Days of Creation
Akkadian
and Ugaritic literature indicate seven consecutive periods are
considered a perfect period of time to do an important work, with
action lasting six days and reaching it's conclusion/outcome on the
7th. [UC 13] In their traditions, 6 days of labor were divided into
three pairs, 1&2, 3&4, 5&6 with completion occurring in the
7th period. Genesis does this a bit differently with 1&4, 2&5,
3&6 periods being related.
Stationary Creation | Animated, Moving Creations |
1; Light | 4; Luminaries (sun , moon & stars) |
2; Sea and Heaven
| 5; Fish and fowl |
3; Earth (with it's plants) |
6; Land creatures and Man |
[UC 17]
Note
the conceptual relationship in the symmetric pairs (rows). The 1st
column has the static phenomena or place, while it's parallel (2nd
column) occupies and moves through the 1st [UC 42].
Some have
felt the need to reconcile the order of the 6 "periods" of creation
with a scientific understanding of creation. This is difficult when
the sun (4th day) is created after the plants (3rd day). But this is
not a scientific description of creation, but a literary parallel, and
should be understood that way.