Genesis 1:3
“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Context
These are the first spoken words of God in the Bible, beginning the six days of creation after the earth is described as without form, void, and dark.
What Does Genesis 1:3 Mean?
Genesis 1:3 means that God acts simply by speaking -- He commands, and what He commands comes to be. Into a scene described as dark and unformed, the first recorded words of God call light into existence. Nothing wrestles with Him, negotiates, or resists. The distance between His word and its result is nothing at all: "Let there be light: and there was light."
The verse sets the pattern for the whole creation account, where again and again "God said" is followed by "and it was so." This is the language of authority and intention -- the world is not an accident but the expression of a purposeful word. Light comes first, before sun or stars, suggesting that light itself is a gift God grants and governs. Throughout Scripture light becomes a picture of God's presence, truth, and life, and the New Testament will echo this verse when it speaks of God shining light into human hearts. The opening of Genesis invites the reader to trust a God whose word is effective, whose first work is to push back darkness, and whose speech still brings order out of confusion.
In the Original Language
The Hebrew phrase "yehi or" (let there be light) is strikingly brief -- two short words -- mirroring the immediacy with which the command is fulfilled.
Cross References
“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
- 2 Corinthians 4:6
“In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”
- John 1:4
“For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.”
- Psalm 33:9
Application
When your circumstances feel dark and shapeless, remember that the same God whose word brought light can speak order and hope into your situation.