בראשית, פרק א׳, פסוק ט׳

Before the formation of dry land, the earth was entirely submerged in water. The primary approach among commentators is that the earth and water were heavily mixed together, resembling a thick, murky mud [רמב״ן, טור, רבנו בחיי]. Therefore, the emergence of the land was not an act of creating something out of nothing. Instead, it was a process of reorganizing, separating, and revealing matter that already existed [רשב״ם, אבן עזרא, אור החיים, חזקוני].

To achieve this separation, the waters had to be drawn together. The primary approach among commentators is that this was a simple process of collecting and joining the waters into unified bodies [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, רס״ג]. However, other commentators explain that God drew a strict boundary line where the waters were required to stop, or that the waters moved along a precise, straight path toward their assigned destination [שד״ל, מלבי״ם, רש״ר הירש, אברבנאל]. A further approach suggests an underlying tension in this restriction, viewing the waters as being in a state of waiting. Though constrained for now, they patiently awaited a future moment when they would return to flood the world, an event that eventually occurred during the generation of the Flood [רבנו בחיי, מלבי״ם, קונטרס חיבה יתירה].

This containment of the waters was an open miracle that directly defied the laws of nature. Naturally, lighter water spreads out to cover the heavier earth beneath it. Yet, God commanded the waters to retreat and condense, setting an impassable boundary and demonstrating His absolute control over the vast and threatening sea [ספורנו, רמב״ן, רבנו בחיי, שד״ל, רס״ג]. To facilitate this massive retreat, the initially flat surface of the earth transformed. Mountains suddenly rose and deep valleys sank, creating vast basins into which the waters naturally rolled [אור החיים, רד״ק, רא״ש, קונטרס חיבה יתירה]. The immediate and silent obedience of the waters serves an additional purpose. It firmly rejects ancient pagan beliefs that attributed independent power to the sea or depicted it as a rebellious force fighting against the Creator [קאסוטו, קונטרס חיבה יתירה].

The waters were directed to a unified destination. While some identify this specific location as the great ocean [רש״י, מזרחי, דברי דוד], others emphasize that the waters did not flow to a single geographic point. Instead, they collected into various seas, rivers, streams, and underground springs that are all interconnected. Together, they form a single ecological system designed to provide fresh water for humanity and animal life [העמק דבר, רד״ק, ביאור יש״ר, אברבנאל]. With the waters pulled back, the solid ground was revealed. This newly exposed land was hard and dry, standing in sharp contrast to the dissolving and fluid nature of the water [שד״ל, רש״ר הירש]. Through this careful separation, the ground floated upward and dried out, transforming into a stable environment fully prepared for the settlement and growth of the plant and animal life that God would create next [רמב״ן, מלבי״ם, רלב״ג, אברבנאל].