Topical Studies
What the Bible says about Parenthetical Statements
(From Forerunner Commentary)
Many find verses 16-18 particularly difficult. They appear to say that God created the sun, moon, and stars on the fourth day of creation. The New King James compounds the problem by incorrectly beginning verse 16 with "Then God made," implying continuity of action. The King James, American Standard, the Revised Standard, and Young's Literal translations all start this verse with "And."
Further, the Hebrew asah, translated "made" in verse 16, is in the verb form that denotes completed action. This means that the sun, moon, and stars could have been created that day or any previous time. These heavenly bodies had been created long before the creation week began. Therefore, verses 16 through 18 are parenthetical statements that indicate that the sun, moon, and stars had been made sometime in the past.
Earl L. Henn
Genesis 1: Fact or Fiction?Related Topics: Asah | Creation | Creation, Fourth Day | Grammar Peculiarities | Grammatical Problems
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