The document describes the state of the earth before creation according to Genesis 1:2. It states that the earth was formless and empty, with darkness covering the deep (tehom) and God's spirit hovering over the waters. The Hebrew words "tohu wabohu" describing the earth as formless are explained, and other biblical references provide context about the primordial state of the earth before God brought form and order through creation.

1. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”

2. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 Formless Wasteland
(Welter and Waste)

3. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 Formless Wasteland
(Welter and Waste)
 This is, according to the Hebrew
text, the parenthetical statement
describing the shape of the
universe before God began His
creating action.

4. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 Formless Wasteland
(Welter and Waste)
 This is, according to the Hebrew
text, the parenthetical statement
describing the shape of the
universe before God began His
creating action.
 The Hebrew tohu wabohu occurs
only here and in two later biblical
texts that are clearly alluding to
this one.

5. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 Formless Wasteland
(Welter and Waste)
 Jeremiah 4:23

6. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 Formless Wasteland
(Welter and Waste)
 Jeremiah 4:23
 I looked at the earth, and it
was waste and void; at the
heavens, and their light
had gone out!

7. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 Formless Wasteland
(Welter and Waste)
 Is. 34:11

8. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 Formless Wasteland
(Welter and Waste)
 Is. 34:11
 But the desert owl and hoot owl
shall possess her, the screech
owl and raven shall dwell in her.
The LORD will measure her with
line and plummet to be an empty
waste for satyrs to dwell in.

9. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 Formless Wasteland
(Welter and Waste)
 Tohu wabohu

10. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 Formless Wasteland
(Welter and Waste)
 Tohu wabohu
 This compound phrase appears
again in the Bible in Jeremiah’s
prophetic vision of the return of
the primal chaos, thus leaving no
doubt that the phrase designates
the initial chaotic state of the
earth. (The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis;
Commentary by Nahum M. Sarna; The Jewish
Publications Society, Philadelphia, PA 1989 p.6)

11. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 Formless Wasteland
(Welter and Waste)
 Tohu wabohu
 It is a fundamental biblical
teaching that the original, divinely
ordained order in the physical
world has its counterpart in the
divinely ordained universal moral
order to which the human race is
subject.” (The JPS Torah Commentary:
Genesis; Commentary by Nahum M. Sarna; The
Jewish Publications Society, Philadelphia, PA 1989
p.6)

12. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”

13. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 darkness: “Throughout the Bible
darkness is often a symbol of
evil, misfortune, death, and
oblivion. Here it seems to be not
just the absence of light but a
distinct entity, the origin of which
is left unclear.” (The JPS Torah
Commentary: Genesis; Commentary by Nahum M.
Sarna; The Jewish Publications
Society, Philadelphia, PA 1989 p.6)

14. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 Isaiah 45:7

15. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 Isaiah 45:7
 “ I form the light, and create the
darkness, I make well-being and
create woe; I, the LORD, do all
these things.”

16. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 “abyss” (also “the deep)

17. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 “abyss” (also “the deep)
 “Hebrew tehom, the cosmic
abyssal water that enveloped the
earth. “ (The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis;
Commentary by Nahum M. Sarna; The Jewish
Publications Society, Philadelphia, PA 1989 p.6)

18. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 “abyss” (also “the deep)
 Proverbs 8:22-34

19. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 “abyss” (also “the deep)
 Proverbs 8:22-34
 “"The LORD begot me, the first-
born of his ways, the forerunner
of his prodigies of long ago; From
of old I was poured forth, at the
first, before the earth. When there
were no depths I was brought
forth, when there were no
fountains or springs of water”

20. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 “abyss” (also “the deep)
 = tehom

21. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 “abyss” (also “the deep)
 = tehom
 Tehom is treated as a
Hebrew proper name…At
times it is personified

22. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 “abyss” (also “the deep)
 = tehom
 Genesis 49:25

23. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 “abyss” (also “the deep)
 = tehom
 Genesis 49:25
 “The God of your father, who
helps you, God Almighty, who
blesses you, With the
blessings of the heavens
above, the blessings of the
abyss that crouches
below, The blessings of
breasts and womb”

24. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 “abyss” (also “the deep)
 = tehom
 Deuteronomy 33:13

25. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 “abyss” (also “the deep)
 = tehom
 Deuteronomy 33:13
 “Of Joseph he said: "Blessed
by the LORD is his land with
the best of the skies above
and of the abyss crouching
beneath”

26. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 “abyss” (also “the deep)
 = tehom
 Habakkuk 3:10

27. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 “abyss” (also “the deep)
 = tehom
 Habakkuk 3:10
 at sight of you the mountains
tremble. A torrent of rain
descends; the ocean gives
forth its roar. The sun
forgets to rise,

28. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 “abyss” (also “the deep)
 = tehom
 Isaiah 51:10

29. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 “abyss” (also “the deep)
 = tehom
 Isaiah 51:10
 Was it not you who dried up
the sea, the waters of the
great deep, Who made the
depths of the sea into a way
for the redeemed to pass
over?

30. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 “abyss” (also “the deep)
 = tehom
 Ps. 33:7

31. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 “abyss” (also “the deep)
 = tehom
 Ps. 33:7
 The waters of the sea were
gathered as in a bowl; in
cellars the deep was
confined.

32. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 “abyss” (also “the deep)
 = tehom
 “The cosmic ocean that forms
the seas and was though to
lie beneath the earth in
Semitic cosmology”

33. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 “abyss” (also “the deep)
 = tehom
 Ex. 20:4

34. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 “abyss” (also “the deep)
 = tehom
 Ex. 20:4
 You shall not carve idols for
yourselves in the shape of
anything in the sky above or
on the earth below or in the
waters beneath the earth

35. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 “abyss” (also “the deep)
 = tehom
 Ps. 104:5-:6

36. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 “abyss” (also “the deep)
 = tehom
 Ps. 104:5-:6
 You fixed the earth on its
foundation, never to be
moved. The ocean covered
it like a garment; above the
mountains stood the waters

37. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 “abyss” (also “the deep)
 = tehom
 Genesis 1:9

38. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “darkness covered the
abyss”
 “abyss” (also “the deep)
 = tehom
 Genesis 1:9
 Then God said, "Let the water
under the sky be gathered
into a single basin, so that the
dry land may appear." And so
it happened: the water under
the sky was gathered into its
basin, and the dry land
appeared

39. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”

40. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah

41. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah
 Hebrew ruah means
“wind, breath, spirit”

42. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah
 Hebrew ruah means
“wind, breath, spirit”
 As a physical
phenomenon, wind conforms
to the general picture of
primal chaos evoked by this
verse, except that, unlike
darkness and water, it is not
mentioned again in the
Creation story

43. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah
 Hebrew ruah means
“wind, breath, spirit”
 Genesis 8:1

44. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah
 Hebrew ruah means
“wind, breath, spirit”
 Genesis 8:1
 and then God remembered
Noah and all the animals, wild
and tame, that were with him
in the ark. So God made a
wind sweep over the
earth, and the waters began
to subside

45. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah
 Hebrew ruah means
“wind, breath, spirit”
 Exodus 14:21

46. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah
 Hebrew ruah means
“wind, breath, spirit”
 Exodus 14:21
 Then Moses stretched out his
hand over the sea, and the
LORD swept the sea with a
strong east wind throughout
the night and so turned it into
dry land

47. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah
 Hebrew ruah means
“wind, breath, spirit”
 Another interpretation takes
ruah in the sense of God’s
creative, life-giving, sustaining
energy.

48. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah
 Hebrew ruah means
“wind, breath, spirit”
 a third possibility lies in its
use as a term heralding the
arrival of God, expressing His
immanence, or symbolizing
His presence

49. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah
 Hebrew ruah means
“wind, breath, spirit”
 The last two explanations
connect the phrase with the
following verse, thus alerting
us to an imminent, dramatic
development: God is about to
transform the
inert, disorganized matter, to
affect it by His presence, to
animate it with His spirit.

50. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah
 Hebrew ruah means
“wind, breath, spirit”
 The (Spirit of God) translation
is preferable because (1) the
same expression is used
elsewhere in the Pentateuch
as a reference to God’s Spirit

51. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah
 Hebrew ruah means
“wind, breath, spirit”
 Gen. 41:38

52. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah
 Hebrew ruah means
“wind, breath, spirit”
 Gen. 41:38
 Could we find another like
him," Pharaoh asked his
officials, "a man so endowed
with the spirit of God?”

53. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah
 Hebrew ruah means
“wind, breath, spirit”
 Ex 31:3

54. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah
 Hebrew ruah means
“wind, breath, spirit”
 Ex 31:3
 I have filled him with a divine
spirit of skill and
understanding and knowledge
in every craft:

55. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah
 Hebrew ruah means
“wind, breath, spirit”
 Ex. 35:31
 and has filled him with a
divine spirit of skill and
understanding and knowledge
in every craft

56. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah
 Hebrew ruah means
“wind, breath, spirit”
 Nm. 24:2

57. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah
 Hebrew ruah means
“wind, breath, spirit”
 Nm. 24:2
 When he raised his eyes and
saw Israel encamped, tribe by
tribe, the spirit of God came
upon him

58. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah
 Hebrew ruah means
“wind, breath, spirit”
 (2) Elsewhere in the Bible the
divine Spirit is associated with
God’s creative work

59. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah
 Hebrew ruah means
“wind, breath, spirit”
 Job 33:4

60. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah
 Hebrew ruah means
“wind, breath, spirit”
 Job 33:4
 For the spirit of God has
made me, the breath of the
Almighty keeps me alive

61. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah
 Hebrew ruah means
“wind, breath, spirit”
 Ps. 104:30

62. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah
 Hebrew ruah means
“wind, breath, spirit”
 Ps. 104:30
 When you send forth your
breath, they are created, and
you renew the face of the
earth

63. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah
 Hebrew ruah means
“wind, breath, spirit”
 (3) the preferred interpretation
throughout Christian history
takes it as a reference to the
Holy Spirit

64. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “a mighty wind”
 = ruah
 Hebrew ruah means
“wind, breath, spirit”
 CCC 703 The Word of God and
his Breath are at the origin of the
being and life of every creature:
It belongs to the Holy Spirit to
rule, sanctify, and animate
creation, for he is
God, consubstantial with the
Father and the Son. . . . Power
over life pertains to the Spirit, for
being God he preserves creation
in the Father through the Son

65. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “sweeping”, “hovering”, “movi
ng”

66. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “sweeping”, “hovering”, “movi
ng”
 Deuteronomy 32:11

67. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “sweeping”, “hovering”, “movi
ng”
 Deuteronomy 32:11
 As an eagle incites its
nestlings forth by hovering
over its brood, So he spread
his wings to receive them and
bore them up on his pinions.

68. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “sweeping”, “hovering”, “movi
ng”
 Jeremiah 23:9

69. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “sweeping”, “hovering”, “movi
ng”
 Jeremiah 23:9
 Concerning the prophets: My
heart within me is broken, my
bones all tremble; I am like a
man who is drunk, overcome
by wine, Because of the
LORD, because of his holy
words.

70. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “sweeping”, “hovering”, “movi
ng”
 Allegorically, the Holy Spirit
was carried upon the waters
as upon a chariot and brought
forth the newborn world as a
type of baptism (St.
Jerome, Letters 69.)” (Ignatius
Catholic Study Bible: Commentary, Notes and Study
Questions; Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch; Ignatius
Press, San Francisco, CA 2010 p.17)

71. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “sweeping”, “hovering”, “movi
ng”
 The Fathers on Genesis 1:2

72. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “sweeping”, “hovering”, “movi
ng”
 The Fathers on Genesis 1:2
 St. Ambrose

73. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “sweeping”, “hovering”, “movi
ng”
 The Fathers on Genesis 1:2
 St. Ambrose
 “The Spirit fittingly moved
over the earth, destined to
bear fruit because by the aid
of the Spirit it held the seeds
of new birth which were to
germinate according to the
words of the prophet: “Send
forth Thy Spirit and they shall
be created and Thou shalt
renew the face of the earth.”

74. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “sweeping”, “hovering”, “movi
ng”
 The Fathers on Genesis 1:2
 St. Jerome

75. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “sweeping”, “hovering”, “movi
ng”
 The Fathers on Genesis 1:2
 St. Jerome
 “In the beginning of Genesis, it is
written: “And the Spirit was
stirring above the waters.” You
see, then, what it says in the
beginning of Genesis. Now for its
mystical meaning – “The Spirit
was stirring above the waters” –
already at that time baptism was
being foreshadowed. It could not
be true baptism, to be
sure, without the Spirit.”
Homilies10

76. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “sweeping”, “hovering”, “movi
ng”
 The Fathers on Genesis 1:2
 St. Ephrem the Syrian

77. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “sweeping”, “hovering”, “movi
ng”
 The Fathers on Genesis 1:2
 St. Ephrem the Syrian
 “[The Holy Spirit] warmed the
waters with a kind of vital
warmth…Here then, the Holy
Spirit foreshadows the
sacrament of holy baptism
prefiguring its arrival, so that
the waters made fertile by the
hovering of that same divine
Spirit might give birth to the
children of God.”
Commentary on Genesis 1

78. Genesis 1:2 “the earth was a formless wasteland, and
darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over
the waters.”
 “sweeping”, “hovering”, “movi
ng”
 The Fathers on Genesis 1:2
 St. Ephrem the Syrian
 “It was appropriate to reveal here that
the Spirit hovered in order for us to
learn that the work of creation was
held in common by the Spirit with the
Father and the Son. The Father
spoke. The Son created. And so it
was also right that the Spirit offered its
work, clearly shown through its
hovering, in order to demonstrate its
unity with the other persons. Thus we
learn that all was brought to perfection
and accomplished by the Trinity.”
Commentary on Genesis 1