And 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
In 1667 John Milton wrote a long poem around the book of Genesis, called ‘Paradise Lost.’ This is how he described this particular verse:
“Thou from the first
Was present, and with mighty wings outspread
Dove-like sat brooding on the vast abyss
And made it pregnant
Darkness profound
Covered the abyss: but on the watery calm
His brooding wings the Spirit of God outspread,
And vital virtue infused, and vital warmth
Throughout the fluid mass”
(For better understanding I changed the spelling of a few words)