To: "Jonathan D. Safren" <yonsaf AT beitberl.beitberl.ac.il>
Cc: "b-hebrew" <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Subject: Re: Gen 1:1-2
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1999 09:48:39 -0500
>Dear Lee,
>Considering that God's first actions, after "turning on the light", are to
separate
>day from night, water from land, upper waters from lower waters, I would
opt for
>"chaos" as the meaning of "tohu wavohu"; i.e., everything was chaotic and
confused,
>and God put "alles in Ordnung".
Dear Jonathan,
Your point is well-taken, but I do not like the word "chaos" here because in
current English usage it implies activity. Yes, the created earth was
"non-ordered". I get the picture of a big dark rock, covered with water.
That doesn't comply with my understanding of the English word "chaos."
"Chaos" is what happens in a riot. Searching for translation equivalents
never satisfies everyone, does it?