CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Genesis 1:2 Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/genesis/1-2.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/2/01_Gen_01_02.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Genesis 1:2 - The Creation" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="/vmenus/genesis/1-2.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmc/genesis/1-2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Bible</a> > <a href="/genesis/">Genesis</a> > <a href="/genesis/1.htm">Chapter 1</a> > Verse 2</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div><div id="ad1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad2.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/genesis/1-1.htm" title="Genesis 1:1">◄</a> Genesis 1:2 <a href="/genesis/1-3.htm" title="Genesis 1:3">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv">Verse<a href="/bsb/genesis/1.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><a href="/niv/genesis/1.htm">New International Version</a> Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. <a href="/nlt/genesis/1.htm">New Living Translation</a> The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. <a href="/esv/genesis/1.htm">English Standard Version</a> The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. <a href="/bsb/genesis/1.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a> Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. <a href="/kjv/genesis/1.htm">King James Bible</a> And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. <a href="/nkjv/genesis/1.htm">New King James Version</a> The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. <a href="/nasb_/genesis/1.htm">New American Standard Bible</a> And the earth was a formless and desolate emptiness, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. <a href="/nasb/genesis/1.htm">NASB 1995</a> The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. <a href="/nasb77/genesis/1.htm">NASB 1977 </a> And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. <a href="/lsb/genesis/1.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a> And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. <a href="/amp/genesis/1.htm">Amplified Bible</a> The earth was formless and void or a waste and emptiness, and darkness was upon the face of the deep [primeval ocean that covered the unformed earth]. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters. <a href="/csb/genesis/1.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a> Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. <a href="/hcsb/genesis/1.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a> Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. <a href="/asv/genesis/1.htm">American Standard Version</a> And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. <a href="/cev/genesis/1.htm">Contemporary English Version</a> The earth was barren, with no form of life; it was under a roaring ocean covered with darkness. But the Spirit of God was moving over the water. <a href="/erv/genesis/1.htm">English Revised Version</a> And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. <a href="/gwt/genesis/1.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a> The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep water. The Spirit of God was hovering over the water. <a href="/gnt/genesis/1.htm">Good News Translation</a> the earth was formless and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the Spirit of God was moving over the water. <a href="/isv/genesis/1.htm">International Standard Version</a> When the earth was as yet unformed and desolate, with the surface of the ocean depths shrouded in darkness, and while the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters, <a href="/msb/genesis/1.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a> Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. <a href="/net/genesis/1.htm">NET Bible</a> Now the earth was without shape and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the watery deep, but the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water. <a href="/nheb/genesis/1.htm">New Heart English Bible</a> Now the earth was formless and empty, and darkness was on the surface of the watery depths. And God's Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters. <a href="/wbt/genesis/1.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a> And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. <a href="/web/genesis/1.htm">World English Bible</a> The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters. <div class="vheading2">Literal Translations</div><a href="/lsv/genesis/1.htm">Literal Standard Version</a> and the earth was formless and void, and darkness [was] on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God [was] fluttering on the face of the waters, <a href="/ylt/genesis/1.