Hebrew
Hebrew Words for Each Day of Creation
First: yom ‘echad
Second: yom sheni
Third: yom sh’lishi
Fourth: yom r’bi`i
Fifth: yom chamishi
Sixth: yom hashishi
Seventh: yom hash’bi`i
First: yom ‘echad
Second: yom sheni
Third: yom sh’lishi
Fourth: yom r’bi`i
Fifth: yom chamishi
Sixth: yom hashishi
Seventh: yom hash’bi`i
Still Having Trouble Believing These Are 24 Hour Days?
Genesis, Chapter 2, Verse 2 (Hebrew transliterated)
vay’kal ‘Elohim bayom hash’bi`i m’la’k’to ‘asher `asah
vayish’bbath bayom hash’bi`i mikal-m’la’k’to ‘asher `asah.
By the seventh day Elohim completed His work which He had done,
and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
In Genesis, Chapter 1, we see that Elohim took six 24-hour days to create everything. Now comes yom hash’bi`i (the seventh day). How long is our week? A week is seven days. Elohim rested (He didn't have to) for another 24-hour yom during the yom hash’bi`i. This is covered in the following verses:
Exodus 20:8-11 New King James Version (NKJV)
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
This is commandment number 4 from the Ten Commandments. Notice that the Sabbath is mentioned in these verses in Exodus three times. Now look back at the transliterated text above for Genesis 2:2 and you can see the word shabbath (sh'bbath). Shabbath means a day of rest just like Elohim rested on yom hash’bi`i and is to be kept holy.
Does this Fourth Commandment confirm for you that Elohim created everything in six actual 24-hour days and rested on the seventh actual 24-hour day? Note the tie-in with man’s seven-day week. In other words, the Fourth Commandment shows the relationship of the six 24-hour day overall creation plus one 24-hour day of rest as to how man is expected to pattern his seven-day week. So, could God have created everything in an instant or taken a longer time than six days to create everything? Absolutely, but that is not the way we are designed.
We operate from week to week. God requires us to rest one day each week. He also requires us to keep this seventh day Hallowed and expects us to honor this seventh day. This seventh day may not correspond to most Christians as Saturday – we “keep the Sabbath” on Sunday and attend worship services. The Jews’ worship day starts Friday evening at sundown and continues up to Saturday evening at sundown for their seventh day of rest and worship. This is actually what is known as the Sabbath in the tradition of the Jews. I sincerely hope each and everyone can see this relationship in the Creation.
Notice that the Jews follow the pattern of the start of the Sabbath with erev (evening) and boker (morning) and then to erev again for a 24-hour yom. Do you suppose they have been following the pattern that Elohim established every time He said “vay’hiy-`erev vay’hiy-boker yom ‘echad”? This is for day one in Genesis 1:5 - evening and morning were the first day.
Just substitute another number in place of ‘echad (one) for the rest of the days (list above) and you have it. See the erev and boker? See the yom with a number following? Is this not clear?
No eisegesis, please!
Genesis, Chapter 2, Verse 2 (Hebrew transliterated)
vay’kal ‘Elohim bayom hash’bi`i m’la’k’to ‘asher `asah
vayish’bbath bayom hash’bi`i mikal-m’la’k’to ‘asher `asah.
By the seventh day Elohim completed His work which He had done,
and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
In Genesis, Chapter 1, we see that Elohim took six 24-hour days to create everything. Now comes yom hash’bi`i (the seventh day). How long is our week? A week is seven days. Elohim rested (He didn't have to) for another 24-hour yom during the yom hash’bi`i. This is covered in the following verses:
Exodus 20:8-11 New King James Version (NKJV)
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
This is commandment number 4 from the Ten Commandments. Notice that the Sabbath is mentioned in these verses in Exodus three times. Now look back at the transliterated text above for Genesis 2:2 and you can see the word shabbath (sh'bbath). Shabbath means a day of rest just like Elohim rested on yom hash’bi`i and is to be kept holy.
Does this Fourth Commandment confirm for you that Elohim created everything in six actual 24-hour days and rested on the seventh actual 24-hour day? Note the tie-in with man’s seven-day week. In other words, the Fourth Commandment shows the relationship of the six 24-hour day overall creation plus one 24-hour day of rest as to how man is expected to pattern his seven-day week. So, could God have created everything in an instant or taken a longer time than six days to create everything? Absolutely, but that is not the way we are designed.
