How long did it take the Jewish God to make the world?

Answer 1

In one line: no one really knows even by the biblical account because of what is seen by many historically to be a gap of time between vs one and vs three where vs one is the original creation with a time frame not specified and vs 3 on (the seven day creation account) is the recreation, or renovation account of the cosmos and the ruined earth of Gen 1:2.

Also first let me ask: How old was Adam when he was created? Was Adam created as an unborn fetus? An infant? Or as a fully grown man physically and mentally, what would seem to make more sense from the account given? Adam was created with the "appearance" of age, as a fully grown matured man, even though he was "chronologically" "brand spanking new"! So, if you take this as a hint from scripture, then so also was the rest of creation created, with the appearance of age. There were not any "new" rocks made, fresh off the assembly line, or New waves of light, etc, the whole universe was created with the appearance of age, as a fully matured universe and earth at just the right age to be ideal for habitation.

This gap between the original creation Gen1:1 and the seven day creation account given in Gen 1:3-to the end of the chapter, is known by some as the gap theory, where gen1:2 describes a ruined Earth (that without going into allot of detail here) is the result of the rebellion and fall of Lucifer recorded elsewhere in Scripture that occurred at some time before the seven day creation account and the creation of man. This is not a concept universally accepted in Christianity, and today is probably a minority position, but it has been accepted historically throughout church history in some quaters, in some ancient church fathers writings and even by ancient Rabbi's etc., ,so this isn't "something new".

So regardless of how old a rock shows us a fossil is, or radiation decay, or even light reaching us from a distant part of the universe tells us, about the age of this earth or this universe, there is not contradiction between a universe with an obvious appearance of age and scripture, where the scripture themselves even hint at (with the example of Adam created as a fully grown man) a creation created with the appearance of age and full maturation.".

Answer 2

A Jewish summary of the Creation-narrative is that, in seven days, God created the universe and everything in it (Genesis ch.1).God created the universe out of nothing (Exodus 20:11, Isaiah 40:28; Rashi commentary to Genesis 1:14; Maimonides' "Guide," 2:30). Nachmanides on Gen. 1:1 states emphatically that this is a fundamental Jewish tradition.Note that the Torah, in describing the Creation, deliberately employs brevity and ellipsis, just as it does in many other topics. See the Talmud, Hagigah 11b.

On day 1: God created the universe in general, light, and this Earth. The light was not the same as that of the sun.

On day 2: God created the separation between the Earth and the upper atmosphere.

On day 3: God separated the continents from the oceans, and created plants.

On day 4: God created the sun, moon, and stars.

On day 5: God created birds and fish.

On day 6: God created animals and people.

On day 7: God ceased creating, thereby creating the concept of rest.

See also:

Is there evidence against Evolution?

Can you show that God exists?

Seeing God's wisdom