To Lysa:
As usual, you are not responding to the original post, that goes into detail about how the word "yom", as it is used in Genesis Chapter 1 & Chapter 2 DIFFERS from all the other uses of the word "yom" that is found in the Old Testament.
I will post this again, just for your benefit, Lysa:
How Long Is A Day?
What does the Word of God, the Bible, teach us about the "meaning" of the word "day" mean in Genesis?
[b][color=990000]The Hebrew word "yom" is translated as day in Genesis. Just as our word "day" can have different meanings based on its context, so can the word "yom". For example, in the Old Testament "yom" is translated to mean a 24 hour day 1109 times. It means a long, long period of time--such as an age--about nine times.
However, every time the word "yom" is used with the term evening or morning in the Bible, it means a regular 24 hour day.
Every time the word "yom" is used with a number, such as "40 yom" (40 days), it means a regular 24 hour day.
What we now see is that in Genesis chapter one God is going out of His way to emphasize that each day is a normal 24 hour day. For example in verse five He says:
“5. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.”
Verse 8. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
Verse 13. And the evening and the morning were the third day.
Verse 19. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
Verse 23. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
Verse 31. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
For each day of creation the pattern is the same: evening, morning, number, day. Just part of that pattern, for example using the words "evening" and "day" together, tell us it was a 24 hour day. But God tells us in three ways -- evening, morning, number -- that the word day means... an ordinary 24 hour day.
God is making it very clear: He created everything in six ordinary days.[/color][/b]
Sincerely,
Walter
Lysa wrote:
Every time the word "yom" is used with a number, such as "40 yom" (40 days), it means a regular 24 hour day.
Looks like I, Lysa, is the one who gets to produce a long "go against the flow" boring post!! But it does raise doubts! :-P
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The claim has been made that when [i]yom[/i] is used with a number, it [i]always[/i] refers to a 24-hour day:
"Outside Genesis 1, yom is used with a number 410 times, and each time it means an ordinary day—why would Genesis 1 be the exception?"(1, [i]Did God really take six days? by Ken Ham[/i])
Let's look at some notable exceptions to this "rule," just using the first day as an example.
The first exception to the "rule" is found in Genesis 29:20, where [i]echad yom[/i] refers to a period of seven years that Jacob served Laban to obtain Rachel. (13)
In the book of 1 Samuel, David says that he "will perish one day [echad yom] by the hand of Saul." (14) [b]Obviously, David was not expecting to die in exactly 24 hours.[/b] In fact, David was never killed by Saul, but died of old age many decades later.
A prophecy from the book of Daniel describes the demise of the ruler of the Syrian kingdom, Seleucus Philopator, the Son of Antiochus the Great. According to Daniel 11:20, "within a few days [[i]echad yom[/i]] he will be shattered." (15) The reign of Seleucus actually lasted 12 years (16) - a relatively short period of time, but certainly not 24 hours!
There are several examples where [echad yom] refers to the Day of the Lord - a period usually interpreted as being seven years in length. (17) Specific examples that specify a period of time longer than 24 hours include the following:
~~~'For behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it,' declares the LORD of hosts, 'and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day [echad yom]. 'In that day,' declares the LORD of hosts, 'every one of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and under his fig tree.'" (Zechariah 3:9-10)
~~~For it will be a unique day [echad yom] which is known to the LORD, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at evening time there will be light. And it will come about in that day that living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter. (Zechariah 14:7-8)
~~~"He [the Lord] will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, That we may live before Him. (Hosea 6:2)
If we are to interpret [i]echad yom[/i] as referring only to a 24 hour day, then people will only be able to invite their neighbors over during one 24 hour period of time. Obviously, Zechariah 3:9-10 refers to an extended period of time. Later...Zechariah describes this "one day" as being "in summer as well as in winter." This verse clearly indicates that this "one day" must be at least six months in length. The third example above is somewhat difficult to interpret, but is often interpreted as representing long periods of time. Gill's commentary says,"...these two and three days may be expressive of a long and short time, as interpreters differently explain them; of a long time, as the third day is a long time for a man to lie dead..." (18)
[b]These six examples clearly establish that when [i]yom[/i] is used with a number it does [i]not[/i] always refer to 24-hour days.[/b]
Conclusion: [i]This page was not intended to be a complete rebuttal to the idea that the days of Genesis 1 must be 24 hours in length. Please see additional pages below for more arguments. However, many young earth ministries use technical arguments that are difficult to confirm without extensive knowledge or research. This page shows that the young earth claims that biblical Hebrew requires the days of Genesis to be exactly 24 hours in length are false. Numerous examples from the book of Genesis and other passages of the Old Testament invalidate their "always" rules.[/i]
For the references in (#), click on the article link:
[url=http://www.godandscience.org/youngearth/sixdays.html ]Does the Bible say that God Created the Universe in Six 24-Hour Days? [/url]
