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:

2833. 'And Abraham went and took the ram' means their release effected by the Lord's Divine Human. This is clear from the representation of 'Abraham' as the Lord, here the Lord as to the Divine Human - for when Jehovah or the angel of Jehovah speaks to Abraham, Jehovah or the angel of Jehovah in that case means the Divine itself, and 'Abraham' the Divine Human; and from the meaning of 'a ram' as those who are spiritual, 2830. From this it is evident that 'Abraham went and took the ram caught in a thicket by its horns' means the release of those who are spiritual effected by the Lord's Divine Human. As regards the fact that but for the Lord's Coming into the world spiritual people could not possibly have been saved, see 2661, 2716, and that their salvation and release was effected by the Lord's Divine Human, 2716.