Genesis 1:5

1:5 God called ¹  the light “day” and the darkness ²  “night.” There was evening, and there was morning, marking the first day. ³ 

Psalms 74:16

74:16 You established the cycle of day and night; ⁴ 

you put the moon ⁵  and sun in place. ⁶ 

Psalms 136:7-8

136:7 to the one who made the great lights,

for his loyal love endures,

136:8 the sun to rule by day,

for his loyal love endures,

Psalms 148:3-5

148:3 Praise him, O sun and moon!

Praise him, all you shiny stars! ⁷ 

148:4 Praise him, O highest heaven,

and you waters above the sky! ⁸ 

148:5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,

for he gave the command and they came into existence.

[1:5]  ¹ tn Heb “he called to,” meaning “he named.”

[1:5]  ² tn Heb “and the darkness he called night.” The words “he called” have not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:5]  ³ tn Another option is to translate, “Evening came, and then morning came.” This formula closes the six days of creation. It seems to follow the Jewish order of reckoning time: from evening to morning. Day one started with the dark, continued through the creation of light, and ended with nightfall. Another alternative would be to translate, “There was night and then there was day, one day.”

[74:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “To you [is] day, also to you [is] night.”

[74:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “[the] light.” Following the reference to “day and night” and in combination with “sun,” it is likely that the Hebrew term מָאוֹר (ma’or, “light”) refers here to the moon.

[74:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “you established [the] light and [the] sun.”

[148:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “stars of light.”

[148:4]  ⁸ sn The “water” mentioned here corresponds to the “waters above” mentioned in Gen 1:7. See also Ps 104:3. For a discussion of the picture envisioned by the psalmist, see L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 47.