Could there be some deeper/Spiritual meaning why darkness was created ahead of light in Genesis 1:2?

Question

KJV Genesis 1 : 2

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Throughout the Bible darkness is depicted and mostly associated with evil things,curses and misfortunes.

KJV Exodus 10 : 22

And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:

KJV Deuteronomy 28 : 29

And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.

KJV 1 Samuel 2 : 9

He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

KJV Job 3 : 4

Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.

Could there be some deeper/spiritual meaning why darkness was created ahead of light?

Answer 1

Background

The Genesis account of creation does not detail everything God created. For example, there is no mention of angels, cherubim, seraphim, or a heavenly Temple; yet there is no question these exist and were created by God. In terms of the entire Bible, the description given in Genesis is oriented toward man, and ultimately reflects the essential nature of eternal life.

In the case of time, 3-days is an essential period. For example, the earth was created in two stages. At the end of the second day, the planet was partially formed; dry land which completed the work was made on the third day. Immediately, plant life was created; on the fifth day, that which was created on the second day was given life, and on the sixth day that which had been created on the third day was given life:

• Plants created on the third day
• Oceans created on the second day - fish created on the fifth day
• Atmosphere created on the second day - birds created on the fifth day
• Land created on the third day - animals created on the sixth day

The Genesis account demonstrates God always has a 3-day "incubation" period between no life and life. Genesis testifies the period between the lifeless and resurrected body of Jesus would be 3-days. That is to say, just as God waited 3-days between a place with physical life and life in that place, God waited 3-days before that which gives eternal life would emerge from the tomb.

Creating Darkness

The Bible states darkness was created:

⁵ I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, ⁶ that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other. ⁷ I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the LORD, who does all these things. (Isaiah 45 ESV)

YHVH states יוצר אור ובורא חשך, I form light and create darkness. "Create" is בָּרָא, the same word used in Genesis 1:1, 21, 27, and 2:3.

Conclusion

Fundamentally, there is no mention of God creating darkness in Genesis, because darkness is not meant for life. The current state of the created world which has "darkness" both as physical "substances," dark matter and dark energy, and places without light will eventually become a place with only light:

³ No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. ⁴ They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. ⁵ And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22)

Since darkness is omitted from Genesis, God's first work of salvation is given in terms of light. The physical world which man experiences did began in darkness, which was created, but the first work of salvation, is God bringing (forming) light in the darkness; seeing the light, and separating the light from the darkness.

Post Script

While not part of this question, a belief Genesis lacks scientific accuracy is contrary to what is written about darkness:

And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1:4)

to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:18)

Twice God separated light and darkness. So the dual nature of light and the reality neither dark matter nor dark energy interact with light are plainly stated as God's workmanship.

Answer 2

The text does not say that darkness was created - darkness is, after all, the lack of any light, and has no concrete existence of its own. Rather, the earth was created in the darkness that is empty nothing, and was not yet formed or shapen, to make it habitable - and then light was superadded after the fact, namely at its creation: "And God said: Let there be light. And there was light" (v. 2).

Answer 3

It is rather obvious that the function of Gen 1 is far more than just the creation account, important as that is. The rest of the Bible treats it as salvation metaphor, as can be shown by its consistent use as such:

Creation of Light begins with God as per Gen 1:3-5

• John 1:4 - In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.
• 1 John 1:5 - And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
• John 8:12 - Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.” See also John 9:5.
• Mal 4:4 - ... the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings ...
• Isa 45:7 - I create light ...
• Isa 58:10 - and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will go forth in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday.
• Ps 27:1 - The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? ...
• Matt 4:16 - the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.
• John 1:9 - The true light [Jesus] that gives light to everyone was coming into the world
• John 3:19 - "Light [= Jesus and His gospel] has come into the world ..."

