HolyStudy
Bible IndexRead BibleNotesChurchesMissionPrivacyTermsContact
© 2026 HolyStudy
HomeRead BibleBible NotesChurchesSign in
HolyStudy
HomeRead BibleBible NotesChurches
Sign in

Genesis 1

1
3
1

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

10
64
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.

2
23
3

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

3
15
4

And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

2
11
5

And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

1
8
6

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

1
7
7

And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

4
8

And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

5
9

And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

1
7
10

And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

17
11

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

1
4
12

And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

4
13

And the evening and the morning were the third day.

5
14

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

1
9
15

And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

4
16

And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

1
8
17

And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

4
18

And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

4
19

And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

5
20

And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

1
6
21

And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

5
22

And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

1
16
23

And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

4
24

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

5
25

And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

4
26

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

3
12
27

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

1
12
28

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

2
16
29

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

8
30

And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

5
31

And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

2
10
Next Chapter →

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.”

Study Summary

This verse belongs to the creation account Moses writes in Genesis 1, and it describes the condition of the earth immediately after God's initial act of creation — unformed, unfilled, and covered in deep darkness, with the Spirit of God hovering over the surface of the waters like a bird over a nest. The Hebrew word for 'formless and void' (tohu wabohu) conveys not evil but incompleteness — raw material awaiting divine shaping. The Spirit's hovering signals readiness and intention; nothing here is abandoned. This same Spirit who hovered over the waters would later fill Bezalel for craftsmanship (Exodus 31:3) and, in the New Testament, move over the waters of baptism as Jesus began his ministry (Mark 1:10). If you find yourself in a season that feels shapeless and dark, this verse is an invitation to remember that God's Spirit is present precisely in those unformed places — and that ordering and filling is what he does.

Community Reflections

8
Tobias van der Berg (test user)12d ago
Formless and void

Tohu vavohu — formless and empty. The earth was without shape and without content, and darkness covered the surface of the deep. This is the starting point before God speaks. What is important to notice is that this is not a battle. God is not fighting chaos in Genesis 1 the way Marduk fights Tiamat in the Babylonian Enuma Elish. There is no cosmic combat, no defeated rival. There is simply absence — and God begins to fill it. His creative work is not conflict; it is gift. He doesn't defeat the darkness — He speaks light into it. He doesn't defeat the emptiness — He fills it with life. This shapes how I think about creative work and about ministry. The response to emptiness is not warfare; it is the patient, faithful speaking of truth and life into the void.

Read the note →
5
Emre Yilmaz (test user)12d ago
The Spirit hovering

The Spirit of God hovering over the surface of the waters — this image has stayed with me for weeks. The Hebrew word for hovering, merachefet, is the same word used in Deuteronomy 32 to describe an eagle hovering over its young, caring and ready to act. God's Spirit is not absent from the chaos and emptiness of verse two. He is present in it, attentive, poised. This reframes how I think about the dark and formless seasons of my own life. When everything feels without shape or purpose, the Spirit of God is not far away — He is hovering, preparing to speak order and beauty into what feels like nothing. Creation began in formlessness, and God was already there. That is deeply, practically reassuring.

Read the note →

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.”

Study Summary

This verse belongs to the creation account Moses writes in Genesis 1, and it describes the condition of the earth immediately after God's initial act of creation — unformed, unfilled, and covered in deep darkness, with the Spirit of God hovering over the surface of the waters like a bird over a nest. The Hebrew word for 'formless and void' (tohu wabohu) conveys not evil but incompleteness — raw material awaiting divine shaping. The Spirit's hovering signals readiness and intention; nothing here is abandoned. This same Spirit who hovered over the waters would later fill Bezalel for craftsmanship (Exodus 31:3) and, in the New Testament, move over the waters of baptism as Jesus began his ministry (Mark 1:10). If you find yourself in a season that feels shapeless and dark, this verse is an invitation to remember that God's Spirit is present precisely in those unformed places — and that ordering and filling is what he does.

Community Reflections

8
Tobias van der Berg (test user)12d ago
Formless and void

Tohu vavohu — formless and empty. The earth was without shape and without content, and darkness covered the surface of the deep. This is the starting point before God speaks. What is important to notice is that this is not a battle. God is not fighting chaos in Genesis 1 the way Marduk fights Tiamat in the Babylonian Enuma Elish. There is no cosmic combat, no defeated rival. There is simply absence — and God begins to fill it. His creative work is not conflict; it is gift. He doesn't defeat the darkness — He speaks light into it. He doesn't defeat the emptiness — He fills it with life. This shapes how I think about creative work and about ministry. The response to emptiness is not warfare; it is the patient, faithful speaking of truth and life into the void.

Read the note →
5
Emre Yilmaz (test user)12d ago
The Spirit hovering

The Spirit of God hovering over the surface of the waters — this image has stayed with me for weeks. The Hebrew word for hovering, merachefet, is the same word used in Deuteronomy 32 to describe an eagle hovering over its young, caring and ready to act. God's Spirit is not absent from the chaos and emptiness of verse two. He is present in it, attentive, poised. This reframes how I think about the dark and formless seasons of my own life. When everything feels without shape or purpose, the Spirit of God is not far away — He is hovering, preparing to speak order and beauty into what feels like nothing. Creation began in formlessness, and God was already there. That is deeply, practically reassuring.

Read the note →

Genesis 1:2

This verse belongs to the creation account Moses writes in Genesis 1, and it describes the condition of the earth immediately after God's initial act of creation — unformed, unfilled, and covered in deep darkness, with the Spirit of God hovering over the surface of the waters like a bird over a nest. The Hebrew word for 'formless and void' (tohu wabohu) conveys not evil but incompleteness — raw material awaiting divine shaping. The Spirit's hovering signals readiness and intention; nothing here is abandoned. This same Spirit who hovered over the waters would later fill Bezalel for craftsmanship (Exodus 31:3) and, in the New Testament, move over the waters of baptism as Jesus began his ministry (Mark 1:10). If you find yourself in a season that feels shapeless and dark, this verse is an invitation to remember that God's Spirit is present precisely in those unformed places — and that ordering and filling is what he does.