KING JAMES VERSION (KJV)
TRANSLATION, MEANING, CONTEXT
This verse is part of the creation story.
To get what Genesis 1:16 means in detail, scroll down or follow these links for the original scriptural meaning , biblical context and relative popularity.
“And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.”
What does this verse really mean? Use this table to get a word-for-word translation of the original Hebrew Scripture. This shows the English words related to the source biblical texts along with brief definitions. Follow the buttons in the right-hand column for detailed definitions and verses that use the same root words. Use this reference information to gain deeper insight into the Bible and enrich your understanding. Information based on Strong's Exhaustive Concordance[1].
| KJV Verse | Original Hebrew | Meaning/ Definition This is a simplified translation of the original Hebrew word. Follow the buttons on the right to get more detail. | More Use the buttons below to get details on the Hebrew word and view related Bible verses that use the same root word. |
|---|---|---|---|
| “And God” | אֱלֹהִ֔ים | Gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative | God |
| “made” | וַיַּ֣עַשׂ | To do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application | made |
| “two” | שְׁנֵ֥י | Two; also (as ordinal) twofold | two |
| “great” | הַגְּדֹלִ֑ים | Great (in any sense); hence, older; also insolent | great |
| “lights;” | הַמְּאֹרֹ֖ת | Properly, a luminous body or luminary, i.e., (abstractly) light (as an element); figuratively, brightness, i.e.,cheerfulness; specifically, a chandelier | lights |
| “the greater” | הַגָּדֹל֙ | Great (in any sense); hence, older; also insolent | greater |
| “light” | הַמָּא֤וֹר | Properly, a luminous body or luminary, i.e., (abstractly) light (as an element); figuratively, brightness, i.e.,cheerfulness; specifically, a chandelier | light |
| “to rule” | לְמֶמְשֶׁ֣לֶת | Rule; also (concretely in plural) a realm or a ruler | rule |
| “the day,” | הַיּ֔וֹם | A day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb) | day |
| “and the lesser” | הַקָּטֹן֙ | Abbreviated, i.e., diminutive, literally (in quantity, size or number) or figuratively (in age or importance) | lesser |
| “light” | הַמָּא֤וֹר | Properly, a luminous body or luminary, i.e., (abstractly) light (as an element); figuratively, brightness, i.e.,cheerfulness; specifically, a chandelier | light |
| “to rule” | לְמֶמְשֶׁ֣לֶת | Rule; also (concretely in plural) a realm or a ruler | rule |
| “the night:” | הַלַּ֔יְלָה | Properly, a twist (away of the light), i.e., night; figuratively, adversity | night |
| “he made” | (No Hebrew definition. English implied.) | ||
| “the stars” | הַכּוֹכָבִֽים׃ | A star (as round or as shining); figuratively, a prince | stars |
| “also.” | הַכּוֹכָבִֽים׃ | A star (as round or as shining); figuratively, a prince | also |
See Genesis 1:16 with its adjacent verses in bold below. Follow either of the two large buttons below to see these verses in their broader context of the King James Bible or a Bible concordance.
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14 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:
15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
• Genesis creation narrative Wikipedia Article
The King James Bible (1611) and Strong's Concordance (1890) with Hebrew and Greek dictionaries are sourced from the BibleForgeDB database (https://github.com/bibleforge) within the BibleForge project (http://bibleforge.com). Popularity rankings are based on search volume data from the Google AdWords Keyword Planner tool.