And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
What does Genesis 1:10 mean?
The earth was emptiness, but by a word spoken, it became full of God's riches, and his they are still. Though the use of them is allowed to man, they are from God, and to his service and honour they must be used.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Genesis 1:9-13 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Genesis 1:10
Then called God to the ground, land. - We use the word "ground" to denote the dry surface left after the retreat of the waters. To this the Creator applies the term 'erets, "land, earth." Hence, we find that the primitive meaning of this term was land, the dry solid surface of matter on which we stand. This meaning it still retains in all its various applications (see note on Genesis 1:2 ).
Key words
- a verbo
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a verbo. Thesaur, Philolog. l. 1. c. 2. sect. 6. p. 234. Then called God to the ground, land.
- ground
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ground. To this the Creator applies the term 'erets, "land, earth.
Context in Genesis 1
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Genesis 1 belongs to the opening movement of the book, especially the section often described as primeval history from creation to Babel. Genesis opens the whole Bible with creation, fall, flood, Babel, and the long patriarchal story that carries the reader from Eden to Egypt. Read this chapter with the wider themes of creation, fall, and covenant in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Who quoted Genesis 1:10?
Find out who used Genesis 1:10 in their speeches and writings. Which famous people quoted Genesis 1:10?
Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders used Genesis 1:10 in Apollo 8 Christmas Eve broadcast.