Genesis 1:14-19·~1 min

The Fourth Day

God appoints lights in the sky to separate day from night, mark times and seasons, and shine on the earth. He sets the greater and lesser lights, along with the stars, into the heavens and calls their work good.

A¹⁴nd God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to distinguish between the day and the night, and let them be signs to mark the seasons and days and years. ¹⁵And let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth.” And it was so. ¹⁶God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. And He made the stars as well. ¹⁷God set these lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth, ¹⁸to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹And there was evening, and there was morning — the fourth day.

Section summaryGod places lights in the sky to mark time, govern day and night, and shine on the earth. The sun, moon, and stars are given their place within the order already established, serving the rhythms of seasons, days, and years.

Role in the chapterThis section fills the sky formed earlier with lights suited to its purpose. It deepens creation's order by tying the heavens to time, rule, and illumination over the earth.