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a> the earth hath existed waste and void, and darkness is on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God fluttering on the face of the waters, <a href="/slt/genesis/1.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a> And the earth was desolation and emptiness, and darkness over the face of the deep: and the spirit of God moved over the face of the waters.<div class="vheading2">Catholic Translations</div><a href="/drb/genesis/1.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a> And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God moved over the waters. <a href="/cpdv/genesis/1.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a> But the earth was empty and unoccupied, and darknesses were over the face of the abyss; and so the Spirit of God was brought over the waters. <a href="/nabre/genesis/1.htm">New American Bible</a> and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters— <a href="/nrsvce/genesis/1.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a> the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.<div class="vheading2">Translations from Aramaic</div><a href="/lamsa/genesis/1.htm">Lamsa Bible</a> And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the water. <a href="/hpbt/genesis/1.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a> The Earth was chaos and empty and darkness on the faces of the depths and the Spirit of God hovered on the faces of the waters.<div class="vheading2">OT Translations</div><a href="/jps/genesis/1.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a> Now the earth was unformed and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters. <a href="/sep/genesis/1.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a> But the earth was unsightly and unfurnished, and darkness was over the deep, and the Spirit of God moved over the water. <a href="/parallel/genesis/1-2.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv">Audio Bible</div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7ehevn8iSgc?start=4" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="vheadingv">Context</div><a href="/bsb/genesis/1.htm">The Creation</a> 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2<a href="/hebrew/776.htm" title="776: wə·hā·’ā·reṣ (Conj-w, Art:: N-fs) -- Earth, land. From an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth.">Now the earth</a> <a href="/hebrew/1961.htm" title="1961: hā·yə·ṯāh (V-Qal-Perf-3fs) -- To fall out, come to pass, become, be. A primitive root; to exist, i.e. Be or become, come to pass.">was</a> <a href="/hebrew/8414.htm" title="8414: ṯō·hū (N-ms) -- From an unused root meaning to lie waste; a desolation, i.e. Desert; figuratively, a worthless thing; adverbially, in vain.">formless</a> <a href="/hebrew/922.htm" title="922: wā·ḇō·hū (Conj-w:: N-ms) -- Emptiness. From an unused root; a vacuity, i.e. an undistinguishable ruin.">and void,</a> <a href="/hebrew/2822.htm" title="2822: wə·ḥō·šeḵ (Conj-w:: N-ms) -- From chashak; the dark; hence darkness; figuratively, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness.">and darkness</a> <a href="/hebrew/5921.htm" title="5921: ‘al- (Prep) -- Properly, the same as al used as a preposition; above, over, upon, or against in a great variety of applications.">was over</a> <a href="/hebrew/6440.htm" title="6440: pə·nê (N-cpc) -- Face, faces. Plural of an unused noun; the face; used in a great variety of applications; also as a preposition.">the surface</a> <a href="/hebrew/8415.htm" title="8415: ṯə·hō·wm (N-cs) -- Deep, sea, abyss. Or thom; from huwm; an abyss, especially the deep.">of the deep.</a> <a href="/hebrew/7307.htm" title="7307: wə·rū·aḥ (Conj-w:: N-csc) -- Breath, wind, spirit. From ruwach; wind; by resemblance breath.">And the Spirit</a> <a href="/hebrew/430.htm" title="430: ’ĕ·lō·hîm (N-mp) -- Plural of 'elowahh; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used of the supreme God">of God</a> <a href="/hebrew/7363.htm" title="7363: mə·ra·ḥe·p̄eṯ (V-Piel-Prtcpl-fs) -- To brood, to be relaxed. A primitive root; to brood; by implication, to be relaxed.">was hovering</a> <a href="/hebrew/5921.htm" title="5921: ‘al- (Prep) -- Properly, the same as al used as a preposition; above, over, upon, or against in a great variety of applications.">over</a> <a href="/hebrew/6440.htm" title="6440: pə·nê (N-cpc) -- Face, faces. Plural of an unused noun; the face; used in a great variety of applications; also as a preposition.">the surface</a> <a href="/hebrew/4325.htm" title="4325: ham·mā·yim (Art:: N-mp) -- Waters, water. Dual of a primitive noun; water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen.">of the waters.