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.

Footnotes:

161. To commit whoredom, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. That this signifies falsifications of truth and adulterations of good is evident from the signification of committing whoredom, as being to falsify truths (concerning which see above, n. 141), and from the signification of eating things sacrificed to idols, as being to appropriate evil (concerning which see also above, n. 141). The reason why to adulterate good is also here signified is that the appropriations of evil, in things belonging to the church, are adulterations of good; for the goods thereof are applied to evils and thus are adulterated. For example, the goods of the Israelitish church were signified by the altar, the sacrifices, and their eating together of the things sacrificed; when these things were offered to Baal, then goods were applied to evils, not to mention other similar instances. The case is the same in the church where things are not representative, if the Word is applied to confirm the evils of the love of self; as is done by the Popish nation to acquire dominion over the whole heaven. That by committing whoredom, and eating things sacrificed to idols is signified to falsify truths, and adulterate goods, is also clear from the circumstance that the deeds of Jezebel are by one expression called whoredoms and witchcrafts, in the second book of Kings:

"When Jehoram saw Jehu, he said, Is it peace, Jehu? and he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?" (9:22).