Genesis 1:5 · Bible study
Genesis 1:5 Commentary: Evening, Morning, and the First Day
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Examine Genesis 1:5: the naming of light and darkness, the evening and morning pattern, and what 'day one' means for understanding time and creation.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God names light and darkness as “day” and “night,” with evening and morning forming a single day, establishing the first unit of time.
- Key words: “Evening” (erev, H6153), “morning” (boqer, H1242), “day” (yom, H3117), “one” (echad, H0259), each definite in Hebrew usage but here without articles, emphasizing quality.
- Main debate: Whether these are literal 24-hour days or longer periods, given the creation of the sun on day four and modern scientific timescales.
- Theological theme: God as Lord of time; creation as ordered, named, and good; the inclusion of darkness in the good creation.
- Best use: A foundation for understanding the biblical view of time, the weekly Sabbath, and God’s sovereignty over light and darkness.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
WEB World English Bible 2000
God called the light “day”, and the darkness he called “night”. There was evening and there was morning, the first day.
KJV King James Version 1769
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and God calleth to the light `Day,' and to the darkness He hath called `Night;' and there is an evening, and there is a morning--day one.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening, and there was morning — the first day.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And he called the light Day, and the darkness Night; and there was evening and morning one day.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y llamó Dios á la luz Día, y á las tinieblas llamó Noche: y fué la tarde y la mañana un día.
E chamou Deus à luz Dia, e às trevas chamou Noite: e foi a tarde e a manhã o primeiro dia.
Dieu appela la lumière jour, et il appela les ténèbres nuit. Ainsi, il y eut un soir, et il y eut un matin: ce fut le premier jour.
und nannte das Licht Tag und die Finsternis Nacht. Da ward aus Abend und Morgen der erste Tag.
En God noemde het licht dag, en de duisternis noemde Hij nacht. Toen was het avond geweest, en het was morgen geweest, de eerste dag.
E Dio chiamò la luce “giorno”, e le tenebre “notte”. Così fu sera, poi fu mattina: e fu il primo giorno.
I nazwał Bóg światłość dniem a ciemność nazwał nocą; i stał się wieczór, i stał się zaranek, dzień pierwszy.
И назвал Бог свет днем, а тьму ночью. И был вечер, и было утро: день один.
神 稱 光為「晝」，稱 暗為「夜」。有 晚上，有 早晨，這是頭一 日。
Naming the light, Day, and the dark, Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Genesis 1:5
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse closes the first day of creation by recording three divine acts. First, God names the light “day” and the darkness “night.” The Cambridge Bible notes that to Hebrew readers this naming seemed entirely natural: they believed the Hebrew name and the thing itself were bound together by divine decree. Second, the phrase “there was evening and there was morning” establishes a pattern. Calvin observes that Moses begins the day with the evening, following the custom of his nation, and that the day is made up of these two parts. Third, the day is designated “one day” (Hebrew yom echad). The Cambridge Bible highlights that the Hebrew says “one day,” not “the first day,” emphasizing the beginning of time and the unique character of this first period. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown states plainly that the mention of evening and morning determines this to be a natural day. No commentator denies that the verse describes a day of normal length; the area of disagreement lies in whether these are literal 24-hour days or longer periods, a question that arises from modern scientific discovery, not from the text itself.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- 24-hour literal day: Takes 'evening and morning' and the repeated phrase 'there was evening and there was morning' as clear markers of ordinary days; supported by the Sabbath command in Exodus 20:11.
- Day-age view: Reads 'yom' as a long period, citing that the sun is not created until day four and that geological processes require vast ages; proponents point to 2 Peter 3:8 where a day is like a thousand years.
- Framework hypothesis: Sees the six days as a literary framework (three pairs of days) rather than chronological sequence, emphasizing the theological order over historical sequence; focuses on the completed creation in six days as a pattern for the week.
