Tree of Life Version
Genesis 1:3
3Then God said, “Let there be light!” and there was light.
Genesis 1:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
- New International Version (NIV)And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
Context of Genesis 1:3
1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2Now the earth was chaos and waste, darkness was on the surface of the deep, and the Ruach Elohim was hovering upon the surface of the water. Then God said, “Let there be light!” and there was light. 4God saw that the light was good. So God distinguished the light from the darkness. 5God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” So there was evening and there was morning—one day.
Read all of Genesis 1Genesis 1:3 word by word
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֖ים יְהִ֣י א֑וֹר וַֽיְהִי־אֽוֹר׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Genesis 1:3
- Psalms 33:6By Adonai’s word were the heavens made, and all their host by the breath of His mouth.
- Psalms 148:5Let them praise the Name of Adonai, for He commanded and they were created.
- Matthew 8:3Yeshua stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing. Be cleansed.” Immediately his tza'arat was cleansed.
- John 11:43And when He had said this, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
- Job 36:30“See how He scatters His lightning about Him, covering the depths of the sea.
- Job 38:19In what direction does light dwell, and darkness, where is its place—
- Psalms 97:11Light is sown for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart.
- Psalms 104:2wrapping Yourself in light as a robe, stretching out heaven like a curtain,
- Psalms 118:27Adonai is God, and He has given us light. Join the festival with branches, up to the horns of the altar.
- Isaiah 45:7I form light and create darkness. I make shalom and create calamity. I, Adonai, do all these things.
- Isaiah 60:19No more will the sun be your light by day, nor the glow of the moon be your light, but Adonai will be your everlasting light, and your God for your glory.
- John 1:5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it.
- John 3:19“Now this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world and men loved the darkness instead of the light, because their deeds were evil.
- 2 Corinthians 4:6For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Messiah.
- Ephesians 5:8For once you were darkness, but now in union with the Lord you are light. Walk as children of light
- 1 Timothy 6:16who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or is able to see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
Commentaries on Genesis 1:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3And God said, Let there be light - אור ויהי אור הי Yehi or, vaihi or . Nothing can be conceived more dignified than this form of expression. It argues at once uncontrollable authority, and omnific power; and in human language it is scarcely possible to conceive that God can speak more like himself. This passage, in the Greek translation of the Septuagint, fell in the way of Dionysius Longinus, one of the most judicious Greek critics that ever lived, and…Read the comment
- 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. 3And God said: God created everything in chapter 1 by his powerful word (compare Psalm 33:6, 9). “Let there be … and there was": God's command put his will into action to create the world. God is not part of creation or limited by it. He supremely rules over everything (see Nehemiah 9:6).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3-53. God said--This phrase, which occurs so repeatedly in the account means: willed, decreed, appointed; and the determining will of God was followed in every instance by an immediate result. Whether the sun was created at the same time with, or long before, the earth, the dense accumulation of fogs and vapors which enveloped the chaos had covered the globe with a settled gloom. But by the command of God, light was rendered visible; the thick murky clouds…Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 1:3
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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