The Hebrew word used in Genesis 1 for "day" is Yom. Yom can have a number of meanings, only one of which is a 24-hour period of time. Psalm 90:4 and II Peter 3:8 demonstrate that Yom can refer to a long period of time.

Response:

Defining Yom
	There are five meanings for the word Yom. It can mean: Definition 1. A Period of light in the day/night cycle 2. A 24-Hour period 3. A general or vague concept of time 4. A specific point of time 5. A year
Interpreting Yom
	The association of Yom with its modifiers. "And the evening and the morning were the First day."(Genesis 1:5b) One important method of interpreting a word's meaning is to look at the word's "linear relationship with other words or units with which it is chained together [1]." This is the syntagmatic relation of the word. Many times throughout the Old Testament the word day (Yom) is used in conjunction with a number. If these combinations were intended to mean long periods of time, the text would be meaningless. Outside of Genesis 1, every time the Old Testament uses the word Yom and a number the context refers to a literal 24-hour day. Examples: Genesis 30:36 "And he (Laban) set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob." Exodus 24:16 "And the glory of the Lord abode upon Mt. Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day He called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud." Ezra 3:6 "From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord." Leviticus 19:6 "It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow: and if aught remain until the third day, it shall be burned in the fire." The most commonly used meaning of the Hebrew word Yom is a literal 24-hour day. Every time Yom is used with a number in the Old Testament, the context refers to a literal 24-hour day.
References [1] A.C. Thiselton, "Semantics as New Testament Interpretation." In: I. Howard Marshall (ed.), New Testament Interpretation (Grand Rapids, MI, Eerdmans Publishing, 1977), p. 82. Return to Text