King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
Complete Jewish Bible:
So there was evening, and there was morning, a fifth day.
Berean Standard Bible:
And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
American Standard Version:
And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
And the evening{H6153} and the morning{H1242} were the fifth{H2549} day{H3117}.
Cross-References (KJV):
Explore This Verse Across Other Resources:
Commentary for Genesis 1:23
1. **Themes:**
- **Creation:** The verse continues the narrative of God's creation of the world, emphasizing the sequence and structure of the creation process.
- **Divine Order:** It reflects the divine order and organization in the creation account, with each day having a specific purpose and outcome.
- **Celestial Bodies and Life Forms:** The fifth day marks the creation of aquatic life and birds, highlighting the diversity and abundance of life forms God created.
- **Evening and Morning:** The phrase "evening and morning" demarcates the end of the fifth day, reinforcing the concept of a 24-hour day and the biblical reckoning of time.
2. **Historical Context:**
- **Priestly Source:** Genesis 1 is often attributed to the Priestly source (P), which is one of the hypothesized sources of the Pentateuch. This source is characterized by its structured writing and focus on priestly concerns such as order and holiness.
- **Ancient Cosmology:** The creation account reflects an ancient cosmology, with a flat earth and a firmament separating the waters above from the waters below. This cosmology was common in the ancient Near East.
- **Monotheistic Perspective:** The verse, and the creation account as a whole, serves to establish the monotheistic belief in a single, all-powerful God who creates by spoken word, contrasting with polytheistic creation myths of surrounding cultures.
- **Literary Framework:** The creation narrative is structured in a way that mirrors the working week, with the seventh day designated as a day of rest (Sabbath), which has significant implications for Jewish religious practice and identity.
In summary, Genesis 1:23 is part of the Priestly creation account, emphasizing the orderly and purposeful creation of the world by God, with the fifth day dedicated to the creation of sea creatures and birds. It reflects the ancient Israelite understanding of cosmology and time, and it serves to underscore the uniqueness of the biblical God in contrast to other ancient Near Eastern deities.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H6153
There are 130 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: עֶרֶב
Transliteration: ʻereb
Pronunciation: eh'-reb
Description: from עָרַב; dusk; [phrase] day, even(-ing, tide), night. - Strong's Number: H1242
There are 189 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: בֹּקֶר
Transliteration: bôqer
Pronunciation: bo'-ker
Description: from בָּקַר; properly, dawn (as the break of day); generally, morning; ([phrase]) day, early, morning, morrow. - Strong's Number: H2549
There are 44 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: חֲמִישִׁי
Transliteration: chămîyshîy
Pronunciation: kham-ee-shee'
Description: or חֲמִשִּׁי; ordinal from חָמֵשׁ; fifth; also a fifth; fifth (part). - Strong's Number: H3117
There are 1931 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יוֹם
Transliteration: yôwm
Pronunciation: yome
Description: from an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb); age, [phrase] always, [phrase] chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), [phrase] elder, [idiom] end, [phrase] evening, [phrase] (for) ever(-lasting, -more), [idiom] full, life, as (so) long as (... live), (even) now, [phrase] old, [phrase] outlived, [phrase] perpetually, presently, [phrase] remaineth, [idiom] required, season, [idiom] since, space, then, (process of) time, [phrase] as at other times, [phrase] in trouble, weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), [idiom] whole ([phrase] age), (full) year(-ly), [phrase] younger.