Three Days

The pattern of Gen 1 is rather obvious:

• Day 1 God separates light from darkness; Day 4 God populates the day and night with "lights"
• Day 2 God separates waters above from waters below; Day 5 God populates the sea and air with creatures
• Day 3 God separates the land and seas; Day 6 God populates the land with animals and mankind

Thus, the three-day pattern is established. Jesus, the "Sun of Righteousness" rises with healing in His wings on the third day. See 1 Cor 15:3, 4.

"New Creation"

• 2 Cor 5:17 - Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come! [See also Rev 21:1]

It should be noticed that in Gen 1 God takes a watery planet that is pronounced, dark, formless and worthless (V2); and after six days of creation it is pronounced "very good" (V31). Exactly the same is said of a sinner coming to Christ - such a person is in darkness, is formless and worthless. However, at the end of God's re-creative efforts in Jesus' perfect light of the gospel (2 Cor 4:4), the sinners will

• "shine like the stars forever", Dan 12:3
• "be the light of the world", Matt 5:14
• "people of the light", Luke 16:8
• "shine like lights to the world", Phil 2:15
• "be a light to the gentiles", Acts 13:47

Thus, we must imitate Christ in being a light(s) to the world to dispel the spiritual darkness.

Answer 4

The fact that creation begins with darkness and chaos that God then transforms with light and life establishes a fundamental truth of God's character:

He brings light to the darkness, order to the chaos, life to the dead and barren.

The daily pattern of evening preceding morning sets the life rhythm for God's people to expect the darkness of life to be followed by the brightness of day. Rather than the night and slumber being the conclusion of the day, the true day ends in light and life, purpose and productivity.

The ultimate darkness is death. Even in the Old Testament, sleep was a metaphor for death and so the evening and morning pattern teaches us that death is ultimately just the start of the next day. We learn that this too is not the end but the initial stage of a new beginning, for such reflects the character and purposes of God as established in the beginning when the barren darkness is followed by God's glorious life.

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake,
Some to everlasting life, and some to disgrace and everlasting contempt.
And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above;
And those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
-Daniel 12:2-3

...Just think, every day since the beginning of creation, humans routinely play act God's final redemptive plan in daily cycles of death and resurrection... this too shall pass.

It's going to get worse before it gets better.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
-Romans 8:28

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
-Romans 8:18

Answer 5

If I read Genesis chapter 1 correctly, darkness is pre-existent to "creation". English usage of the word "create" is used extremely loose in regards to this chapter.

The idea in verse two when compared to several psalms and Job, then in a couple of prophetic sections.

This is the NASB77 from Psalm 18:

⁷ Then the earth shook and quaked; And the foundations of the mountains were trembling And were shaken, because He was angry. ⁸ Smoke went up out of His nostrils, And fire from His mouth devoured; Coals were kindled by it. ⁹ He bowed the heavens also, and came down With thick darkness under His feet. ¹⁰ And He rode upon a cherub and flew; And He sped upon the wings of the wind. ¹¹ He made darkness His hiding place, His canopy around Him, Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

This is not a creation psalm but there is a back-and-forth passing with Genesis 1 creation terminology.

I've attempted to avoid all of the other answers and stick to yours, but two things must be mentioned.

Isaiah 45:18 and creating light is going to fall under a similar premise. The word create is being misinterpreted (partially, but the conclusion is flawed because of it in my opinion)

The second is darkness being the absence of light. That concept I did not think is found in Hebrew. Darkness seems to be understood as its own entity.

Lastly in passing, why I am here, to understand this metaphorically is also wrong. If anything, it is the exact opposite. It has taken a story that everywhere else is using strong imagery and possibly figurative language and attempted to remove that. And there is no doubt that it is describing a real event they believed in and the pre-exilic Hebrews were well acquainted with. Where this was lost and separated is a mystery to me.

Darkness is being used in a fearful sense as is its use in most other places. This verse is not alluding to basic nighttime. To make it so causes this chapter to contradict nearly every other creation passage in the Tanakh, or vice-versa.