</a> 3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div> <a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><a href="/john/1-1.htm">John 1:1-3</a> In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. / He was with God in the beginning. / Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. <a href="/psalms/104-30.htm">Psalm 104:30</a> When You send Your Spirit, they are created, and You renew the face of the earth. <a href="/job/26-13.htm">Job 26:13</a> By His breath the skies were cleared; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent. <a href="/isaiah/45-18.htm">Isaiah 45:18</a> For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens—He is God; He formed the earth and fashioned it; He established it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD, and there is no other. <a href="/jeremiah/4-23.htm">Jeremiah 4:23</a> I looked at the earth, and it was formless and void; I looked to the heavens, and they had no light. <a href="/2_peter/3-5.htm">2 Peter 3:5</a> But they deliberately overlook the fact that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water, <a href="/psalms/33-6.htm">Psalm 33:6</a> By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the stars by the breath of His mouth. <a href="/job/38-9.htm">Job 38:9</a> when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its blanket, <a href="/isaiah/40-13.htm">Isaiah 40:13-14</a> Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or informed Him as His counselor? / Whom did He consult to enlighten Him, and who taught Him the paths of justice? Who imparted knowledge to Him and showed Him the way of understanding? <a href="/hebrews/11-3.htm">Hebrews 11:3</a> By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. <a href="/proverbs/8-27.htm">Proverbs 8:27-29</a> I was there when He established the heavens, when He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep, / when He established the clouds above, when the fountains of the deep gushed forth, / when He set a boundary for the sea, so that the waters would not surpass His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth. <a href="/psalms/136-6.htm">Psalm 136:6</a> He spread out the earth upon the waters. His loving devotion endures forever. <a href="/colossians/1-16.htm">Colossians 1:16-17</a> For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. / He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. <a href="/isaiah/42-5.htm">Isaiah 42:5</a> This is what God the LORD says—He who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it and life to those who walk in it: <a href="/revelation/4-11.htm">Revelation 4:11</a> “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and were created.”</div> <a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div>And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters.without.<a href="/job/26-7.htm">Job 26:7</a> He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.<a href="/isaiah/45-18.htm">Isaiah 45:18</a> For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.<a href="/jeremiah/4-23.htm">Jeremiah 4:23</a> I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.Spirit.<a href="/job/26-14.htm">Job 26:14</a> Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?<a href="/psalms/33-6.htm">Psalm 33:6</a> By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.<a href="/psalms/104-30.htm">Psalm 104:30</a> Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.<div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/revelation/16-10.htm">Dark</a> <a href="/revelation/16-10.htm">Darkness</a> <a href="/revelation/20-1.htm">Deep</a> <a href="/genesis/1-1.htm">Earth</a> <a href="/2_peter/2-18.htm">Empty</a> <a href="/revelation/17-11.htm">Existed</a> <a href="/revelation/22-8.htm">Face</a> <a href="/isaiah/16-2.htm">Fluttering</a> <a href="/2_timothy/3-5.htm">Form</a> <a href="/jeremiah/4-23.htm">Formless</a> <a href="/genesis/1-1.htm">God's</a> <a href="/ezekiel/11-22.htm">Hovered</a> <a href="/isaiah/31-5.htm">Hovering</a> <a href="/revelation/6-14.htm">Moved</a> <a href="/hebrews/10-24.htm">Moving</a> <a href="/revelation/22-17.htm">Spirit</a> <a href="/2_corinthians/10-7.htm">Surface</a> <a href="/psalms/139-16.htm">Unformed</a> <a href="/philippians/1-10.htm">Void</a> <a href="/revelation/18-19.htm">Waste</a> <a href="/revelation/19-6.htm">Waters</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/genesis/1-4.htm">Dark</a> <a