Evening and Morning
The phrase “evening came and then morning” appears six times in Genesis 1. Typically when we see this kind of repetition, we should take note; something important is happening. Much can be said about the significance of the days as recorded in Genesis 1. Written for the sake of the early Israelites wandering in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land, the creation story was intended to help its first readers understand the sovereign nature of their God and His gracious creative activity.
Things We Can Learn About Creation
But the text does more than simply affirm certain important concepts about God. The phrase “evening came and then morning” (and other aspects of the story) point to specific things we can learn about creation that are important in light of today’s skepticism about creation. In Genesis 1, this phrase marks…
- “the first day” of creation (v. 5),
- “the second” day of creation (v. 8),
- “the third day” of creation (v. 13),
- “the fourth day” of creation (v. 19),
- “the fifth day” of creation (v. 23), and
- “the sixth day” of creation (v. 31).
Citing the most straightforward meanings of both the phrase “evening came and then morning” and the Hebrew word yom, which appears 16 times in Genesis 1 and 2 and is translated as “day” or “days” with just one exception (“time” in 2:4), many biblical scholars contend that the first two chapters of Genesis affirm unambiguously that the days of creation were 24-hour days, a time period many rightly refer to as “solar days.”
Some have raised the questions, “But how could evening and morning come and go without the sun, moon, and stars, which were created on the fourth day? Can you really call the first three days ‘solar days’ without the sun?” These are certainly good questions.
It is not at all unreasonable to assume that the designation, “evening came and then morning” represents a time pattern that applies to all six days, both before and after God created the celestial bodies. The term “solar day” is simply a reference to a 24-hour day as we observe days now, with the heavenly bodies in place. The absence of the sun would certainly not prevent God from applying a day-like pattern to the first three days of His creative work. After all, God created light and separated it from darkness on the first day; so light and darkness existed prior to the sun, moon, and stars.
What About the Seventh Day?
Interestingly, the seventh day is not marked by the phrase, “evening came and then morning.” Those who contend that the Bible leaves room for each day of creation to be millions of years often say that God is still resting from His creation. Because the seventh day lasted an indefinite period of time, they say, so did the other six days. But we do not have conclusive evidence that the seventh day lasted any longer than 24 hours. The absence of the phrase “evening came and then morning” does not have to mean the seventh day is still ongoing—even though God no longer is creating as He did during the other six days. The Bible says, “By the seventh day God completed His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done” (2:2). Scripture speaks of God’s resting in the past tense—not in the present. Moreover, the word translated rested also can be rendered “ceased.”
B. Nathaniel Sullivan
Christian educator, Bible teacher, and Editor
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations in SundaySchoolZone.com materials are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
