KJV King James Version
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.
VERSE STUDY • KJV
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.
Read it in 5 translations
BSB Berean Standard Bible
Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
WEB World English Bible
Now the earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep. God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.
ASV American Standard Version
And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
YLT Young’s Literal Translation
the earth hath existed waste and void, and darkness is on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God fluttering on the face of the waters,
Surrounding context — 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.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that [it was] good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
Topics connected to this verse
Original-language word links
These Hebrew/Greek tokens are linked by Strong's number. Click one for its lexicon definition and other occurrences.
וְהָאָ֗רֶץH776 · e.retsland: country/planetהָיְתָ֥הH1961 · ha.yahto beתֹ֙הוּ֙H8414 · to.huformlessnessוָבֹ֔הוּH922 · bo.huvoidוְחֹ֖שֶׁךְH2822 · cho.shekhdarknessעַל־H5921 · aluponפְּנֵ֣יH6440 · pa.nehface: beforeתְה֑וֹםH8415 · te.homabyssוְר֣וּחַH7307 · ru.achspiritאֱלֹהִ֔יםH430 · e.lo.himGodמְרַחֶ֖פֶתH7363 · ra.chaphbe weakעַל־H5921 · aluponפְּנֵ֥יH6440 · pa.nehface: beforeהַמָּֽיִם׃H4325 · ma.yimwater
Cross-references
Jeremiah 4:23I beheld the earth, and, lo, [it was] without form, and void; and the heavens, and they [had] no light.Psalm 104:30Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.Isaiah 45:18For 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.Psalm 33:6By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.Job 26:7He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, [and] hangeth the earth upon nothing.Isaiah 40:12-14Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?Job 26:14Lo, these [are] parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?Nahum 2:10She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain [is] in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.
CLASSIC COMMENTARY & PREACHING
Spurgeon on Genesis 1:2
Read Charles H. Spurgeon material whose primary Scripture is this verse or passage.
HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION
Compare classic commentaries on Genesis 1:2
Put Matthew Henry, Adam Clarke, Calvin, Wesley, Barnes, Jamieson–Fausset–Brown, Aquinas’ Catena and other public-domain sources beside the passage.
Compare commentaries →