href="/genesis/1-4.htm">Darkness</a> <a href="/genesis/2-21.htm">Deep</a> <a href="/genesis/1-10.htm">Earth</a> <a href="/genesis/31-42.htm">Empty</a> <a href="/proverbs/8-23.htm">Existed</a> <a href="/genesis/1-20.htm">Face</a> <a href="/proverbs/26-2.htm">Fluttering</a> <a href="/genesis/29-17.htm">Form</a> <a href="/jeremiah/4-23.htm">Formless</a> <a href="/genesis/1-27.htm">God's</a> <a href="/ezekiel/11-22.htm">Hovered</a> <a href="/isaiah/31-5.htm">Hovering</a> <a href="/genesis/7-18.htm">Moved</a> <a href="/genesis/1-20.htm">Moving</a> <a href="/genesis/6-3.htm">Spirit</a> <a href="/genesis/1-29.htm">Surface</a> <a href="/psalms/139-16.htm">Unformed</a> <a href="/numbers/6-12.htm">Void</a> <a href="/genesis/3-18.htm">Waste</a> <a href="/genesis/1-6.htm">Waters</a><div class="vheading2">Genesis 1</div>1. <a href="/genesis/1-1.htm">God creates heaven and earth;</a> 3. <a href="/genesis/1-3.htm">the light;</a> 6. <a href="/genesis/1-6.htm">the firmament;</a> 9. <a href="/genesis/1-9.htm">separates the dry land;</a> 14. <a href="/genesis/1-14.htm">forms the sun, moon, and stars;</a> 20. <a href="/genesis/1-20.htm">fishes and fowls;</a> 24. <a href="/genesis/1-24.htm">cattle, wild beasts, and creeping things;</a> 26. <a href="/genesis/1-26.htm">creates man in his own image, blesses him;</a> 29. <a href="/genesis/1-29.htm">grants the fruits of the earth for food.</a> </div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div>  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/genesis/1.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/genesis/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/genesis/1.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div>Now the earth was formless and void This phrase describes the initial state of the earth as chaotic and uninhabitable. The Hebrew words "tohu" (formless) and "bohu" (void) suggest a lack of order and emptiness. This condition sets the stage for God's creative work, emphasizing His power to bring order and life. The concept of chaos is common in ancient Near Eastern creation myths, but the biblical narrative uniquely presents God as sovereign over chaos, not battling it. This pre-creation state can be seen as a type of spiritual barrenness, which God transforms, paralleling how He brings life to spiritually barren hearts.and darkness was over the surface of the deep Darkness here symbolizes the absence of God's creative light and order. The "deep" (Hebrew "tehom") refers to the primordial waters, a common motif in ancient creation stories, representing chaos and mystery. In biblical theology, darkness often symbolizes evil or judgment, but here it simply indicates the absence of light. This sets the stage for God’s first act of creation: bringing light. The imagery of darkness and deep is echoed in other scriptures, such as <a href="/psalms/104-6.htm">Psalm 104:6-9</a>, which speaks of God's control over the waters, and in the New Testament, where Jesus is the light overcoming darkness (<a href="/john/1-5.htm">John 1:5</a>).And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters The "Spirit of God" (Hebrew "Ruach Elohim") is depicted as active and life-giving, preparing to bring order and life. The verb "hovering" suggests a protective and nurturing presence, similar to a bird over its nest, indicating God's intimate involvement in creation. This anticipates the role of the Holy Spirit throughout scripture as the agent of life and renewal, seen in passages like <a href="/psalms/104-30.htm">Psalm 104:30</a> and <a href="/john/3-5.htm">John 3:5-8</a>. The Spirit's presence at creation foreshadows the new creation in Christ, where the Spirit brings spiritual life and transformation.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <a href="/topical/t/the_earth.htm">The Earth</a> At this point in creation, the earth is described as "formless and void," indicating a state of chaos and emptiness before God's creative work begins. 2. <a href="/topical/t/the_deep.htm">The Deep</a> This term refers to the primordial waters covering the earth, symbolizing chaos and the unknown. In Hebrew, "tehom" is used, which is often associated with the deep, mysterious waters. 3. <a href="/topical/d/darkness.htm">Darkness</a> Represents the absence of light and order, a state that precedes God's creative intervention. 4. <a href="/topical/t/the_spirit_of_god.htm">The Spirit of God</a> The Hebrew word "ruach" can mean spirit, wind, or breath. Here, it signifies God's active presence and power, preparing to bring order and life. 5. <a href="/topical/t/the_waters.htm">The Waters</a> The chaotic waters over which the Spirit of God hovers, symbolizing the potential for life and creation that God will soon bring forth.