When Does A Biblical Day Start (PART 2)

On this episode of Real Israel Talk Radio, we will closely examine the Hebrew declarations of Genesis 1:2-5. 

Genesis 1:2. The earth was without form, and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep

Genesis 1:3. Then God said, "Let there be Light," and there was Light!"

Genesis 1:4. And Elohim (God) saw the Light, that He was Good. And Elohim (God) divided the Light from the Dark. 

Genesis 1:5. Elohim (God) called the Light DAY, and the DARK, He called NIGHT. So, erev (evening) and boker (morning) were the first day.  

Many wonder when a biblical day begins: with the morning sunrise or with the previous evening sunset.  Understanding the Hebrew texts of Genesis 1:2-5 will help us to discover the Truth of the matter. 

This is Episode 176 and PART 2 in this biblical study series.

Transcript

Today, we will continue examining the question, “When does a Biblical day start?” This is PART 2. Of course, whether a biblical day starts in the morning or evening has been well-argued for a long time. 

From my research, I have found persuasive interpretations of the biblical texts from both sides. Still, I cannot see how both sides can be correct. I will look at this matter as objectively as possible, remaining open and permitting scripture to speak for itself. Before proceeding, I want to clarify that I observe a 24-hour, morning-to-morning biblical day, though I strictly followed the evening-to-evening tradition for nearly thirty years! I am still studying and learning, but I am not here to cram this down anyone’s throat. 

EVENING-to-EVENING PARADIGM SUMMARY 

Jewish culture and tradition, which I faithfully observed for several decades, teach that the biblical day begins with the evening of the prior sunset. This is based, at least partly, on interpretations of Genesis 1:5 and 1:31.

• Genesis 1:5. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So, the evening (erev) and the morning (boker) were the first day.
•  Genesis 1:31. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed very good. So, the evening (erev) and the morning (boker) were the sixth day.

From these statements, erev or “EVENING” comes first in the sequence of thought. boker or morning comes second. A grammatical formula for the week is then introduced and repeated after each day: 

• And it was evening (erev), and it was morning (boker), day X.

For centuries, academic and Jewish religious scholars have interpreted Genesis 1:5 through 1:31 as a summary of the creation week structure. FIRST, they say, comes the evening based on sunset. SECOND, comes the morning based on sunrise, implying that a biblical day starts with the onset of erev or Evening.  

THE TENT OR TEMPLE IN HEAVEN

Before continuing this study, I must establish an important point: a spiritual pattern exists between Heaven and Earth. Let’s begin with YHWH’s instructions to Moses concerning the building of the earthly tabernacle or tent. 

• Exodus 25:40. (YHWH says to Moses) And see to it that you make (the Earthly Tent of YHWH) according to the pattern which was shown to you on the mountain.

Then once again, in the New Covenant Book of Hebrews:

• Hebrews 8:4-5. For if He (our High Priest in Heaven) were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.

These combined ideas confirm that the earthly tent or Temple is patterned after a tent or Temple in Heaven. Thus, Yeshua taught us to direct our prayers from Earth to YHWH in Luke 11:2 and Matthew 6:10.

• Luke 11:2. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as in heaven. 

And again, in Matthew 6:10.

• Matthew 6:10. Your kingdom come; your will be done on Earth as in Heaven.

Heaven’s events are there to help us understand how to relate to Earth’s events. Therefore, what better place to understand the functions of the tent or Temple on Earth than to study the tent or Temple in Heaven? In other words, we must look for the pattern of how DAY, NIGHT, EVENING, and MORNING are established in Heaven and understand that YHWH’s House or Temple on Earth was closed at night and reopened in the morning. There were no tents or temple sacrifices at night, nor was a legal court ever in session after dark. Earthly Temple service was always a light-of-day event. Look and compare the following declarations: 

• John 9:4-5. I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the World.
• John 11:9-10. Yeshua answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 
• Matthew 10:27. Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light. 
• 1 John 5:5. God is Light and in Him is no Darkness at all.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:4-7. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep, as others, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 
• Romans 13:13. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.

 Consequently, let us understand Genesis 1:2-5 accurately within its written context. 

GENESIS 1:2-5 DAY ONE EVENTS

• Genesis 1:2a. The earth was without form, and void. 

