Genesis 1:2

1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

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.

KJV

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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.

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.

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.

1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

What does Genesis 1:2 mean?

Genesis 1:2 is a verse in the book of Genesis, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include אֶרֶץ (ʼerets), הָיָה (hâyâh), תֹּהוּ (tôhûw). It connects to 6 cross-referenced passages elsewhere in Scripture.

Hebrew interlinear

And

the

earthאֶרֶץʼerets/eh'-rets/H776the earth (at large, or partitively a land)

wasהָיָהhâyâh/haw-yaw/H1961to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)

without

form,תֹּהוּtôhûw/to'-hoo/H8414a desolation (of surface), i.e. desert; figuratively, a worthless thing; adverbially, in vain

and

void;בֹּהוּbôhûw/bo'-hoo/H922a vacuity, i.e. (superficially) an undistinguishable ruin

and

darknessחֹשֶׁךְchôshek/kho-shek'/H2822the dark; hence (literally) darkness; figuratively, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness

was

upon

the

faceפָּנִיםpânîym/paw-neem'/H6440the 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.)

the

deep.תְּהוֹםtᵉhôwm/teh-home'/H8415an abyss (as a surging mass of water), especially the deep (the main sea or the subterranean watersupply)

And

the

Spiritרוּחַrûwach/roo'-akh/H7307wind; 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)

Godאֱלֹהִיםʼĕlôhîym/el-o-heem'/H430gods 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

movedרָחַףrâchaph/raw-khaf'/H7363to brood; by implication, to be relaxed

uponעַלʻal/al/H5921above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications

the

waters.מַיִםmayim/mah'-yim/H4325water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen

Cross-references

Related passages from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

Job 26:7

He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.

Job 26:14

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?

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.

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.

Jeremiah 4:23

I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

Nahum 2:10

She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.

Topics

God Power of the Holy Spirit, the Titles and Names of the Holy Spirit Water

Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Genesis 1:2.

Genesis 1:29

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. bearing: Heb. seeding seed yielding: Heb. seeding seed

Genesis 4:14

Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.

Exodus 15:8

And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.

Genesis 1:20

And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. moving: or, creeping life: Heb. soul fowl: Heb. let fowl fly open: Heb. face of the firmament of heaven

Genesis 2:6

But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. there: or, a mist which went up from, etc.

Genesis 3:8

And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. cool: Heb. wind

Genesis 4:16

And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

Genesis 6:11

The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

Frequently asked questions

What does Genesis 1:2 say?

Genesis 1:2 (King James Version) reads: "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."

Is Genesis 1:2 in the Old or New Testament?

Genesis 1:2 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Genesis.

Who wrote the book of Genesis?

The book of Genesis is traditionally attributed to Moses.

Reflect

As you read Genesis 1:2, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

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