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Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary

Genesis 1:4

He observed with approbation that it was pleasant and amiable, agreeable to God's purpose and man's use; and made a distinction or separation between them in place, time, and use, that the one should succeed and shut out the other, and so by their vicissitudes make the day and the night.

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See also Genesis 1:4 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Genesis 1:4. _GOD DIVIDED THE LIGHT FROM THE DARKNESS_.] This does not imply that _light_ and _darkness_ are two distinct substances, seeing _darkness_ is only the _privation_ of light; but the...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    - III. The First Day 3. אמר _'āmar_, “say, bid.” After this verb comes the thing said in the words of the speaker, or an equivalent expression. In this respect it corresponds with our English “say.”...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS I. THE CREATION ACCOUNT The manner in which the book of Genesis begins leaves no doubt that it is the revelation of God. The creation account is historical truth. The questio...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    A. THE PRIESTLY STORY OF CREATION. This section belongs to the Priestly Document (P). This is shown by the use of several of its characteristic terms, by the constant repetition of the formulæ, and by...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    Since the formula These are the generations of is usually placed by P at the beginning of a section, whereas here it occurs at the end (Genesis 2:4_a_), it is thought by many that its present position...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    SAW. Occurs. times in Introduction. App-5. GOOD. beautiful (Ecclesiastes 3:11). DIVIDED. Occurs twice. App-5. Each day's work called "good", except the 2nd, because nothing created on that day: only...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _And God … good_ This phrase is repeated (Genesis 1:10; Genesis 1:12; Genesis 1:18; Genesis 1:21;...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    The Beginning of all Things, and the First Creation Day 1. _In the beginning B'rêshîth_: LXX ἐν ἀρχῇ : Lat. _in principio_. This opening word expresses the idea of the earliest time imaginable. It co...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    THAT IT WAS GOOD— The word טוב _tob,_ signifies not only what is _goodly_ and _pleasant_ in itself, but what is _useful_ and _fit_ for the end to which it is designed. And surely it could not be more...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    PART SIX: THE FIRST FOUR DAYS OF THE COSMIC WEEK OF BEGINNINGS Genesis 1:2-19 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The verb _bara,_ translated create, writes Skinner (ICC, 15) is u...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    Day One: Energy-Matter, Motion, Light (Genesis 1:2-5) _And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters_. 1. The w...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _AND GOD SAW THE LIGHT, THAT IT WAS GOOD: AND GOD DIVIDED THE LIGHT FROM THE DARKNESS._ No JFB commentary on these verses....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THE CREATION 'The foundation of foundations and pillar of all wisdom is to know that the First Being is, and that He giveth existence to everything that exists! 'Thus wrote Moses Maimonides, a Jewish...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    GOOD] i.e. perfect for the purpose for which God designed it....

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    God made light because it would be necessary later. Later, he made plants. Plants cannot grow if there is no light. Later, he made animals and men. They cannot see if there is no light....

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    GOD’S ANCIENT PEOPLE GENESIS _ALUN OWEN_ ABOUT GENESIS Many people think that Moses wrote Genesis. If he did, other people probably helped him. And if he did, he may have used some of the words o...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    EXCURSUS B: ON THE NAMES ELOHIM AND JEHOVAH-ELOHIM. Throughout the first account of creation (Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 2:3) the Deity is simply called _Elohim._ This word is strictly a plural of _Eloah,...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    AND GOD SAW. — This contemplation indicates, first, lapse of time; and next, that the judgment pronounced was the verdict of the Divine reason. THAT IT WAS GOOD. — As light was a necessary result of m...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    וַ יַּ֧רְא אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶת ־הָ אֹ֖ור כִּי

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    THE CREATION Genesis 1:1; Genesis 2:1 IF anyone is in search of accurate information regarding the age of this earth, or its relation to the sun, moon, and stars, or regarding the order in which plan...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    BEGINNINGS Genesis 1:1 All beginnings must begin with God. Always put God first. The first stone in every building, our first thought every morning, the first aim and purpose of all activity. Begin t...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    The opening sentence of the Book of Genesis is an interpretation of the fact "that what is seen hath not been made out of things which do appear" Hebrews 11:3), and accounts for the things which are s...

