17. Verse 2 And the earth was a void and an emptiness, and there was thick darkness over the face ¹ of the deep; and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face ¹ of the waters. The person who has yet to be regenerated is called 'a void and an empty earth', and also 'ground', in which no good or truth at all has been sown - 'void' where there is no good, and 'empty' where there is no truth. Consequently there is 'thick darkness', or stupidity and lack of knowledge about anything that has to do with faith in the Lord and so anything that has to do with spiritual and celestial life. This kind of person is described by the Lord through Jeremiah,

My people are foolish, they know Me not; they are stupid children, having no understanding; they are wise to do evil, and know not how to do good. I looked to the earth, and, behold, a void and an emptiness; and towards the heavens, and they had no light. Jeremiah 4:22-23, 25.

फुटनोट:

8199. 'The whole night' means in the state of obscurity. This is clear from the meaning of 'night' as a state of obscurity so far as the truth and good of faith are concerned, dealt with in 1712, 6000. Here 'night' is used to mean the obscurity immediately following temptations, for those who are delivered from them pass into obscurity first before moving on into clearness. The falsities and evils that were introduced by the hells still cling to them for quite some time and are dissipated only gradually.