There are a number of internal evidences within the creation account itself that confirm that there is indeed a gap between the original creation and the reconstruction of the earth.
Exegetical Evidence
One of the great principles of proper Biblical exegesis is that we interpret Scripture in the light of all other Scriptures. This is essentially what the Apostle Peter was referring to when he said that no "Scripture is of any private interpretation" (2 Peter 1:2020Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. (2 Peter 1:20)). This means that we cannot (rightly) isolate one passage of Scripture from the rest of the Word of God and think that we will have its full meaning contained in that one passage. The J. N. Darby Translation footnote on 2 Peter 1:2020Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. (2 Peter 1:20) states, "One might almost say 'no prophecy explains itself.'" Similarly, Mr. G. Campbell Morgan said, "It takes the whole Bible to explain any one passage of the Bible." Hence, we must have the light of all the Scriptures shed on any one passage that we may be considering to correctly understand the full meaning of that passage. We must, therefore, turn to other passages of Scripture that speak about the creation to gather a correct understanding of Genesis 1. We reference four such passages:
ISAIAH 45:1818For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:18) says: "For thus saith the LORD, that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain [waste], He formed it to be inhabited." The word translated “in vain [waste]" in this verse ("tohu" in the Hebrew) is the very same word used in Genesis 1:22And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2), translated as "without form" in the KJV. Hence, when Genesis 1:2 Says that the earth was "without form [waste] and void [empty]; and darkness was upon the face of the deep," it could not be referring to God's initial action of creating because Isaiah 45:1818For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:18) states emphatically that God does not create in that way—i.e. by first creating "waste" matter. Mr. W. Kelly said, “God did not create a mass of undigested materials." Since this is so, it is clear that Genesis 1:22And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2) is a description of the state into which the earth fell subsequent to its creation.
As a rule, when God creates, it is perfect and complete. He does not start with a mass of elements and then build in steps toward a finished product. But when He makes (as in the reconstruction of the earth), He often does; He will build one thing upon another until His work reaches completion. This being the case, Genesis 1:2 Could not be the description of God's creative work because He does not create incompletely. Mr. W. Scott emphasizes this point in his book, "The Two Trees of Paradise" (p. 5): "The scene of utter desolation, so graphically described in the second verse of the Bible, was not the creative work of God, for His [creative] work is perfect." He also points out that the often-used statement, "In six days the LORD created the heavens and the earth," is not found in Scripture. The Bible says, "For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth" (Ex. 20:11; 31:1711For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (Exodus 20:11)
17It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. (Exodus 31:17)).
A closer look at Genesis 1:22And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2) indicates a threefold condition into which the earth passed—of wasteness, emptiness, and darkness. The word translated "was" ("hay'thah" in the Hebrew) in the KJV, according to many scholars, should be translated "became." For instance, J. N. Darby said, "I hardly think that "hay'thah" (was) here is simple existence, but more 'was become'....a state into which it had passed" ("Notes and Comments on Scripture," vol. 1, p. 111). The passage, therefore, could read, "And the earth became without form and void." "Became" indicates that there was a change of condition in that which God had created, and thus confirms that He did not create the earth in that state of chaos. (There are 17 places in the KJV, in the book of Genesis alone, where this word ("hay'thah") is translated "became." Why the translators of the KJV chose to use “was” in Genesis 1:22And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2) is not known, when they translated the word as “became” in so many other places. The NIV (a favourite translation of many Young Earth Creationists) states in a footnote that the alternate reading for "was" is "became."
It has often been asked that if Genesis 1:22And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2) is descriptive of a fallen state, who, or what caused it? Scripture is silent as to any direct statement about this; however, the answer to this question might be found in the words "waste" ("tohu") and "empty" ("bohu"). It is significant that in each of the five other places in the Bible where these words are used, they are always the result of an act of judgment in connection with sin (Isa. 24:1; 34:11; 45:181Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. (Isaiah 24:1)
11But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness. (Isaiah 34:11)
18For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:18); Jer. 4:2323I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. (Jeremiah 4:23); Nahum 2:1010She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness. (Nahum 2:10)). It would be safe, therefore—and consistent with the whole of Scripture—to assume that it was the case in Genesis 1:22And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2).
But what judgment would this be, and on whom or what? From the foregoing references we can deduct that this would be something that resulted from Satan's sinful operations, for as far as Scripture reveals, he and his angels were the only creatures in existence then with such power that would work sinfully. Since it is Satan's way to spoil and corrupt whatever God does, we can deduct that, upon being expelled from the abode of God (Ezek. 28:11-1911Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 12Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. 18Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. 19All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more. (Ezekiel 28:11‑19)), he corrupted and wrecked the earth, and God closed it with an act of judgment. We cannot state emphatically that this is the cause of the earth's fallen and chaotic state, but it is consistent with the tenor of Scripture.
Those who advocate the "young earth" idea reject this because, in order for death and judgment to exist, there had to be sin. They think that since Romans 5:1212Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (Romans 5:12) states that sin and death entered the world when Adam disobeyed God, it couldn’t have been involved in the scene which Genesis 1:22And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2) describes, because at that point, Adam did not exist. However, this is a misunderstanding. Romans 5:1212Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (Romans 5:12) is not referring to sin and death entering the original creation but sin and death entering the Adamic world of which Adam was the head. It is a mistake to think that sin did not exist until Adam. The Bible clearly indicates that Satan was the first sinner. He sinned before Adam sinned, and consequently, was expelled from the abode of God as such. This can be easily proved by the fact that he was in the garden of Eden working in a sinful way, lying and deceiving the woman before she and her husband disobeyed God (Gen. 3:1-71Now the serpent was more subtile than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. (Genesis 3:1‑7)).
In spite of this, Young Earth Creationists reject the idea of sin and death being around before Adam sinned because Genesis 1:33And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (Genesis 1:3)1 Says, "And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good." They do not believe that God could say this if the earth's crust were full of fossils bearing the marks of disease, violence, death, and decay. They ask, "How could God call that very good?" However, a closer reading of the verse shows that God was pronouncing on what He had "made" in the six days of reconstruction, not on what had been spoiled in creation previously. He said that “it” (what He had made in the six days) was “very good.” A simple reading of the passage is all that is needed here.
Mark 10:66But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. (Mark 10:6) has been brought forward to prove that man was part of the creation mentioned in Genesis 1:11In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1). However, "the beginning of the creation," of which the Lord speaks in Mark 10:66But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. (Mark 10:6), is not the creation of the heavens and the earth, but the creation of man in Genesis 1:26-2726And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Genesis 1:26‑27).
HEBREWS 11:33Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. (Hebrews 11:3) states: "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God." The word "framed" in the Greek ("katartizo") means "repair" or "mend" (Strongs), or "to put in order again" (Liddell and Scott), or “adjusted” (Nestle). The same word is used in Matthew 4:2121And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. (Matthew 4:21) and Mark 1:1919And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. (Mark 1:19) and is translated "mending" in the KJV. In Galatians 6:11Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. (Galatians 6:1), it is translated as "restore." Hence, this verse indicates that God mended or restored that which He had previously created. The fact that it needed mending shows clearly that it had gotten into a chaotic state.
2 Peter 3:55For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: (2 Peter 3:5) states: “For this they are willingly ignorant of, that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing [having its subsistence] out of the waters and in [through] the water.” In this passage, Peter answers the ignorance of the infidels who mockingly insist that all has remained the same since the beginning of the creation (vs. 4). He shows that there have been two catastrophic, worldwide interventions of God in judgment in the past (vss. 5, 6), and there is a third coming (vs. 7). Verse 5 is a reference to the judgment that left the earth in the chaotic state described in Genesis 1:22And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2); verse 6 refers to the judgment of the flood in Noah’s day, and verse 7 describes a future judgment after the Millennium, at the end of time.
Notwithstanding, Young Earth Creationists insist that verses 5-6 refer to the flood. Verse 6 surely does, but verse 5 couldn’t be. Everyone who knows the story of the flood knows that the waters of the deluge covered the highest mountains (Gen. 7:18-2018And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. 19And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. 20Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. (Genesis 7:18‑20)); there were no pieces of land “standing out of the waters,” as verse 5 states. The 5th verse, therefore, must be referring to something else. Since what is described in verse 5 is mentioned before the description of the flood in verse 6, what else in the first six chapters of Genesis could it be referring to but Genesis 1:22And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2)?
The description of the earth in 2 Peter 3:55For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: (2 Peter 3:5) may not look like what is stated in Genesis 1:22And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2) when compared, but there is really no difficulty in reconciling the two passages when we remember that the Bible is a progressive revelation of truth. What is given in the Old Testament is often expanded upon in the New, wherein more detail is given. For instance, more is given in 2 Timothy 3:88Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. (2 Timothy 3:8) about the Egyptian magicians who resisted Moses, which we wouldn’t have known had we only the Old Testament. Similarly, 2 Peter 3:55For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: (2 Peter 3:5) amplifies Genesis 1:22And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2). From reading the account in Genesis 1, we might have thought that water covered the earth completely, but 2 Peter 3:55For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: (2 Peter 3:5) tells us that there were parts of the earth that were submerged and parts that were not. Taking a closer look at Genesis 1:22And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2), we see that it doesn’t say that the earth was totally covered with water: it is an assumption to say that it was. It may be argued that it wasn’t until the 3rd day that the land appeared. Again, Scripture does not say that; it says that the land became “dry” on the 3rd day. (The word “land” in Genesis 1:9-109And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:9‑10) is in italics, indicating that it is not in the Hebrew text.) Putting Genesis 1:22And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2) and 2 Peter 3:55For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: (2 Peter 3:5) together, we learn that when the earth was “waste and empty,” it was in a lacustrine (partially submerged) state.
GENESIS 2:44These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, (Genesis 2:4) is a divinely inspired summary of the creation account. It says, "These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens." God's work is stated twice here. First, in connection with what He "created" in the dateless past. (Note: the heavens are mentioned before the earth, which is the order in Genesis 1:11In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1).) Then, secondly, God’s work is stated in connection with the things which He "made." (Note: the earth is mentioned before the heavens, which is the order of God's work in the six days of reconstruction in Genesis 1:3-313And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. 6And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. 9And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. 11And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 13And the evening and the morning were the third day. 14And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 17And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 19And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. 20And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 21And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 22And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. 23And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. 24And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 25And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 29And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. 31And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (Genesis 1:3‑31).) Referring to these things in this marked way, the Spirit of God was clearly indicating that the creation account contained two distinct works of God.
W. Kelly concludes his remarks on this subject by saying, "The common idea of putting the creation of the world some six thousand years ago is a mere blunder. The Bible is in no way responsible for it. Where does Scripture say so? or anything approaching it?" ("The Creation," p. 11)
Structural Evidence
The Scriptures were written carefully and precisely (being divinely inspired), and they are to be studied in that way—"precept upon precept; line upon line" (Isa. 28:1010For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: (Isaiah 28:10)). This means that we are to pay attention to the smallest details of God's Word. The student of Scripture is also called to "rightly divide the Word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:1515Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)). This means that the Word of God has divisions in it and that we are to observe those divisions in seeking to gain an understanding of the truth. Topics are sectioned off by certain reoccurring terms and phrases that mark unified paragraphs of thought. These are to be noted by the Bible student. An example of this can be seen in the five books of the Psalms; each book is carefully marked off by ending with the phrases, "Amen and Amen" or, "Praise the LORD" (Psa. 41:13; 72:19; 89:52; 106:48; 150:613Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen. (Psalm 41:13)
19And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen. (Psalm 72:19)
52Blessed be the Lord for evermore. Amen, and Amen. (Psalm 89:52)
48Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the Lord. (Psalm 106:48)
6Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. (Psalm 150:6)).
The very first division in the Word of God, which students of Scripture should take note of, is between Genesis 1:22And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2) and Genesis 1:33And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (Genesis 1:3). The structure of the Biblical account itself indicates this. This can be seen by noting that the six days in the passage are each sectioned off by two reoccurring phrases that indicate the beginning and the ending of each day. The first day begins with, "And God said," and it ends with, "And the evening and the morning were the first day." These two repeating phrases act as bookends for each day. This pattern continues throughout the account. It shows clearly that the first day begins at verse 3, and not at verse 1, as Young Earth Creationists say. To teach otherwise is to disregard this pattern that God has set in His Word
This shows that the first two verses are a separate paragraph from what follows in the rest of the chapter. The things mentioned in these two verses, therefore, are actions that clearly did not occur at the same time as the things stated in the rest of the chapter. This break in the text indicates a gap between God's two works of creating and reconstructing, with no mention of how long the gap was.
Grammatical Evidence
G. V. Wigram notes in his article, "Examination of the Hebrew Bible as to the Structure and Idiom of the Language," that there is a significant change in the tenses in Genesis 1, and that this change indicates a new work of God from verse 3 onward ("Memorials of the Ministry of G. V. Wigram," vol. 2, pp. 161-169).
He points out that verses 1-2 are stated as past action, whereas verses 3-31 are present action. This change of tenses in the text indicates that verses 1-2 stand alone as a paragraph by itself. Mr. Wigram states that "created" and "was [became]" are verbs in "the perfectly past time." Then, he shows that verses 3-31 indicate a fresh action of God, emphasized by a change to the present tense. This present tense follows through the whole latter part of the chapter. He says that verses 3, 6, 9, 14, etc., could be translated more accurately as, "God saith, Let there be light..." And, "God sees the light, that it is good..." Also, verses 5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31 should be, "And evening is, and morning is, a first day..." This shows that in writing the creation account the Spirit of God was clearly indicating a change. Mr. Wigram concluded, "Anyone who weighs the matter will see that it is the commencement of an entirely new paragraph." This evidence again points to a break in God's dealings between His creation of the original earth (vs. 1) and His reconstruction of the present earth (vss. 3-31).
Those who reject that there was an original creation which fell into chaos are quick to point out that verse 3 begins with "And" ("waw"). In their minds, it shows that verses 3-31 are connected with verses 1-2, and thus, the first two verses are part of the first day. However, the word "And" ("waw") is not in the Hebrew text in verse 3 as a separate conjunctive. It is attached to and is part of the word translated "said," and thus, could be translated as a disjunctive, "Then God said..." (NKJV; NASB; NLT; NRSV; J. Green Interlinear Bible, Wycliffe Bible Committee, etc.). This supports the thought of a new departure of God without necessarily connecting it to the foregoing verses. Choosing to place "And" at the beginning of verse 3 has misled some to think that the chapter is all one continuous process of creation, which it is not.