Genesis 1 - Are the Creative Days Literal Days?

We often hear some speak of the days of creation as being "literal" days, often associated with the claim that each of those "days" were 24 hours each. The days of creation in Genesis 1 and 2 are literal, but literal "days" in the Bible are not always 24 hours long. The first two chapters of Genesis use the word "day" to express at least three time lengths (possibly four, or even more). Each "day" is literal, but the time lengths are different.

We should note that in the Bible the word "day" is used to denote varying periods of time. The "day" of temptation, for instance, was actually 40 years in length. (Psalm 95:8-10) Prophetically, a "day" can represent a year (Numbers 14:33,34; Ezekiel 4:1-8), or a day can represent a thousand years. -- Acts 17:31; 2 Peter 3:7,8; Revelation 20:1-15.

Genesis 1:5 uses the word "day" to express two different time lengths.

Genesis 1:5 God called the light Day (avg 12 hours -- John 11:9), and the darkness he called NightGenesis 1:5 - God called the light Day (an average of 12 hours -- John 11:9), and the darkness he called Night. There was evening and there was morning, one day (no time length is designated for this "day"). 

Both of these references to "day" are literal, but they are not both the same time length. The average 12-hour literal "day" is again spoken of in Genesis 1:14,16,18. However, the plural "days" is also used in Genesis 1:14, which obviously refers to literal days of 24 hours each. At any rate, in Genesis 1:5, the period of time that God called "Day" is literal, and the time period referred to as "day one" is also literal although they obviously represent two different lengths of time.

The evening came first followed by the morning. This is probably the basis of how the Jews would count a day as starting in the evening. At any rate, the evening was considered the beginning of the day and the morning would represent the final part of the day.

Then in Genesis 2:4 the whole six days of creation are referred to as one day. All of the expressions of "day" and "days" are speaking of literal days, but they are not all the same length in time.

Considering that the length of the creative days is not indicated, we believe that each day represents a long period of time (perhaps thousands, or even millions, or even billions of years), each with a beginning, designated an evening, and each being brought to completion, represented by the morning. With such an understanding, the "evening" and "morning" might be considered symbolic, but the days themselves are literal days.(Nevertheless, one might also consider the "evenings/mornings" themselves literal in the setting given; just different from what we normally think of as evening and morning.) There are six literal days of creation listed, none of which are stated to be 24 hours long, nor are we told that each of the six days is equal to each other in length, as some have assumed.

Believing as we do, that the six literal days of creation are extremely long periods of time, there are at least four possible different time periods in Genesis 1:1-2:4, and maybe more, if each of the creative days does not represent equal time lengths.

Ronald R. Day, Sr.

Related:
The Six Days of Creation

Studies by Others:
(We do not necessarily agree with all details presented by these authors):

In the Beginning
The Book of Genesis -- Its Account of Creation