New International Version
Genesis 1:14
14And 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,
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:
- 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;
- New Living Translation (NLT)Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years.
Context of Genesis 1:14
12The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. 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, 15and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.
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 4:19And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.
- Job 25:3Can his forces be numbered? On whom does his light not rise?
- Job 38:12“Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place,
- Psalms 8:3When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
- Psalms 19:1The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
- Psalms 74:16The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon.
- Psalms 104:19He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down.
- Psalms 119:91Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you.
- Psalms 136:7who made the great lights— His love endures forever.
- Psalms 148:3Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars.
- Isaiah 40:26Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
- Jeremiah 31:35This is what the Lord says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord Almighty is his name:
- Jeremiah 33:20“This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time,
- Genesis 1:3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
- Genesis 8:22“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”
- Genesis 9:13I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign 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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