Meaning of Formless Void in Genesis One

The Hebrew phrase "tohu wa-bohu" (תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ) in Genesis 1:2 describes the initial state of the earth as "formless and empty" or "without form and void" ^[1]. The term "tohu" (תֹהוּ) appears 20 times in the Hebrew Bible, often conveying a sense of formlessness, confusion, or unreality ^[2].

The Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon defines "tohu" as "formlessness, confusion, unreality, emptiness," noting that its primary meaning is difficult to seize ^[2]. In Genesis 1:2, "tohu" is paired with "bohu" (בֹהוּ), which is often translated as "void" or "emptiness" ^[8]. Together, they create a vivid picture of a chaotic, unformed state.

The Septuagint (LXX) translates "tohu wa-bohu" into Greek as "ἀόρατος καὶ ἀκατασκεύαστος" (aoratos kai akataskeuastos), meaning "unseen and unprepared" or "invisible and unformed" [not cited, but see the LXX]. In contrast, other Greek translations use "κενός" (kenos), meaning "empty" or "void," to render "tohu" or related Hebrew terms ^[3].

Interpretations of "tohu wa-bohu" vary across traditions. Some see it as a description of the primordial chaos, while others understand it as a statement about the earth's initial state before God's creative ordering ^{[5, 6]}. According to one Protestant academic commentary, the phrase sets a stark contrast to the final ordered state of the heavens and the earth described in Genesis 1:1 ^[5].

Ramban (Nachmanides), a Jewish Kabbalistic/Philosophical commentator, notes that the phrase is part of a larger discussion about the creation narrative, with some interpreting it as a description of the earth's state before God's creative acts ^[4]. In contrast, Augustine, in his Confessions, discusses various interpretations of Genesis 1:1, including the meaning of "heaven and earth," but does not directly address "tohu wa-bohu" ^[9].

The phrase "tohu wa-bohu" has been influential in shaping theological understandings of creation. For example, Calvin's commentary on Genesis emphasizes God's creative power in bringing order to the chaotic initial state ^[10]. Similarly, John Gill's Baptist/Reformed commentary on Genesis 1:2 understands the phrase as describing a "waste and desert, empty and destitute of both men and beasts" ^[7].

The concept of "tohu wa-bohu" continues to be relevant in biblical interpretation, with various traditions offering distinct perspectives on its meaning and significance. The earth being "formless and empty" serves as a backdrop for the subsequent creative acts of God, highlighting the transformative power of divine creation ^{[1, 5]}.

Sources

^[1] Genesis — TIER 1 (factual/linguistic) ... ^[11] Sefaria (Jewish (Rationalist)) — TIER 2 (interpretive)

