Genesis 1 · Verse 4

Genesis 1:4

And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
Genesis 1:4, King James Version

Genesis 1:4 in other translations

BSBAnd God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness.
WEBGod saw the light, and saw that it was good. God divided the light from the darkness.
ASVAnd God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
YLTAnd God seeth the light that it is good, and God separateth between the light and the darkness,
DARBYAnd God saw the light that it was good; and God divided between the light and the darkness.
BBEAnd God, looking on the light, saw that it was good: and God made a division between the light and the dark,
WebsterAnd God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

What does Genesis 1:4 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
4. divided the light from darkness--refers to the alternation or succession of the one to the other, produced by the daily revolution of the earth round its axis.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 4 God divided the light from the darkness - This does not imply that light and darkness are two distinct substances, seeing darkness is only the privation of light; but the words simply refer us by anticipation to the rotation of the earth round its own axis once in twenty-three hours, fifty-six minutes, and four seconds, which is the cause of the distinction between day and night, by bringing the different parts of the surface of the earth successively into and from under the solar rays; and it was probably at this moment that God gave this rotation to the earth, to produce this merciful provision of day and night. For the manner in which light is supposed to be produced, see Gen 1:16, under the word sun.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 1:3-5

God said, Let there be light; he willed it, and at once there was light. Oh, the power of the word of God! And in the new creation, the first thing that is wrought in the soul is light: the blessed Spirit works upon the will and affections by enlightening the understanding. Those who by sin were darkness, by grace become light in the Lord. Darkness would have been always upon fallen man, if the Son of God had not…

Read the full comment on Genesis 1:3-5 →

Genesis 1:4 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיַּ֧רְאvai.Yar'and he sawH7200
אֱלֹהִ֛ים'E.lo.HimGodH430
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
הָא֖וֹרha.'Orthe lightH216
כִּי\־ki-thatH3588
ט֑וֹבTov[it was] goodH2895
וַיַּבְדֵּ֣לvai.yav.Deland he separatedH914
אֱלֹהִ֔ים'E.lo.HimGodH430
בֵּ֥יןbeinbetweenH996
הָא֖וֹרha.'Orthe lightH216
וּבֵ֥יןu.Veinand betweenH996
הַחֹֽשֶׁךְ\׃ha.Cho.shekhthe darknessH2822

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Genesis 1:4

  • Ecclesiastes 2:13

    Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.

  • Genesis 1:18

    And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

  • Ecclesiastes 11:7

    Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:

  • Genesis 1:31

    And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

  • Genesis 1:12

    And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

  • Genesis 1:10

    And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

  • Genesis 1:25

    And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
that.
10,12,18,25,31; Ec 2:13; 11:7
the light from the darkness. Heb. between the light andbetween the darkness.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Genesis 1:3

    And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

  • Genesis 1:4

    And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

  • Genesis 1:5

    And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Read all of Genesis 1

Genesis 1:4 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y vió Dios que la luz era buena: y apartó Dios la luz de las tinieblas.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Dieu vit la lumière, qu’elle était bonne; et Dieu sépara la lumière d’avec les ténèbres.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Gott sah das Licht, daß es gut war; und Gott schied das Licht von der Finsternis.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et vidit Deus lucem quod esset bona: et divisit lucem a tenebris.