Length of days and the interpretation of the word 'yom'

"There was evening and there was morning, one day." To most native english speakers there is no doubt that these words, if found anywhere else but in a translation, would mean one literal 24 hour day. The other interpretations of day in english, such as used in the expression "back in my day", would immediately be ruled out by the preceding clause "there was evening and there was morning". In hebrew the context works in exactly the same manner. Yes "yom" can be interpreted in multiple ways ranging anywhere from a 24 day to an unspecified age of time. Yet the context rules out any other interpretation but that of a literal 24 hour day. The phrase "there was evening and there was morning" means exactly the same thing in english as in hebrew and modifies and clarifies day and yom respectively to mean one literal 24 hour day. If additional context is needed one can use Exodus 20:8-11. There God is telling the Israelites to "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you." Why are they not allowed to work on the 7th day? The next verse gives the answer. “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy." There is no possible way to interpret the word yom used in verse 11 in any manner but a literal 24 hour day. Why? Because of the context of the Israelites resting on the 7th day of the week and working on the other 6. The Israelites are not being told work for 6 "ages" and rest on the 7th "age". They are being told to work 6 literal 24 hour days and rest on the 7th. Now if the word yom in this context must be interpreted as a literal 24 hour day then it must also apply to the word in Genesis. Why? Because the author is talking about Creation in verse 11! It is a serious literary error to take a word used to talk about the exact same event and give it two separate meanings.

To answer other objections to a literal 24 hour day in Genesis and a 7 day creation week. Yes the plants were created on day 3 and the sun on day 4. So? If you put a plant in a completely dark room for minimum a couple seconds (if the plants were created at the very end of day 3 and the sun at the very beginning of day 4) and maximum just under 48 hours (if the plants were created at the very beginning of day 3 and the sun at the very end of day 4) the plant won't die. Just as we (humans) can generally survive at least a week or more without food of any sort (and this is after thousands of years of genetic deterioration), even plants (especially given that they are perfect creations and exist on a perfect earth that hasn't fallen yet) can survive a few days at the least without food. So it really isn't a problem for the sun to be created a day later.

Some say that it doesn't matter how God created as long as He created. While this is true to an extent I would also argue that having a mechanism of evolution for the advent of life (even guided by God's hand) and an old earth presents some very challenging, if neigh impossible, theological issues to overcome. To have evolution you must have death. That seems like a problem considering that Paul states in Romans 5:12 "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned--". Death entered through sin. So...who sinned before Adam and Eve? Lucifer? I have yet to find a passage in the Scriptures that shows that the sin of the angels has ever directly affected the lives of those on this planet. I say directly to bring to attention the difference between "Lucifer sinned and because of that sin and being thrown out of heaven he antagonizes mankind" and "Lucifer sinned and that sin was imparted to Adam". So if Adam and Eve were the first to sin and death entered through their sin then evolution seems to have a problem. Another issue I have with an evolutionist approach to creation is how did God determine that Adam was finally "a man made after Our own likeness and in Our image"? Why Adam and not the "person" that was practically like him in all but the most minute ways that came right before? I feel that an evolutionist approach takes away the special place we have in creation.

Lastly I would just like to refute the idea that the Scriptures are accurate for spiritual and moral truth but cannot be trusted for scientific accuracy. Now my question is: 'If the God of Creation who is omniscient inspired the Scriptures, would He really have gotten even the most minor detail wrong'?

If anyone would like to know more about some young earth research going on I suggest you check out Barry Setterfield's website: 'www.setterfield.org'. Before tossing him aside as an illegitimate scientist whose work has been disproven completely (as his opponents say), read his articles and look through his research and make a conclusion for yourself.

Well this was a really long article but I hope it helps anyone who reads it.

Created over 2 years ago