Genesis 1:17
in Genesis 1God set these lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And God set them in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth,
KJV
And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
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This verse in Genesis 1
Commentary
6 notes on this verseAs those lights of heaven that we see have been set "for signs and seasons and days and years," that they might give light from the firmament of heaven to those who are on the earth, so also Christ, illuminating his church, gives signs by his precepts, that one might know how, when the sign has been received, to escape the "wrath to come," lest "that day overtake him like a thief," but that rather he can reach "the acceptable year of the Lord." Christ, therefore, is the "true light which enlightens every man coming into this world."
This site's exposition
two great lights
on Genesis 1:16-19
Moses calls them the greater light and the lesser light. The ordinary Hebrew names for sun and moon were the names of gods in the nations around Israel, and this account leaves them out. God set these lights in the expanse to rule the day and the night.
This site's exposition
God set these lights
Each light is placed where God set it. Origen read them as a picture of Christ, who gives light to His church as these lights shine, and tied the verse to John 1:9. The signs they give, in his reading, teach a reader how to escape judgment.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
And God set them in the firmament of the heaven,....
Those are most valuable that are most serviceable; and those are the greater lights, not that have the best gifts, but that humbly and faithfully do the most good with them.
(2.) The duty and wisdom of daily worshipping that God who made all these things, and made them to be that to us which they are. The revolutions of the day and night oblige us to offer the solemn sacrifice of prayer and praise every morning and evening.
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּתֵּ֥ן | vaiyiten | and he set | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| אֹתָ֛ם | ʾotam | <obj.> them | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֱלֹהִ֖ים | ʾelohim | God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| בִּרְקִ֣יעַ | birkia' | in [the] firmament of | H7549 → | 17 times |
| הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם | hashamayim | the heavens | H8064 → | 421 times |
| לְהָאִ֖יר | lehair | to give light | H215 → | 43 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הָאָֽרֶץ׃ | haaretz | the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
וַיִּתֵּ֥ןand he set
vaiyitenH5414 →2011 times
אֹתָ֛ם<obj.> them
ʾotamH853 →10935 times
אֱלֹהִ֖יםGod
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
בִּרְקִ֣יעַin [the] firmament of
birkia'H7549 →17 times
הַשָּׁמָ֑יִםthe heavens
hashamayimH8064 →421 times
לְהָאִ֖ירto give light
lehairH215 →43 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הָאָֽרֶץ׃the earth
haaretzH776 →2504 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Acts 13:47For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
it leads to
- Isaiah 49:6
He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light…
- Isaiah 42:6
“I, the LORD, have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a…
- Luke 2:32
a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.”
- Isaiah 49:6
Through
Psalms 8:1O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens.
it leads to
- Psalms 8:9
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!
- Psalms 113:2–4
Blessed be the name of the LORD both now and forevermore.
- Psalms 57:5
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; may Your glory cover all the earth.
- Psalms 8:9
Through
Psalms 8:3When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place—
it leads to
- Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
- Psalms 33:6
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the stars by the breath of His mouth.
- Genesis 1:1
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies40
On this chapter
- Adam
- The Bible and the Ancient Near East
- The Designer's Fingerprint
- The Numbers of Scripture
- The Covenants
- Creation and Evolution
Show the next 6 titles
About Genesis
This page draws on John Calvin, Commentary on Genesis; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON GENESIS 1.6.