Tehom

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Tehom (Hebrew: תְּהוֹם təhôm) is a Northwest Semitic and Biblical Hebrew word meaning "the deep" or "abyss" (literally "the deeps"). It is used to describe the primeval ocean and the post-creation waters of the earth. It is a cognate of the Akkadian words tiāmtum and tâmtum as well as Ugaritic t-h-m which have similar meanings. According to a theological dictionary, tehom derives from a Semitic root which denoted the sea as a non-personified entity with mythological import. In the Hebrew, tehom doesn't use a definitive article, indicating its original conception may have been for a deity, which was common in Canaanite, Egyptian and Mesopotamian conceptions. This ancient pattern of a creative act involves the separation of the primeval waters, bringing about creation and order to the world.

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