Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Dave Washburn" <dwashbur AT nyx.net>]

Tony,
>
>   I was wondering about Gen 2:4 in relation to Gen 1. Gen 1 gives the
> chronological sequence of the creation account as six days. Gen 2:4 makes
> reference to "in the day" (BYoM) that God created the heavens and the earth.
> It seems to capsulize the whole creation into one day. I also noticed a
> number of translations render the phrase "In the day" as "at the time"
> (Goodspeed, Moffatt, Jerusalem Bible) Is the contrast between 6 days in Gen
> 1 and the mention of "in the day" (singular) a result of the dual authorsip
> of Gen 1 as the work of the Elohist editor and the Gen 2:4 reference the
> work of the Priestly editor or simply an acceptable literary device? Any
> comments would be appreciated. Many thanks.

It simply shows the flexibility of the word YOM.  This is just one of
many instances where it doesn't necessarily mean a 24-hour
period, but simply refers to an undefined period of time.  A short
study of the word will demonstrate this easily.  It's not necessary
to resort to various authorships, redactions or literary devices; it's a
simple matter of semantics, i.e. the meaning of the word.


Dave Washburn
http://www.nyx.net/~dwashbur
"Éist le glór Dé."