New English Translation
Genesis 1:14
14God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs to indicate seasons and days and years,
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 land produced vegetation – plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. God saw that it was good. 13There was evening, and there was morning, a third day. God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs to indicate seasons and days and years, 15and let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” It was so. 16God made two great lights – the greater light to rule over the day and the lesser light to rule over the night. He made the stars also.
Read all of Genesis 1Genesis 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 4:19When you look up to the sky and see the sun, moon, and stars – the whole heavenly creation – you must not be seduced to worship and serve them, for the Lord your God has assigned them to all the people of the world.
- Job 25:3Can his armies be numbered? On whom does his light not rise?
- Job 38:12Have you ever in your life commanded the morning, or made the dawn know its place,
- Psalms 8:3When I look up at the heavens, which your fingers made, and see the moon and the stars, which you set in place,
- Psalms 19:1The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky displays his handiwork.
- Psalms 74:16You established the cycle of day and night; you put the moon and sun in place.
- Psalms 104:19He made the moon to mark the months, and the sun sets according to a regular schedule.
- Psalms 119:91Today they stand firm by your decrees, for all things are your servants.
- Psalms 136:7to the one who made the great lights, for his loyal love endures,
- Psalms 148:3Praise him, O sun and moon! Praise him, all you shiny stars!
- Isaiah 40:26Look up at the sky! Who created all these heavenly lights? He is the one who leads out their ranks; he calls them all by name. Because of his absolute power and awesome strength, not one of them is missing.
- Jeremiah 31:35The Lord has made a promise to Israel. He promises it as the one who fixed the sun to give light by day and the moon and stars to give light by night. He promises it as the one who stirs up the sea so that its waves roll. He promises it as the one who is known as the Lord who rules over all.
- Jeremiah 33:20“I, Lord, make the following promise: ‘I have made a covenant with the day and with the night that they will always come at their proper times. Only if you people could break that covenant
- Genesis 1:3God said, “Let there be light.” And there was light!
- Genesis 8:22“While the earth continues to exist, planting time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.”
- Genesis 9:13I will place my rainbow in the clouds, and it will become a guarantee of the 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
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
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