Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
Parallel translations
- WEB God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
- KJV And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
- BSB And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
- NKJV Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
- NLT Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
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 speaks light into existence, the first creative word in a dark, formless world. It shows that creation happens by God's effortless command.
Overview
On the first day God addresses the darkness and chaos described in verse 2 by speaking light into being. The phrase 'Let there be' reveals a God who creates not from struggle but by sovereign command, and the immediate result ('and there was light') underscores his power. The New Testament echoes this when Paul says God who commanded light to shine out of darkness has shone in our hearts (2 Corinthians 4:6), and John presents Christ, the Word, as the true light coming into the world.
Cross-references & the web
Theme
- Light & Darkness"Let there be light."
Cross-references · 21
- 2 Cor 4:6seeing it is God who said, “Light will shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
- John 1:5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t overcome it.
- Isa 45:7I form the light, and create darkness. I make peace, and create calamity. I am Yahweh, who does all these things.
- Isa 60:19The sun will be no more your light by day; nor will the brightness of the moon give light to you, but Yahweh will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
- 1 Jn 1:5This is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
- Eph 5:8For you were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,
- John 3:19This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.
- Ps 97:11Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.
- John 1:9The true light that enlightens everyone was coming into the world.
- Ps 33:6By Yahweh’s word, the heavens were made; all their army by the breath of his mouth.
- Ps 33:9For he spoke, and it was done. He commanded, and it stood firm.
- Ps 148:5Let them praise Yahweh’s name, For he commanded, and they were created.
- 1 Jn 2:8Again, I write a new commandment to you, which is true in him and in you; because the darkness is passing away, and the true light already shines.
- Eph 5:14Therefore he says, “Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
- Job 38:19“What is the way to the dwelling of light? As for darkness, where is its place,
- Ps 104:2He covers himself with light as with a garment. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain.
- 1 Tim 6:16who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and eternal power. Amen.
- Ps 118:27Yahweh is God, and he has given us light. Bind the sacrifice with cords, even to the horns of the altar.
- Job 36:30Behold, he spreads his light around him. He covers the bottom of the sea.
- Matt 8:3Jesus stretched out his hand, and touched him, saying, “I want to. Be made clean.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
- John 11:43When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Lay
The single best free starting point for Genesis 1–11 — clear, visual, and faithful to the literary design.
Pastoral
The beloved devotional-pastoral classic, free and public domain — warm, quotable, verse by verse.
Commentaries & study tools
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The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 1:3 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.