How long is a Yom? 24 hours? Genesis 1.1.

[Johann]

DAY (YOM, BDB 398, KB 399, in Genesis 1)

Theories of the meaning of yom (day, in Genesis 1) taken and adapted from Dr. John Harris' (Dean of the School of Christian Studies and Professor of OT at East Texas Baptist University) OT Survey I Notebook:

The Literal Twenty-Four Hour Period Theory
This is the straightforward approach (cf. Exod. 20:9-11). Questions arising from this approach:
How was there light on day one when the sun was not created until day four?
How were all the animals (especially those original to other parts of the world) named in less than one day? (cf. Gen. 2:19-20)?
The Day ‒ AgeTheory
This theory attempts to harmonize science (particularly geology) with scripture. This theory states that the "days" were "geological ages" in length. Their length is unequal, and they approximate the various layers described in uniformitarian geology. Scientists tend to agree with the general development of Genesis 1: vapor and a watery mass preceded the separation of land and sea prior to the appearance of life. Vegetable life came before animal life, and mankind represented the latest and most complex form of life. Questions arising from this approach.
How did plants survive for "ages" without the sun?
How did pollination take place in plants if insects and birds were not made until "ages" later?
The Alternate Age ‒ Day Theory
The days are in fact twenty-four hour periods, but each day is separated by ages in which what was created developed. Questions arising from this approach.
The same problems arise as in the Day-Age Theory.
Does the text indicate "day" to be used both as twenty-four hours and as an era?
The Progressive Creation ‒ Catastrophe Theory
This theory goes as follows: between Gen. 1:1 and 1:2, there was an indefinite period of time in which the geological ages took place; during this period, the pre-historic creatures in the order suggested by the fossils were created; around 200,000 years ago, a supernatural disaster occurred and destroyed much of the life on this planet and made many animals extinct; then the days of Genesis 1 occurred. These days refer to a re-creation, rather than to an original creation.
The Eden-Only Theory
The creation account refers only to the creation and physical aspects of the Garden of Eden.
The Gap Theory
Based on Gen. 1:1, God created a perfect world. Based on Gen. 1:2, Lucifer (Satan) was placed in charge of the world and rebelled. God then judged Lucifer and the world by utter destruction. For millions of years, the world was left alone and the geological ages passed. Based on Gen. 1:3-2:3, in 4004 B.C.E., the six literal twenty-four hour days of re-creation occurred. Bishop Ussher (A.D. 1654) used the genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11 to calculate and date the creation of humanity, ca. 4004 B.C.E. However, genealogies do not represent complete chronological schemes.
The Sacred Week Theory
The writer of the book of Genesis used the concept of days and a week as a literary device to put across the divine message of the activity of God in creation. Such a structure illustrates the beauty and symmetry of God's creative work.
The Cosmic Temple Inauguration
This is a recent view by John H. Walton, The Lost World of Genesis One, IVP, 2009, which sees the six days as a "functional ontology, not a material ontology." They describe God ordering or setting up a functioning universe for mankind's good. This fits the other ancient cosmologies (see John H, Walton, Genesis As Ancient Cosmology). For example, the first three days would represent God providing "seasons" (i.e., time), "weather" (i.e., for crops), and "food." The repeated phrase "it is good" would denote functionality.
 The seventh day would describe God entering His fully functional and inhabited "cosmic temple" as its rightful owner, controller, and director. Genesis 1 has nothing to do with the material creation of matter but the ordering of that matter for a functioning place for God and humans to fellowship.
 The "days" become a literary device to communicate the ANE's general consensus that
 there is no distinction between the "natural" and the "supernatural"
 Deity is involved in every aspect of life. Israel's uniqueness was not her general worldview but the following
 (1) her monotheism
 (2) creation was for mankind, not for the gods
 (3) there is no conflict between the gods nor between the gods and humanity in Israel's account
Israel did not borrow her creation account from others but shared their general worldview.

