King James Bible
"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."
The Hebrew words 'tohu wa-bohu' describe a state of chaos and emptiness—not evil, but unordered potential awaiting divine shaping. This establishes the starting point of creation as formless matter that God will systematically organize. The 'deep' (tehom) refers to primordial waters, echoing ancient Near Eastern imagery of watery chaos. Darkness here represents the absence of God's creative light, emphasizing that creation begins in a state requiring divine intervention. The Hebrew verb suggests hovering or brooding, like a bird over its nest, indicating protective presence and readiness to act. This introduces God's Spirit as the active agent in creation, preparing to bring order from chaos through divine power.