And God said,
Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and
let the dry land appear:
and it was so.
All Commentaries on Genesis 1:9 Go To Genesis 1
Thomas Aquinas
AD 1274
One place: All the waters have the sea as their goal, into which they flow by channels hidden or apparent, and this may be the reason why they are said to be gathered together into one place.
Let the waters be gathered together in one place: that is, apart from the dry land.
Let the dry land appear: On the second day the intermediate body, water, was formed, receiving from the firmament a sort of distinction and order (so that water be understood as including certain other things, as explained above (68, 3). On the third day the earth, the lowest body, received its form by the withdrawal of the waters, and there resulted the distinction in the lowest body, namely, of land and sea. Hence Scripture, having clearly expresses the manner in which it received its form by the equally suitable words, "Let the dry land appear."
