָטֹןqâţân qâţôn · smallH6996
• the nightלַ֫יְלָהlayil lêyl layelâh · nightH3915
• the starsכּוֹכָבkôkâb · starH3556

Cross-references for Genesis 1:16

• Deuteronomy 4:19Don’t let yourselves be tempted to worship and serve what you see in the sky—the sun, the moon, the stars, or anything else. The Lord your God has given them to all people everywhere.
• Joshua 10:12The day the Lord handed the Amorites over to the people of Israel, Joshua spoke to the Lord while Israel was watching, “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and moon, stand still over the valley of Aijalon!”
• Job 31:26If I saw the light shine or the moon move along in its splendor
• Job 38:7when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
• Psalms 8:3When I look at your heavens, the creation of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have set in place—
• Psalms 19:6It rises from one end of the heavens. It circles around to the other. Nothing is hidden from its heat.
• Psalms 74:16The day and the night are yours. You set the moon and the sun in their places.
• Psalms 136:7to the one who made the great lights— because his mercy endures forever.
• Psalms 148:3Praise him, sun and moon. Praise him, all shining stars.
• Isaiah 13:10The stars in the sky and their constellations won’t show their light anymore. The sun will be dark when it rises. The moon won’t shine.
• Isaiah 24:23The moon will be embarrassed. The sun will be ashamed, because the Lord of Armies will rule on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem. He will be glorious in the presence of his respected leaders.
• Isaiah 45:7I make light and create darkness. I make blessings and create disasters. I, the Lord, do all these things.
• Habakkuk 3:11The sun and the moon stand still. They scatter at the light of your arrows, at the bright lightning of your spear.
• Matthew 24:29“Immediately after the misery of those days, the sun will turn dark, the moon will not give light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the universe will be shaken.
• Matthew 27:45At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.
• 1 Corinthians 15:41The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon has another kind of splendor, and the stars have still another kind of splendor. Even one star differs in splendor from another star.

Commentaries on Genesis 1:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16And God made two great lights - Moses speaks of the sun and moon here, not according to their bulk or solid contents, but according to the proportion of light they shed on the earth. The expression has been cavilled at by some who are as devoid of mental capacity as of candour. "The moon," say they, "is not a great body; on the contrary, it is the very smallest in our system." Well, and has Moses said the contrary? He has said it is a great Light; had he…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. 16In the surrounding pagan cultures, people worshiped the sun and moon as gods. But in Genesis, they serve God and humanity (see Psalm 136:7–9; Jeremiah 31:35). Here, this verse does not name the sun and moon. They are simply called the greater light and the lesser light. Not naming them may have reminded Israel that they were not gods. rule: Compare 1:26, 28; Psalm 136:9. the stars: The stars bear witness to God's power to create, and they declare his…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. two great lights--In consequence of the day being reckoned as commencing at sunset--the moon, which would be seen first in the horizon, would appear "a great light," compared with the little twinkling stars; while its pale benign radiance would be eclipsed by the dazzling splendor of the sun; when his resplendent orb rose in the morning and gradually attained its meridian blaze of glory, it would appear "the greater light" that ruled the day. Both…Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 1:16

• Firmament
• God
• Moon
• Night
• Stars
• Sun

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