DEPTHS BROKEN UP

Intelligence Brief

The 'depths' (tehomot) are the primordial waters — the chaotic deep over which God's Spirit hovered in Genesis 1:2. To 'break up' the depths is to release these waters, whether for blessing (springs, rain) or judgment (the Flood). Genesis 7:11 uses identical language: 'all the fountains of the great deep burst forth.' Proverbs presents this as wisdom's work — God's knowledge controls even the chaotic waters. This is creation theology: Yahweh is sovereign over the forces that ancient Near Eastern peoples feared as divine. The depths obey His word. Christ demonstrates this same authority when He calms the storm (Mark 4:39) — the disciples ask, 'Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?'

Scripture References