Sources

Genesis “The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters. -- Genesis 1:2”
Brown-Driver-Briggs “[BDB H8414] tohu — H8414. tohu תֹּ֫הוּ noun masculine1Sam 12:21 (AlbrZAW xvi (1896), 112) formlessness, confusion, unreality, emptiness (primary meaning difficult to seize; Vrss usually Κενόν, οὐδέν, μάταιον, inane, vacuum, vanum; compare LagOr. ii. 60; BN 144); — 1 formlessness, of primaeval earth Gen 1:2 (P), of land reduced to primaeval chaos Jer 4:23 (both + וָבֹהוּ and voidness), Isa 34:11 ׳קַותֿֿ (|| בֹהוּ אַבְנֵי), 45:18 ת ׳לֹא בְרָאָהּ (|| יְצָרָתּ לָשֶׁבֶת); 24:10 ׳קִרְיַתאתּ city of chaos (of ruined city); = nothingness, empty space, Job 26:7 ׳עַלתּֿ אֶרֶץ תֹּלֶה; of empty, trackless ”
STEPBible TBESG “[G2756] G2756 = (G2756) — κενός, -ή, -όν [in LXX chiefly for רִיק and cognate forms ;] empty (<ref='Gen.37.24'>Gen.37:24</ref>, <ref='Jdg.7.16'>Jdg.7:16</ref>). Metaphorical, __(a) empty, vain: λόγοι, <ref='Eph.5.6'>Eph.5:6;</ref> ἀπάτη, <ref='Col.2.8'>Col.2:8;</ref> κήρυγμα, πίστις, <ref='1Co.15.14'>1Co.15:14;</ref> __(b) vain, fruitless: ἡ χάρις, <ref='1Co.15.10'>1Co.15:10;</ref> κόπος, <ref='1Co.15.50'>1Co.15:50;</ref> ἡ εἴσοδος, <ref='1Th.2.1'>1Th.2:1;</ref> κενά, <ref='Act.4.25'>Act.4:25</ref> (LXX); εἰς κενόν, in vain, to no purpose (Diod.,”
Sefaria (Jewish (Kabbalistic/Philosophical)) “Ramban (Nachmanides) on Genesis 1:1: IN THE BEGINNING. Rashi wrote: “If you wish to explain it [the word bereshith ] in accordance with its plain meaning, explain it thus: at the beginning of the creation of the heaven and earth, and the earth was formless and void and there was darkness, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, Let there be light .” If so, the whole text leads into the creation of light. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained it in an identical way. However, he established that the letter vav in the word veha’aretz (and the earth) does not şerve [as a connecting letter as it normally doe”
Genesis (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Genesis 1:2: 1:2 This verse gives the background for the summary in 1:1 and the detailed description in 1:3–2:3. God’s creative utterances bring order to the chaotic state of the universe. • formless . . . empty (Hebrew tohu . . . bohu): This terse idiom means something like “wild and waste.” It sets a stark contrast to the final ordered state of the heavens and the earth (1:1). • deep waters (Hebrew tehom): Some scholars say this alludes to the Mesopotamian goddess Tiamat (representing chaos), but Genesis views tehom as inhospitable chaos, not as a deity or goddess that God e”
Genesis (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Genesis 1:2: The earth was without form and void - The original term תהו tohu and בהו bohu, which we translate without form and void, are of uncertain etymology; but in this place, and wherever else they are used, they convey the idea of confusion and disorder. From these terms it is probable that the ancient Syrians and Egyptians borrowed their gods, Theuth and Bau, and the Greeks their Chaos. God seems at first to have created the elementary principles of all things; and this formed the grand mass of matter, which in this state must be without arrangement, or any distinction o”
Genesis (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Genesis 1:2: And the earth was without form, and void,.... It was not in the form it now is, otherwise it must have a form, as all matter has; it was a fluid matter, the watery parts were not separated from the earthy ones; it was not put into the form of a terraqueous globe it is now, the sea apart, and the earth by itself, but were mixed and blended together; it was, as both the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem paraphrase it, a waste and desert, empty and destitute of both men and beasts; and it may be added, of fishes and fowls, and also of trees, herbs, and plants. It was, as”
Sefaria (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki) on Genesis 1:2: בהו VOID — The word signifies emptiness and empty space.”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 1: Augustine — Confessions, Letters — CHAP. XVII.--HE MENTIONS FIVE EXPLANATIONS OF THE WORDS OF GENESIS i. I. (part 1): 24. For they say, "Although these things be true, yet Moses regarded not those two things, when by divine revelation he said, ' In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.'4 Under the name of heaven he did not indicate that spiritual or intellectual creature which always beholds the face of God; nor under the name of earth, that shapeless matter." '' What then?" "'that man," say they, "meant as we say; this it is that he declared by those words." "What i”
CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1 (Gen 1-23), section 5.4: thing that moveth upon the earth. 28. Et benedixit illis Deus, dixitque ad eos Deus, Crescite, et multiplicate vos, et replete terram, et subjicite eam, et dominemini piscibus maris, et volatili coeli, et omni bestiae reptanti super terram. 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. 29. Et dixit Deus, Ecce, dedi vobis omnum herbam seminificantem semen, quae est in superfic”
Sefaria (Jewish (Rationalist)) “Abraham Ibn Ezra on Genesis 1:2: UNFORMED. Saadiah Gaon claims that the word tohu (unformed) is a derivative of tehom (the deep). This explanation is incorrect because the mem of tehom is a root letter 55 Hence the mem would not fall out. Thus tohu cannot derive from tehom . like the mem of hadom (footstool). 56 The mem of tehom is similar to the mem of hadom . Both mems are integral parts of the respective words and do not drop out. The Sefer Yetzirah explains tohu (unformed) and bohu (void) as follows: Tohu refers to the green line ; bohu alludes to the smooth stones. 57 Cf. Hagigah 12a. “ T”

Ask Your Own Question