Notes for Gen 1:2

1. Isa 34:11 is sometimes cited as another occurrence of this expression (e.g., John Walton, The Lost World of Adam and Eve, 28). This is not quite accurate. There tohu and bohu appear in parallel but with different nuances ("God will stretch out over Edom the measuring line of chaos (tohu) and the plumb-line of desolation (bohu). (Open Relevant Texts)