  • Gary Hampton Commentaries

    "GOD CREATED" It should be noted the writer of this account is not concerned with science. However, no proven fact of science contradicts any scripture. The expression "and God" is used 28 times in Ge...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _Good; beautiful and convenient: --- he divided light by giving it qualities incompatible with darkness, which is not any thing substantial, and therefore Moses does not say it was created. (Calmet) -...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    There is one characteristic of divine revelation to which attention may be profitably called as a starting point. We have to do with facts. The Bible alone is a revelation of facts, and, we can add (n...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    4_And God saw the light _Here God is introduced by Moses as surveying his work, that he might take pleasure in it. But he does it for our sake, to teach us that God has made nothing without a certain...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    Let us examine then the contents of this book in order. First, we have the creation creation in which man is found placed on earth as centre and head. We have first the WORK of God, and then the REST...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    AND GOD SAW THE LIGHT, THAT IT WAS GOOD,.... Very pleasant and delightful, useful and beneficial; that is, he foresaw it would be good, of great service, as Picherellus k interprets it; for as yet the...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    And God saw the light, that [it was] good: and God divided the light from the darkness. Ver. 4. _And God saw the light that it was good._] - _Moveover he foresaw_, so one renders it. _a_ He saw this...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _God saw the light_, &c. He beheld it with approbation, as being exactly what he designed it to be, pleasant and useful, and perfectly adapted to answer its intended end. _God divided_ Made a separati...

  • KJV Original Language Details

    [THE CREATION OF THE WORLD.] 1 The creation of Heauen and Earth, 3 of the light, 6 of the firmament, 9 of the earth separated from the waters, 11 and made fruitfull, 14 of the Sunne, Moone, and...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    And God saw the light that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. The light was good, it was a perfect creature of God's almighty power; and so God separated between the light and t...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    The Creation of Chaos and Light...

  • Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures

    THE GENESIS OF THE WORLD AND OF THE PRIMITIVE TIME OF THE HUMAN RACE, AS THE GENESIS OF THE PRIMITIVE RELIGION UNTIL THE DEVELOPMENT OF HEATHENDOM, AND OF ITS ANTITHESIS IN THE GERMINATING PATRIARCHAL...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    In our human nature is a thirst to know about origins. God has given us this nature and God supplies the answer to our desire simply and decisively in the first statement of His own revelation to mank...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    3-5 God said, Let there be light; he willed it, and at once there was light. Oh, the power of the word of God! And in the new creation, the first thing that is wrought in the soul is light: the bless...

  • Notes on the Pentateuch by Charles Henry Mackintosh

    There is something peculiarly striking in the manner in which the Holy Ghost opens this sublime book. He introduces us, at once, to God, in the essential fullness of His Being, and the solitariness of...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Genesis 1:4 God H430 saw H7200 (H8799) H853 light H216 that H3588 good H2896 God H430 divided...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    ‘And God saw the light, that it was good, and God separated the light from the darkness, and God called the light day and the darkness he called night. And there was evening and there was morning one...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    Genesis 1 It is possible that God made at first only one kind of matter, the germ of all the universe. Indeed, Scripture seems to hint this in the sublime record of the origin of light: "And God said...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    Genesis 1:1. _In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth._ When that «beginning» was, we cannot tell. It may have been long ages before God fitted up this world for the abode of man, but i...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Original creation and the renovating of earth for habitation of man. Creation of animal and human life. CHARACTERS: God, Genesis 1:1. Spirit, Genesis 1:2. Christ, Genesis 1:26 (See...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Let there be light_ THE CREATION OF LIGHT I. DIVINELY PRODUCED. 1. For the protection of life. Plants could not live without light; without it, the flowers would soon wither. Even in a brief night...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    GENESIS—NOTE ON GENESIS 1:3 AND GOD SAID. God’s absolute power is seen in that he merely speaks and things are created. Each new section of ch. Genesis 1:1 is introduced by

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    GENESIS—NOTE ON GENESIS 1:1 Primeval History. Genesis 1:1 surveys the history of the world before Abraham, while chs....

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    CRITICAL NOTES.— Genesis 1:3. And God said] Better (because of the strong _waw_, and position of verb): “Then said God” = “the state of things being as just described.” From this point the drama is u...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Shall we now turn in our Bibles to Genesis chapter one, verse one? The word Genesis in Hebrew means "beginning." And so, it is "the book of the beginnings", and in Genesis we find the beginning of the...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    that. Genesis 1:10 Genesis 1:12 Genesis 1:18 Genesis 1:25 Genesis 1:31...

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    THE ALPHA AND OMEGA OF CREATION Genesis 1:1; _Revelation 21:1_ INTRODUCTORY WORDS 1. Genesis and Revelation contrasted. The Book of Genesis is commonly known as the Book of beginnings. It is there t...

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    IN THE BEGINNING GOD Genesis 1:1 INTRODUCTORY WORDS In these days of humanizing God, we need to give more time to the study of God's eternity. The Bible opens with the expression, "In the beginning...

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT Genesis 1:1 INTRODUCTORY WORDS We have a very interesting study to set before you today. Most of us realize how vital a part the Holy Spirit plays in our own exp...

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