Interplanner
Newbie
Yes, the waters under the firmament were separated on those day, however before we get there, there is already the watery, chaotic mass which needs separating. Most interpreters see Gen 1 as literature (apart from theology and science questions) this way:
Unformed things (tohu)
Day 1: (local) light formed
Day 2: waters formed or organized as far as above and below
Day 3: land formed and therefore the waters below separate into forms
Unfilled things (bohu)
Day 4: (local) space filled
Day 5: waters filled with creatures
Day 6: land filled with creatures and man
So at the end everything is formed and filled. The opposite of tohu wa-bohu.
The best exposition of tohu wa-bohu that I know of is Dr. B. Waltke's CREATION AND CHAOS. He says the material was written this way to answer Persian and then Egyptian myths about creation. To answer their flaws, etc. An 'image' of a god is a territorial or domain marker.
The parallel of the Spirit hovering of the nearly-created waters is re-used in 2 Cor 4, in the sense that the Spirit was there at the launch of the church of the new covenant, which is the new creation as much as can be manifested right now (ch 5). The new creation is meant in the collective sense of all who are in Christ, not each individual life. But again, there were things--materials--people--already there before the creating began.
Since Peter uses two time frames (ekpalai and sunestosa are at different times; the heavens existed, the earth was formed) in 2 Pet 3, I think Heb 11's 'out of things not seen' is the earlier beginning not Gen 1's creating. Peter says the earth was formed 'out of water and with water' which, of course, was already there...
Unformed things (tohu)
Day 1: (local) light formed
Day 2: waters formed or organized as far as above and below
Day 3: land formed and therefore the waters below separate into forms
Unfilled things (bohu)
Day 4: (local) space filled
Day 5: waters filled with creatures
Day 6: land filled with creatures and man
So at the end everything is formed and filled. The opposite of tohu wa-bohu.
The best exposition of tohu wa-bohu that I know of is Dr. B. Waltke's CREATION AND CHAOS. He says the material was written this way to answer Persian and then Egyptian myths about creation. To answer their flaws, etc. An 'image' of a god is a territorial or domain marker.
The parallel of the Spirit hovering of the nearly-created waters is re-used in 2 Cor 4, in the sense that the Spirit was there at the launch of the church of the new covenant, which is the new creation as much as can be manifested right now (ch 5). The new creation is meant in the collective sense of all who are in Christ, not each individual life. But again, there were things--materials--people--already there before the creating began.
Since Peter uses two time frames (ekpalai and sunestosa are at different times; the heavens existed, the earth was formed) in 2 Pet 3, I think Heb 11's 'out of things not seen' is the earlier beginning not Gen 1's creating. Peter says the earth was formed 'out of water and with water' which, of course, was already there...
Upvote
0