The term "day" usually refers to a 24 hour cycle of the earth's rotation (i.e., Exod. 20:9-10), but it can refer to a period of unspecified time (cf. Gen. 2:4; 5:2; Ruth 1:1; Ps. 50:15; 90:4; Eccl. 7:14; Isa. 4:2; 11:2; Zech. 4:10).

Biblical Reasons to Doubt the Creation Days Were 24-Hour Periods

Scientific objections aside, the more I study Genesis 1 and 2, the more I think it is unlikely that the "days" are referring to strict 24-hour periods. Here's why.

www.thegospelcoalition.org

Amazon.com

Since Scripture is silent on how long the creation account was/is--why do you come up with a 6 day literal account in Genesis 1.1? @marks

Am I a heretic now?
Johann.

 

[marks]

Since Scripture is silent on how long the creation account was/is--why do you come up with a 6 day literal account in Genesis 1.1? @marks

I don't consider Scripture silent on the matter.

Exodus 20:8-11 KJV
8) Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9) Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10) But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11) For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

As I see this, the same kind of day on which the people rest is the same kind of day that God created in.

Much love!

 

[marks]

Am I a heretic now?

Not as far as I can tell . . .

Much love!

 

[Windmill Charge]

The Day ‒ AgeTheory

The Alternate Age ‒ Day Theory
The Progressive Creation ‒ Catastrophe Theory
The Gap Theory
All fall victim to the problem of death and suffering being very good.
Genesis 1:31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

The only reason for wanting g long ages is to make the bible fit into the atheistic view of evolution.

It comes about because people do not read out of scripture what it says, but rather they read into it their preconceived ideas.

 

[Johann]

The Alternate Age ‒ Day Theory
The Progressive Creation ‒ Catastrophe Theory
The Gap Theory
All fall victim to the problem of death and suffering being very good.
Genesis 1:31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

The only reason for wanting g long ages is to make the bible fit into the atheistic view of evolution.

It comes about because people do not read out of scripture what it says, but rather they read into it their preconceived ideas.

This is going to be a waste of my time-for sure.

The question of whether the "six days" of creation in Genesis 1:1 represent literal 24-hour periods or symbolic, longer periods of time has been the subject of significant debate among Christians, theologians, and biblical scholars. There are several main views on the interpretation of these six days:

1. Literal 24-Hour Day View:
Belief: This view holds that God created the world in six literal, consecutive 24-hour days. This interpretation is based on the straightforward reading of the text in Genesis 1, where each day ends with the phrase "and there was evening and there was morning, the [first, second, etc.] day" (Genesis 1:5, 8, etc.). Supporters of this view believe the events occurred in this exact timeframe about 6,000 to 10,000 years ago, depending on how one calculates biblical genealogies.

Theological Basis: Advocates often argue that God, being omnipotent, could have created everything in a short time frame, and they take the Sabbath commandment in Exodus 20:11 literally: "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day." And that's that--
Common Adherents: This view is often held by Young Earth Creationists.

2. Day-Age View (Old Earth Creationism):
Belief: This view interprets the six "days" in Genesis 1 as long, indefinite periods of time (eons or ages) rather than literal 24-hour days. The Hebrew word for "day" (yom) can be understood as a longer period in some biblical contexts (e.g., Psalm 90:4, "For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past").
Theological Basis: Proponents argue that this interpretation harmonizes with scientific evidence of an old earth (billions of years). They see each "day" as representing a different epoch of creation, where God’s creative work occurred over long periods, allowing for the development of life in stages.
Common Adherents: This view is typically held by Old Earth Creationists and some theologians seeking to reconcile scripture with scientific findings about the age of the universe.

3. Framework View:
Belief: The Framework view interprets the Genesis creation account as a literary or poetic framework rather than a sequential, chronological account of creation. According to this view, the six days are not literal days but a literary structure used to communicate theological truths about God’s creative work.
Theological Basis: Proponents emphasize the symmetry between the first three days of creation, where God forms the environments (light/dark, sky/waters, land/vegetation), and the next three days, where He fills those environments (sun/moon, birds/fish, animals/humans). They argue that the purpose of Genesis 1 is to show God's sovereignty, order, and purpose, rather than to provide a scientific explanation.
Common Adherents: Many Reformed theologians and those who hold to a more symbolic or literary approach to Genesis.