Answer 6

I feel this question does not require any extraordinary degree in theology or other areas to answer this question. I may be alone here, but I saw one person who observed that "darkness" was not so much created as it just sort of happened. I mean, prior to Genesis 1:3, when God spoke the words, "Let there be light", there was no light, only darkness. So, darkness already existed at this point. So, to go off in search of some " evil" meaning to this, before evil even existed is stretching things. Despite the fact evil came upon the earth rather quickly, to place evil upon the earth before man would be putting it here at that point by God's hand, and that is not possible. So, no hidden meaning here.

Answer 7

In a material universe, where there is no light, there must of necessity be darkness.

In a spiritual reality, where there is no spiritual light, there must of necessity be spiritual darkness.

In a material universe, even where there is light, that light in and of itself cannot create life out of lifeless matter, no matter how many billions of year's time are supposed.

In a spiritual reality, even where there is available spiritual light, that spiritual light, in and of itself, will not automatically create spiritual life. Outer, eternal, and blackest darkness await the spiritually demonic dead.

The only source of light and life is God the Creator. When he chooses to grant light, those who follow it are led into life eternal. Regarding the Word, who was with God "in the beginning", and who was God, we have this further illumination from heaven:

"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." John 1:1-14 for the full text, A.V.

"I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." Then he proceeded to give sight to a man born blind. John 9:4-5 A.V.

The spiritual contrast between light and darkness is even more profound, and important to grasp, than mere material light and darkness. But given that God is light, and God is life, and has always existed as such, blinkers need to be taken off to stop us imagining that darkness came first, in a material universe created by the God of light and of life. Before any creation began, God the source of all life was dwelling in unapproachable light (unapproachable to unholy, sinful creatures - 1 Timothy 6:16 - with even the holy ones having to cover their eyes and bow down in his presence - Isaiah 6:1-7). With regard to this material universe, God but spoke the word, and there was light, and God but spoke the word, and there was life.

We so often try to start from our view-point, as sinners in a sin-corrupted universe, and try to work out spiritual realities. That never works. We must start from God's perfect and eternal view-point, as given to us in his holy written word, exemplified in the person of the Word made flesh, and listen to what he tells us. It is no coincidence that Genesis 1:1-5 was invoked by the apostle John when introducing us to the Word made flesh in John 1:1-14. The crucial link-pins of creation, light and life are all there, but this time with regard to spiritual new creation, spiritual light and spiritual life.

I would have used different wording for your question, but (taking it as it is), my answer is simply that because we are creatures made of matter, material things are there to teach us lessons about far more important spiritual realities, to do with God being Creator, Light and Life eternal.

Answer 8

What is "Light"? To human being, it is only a very narrow section of the electromagnetic spectrum that our eyes can see. To other scientific instruments, they see other "lights", but visible lights are darkness. And God can see the whole electromagnetic spectrum, for it is His creation. To God, there is no darkness, for He see everything.

And therefore, it is meaningless if we isolated "light" and "darkness", without the objects that associated to them. In God's Creation, His will is to bring "Life", that nurtured by "Light".

Though Isaiah 45:7 read

I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things. (NIV)

We must understand, the object is the human, light and darkness filled in our life. But as to the Lord, He create all these things; In Him, there is no distinction of light and darkness.

Answer 9

Darkness was not the first "thing" created.

It's important to know why that is not true that darkness was created before light.

In (the) beginning God created heaven and earth.

In Isaiah 45:18, we read that God did not create the world as it is found in the second verse of Genesis: " For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he has established it, he created in not tohu. Here is the same Hebrew word as in the second verse of the Bible. It is a formal statement: God did not create the earth as it is portrayed in the description that has commonly been called chaos. Dr. Barnhouse

He did not create it: tohu

◄ 8414. tohu ► Strong's Concordance tohu: formlessness, confusion, unreality, emptiness Original Word: תֹּהוּ Part of Speech: Noun Masculine Transliteration: tohu Phonetic Spelling: (to'-hoo) Definition: formlessness, confusion, unreality, emptines

In other words God did not create the original earth as stated in verse one as chaos.

