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Genesis 1:9

EOB (Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible):

God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear.” It happened that way.

EOB Footnote:

The MT includes the phrase “to one place” (literally “unto one place”), which is also present in the LXX. The MT reads “let the dry land be seen” where the LXX reads “let the dry land appear” — both convey the same meaning with slightly different vocabulary. No significant textual variants exist between the major LXX manuscripts for this verse. No DSS manuscript witness exists for Genesis 1:9.

Other Translations:

KJV (King James Version):

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.

WEB (World English Bible):

“Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear,” and it was so.

Benton LXX (Vaticanus):

And God said, Let the water which is under the heaven be collected into one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

Douai-Rheims (Vulgate):

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

Apostoliki Diakonia (LXX):

And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so.

YLT (Young Literal Translation )(MT):

And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so.

BBE (Bible in Basic English):

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

EOB COMMENTARY:

EOB Commentary:

Commentary on Genesis 1:9

The Gathering of Waters and the Appearance of Dry Land

This verse marks a pivotal moment in the creation narrative where God establishes order by separating the waters and revealing the dry land. The Fathers understood this not merely as a physical arrangement but as a profound theological statement about God’s sovereign power over chaos and His preparation of a dwelling place for humanity.

Patristic Interpretation:
Saint Basil the Great, in his Hexaemeron, contemplates how the waters, which previously covered everything, immediately obeyed the divine command and gathered into their appointed places. He marvels that the fluid and unstable nature of water was constrained by the word alone, demonstrating that creation responds to its Creator with perfect obedience. Saint Ambrose similarly notes that the earth, though hidden beneath the waters, was already present from the beginning, awaiting the moment of its manifestation according to God’s wise providence.

Typological Significance:
The emergence of dry land from the waters carries profound baptismal imagery that the Church has long recognized. Just as the earth arose from the waters to become fruitful and life-bearing, so too the Christian emerges from the baptismal waters as a new creation. The fonts of Orthodox baptisteries thus become places where this primordial act is mystically renewed. Saint Cyril of Jerusalem draws upon such creation imagery when instructing catechumens about the transformative power of the baptismal waters.

Christological Reading:
The dry land that appears may be understood as a type of the Church herself, which emerges from the nations as a stable foundation amid the turbulent seas of the world. Christ, the cornerstone, establishes this firm ground upon which the faithful may stand. The sea, often representing chaos and the gentile nations in prophetic literature, is bounded and limited by divine decree, prefiguring how Christ would calm the storms and demonstrate His authority over all creation.

Liturgical Connections:
In the blessing of waters at Theophany, the Church recalls how God set boundaries for the seas and established the dry land. The prayers invoke the creative power that first ordered the waters, asking that same power to sanctify the waters for the healing and renewal of the faithful. The Great Blessing of Waters echoes the language of Genesis, connecting the primordial ordering of creation with the sanctification accomplished through Christ’s baptism in the Jordan.

The appearance of dry land also anticipates the eschatological vision of Revelation, where the sea is no more, and God’s people dwell securely in the new creation, free from the chaos that the waters symbolically represent.

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