The answer is: Without form and empty

Gen 1:2

In Genesis 1:2, we find a captivating description of the primordial earth. It was stated to be “without form and empty,” which in Hebrew reads as "tohu wavohu" - a lovely phrase that evokes a sense of chaotic desolation. Picture a vast, dark expanse, devoid of structure and life! This imagery sits at the heart of our understanding of the creative workings in the Bible.

Interestingly, before any creations sprouted from God’s command, this chaotic state functioned as the canvas – a blank slate for all wondrous acts of creation to unfold. The ancient Israelites held a cosmology quite different from modern frames of reference. They viewed the Earth as a flat disk surrounded by cosmic waters, with God’s own spirit hovering like a tranquil bird over this deep and ample void, preparing to breathe new life into it.

In a move that echoes the process of artistic creation, construction builds out of the chaos surrounding it. Just as an artist can reveal intricate beauty from a simple canvas, the Biblical narrative presents creation as a deliberate act infused with purpose, arising from initial emptiness and disorder.

We can also find striking parallels in many myths worldwide illustrating life coming forth from formless voids, signaling a shared human interest in how order emerges from chaos. Such stories resonate with our intrinsic quest to find meaning in transformation – a pathway leading us from the nothingness toward the wonderful tapestry of life. Isn't it stunning to think that our very existence comes from such fascinating beginnings?