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><a href="/topical/g/god's_sovereignty_over_chaos.htm">God's Sovereignty Over Chaos</a> Even in the midst of chaos and emptiness, God's Spirit is present and active. This reminds us that God is sovereign over all circumstances, no matter how chaotic they may seem. <a href="/topical/t/the_role_of_the_holy_spirit.htm">The Role of the Holy Spirit</a> The Spirit of God is depicted as hovering, indicating a protective and nurturing presence. In our lives, the Holy Spirit is actively involved, guiding and sustaining us. <a href="/topical/t/the_potential_for_new_creation.htm">The Potential for New Creation</a> Just as the Spirit hovered over the waters, preparing for creation, God is always at work in our lives, ready to bring forth new beginnings and transformation. <a href="/topical/t/the_importance_of_light_and_order.htm">The Importance of Light and Order</a> The initial state of darkness and chaos highlights the importance of God's light and order. In our spiritual journey, we are called to seek God's light to illuminate our paths.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_genesis_1.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Genesis 1</a> <a href="/q/holy_spirit's_role_in_creation.htm">What role did the Holy Spirit play in creation?</a> <a href="/q/how_do_i_receive_the_holy_spirit.htm">How do I receive the Holy Spirit?</a> <a href="/q/is_the_holy_spirit_god.htm">Is the Holy Spirit considered to be God?</a> <a href="/q/what_are_marine_spirits.htm">What are marine spirits?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/genesis/1.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(2) And the earth.--The conjunction "and" negatives the well-meant attempt to harmonise geology and Scripture by taking <a href="/genesis/1-1.htm" title="In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.">Genesis 1:1</a> as a mere heading; the two verses go together, and form a general summary of creation, which is afterwards divided into its several stages.Was is not the copula, but the substantive verb existed, and expresses duration of time. After creation, the earth existed as a shapeless and empty waste.Without form, and void.--Literally, tohu and bohu, which words are both substantives, and signify wasteness and emptiness. The similarity of their forms, joined with the harshness of their sound, made them pass almost into a proverb for everything that was dreary and desolate (<a href="/isaiah/34-11.htm" title="But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out on it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.">Isaiah 34:11</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/4-23.htm" title="I beheld the earth, and, see, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.">Jeremiah 4:23</a>). It expresses here the state of primaeval matter immediately after creation, when as yet there was no cohesion between the separate particles.Darkness.--As light is the result either of the condensation of matter or of vibrations caused by chemical action, this exactly agrees with the previous representation of the chaos out of which the earth was to be shaped. It existed at present only as an incoherent waste of emptiness.The deep.--T?hom. This word, from a root signifying confusion or disturbance, is poetically applied to the ocean, as in <a href="/psalms/42-7.htm" title="Deep calls to deep at the noise of your waterspouts: all your waves and your billows are gone over me.">Psalm 42:7</a>, from the restless motion of its waves, but is used here to describe the chaos as a surging mass of shapeless matter. In the Babylonian legend, Tiamat, the Hebrew t?hom, is represented as overcome by Merodach, who out of the primaeval anarchy brings order and beauty (Sayce, Chaldean Genesis, pp. 59, 109, 113). . . . <div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/genesis/1.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div>Verse 2. - And the earth. Clearly the earth referred to in the preceding verse, the present terrestrial globe with its atmospheric firmament, and not simply "the land" as opposed to "the skies" (Murphy); certainly not "the heavens" of ver. 1 as well as the earth (Delitzsch); and least of all "a section of the dry land in Central Asia" (Buckland, Pye Smith). It is a sound principle of exegesis that a word shall retain the meaning it at first possesses till either intimation is made by the writer of a change in its significance, or such change is imperatively demanded by the necessities of the context, neither of which is the case here. Was. Not "had become." Without