Gleason Archer- No Definite Article with Yom

Gleason L. Archer, the director of the NASB bible translation spoke 24 languages at his death.  In  his Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, he points out key details about the creation of "days" in Genesis. He notes that the Hebrew text for the six creative days lacks a definite article. Translations like "the first day" are, he argues, inaccurate. Instead, the original Hebrew reads "day one" and "a second day," continuing this pattern. In Hebrew prose, a definite article usually signifies a definite noun. Its absence here is significant. Archer suggests this grammatical detail indicates these "days" aren't strict 24-hour periods. Rather, their lack of a definite article makes them "well adapted to a sequential pattern" of formation. This allows for understanding the creative "days" as successive stages in God's work, not rigid chronological periods.

Expanded Piece on Archer




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