阅读经文 

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分的故事。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》的第二节说，“神的灵运行在水面上”。（参创 1:2）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，我们都可以想象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，在它们以上两翅搧展（hover），凌空俯瞰。（参申 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？

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?