“地是空虚混沌，渊面黑暗；神的灵运行在水面上。” – 创 1:2
你注意到圣经第一句经文有什么奇怪的地方吗？
我曾多次读过这些经文，只是最近我才想到：这些水是从哪里来的？神一定是在某个时刻创造了这些水，但我们并不知道有关这部份的故事。我们读到的一定是一个写意的叙事，在我们开始读这段叙事之前，它已经在进行中了。
NIV 译本的第2节说，“神的灵运行在水面上”。希伯来文中的“灵”是ruach，也可译为“风”或“气息”。因此，有些译本说“神的风”运行在水面上。无论哪种说法，我们都可以想像出神的位格和能力在这些深水上移动。在另一段经文中，“运行”（hover）这个词的希伯来文rahap描述神就像一只大鹰，在它所爱的雏鹰离巢学习飞翔时，在它们以上两翅扇展（hover），凌空俯瞰（申 32:11）。
因此，在创世记的第一节经文中，我们看到神在尚未成形的水面上满有能力和慈爱地运行着。现在，我们再转向另一个问题：你知道圣经中还有其他故事提到水、风（或灵），或者是鸟吗？
祷告
造物的神，愿你的灵在我们内心、在我们之上、在属你的世界中运行，将一切黑暗和混沌带入你和平的光中。阿们。
创世记 1:1-2; 彼得后书 3:5
1起初，神创造天地。
2地是空虚混沌，渊面黑暗，神的灵运行在水面上。5他们故意忘记：从太古凭神的命有了天，并从水而出、藉水而成的地；
The Deep
“The earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” – Genesis 1:2
Do you notice anything curious in the first verses of the Bible?
I have read these verses many times in my life, and just recently I wondered: Where did these waters come from? Well, God must have created these waters at some point, but we are not told that part of the story. We must be reading a poetic narrative that has been in progress for some time before we join with it.
The NIV translation of verse 2 says that the “Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” The Hebrew word for “Spirit” is ruach, and that word can also be translated as “wind” or “breath.” So some translations say that the “wind of God” hovered (or moved) over the waters. Either way, we can begin to imagine God’s person and power moving over these deep waters. In another passage the Hebrew word rahap for “hover” describes the Lord as a great eagle brooding, hovering over its beloved hatchlings as they leave the nest and learn to fly (Deuteronomy 32:11).
So in the first verses of Genesis we see God moving powerfully and lovingly over his yet unformed world of water. Now, here is another question, to which we will return: Do you know of any other stories in the Bible that mention water, wind (or Spirit), and perhaps a bird?
Prayer
Creator God, may your Spirit hover within us, over us, and throughout your world as you bring all that is dark and chaotic into your peaceful light. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
