In the 7 days of Creation was each day 24 hours in length or was each day longer?

Answer 1

The Hebrew word for day yom can mean an indefinite period of time. In the context, as qualified by 'evening and morning' it can mean only one thing, namely the 24 hour day that we know today where the sun rises and sets. Even those who do not accept the view of Genesis 1 as being literal do assert that it means a 24 hour day, but they do not accept it as being true for evolutionary or other reasons. They thus are acknowledging what the writer intended to say as being literal 24 hour days but rejecting the facts presented by the author of Genesis.

If the days were meant to be longer, such as 7000 years, then that would mean that the Sabbath day of rest mentioned in Exodus 20:8-11, which alludes specifically to Genesis 1 would have required the Israelites to rest for 7000 years every sabbath, which is clearly not feasible and clearly illogical. 'Scripture interprets scripture' as a clear principle for rightly understanding the word of God, comes into play here.

Interpretations which make the days longer than 24 hours or which insert a "Gap" between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 are adding something foreign to the text itself. The literal meaning is supported by much scientific evidence regarding the age of the earth, although this is denied and suppressed. People may well, for philosophical reasons, find this interpretation objectionable which is certainly their choice. The use of insults demonstrates some kind of annoyance with the contradiction posed by the view of the Bible writer. Indeed, the view of the Bible writer (ultimately Christians attribute the inspiration of the Bible to God Himself) in terms of the 24 hour days stands in stark contrast to the prevailing majority scientific view.

Summary:

The Bible writer clearly intended to convey the meaning of literal 24-hour days such as we know now. Some find this objectionable and so either ridicule it or re-interpret it. This is unwarranted given the text of Genesis.

AnswerNo, the days were not 24 hours long in the Genesis story. Nor can the "day" really be assigned a "length" given the inexactitude with which it is used in the Genesis account. There is almost certainly no greater demonstration of irrationality than to believe a "Biblical day" as it is offered in Genesis is 24 hours in length. There is no way that anyone who looks with an understanding eye at the physical evidence that the universe, the galaxy and the earth itself present that a viewer can come away with the idea that a "Biblical day" during creation was 24 hours long. And it is a demonstration of stunning ignorance for Christians to support the literal translation of the Bible as regards the 24 hour "Biblical" day as it is offered in Genesis. Don't even think about applying any kind of science to support a 24-hour day, given what is said to have transpired.

That said, why, then, do a group of Christians rush to subscribe to Young Earth Creation (YEC) theory? Because the Bible says it? YEC cultist beliefs suggest the kind of insanity that presented itself at Jonestown or with the Heaven's Gate followers: blind, unthinking, unreasoning obedience. What kind of "faith" is that?

AnswerNo. The days of creation were a thousand years each totalling 7000 years. It takes longer than 24 hours for grass to grow. God let the vegetation grow all over the earth for a thousand years as it is one of the most vital resources for the animals and humans that would come later.AnswerThe days the people lived back then is thought to be less than 24 hours, a day was considered to be only half. That's why many people lived more than what is usual for us now a days.AnswerThere were only 6 days in creation according to the Bible, God rested on the seventh; the Bible indicates that "and the evening and the morning were the day", so that indicates how long a day is.AnswerNo, the days were not 24 hours long. Each day was 7 thousand years long.AnswerI believe the 6 days were only 24 hrs. long because the plants were made on the 3rd day and the sun was not made till the 4th. Wouldn't the plants have died without the sun over a thousand years? By accepting that the days were a thousand years you are compromising with evolution. Why? All the proof points to a young earth. Check out Kent Hovind seminar #1 (the age of the earth) from drdino.com or even on Ebay you can get them for pretty cheap. He does a great job of explaining.AnswerIt does not really matter whether each day was 24 hours long, or thousands of years. Without the sun until the fourth day, the Earth would have been a cold and lifeless ball drifting in endless space. And without the sun (which defines our days and our years), days have no length and no meaning.24 Hoursthe phrase "And the evening and the morning" confirms this. It means that the earth is bathed by the sun's light for half of the day and darkness the other half of the day. If one day of creation is 7,000 years, then one side of the earth will be exposed to the sun for 3,500 years. In this scenario, all things on earth will be burned to a crisp. No life would exists.

