New International Version
Genesis 1:16
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.
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.
- 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.
- New Living Translation (NLT)God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars.
Context of Genesis 1:16
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, 15and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 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. 17God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.
Read all of Genesis 1Genesis 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 4:19And 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.
- Joshua 10:12On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
- Job 31:26if I have regarded the sun in its radiance or the moon moving in splendor,
- Job 38:7while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?
- Psalms 8:3When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
- Psalms 19:6It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth.
- Psalms 74:16The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon.
- 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 13:10The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.
- Isaiah 24:23The moon will be dismayed, the sun ashamed; for the Lord Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders—with great glory.
- Isaiah 45:7I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.
- Habakkuk 3:11Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear.
- Matthew 24:29“Immediately after the distress of those days “ ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
- Matthew 27:45From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.
- 1 Corinthians 15:41The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
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
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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