Steven P. Wickstrom
all Scriptures quoted from the ESV
Genesis 1:2
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.
Verse two is a pause in the creation story. God didn’t create anything in verse two. Its goal seems to be to make us pause and contemplate the God of creation. But what is it that God wants us to wait and see? What is it that God wants us to pause and consider? What is it that God is making known about himself? You’re about to discover the answer to those questions. We will break this verse into 4 “bite-sized” chunks.
- 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.
Genesis 1:2a
The earth (אֶרֶץ - erets) was (הָיָה - hayah) without form (תֹּהוּ - tohu) and void (בֹּהוּ - bohu).
The phrase “and the earth” is a combination of three Hebrew words: (ו - and), (ה - the), (אֶרֶץ - erets) (Strong’s H776). Once again, the Hebrew word erets is in the context of a “land, a country, or a region.” While today we understand “earth” to mean “planet,” the ancient Israelites did not have this understanding. The opening phrase (and the earth) of verse two is a parenthetical description1. This description is background information about the land created in verse one. God calls our attention to the “land” to see it from his perspective.
The word הָיָה - hayah (Strong’s H1961) can be controversial in how scholars translate it. The word can be interpreted as “was” or “became.” Both ways are grammatically correct. In Genesis 19:26, when Lot’s wife turned back to look at Sodom, “she hayah (became) a pillar of salt.” Most translators translate hayah as “became” in that verse. Lot’s wife became a pillar of salt. Hayetah is translated as “to become” or “became” over fifty times in the Old Testament. That is why some teach that hayah should be translated as “became” in Genesis 1:2. If hayah (verb in Hebrew) is interpreted as “was,” it sets up the description or the action (creation of the earth) that occurred in verse 1. In other words, how (or in what state) it was created. Verse 2 will then describe the state in which God created the earth. If hayah is interpreted as “became,” then something happened to cause the state that is described in verse 2. The Theological journals are filled with articles written by theologians defending their pet ideology.
On the other hand, in Gen 1:2, hayah is functioning as a copula. In grammar, a copula is a connecting word (or link) between a subject and its complement.2 The subject is the earth. The verb hayah links earth with formless and void, adding information about the earth. The copula hayah does not function in Genesis 1:2 in its true verbal sense, as “became,” but in the copular sense, as “was.”3 Since hayah acts as a copula in this verse, we should translate it as “was.” Translating hayah as “was” does not mean that the earth remained in this shapeless state for a long time, nor does it mean that it became such after being something else earlier.4
There is also controversy concerning the phrase without form and void, which is the Hebrew phrase “תֹּהוּ וָבֹּהוּ - toho waboho.” Many versions of the Bible translate tohu (Strong’s H8414) as “formless.” Tohu can be translated as “emptiness, waste, desert, chaos, or confusion.”5 In other Old Testament verses where tohu is used, it is translated as “desert wasteland” as in Deuteronomy 32:10. In Isaiah 2912; 41:29; 44:9, it is translated as “nothing or wasteland.” In Job 6:18, it is “empty or emptiness.”6 In most instances, the word tohu is translated as an empty wasteland. Keeping that context in Genesis 1:2 makes sense. God created the earth but created it as “empty.” In other words, the planet had no life; it was “empty” of life or uninhabited.
Many versions of the Bible translate “וָבֹּהוּ - waboho” (Strong’s H922) as “and void.” Wabohu (וָבֹּהוּ) is essentially two words. The prefix ו (waw) in front of bohu is translated as “and.” The three Hebrew letters on the right is the word bohu. Bohu is translated as “desert, wilderness, or wasteland.”7 The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament translates bohu as void, waste, emptiness.8 Once again, understanding how the Old Testament uses this word in other verses gives us a clue as to how we should use it in Genesis 1:2. The word bohu is almost always translated as emptiness or desolation in the Old Testament. The word bohu is always used in conjunction with tohu. The phrase tohu wabohu is also used in Jeremiah 4:23 and Isaiah 34:11.
