You asked

how might ancient israelites have understood 'the deep' (tehom) in relation to other ancient myths?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Genesis 1:2

“The earth was waste and void; and darkness was on the surface of the deep. God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.”

This verse opens the creation narrative in the book of Genesis, attributed to Moses and written for the Israelite community, likely after their exodus from Egypt. It describes the initial state of the world before God's creative acts begin.

What does this passage's depiction of 'the deep' suggest about the power or order that ancient Israelites might have felt was missing in their own lives?

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Psalm 104:6-7
This Psalm describes God's power over the deep, setting its boundaries.
Job 38:8-11
God questions Job, reminding him of who enclosed the sea with doors.
Revelation 21:1
This prophetic vision of a new heaven and earth states that there will be no more sea, signifying complete order.

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