4. Theistic Evolution (Evolutionary Creationism):
Belief: This view suggests that God used the process of evolution to bring about life on earth, including humans. The "days" in Genesis are seen as metaphorical or symbolic, representing phases of God’s creative activity. Supporters argue that the Bible's creation narrative is not intended to provide a scientific account but rather to affirm God's role as Creator.
Theological Basis: Proponents often point to passages like Psalm 104 and Job 38-39, which describe creation in poetic terms, suggesting that scripture is not focused on the mechanisms of creation but on God’s authority and purpose in creating. This view seeks to reconcile evolutionary science with a belief in divine creation.
Common Adherents: This view is held by many scientists who are Christians and by some theologians who are open to integrating science with scripture.

Key Points in the Debate:
Hebrew Word for "Day" (Yom): The word yom can mean a 24-hour day, but it can also mean an indefinite period or epoch, depending on the context. For example, Genesis 2:4 uses yom to refer to the entire creation period, suggesting a broader meaning.
The Age of the Earth: Geological and cosmological evidence suggests the earth is approximately 4.5 billion years old, a finding that seems incompatible with a literal 6-day, 24-hour creation. This creates tension for some who hold to a literal view.
Interpretation of Biblical Texts: Some theologians believe that Genesis 1 is written in a stylized, poetic form, not meant to convey exact chronological sequences but rather theological truths about God's nature as Creator.

Whether one interprets the six days of creation in Genesis 1 as literal 24-hour periods or as symbolic representations of longer timeframes depends largely on one’s hermeneutical approach to scripture. Literalists take the text at face value, seeing it as describing actual, sequential days. Others, however, see it as a poetic or symbolic account, aimed more at revealing God’s purposes in creation than the specifics of how or when He created everything. How one views the days of creation can also reflect how they reconcile biblical texts with scientific discoveries regarding the age of the universe and evolutionary theory.

Since this is NOT a salvivic issue---

J.

 

[Windmill Charge]

This is going to be a waste of my time-for sure

Depends whether you believe the bib.e or not, or whether you believe what atheists say.
It is as simple ple as that.

 

[Rxlx]

DAY (YOM, BDB 398, KB 399, in Genesis 1)


Am I a heretic now?
Johann.

No you are a typical follower of Satan.
I'll make Creation Week easy for you:
GOD and Jesus do not work in our human time, energy and physical dimensions.

If you doubt GOD could create everything in 6 days try figure out how the dead and rotting Lazarus was instantly raised back to life by Jesus: his blood had to be reconstituted, his braincells ditto, the bacteria rotting his internals destroyed and the internals healed.
Or try figure out how a fig tree withered instantly after Jesus cursed it for being barren.

A Christian by definition should believe every word of the Bible

 

[Rxlx]

3. Framework View:
Belief: The Framework view interprets the Genesis creation account as a literary or poetic framework rather than a sequential, chronological account of creation.

Whether one interprets the six days of creation in Genesis 1 as literal 24-hour periods or as symbolic representations of longer timeframes depends largely on one’s hermeneutical approach to scripture. Literalists take the text at face value, seeing it as describing actual, sequential days. Others, however, see it as a poetic or symbolic account, aimed more at revealing God’s purposes in creation than the specifics of how or when He created everything. How one views the days of creation can also reflect how they reconcile biblical texts with scientific discoveries regarding the age of the universe and evolutionary theory.

Since this is NOT a salvivic issue---

I was pretty shocked a year of two after becoming a Christian to hear the regional head of British Methodists sneer condescendingly at me: 'You do know the first four books of the Bible are poetry!'
Then, when out of curiosity I accompanied some Anglicans to open evening at local Anglican teaching college, I asked each of the course tutors if they were descended from Adam and Eve or evolved from monkeys'. All said monkeys!
Recently minister and two novices at local church all said monkeys to same question!
No wonder churches are emptying fast.

