New English Translation
Genesis 1:2
2Now 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.
Genesis 1:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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.
- New International Version (NIV)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.
- English Standard Version (ESV)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.
- New King James Version (NKJV)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.
Context of Genesis 1:2
1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 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. 3God said, “Let there be light.” And there was light! 4God saw that the light was good, so God separated the light from the darkness.
Read all of Genesis 1Genesis 1:2 word by word
וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְה֑וֹם וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- wasהָיָהhâyâh · to beH1961
- without formתֹּ֫הוּtôhû · formlessnessH8414
- and voidבֹּהוּbôhû · voidH922
- and darknessחֹ֫שֶׁךְchôshek · darknessH2822
- upon the faceפָּנֶהpânîym · face: surfaceH6440
- of the deepתְּהוֹםtehôm tehôm · abyssH8415
- And the Spiritרוּחַrûach · spiritH7307
- of Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- movedרָחַףrâchaph · to hoverH7363
- uponעַל‛al · uponH5921
- of the watersמַיmayim · waterH4325
Cross-references for Genesis 1:2
- Job 26:7He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth on nothing.
- Isaiah 45:18For this is what the Lord says, the one who created the sky – he is the true God, the one who formed the earth and made it; he established it, he did not create it without order, he formed it to be inhabited – “I am the Lord, I have no peer.
- Jeremiah 4:23“I looked at the land and saw that it was an empty wasteland. I looked up at the sky, and its light had vanished.
- Nahum 2:10Destruction, devastation, and desolation! Their hearts faint, their knees tremble, each stomach churns, each face turns pale!
- Job 26:14Indeed, these are but the outer fringes of his ways! How faint is the whisper we hear of him! But who can understand the thunder of his power?”
- Psalms 33:6By the Lord’s decree the heavens were made; by a mere word from his mouth all the stars in the sky were created.
- Psalms 104:30When you send your life-giving breath, they are created, and you replenish the surface of the ground.
- Isaiah 40:12Who has measured out the waters in the hollow of his hand, or carefully measured the sky, or carefully weighed the soil of the earth, or weighed the mountains in a balance, or the hills on scales?
Commentaries on Genesis 1:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2The earth was without form and void - The original term תהו tohu and בהו bohu, which we translate without form and void, are of uncertain etymology; but in this place, and wherever else they are used, they convey the idea of confusion and disorder. From these terms it is probable that the ancient Syrians and Egyptians borrowed their gods, Theuth and Bau, and the Greeks their Chaos. God seems at first to have created the elementary principles of all…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2- II. The Land היה hāyah “be.” It is to be noted, however, that the word has three meanings, two of which now scarcely belong to our English “be.” 1. “Be, as an event, start into being, begin to be, come to pass.” This may be understood of a thing beginning to be, אור יהי yehiy 'ôr “be light” Genesis 1:3; or of an event taking place, ימים מקץ ויהי vayehı̂y mı̂qēts yāmı̂ym “and it came to pass from the end of days.” 2. “Be,” as a change of state…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2This verse provides context for the summary in 1:1 and the detailed description in 1:3–2:3. God's words of creation bring order to the universe's chaos. formless and void (Hebrew tohu and bohu): This phrase means something like "wild and waste." It strongly contrasts with the final ordered state of the heavens and earth (1:1). surface of the deep (Hebrew pene tehom): Some scholars suggest this refers to the Mesopotamian goddess Tiamat (representing…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. the earth was without form and void--or in "confusion and emptiness," as the words are rendered in Is 34:11. This globe, at some undescribed period, having been convulsed and broken up, was a dark and watery waste for ages perhaps, till out of this chaotic state, the present fabric of the world was made to arise. the Spirit of God moved--literally, continued brooding over it, as a fowl does, when hatching eggs. The immediate agency of the Spirit, by…Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 1:2
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Genesis 1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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