Gen 1:3-13 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Gen 1:3-13: 1:3-13 In the first three days, God formed the chaos into a habitable world. 1:3 Then God said: Nothing in ch 1 is created apart from God’s powerful word (cp. Ps 33:6 , 9 ). • “Let there be ...” and there was: God’s command enacted his will to create the world. God is not a part of creation or limited by it; he is the supreme ruler over everything (cp. Neh 9:6 ).

Summary for Gen 1:3-13: 1:3-13 ^a In the first three days, God formed the chaos into a habitable world. 1:3 ^b Then God said: Nothing in ch 1 ^c is created apart from God’s powerful word (cp. Ps 33:6 ^d, 9 ^e).

• “Let there be ...” and there was: God’s command enacted his will to create the world. God is not a part of creation or limited by it; he is the supreme ruler over everything (cp. Neh 9:6 ^f).
1:4 ^g Light is antithetical to chaotic darkness (1:2 ^h); the light is declared good but the darkness is not (cp. John 1:5 ⁱ). God is the source of this light (cp. Gen 1:14-19 ^j). God separated the light, as he did water (cp. 1:6-8 ^k), by his creative word. Light is associated with life and blessing (Job 38:19-20 ^l; Pss 19:1-6 ^m; 97:11 ⁿ; 104:19-20 ^o; Isa 60:19-20 ^p) and sets a boundary on the darkness that would destroy cosmic order. Darkness often typifies terror, death, and evil (see Gen 15:12 ^q; Job 18:6 ^r, 18 ^s; Ps 88:12 ^t; Eph 5:11-12 ^u; 1 Jn 1:5 ^v).
1:5 ^w God called (or named): To name something is to exercise authority over it (see also 2:19-20 ^x).

• day: The Hebrew yom can refer to daylight (1:5a ^y), to a 24-hour period (1:5b ^z), or to an unspecified time period (2:4b ^aa, “When,” literally in the day; cp. Exod 20:8-11 ^ab).

• evening ... morning: The Hebrew day began at sundown, just as the first day began with darkness and brought the first morning light.
Summary for Gen 1:6-8: 1:6-8 ^ac The creation account describes the appearance of things from a human perspective. The sky is viewed as a shiny dome that is a buffer between two collections of water (cp. Job 37:18 ^ad; Ezek 1:22 ^ae). In the ancient Near East, the cosmos was understood as a three-tier system, with rain originating from the outermost tier (see Gen 7:11-12 ^af and study note).
Summary for Gen 1:9-10: 1:9-10 ^ag Let the waters ... flow together: Other ancient cultures viewed the sea as a hostile force. Genesis shows God as further restraining chaos (see study note on 1:2) by prescribing specific boundaries for the sea. The flood—an act of God’s judgment (6:7 ^ah)—undid these boundaries and returned the earth to chaos (7:1-24 ^ai).