I do wonder though how they reconcile their calling GOD and Jesus liars when they lead the few faithful in say The Lord's Prayer.

I rathre think that Jesus will say to them 'Get away I never knew you!' on Judgment Day.

 

[Webers_Home]

.
● Gen 2:4 . .This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they
were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven.

The Hebrew word translated "day" in that verse is the same word used to
label each of the six episodes of creation. Seeing as how day in Gen 2:4
encompasses the entire creation endeavor from beginning to end, then I
think we have to concede that the Hebrew word is ambiguous and not as
explicit as some would prefer.

Also, seeing as how the Sun wasn't created until the fourth day, then we
should not be thinking of creation's evenings and mornings as solar events.
Personally I think we should think of those terms as merely index flags
indicating the end of each of the six events and the beginning of another;
regardless of their length.
_

 

[Aunty Jane]

Am I a heretic now?

I don’t believe so….
Since the Bible itself is silent on the subject of time, in how long God took to create all that exists in the material universe, scientists basically know that the universe had a beginning…and Genesis confirms this.

The Genesis account in ch 1:1 as your video suggests, is not part of the first day, but precedes it….meaning that the Universe came into existence as one act of supreme power…the heaven and the earth are ancient.
No one knows how much time elapsed between the creation of the earth and its preparation for habitation.

There is no reason to conclude that all creation took place in six literal earth days….God is a Creator, not a magician. He is not confined to earth time as he exists outside of space and time in a realm that we know little about.

 

[Johann]

.
● Gen 2:4 . .This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they
were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven.

The Hebrew word translated "day" in that verse is the same word used to
label each of the six episodes of creation. Seeing as how day in Gen 2:4
encompasses the entire creation endeavor from beginning to end, then I
think we have to concede that the Hebrew word is ambiguous and not as
explicit as some would prefer.

Also, seeing as how the Sun wasn't created until the fourth day, then we
should not be thinking of creation's evenings and mornings as solar events.
Personally I think we should think of those terms as merely index flags
indicating the end of each of the six events and the beginning of another;
regardless of their length.
_

I don't know from what source you quote from but I concur.

J.

 

[Johann]

I don’t believe so….
Since the Bible itself is silent on the subject of time, in how long God took to create all that exists in the material universe, scientists basically know that the universe had a beginning…and Genesis confirms this.

The Genesis account in ch 1:1 as your video suggests, is not part of the first day, but precedes it….meaning that the Universe came into existence as one act of supreme power…the heaven and the earth are ancient.
No one knows how much time elapsed between the creation of the earth and its preparation for habitation.

There is no reason to conclude that all creation took place in six literal earth days….God is a Creator, not a magician. He is not confined to earth time as he exists outside of space and time in a realm that we know little about.

Thank you @Aunty Jane and we have the Sages on our side as to "Yom"

And thank you for taking the time to really listen to the video clips.

Stay strong in Christ Jesus.

J.

 

[Aunty Jane]

Something else to contemplate is the mention of “evening and morning” as the beginning and end of each creative “day”…..
The Jewish counting of a day is sunset to sunset….not sunset to sunrise….that is half a day.

We use the expression “the dawn of a new era” meaning the beginning of a new era…and for us the sun setting is the end of our day….to begin another day at sunrise.

Also the extinction of species that archeologists and anthropologist know occurred before humans walked on this earth underscores the length of the creative eras.

There were no dinosaurs on the ark….

 

[RedFan]

There were no dinosaurs on the ark….

Any 600 year old man is a dinosaur in my book!

 

[Webers_Home]

.
There are two primary kinds of Days in the first chapter of Genesis. One is a
creation day and the other is a natural day. It's very important to keep those
two kinds of days distinct and separate in our thinking because they are as
unalike as sand and gravel.