What is clear: What is not in dispute: God created light, separated it from darkness, gave them names, and established the pattern of evening and morning as the basic unit of time, marking the first day.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Literal 24-hour days vs. extended periods | All traditions agree the text describes six days of creation, each bounded by evening and morning. | Some Christians read these as six consecutive 24-hour days (literal view). Others see them as long geological ages (day-age view). Still others interpret the days as a literary framework rather than a chronological sequence (framework hypothesis). Each side points to the same Hebrew word 'yom' and to the surrounding context to support its position. |
| The meaning of 'evening and morning' | All agree the phrase marks the completion of a day, and that the day begins with evening. | Some argue the evening refers to the pre-creation darkness of Genesis 1:2 and the morning to the light of creation, so the first day includes the original chaos. Most interpreters, however, take evening and morning as the two natural halves of a normal day, as Calvin and Keil & Delitzsch maintain. |
| Naming day and night | All agree that God names the light 'day' and the darkness 'night' as an act of sovereignty and order. | Some emphasize that naming implies dominion and the establishment of fixed categories; others focus on the linguistic significance that to the Hebrews the name and the thing were inseparable. |
| The numerical designation 'one day' (yom echad) | All agree the Hebrew is 'yom echad' (day one), not 'the first day' with an article. | Some see this as a subtle indication that the days are to be taken as sequential units, a beginning of counting. Others note that 'echad' can mean 'first' as well as 'one', so the difference is stylistic rather than theological. |
Historical & Cultural Context
In the ancient Near East, naming was an act of sovereignty. When God calls the light “day” and the darkness “night,” he is exercising his lordship over the created order. The Cambridge Bible explains that to the Hebrews, the name and the object were inseparable, established by divine decree. This act of naming looks forward to the creation of humanity, the only creature on earth who names things.
The Hebrew day began at sunset, not at midnight. Calvin notes that Moses accommodates his language to the custom of his nation: “when God withdrew the light, he closed the day.” Thus the phrase “there was evening and there was morning” does not mean that the day began with morning. Instead, evening is the start of the day. This pattern is consistent throughout the creation account, repeated for each of the six days (Genesis 1:8, 13, 19, 23, 31).
The fact that light appears on the first day while the sun and moon are not created until the fourth day (Genesis 1:14-19) has puzzled readers. Calvin argues that God did not need the sun to produce light; he could create light directly. The light of the first day was withdrawn at evening and reappeared in the morning, establishing the cycle of day and night before the luminaries were made to regulate it. Gill points out that the rotation of the earth or the motion of the light source produced this alternation, just as today the earth’s rotation gives us night and day.
This passage also challenges the common pagan notion that the sun and moon were deities who controlled time. By naming day and night before creating the sun, the text declares that time belongs to God alone. Psalms 74:16 echoes this: “The day is yours, the night is also yours. You have prepared the light and the sun.”
Textual Notes
The Hebrew text of this verse is well established across manuscripts. The consulted sources note no significant variants. The main textual question is whether the final word should be read as “one day” (Hebrew yom echad) or “the first day” (with the definite article). The Hebrew has no article on yom and reads echad (meaning “one” or “first”), which most translations render as “the first day” for clarity. The Septuagint translates hēmera mia (“day one”), and the Vulgate has dies unus (“one day”). No textual variant alters the sense of a single day bounded by evening and morning.
Reception History
Early Jewish interpretation, reflected in the Targums and later rabbinic writings, took the days of Genesis as normal 24-hour days, a view that continued through most of the Christian tradition. The early church fathers, including Basil of Caesarea and Ambrose, defended the literal six-day creation. Augustine, however, proposed a different reading: he argued that the six days were not chronological but logical, a single creative act disclosed in six stages. Later, medieval interpreters such as Thomas Aquinas followed the literal reading while incorporating Augustine’s non-chronological ideas as possible alternatives. The rise of geology in the 18th and 19th centuries led many to read the days as long periods (day-age view), while others maintained the traditional 24-hour interpretation. More recently, the framework hypothesis reads the six days as a literary structure. Throughout these developments, the verse has been read as affirming God’s sovereign creation of time itself, with evening and morning as the boundary of each day.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God names the light and darkness, He calls the light “day” and the darkness “night.” This act of naming establishes his authority over time and over the forces of light and dark, which pagans feared as deities.
- Evening and morning mark a single day, The day is measured from evening to evening, not from morning to morning. This rhythm of darkness and light, rest and work, becomes the pattern for the rest of Scripture.
- This is “one day” (yom echad), The Hebrew does not say “first day” but “day one,” pointing to a unique beginning. Time itself begins here, a gift from the Creator.
Five-point outline
- Creation of light, Day one begins with God speaking light into existence before any sun or moon.
- God sees that the light is good, The Creator approves his work, setting a pattern of divine delight in creation.
- Division of light from darkness, God separates light and darkness, not as equal opposites but as ordered realities.
- Naming day and night, God names them, establishing a structure for time and for the rhythm of human life.
