Q
Genesis 1:3 says, “Let there be light” but Genesis 1:14 says, “Let there be lights in the sky.” What is the difference between these lights?
A
In Genesis 1:3 the Hebrew word translated light is “owr” (pronounced ore) and simply means light, as opposed to darkness. But in Genesis 1:14 the word is maowr (ma-ore). It’s comparable to a candlestick or chandelier. In a sense the light was gathered into a specific place, a repository if you will, which from then on became the source of the light. In verse 16 it’s obvious He’s referring to the Sun and Moon as the greater and lesser light sources.