form and void bible
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. He looks at a house he built years ago, and says, “I made this house to be inhabited. Placing the subject first is often used to signal information that provides background for the story. When people have absolutely no evidence to support their claim, sometimes they hope to persuade by simply calling it a “fact.” But that doesn’t make it so. [underline added] [1]. ? Genesis 1:2 uses a waw-disjunctive. The rest of Genesis 1 describes an overview of what God created, by the words of His mouth, on each of the six literal days of creation. Joel’s claim has absolutely no textual basis, and is actually refuted by the text. When we compare Scripture with Scripture, we see that blindness is the result of a person’s sin. The Hebrew word translated “void” or “empty” is “bohu.” It literally means “empty.” The same word is used in Isaiah 34:11 to describe a plumb line of “emptiness.” The synonymous parallelism in this passage places “bohu” in parallel with “tohu”, indicating that they are synonyms. But the issue is not really about the age of the Earth, but rather believing what the Bible says. Joel: The Gap Fact would be the correct term,…. Joel: We can find out by comparing Scripture with Scripture (1 Cor. Our critic this week is Joel who has responded to my article on the gap theory. Rather, it was dust because God had not yet formed it into a man. Rather they have a stem and a conjugation. But should we believe that such molten idols were once inhabited? Vid. Joel: “Without form, and void” presupposes former habitation: See Jer. Dr. Lisle: I already refuted this in the article to which Joel is responding. In all the standard translations of the Old Testament, that isthe way this verse is rendered. The waw-disjunctive in verse 2 indicates that it is a comment on verse 1; namely, verse 2 describes the initial state of the Earth before God formed it and filled it with life. The Hebrew root word translated “stars” is “kocab” and would include the other planets as well. Joel: Look at the comparison: Isaiah 45:18’s characteristics about the earth: Established, Formed, Inhabited, and Not in Vain. Should we say, “This picture shows that you obviously did not build this house to be inhabited! The text of Genesis 1 teaches that God created the Earth initially as ball of water with no life, and then formed it and filled it over the course of six days. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Dr. Lisle: No. In Genesis 1:2 the Earth “was without form, and void.” The precise meaning of this wording is unclear since the original Hebrew phrase Tohu wa-bohu (תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ) is ambiguous. It is a state. But of course, such a conclusion is horribly unbiblical. Genesis 1-2 confirms Isaiah 45:18 – God indeed formed the Earth to be inhabited, and He took six days to accomplish this – not in an instant as Joel mistakenly claims. Joel: So remember that the phrase “without form, and void” as found in both Genesis 1:2 and Jeremiah 4:23 indicate God’s judgment and both are in connection with the heavens and the earth ending (2 Pet. By far the tremendous majority of ti… Joel: Also note, that even though this Jeremiah passage is referring to the end of the Tribulation, it is written in the “past tense,” just as Genesis 1:2 is written. This is true of the Bible; we must examine it; not just read it and express opinions without something to back up the opinion. Joel: So by comparing Scripture with Scripture, would you say the phrase “without form, and void” sounds like an act of “creation” or “destruction?” It’s obviously destruction! 2. the earth was without form and void—or in "confusion and emptiness," as the words are rendered in Isa 34:11. Hence, Genesis 1:2 is clarifying the conditions that existed on Earth when God first created it. There are many possible causes of it. Dr. Lisle: That’s good. KJV, YLT, NASB, ASV The Hebrew word translated “without form” or “formless” is “tohu.” The same word is used to describe the formlessness of a wilderness in Deuteronomy 32:10, with no implication that such a land had been previously inhabited. The words “without form” and “void” are translations of the Hebrew words tohu and bohu. I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. Joel: The “heavens” in Jeremiah 4 match the “heavens” in 2 Peter 3:4-7. Dr. Lisle: It appears that Joel is going to argue that the condition “without form and void” is always the result of catastrophe or judgment since in this passage judgment has resulted in such a condition. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” So there is no doubt that verse 2 is referring to the Earth as it was at the first instant it was created. You have already seen an example of this in v. 2 of your assigned reading from Genesis 1:1-5. Genesis 2:4, however, refers to the finished heaven and Earth, describing an Earth that was formed (with continents and oceans) and filled (with living creatures). In yesterday’s Daily Bible Verse Blog, we covered the chaotic state of the earth as revealed in Genesis 1:2, which describes it as “without form, and void.” Joel: What does the phrase “without form and void” mean? But we need to do it properly in a way that is faithful to the text. Now, should we follow Joel’s reasoning and conclude that the dust from which Adam was created in Genesis 2:7 was actually the result of Adam’s sin on the basis that the dust in Genesis 3:19 was? In their Hebrew textbook, Kutz and Josberger have this to say about the waw-disjunctive in Genesis 1:2: Although the standard word order for Hebrew narrative is verb + subject, the author may choose to place some other part of the sentence in the initial position (fronting). This is the point of the rest of Genesis. Consider this argument: “What does the word ‘blind’ mean? The Hebrew words translated “without form and void” are not verbs; they are adjectives. For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. It is usually worded in English as “waste and void,” “formless and empty,” or “chaos and desolation.” by Dr. Lisle | May 10, 2019 | Refuting the Critics. Verse 2 clarifies that God initially created the Earth empty of life, and without its continents; it was unformed and empty. So, what does it mean that the man was blind in John 9:1? 