Genesis 1:18 (YLT)

Passage

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;

Nearby Context

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.

Genesis 1:20 And God saith, `Let the waters teem with the teeming living creature, and fowl let fly on the earth on the face of the expanse of the heavens.'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light", "darkness", "rule", "over", "night", "make", "separation", and "between". 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 God giveth them in the expanse..." into verse 19's "and there is an evening and there...", 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.