Genesis A+B: Part 4
Then the third lovely morning came over the earth in swift journey. Neither the broad lands nor the waves were useful yet to the Maker, but the ground stood covered fast by the waters.
The Lord of Angels commanded by word that the waters that kept their course under the skies be held in common, their place now fixed.
Then quickly there stood the broad sea
beneath the heavens, just as the Holy One ordained at once, and then was separated the water from the land.
The Ward of Life, the Herdsman of Hosts, then saw this dry place, was revealed wide, then that Glory-King named it the earth.
The proper course of their waves was established and fettered there… (154-68)
[one or more leaves are missing here, containing the rest of the account of the days of Creation]
The Third Day
The third day of Creation explains how the waters were gathered together and dry ground was formed. We see this in:
Genesis 1 v 9-10
And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
The Bible continues to say how the land is filled with plants. But sadly, the Anglo-Saxon text which talks about this has been lost.
The Surrounding Sea
From this we can see how the Anglo-Saxon’s poetically and faithfully represents the Biblical Creation. And emphasises how the sea was brought together and contained in one place and this uncovered the land below.
The Old English communities which created this text were probably aware of how deadly the seas could be. And hearing how God commanded it by His Word, bringing order to the chaotic waters, would have been a good reason to worship God.
Herdsmen of Hosts
This is a new name for God in the text and I love the alliteration and the meaning. Could the word hosts just refer to the Heavenly hosts, as the rest of Creation had not been completed? Or does it included all creatures?
This could give the impression that God treats all Creation as His flock, and He cares for us all, as a good shepherd cares for his sheep.