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וַיַּ֣עַשׂ אֱלֹהִים֮ אֶת־הָרָקִי God formed an expanse Second to just speaking, that is programming the universe, the analogy to a potter with clay describes the work of God.  The verb used for this work is עָשָׂה (`asah) which means  to do, work, make, produce. It is often translated "to form". The second day of creation is the work of making a space to work. This includes building a "work bench". Given the nature of things, the sphere began to collapse upon itself at an exponential rate. But gravity was no match to the arm of God , which could provide an overwhelming "centrifugal force" that began at what would become the surface of the planet earth. In this miracle, the compact, stone hard water was softened and began spreading outward. In the space of one local rotation all that was left at the center was a spinning rock covered with water and an atmosphere.

יֹ֥ום אֶחָֽד Day One Among certain scholars there is discussion over what all is included in day one ( אֶחָֽד 'echad ). Some put the beginning in verse 1. Others follow the formula "And God said..." I lean toward the latter position. The length of each creation day does not necessarily have to be equal until life appears. Therefore, the gathering and organization of the raw material may be undated and "timeless". This could have been close to instantaneous or limited by the laws of physics. Furthermore, if the sphere of water was within time as we know it, it could have taken a decade or so to rotate before the second day began. This being miraculous in any account, God may have transcended the laws of physics. If this the case, the evidence is not in the text or nature. Though God was everywhere, the account indicates a light and dark cycle, three days before the sun was there. Today, three weeks in, is a good place t...