Genesis 1:18 (DRB)

Passage

And to rule the day and the night, and to divide the light and the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

Nearby Context

Genesis 1:16 And God made two great lights: a greater light to rule the day; and a lesser light to rule the night: and the stars.

Genesis 1:17 And he set them in the firmament of heaven to shine upon the earth.

Genesis 1:18 And to rule the day and the night, and to divide the light and the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:19 And the evening and morning were the fourth day.

Genesis 1:20 God also said: let the waters bring forth the creeping creature having life, and the fowl that may fly over the earth under the firmament of heaven.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light", "darkness", "rule", "night", "divide", and "good". It is saying that the contrast between light and darkness marks a real divide in how people respond to God's work.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "And he set them in the firmament..." into verse 19's "And the evening and morning were the...", so "light" and "darkness" 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 "darkness" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.