I looked on the earth, and behold, it was without form and void (tohu wabohu); and to the heavens, and they had no light. (Jeremiah 4:23)
But the hawk and the porcupine shall possess it, the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. He shall stretch the line of confusion over it, and the plumb line of emptiness (tohu wabohu). (Isaiah 34:11)
There is a trend in modern theological scholarship to interpret tohu wabohu as preexistent or primordial chaos. This theory intends to depict the state of matter after God had created it but before he fashioned it for habitation.9 Scholars tend to like the primordial chaos theory because it forces Genesis to line up with the other ancient Near East mythologies such as the Babylonian creation myth (called the Enuma Elis). Other scholars even go so far as to say that the creation account contains fabricated tales.10 It also explains why God did not exclaim that “it was good” after the creation of the heavens and the earth. The theory is that either the primordial chaos existed before the creation account or God royally screwed up by creating chaos instead of order. They also do not think that Moses wrote the creation accounts in Genesis chapters 1 and 2 but that they were added during the captivity period in Babylon by several different “editors.” I disagree with the primordial chaos theory and the theory that Moses did not write Genesis chapters 1 and 2. Both theories are easy to refute and disprove, but I do not wish to waste time and space to do so here.
Another thing many people miss is that the phrase tohu wabohu is a play on words. “Empty desert” is another way we could translate it.11 The phrase creates the visual image of an empty, waterless land, a land without mountains, trees, rivers, and so on – a land that 'awaits' to be developed.12 The land is more like a big piece of clay, waiting to be shaped than anything else. The master potter is getting ready to shape and mold his planet. In Isaiah 34:11, the prophet describes God’s revenge on Edom, He shall stretch the line of confusion (tohu) over it, and the plumb line of emptiness (bohu). The line (measuring tape) and the plumb line can be interpreted as builder’s tools. In Genesis 1:2, the tohu and bohu (empty and lifeless) earth is the foundation upon which God will build a beautiful and life-filled planet.
Genesis 1:2b
… and darkness (חשֶׁךְ - choshek) was over (צַל - al) the face (פָּנִים - panim) of the deep (תְּהוֹם - tehom).
The Hebrew word חשֶׁךְ - choshek (Strong’s #H2822) is typically translated as darkness. It means the opposite of light.13 This type of darkness is the complete absence of light. The word chosek is also used in Exodus 10:21-22 where God sent the plague of darkness on the Egyptians. Exodus 10:21 states that the chosek (darkness) was so thick the people could feel it. The Message version of the Bible states Exodus 10:21 this way: “a darkness so dark you can it touch it.” It is difficult for us to imagine darkness so dark that you can touch it. Imagine being in a pitch-black area cloaked in exceedingly thick pitch-black fog. The creation at this point is completely covered, or surrounded, or enveloped, in this darkness. Another view of this darkness is that could simply mean there was not yet any light in the heavens.14
Although God is characterized as being light (Psalm 44:3, Ezekiel 1:27, Habakkuk 3:4, 1 John 1:5), he is enshrouded with darkness (Exodus 20:21, Deuteronomy 4:11, Psalm 18:11). Some theologians think that God enshrouds himself with darkness to conceal himself from human view, as in the case of Moses in Exodus 20:21.15 Joel 2:31 states that darkness will be used in the judgment of the great day of the Lord. Overall, the word chosek is used in the Old Testament 80 times, referencing literal and figurative darkness (i.e., death, ignorance, sin, etc.).
The word פָּנִים - panim is translated as “face” in the ESV. The word means “surface” when related to concepts such as land or sea.
The word תְּהוֹם - tehom (Strong’s #8415, pronounced teh-home) is typically translated as “deep.” In the Old Testament, tehom always refers to a body of water. In Gen 1:2, tehom refers to the watery depths that surrounded the earth at the beginning of the creation.16 The parting of the Red Sea and the drowning of Pharaoh’s army in the tehom (deep, see Exodus 15:5,8) also demonstrated God’s control over tehom and would have been fresh in Israel’s memory when Moses wrote the creation account.
Tehom is used 36 times in the Old Testament. Outside of Genesis 1, tehom frequently refers to the waters of the seas. When Jonah was cast out of the boat and drowned, his body descended to the tehom (depths), where it became entangled in the weeds (before being swallowed by the “whale.” Interestingly, the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) translated the Hebrew word tehom to Greek as “abyssos.” The English word abyss is derived from the Greek word abyssos. Dictionary.com defines abyss as “a deep, immeasurable space, gulf; vast chasm.” That definition is very close to the watery depths that the word tehom describes.
