Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened.
Parallel translations
- WEB and let them be for lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth”; and it was so.
- KJV And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
- BSB And let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth.” And it was so.
- NKJV and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so.
- NASB and they shall serve as lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God appoints the lights to illuminate the earth, and it is so. The heavens serve the life God is preparing below.
Overview
The heavenly bodies are given the function of giving light upon the earth, fulfilling God's command exactly. This purposeful design shows creation arranged for the benefit of the living things God will form. The dependable shining of these lights testifies to a God whose faithfulness is as steady as the heavens he established (Psalm 89:37).
Cross-references & the web
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Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Lay
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 1:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.