Day

Concepts100Is the “day” referred to in Genesis 1 a 24-hour day, or was it longer, even possibly millions of years? This question often arises with regard to Genesis 1 because of a perceived conflict between the biblical account and modern science. We will say more about science in a few moments, but for now, let’s consider the Hebrew word translated day in Genesis 1. In Genesis 1:1-5, the Bible says that God created the heavens and the earth; He also created light and separated it from darkness, resulting in day and night. Then the Bible states, “Evening came and then morning: the first day” (v. 5). Similar phrases also mark “the second day” (verse 8), when God made the heavenly expanse, or sky, and separated the water above from the water below; “the third day” (v. 13) when God caused dry land to appear and created plant life; “the fourth day” (v. 19), when God created the sun, moon, and stars; “the fifth day” (v. 23), when God made sea creatures and birds; and  “the sixth day” (v. 31), when God made land-dwelling animals and people. Genesis 2:1-2 goes on to report that God’s creative work was complete, and God rested on the seventh day and established it as holy.

The Hebrew word for “day” is transliterated into English as yom. In the vast majority of its 2209 uses in the Old Testament it refers unambiguously to a literal day. Exceptions to this do exist; Deuteronomy 2:14 is one example, where the word is translated “time.” Yet we should note that in this instance, the context makes quite clear that the word is referring to a period longer than 24 hours. Also, Psalm 90:4 emphasizes God’s eternality. Peter quoted from this verse in 2 Peter 3:8 just before encouraging his readers to keep on trusting God even though they continue to wait for Him to fulfill His promise to bring history to a climax with Christ’s return.

Additional uses of yom that are especially noteworthy and have a direct connection to Genesis 1 can be found in Exodus 20:8-11: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy: You are to labor six days and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work…. For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.”

Now let’s briefly consider the matter of science. Evolutionary theory asserts that millions of years are required to account for changes between species—that is, to account for an ancestral line that moved from one species to another. This would mean that the ancestors of a land-dwelling creature were, or may have been, amphibians, for example; and the ancestors of an amphibian were, or may have been, fish. Yet contrary to what many people think, a growing number of scientists are expressing strong doubts about Darwin’s evolutionary theory. In fact, literally hundreds have signed a document that includes these assertions: “We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged” (see www.dissentfromdarwin.org). Careful examination, of course, will enhance the likelihood of objective evaluation. It’s true that scientists who’ve expressed skepticism regarding Darwinism aren’t necessarily saying the biblical account of origins is accurate; nor are they necessarily saying that God exists at all. Still, belief in Darwinian evolution among scientists is far from unanimous.

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