Light before sun? Huh?

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. Genesis 1.14-15 NIV

Here is a long-standing question for Bible students:  light on day 1; sun not until day 4. What's up with this?  It's not a modern question.  Origen, who lived in the second century, asked:  "If the sun is not yet there, how are we to understand the first three days with their 'evenings and mornings'?"  Good question!  Furthermore there's the issue of plants.  How could the plants created on day 3 have flourished with no sun until day 4?

Here are some of the basic ideas.

~The Genesis 1 creation story is to be taken metaphorically, not literally.

~This telling of the events of day 4 is to be taken functionally, not materially.

~The sun, created on day 1, was hidden from view on earth by a vapor cloud until day 4.

~Light was indeed created before the sun.  God is light and doesn't need the sun, but the sun serves a purpose for humans.

Much could be said about each of these interpretations.  And I intend to give a brief look at them in the next few days . . . after I figure out how to consolidate this wealth of opinions.