form and void. Literally, wasteness and emptiness, tohu vabohu. The words are employed in <a href="/isaiah/34-11.htm">Isaiah 34:11</a> and <a href="/jeremiah/4-23.htm">Jeremiah 4:23</a> to depict the desolation and desertion of a ruined and depopulated land, and by many have been pressed into service to support the idea of a preceding cosmos, of which the chaotic condition of our planet was the wreck (Murphy, Wordsworth, Bush, &c). Delitzsch argues, on the ground that tohu vabohu implies the ruin of a previous cosmos, that ver. 2 does not state specifically that God created the earth in this desolate and waste condition; and that death, which is inconceivable out of connection with sin, was in the world prior to the fall; that ver. 2 presupposes the fall of the angels, and adduces in support of his view <a href="/job/38-4.htm">Job 38:4-7</a> ('Bib. Psychology,' sect. 1, p. 76; Clark's 'For. Theol. Lib.') - a notion which Kalisch contemptuously classes among "the aberrations of profound minds," and "the endless reveries" of "far-sighted thinkers." Bush is confident that <a href="/isaiah/45-18.htm">Isaiah 45:18</a>, in which Jehovah declares that he created not the earth roan, is conclusive against a primeval chaos. The parallel clause, however, shows that not the original state, but the ultimate design of the globe, was contemplated in Jehovah's language: "He created it not tohu, he formed it to be inhabited;" i.e. the Creator did not intend the earth to be a desolate region, but an inhabited planet. There can scarcely be a doubt, then, that the expression portrays the condition in which the new-created earth was, not innumerable ages, but very shortly, after it was summoned into existence. It was formless and lifeless; a huge, shapeless, objectless, tenantless mass of matter, the gaseous and solid elements commingled, in which neither organized structure, nor animated form, nor even distinctly-traced outline of any kind appeared. And darkness (was) upon the face of the deep. The "deep," from a root signifying to disturb, is frequently applied to the sea (<a href="/psalms/42-8.htm">Psalm 42:8</a>), and here probably intimates that the primordial matter of our globe existed in a fluid, or liquid, or molten form. Dawson distinguishes between "the deep" and the "waters," making the latter refer to the liquid condition of the globe, and the former apply to "the atmospheric waters," i.e. the vaporous or aeriform mass mantling the surface of our nascent planet, and containing the materials out of which the atmosphere was afterwards elaborated ('Origin of the World,' p. 105). As yet the whole was shrouded in the thick folds of Cimmerian gloom, giving not the slightest promise of that fair world of light, order, and life into which it was about to be transformed. Only one spark of hope might have been detected in the circumstance that the Spirit of God moved (literally, brooding) upon the face of the waters. That the Ruach Elohim, or breath of God, was not "a great wind," or "a wind of God," is determined by the non-existence of the air at this particular stage in the earth's development. In accordance with Biblical usage generally, it must be regarded as a designation not simply "of the Divine power, which, like the wind and the breath, cannot be perceived" (Gesenius), but of the Holy Spirit, who is uniformly represented as the source or formative cause of all life and order in the world, whether physical, intellectual, or spiritual (cf. <a href="/job/26-13.htm">Job 26:13</a>; <a href="/job/27-3.htm">Job 27:3</a>; <a href="/psalms/33-6.htm">Psalm 33:6</a>; <a href="/psalms/104-29.htm">Psalm 104:29</a>; <a href="/psalms/143-10.htm">Psalm 143:10</a>; <a href="/isaiah/34-16.htm">Isaiah 34:16</a>; <a href="/isaiah/61-1.htm">Isaiah 61:1</a>; <a href="/isaiah/63-11.htm">Isaiah 63:11</a>). As it were, the mention of the Ruach Elohim is the first out-blossoming of the latent fullness of the Divine personality, the initial movement in that sublime revelation of the nature of the Godhead, which, advancing slowly, and at the best but indistinctly, throughout Old Testament times, culminated in the clear and ample disclosures of the gospel The special form of this Divine agent's activity is described as that of" brooding" (merachepheth, from raehaph, to be tremulous, as with love; hence, in Piel, to cherish young - <a href="/deuteronomy/32-11.htm">Deuteronomy 32:11</a>) or fluttering over the liquid elements of the shapeless and tenantless globe, communicating to them, doubtless, those formative powers of life and order which were to burst forth into operation in answer to the six words of the six ensuing days. As might have been anticipated, traces of this primeval chaos are to be detected in various heathen cosmogonies, as the following brief extracts will show: - 1. The Chaldean legend, deciphered from the creation tablet discovered in the palace of Assurbanipal, King of Assyria, 2. c. 885, depicts the desolate and void condition of the earth thus: - "When above were not raised the heavens, And below on the earth a plant had not grown up; The abyss also had not broken up their boundaries; The chaos (or water) tiamat (the sea) was the producing-mother of the whole of them," etc. ('Chaldean Genesis,' p. 62.) 