Genesis 1:13 marks the close of the third day of creation with a simple summary: evening came, then morning, and that completed the third day. The verse is part of the creation account, where God was shaping the world and naming its parts, so its plain meaning is a time marker that tells you the work of that day was finished and a new day began. It is the narrator who speaks here, the writer of Genesis, and the words are addressed to the reader who is hearing how the world came to be.
There was evening and there was morning, a third day.
Genesis 1:13 (WEB)
What Genesis 1:13 Means
The phrase “there was evening and there was morning” uses a rhythm that repeats throughout the first chapter. In the Hebrew way of counting days, each day begins with evening and runs into morning, so the verse presents the third day as a complete unit: a period of darkness followed by a period of light. The writer is not describing sunsets and sunrises in detail here. He is giving the reader a clear pattern of ordered time.
The words “a third day” place this moment in sequence. Day three follows the gathering of the waters and the appearance of dry land, and it comes before the lights in the sky are set in place on day four. The verse therefore tells you that God’s work unfolded step by step, with each day building on the last.
What the verse does not do is explain the physics of how light and time work, or settle every question people later ask about the length of the creation days. It simply states that the third day was finished and marked by evening and morning. Its promise is the steady, ordered character of the Creator, who brings structure and completion to what He makes.
The Context of Genesis 1:13
Genesis is the first book of the Torah, traditionally attributed to Moses, and it was written for the people of Israel as they understood their origins and their God. The opening chapter presents God as the sovereign Creator who speaks and the world takes shape. Verses 10 through 12 describe the dry land being named earth, the waters named seas, and plants and trees bringing forth fruit, with God declaring each part good. Verse 13 closes that stretch of work.
Because it comes right after God calls the vegetation into being and sees that it is good, the verse reads as a quiet pause that affirms the completed day. Just after it, in verses 14 through 16, God makes the lights in the sky to mark seasons and days, which means the time-keeping pattern of evening and morning is about to be linked to those heavenly lights. Seeing the verse in that sequence helps you notice that the ordering of time is part of the good design God gives creation.
Key Phrases in Genesis 1:13
Genesis 1:31
God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
(WEB)
This verse follows the creation of humanity and gives a summary of God’s whole work. It shows that the evening and morning of each day were leading toward a finished creation that God declared very good. Reading it alongside Genesis 1:13 helps you see that each completed day was part of that larger, deliberate goodness.
Psalm 104:19
He appointed the moon for seasons. The sun knows when to set.
(WEB)
The psalmist praises God for making the moon to mark the seasons and the sun to know its going down. This echoes the time-keeping purpose of the lights in Genesis 1:14 and shows that the orderly rhythm of day and night is a continuing expression of God’s care. It deepens the sense that the evening and morning of Genesis 1:13 belong to a world that God actively sustains.
A Short Prayer From Genesis 1:13
Father, You made the day and the night and set them in order with evening and morning. Thank You that You are not careless with time and that You bring each day to its appointed end. As this day closes, I release what I could not finish and what I could not control, trusting You with it. Give me rest in the evening and fresh hope when morning comes. Teach me to live each day as a gift from Your hand. Amen.
