Here,
we run into our first apparent inconsistency. 
= yomhas an unequivocal modern meaning of 'day'; and
= laylahor 'night'. The verse is concerned with what
the Shining Onesdecided to call the explored and unexplored
parts of their chosen territory. In our interpretation, they
called the explored land - yom;and the unexplored land
Ø laylah.
In other
words, the parts on which they were enlightened became known
as yom; and the parts on which they had no light became
known as laylah. This discrimination took place ten
thousand years ago, and the first interpretations of the written
text were made between seven and eight thousand years later!
We should not be surprised if, in the course of that lengthy
period, yomand laylahbecame marginally changed
in meaning.
So the
'light land' was yomand the 'dark land' was laylah-
and after the exploration that had brought the words into
being had been forgotten, it seems likely that 'land' was
dropped from the expression - and yomin its simplified
form, became 'light' or 'day'; and laylahbecame 'dark'
or 'night'.
| JERUSALEM
BIBLE |
(ALTERNATIVE
GENESIS) |
|
God
called the light 'day', and the darkness he called ¡night™.
Evening came and morning came: the first day.
|
The
Shining Onesnamed the explored land yom,and
the unexplored land they named layah. There was
evening and there was morning - a first day [stage].
|
There
has long been controversy over the division of the 'Creation
Story' into parts of seven days - this has all the hallmarks
of a redactor bent on tidying and labelling. And yet, it is
perfectly logical for the Anannage to have conducted their
establishment of Eden in stages; and that the opening stage
should have consisted of the reconnaissance of the territory.
next
page GEN 1:6
