According to the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament, how many days did it take God to create the world?

The story behind the answer

Six is correct because, in Genesis 1, God creates the world in six days and rests on the seventh. The sequence is: Day 1—light; Day 2—sky and waters; Day 3—land and vegetation; Day 4—sun, moon, and stars; Day 5—birds and sea creatures; Day 6—land animals and humans. The seventh day is for rest, establishing the pattern later reflected in the Sabbath.

A helpful way to remember this is the “forming and filling” pattern: Days 1–3 form the realms (light/dark, sky/sea, land), and Days 4–6 fill them (luminaries, birds/fish, animals/humans). Think “six to make, seven to celebrate”—six days of creative work followed by a day of rest, a rhythm that influenced Jewish and Christian weekly practice.