as the following verses indicate (vv. 29–30), they are not even to eat the fish and the birds, but rather God gives them “every green plant for food.” The work of creation thus came to an end on the sixth day. The final day of the week was a day of divine rest. God thus consecrated the seventh day, the Sabbath, a status that becomes significant for the later ritual observance of Israel (Exod 20:8–11; 31:12–18; Deut 5:12–15). Before ending our analysis of Genesis 1 in its Old Testament context, we