Genesis 1:17 (YLT)

Passage

and God giveth them in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth,

Nearby Context

Genesis 1:15 and they have been for luminaries in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth:' and it is so.

Genesis 1:16 And God maketh the two great luminaries, the great luminary for the rule of the day, and the small luminary--and the stars--for the rule of the night;

Genesis 1:17 and God giveth them in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth,

Genesis 1:18 and to rule over day and over night, and to make a separation between the light and the darkness; and God seeth that <FI>it is<Fi> good;

Genesis 1:19 and there is an evening, and there is a morning--day fourth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light", "giveth", "expanse", "heavens", "upon", and "earth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "light" and "giveth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "And God maketh the two great luminaries..." into verse 18's "and to rule over day and over...", so "light" and "giveth" 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 "giveth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.