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God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of waters He called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:10 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB God called the dry land “earth”, and the gathering together of the waters he called “seas”. God saw that it was good.
  • KJV And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
  • NKJV And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
  • NASB And God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of the waters He called “seas”; and God saw that it was good.
  • NLT God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

God names earth and seas and calls them good. The realms he has formed are pronounced fitting for the life to come.

Overview

God names the dry land 'earth' and the gathered waters 'seas,' completing his ordering of the lower realms. His verdict that 'it was good' again affirms the inherent goodness of the physical world. This goodness of creation undergirds the biblical hope of a renewed earth, where God's good purposes for the world are finally fulfilled (Romans 8:21).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 3

  • Deut 32:4He is the Rock, His work is perfect; all His ways are just. A God of faithfulness without injustice, righteous and upright is He.
  • Ps 104:31May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in His works.
  • Gen 1:4And God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Lay

  • ★ Start hereVideoOverview: Genesis 1–11BibleProject · 9 min · Free

    The single best free starting point for Genesis 1–11 — clear, visual, and faithful to the literary design.

Pastoral

  • CommentaryCommentary on Genesis 1Matthew Henry · Free

    The beloved devotional-pastoral classic, free and public domain — warm, quotable, verse by verse.

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Genesis videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Genesis 1:10YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on GenesisMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.

How Genesis 1:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.