The text tells us that the Earth was without form and void, implying chaos and emptiness as most would understand the idea. However, the Hebrew text does not say anything about chaos or emptiness. The Hebrew phrase “tohu v’vohu” is the idea of sameness; the creation had no divisions. Across the board, everything was the same without any distinctive differences, such as “this is this, and that is that.”This is the idea behind the Hebrew phrase “tohu v’vohu.” It is the idea of utter sameness; no differences whatsoever. 

Now, the question is, how might we explain this SAMENESS? The answer to the question lies in the next statement: 

• Genesis 1:2b. …and darkness was on the face of the deep.

From this, we learn that “SAMENESS” can be explained as a blanket of utter darkness, which must NOT be understood as “NIGHT.” Darkness in Hebrew is choshech, a darkness lacking spiritual light. Light of any kind gives us distinctions; without light, there is nothing more than tohu v’vohu – intangible sameness.

Since this explanation from Genesis 1:2b occurs BEFORE the physical creation of the luminaries on the fourth day, we must not use terms such as EVENING and MORNING, as we understand the ideas, because these are linked to divisions in time, which did not exist until DAY FOUR of the creation week. So, we learn: 

• 1 John 5:5. God is Light and in Him is no Darkness at all.
• Psalm 139:11-12. …Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from you, but the night shines as the day; the dark and the light are both alike. 

As I understand these declarations, the work of YHWH is all about LIGHT AND NOT DARKNESS because HE IS LIGHT and NO DARKNESS CAN BE FOUND IN HIM. Considering that, let’s proceed to the next statement. 

• Genesis 1:3. Then God said, “Let there be Light,” and there was Light!

As translated from Hebrew to English, this is a bit misleading because it implies creating some kind of light. Since it was not the light of the fourth-day luminaries then, what kind of light was this? Let us look at Isaiah 45:7, as it is written: 

• Isaiah 45:7. He FORMS light and CREATES darkness. 

Here, the Hebrew text reads (yotzer ‘or uvoreh choshech) וּבוֹרֵ֣א חֹ֔שֶׁךְ יוֹצֵ֥ר אוֹר֙. This tells me that YHWH formed LIGHT by shaping it from His already-existing, eternal LIGHT. In other words, He fashioned LIGHT, gave it shape, and a distinctive form after His already-existing eternal LIGHT. Thus, this is NOT created LIGHT. This LIGHT was formed or shaped from what already was LIGHT. The question is, could this have been the LIGHT of MESSIAH, as described in                                 

• Mark 9:2-3. Now, after six days, Yeshua was transfigured…His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. 

Based on Isaiah 45:7 and Mark 9:2-3, part of the ETERNAL LIGHT of YHWH was shaped, formed, and fashioned into His Messianic Redemptive Light. The rabbis of ancient days understood the concept as the Light of the Messiah, at least, based on a work of rabbinic midrash –Yalkut Shimoni on Psalm 36:9 (Hebrew: v. 10). 

• Psalm 36:9 (Heb: v. 10). For with You is the fountain of life; by Your Light we see Light.

What is “by your light we see light?” This is the Light of the Messiah, as it is said, “God saw the Light, that it was good” (Genesis 1:4). 

This teaches that before the world was created, the Holy One, blessed is he, looked forward to the generation of the Messiah and his actions. He (YHWH) hid [the primordial light] for Messiah and his generation beneath his throne of glory. Satan said to the Holy One, blessed is he, “Master of the universe, for whom is the Light that you hid beneath your throne of glory?” He (YHWH) responded, “It is for him who will ultimately refute and shamefully rebuke you.” “Master of the universe, show him to me,” he said.  He (YHWH) responded, “Come and see him!” As soon as he saw him, he became frightened and fell on his face, saying, “Certainly this is Messiah (c.f. Daniel 7:13-14), who will ultimately cause my downfall, as well as all of the princes of the idolaters in Gehinnom. As it is said, ‘He will swallow up death forever, and YHWH Elohim will wipe away the tears from every face’” (Isaiah 25:8). 

There is also another work of rabbinic midrash speaking of this same idea in B’reshit Rabba 11.3 – 

• B’reshit Rabba 11.3. Rabbi Yehudah, son of Rabbi Simon, said: The Light that the Holy Blessed One created on the first day, a person could see him from one end of the world to the other.... The Holy One will give them (the people) the Great Light that He had hidden under His Throne of Glory. 

