How likely was the first day a 24-hour period?

[tonychanyt]

Genesis 1:

2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.​

Darkness was first.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.​

Light was next.

4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.​

Darkness was followed by light.

5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.​

The usage of "night" here was related to the darkness in verse 2.
The usage of "day" here was related to the creation of the light and not the sun.
Here I define the first day as the time elapsed from Genesis 1:2 to 1:5.

Could the first day be defined as a 24-hour earthly solar day?

I doubt it. The flow of time is not absolute but a relativistic experience. It depends on the local gravity or acceleration exerted on the time observer. To my reading, the first day seems short. God was the observer, 2 Peter 3:

8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.​

This is not an equation but a simile. God is timeless and above time. There were no human observers there to experience the first day. The first day marked the creation of light and delineated it from the creation of the following day. These days were markers of milestones of achievements placed by God.

These days were observed by God until God created animals and Adam.

 

[public hermit]

Genesis 1:

2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.​

Darkness was first.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.​

Light was next.

4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.​

Darkness was followed by light.

5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.​

The usage of "night" here was related to the darkness in verse 2.
The usage of "day" here was related to the creation of the light and not the sun.
Here I define the first day as the time elapsed from Genesis 1:2 to 1:5.

Could the first day be defined as a 24-hour earthly solar day?

I doubt it. The flow of time is not absolute but a relativistic experience. It depends on the local gravity or acceleration exerted on the time observer. To my reading, the first day seems short. God was the observer, 2 Peter 3:

8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.​

This is not an equation but a simile. God is timeless and above time. There were no human observers there to experience the first day. The first day marked the creation of light and delineated it from the creation of the following day. These days were markers of milestones of achievements placed by God.

These days were observed by God until God created animals and Adam.

It can't be a literal twenty-four hour period. There's no earth to rotate, no luminaries, none of the conditions that inform what we know as a "day." Once we use "day" to represent something other than our literal day, we've moved outside a literal interpretation, as we should.

The problems with interpreting these early chapters literally have been observed since the earliest centuries of the faith. There is so much spiritual depth to these chapters it's a shame when we get stuck in the ruts of literalism. That's my take, at any rate.

 

[d taylor]

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24 hours to the minute, that is if our days are actually exactly 24 hours. But being that this day was not from the sun moving over the earth with it variations, it could have exactly a 24 hour day.

 

[Diamond72]

Could the first day be defined as a 24-hour earthly solar day?

1.7 billion years ago the day was 21 hours long. The earth is slowing down so the days are longer. The perfect day is something we look forward to. Proverbs 4:18 "But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light, That shineth more and more unto the perfect day."

 

[ozso]

God is omnipotent and not confined to our perception of time. He could have created the entire universe in 24 seconds as we measure time.

 

[tonychanyt]

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24 hours to the minute, that is if our days are actually exactly 24 hours. But being that this day was not from the sun moving over the earth with it variations, it could have exactly a 24 hour day.

verse?

 

[d taylor]

verse?

And there was evening and there was morning

 

[tonychanyt]

And there was evening and there was morning

Gen 1:5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

On the first day, it was a different kind of evening and morning that was not related to the sunrise and sunset.

 

[d taylor]

Gen 1:5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

On the first day, it was a different kind of evening and morning that was not related to the sunrise and sunset.

Evening and morning there is no other kind of evening and morning. That just simply means that the light God had created to illuminate the earth began to move over the earth/land to cause the earth to experience evenings and mornings.

The lights God created in 14 replaced the created light that was lighting the earth. Genesis 14 states they have the same function as the light did. With the added functions of being time keepers signs and seasons, and for days and years;

Their function is to divide the day from the night; just like God did with the light divided the light from the darkness God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night.

 

[tonychanyt]

Evening and morning there is no other kind of evening and morning. That just simply means that the light God had created to illuminate the earth began to move over the earth/land to cause the earth to experience evenings and mornings.

The lights God created in 14 replaced the created light that was lighting the earth. Genesis 14 states they have the same function as the light did. With the added functions of being time keepers signs and seasons, and for days and years;

Their function is to divide the day from the night; just like God did with the light divided the light from the darkness God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night.

Let proposition P1 = The first day in Gen 1:5 was 24 hours in duration.

True?

 

[d taylor]

Let proposition P1 = The first day in Gen 1:5 was 24 hours in duration.

True?

Yes as the verse states there was evening and morning showing the light was moving, causing a day to come about.

 

[tonychanyt]

Yes as the verse states there was evening and morning showing the light was moving, causing a day to come about.

Let proposition P1 = The first day in Gen 1:5 was 24 hours in duration.
P2 = The first day in Gen 1:5 was not 24 hours in duration.

Between 0 and 10, how much weight do you put on each of the above propositions?

 

[d taylor]

Let proposition P1 = The first day in Gen 1:5 was 24 hours in duration.
P2 = The first day in Gen 1:5 was not 24 hours in duration.

Between 0 and 10, how much weight do you put on each of the above propositions?

I say your proposition P1 = The first day in Gen 1:5 was 12 hours in duration.

Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.

 

[tonychanyt]

I say your proposition P1 = The first day in Gen 1:5 was 12 hours in duration.

Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.

So between 0 and 10, how much weight do you put on each of the propositions?

 

[d taylor]

So between 0 and 10, how much weight do you put on each of the propositions?

If 10 is being for that, being the correct way to understand day (12hr) then your 1 gets a 10
and
2 a 0 from me

 

[tonychanyt]

If 10 is being for that, being the correct way to understand day (12hr) then your 1 gets a 10
and
2 a 0 from me

Are you willing to bet based on your weight assignments?

 

[d taylor]

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Well as The Bible states just let your yes be and your no be no. So yes i believe it is a 12 hour day.

But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

 

[tonychanyt]

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Well as The Bible states just let your yes be and your no be no. So yes i believe it is a 12 hour day.

But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Sorry that I am slow. Can you explain the logical connection between these two step by step?

 

[d taylor]

Sorry that I am slow. Can you explain the logical connection between these two step by step?

Well the verse is addressing oaths, saying juts let answers be yes. So you ask Are you willing to bet based on your weight assignments?

So in answering any believe about The Bible a yes answer should be sufficient for any question about how a person believes a verse is being understood.

 

[tonychanyt]

Well the verse is addressing oaths, saying juts let answers be yes. So you ask Are you willing to bet based on your weight assignments?

So in answering any believe about The Bible a yes answer should be sufficient for any question about how a person believes a verse is being understood.

I see somewhat

Are you willing to put money where your mouth is? How strongly do you believe your "yes"? How strongly do you believe your "no"?