תוהו ובוהו

Hebrew

Phrase

תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ • (tóhu va-vóhu)

1. shapelessness and formlessness, primordial chaos

   Tanach, Genesis 1:2:

   (please add the primary text of this quotation)

   JPS

   
   

   וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ וְחֹשֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵי תְהוֹם וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת עַל־פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם׃

   V-ha-áretz haytá tóhu va-vóhu v-ḥóshekh 'al-p'néi t'hóm v-rúaḥ Elohím m'raḥéfet 'al-p'néi ha-máyim.

   Now the earth was unformed and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters.

   Tanach, Jeremiah 4:23:

   (please add the primary text of this quotation)

   JPS

   
   

   רָאִיתִי אֶת־הָאָרֶץ וְהִנֵּה־תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ וְאֶל־הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵין אוֹרָם׃

   Ra'íti et ha-áretz v-hinéh tóhu va-vóhu v-el ha-shamáyim v-ein orám.

   I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was waste and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

Descendants

• English: tohu-bohu, tohubohu
• French: tohu-bohu

• Esperanto: tohuvabohuo
• German: Tohuwabohu