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הָֽרֹמֶ֡שֶׂת The movers On the other side of the spectrum of sea creatures were the myriad of smaller animals--living beings that self propelled through the water, the liquid medium that makes life possible. There are so many different sea animals that we may never know how many there are or may have been. They live in the deepest part of the waters that have been explored so far. They also live in drops of water so small that the air can transfer them to bodies of water far inland. (see  https://massivesci.com/articles/sea-spray-microbiome /) Aside from the placement of the stars, the filling the ocean was the most extensive act of original creation. And so far as we know, this collection of living things far exceeds the stars in variety.

הַתַּנִּינִ֖ם הַגְּדֹלִ֑ים The great whales The verb bara , to create, is used a second time when animal life is bestowed upon creatures of the sea and air. The first mentioned is the תַּנִּין, tanniyn, an nonspecific designation for a fearsome creature sometimes called a "dragon". The creatures is said to be quite large. Their size alone would have demanded respect from all other animals in the sea. The contrast between the "monsters" and the "minnows", so to speak, is another merism. The act of creating was universal in scope. Twice in this verse the Hebrew word כָּל, kal, is used. Be they in the water or the air, every animal was especially designed for its niche in God's world.

אֶל־מָקֹ֣ום אֶחָ֔ד Into one place The chaos of the worldwide waters was incompatible with the controlled environment needed for life to begin. The action on the third day would bring order to the turbulence. The preposition אֶל ('el, "ale") moves the subject towards a destination, sometimes even within it. What used to cover the surface is said to have moved to a specific place, the מָקֹ֣ום (maqom), literally a place of standing.

יִקָּו֨וּ הַמַּ֜יִם W aters in waiting The word translated "gathered together" is the verb קָוָה (qavah). Though from a root meaning "to bind together", this word is most often used to convey the idea of waiting patiently, especially on the LORD. Since God commands that the waters upon the earth be gathered, it must be for a purpose. The waters had run free in chaos. But they were suddenly contained with limits. The mechanism is a mystery, but the origen of the verb may provide a clue. The gathering together is associated with twisting, as in making rope. Water is drawn into a vortex when provide an exit from it's settled state. This is seen in drains and waterspouts. It is consistent with the text and science to suppose that the subterranean cavities were opened to provide the underground irrigation needed on the young earth.

הַמַּ֔יִם אֲשֶׁ֖ר מֵעַ֣ל The waters which are above Proponents of a local firmament, that is the atmosphere, hold to one of two interpretations. The ambiguity allows either one. The most natural and expected is that the waters above are the clouds. Faced with evidence from the text of different conditions on the early texts and clues to a milder overall climate, others have proposed some kind of vaporous or ice layer in the upper atmosphere. However these waters above ( מֵעַ֣ל ) the firmament were possibly much further away. The format with both below and above appears to have the positions at extremes. The prefixes "m" and "l" are used in format " from here to there". Compare " מֵעַ֣ל לָרָקִ֑יעַ" with " מִתַּ֣חַת לָרָקִ֔יעַ". This leads some scientists to merge the text with observations of nature. The result works well both in nature and supernatural metaphor. The waters that once were together are now separated by insurmou...

הַמַּ֨יִם֙ אֲשֶׁר֙ מִתַּ֣חַת The waters which were below The conjunction, or relative pronoun, אֲשֶׁר (asher) is that, which or who, depending of the context. It points to what is related to the subject at hand. The conditions involved were locations centered on earth, the planet. Of the multiple uses, here erets must mean the much smaller body that would become the home of mankind. On this day the sky grows as the earth shrinks. The water below (Heb:  מִתַּ֣חַת ) that covered a rocky world spinning at a rate close to what it would spin for the rest of its existence. Above the waters was an envelope of air with water vapor in the form of a fog. The place called "below" is based on the root תַּחַת (tachath) with abbreviation מִן (min), where the {n} is absorbed. The result is a "prefix", the mem, which often indicates place.

מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם Moving over the Water Though mighty, the Spirit worked His wonders gently. The verb for this movement is רָחַף , a rare word in the Bible meaning to grow soft or relax. Following this, then, the action God takes after gathering the tiny particles together is to cover them gently, settling down among them. Scientists have seen evidence of what they call "neutron stars" that develop when stars collapse. All the space is crunched out as the neuclei lose their electrons. It seems likely that such would happen if all the quarks were brought together. The very dense neutron universe could only disrupted by an act of God. It is not hard to see that disruption would be affected by the Spirit settling down over, under and around that vast, motionless assemblage to give it "life". At that point the great forces of gravity and the strong force would give way to God's personal touch. That touch would nudge elect...