Genesis 1:14 (DBY)

Passage

And God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens, to divide between the day and the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years;

Nearby Context

Genesis 1:12 And the earth brought forth grass, herb producing seed after its kind, and trees yielding fruit, the seed of which is in them, after their kind. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:13 And there was evening, and there was morning a third day.

Genesis 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens, to divide between the day and the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years;

Genesis 1:15 and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens, to give light on the earth. And it was so.

Genesis 1:16 And God made the two great lights, the great light to rule the day, and the small light to rule the night, and the stars.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light", "said", "lights", "expanse", "heavens", "divide", "between", and "night". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "light" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "And there was evening and there was..." into verse 15's "and let them be for lights in...", so "light" and "said" belong inside that flow. In Genesis context, the local focus is creation, human rebellion, covenant promise, and God's providence.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "light" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.