Genesis1:10

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Translation

And ELOHIM called the dry portions “land,”

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and the gathering together of the waters He called “seas.”

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And ELOHIM saw that it was good.

Paraphrase

Then THE CREATOR AND OWNER OF ALL THINGS called the dry areas “solid ground,” and the places where the waters had gathered together He called the “roaring seas.” And THE CREATOR AND OWNER OF ALL THINGS looked at what He had done, and He liked it.

Footnotes

1

This word is thought to come from a root word meaning “to be firm.” Thus the land was contrasted with the water which is neither firm, nor stable. Land does not mean a habitable place, nor a place to build, but it has that kind of potential because of its “firmness.”

2: “seas”

This word is thought to come from a root word that means “to roar.” Thus it hints at its future symbolism and reputation as a place of danger and death. The contrast between the sea and the dry land is heightened by the reality that the land is not only “firm” but it is much safer than the seas which roar.