A 24 hour day is just right for earth to sustain life; not burning it or freezing it..

AnswerEvery other time in the Bible the word Yom is used it is referring to a 24 hr. day. Why would it be different in Genesis 1? Also Genesis 1:5 says "... and the evening and the morning were the first day." (KJV) It says the evening (not evenings) and the morning (not mornings).Answer

The point of confusion (and confrontation) for most people reading this account in Genesis is the misunderstanding of Gen-1:1 & Gen-1:2. They generally have a problem with trying to cram the entire creation of all physical things including the universe, stars & planets, dinosaurs, and man into 168 hours!

I am not saying that God is not capable of all these things, but before reading these two verses in Genesis again, read Jeremiah chapter 4. You will see that Jeremiah 4 is talking about the a prophesied total destruction of Jerusalem. Total, utter destruction. And in Jer-4:23 we read the same phrase as we find in Genesis 1:2. Now look up the two Hebrew words from these verses "bohuw" and "tohuw" and you will see that they do not mean anything as calm as "without form" and "void" as it is mistranslated in many bibles. It should say "undistinguishable ruin" and "lie waste or desolate".

In Genesis, God does not say that the earth and universe and man and animals were created in 7 twenty-four hour days. He says, "In a beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Then, he says in verse 2 "The earth was an undistinguishable ruin and was laid waste (or desolate)..." This occurring perhaps many millions of years later.

Then, in the seven 24 hour days of creation, God straightened out the atmosphere, made visible the celestial bodies (stars and planets), created life (plants, fish, animals) and created man.

Answer

Well I think you either have to accept them as literal days or not believe them at all. God made the plants on the third day but he didnt make the sun until the fourth day. If there was a long period of time in between the two days I dont think they would have made it. God also made the insects the day after so I dont think the plants and trees could have made it without sunlight or pollination for an extended period of time. The creation story does seem to point to or prophesy to several things to come. If you look at II Peter 3:8-10 where he talks about a thousand years LIKE a day and a day LIKE a thousand years. not meaning that a day IS a thousand years but taking the days of creation they seem to line up with the history of the bible. On the second day God separated the waters and our history shows that God separated the people (Jew from gentile) on the fourth day God made the sun (the great light) Malachi 4:2 even refers to the messiah as the Sun of righteousness (spelled SUN)coming with healing in his wings. This clearly refers to Jesus and four thousand years into our history. The other light that God made that day was the moon which reflects the light of the Sun. This is a very good representation of the church. And looking at the six days of creation and then the seventh day of rest fits with the belief that after 6000 years of history Jesus will return and reign on earth for 1000 years. I just think that God could have created the earth in any order that he chose and it seems that it was designed this way on purpose. He made the Sun on the fourth day after making light on the first day. Well any way that is what Ive taken from creation.

If you think about it, an infinite Creator God could have created everything in no time. Why, then, did He take as long as six days? The answer is given in Exodus 20:11. Here we find that God tells us that He deliberately took six days and rested for one as a pattern for man-this is where the seven-day week comes from. The seven-day week has no basis for existing except from Scripture. If one believes that the days of creation are long periods of time, then the week becomes meaningless.

The Bible tells us that Adam was created on the sixth day. If he lived through day six and day seven, and then died when he was 930 years old, and if each of these days was a thousand or a million years, you have major problems! On the fourth day of creation (Genesis 1:14-19), we are given the comparison of day to night, and days to years. If the word 'day' doesn't mean an ordinary day, then the comparison of day to night and day to years becomes meaningless.

Were the days 24 hours? Most definitely! 'Let God be true, but every man a liar'

Answer 2

It does not really matter whether each day was 24 hours long, or thousands of years. Without the sun until the fourth day, the Earth would have been a cold and lifeless ball drifting in endless space. And without the sun (which defines our days and our years), days have no length and no meaning.

The biblical creation narratives are discussed at: http://christianity.answers.com/theology/the-story-of-creation