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לָכֶ֥ם יִֽהְיֶ֖ה לְאָכְלָֽה To you it shall be for food As the description of the sixth day concludes, God's providence is in the forefront. The word אָכְלָה ( ok·lä') is the general word for food. It from the word אָכַל ( ä·kal) which means "to eat, devour, burn up, feed". The work is the third day is shown to be essential for the survival of the animate creatures of the fifth and sixth days. There were three classes of plants: the sprouts, the seed bearers and the fruit trees. The latter two are designated for humanity, while the first is for the the animals. In common terms, this can be understood as seeds (grain, nuts and berries) and fruits (including vegetables) were for people, while grass and greens were for animals.

יֹ֥ום שְׁלִישִֽׁי The Third Day The primary root of the verb שָׁלַשׁ (shalash), translated "to do or be of a third part", may have originally meant "to intensify". However it always acts as a number in all its forms. The Hebrew word for three is שָׁלוֹשׁ (shalosh). In its use in the language, the idea of fullness is clearly seen. Many of the sacrifices had to be three years old, Elijah had water poured out three times. The third day often indicates a limit, as if to call for patience. On the third day the earth became fully suitable for habitation. Everything from this point on would be for the benefit of the inhabitants. The words in this portion: [`asah] עָשָׂה . To do, make, work, form [ raqiya` ] רָקִיעַ . Expanse, firmament. Literally, that which is spread out (from the verb רָקַע). [ tavek ] תָּוֶךְ, Within, among [ tachath ] תַּחַת . Under [" asher ] אֲשֶׁר . That, which, who [ sheni ] שֵׁנִי . Two, second. From the verb שָׁנָה (to...

פְּרִי֙ לְמִינֹ֔ו Fruit after its own kind From the very beginning, plants have been producing other plants, not in a generic way, but in a specific plan. Each one produces fruit that is expected from it. The word for this in Hebrew is מִין ("meen"). Its root meaning is "a portion, or sort". Each kind of plant has built in instructions to make more of the same kind. Much discussion has ensued as to what a "kind" is. The concept is plain: parent organisms produce others like themselves. The similarities are not just on the surface, so any observations should take context into account.

עֵ֚שֶׂב מַזְרִ֣יעַ זֶ֔רַע Herbs producing seed The second class of plants was what is variously translated herb and grass. The עֵ֚שֶׂב (aseb) was a distinct class of plant apart from the sprouts, though the ancient root means essentially the same thing. It may be that both words refer to small plants in general in different stages of growth. If this the case, the sprouts grow to become seed ( זֶ֔רַע . zera` ) lbearers. The root of the verb form here, zara`, means to sow, that is, to scatter seed.

תַּֽדְשֵׁ֤א הָאָ֨רֶץ֙ דֶּ֔שֶׁא Let the land sprout sprouts In commanding the soil, God calls out first to a barren land. The ground had no seed of its own, so God must have created the plants in the dirt and in full bloom. The grass filled the land, glistening under God's light as it entered the leading edge of the globe. The word for the class of plant that came up is דֶּ֔שֶׁא (deshe) is from the verb דָּשָׁא (dasha) which means " to sprout, shoot, grow green". In the original text, the letters had no vowel points. This means the reader would use context and syntax to give the narrative life. The sense of the phrase is that God told the land to become green with grass, and it did.