Genesis 1 · Verse 5

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.
Genesis 1:5, King James Version

Genesis 1:5 in other translations

BSBGod called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
WEBGod called the light “day”, and the darkness he called “night”. There was evening and there was morning, the first day.
ASVAnd God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
YLTand God calleth to the light ‘Day,' and to the darkness He hath called ‘Night;' and there is an evening, and there is a morning--day one.
DARBYAnd God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening, and there was morning — the first day.
BBENaming the light, Day, and the dark, Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
WebsterAnd God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night: and the evening and the morning were the first day.

What does Genesis 1:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
5. first day--a natural day, as the mention of its two parts clearly determines; and Moses reckons, according to Oriental usage, from sunset to sunset, saying not day and night as we do, but evening and morning.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · 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 1:5 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.

וַיִּקְרָ֨אvai.yik.Ra'and he calledH7121
אֱלֹהִ֤ים\׀'E.lo.HimGodH430
לָאוֹר֙la.'Or<to> the lightH216
י֔וֹםYomdayH3117
וְלַחֹ֖שֶׁךְve.la.Cho.shekhand <to> the darknessH2822
קָ֣רָאKa.ra'he calledH7121
לָ֑יְלָהLai.lahnightH3915
וַֽיְהִי\־vay.hi-and there wasH1961
עֶ֥רֶב'E.reveveningH6153
וַֽיְהִי\־vay.hi-and there wasH1961
בֹ֖קֶרVo.kermorningH1242
י֥וֹםYomdayH3117
אֶחָֽד\׃\ \פ'e.ChadoneH259

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

Cross references for Genesis 1:5

  • Psalms 74:16

    The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun.

  • Isaiah 45:7

    I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.

  • 1 Thessalonians 5:5

    Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

  • Psalms 104:20

    Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.

  • Genesis 8:22

    While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

  • Genesis 1:8

    And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

  • Jeremiah 33:20

    Thus saith the Lord; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season;

  • Psalms 19:2

    Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.

  • Ephesians 5:13

    But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

  • 1 Corinthians 3:13

    Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.

  • 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 1:23

    And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Day, and.
8:22; Ps 19:2; 74:16; 104:20; Isa 45:7; Jer 33:20; 1Co 3:13; Eph 5:13
1Th 5:5
And the evening and the morning were. Heb. And the eveningwas, and the morning was.
8,13,19,23,31

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

Context

  • 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.

  • Genesis 1:6

    And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

Read all of Genesis 1

Genesis 1:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y llamó Dios á la luz Día, y á las tinieblas llamó Noche: y fué la tarde y la mañana un día.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Dieu appela la lumière Jour; et les ténèbres, il les appela Nuit. Et il y eut soir, et il y eut matin: – premier jour.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Gott nannte das Licht Tag, und die Finsternis nannte er Nacht. Und es ward Abend und es ward Morgen: erster Tag.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Appellavitque lucem Diem, et tenebras Noctem: factumque est vespere et mane, dies unus.