2. The Babylonian cosmogony, according to Berosus (B.C. 330-260), commences with a time "in which there existed nothing but darkness" and an abyss of waters, wherein resided most hideous beings, which were produced of a twofold principle... The person who presided over them was a woman named Omoroea, which in the Chaldean language is Thalatth, in Greek Thalassa, the sea, but which might equally be interpreted the moon" ('Chaldean Genesis,' pp. 40, 41). . . . <a href="/commentaries/genesis/1-2.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a> <a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div>Now the earth וְהָאָ֗רֶץ (wə·hā·’ā·reṣ) Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - feminine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_776.htm">Strong's 776: </a> Earth, land was הָיְתָ֥ה (hā·yə·ṯāh) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_1961.htm">Strong's 1961: </a> To fall out, come to pass, become, be formless תֹ֙הוּ֙ (ṯō·hū) Noun - masculine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_8414.htm">Strong's 8414: </a> A desolation, desert, a worthless thing, in vain and void, וָבֹ֔הוּ (wā·ḇō·hū) Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_922.htm">Strong's 922: </a> A vacuity, an undistinguishable ruin and darkness וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ (wə·ḥō·šeḵ) Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_2822.htm">Strong's 2822: </a> The dark, darkness, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness was over עַל־ (‘al-) Preposition <a href="/hebrew/strongs_5921.htm">Strong's 5921: </a> Above, over, upon, against the surface פְּנֵ֣י (pə·nê) Noun - common plural construct <a href="/hebrew/strongs_6440.htm">Strong's 6440: </a> The face of the deep. תְה֑וֹם (ṯə·hō·wm) Noun - common singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_8415.htm">Strong's 8415: </a> An abyss, the deep And the Spirit וְר֣וּחַ (wə·rū·aḥ) Conjunctive waw | Noun - common singular construct <a href="/hebrew/strongs_7307.htm">Strong's 7307: </a> Wind, breath, exhalation, life, anger, unsubstantiality, a region of the sky, spirit of God אֱלֹהִ֔ים (’ĕ·lō·hîm) Noun - masculine plural <a href="/hebrew/strongs_430.htm">Strong's 430: </a> gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative was hovering מְרַחֶ֖פֶת (mə·ra·ḥe·p̄eṯ) Verb - Piel - Participle - feminine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_7363.htm">Strong's 7363: </a> To brood, to be relaxed over עַל־ (‘al-) Preposition <a href="/hebrew/strongs_5921.htm">Strong's 5921: </a> Above, over, upon, against the surface פְּנֵ֥י (pə·nê) Noun - common plural construct <a href="/hebrew/strongs_6440.htm">Strong's 6440: </a> The face of the waters. הַמָּֽיִם׃ (ham·mā·yim) Article | Noun - masculine plural <a href="/hebrew/strongs_4325.htm">Strong's 4325: </a> Water, juice, urine, semen <div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/genesis/1-2.htm">Genesis 1:2 NIV</a> <a href="/nlt/genesis/1-2.htm">Genesis 1:2 NLT</a> <a href="/esv/genesis/1-2.htm">Genesis 1:2 ESV</a> <a href="/nasb/genesis/1-2.htm">Genesis 1:2 NASB</a> <a href="/kjv/genesis/1-2.htm">Genesis 1:2 KJV</a> <a href="//bibleapps.com/genesis/1-2.htm">Genesis 1:2 BibleApps.com</a> <a href="//bibliaparalela.com/genesis/1-2.htm">Genesis 1:2 Biblia Paralela</a> <a href="//holybible.com.cn/genesis/1-2.htm">Genesis 1:2 Chinese Bible</a> <a href="//saintebible.com/genesis/1-2.htm">Genesis 1:2 French Bible</a> <a href="/catholic/genesis/1-2.htm">Genesis 1:2 Catholic Bible</a> <a href="/genesis/1-2.htm">OT Law: Genesis 1:2 Now the earth was formless and empty (Gen. Ge Gn)</a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/genesis/1-1.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Genesis 1:1"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Genesis 1:1" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/genesis/1-3.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Genesis 1:3"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Genesis 1:3" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>