This is likely the basis for Isaiah 9:2 and what Yeshua said in John 8:12 – 

• Isaiah 9:2. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined. 
• John 8:12. I am the Light of the World. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the Light of Life.

Established on Isaiah 45:7, “He forms Light and Creates Darkness,” I am persuaded that “Let there be Light; and there was Light!” means that the Genesis 1:2 tohu v’vohu blanket of DARKNESS or SAMENESS was filled with pure spiritual Light of a kind that we are not able to see with our human eyes. Figuratively, think of a container of pure black paint being infused with another container of an equal amount of pure white paint. Perfectly mixing the two would create what professional home decorators, photographers, videographers, artists, and filmmakers would call 18% Grayscale. In other words, a blanket of pure “creation gray” with absolutely no distinctions because DARK and LIGHT are a perfect blend of what we might call “Middle Gray.” You will understand more about this in just a moment. 

• Genesis 1:4a. And God (Elohim) saw the Light, that He was Good.

This tells me that Elohim (God) inspected the LIGHT that He just FORMED, that is, the LIGHT of the MESSIAH, and declared HE IS GOOD. This drash could explain a responsa from Yeshua, a reply using a question to a rabbinic type of inquiry directed to a wealthy young Judean ruler in Mark 10:18. 

• Mark 10:17-18. GOOD Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? Why do you call me GOOD? No one is Good but the One Elohim or God.”  

The implication? Yeshua is identifying Himself with Elohim. Now compare this to –

• John 1:1, In B’reshit [the beginning] was THE WORD, and THE WORD was with Elohim (God), and the Word was Elohim (God). He was in B’reshit with Elohim (God).” 

Responsum like Mark 10:17-18 (rabbinic-style questions and replies) shows that the ancient teachers of Judaism understood Genesis 1:4 as THE LIGHT of ELOHIM, the ETERNAL, ANOINTED HAMASHIACH. Once again, from 1 John 5:5 – 

• 1 John 5:5. Elohim (God) is LIGHT and in Him is no Darkness at all. 

Let us now return to reevaluate Genesis 1:4b. 

•  Genesis 1:4b. And God (Elohim) divided the Light from the Dark.

The phrase, “And Elohim (God) Divided the Light from the Dark…” is significant. The Hebrew term is “Beit Dalet Lamed,” which can be pronounced as b’dal. You might recognize from this Hebrew root the term Havdalah, a ceremony of division between the end of the Sabbath and the beginning of a new six-day work week cycle.  Genesis 1:4b – “Elohim, (‘God,’) divided the Light from the Dark,” was rabbinically understood as the instrument of separation. Without Genesis 1:4b, all the creation would still be in a state of tohu v’vohu – absolute sameness. However, with YHWH giving us the uniquely formed LIGHT of the MESSIAH, the sameness of the tohu v’vohu state ceases to be. 

Someone might say, “It looks like this Genesis 1:4 division between Dark and Light declares the start of a new week by bringing the previous week to a close. I agree. Genesis 1:4 could be interpreted this way, that a new week begins after the Sabbath’s sundown, based on the Hebrew word B’dal, producing the term Havdalah, a time of separation between outgoing Light and an incoming Darkness. Yes, this is possible; however, we must remember that Havdalah, which Judaism teaches is the ceremonial separation between the Sabbath and the six working days, is a tradition beginning around the time of the Babylonian post-exilic period when Judaism’s teachers reconfigured the day and changed it from a morning start to an evening start. This makes perfect sense, according to what the well-respected Rabbi Israel Drazin noted when he wrote: 

Many scholars are convinced that the biblical Israelite day started at daybreak. It seems possible that the Judeans who were exiled to Babylon accepted the Babylonian practice of beginning the day with the prior evening. We know for certain that the day began in the Temple at daybreak, and it is assumed that the priests in the Temple retained the ancient practice for as long as the Temple existed.

Commenting on the same matter, Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, Chancellor Emeritus of the Jewish Theological Seminary, wrote: 

• …the festival calendar clearly alludes to a division of time that regards the evening AS PART OF the day just ended.