A great interval happened between verse one and two.

It became a empty and a ruin, and darkness covered the face of the deep.

There is definitely a great gulf between the earth first being created and what it became.

The word "became" is translated from hayah.

◄ 1961. hayah ► Strong's Concordance hayah: to fall out, come to pass, become, be Original Word: הָיָה Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: hayah Phonetic Spelling: (haw-yaw) Definition: to fall out, come to pass, become, b

So I said all that to establish that darkness was not created first. It became a result of another cause.

Peter even talks about the heavens and the earth that once were destroyed. There had been a judgment and destruction as we can see from looking at 2 Peter 3:7

For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

Op ask, "Could there be some deeper/spiritual meaning why darkness was created ahead of light?"

Those are just a few scriptures to look at to see if darkness was created after something else.

We do see another beginning out of darkness which symbolizes death..where the earth begins in darkness and emptiness, there is no life.

Darkness was over the face of the abyss. And the spirit of Elohim was Hovering over the face of the waters

Hovering: ◄ 7363. רָחַף (rachaph) ‎רָחַף [“pr. to be soft”], to be moved, affected specially (a) with the feeling of tender love, hence to cherish, see Piel. (b) with fear, tremor, hence to tremble (spoken of the bones of a person terrified), Jeremiah 23:9. Piel, to brood over young ones, to cherish young (as an eagle), Deuteronomy 32:11 figuratively used of the Spirit of God, who brooded over the shapeless mass of the earth, cherishing and vivifying. which is used of birds brooding over their young, of parents who cherish their children, of Elisha cherishing the body of the dead child, to soothe a child (as a mother), Genesis 1:2. https://www.studylight.org/lexicons/eng/hebrew/

Perhaps that is descriptive of God hovering over this dead mess with affection and the first thing He says is "let there be"light.

It's important to take note that the same word hayah is translated "let there be" in verse 3 when it God said, Let there be light. One can see the same word used in verse two, in the Interlinear when referring to what the earth became is #1962 hayah.

In light of all that, the spiritual significance of darkness thot was over this earth gives pause for one to search this out. Just like man whose heart became dark is being lit up by the same word .

And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it. John

Answer 10

In the Stone Edition Chumash, the commentary says that the phrase commonly rendered as "In the beginning God created", would indicate that the Torah is giving a sequence of creation-that God created the heaven, then then the heaven, then the earth, darkness water, light and so on. Rashi and Ibn Ezra disagree. The Stone Edition Chumash thus renders Gen 1:1 as " In the beginning of God's creating..."

According to Ramban and most other commentators however, the verse is indeed chronological. It begins with a general statement: At the very first moment-from absolute nothingness-God created the heaven and the earth, i.e., the basic substance from which he then fashioned the universe as we know it, as expounded in the following verses.

It should be pointed out that the first word in Genesis 1:1 is "Bereshit"-בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית. The next word is "bara"-בָּרָ֣א. Notice that bara is embedded into the word Bereshit-bet, resh, alef. Normally, the word is read as "B'reshit. B' being a preposition translated as "in". Reshit being similar to Rishon, which is beginning in Hebrew. In a sense, we have a double creation taking place.

In Genesis 1:2, we see darkness. The Stone Edition Chumash says that this is not merely the absence of light, but a specific creation, as is clearly stated in Isaiah 45:7-He who forms the light and creates the darkness. The sages state that until light and darkness were separated from one another, they function "in a mixture", implying that the patches of light and darkness were intermixed with one another.

God saw that light was good, so he decreed that it should not be mingled with the darkness, but should function independently during the day. Light needed no more further perfection. God summoned the light and appointed it for duty by day and he summoned the darkness and appointed it for duty by night.

According to the Midrash, the original light was of an intense spiritual quality and God saw that the wicked were unworthy of enjoying it. Therefore, he separated it from the rest of the universe and set it aside for the use of the righteousness in the World to Come-Olam HaBa.

