Chapter 8
THE EVENING AND THE MORNING
Most English translations* of Genesis 5:1 have, "And there was evening and there was morning, the first day (*or close variations). However, in the translation entitled, "The Scriptures" by the Institute for Scripture Research, the latter portion of Genesis 1:5 reads as follows: "And there came to be evening and there came to be morning, one day.
The word in question is the Hebrew היה (hayah) Strong's H1961, and is translated in most English translations as "was". However, in "The Scriptures" it is translated as "came to be."
Question, which is correct? Going to Brown Driver Briggs and looking up Strong's number H1961...
H1961
היה
hâyâh
BDB Definition:
1) to be, become, come to pass,
exist, happen, fall out
1a) (Qal)
1a1) -----
1a1a) to happen, fall out,
occur, take place, come about, come to pass
1a1b) to come about, come to pass
If "The Scriptures" are correct, (and I believe they are), it would be explained as follows:
In Genesis 1:3, Elohim said, "Let there be light." Then in verse 5, at the end of the first day came the evening. After the evening came the night (not mentioned), and then came the morning. Again, YHWH called the light "day" and the darkness he called "night."
Genesis 1:3 And Elohim said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
Genesis 1:4 And Elohim saw the light, that it was good: and Elohim divided the
light from the darkness.
Genesis 1:5 And Elohim called the light Day, and
the darkness he called Night. And there came to be evening and there came to be
morning, one day.
Notice that "night" is mentioned only once in verse 5.