“And God”
“Elohim” in the Hebrew is a plural reference to all three members of
the Godhead Three.

“saw”
God is observing progression of a sequence of events not yet completed.

“the light”
When God said, “Let there be light,” He was not “creating” light. He was “forming” light from the darkness, which He had previously created. The light that appeared did not emanate from God’s being: God is light (1 John 1:5); therefore, God has no need to command His own light to appear. The appearance of this light signaled the beginning of the measurement of a “Day.”

“that [it was] good:”
The quantity and quality of “light” was precise and exceptional.

“and God divided the light from the darkness.”
God is not separating the light from the darkness, but rather, this clause merely records the effect of God’s earlier command that there be light.

Commentary by Roland G.
Posted on: 5/15/2010 04:49 am

We’ll leave a light on for ya:
God is good. “Goodness is diffusive of itself” according to G. Gordon Liddy. Meaning: God wants to create because His is good, and the creation is good because it came from good God. Darkness is defined as the absence of light. So, the darkness that was over the deep (verse 2) was not darkness as we understand it. We should not assume that the darkness is evil just because the light is good. It is helpful to understand evil by using the symbol of darkness, but they are not the same. Light and darkness are opposites, but they are also compliments to one another. Finally there seems to be one point of confusion: This verse states that light was separated from darkness, however verse 14 states that the lights (stars) that will be created will divide the day from the night.

Commentary by Terik Q
Posted on: 2/12/2009 16:37 pm

And God saw the light . Here God is introduced by Moses as surveying his work, that he might take pleasure in it. But he does it for our sake, to teach us that God has made nothing without a certain reason and design. And we ought not so to understand the words of Moses as if God did not know that his work was good, till it was finished. But the meaning of the passage is, that the work, such as we now see it, was approved by God. Therefore nothing remains for us, but to acquiesce in this judgment of God. And this admonition is very useful. For whereas man ought to apply all his senses to the admiring contemplation of the works of God, we see what license he really allows himself in detracting from them.

Commentary by John Calvin
Posted on: 10/22/2008 11:34 am

In God’s unapproachable depth of wisdom and creative power he begins to unfold his creation for the purpose of fellowship with man created in his image is so wonderous to even try to behold. “God saw the light, that it was good: he seperated the light from the darkness.”

Paul uses the phrase of light out of darkness in 55-57 A.D. written in 2 Corinthians 4:6 NAS ‘For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.’ We were hidden in the Triune God always, from the beginning.

Commentary by Sharon Corea
Posted on: 6/6/2007 07:17 am