Also, the 12th-century Rashbam—Rabbi Shmuel Ben Meir, Grandson and student of the Great Jewish commentator Rashi—is said to have interpreted Genesis 1:5 to mean that days start at daybreak and NOT from the previous evening sunset. So, whatever the rabbinic connection is between today’s Judean ceremony of Havdalah and the Hebrew term B-D-L, it is trivial because Jewish customs were known to be remade after the destruction of the Second Temple around the Year 70 of this common era. Now that this is established, let us move forward and examine Genesis 1:5 closely. 

• Genesis 1:5. God called the Light DAY, and the DARK, He called NIGHT. So, erev (evening) and boker (morning) were the first day.

Let us briefly summarize everything to this point. 

• In Genesis 1:2, a blanket of DARK SAMENESS overshadowed the whole of creation. The Hebrew phrase used is tohu v’vohu. Think of this idea as blindness.
• In Genesis 1:3, God fashioned, shaped, and formed from OUT OF HIS OWN LIGHT – the LIGHT OF THE MESSIAH, based on Isaiah 45:7, “I FORM LIGHT and CREATE DARKNESS.”
• In Genesis 1:4, with the pure LIGHT of His Messiah Redeemer from Genesis 1:3, He injected this into the Genesis 1:2 tohu v’vohu blanket of dark emptiness and created a blanket of LIGHT, resulting in a perfectly balanced “Middle Gray,” as we might understand the concept. 

In Genesis 1:5, God created a line of distinction in the “Middle Gray” between the LIGHT and between the DARK. I purposely repeated the statement “BETWEEN the LIGHT AND BETWEEN THE DARK” for a good reason. Because it is written that way in the Hebrew text in Genesis 1:4 –בֵּ֥ין הָא֖וֹר וּבֵ֥ין הַחֹֽשֶׁך (Bein HaOr U’Vain HaChoshech). Why write it this way, twice repeating the word “between”? Perhaps God wants to consider that after the fourth day, a DAY will be defined according to four parts: 

A)  DAYBREAK or SHACHAR

B)  MORNING or BOKER 

C)   EVENING or EREV

D)  NIGHT or LILAH

However, we must revise our terminology because we are still only on the first day, and what is described above is linked to the definitions of the fourth day and Genesis 1:14, after the luminaries were created. So, let’s say it differently based on Genesis 1:4 –בֵּ֥ין הָא֖וֹר וּבֵ֥ין הַחֹֽשֶׁך (Bein HaOr U’Vain HaChoshech) of what is defined as ONE DAY or in Hebrew – Yom Echad.

A)  THE FIRST EREV (“MIXTURE”)

B)  THE LIGHT OF THE DAY 

C)   THE SECOND EREV (“MIXTURE”)

D)  THE DARK OF NIGHT

When we return for PART 3, we will look deep into the four dayparts of Hebrew Scripture. In Genesis 1:5, the first use of the term EREV should not be defined as “EVENING.” Instead, it should be described as a MIXTURE. Only later, following the creation of the luminaries on DAY 4, does the term EREV come to be called EVENING. Therefore, after YHWH creates the luminaries on DAY 4, the first use of the Hebrew term EREV changes to the word SHACHAR, describing what we might call the “pre-morning” of THE DAY. For example: 

• Genesis 19:15. When the morning dawned (hashachar), the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.”             

Shachar describes “PRE-MORNING” – the first rays of light that break through the night’s darkness (hence, the English term daybreak). In Hebrew, shachar is related to the word shachor for the color “black.” Why so? Because shachar means the morning at the end of the night. Shachar or dawn is similar in meaning to erev in that both words, shachar and erev, are mixtures of dark and light. In the Bible, shachar is translated as morning some twenty times, whereas boker is translated as morning more than 200 times! Shachar, more accurately, refers to the crack of dawn, even before the sun rises, again, “pre-morning,” so it cannot replace boker, because shachar is more like erev – a pre-morning mixture, NOT an end-of-day evening mixture. Here are some scripture references to think about as they are used in the Bible and understood in biblical Hebrew: 

• Genesis 32:24. Then Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him “Aad Alah HaShachar” – until the rising up (the lifting up of) the morning mixture (the shachar that gives way to the light of the rising sun).  
• Isaiah 8:20. To the Law and to the Testimony! If they do not speak according to this Word, it is because there is no shachar (no dawn before the light of the rising sun).
• Job 30:30. My skin grows shachar (the mix of a black or dark spot) and falls from me.