Order of Creation - Bereshit 1
Shalom all,
What do you make of this occurrence in Genesis 1, where plant life came to be on earth (1:12) before the sun or moon (1:16). This is interesting because we know plant life requires sunshine to live and grow.
Anyone had any thoughts or insights into this?
Thanks
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Mikha El on -
Hi Grant,
My belief is that the Eternal provided light in a way we perhaps don't yet understand. Still, we know that the days "He" provided the alternate form of light were included in the 7 "Yoms" of creation (...or recreation depending on which theory one subscribes to.)
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Permalink Reply by 3rxqash0xupnt on -
I think that Gen 1:1 - In the Beginning Elohim created the HEAVENS and the Earth
contains the idea of the creation of sun and moon and stars.
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Permalink Reply by beryl etanah on -
What do you make of this occurrence in Genesis 1, where plant life came to be on earth (1:12) before the sun or moon (1:16). This is interesting because we know plant life requires sunshine to live and grow.
--actually before plant life on earth appeared there was already the sun, it was created first as a steady light (yehe 'or vayehe 'or, v. 1:3,) and in order to create Night and Day G-d has to descend the sun (dividing Light, vayehe Erev) and ascend it again (dividing Darkness vayehe Boqer) vayavdeyl Elo--m biyn ha'or ubiyn hachoshech, vayehe Erev vayehe Boqer, yom echad. hence, the sun was there from the first Day; for how can a single day count without the sun being descended and ascended (erev and boqer)? vegetative life only sprang out after the waters were gathered and dry land appeared (v.1:10).
the moon and other celestial lights seen at night only appeared (or probably their circuits and astronomical positions fixed) later the fourth day (v.1:16). this explains another fact that the capture of earth's satellite (Luna) occurred as a later astronomical event in the moment of our solar system's progression.
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Permalink Reply by Grant on -
Thanks for the responses everyone,
I had thought that the "evenings" and "mornings" were possibly terms not referring to sunset and sunrise but maybe a setting and rising of cycles/periods of time of creation (since it appears the sun was created on day 4). And the initial light was maybe provided from an unmentioned source (Gen 1:3)
Always good to see everyone's views
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Permalink Reply by 命 on
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Interesting view.
So expanding on that, maybe there were other heavenly bodies or suns warming the earth, before our specific sun was created on day 4.
The Kabbalist view might be to say that a single Cherub could warm and illuminate the entire earth with his shine and brilliance, and that such angels ("morningstars" in Job) functioned as "heavenly bodies" before the sun was created.
But as Mikha'el seems to say, God may have simply provided a supernatural light and warmth before creating our sun.
I tend to favor a variant of this, based on John 1, that Yeshua himself was the Light in the beginning, just as he will be the Light in the end that will illuminate the New Jerusalem, as written in the final two or three chapters in Revelation.
Yirmeyahu said:I think that Gen 1:1 - In the Beginning Elohim created the HEAVENS and the Earth
contains the idea of the creation of sun and moon and stars.
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Permalink Reply by 3rxqash0xupnt on
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My gut feeling is that the "y'hi meoroth" - "may there be luminaries" refers not to the actual creation of the physical spherical bodies of the sun and moon per se, but rather the assigning them legal duties.
Gen 1:15 describes legal duties for the two celestial bodies.
Like a human being is, from the time of his birth a human, and then at a certain time he becomes mayor of his town. So in Gen 1:1 they were created and in 1:14 assigned an office. I think the Meoroth - luminaries are legal definitions in this context, because the sun and moon, aside from simply giving light, have very specific roles to play in the dividing of one year from the next year (do you insert the 13th month?) and one month from the next month (when is new moon day?) and one day from the next (when exactly does one day end?). This is an arcane topic.
So, in short, I think sun and moon were created during day 1, the wording (God created the heavens and the earth)"bara elohim et hashamayim w'et ha-aretz" describing it generically. Heavens imho is kind of a catch all term. I am not a science primacy type, but I think that it is unlikely that the earth was created before the sun, because in practice it is the massive sun around which the earth revolves. From a practical point of view I think sun came first. Genesis is more poetic than practical in my opinion.
Solomon Avar said:Interesting view.
So expanding on that, maybe there were other heavenly bodies or suns warming the earth, before our specific sun was created on day 4.
The Kabbalist view might be to say that a single Cherub could warm and illuminate the entire earth with his shine and brilliance, and that such angels ("morningstars" in Job) functioned as "heavenly bodies" before the sun was created.
But as Mikha'el seems to say, God may have simply provided a supernatural light and warmth before creating our sun.
I tend to favor a variant of this, based on John 1, that Yeshua himself was the Light in the beginning, just as he will be the Light in the end that will illuminate the New Jerusalem, as written in the final two or three chapters in Revelation.
Yirmeyahu said:I think that Gen 1:1 - In the Beginning Elohim created the HEAVENS and the Earth
contains the idea of the creation of sun and moon and stars.
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