First Story of Creation oversight?

[Jimmy Higgins]

Genesis 1-2 tells us about how God created life as we know it, (please feel free to note the irony in that statement). At the end of each day, there is a statement that God sees good in what he has created. That is, each day but the second day.

Strangely, this text is omitted for the creation of the firmament. It is hardly suggested that God saw something bad within the creation, but the omission of what is repeated numerously in the story does seem to have some sort of significance. The question is where this significance lays. Is it an etiological matter, a sign of revision, or perhaps even an oversight by the author, or maybe even something else?

[Bill the Cat]

and God saw that it was good, is not used at the close of this day's work, as of the rest: the reason some Jewish writers give is, because the angels fell on this day; but it is a much better which Jarchi gives, and that is, because the work of the waters was not finished; it was begun on the second day, and perfected on the third (d); and therefore the phrase is twice used in the account of the third day's work: the Septuagint version adds it here indeed, but without any foundation.

John Gill answered it succinctly.

Oh, was that last statement "maybe even something else" an open ended rhetorical question?

www.answersingenesis.org

[Jimmy Higgins]

03-04-2003 @ 06:08 PM
Bill the Cat:and God saw that it was good, is not used at the close of this day's work, as of the rest: ...but it is a much better which Jarchi gives, and that is, because the work of the waters was not finished; it was begun on the second day, and perfected on the third (d); and therefore the phrase is twice used in the account of the third day's work: the Septuagint version adds it here indeed, but without any foundation.
I pretty much concur with this answer. However, it does beg a couple of questions. 1) why couldn't God complete the work for the day?
2) Is this actually a sign of revisioning done to a previous version of the story?