New King James Version
Genesis 1:5
5God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
Genesis 1:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
- New International Version (NIV)God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
- English Standard Version (ESV)God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
- New Living Translation (NLT)God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.
Context of Genesis 1:5
3Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. 6Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.
Read all of Genesis 1Genesis 1:5 word by word
וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים׀ לָאוֹר֙ י֔וֹם וְלַחֹ֖שֶׁךְ קָ֣רָא לָ֑יְלָה וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם אֶחָֽד׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- calledקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call byH7121
- the lightאוֹר'ôr · lightH216
- Dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- and the darknessחֹ֫שֶׁךְchôshek · darknessH2822
- Nightלַ֫יְלָהlayil lêyl layelâh · nightH3915
- And the eveningעֶ֫רֶב‛ereb · eveningH6153
- and the morningבֹּ֫קֶרbôqer · morningH1242
- were the firstאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
Cross-references for Genesis 1:5
- Genesis 8:22“While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”
- Psalms 19:2Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge.
- Psalms 74:16The day is Yours, the night also is Yours; You have prepared the light and the sun.
- Psalms 104:20You make darkness, and it is night, In which all the beasts of the forest creep about.
- Isaiah 45:7I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.’
- Jeremiah 33:20“Thus says the Lord: ‘If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season,
- 1 Corinthians 3:13each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.
- Ephesians 5:13But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:5You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.
- Genesis 1:8And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.
Commentaries on Genesis 1:5
- 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. 5God called (or named): Naming something shows authority over it (see also 2:19–20). day: The Hebrew word yom can mean: daylight (1:5a), a 24-hour period (1:5b), or an unspecified time (2:4b, “when,” literally in the day; compare Exodus 20:8–11). evening … morning: The Hebrew day started at sundown. This was like the first day that began with darkness and led to morning light.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. first day--a natural day, as the mention of its two parts clearly determines; and Moses reckons, according to Oriental usage, from sunset to sunset, saying not day and night as we do, but evening and morning.Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 1:5
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries