Part 3: Correlating Genesis Chapters 1 & 2: Earth & Seas

Introduction

This is the third article in a series which seek to correlate the days of creation between Genesis chapters one and two. Each article attempts to show how and where each chapter speaks of related days.

In this article, the first portion of day 3 will be explored; the creation of Earth and Seas.

Chapter 1

Day 3 of creation sees God creating the Earth and Seas, followed by the grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit tree bearing fruit with seed. The verses follow:

9 And God saith, `Let the waters under the heavens be collected unto one place, and let the dry land be seen:' and it is so.

10 And God calleth to the dry land `Earth,' and to the collection of the waters He hath called `Seas;' and God seeth that [it is] good.

11 And God saith, `Let the earth yield tender grass, herb sowing seed, fruit-tree (whose seed [is] in itself) making fruit after its kind, on the earth:' and it is so.

12 And the earth bringeth forth tender grass, herb sowing seed after its kind, and tree making fruit (whose seed [is] in itself) after its kind; and God seeth that [it is] good;

13 and there is an evening, and there is a morning--day third.

Genesis 1:9-13 YLT98
http://bible.com/821/gen.1.9-13.YLT98

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of Genesis contains a narrative similar to chapter 1 in verses 5 through 9, as follows:

5 and no shrub of the field is yet in the earth, and no herb of the field yet sprouteth, for Jehovah God hath not rained upon the earth, and a man there is not to serve the ground.

6 and a mist goeth up from the earth, and hath watered the whole face of the ground.

7 And Jehovah God formeth the man--dust from the ground, and breatheth into his nostrils breath of life, and the man becometh a living creature.

8 And Jehovah God planteth a garden in Eden, at the east, and He setteth there the man whom He hath formed;

9 and Jehovah God causeth to sprout from the ground every tree desirable for appearance, and good for food, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:5‭-‬9 YLT98
http://bible.com/821/gen.2.5-9.YLT98

Similarities

Chapter one has dry land and seas in verse 9. Chapter 2 has earth and dry land created in verse 5 of chapter 2.

In verse Gen 2:6, water is introduced. However it isn't described expressly as Seas. In Gen 2:6, water is described in an active manner "and a mist goeth up from the earth..." Further, the mist that actively goes up, comes down and waters the ground.

Where are the Seas? Logical Deduction

The text of Genesis 2:6 is clear there are three parts described: earth, mist, and ground. 

For the mist to fall onto the ground, the ground can't be covered with water, or the text would say it falls into or onto water. Since the ground isn't covered with water, the water must be on the earth, but not covering the ground.

The earth is either a perfect sphere or it isn't. If the earth is a sphere, water will cover as much of the surface as possible. Given the volume of water on earth, water would cover the entire surface if the earth as described in Gen 2:6 was a sphere.

If the earth is not a sphere, then water will do what water does, run downhill and gather within the lowest bounds that can hold it. Even if the ground is one foot above the earth, water will find a way to run down one foot.

The following two paragraphs highlight the logic to show that Gen 2 ground is to Gen 1 dry ground and Gen 2 earth holds the water Gen 1 calls the gathering of waters:

1. The earth can't be a sphere, because the mist falls on the ground, meaning the ground can't be covered with water or the mist would fall on water. Therefore Gen 2:6 ground is to Gen 1 dry ground.
2. Further, the Gen 2:6 earth can't be ground or it would be called ground. For the mist to go up from earth, therefore, the Gen 2:6 earth must hold some kind of pooling of water that is actively going up.

In order to learn that Gen 2:6 is the partner verse to Gen 1:9, the text requires that logical thought be applied. The logic presented in the previous paragraphs appears to support that both chapters declare earth, seas, and dry ground.

What remains to do is assign labels such that each chapter clearly shows all components are declared.

Earth of Gen 1 is to the ground of Gen 1. Therefore ground of Gen 2 is to Earth of Gen 1.

By deduction, Seas of Gen 1 are not to the earth of Gen 2, but to the source of the mist; the water that is going up from an implicit source, the gathering of waters called Seas.

The heaven and earth (lower case) are being created.

Thus, the dry ground, Earth, and gathering of waters, Seas, are declared to be upon the earth, which is being created with heaven, as described in both Genesis 1 and Genesis 2.

Why All the Logic & Deduction?

Why is there such a logical search to find water? Maybe it's a metaphor. Isaac and his sons dug wells. Moses needed water for the Israelites. Perhaps as we create light in our minds, our nervous system connects our thoughts (fire) to understanding, water (heart).

Both aspects, thought and understanding, fire and water, are perhaps required to achieve wisdom. Will be relating the search for understanding in a coming article about how God is often referred to as a Shepherd. The article will describe how shepherding requires resourcefulness within myriad contextual needs and how they all relate to the Bible.

Conclusion

The creation of day 3 Genesis chapter 1 opens with the creation of dry ground, Earth, and a gathering of waters, called Seas.

In this article, an attempt has been made to show that Genesis 2 declares dry ground is upon the earth, matching dry ground created on day 3 of Genesis chapter one.

Further, by logical deduction, the pooling of waters of Genesis chapter one has been discovered in Genesis chapter 2 to be upon the earth, not upon the ground, by considering the source of the mist that goes up, that it falls on the ground, and, by considering the property of water seeking lowest bounds, pools outside of the bounds of the ground declared in Genesis 2.

Finally, as Genesis 2 presents ground and the source of the mist, the ground of Gen 2 is to Earth of Gen 1, and the source of mist of Gen 2 is to Seas of Gen 1. In both narratives, the Earth and Seas are elements of the creation of earth as declared on Gen 1:1.

It therefore appears that both creation narratives show that Earth and Seas have been created upon earth.