Genesis 1:23

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Genesis 1:23 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
Genesis 1:23 — American Standard Version

Context — Genesis 1

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
23And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.] The sun now in the firmament, where it was fixed the day before, having gone round the earth, or the earth about that, in the space of twenty four hours; and according to Capellus this was the twenty second of April; or, as others, the fifth of September; and according to Bishop Usher the twenty seventh of October.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“- VII. The Fifth Day 20. שׁרץ shārats, “crawl, teem, swarm, abound.” An intransitive verb, admitting, however, an objective noun of its own or a like signification. נפשׁ nephesh, “breath, soul, self.” This noun is derived from a root signifying to breathe. Its concrete meaning is, therefore, “that which breathes,” and consequently has a body, without which there can be no breathing; hence, “a breathing body,” and even a body that once had breath Numbers 6:6. As breath is the accompaniment and sign of life, it comes to denote “life,” and hence, a living body, “an animal.” And as life properly signifies animal life, and is therefore essentially connected with feeling, appetite, thought, נפשׁ…”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification