God’s Word Translation
Genesis 1:4
4God saw the light was good. So God separated the light from the darkness.
Genesis 1:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
- New International Version (NIV)God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.
Context of Genesis 1:4
2The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep water. The Spirit of God was hovering over the water. 3Then God said, “Let there be light!” So there was light. God saw the light was good. So God separated the light from the darkness. 5God named the light day, and the darkness he named night. There was evening, then morning—the first day. 6Then God said, “Let there be a horizon in the middle of the water in order to separate the water.”
Read all of Genesis 1Genesis 1:4 word by word
וַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶת־הָא֖וֹר כִּי־ט֑וֹב וַיַּבְדֵּ֣ל אֱלֹהִ֔ים בֵּ֥ין הָא֖וֹר וּבֵ֥ין הַחֹֽשֶׁךְ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Genesis 1:4
- Genesis 1:10God named the dry land earth. The water which came together he named sea. God saw that it was good.
- Ecclesiastes 2:13But I saw that wisdom has an advantage over foolishness as light has an advantage over darkness.
- Ecclesiastes 11:7Light is sweet, and it is good for one’s eyes to see the sun.
Commentaries on Genesis 1:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4God divided the light from the darkness - This does not imply that light and darkness are two distinct substances, seeing darkness is only the privation of light; but the words simply refer us by anticipation to the rotation of the earth round its own axis once in twenty-three hours, fifty-six minutes, and four seconds, which is the cause of the distinction between day and night, by bringing the different parts of the surface of the earth successively…Read the comment
- 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. 4Light is the opposite of chaotic darkness (1:2). God considers light to be good, but not darkness (John 1:5). God is the source of this light (Genesis 1:14–19). God separated light, just like he separated water (1:6–8), using his word that creates. Light is associated with life and blessings (Job 38:19–20; Psalms 19:1–6; 97:11; 104:19–20; Isaiah 60:19–20). It limits the darkness that could destroy cosmic order. Darkness often represents fear, death, and…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. divided the light from darkness--refers to the alternation or succession of the one to the other, produced by the daily revolution of the earth round its axis.Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 1:4
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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