2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. Let’s go to Job 38. Isaiah 45:18 tells us that God did not create the earth “without form and void.” … It is rather silly to call a theological claim a “fact” when it has absolutely no textual support, and when it is in fact disallowed by the text. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. The same word is used to describe a vacuous argument in Isaiah 29:21, yet it would be absurd to conclude that an argument was once inhabited! I didn’t make it to be empty, rather, I built it so people could live there.” Then imagine we found a picture of an early stage of the house, still in construction, without a roof or doors. Joel: Jeremiah 4:20 even starts with “destruction upon destruction,” not “creation upon creation!”. God created the Earth on day one (Genesis 1:1-5). The phrase “and the Earth” is a waw-disjunctive because “the Earth” is a noun, not a verb. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. However, the exact verbiage appears in Jeremiah. A house can be empty because it was robbed, or it can be empty because no one has moved in yet. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”. No. The idea that God created a useless and shapeless earth is an uncomfortable position for some conservative theologians, and this leads them to the gap theory, or an old-earth perspective. The Earth would be reduced to the way it was when God first created it, before He then formed it and filled it with life. This is because God had not yet formed it or filled it. Then God spent six days forming and filling the earth. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Numerous interpretations of this phrase are made by various theological sources. On some occasions, in an unusual situationif the context requires it, the word can be translated ‘became’. There cannot be a gap of time between verse one and verse two because verse two does not happen after verse one! Joel: “Without Form, and Void.” (Genesis 1:2) “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. When Saul was persecuting the church, the Lord blinded him (Acts 9:4-9). Dr. Lisle: No, “without form and void” is not an act of creation nor an act of destruction because it is not an act at all! Genesis 1:2 Context 1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. ESV: English Standard Version 2016 Dr. Lisle: The waw-disjunctive in verse 2 indicates that it is explaining verse 1. In this message entitled “Without Form and Void,” Dr. Sproul discusses the difficulties associated with the gap theory of creation. The gap theory interprets the words the earth was without form and void as an aftereffect of something that took place in between the two verses. The obvious interpretation being that there was no earth, this being before God created it. That would be absurd because “is empty” describes the condition of “my new house.” Imagine someone claiming, “There is an enormous gap of time between ‘my new house’ and ‘is empty.’ Clearly, the fact that the house is empty implies that it was judged by God and became empty because the builder formed it to be inhabited.”. This globe, at some undescribed period, having been convulsed and broken up, was a dark and watery waste for ages perhaps, till out of this chaotic state, … This is true of the Bible; we must examine it; not just read it and express opinions without something to back up the opinion. Although I already refuted that claim in my original article, a more detailed explanation may provide additional insight. Or, that something went wrong in Genesis 1:2 and that the earth being “without form, and void” and having “darkness” and being “covered in the deep” was not a sign of creation, but a sign of destruction. It is strange that Joel would use this error in reasoning since I already refuted this fallacy in the original article. Likewise, “without form and void” is a state of being. Namely, God created the Earth so that people could inhabit it. Dr. Lisle: No, “without form and void” is not an act of creation nor an act of destruction because it is not an act at all! It describes God forming and filling His creation over the course of six days. Macdonald's 'Creation,' etc., p. 51. KING JAMES VERSION (KJV) About this Quote. It is a state. Considered a classic in Christian apologetics, this scholarly analysis of the Biblical phrase "without form and void", from the opening chapter of Genesis, observes the rules of linguistics, of grammar and syntax, and also examines how words are used in the rest of Scripture. Obviously, God was punishing him for his sin.” Such an argument is irrational and is specifically refuted by Jesus in John 9:3 who said, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” Blindness is a state of being. Joel argues that there must be a gap of time between verses one and two of Genesis 1 on the basis of the phrase “without form and void” used in Genesis 1:2. Are we to believe that Joel thinks that this outer space was previously inhabited? But of course, this is a hasty generalization fallacy. Notice that God uses this same act of “uncreation” when He pronounces judgment upon Adam. Rather, God often judges by undoing an act of creation. The creation of earth in a perfect state and before v2 that tells us it “was without form and void,” requires a bit of bible searching. Our Father did not create the earth “without form, void,” and full … Lecture 1, Without Form and Void: How much time elapsed between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2? The dust which Adam became at death was due to judgment. The Bible is not a science book and the creation is an allegory that hides the knowledge from the natural-thinking man who behaves in his envy and strife and living in divisions. You have already seen an example of this in v. 2 of your assigned reading from Genesis 1:1-5. 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.”