- Evening and morning complete the day, The day is not simply daylight; it includes the darkness. Both are part of God’s good creation.
Illustration hooks
- A parent naming a child, When a parent names a baby, the name carries identity and authority. God’s naming of day and night shows his intimate ownership over time.
- The shift from dark to light, Anyone who has welcomed the morning after a long night can connect with the hope of the light. The pattern of evening followed by morning teaches us that darkness is not final.
- Setting a work-week calendar, The first day establishes a weekly rhythm. Even before the fall, God built a pattern of work and rest, light and darkness, into the fabric of existence.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If the sun wasn’t created until day four, what was the light on day one?
- Does “evening and morning” mean a 24-hour day, or could it be a long period?
- Should Christians today count days from sundown to sundown?
Leading a Discussion
This verse closes the first day of creation and introduces a pattern that runs through the entire Genesis account. As you discuss it, pay attention to what the text actually says and what it assumes. The rhythm of evening and morning, the naming of day and night, and the phrase “one day” all deserve careful thought.
Discussion questions
- Observation: What does God do in this verse? List the specific actions: naming, the sequence of evening and morning, the designation “one day.”
- Interpretation: Why does the text emphasize evening before morning? How does this change the way we think about the beginning and end of a day?
- Interpretation: The Hebrew says “day one,” not “the first day.” What difference does this make? How does it affect how we read the six days?
- Interpretation: Light is named “day” and darkness “night.” Why is naming important in Genesis? What does God’s act of naming tell us about his relationship to creation?
- Application: How does the pattern of evening and morning give shape to your own life? Do you experience the day as beginning with rest (evening) or with work (morning)?
- Application: If God called the light good and the darkness is also part of his creation (night), how does that change the way we think about times of darkness in our own lives?
- Application: This verse establishes time as a gift from God. How can you honor God with your time this week, starting with the evening?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 1:8 | God called the expanse “sky”. There was evening and there was morning, a second day. |
| Genesis 1:13 | There was evening and there was morning, a third day. |
| Genesis 1:19 | There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. |
| Genesis 1:23 | There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. |
| Genesis 1:31 | God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day. |
| Genesis 8:22 | While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.” |
| Psalms 19:2 | Day after day they pour out speech, and night after night they display knowledge. |
| Psalms 74:16 | The day is yours, the night is also yours. You have prepared the light and the sun. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes defends the Bible's language about God speaking, arguing that such anthropomorphic expressions are not crude or unworthy but are the necessary and proper way to communicate spiritual truths. He insists that Scripture itself provides the corrective for any misunderstanding, so that describing God as speaking never leads to idolatry but reveals Him as a personal, communicative Spirit.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin argues that God carefully established a regular cycle of day and night, not a single moment of creation. He insists that Moses describes six distinct days, refuting the view that the world was made instantly. God deliberately spread the work over six days to accommodate human understanding.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentary emphasizes that the Hebrew writer described creation days as ordinary 24-hour periods of evening and morning, not long ages. It warns against reading modern scientific discoveries back into the text, arguing the ancient story must be kept distinct from later knowledge. The phrase "one day" rather than "first day" reinforces this literal, simple understanding.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes emphasize that God establishes the order of time by personally naming the light "Day" and the darkness "Night." They also observe that the first day is measured from evening through morning, showing that a biblical day begins with darkness and ends with light.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill explains that "evening and morning" mark off a single natural day of twenty-four hours, with the evening beginning the day. He points out that Jewish and several ancient cultures counted days from sunset to sunset, making night come before day.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB highlights that Moses defines the first day by its two parts, evening and morning, following the Oriental custom of reckoning a day from sunset to sunset. This differs from the modern way of speaking of day and night.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch picture the Spirit of God brooding over the chaotic deep like a bird warming its young, not merely hovering but preparing life. They distinguish the elementary light created on the first day from the light-bearing sun, moon and stars made later. The first day runs from morning to morning, with evening and morning completing one full cycle.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry draws a parallel between the first day of creation and the new birth: just as physical light was the first visible thing God made, spiritual light is the first work of grace in the soul, enlightening the understanding to lead the will and affections. This light, in its purity and power, most resembles God Himself.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights that light, as the first visible creation, most resembles God in purity, power, brightness and beneficence. He also stresses that God's division of light from darkness serves a daily purpose: it reminds us that this world is a mixture of changes, unlike heaven's perpetual light or hell's utter darkness.