Genesis 1:2c
… and the Spirit (רוּחַ - ruach) of God (אֱלהִים - Elohim) …
The Hebrew term רוּחַ - ruach (Strong’s #7307) is typically translated as wind, breath, or spirit. Understanding how ruach is used elsewhere in the Old Testament will assist us in understanding how to use it in Genesis 1:2.
Ruach is translated as wind in the following verses.
Genesis 3:8, And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool (ruach) of the day.
Genesis 8:1, But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind (ruach) blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.
Exodus 14:21, Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind (ruach) all night.
Amos 4:13, For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind (ruach) and declares to man what is his thought.
1 Kings 19:11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind (ruach) tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind (ruach).
Ruach is translated as breath in the following verses:
Exodus 15:8, at the blast (ruach) of your nostrils the waters piled up.
Jeremiah 10:14, every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath (ruach) in them.
Ezekiel 37:5, Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath (ruach) to enter you, and you shall live.
Ruach is translated as Spirit in the following verses:
Numbers 11:17, And I will take some of the Spirit (ruach) that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone.
Isaiah 11:2, And the Spirit (ruach) of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit (ruach) of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit (ruach) of counsel and might, the Spirit (ruach) of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
In Genesis 1:2, different translations use the various meanings of ruach. The ESV and KJV use spirit. The New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) and New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) use wind. The key to understanding how to translate ruach is keeping it in context with the rest of the verse. To keep ruach in context, we must explore the word רָחַף - rachaph (translated as “hovering” in the ESV).
Genesis 1:2d
… was hovering (רָחַף - rachaph) over (צַל; - al) the face (פָּנִים - panim) of the waters מַיִם - mayim.
The word רָחַף - rachaph, translated as “moving” in the ESV (Strong’s #7363 pronounced raw-khaf), is only used three times in the Old Testament. It is used in Genesis 1:2, Deuteronomy 32:11, and Jeremiah 23:9. The word means “to move, to hover, to tremble.”17 In Genesis 1:2, rachaph describes a hovering over the waters, in Deuteronomy 32:11, rachaph describes an eagle hovering over her young, and in Jeremiah 23:9, rachaph describes the trembling or shaking of a drunken person.18
In Genesis 1:2 rachaph describes the activity/location of the Spirit of God in relationship to the primeval waters at the onset of the creative ordering of the world. The song of Moses in Deut. 32:11 employs the same verb to depict the hovering movement of an eagle. This eagle metaphor describes the theophanic presence of Yahweh, the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, as he led Israel through the barren wilderness. In both instances, rachaph characterizes the activity of the Spirit of God, the first with regard to the creation of the cosmos, the second with regard to creation of his people.19
Remember that to keep ruach in context, we needed to explore rachaph. Ruach had three definitions: breath, Spirit, and wind. To determine which definition to use, we need to examine how they relate to rachaph by asking some questions. Can breath move, hover, or tremble? Breath can move (for a short distance, depending upon how much force a person uses to expel breath), but it cannot hover or tremble. Can spirit move, hover, or tremble? Spirit can do all three. Can wind move, hover, or tremble? Wind can move, but it cannot hover or tremble. Since Spirit can perform all three functions of rachaph, it would be logical to translate ruach as Spirit in this instance. Therefore, ruach Elohim should be translated as the Spirit of God.
We have already discussed he Hebrew word פָּנִים - panim which is translated as “face” in the ESV. The word means “surface” when related to concepts such as land or sea.
The Hebrew word מַיִם - mayim (Strong’s H4325), translated as “waters,” is an interesting word. As the Israelites were well aware, water is critical to life. Without water, there is no life. God had promised his people water if they obeyed his commands, and a withholding of water if they disobeyed (Leviticus 26:19; Deuteronomy 28:12, 23-24; Amos 4:7-8).20 The creation story emphisizes God’s power and control over water.
Paraphrasing Genesis 1:2, we get, “the land was empty and lifeless, and thick darkness coved the waters. And the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters.” (This is my own paraphrase and not intended to represent any version of the Bible.)