Genesis 1:2 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
I. Was
a. OT:1961 hayah (haw-yaw); a primitive root [compare OT:1933]; to exist, ii.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary): KJV - beacon, altogether, be (-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, follow, happen, have, last, pertain, quit (oneself-), require, use.
b. Haya – was/became was the same word used to describe what happens to Lots wife
i. Genesis 19:26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt . KJV
c. Points to ponder:
i. Law of first mention
ii. Replenish – in Genesis 1:28 is the same word and strongs number as used in Genesis 9:1 which was clearly understood to mean replenish.
II. Without form
a. OT:8414 tohuw (to'-hoo); from an unused root meaning to lie waste; a desolation (of surface), i.e. desert; figuratively, a worthless thing; adverbially, in vain: KJV - confusion, empty place, without form, nothing, (thing of) nought, vain, vanity, waste, wilderness.
b. 1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion , but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. KJV has to be dealt with if you choose to define 8414 as confusion
i. Most agree that this was all pointing to chaos – which is hard to grasp that God created chaos and then arranged it into order.
III. Void
a. OT:922 bohuw (bo'-hoo); from an unused root (meaning to be empty); a vacuity, i.e. (superficially) an undistinguishable ruin: KJV - emptiness, void.
IV. The Gap Theory
a. Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the Heaven and the earth. 2 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
i. 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. KJV
1. Vain here is the same word as without form, 8414 used in Genesis 1:2.
2. Isaiah 45 should be read in is entirety.
a. Translation issues can be seen in Isaiah 45:7.
i. Read this and discuss translation issues
b. Jeremiah 4:23-28 - 23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. 24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. 25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. 26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger. 27 For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. 28 For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it. KJV
c. Job 38:4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. 5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? 6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; 7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? KJV
i. It would seem that the “sons of God” or angels were shouting for joy as the foundations of the earth were being placed by God
1. Sons of God – there is not other way to define sons of God in this passage, as man was certainly not there in Verse 2.
2. Foundations –
a. Psalms 82:1 A Song or Psalm of A'-saph. God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. 2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. 3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. 4 Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. 5 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. 6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. 7 But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. 8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations. KJV
i. Why were the foundations of the earth out of course and when did that happen?
ii. They are called “children of the most High but told they will die like men . . .?
iii. They will fall like one of the princes – which prince fell and who saw him fall and what did he look like as he fell?
iv. DOTS
1. Asaph was a choir director therefore acquainted with music
2. Most think Lucifer had something to do w/ worship in Heaven
d. Alternative views and study can be found at AnswersInGenesis.org
V. Darkness
a. OT:2822 choshek (kho-shek'); from OT:2821; the dark; hence (literally) darkness; figuratively, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness: KJV - dark (-ness), night, obscurity
i. Same word used in Exodus 10:21 And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.
ii. 22 And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: 23 They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. KJV
b. This was not a created thing, nowhere does it say that God “created” darkness!
c. God does not say that darkness is good
d. This darkness seems different from what you and I think of darkness as being, it could be FELT, it was described as THICK
e. DOTS
i. Matthew 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. KJV
ii. Matthew 13:50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. KJV
iii. Matthew 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. KJV
1. Darkness - NT:4655 skotos (skot'-os); from the base of NT:4639; shadiness, i.e. obscurity (literally or figuratively): KJV - darkness.
a. 4639 - NT:4639 skia (skee'-ah); apparently a primary word; "shade" or a shadow (literally or figuratively [darkness of error or an adumbration]): KJV - shadow.
iv. 2 Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; KJV
1. Into Chains - NT:4577 seira (si-rah'); probably from NT:4951 through its congener eiro (to fasten; akin to NT:138); a chain (as binding or drawing): KJV - chain.
2. Of darkness - NT:2217 zophos (dzof'-os); akin to the base of NT:3509; gloom (as shrouding like a cloud): KJV - blackness, darkness, mist.
3. Darkness is 2 Peter 2:4 is different from darkness in Matthew 25:30.
VI. Upon
a. OT:5921 `al (al); properly, the same as OT:5920 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 (as follow): KJV - above, according to (-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, both and, by (reason of), had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-) on, over, than, through (-out), to, touching, with.
i. OT:5920 `al (al); from OT:5927; properly, the top; specifically, the highest (i.e. God); also (adverb) aloft, to Jehovah: KJV - above, high, Most High.
1. OT:5927 `alah (aw-law'); a primitive root; to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative (as follow): KJV - arise (up), (cause to) ascend up, at once, break [the day] (up), bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, shew, climb (up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart, exalt, excel, fall, fetch up, get up, (make to) go (away, up); grow (over) increase, lay, leap, levy, lift (self) up, light, [make] up, mention, mount up, offer, make to pay, perfect, prefer, put (on), raise, recover, restore, (make to) rise (up), scale, set (up), shoot forth (up), (begin to) spring (up), stir up, take away (up), work.
a. DOT
i. Isaiah 14:12-15
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. KJV
VII. The face of
a. OT:6440 paniym (paw-neem'); plural (but always as singular) of an unused noun [paneh (paw-neh'); from OT:6437]; 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.): KJV - accept, a- before (-time), against, anger, as (long as), at, battle, because (of), beseech, countenance, edge, employ, endure, enquire, face, favour, fear of, for, forefront (-part), form (-er time, -ward), from, front, heaviness, him (-self), honourable, impudent, in, it, look [-eth] (-s), me, meet, more than, mouth, of, off, (of) old (time), on, open, out of, over against, the partial, person, please, presence, propect, was purposed, by reason of, regard, right forth, serve, shewbread, sight, state, straight, street, thee, them (-selves), through (+-out), till, time (-s) past, (un-) to (-ward), upon, upside(+down), with (-in, -stand), ye, you.
VIII. The deep
a. OT:8415 tehowm (teh-home'); or tehom (teh-home'); (usually feminine) from OT:1949; an abyss (as a surging mass of water), especially the deep (the main sea or the subterranean water-supply): KJV - deep (place), depth.
i. Article from The Economic Times 2022.10.22
1. International scientist have “found” a reservoir that is 3x the size of all surface oceans at the earth’s core
ii. Remember, there was water under the firmament and water below the firmament after God separated them, how does that affect the meaning of “deep” I think there is probably something more to look out for in future verses that will make “the deep” more concrete than it is at this point.
iii. Dot
1. Revelation 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. KJV
a. NT:12 abussos (ab'-us-sos); from NT:1 (as a negative particle) and a variation of NT:1037; depthless, i.e. (specially) (infernal) "abyss": KJV - deep, (bottomless) pit.
i. NT:1037 buthos (boo-thos'); a variation of NT:899; depth, i.e. (by implication) the sea: KJV - deep.
2. Ezekiel 28:1-9 - 1 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus,** Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God: 3 Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee: 4 With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: 5 By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches: 6 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; 7 Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness. 8 They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas. 9 Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee. KJV
3. Luke 8:30-31 30 And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. 31 And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep. KJV
a. **The power behind the thing
i. Types, shadows, pictures, allegories
1. Jesus rebuked Peter by speaking to Satan, the power behind what Peter was saying (Matthew 16:21)
Genesis 1:2 (a)And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. (b)And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. KJV
I. Spirit of God –
a. This was not a wind or a blowing because as far as we know air had not yet been created, this was the literal Presence of The Holy Spirit
