
By Jim Darnall, EPM volunteer
You asked about the use of the Hebrew word for day—yom. First, let’s go back and list a few hermeneutical principles, then apply them: God communicates through language. Human language consists of words used in a specific context that relate to the entire reality around us. When Jesus and the New Testament writers referenced Old Testament passages, they employed what is often referred to as the Literal Principle (we also routinely employ this method in our everyday conversations): Seek the ordinary meaning of the language. Identify type of language: Poetry or prose; figurative or literal. Begin with the assumption that the writer is saying something to be taken in its literal meaning. Seek a single meaning of the text. The structure of a narrative is the single greatest tool the writer has to convey his central message. We observe what a writer selects and how he arranges his material to best discover the central message.
When we apply these principles to Genesis 1, there aren’t a lot of possible interpretations. In fact, I don’t think that God could have more clearly indicated 7 ordinary days. Let me explain:
Other passages confirm the interpretation of yom in Genesis 1 to be ordinary days:
All this to say, when we take a literal approach to Genesis 1, I don’t think it is possible for yom to be anything but ordinary days without violating the clear meaning of the text.