We operate from week to week. God requires us to rest one day each week. He also requires us to keep this seventh day Hallowed and expects us to honor this seventh day. This seventh day may not correspond to most Christians as Saturday – we “keep the Sabbath” on Sunday and attend worship services. The Jews’ worship day starts Friday evening at sundown and continues up to Saturday evening at sundown for their seventh day of rest and worship. This is actually what is known as the Sabbath in the tradition of the Jews. I sincerely hope each and everyone can see this relationship in the Creation.
Notice that the Jews follow the pattern of the start of the Sabbath with erev (evening) and boker (morning) and then to erev again for a 24-hour yom. Do you suppose they have been following the pattern that Elohim established every time He said “vay’hiy-`erev vay’hiy-boker yom ‘echad”? This is for day one in Genesis 1:5 - evening and morning were the first day.
Just substitute another number in place of ‘echad (one) for the rest of the days (list above) and you have it. See the erev and boker? See the yom with a number following? Is this not clear?
No eisegesis, please!
Hebrew Words for Create, Fashion or Make
Chapter 1 has different words in Hebrew for the three words create, fashion or make. In 1:1, we see bara used. Elohim created all of the elements in 1:1 and the first law of thermodynamics should apply in this case where matter is not created or destroyed. In other words, Elohim had all the necessary elements He intended to create.
In verses that follow, we see other words for make after Elohim says, “let there be.” 1:16 uses ya’as for made. 1:21 uses yib’ra’ and the transliterated text says created. 1:24 uses totse’ to say to bring forth (or make). 1:25 says made as ya’as.
In verse 26, aseh is used when making man. Note in 1:27 that Elohim says He created three times. The first word is yibra’ and the second and third words are bara. Yibra’ and bara are used referring to His image and likeness He placed into man including male and female in this verse.
In chapter 2, we see the fashioning and creation of woman. Chapter 2, verse 7, the word yitser is used indicating man being formed from the dust of the ground. 2:8, yatsar is used for the man He had formed. 2:18 uses k’neg’do referring to making a helper for man (woman) in the future tense. 2:19 uses yitser referring to He had formed beasts of the field previously. 2:22 uses the word yiben as fashioned for the woman taken from man.
Lastly, 2:3 shows created and made as bara and la’asoth respectively. 2:4 shows hibar’am as another form of bara and the word ‘asoth as made. These verses simply refer to Elohim as resting on the seventh day from His work He had created.
You will find bara used four times, the form yib’ra’ twice in Genesis 1 and 2 and the form hibar’am used once. So, bara , hibar’am and yib’ra’ are only used with the original creation of all the elements ex nihilo, man and the animals and with the spirit and soul of man in the Image and Likeness of Elohim. The rest of the words are given as fashion, form or make from already created (bara or yib’ra’) materials.
Chapter 1 has different words in Hebrew for the three words create, fashion or make. In 1:1, we see bara used. Elohim created all of the elements in 1:1 and the first law of thermodynamics should apply in this case where matter is not created or destroyed. In other words, Elohim had all the necessary elements He intended to create.
In verses that follow, we see other words for make after Elohim says, “let there be.” 1:16 uses ya’as for made. 1:21 uses yib’ra’ and the transliterated text says created. 1:24 uses totse’ to say to bring forth (or make). 1:25 says made as ya’as.
In verse 26, aseh is used when making man. Note in 1:27 that Elohim says He created three times. The first word is yibra’ and the second and third words are bara. Yibra’ and bara are used referring to His image and likeness He placed into man including male and female in this verse.
In chapter 2, we see the fashioning and creation of woman. Chapter 2, verse 7, the word yitser is used indicating man being formed from the dust of the ground. 2:8, yatsar is used for the man He had formed. 2:18 uses k’neg’do referring to making a helper for man (woman) in the future tense. 2:19 uses yitser referring to He had formed beasts of the field previously. 2:22 uses the word yiben as fashioned for the woman taken from man.
Lastly, 2:3 shows created and made as bara and la’asoth respectively. 2:4 shows hibar’am as another form of bara and the word ‘asoth as made. These verses simply refer to Elohim as resting on the seventh day from His work He had created.
You will find bara used four times, the form yib’ra’ twice in Genesis 1 and 2 and the form hibar’am used once. So, bara , hibar’am and yib’ra’ are only used with the original creation of all the elements ex nihilo, man and the animals and with the spirit and soul of man in the Image and Likeness of Elohim. The rest of the words are given as fashion, form or make from already created (bara or yib’ra’) materials.