When analyzing text, I recommend the Rabbinic technique of Pardes-Peshat, Remez, Drash and Sod. Peshat Peshat is the plain simple meaning. Remez is hinting at or alluding to. Drash is a metaphor, comparison or illustration through teaching. It is the proper use of Exegesis. Sod is something mysterious or hidden behind the text.

This then brings up the idea that some scripture can be looked at literally or metaphorically. The Bible is rich with this. Examples of this can be found when Israel is said to be a land flowing with milk and honey. An abundance of milk and honey was symbolic of lush, fertile farmland, plenty of water, and rich grass for dairy animals and flowers for bees. Milk and honey were two of the most prized foods in Old Testament times, and a land "flowing" with them would be very desirable.

Another of the many is the Cedars of Lebanon. The cedars in Lebanon grow up to 130 feet tall with trunks up to eight feet in diameter. The cedars are used symbolically in the Bible to represent strength and stature or pride.

So, in examining Genesis 1:1-5, we see that there was literal darkness-Choshech, and light-Ohr. They were used to delineate the night from the day. However, in doing a Drash of scripture, we see that darkness is a metaphor for satan, evil and sin, while light is a metaphor for Yeshua as well as salvation. There are countless verses in the Tanach and B'rit Chadasha that reference light as representing God while darkness represents evil people and the devil.

There has been a debate both in the Jewish community and among Christians about Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. Some see the formlessness is after the initial creation, with more creation to come. Others see it as a result of events that took place between those two verses. I believe that it can be both. There is the literal darkness and light that we experience in this dimension of space/time reality we experience as humans. It also is a metaphor showing a delineation between Yeshua and the devil.

It is my firm contention that Haylel Ben Shachar-Morning Star, son of the dawn as mentioned in Isaiah 14:12, was cast down from Shamayim-the third heaven along with 1/3 of the stars of heaven to the earth. between verses 1 and 2. I should point out that while the KJV calls him "Lucifer", his real Hebrew name is Haylel Ben Shachar. Once cast down to earth, he lost that title and became HaSatan, or the Accuser. He no longer had the glory that he had had in the third heaven.

When we first meet HaSatan, he is the Nachash or serpent in Genesis 3. He had lost his original form that he once had. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading all the commentary. It is refreshing to see believers in Yeshua thoroughly examine the Word of God. I commend all of you for your thoughts.

Answer 11

In analyzing the linguistic styles present in the first and second chapters of the book of Genesis, we observe notable distinctions that allude to differing conceptual frameworks. These differences beckon a geophysical interpretation that aligns with principles of evolution and metaphysics. The linguistic divergence prompts a conjecture that the first Adam, introduced in the initial chapter, embodies a representation of evolutionary physics, while the Adam referenced in the second chapter encapsulates a metaphysical construct.

The initial chapter of Genesis portrays a narrative rich in scientific semblance, describing the successive phases of the Earth's evolutionary progression. The linguistic elements within this chapter intricately detail the gradual emergence of light, firmament, land, and diverse life forms—concordant with the evolutionary development of our planet. The mention of "darkness" in the first verse can be interpreted as a metaphor for the initial phases of the Earth's formation, analogous to the nebulous and opaque state preceding the differentiation and organization of celestial bodies.

On the other hand, the second chapter of Genesis adopts a distinct stylistic approach, shifting towards a more metaphysical portrayal of the genesis of humanity. This chapter delves into the allegorical creation of man and woman, highlighting existential and metaphysical themes. The introduction of Adam in this context transcends the mere physical aspects and delves into the realm of consciousness, morality, and spiritual connection.

Thus, the linguistic divergence between the two chapters implies a dualistic representation—a duality of the human experience encompassing both the physical evolution of Homo sapiens and the metaphysical dimensions of human existence. The darkness mentioned in the initial verse of Genesis can thus be viewed as a metaphorical expression denoting the enigmatic and transformative stages in the Earth's evolutionary process, setting the stage for the subsequent metaphysical exploration of human origins and essence.