Old Testament Essays (May 2020)
Die Bedeutung des Ausdrucks „am Tag …“ in Genesis 2,4 im Rahmen des Pentateuch
Abstract
The interpretation of bəjôm in Gen 2:4 as “when” in the sense of an unspecific period of time has often been used as an argument to defend an allegorical or figurative interpretation of the days of creation. A comparison with parallel grammatical constructions throughout the Pentateuch casts severe doubts on that idea, which are confirmed by a closer exegetical analysis of bəjôm in Gen 2:4b in its individual literary contexts (Gen 2:4a, 1:1, 2:5-3:24, especially the parallel narrative sequence following 5:1-2). Without “Systemzwang,” all arguments point to the natural understanding of bəjôm in Gen 2:4 as “in the day,” referring to a specific day, the first day of creation. https://doi.org/10.17159/2312-3621/2020/v33n1a6
