King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
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.
Complete Jewish Bible:
The earth was unformed and void, darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God hovered over the surface of the water.
Berean Standard Bible:
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.
American Standard Version:
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.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
And the earth{H776} was{H1961} without form{H8414}, and void{H922}; and darkness{H2822} was upon the face{H6440} of the deep{H8415}. And the Spirit{H7307} of God{H430} moved{H7363} upon{H5921} the face{H6440} of the waters{H4325}.
Cross-References (KJV):
Jeremiah 4:23
- I beheld the earth, and, lo, [it was] without form, and void; and the heavens, and they [had] no light.
Psalms 104:30
- Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.
Isaiah 45:18
- 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.
Psalms 33:6
- By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
Job 26:7
- He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, [and] hangeth the earth upon nothing.
Isaiah 40:12
- ¶ Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
Isaiah 40:14
- With whom took he counsel, and [who] instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?
Explore This Verse Across Other Resources:
Commentary for Genesis 1:2
Theme: The verse describes the primordial state of the earth, emphasizing chaos, formlessness, and the absence of light. It sets the stage for the creative acts of God that follow, highlighting the role of the divine Spirit in the ordering of the cosmos.
Historical Context: Genesis 1:2 is part of the Priestly creation account in the opening chapter of the Book of Genesis, which is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. This text likely reached its final form during the post-exilic period (after 539 BCE) when the Israelites were returning from Babylonian captivity. The Priestly writers sought to articulate a theology of creation that emphasized the power, order, and goodness of God's work, contrasting with other ancient Near Eastern creation myths that often involved conflict among gods. The verse reflects a worldview where God's creative activity brings order out of chaos, light out of darkness, and being out of nothingness, themes that resonate throughout the Bible.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H776
There are 2739 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אֶרֶץ
Transliteration: ʼerets
Pronunciation: eh'-rets
Description: from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land); [idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world. - Strong's Number: H1961
There are 72 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: הָיָה
Transliteration: hâyâh
Pronunciation: haw-yaw
Description: a primitive root (compare הָוָא); to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary); beacon, [idiom] altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, [phrase] follow, happen, [idiom] have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, [idiom] use. - Strong's Number: H8414
There are 19 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: תֹּהוּ
Transliteration: tôhûw
Pronunciation: to'-hoo
Description: from an unused root meaning to lie waste; a desolation (of surface), i.e. desert; figuratively, a worthless thing; adverbially, in vain; confusion, empty place, without form, nothing, (thing of) nought, vain, vanity, waste, wilderness. - Strong's Number: H922
There are 3 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: בֹּהוּ
Transliteration: bôhûw
Pronunciation: bo'-hoo
Description: from an unused root (meaning to be empty); a vacuity, i.e. (superficially) an undistinguishable ruin; emptiness, void. - Strong's Number: H2822
There are 77 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: חֹשֶׁךְ
Transliteration: chôshek
Pronunciation: kho-shek'
Description: from חָשַׁךְ; the dark; hence (literally) darkness; figuratively, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness; dark(-ness), night, obscurity. - Strong's Number: H6440
There are 1890 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: פָּנִים
Transliteration: pânîym
Pronunciation: paw-neem'
Description: plural (but always as singular) of an unused noun פָּנֶה; from פָּנָה); the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.); [phrase] accept, a-(be-) fore(-time), against, anger, [idiom] as (long as), at, [phrase] battle, [phrase] because (of), [phrase] beseech, countenance, edge, [phrase] employ, endure, [phrase] enquire, face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-part), form(-er time, -ward), from, front, heaviness, [idiom] him(-self), [phrase] honourable, [phrase] impudent, [phrase] in, it, look(-eth) (-s), [idiom] me, [phrase] meet, [idiom] more than, mouth, of, off, (of) old (time), [idiom] on, open, [phrase] out of, over against, the partial, person, [phrase] please, presence, propect, was purposed, by reason of, [phrase] regard, right forth, [phrase] serve, [idiom] shewbread, sight, state, straight, [phrase] street, [idiom] thee, [idiom] them(-selves), through ([phrase] -out), till, time(-s) past, (un-) to(-ward), [phrase] upon, upside ([phrase] down), with(-in, [phrase] -stand), [idiom] ye, [idiom] you. - Strong's Number: H8415
There are 35 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: תְּהוֹם
Transliteration: tᵉhôwm
Pronunciation: teh-home'
Description: or תְּהֹם; (usually feminine) from הוּם; an abyss (as a surging mass of water), especially the deep (the main sea or the subterranean watersupply); deep (place), depth. - Strong's Number: H7307
There are 348 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: רוּחַ
Transliteration: rûwach
Pronunciation: roo'-akh
Description: from רוּחַ; wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions); air, anger, blast, breath, [idiom] cool, courage, mind, [idiom] quarter, [idiom] side, spirit(-ual), tempest, [idiom] vain, (whirl-) wind(-y). - Strong's Number: H430
There are 2334 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אֱלֹהִים
Transliteration: ʼĕlôhîym
Pronunciation: el-o-heem'
Description: plural of אֱלוֹהַּ; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative; angels, [idiom] exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), [idiom] (very) great, judges, [idiom] mighty. - Strong's Number: H7363
There are 3 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: רָחַף
Transliteration: râchaph
Pronunciation: raw-khaf'
Description: a primitive root; to brood; by implication, to be relaxed; flutter, move, shake. - Strong's Number: H5921
There are 48 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: עַל
Transliteration: ʻal
Pronunciation: al
Description: properly, the same as עַל used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications; above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-) on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, [idiom] with. - Strong's Number: H4325
There are 525 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מַיִם
Transliteration: mayim
Pronunciation: mah'-yim
Description: dual of a primitive noun (but used in a singular sense); water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen; [phrase] piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)).