Genesis 1: 9 Commentary

“And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place…”
The waters and the land heard God’s command. As the Earth opened its “womb” to receive the waters, i.e. the super ocean above, millions of square miles of water collected into one vast region. The psalmist depicts this momentous, “earth-shattering” event as waters fleeing at God’s rebuke and hasting away at hearing God’s thunderous voice (Psalm 104:7). When the waters collected into one vast region, dry land did not appear as evidenced, confirmed, and verified by the second part of God’s command, which follows:

“…and let dry [land] appear.”
Dry land presented itself visible before Almighty God.

and it was so.
What God commanded happened — another attestation of His Omnipotence.

By Roland G. (wrote 1411 Bible Commentaries - permalink to this Commentary)
Posted on: 6/3/2010 00:31 am

Let the waters… . be gathered together . This also is an illustrious miracle, that the waters by their departure have given a dwelling-place to men. For even philosophers allow that the natural position of the waters was to cover the whole earth, as Moses declares they did in the beginning; first, because being an element, it must be circular, and because this element is heavier than the air, and lighter than the earth, it ought cover the latter in its whole circumference. But that the seas, being gathered together as on heaps, should give place for man, is seemingly preternatural; and therefore Scripture often extols the goodness of God in this particular. See Psalm 33:7,
‘He has gathered the waters together on a heap, and has laid them up in his treasures.’
Also Psalm 78:13,
‘He has collected the waters as into a bottle.’
Jeremiah 5:22,
‘Will ye not fear me? will ye not tremble at my presence, who have placed the sand as the boundary of the sea?’
Job 38:8,
‘Who has shut up the sea with doors? Have not I surrounded it with gates and bars? I have said, Hitherto shalt thou proceed; here shall thy swelling waves be broken.’
Let us, therefore, know that we are dwelling on dry ground, because God, by his command, has removed the waters that they should not overflow the whole earth.

By John Calvin (wrote 19 Bible Commentaries - permalink to this Commentary)
Posted on: 10/22/2008 11:37 am