Creation days are a bit problematic because there were no sunrises or
sunsets to be seen on Earth till the fourth day. And-- when you think about
it --a strict chronology of evening and morning defines neither a natural day
nor a calendar day, rather, it defines overnight; viz: darkness. (Lev 24:2-4)
In order to obtain a full 24-hour day, we'd have to define creation's Days as
a day and a night rather than an evening and a morning.

In other words: the evenings and mornings relative to creation days aren't
solar events. The terms are merely index flags indicating the beginning and
end of an unspecified period.

Now, according to Gen 1:24-31, God created humans and all terra critters on
the sixth Day; which has to include prehistoric creatures because on no other
Day did God create beasts to inhabit this Earth but the sixth.

However; the sciences of geology and paleontology, in combination with
radiometric dating, strongly suggest that dinosaurs preceded humans by
several million years. So then, in my estimation, the Days of creation should
be taken to represent eras rather than 24-hour events.

Anyway; this "day" thing has been a stone in the shoe for just about
everybody who takes Genesis seriously. It's typically assumed that the Days
of creation consisted of twenty-four hours apiece; so Bible students end up
stumped when trying to figure out how to cope with the 4.5 billion-year age
of the earth, and factor in the various eras, e.g. Triassic, Jurassic, Mesozoic,
Cenozoic, Cretaceous, etc, plus the ice ages and the mass extinction events.

NOTE: Galileo believed that science and religion are allies rather than
enemies-- two different languages telling the same story. He believed that
science and religion complement each other, to wit: science answers
questions that religion doesn't bother to answer, and religion answers
questions that science cannot answer.

For example: theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking understood pretty well
how the cosmos works; but could never scientifically explain why it should
exist at all. Well; in my estimation, the only possible answer to the "why" is
found in intelligent design; which is a religious explanation rather than
scientific. Religion's "why" is satisfactory for people of faith. No doubt thinkers
like Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michio Kaku, Michelle Thaller, and the late Carl Sagan
would prefer something a bit more empirical.
_

 

[Skovand]

In genesis 1 it most likely means a day, much like how we mean a 24 hour day. But normally when people ask about it wait they mean is should we be taking this literal. But contextual analysis indicates it’s not meant to be taken literally but symbolically, or rather it’s a myth that was written to showcase god as a being of order and humanity created out of love.

 

[Hobie]

I don't consider Scripture silent on the matter.

Exodus 20:8-11 KJV
8) Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9) Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10) But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11) For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

As I see this, the same kind of day on which the people rest is the same kind of day that God created in.

Much love!

Amen. Satan has tried but failed to destroy the weekly cycle and the 24 hour day..

 

[Ronald Nolette]

Theories of the meaning of yom (day, in Genesis 1) taken and adapted from Dr. John Harris' (Dean of the School of Christian Studies and Professor of OT at East Texas Baptist University) OT Survey I Notebook:

The Literal Twenty-Four Hour Period Theory
This is the straightforward approach (cf. Exod. 20:9-11). Questions arising from this approach:
How was there light on day one when the sun was not created until day four?
How were all the animals (especially those original to other parts of the world) named in less than one day? (cf. Gen. 2:19-20)?
The Day ‒ AgeTheory

Yom is sometimes defined as a 24 hour day. sometimes as an age or undefined period of time.

However in Genesis 1 we know conclusively it is a 24 hour day. HOw?

Every period of creation was defined thusly:

" And the evening and the morning were the first day."

See? an evening and a morning a first "yom".

 

[Brakelite]

If we are going to discard the idea of a literal creation week and reduce it to a metaphor basing it on "science", what's to stop us from discarding the fall, sin, the rationale behind death, the promise of a Saviour, and conclude with doubting the need of one?

 

[Aunty Jane]

Yom is sometimes defined as a 24 hour day. sometimes as an age or undefined period of time.

However in Genesis 1 we know conclusively it is a 24 hour day. HOw?

Every period of creation was defined thusly:

" And the evening and the morning were the first day."

See? an evening and a morning a first "yom".

If the Jews counted their days from sunrise to sunset you might have a valid point….but the Jewish day began at sunset and ended at sunset….”evening and morning” is half a day and only in the dark hours.