EOB: Official Site of the Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible (Old and New Testament)

Genesis 1:14

EOB (Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible):

God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth, to divide the day from the night. Let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years.”

EOB Footnote:

The MT includes “and for days and years” where the LXX reads “and for years.” The phrase “and for days” appears in the MT but is absent from the primary LXX witnesses. The MT reads “let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years” while the LXX omits “and for days,” reading “let them be for signs and for seasons and for years.”

Other Translations:

KJV (King James Version):

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.

WEB (World English Bible):

“God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, to mark seasons, days, and years;’”

Benton LXX (Vaticanus):

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, to divide between day and night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and for years.

Douai-Rheims (Vulgate):

“Let there be lights made in the firmament of heaven, to divide the day and the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years:”

Apostoliki Diakonia (LXX):

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years.”

YLT (Young Literal Translation )(MT):

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to divide between the day and the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years.”

BBE (Bible in Basic English):

And God said, Let there be lights in the arch of heaven, for a division between the day and the night, and let them be for signs and for the marking out of the fixed times, and the days and years.

EOB COMMENTARY:

EOB Commentary:

Genesis 1:14 – Commentary

The Luminaries as Signs and Seasons

This verse marks the creation of the sun, moon, and stars on the fourth day, establishing them as markers of sacred time. The Hebrew word for “signs” (otot) carries profound theological weight, indicating that the celestial bodies serve not merely practical functions but revelatory purposes. The Fathers consistently emphasized that these luminaries were created to serve humanity and to glorify God, not to be worshipped themselves—a direct polemic against the astral cults of the ancient Near East.

Christological Significance: The Church Fathers saw in this passage a foreshadowing of Christ, the true Light. Saint Ambrose of Milan noted that just as the sun rules the day, so Christ, the Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2), illuminates the spiritual day of salvation. The creation of light on the first day, followed by the luminaries on the fourth, led many Fathers, including Saint Basil the Great in his Hexaemeron, to distinguish between uncreated divine light and created physical light—a distinction that would later inform the Palamite theology of divine energies.

Liturgical Connections: The phrase “for seasons” (moadim) refers primarily to the appointed times of worship. The Orthodox liturgical calendar finds its cosmic foundation here. The Paschal computation, determining the date of Pascha through the relationship of sun and moon, reflects this divine ordering. The daily cycle of services—Vespers at sunset, Orthros at dawn—sanctifies time according to these primordial markers. The hymns of creation sung at Vespers (“O Gladsome Light”) celebrate Christ as the true light that the physical sun merely symbolizes.

Patristic Interpretation: Saint John Chrysostom emphasized God’s condescension in creating these bodies for human benefit, demonstrating divine providence. Saint Gregory of Nyssa saw the ordering of celestial bodies as evidence of divine Logos ordering all creation—the same Logos who would become incarnate.

Spiritual Application: For Orthodox spirituality, this verse reminds the faithful that time itself is sanctified and purposeful. The rhythm of days, months, and years calls believers to watchfulness and prayer. The luminaries testify that creation is not chaotic but ordered by divine wisdom, inviting humanity to discern God’s providence in the regular patterns of nature. The faithful are called to read these cosmic signs not superstitiously but doxologically, seeing in every sunrise an icon of the Resurrection and in every starry night a glimpse of heavenly glory.

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