The Next Three Days
We have devoted a chapter each to the evenings and mornings of the first three days of Genesis Chapter 1. Now what about days 4, 5, and 6?
The Duration of a Usual Day
The Bible does not say when God created the universe. It was about 6 000 years ago plus three days that lasted 13 820 million years. God governed directly the first three days. He took charge of separating the light from the darkness. The light of the third day came from the Sun. The Sun had to be formed and functioning before it could begin governing on the fourth day.
The Bible says nothing about how long the darkness lasted or how long the first stars and the Sun shone before God commissioned the Sun to govern. Therefore, we cannot find out from Genesis how much time there was between the creation of the universe and the creation of Adam and Eve. All we know is that it was six literal, Biblical days consisting of cycles having first a dark phase and then a lighted phase. The duration of the cycles depends on the positions of the observer and the source of light. The narrative of the first three days is about the Earth as a whole. The narrative of the fourth, fifth, and sixth days is from the standpoint of an observer on the surface of the Earth, because the Sun and Moon were to give light on the earth. Not even God could have made the same observations from the beginning, because until the Earth formed it did not have a surface. In the middle of the narrative the standpoint shifts to the specific location where God intended to create human beings. God chose a sunset in that location as the beginning of the fourth day. On that day, God delegated governing authority to the Sun.
Nowhere in the account of the first three days is there any indication of the duration of those days. Only later do we find the determining factor for the duration of a day on the earth. It applies from the fourth day on. The narrative of the fourth day mentions sunlight incident on the surface of the Earth.
The Sun could not shine on the earth until the Earth was formed and had a surface. The Sun began fulfilling this function soon after both the Sun and the Earth formed. Later, the Sun supplied the light the plants needed on day three. The Sun began fulfilling all three parts of its commission on the fourth day.
On the fourth day God delegated to the Sun the function of separating the light from darkness. He gave the Sun governing authority. Having received this task and commission, since then the Sun has ruled the day with rigor and precision, producing night and day in 24-hour cycles.
Days one, two, and three include events in the realm of physics, except for the appearance of vegetation at the end of the three days. Day four is about astronomy with the unaided eye from the surface of the Earth somewhere between the polar circles. Days five and six are about zoology and anthropology.
Days four, five, and six of the creation narrative are about the Sun, Moon, stars, animals, and the first human couple. Certain historical misinterpretations of the fourth day, and of the concept of a day, have led to endless arguments and confrontations. These problems evaporate when we make the simplest and most literal interpretation of the narrative.
For centuries people have asked about the source of the light of the first three days, if the Sun was created on the fourth day. We have already seen the answer. Science has now confirmed that the first light shone out of the darkness long before any stars were formed. The first light was the light of the first morning, the bright phase of the first day. Far from making an absurd, obvious mistake, Moses was right when he spoke of the first light shining long before the Sun was formed.
With this encouragement, let’s examine the narrative of the fourth, fifth, and sixth days, to see how the remaining problems may be resolved.
Parallel Structure in the Creation Narrative
When first created the Earth was formless and empty. It therefore needed forming and filling. Day one, day two, and day three are about forming. Days four, five, and six are about filling the different regions or spheres formed in the first three days. Day one, day two, and day three are the story of the Earth as a whole. Days four, five, and six are about what we see from a standpoint on the surface of the Earth.
The Duration of a Usual Day
The Bible does not say when God created the universe. It was about 6 000 years ago plus three days that lasted 13 820 million years. God governed directly the first three days. He took charge of separating the light from the darkness. The light of the third day came from the Sun. The Sun had to be formed and functioning before it could begin governing on the fourth day.
The Bible says nothing about how long the darkness lasted or how long the first stars and the Sun shone before God commissioned the Sun to govern. Therefore, we cannot find out from Genesis how much time there was between the creation of the universe and the creation of Adam and Eve. All we know is that it was six literal, Biblical days consisting of cycles having first a dark phase and then a lighted phase. The duration of the cycles depends on the positions of the observer and the source of light. The narrative of the first three days is about the Earth as a whole. The narrative of the fourth, fifth, and sixth days is from the standpoint of an observer on the surface of the Earth, because the Sun and Moon were to give light on the earth. Not even God could have made the same observations from the beginning, because until the Earth formed it did not have a surface. In the middle of the narrative the standpoint shifts to the specific location where God intended to create human beings. God chose a sunset in that location as the beginning of the fourth day. On that day, God delegated governing authority to the Sun.
