What is the meaning of the division of the waters in creation?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-09

The division of the waters on the Second Day of Creation is a pivotal moment in the Hexaemeron, where God establishes the structure of the cosmos. In the Coptic Orthodox tradition, this is understood as the transition from a state of "unformed" matter to an ordered world capable of sustaining life.

1. The Literal and Physical Division

In the beginning, the "deep" (ⲡⲓⲛⲟⲩⲛ) covered everything. On the second day, God created the Firmament (ⲡⲓⲧⲁϫⲣⲟ) to act as a barrier.

• The Waters Under the Firmament: These were gathered together to eventually form the seas, lakes, and rivers on the third day. They represent the physical, "heavier" elements of the earth.
• The Waters Above the Firmament: According to the Coptic perspective and the writings of Fathers like St. Basil the Great, these waters were placed above the visible sky. Their purpose was to temper the heat of the sun and stars (which would be created on the fourth day) and to provide a "reservoir" for the rain that sustains the earth.

St. Ephrem the Syrian notes that even though the seas were later "bitter" (salty), at the moment of division, the waters were not yet defined by their current properties until God gathered them and called them "seas."

2. The Theological Meaning of "The Firmament"

The Coptic word for firmament, ⲡⲓⲧⲁϫⲣⲟ (pi-tagro), literally means "the strengthening" or "solidification."

• Divine Stability: The division shows that God is the Master of the elements. He takes the "unstable" nature of water and gives it a limit.
• The Bound of Creation: By placing a firmament between the waters, God created the "air" or "atmosphere." This "space" was necessary for the survival of the birds and the animals that would be created on the fifth and sixth days.

3. The Alexandrian Allegorical Interpretation

The School of Alexandria, led by figures such as Origen and St. Cyril of Alexandria, looked for the spiritual "mystery" (ⲡⲓⲙⲩⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ) hidden in the division of waters:

• The Spiritual vs. the Carnal: The "waters above" represent the spiritual world, the angels, and the heavenly graces that are "above" the reach of human sin. The "waters below" represent the material world, which is subject to change, instability, and "stormy" passions.
• The Waters of Life: The "waters above" also prefigure the "living water" promised by Ⲓⲏⲥⲟⲩⲥ ⲡⲭⲣⲓⲥⲧⲟⲥ (Jesus Christ). While earthly water (the waters below) can only quench thirst temporarily, the heavenly waters represent the Holy Spirit.
• Prefigurement of Baptism: The separation of water from water is seen as a shadow of the Mystery of Baptism. Just as the Holy Spirit moved over the waters at creation and then divided them to create an ordered world, the same Spirit moves over the baptismal font to divide the person from their old, chaotic life of sin and bring them into a new, "ordered" life in the Kingdom of God.

4. The "Firmness" of the Sky

In Coptic theology, the "firmament" is called "Heaven" (ⲧⲫⲉ), but this is the visible heaven. It serves as a veil. As the Great Litany of the Gospel reminds us, God "stretched out the heaven like a curtain." The division of the waters tells us that there is a realm beyond what our physical eyes can see—a "heavenly" realm that remains pure and "above" the earthly corruption.

The division of the waters was the act by which God created space and order, separating the heavenly from the earthly and preparing the environment for the crown of His creation: man.