Genesis 1:16 (GNV)

Passage

God then made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesse light to rule the night: he made also the starres.

Nearby Context

Genesis 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heauen, to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signes, and for seasons, and for dayes and yeeres.

Genesis 1:15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heauen to giue light vpon the earth: and it was so.

Genesis 1:16 God then made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesse light to rule the night: he made also the starres.

Genesis 1:17 And God set them in the firmament of the heauen, to shine vpon the earth,

Genesis 1:18 And to rule in the day, and in the night, and to separate the light from the darkenesse: and God saw that it was good.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light", "great", "lights", "greater", "rule", and "lesse". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "light" and "great", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "And let them be for lights in..." into verse 17's "And God set them in the firmament...", so "light" and "great" 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 "great" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.