MOD 1:The Meaning of "Day" In Genesis

The Meaning of "Day" In Genesis Supplemental Reading
James Stambaugh, M.Div. IMPACT No. 184, October 1988
The length of the "days" of creation in Genesis has involved a majorcontroversy in Biblical interpretation among evangelicals for over 150years. Many have sought to redefine the term in light of the naturalisticpresuppositions of modern scientism. Therefore, let us attempt, honestly, toexamine the evidence from Scripture. The communication of language is through words and their use. We must askourselves why Moses was using the words he did, and not other words. What isthe meaning he was trying to communicate to his original audience and to us,as well? Why did Moses use the word "day" and not the more generic term,"time"? Is there any significance to the repeated use of numbers in theaccount ("first day," "second day," etc.)? Why are these "days" bounded bythe terms, "evening and morning"? As we examine the text of Genesis 1,answers to these questions become clear. The Meaning of "Day" Those who argue that the word "day" means "long age," point out that theHebrew word, yom, can have a number of meanings, only one of which is "dayof 24 hours."[1] They further seek to strengthen their position with the useof Psalm 90:4 and II Peter 3:8, comparing a day to a thousand years. Both ofthese verses, however, are simply using figures of speech (similes) to showthat God is not constrained by the same time parameters as are humans. Theseverses are really irrelevant to the discussion of the meaning of "day," inGenesis 1. It is recognized, of course, that the word "day" can be used with a numberof variations. It can have any of five meanings: 1) a period of light; 2) aperiod of 24 hours; 3) a general, vague time; 4) a point of time; 5) ayear.[2] The context determines which of these is intended by the writer. TheEnglish language also can have up to 14 definitions for the word "day."[3] Thereader should be reminded that the purpose of language is to communicate.Moses wrote in a language that was meant to communicate to his readers.Words must be defined by their relationship to one another.[4] Word meaningmust be determined from within its context. It will be shown how the contextdefines the word in Genesis 1. The use of a number with the word "day" is very illuminating. Thiscombination occurs 357 times outside of Genesis 1. The combination is usedin four different ways, but each time it is used, it must mean 24-hourperiods of time. If the combinations had been intended to mean long periodsof time, both the texts and contexts then become meaningless. A typicalverse is Genesis 30:36: "And he (Laban) set three days' journey betwixthimself and Jacob." God frequently issued commands that the people were todo or not to do certain things on a given day. This use occurs 162 times. Agood example is Exodus 24:16: "And the glory of the Lord abode upon MountSinai, and the cloud covered it six days, and on the seventh day He calledunto Moses out of the midst of the cloud." These are the most typical usesof the word "day" with a number. Four times the terms are used to show astarting point. Ezra 3:6 says, "From the first day of the seventh month theybegan to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord." A number may also be usedwith "day" to convey an ending point. An example is Leviticus 19:6: "Itshall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow: and if aughtremain until the third day, it shall be burnt in the fire." It would appear,then, that whenever the Old Testament uses a number with the word "day," itmeans a 24-hour period of time without any demonstrable exception. If the meaning of the word "day" with a number always means a 24-hour periodof time outside of Genesis 1, then it should also mean a 24-hour period oftime inside Genesis 1. The words that Moses used to communicate what God didduring creation are very significant. If Moses had meant to signify that the"days" were more than 24 hours in length, he could easily have done so. Ifwe are to understand what Moses wrote, then the language he used must beunderstood in its normal meaning. The normal meaning is that of 24-hourperiods of time. Absence of the Article Once we have determined the meaning of the term "day," we need also toexamine another problem connected with the days of Genesis 1. Some writershave observed the absence of the article from the mention of each of thefirst five days. They have concluded that Moses must have meant to convey tohis readers that at least those days were long periods of time. They havenoted that the normal use of the article is to make the noun definite.[5]Gleason Archer makes the following statement: "In Hebrew prose of thisgenre, the definite article was generally used where the noun was intendedto be definite."[6] The genre, or the form of the literature (i.e., history asopposed to poetry) he is referring to here, is history. Let us see if he iscorrect in this use of the article. The reader must be aware of two points regarding the use of the article inHebrew. First, the article is usually present in the historical sections ofthe Old Testament for the sake of definiteness. But this is not always thecase. Second, Hebrew has more peculiarities in its use of the article thanmost languages.[7] This should make the reader very sensitive to the nature ofthe Hebrew language. The Hebrew language is one that must be observedclosely. The most common observation among Jewish and Christian commentatorsis that the use of the article on the last two days is to show theimportance of the sixth and seventh days.