Nowhere in the account of the first three days is there any indication of the duration of those days. Only later do we find the determining factor for the duration of a day on the earth. It applies from the fourth day on. The narrative of the fourth day mentions sunlight incident on the surface of the Earth.
The Sun could not shine on the earth until the Earth was formed and had a surface. The Sun began fulfilling this function soon after both the Sun and the Earth formed. Later, the Sun supplied the light the plants needed on day three. The Sun began fulfilling all three parts of its commission on the fourth day.
On the fourth day God delegated to the Sun the function of separating the light from darkness. He gave the Sun governing authority. Having received this task and commission, since then the Sun has ruled the day with rigor and precision, producing night and day in 24-hour cycles.
Days one, two, and three include events in the realm of physics, except for the appearance of vegetation at the end of the three days. Day four is about astronomy with the unaided eye from the surface of the Earth somewhere between the polar circles. Days five and six are about zoology and anthropology.
Days four, five, and six of the creation narrative are about the Sun, Moon, stars, animals, and the first human couple. Certain historical misinterpretations of the fourth day, and of the concept of a day, have led to endless arguments and confrontations. These problems evaporate when we make the simplest and most literal interpretation of the narrative.
For centuries people have asked about the source of the light of the first three days, if the Sun was created on the fourth day. We have already seen the answer. Science has now confirmed that the first light shone out of the darkness long before any stars were formed. The first light was the light of the first morning, the bright phase of the first day. Far from making an absurd, obvious mistake, Moses was right when he spoke of the first light shining long before the Sun was formed.
With this encouragement, let’s examine the narrative of the fourth, fifth, and sixth days, to see how the remaining problems may be resolved.
Parallel Structure in the Creation Narrative
When first created the Earth was formless and empty. It therefore needed forming and filling. Day one, day two, and day three are about forming. Days four, five, and six are about filling the different regions or spheres formed in the first three days. Day one, day two, and day three are the story of the Earth as a whole. Days four, five, and six are about what we see from a standpoint on the surface of the Earth.
Day one narrates the appearance of light; day four is about the lights of the sky. Day two concerns the skies and the waters; day five tells about the creatures of the skies and the waters. Day three is the story of the dry earth; day six is about the creatures that inhabit the dry land.
The days follow in a logical sequence. There is a double parallelism in the Genesis narrative. In the table above, the rows show the parallelism of the days. The columns show the parallelism of forming and filling, which are the remedies for the initial condition of formlessness and emptiness.
Examples of Parallelism
Hebrew poets rhymed ideas, not the terminal sounds of their lines. This helps translators express Hebrew poetry in all the languages of the world. Two rhymed lines may be synonymous, expressing the same idea in different ways. An example is found in Psalm 9:9.
The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
Or the two rhymed lines may be antithetical, expressing opposite ideas, as in Psalm 1:6.
For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
A third type of parallelism in a pair of rhymed lines synthesizes two different ideas. An example of synthesis is found in Job 11:18.
You will be secure, because there is hope;
you will look about you and take your rest in safety.
The days follow in a logical sequence. There is a double parallelism in the Genesis narrative. In the table above, the rows show the parallelism of the days. The columns show the parallelism of forming and filling, which are the remedies for the initial condition of formlessness and emptiness.
Examples of Parallelism
Hebrew poets rhymed ideas, not the terminal sounds of their lines. This helps translators express Hebrew poetry in all the languages of the world. Two rhymed lines may be synonymous, expressing the same idea in different ways. An example is found in Psalm 9:9.
The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
Or the two rhymed lines may be antithetical, expressing opposite ideas, as in Psalm 1:6.
For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
A third type of parallelism in a pair of rhymed lines synthesizes two different ideas. An example of synthesis is found in Job 11:18.
You will be secure, because there is hope;
you will look about you and take your rest in safety.