. The Hebrew words translated “without form and void” are not verbs; they are adjectives. Let’s take a look at each word in detail. So apparently, he didn’t read it carefully. A significant problem with this idea is that the Hebrew word for ‘was’really should be translated ‘was’. Joel: Note the similarities of Jeremiah 4 with Genesis [sic] 2: Jeremiah 4: “Without form, and void,” “heavens are black,” no light, “tents and curtains are spoiled” in God’s judgment. God did form the Earth to be inhabited, but He did this over the course of six days as a pattern for us (Exodus 20:8-11). [3] The rest of Genesis is God forming and filling the initially formless and empty creation. Dr. Lisle: Isaiah 45:18 refers to God’s purpose for the finished Earth, after God had spent six days forming and filling it. 40:22; 2 Pet. Genesis 1 is about creation just as Jeremiah 4 is about destruction in judgment. Tohu wa-bohu or Tohu va-Vohu (תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ ṯōhū wā-ḇōhū), is a Biblical Hebrew phrase found in the Genesis creation narrative (Genesis 1:2) that describes the condition of the earth immediately before the creation of light in Genesis 1:3.. Genesis 1:2 “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. Likewise, “without form” and “void” mean just that: “without form” and “void” respectively, with no presupposition on the way such a state came to be. 2:13). The point of Jeremiah 4 is that God’s judgment will be so severe, that it will be as if He had undone all the work He did during the creation week. It is usually worded in English as “waste and void,” “formless and empty,” or “chaos and desolation.” But the dust from which Adam was made in the first place was not the result of judgment. Jeremiah 4:23 I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void; And the heavens, they had no light. Dr. Lisle: Just as the blindness in Acts 9:4-9 does not have the same cause as the blindness in John 9:1-3, neither does the emptiness of the Earth when it was first created (before God filled it) have the same cause as the emptiness due to judgment. They describe the way something is, not how it came to be that way. King James Bible And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness wasupon the face of the deep. It is illogical to assume that all instances of a given state came about by the same action. Yet this interpretation that the earth "became" waste and void has been discussed for close to 2,000 years, as pointed out by the late Arthur Custance in his book Without Form and Void: A Study of the Meaning of Genesis 1:2 Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. Dr. Lisle: The gap theory, like theistic evolution or day-age progressive creation, is not something one could logically derive from the text, and is in fact disallowed by Hebrew grammar. Joel: … and NO, I’m not a billion year earth supporter. Thereare some instances like that in the Old Testament. Joel: It’s a hasty generalization fallacy to group one doctrine with others who teach false doctrine. The Bible Is the Word of Salvation, Not a Book of Science < Genesis 1:1-2 > In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. That is, we use Genesis 1 to better understand Jeremiah 4, not the reverse as Joel has mistakenly claimed. Consider a sentence: “My new house is empty.” Can you put a gap of time in between “my new house” and “is empty”? Joel: Now compare this to Isaiah 55:11: “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” When God used his words to create the earth, they didn’t result in a voided earth. Genesis 1:2’s characteristics about the earth: Established (the Earth is already “hung upon nothing” in Gen. 1:2), Without Form, Void (No Inhabitants), and Vain (worthless). This is equivalent to the claim “blindness presupposes the sin of the person: See Acts 9:4-9.” But of course, Jesus refutes such reasoning John 9:1-3. And He took six days to do this (not one day)! And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Isaiah 45:18 refers to God’s purpose for the completed Earth. Notice that Joel’s interpretation contradicts Isaiah 55:11 which he himself cited previously. Isaiah 44:9 uses the same word to describe molten idols because they do not profit a person. God was apparently unable to keep the Earth inhabited and had to try again! Placing the subject first is often used to signal information that provides background for the story. And we have already found that “tohu” does not imply judgment, or previous habitation, but merely formlessness. The context of Jeremiah 4 is judgment, going from formed and filled to formless and empty, whereas the context of Genesis 1 is creation, going from formless and empty to formed and filled. 5.Other Passages In addition, Isaiah 34:11 and Jeremiah 4:23-26 , the only other instances the phrase without form and void is used, clearly refers to some type of divine judgment. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. Second, even if the word were the same it would not prove Joel’s point. “Empty” just means “empty” and does not provide, in itself, the action that led to the state. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And since God created the heaven and Earth and all that is in them in the span of six days (Exodus 20:11), this eliminates any perceived gap. The waw-disjunctive in verse 2 disallows any gap of time because it does not follow in time; rather it is a clarification of verse 1. Genesis 1: “Without form, and void,” “darkness,” no light, “the tent and curtain” of the universe was spoiled in God’s judgment (See Is. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Tohu and bohu are often paired together in the Old Testament and portray a “place of chaos, formlessness, emptiness, a wasteland” (Brown-Driver-Briggs Lexicon). Dr. Lisle: There is a connection between Jeremiah 4 and Genesis 1, but it is not what Joel suggests. because God says that he formed the earth, and established it (hung it upon nothing), and he created it not in vain, but to be inhabited as part of his creative work and that is not what is going on in Genesis 1:2. Would it be rational to call the builder a liar? Dr. Lisle: And Genesis 1 begins, “In the beginning God created…” Context matters. God’s words accomplished all of creation; they did not return void. The italicized nouns [“And the Earth”] in the English translation below are placed first in the Hebrew clause to signal background information that is not part of the narrative sequence.