<< TMS Review [Genesis]>>DOES THE BIBLE SAY GOD CREATED PLANTS BEFORE HE CREATED THE SUN/LIGHT?No, it does not. The first verse of Genesis (1:1) mentions the creation of the heavenly bodies, it reads: "
In the beginning god created the heavens and the earth ..." This no doubt would have included our sun and the stars.
DAY 1On the first creative "day" the bible explains that initially "
the earth proved to be formless and waste and there was darkness upon the surface of [the] watery deep ..." (note, it did not say the universe had no light, only that what light may have existed
did not reach "the surface" of the planet at the time. Evidently, the
light from the sun was not visible from the earth. Scientists theorize that the primitive earth long remained covered in darkness, due to outgassing from volcanic eruptions.
Eventually God proceeded to say: "Let light come to be." This "light" came in a gradual process, extending over a long period of time, not instantaneously as when you turn on an electric light bulb.
The Hebrew word there used for "light" (on day 1) is "ohr", meaning light in a general sense;
the SOURCES of that light could not have been seen by an earthly observer because of the cloud layers still enveloping the earth.
Translator J. W. Watts reflects this when it says:
And gradually light came into existence. (A Distinctive Translation of Genesis).
To illustrate: Have you ever tried to find the sun on a day when the sky was completely overcast? You know the sun is THERE (it's not dark, there is light) but you cannot see where the light is coming from because of the clouds. This is similar to the situation from days 1 through 3 in Genesis with the planet moving gradually from being shrouded in darkness (due to the light being blocked from reaching its "suface") to having enough light for plants to grow.
DAY 3By the close of this third creative period, however, the diffused light would have become quite strong, ample for the process of photosynthesis so vital to green plants. Thus the creation of the three broad categories of land plants.
DAY 4On the fourth day the bible speaks of the luminaries or the light sources. On this day, the Hebrew word for LIGHT changes to
ma¡ohr¡ä, which esentially refers to the source of the light. The Emphasised Bible, states that the Hebrew word ma'ohr used in verse 14 means something affording light. So on this fourth day, the "source" of light would have become
discernable The atmosphere cleared enough for the SOURCE of light to be clearly distinguishable.
v3 ’ôr [’ohr], light diffused.” - v14 “affording light.” -
Luminaries, Rotherham, Emphasised BibleStrongs #216 Light "owr" [Genesis 1:3]
www.htmlbible.com/sacrednamebiblecom/kjvstrongs/STRHEB2.htm#S216Strongs #3974 Light "ma'owr" [Genesis 1:14] "properly, a luminous body or luminary"
www.htmlbible.com/sacrednamebiblecom/kjvstrongs/STRHEB39.htm#S3974NOTE In hebrew there are two distinct words used in Genesis, "Bara" which basically means CREATE (ie make from 'nothing') and "asah" (which means "do" "make" "prepare") ie, process what has already been created. The word used in the English "MADE [...the liminaries] in Genesis 1:16 is "asah" so it does not mean God created the luminaries at that time but by the fourth day he made (or enabled/caused) the already previously created heavenly bodies to serve their purpose.
CONCLUSION: Though some, from a perfunctory reading of Genesis conclude that the sun, stars and all universal light sources are spoken of coming into existence on the fourth day, this is in fact not what the text actually says. Further reading
nephesh-chaiyah.blogspot.com/2006/09/let-there-be-light-bara-or-hayah.htmlBARA v ASAH
Doesn't the bible say that God MADE the luminaries on the 4th day?
