New Living Translation
Genesis 1:16
16God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one 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.
- New International Version (NIV)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.
- 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.
Context of Genesis 1:16
14Then 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. 15Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. 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. 17God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, 18to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the 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 into the sky and see the sun, moon, and stars—all the forces of heaven—don’t be seduced into worshiping them. The Lord your God gave them to all the peoples of the earth.
- Joshua 10:12On the day the Lord gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all the people of Israel. He said, “Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.”
- Job 31:26“Have I looked at the sun shining in the skies, or the moon walking down its silver pathway,
- Job 38:7as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?
- Psalms 8:3When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place—
- Psalms 19:6The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat.
- Psalms 74:16Both day and night belong to you; you made the starlight and the sun.
- Psalms 136:7Give thanks to him who made the heavenly lights— His faithful love endures forever.
- Psalms 148:3Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you twinkling stars!
- Isaiah 13:10The heavens will be black above them; the stars will give no light. The sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will provide no light.
- Isaiah 24:23Then the glory of the moon will wane, and the brightness of the sun will fade, for the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will rule on Mount Zion. He will rule in great glory in Jerusalem, in the sight of all the leaders of his people.
- Isaiah 45:7I create the light and make the darkness. I send good times and bad times. I, the Lord, am the one who does these things.
- Habakkuk 3:11The sun and moon stood still in the sky as your brilliant arrows flew and your glittering spear flashed.
- Matthew 24:29“Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
- Matthew 27:45At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock.
- 1 Corinthians 15:41The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.
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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