[8] This also is in full accord withthe Hebrew grammatical rule that the article may be used in this manner.[9] Onthe basis of grammar alone, then, we are still justified in ourinterpretation of "day" being 24 hours in length. Also, there is another reason for the absence of the article. It appearsthat numbers in the Hebrew language have a definitive quality in themselves.Kautzsch refers to them as substantives,[10] yet the meaning is the same. Asubstantive is a noun that one can touch, such as a chair. He cites manyexamples where the number and noun occur without the article, yet themeaning is definite. There are 13 other occurrences similar to Genesis 1,where the noun does not have the article but is with a number. In each ofthese other occurrences, the English translation uses the definitearticle.[11] Therefore, we must conclude that the absence of the article inGenesis 1 does not mean that the days are long periods of time. Moses' pointis still very clear: The days are to be thought of as normal 24-hour days. Evening and Morning The meaning of the term "day" must be seen in conjunction with the use of"evening" and "morning." Those who would argue that the days are longperiods contend that these terms can have figurative meanings.[12] But what istheir meaning in the context of Genesis 1? We must ask ourselves, how wouldthe people have understood these terms "evening" and "morning"? Is Moses,and by extension, God, trying to deceive us by not telling us the truthabout the length of the "days"? The Old Testament records 38 times whenthese two words are used in the same verse. Each time they occur, themeaning must be that of a normal day. Here are a couple of examples toillustrate the point: Exodus 16:8 says, "And Moses said, this shall be whenthe Lord shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morningbread to the full." Also Exodus 18:13, "and the people stood by Moses fromthe morning unto the evening." All the other occurrences are essentiallythe same. So then, it would appear that when the words "morning" and"evening" are used in the same verse, they must refer to a normal day. Statement by God God did not leave the length of the creation days open to question. He toldus the exact length of each day. In Exodus 20:11, He said that in "six daysthe Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is and restedon the seventh day." The context of the statement is an emphatic command.God tells the people, "remember" and "keep" the Sabbath. God then tells themhow to keep the Sabbath in their daily lives. The people can tell whetherthey are keeping the Sabbath if they are resting on the seventh day. Godthen anchors the reality of the present days to the reality of the past daysof creation. God has set the pattern of Israel's work week. The "days" arethe same kind of days that the people would have readily known. As it hasbeen demonstrated previously, "day," used with a number, means a 24-hourday. It seems obvious that all throughout Israel's history, the people haveunderstood this to mean a 24-hour day. Even those who hold to the long agesof Genesis 1 acknowledge the "days" of Exodus 20:8 - 11 to be 24-hour days.[13]Therefore, the "days" of creation must also have been 24 hours in length. Conclusion What can we conclude concerning the length of the "days" of creation? Theusage of the word "day," with a number, means a 24-hour period. The absenceof the article does not alter that meaning. Further, the use of "evening"and "morning" indicates that normal time is meant in Genesis 1. God,Himself, said that the creation took only six days. We also must askourselves, did Moses and God deceive us by using the word "day," when itreally was a long period of time? If our answer is yes, then we should notuse the Bible for any of our beliefs. For, if God can deceive us concerningthe events of creation, He might have done that in regards to the life,death, and resurrection of our Lord. The bottom line is that we then canhave no confidence in God's Word, if the long-day view is held. It is farbetter to believe God at His Word, and take the creation days as 24-hour days.
References 1. For typical arguments, examine Davis Young, Creation and the Flood, (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1977), pp. 83, 84 Return to Text 2. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, I:371. Return to Text 3. Webster's 20th Century Dictionary, unabridged. Return to Text 4. Beekman, John and John CalIow. Translating the Word of God, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1974), p.69. Return to Text 5. Kautzsch, E. Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1980), p. 404. Return to Text 6. Archer, Gleason. Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties,(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1982), p. 61. Return to Text 7. Kautzsch, pp.406,407. Return to Text 8. One should consult Jewish commentators Cassuto, Rashi, and Cohen. Some of the Christian commentators are Keil, Leupold, and E.J. Young. Return to Text 9. Kautzsch, p.408. Return to Text 10. Kautzsch, p.432. Return to Text 11. The occurrences are Numbers 11:19; I Samuel 1:1; 1 Chronicles 12:39; II Chronicles 20:25; Ezra 8:15, 32; Nehemiah 2:11; Daniel 1:12, 14,15; 12:12, 13, and Jonah 3:4. Return to Text 12. Ross, Hugh. Genesis One: A Scientific Perspective, (Sierra Madre: Wiseman Productions, 1983), p.16. Return to Text 13. Archer, pp. 116,117, also Henry Alford, The Book of Genesis and Part of Exodus, (Minneapolis: Klock and Klock, 1979), pp.313, 314. Return to Text
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