"...it may be surprising to many people to learn how strong are the Biblical arguments in its support, if the indispensable historical/grammatical system of Biblical hermeneutics are be accepted:
Although the Hebrew word for "day (yom) can refer to a time period longer than 24 hours (e.g. "day of the Lord"), its attachment to a numerical adjective restricts its meaning to 24 hours ("second day," etc.,cf Num.7:12-78).
The formula "evening and morning" indicates a 24-hour cycle of the earth rotating on its axis in reference to a fixed astronomic light source (not necessarily the sun).
No Israelite would have understood God's days of creation to be longer than 24 hours, especially because of the clear analogy with man's weekly cycle of work and rest (Exod.20:11;31:15-17). Six "days" (plural) cannot be figurative.
The "days" of Genesis 1:14 must be literal or the word "years" in the same verse would be meaningless.
Nothing is really gained by lengthening the creation days to accommodate the evolutionary timetable of earth history, for the revealed events are often in reverse order from that which evolutionism requires (e.g. earth before sun; whales before land mammals; birds before reptiles)."
John C. Whitcomb
