DISCOVERIES WITH SACRED HISTORY. 27 
herein stated of the celestial luminaries seems to 
be spoken solely with reference to our planet, 
and more especially to the human race, then 
about to be placed upon it. We are not told that 
the substance of the sun and moon were first 
called into existence upon the fourth day :* the 
text may equally imply that these bodies were 
then prepared, and appointed to certain offices, 
of high importance to mankind ; *' to give light 
upon the earth, and to rule over the day, 
and over the night," "to be for signs, and for 
seasons, and for days, and for years." The fact 
of their creation had been stated before in the 
first verse. The stars also are mentioned (Gen. i. 
16) in three words only, almost parenthetically ; 
as if for the sole purpose of announcing, that 
they also were made by the same Power, as 
those luminaries which are more important to 
us, the sun and moon.t This very slight 
notice of the countless host of celestial bodies, 
all of which are probably suns, the centres 
of other planetary systems, whilst our little 
satellite, the moon, is mentioned as next in im- 
portance to the sun, shows clearly that astro- 
nomical phenomena are here spoken of only 
according to their relative importance to our 
earth, and to mankind, and without any regard 
* See notes, p. 22 and p. 26. 
t The literal translation of the words veeth haccocabim, is, 
" And the stars." — E. B. Pusey. 
