בֹּהוּ (bo.hu)
bo.hu
void
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun bohu describes a state of emptiness, void, or desolation. It appears in only three verses, primarily in Genesis 1:2 where it forms part of the phrase "formless and void" to depict the earth before God’s creative acts. In this context, it signifies a lack of structure or habitation rather than absolute nothingness.
While often paired with tohu ("formless"), bohu specifically emphasizes the absence of content or life. The sources note its usage in Jeremiah and Isaiah, where it describes lands laid waste by judgment, reinforcing its sense of barren emptiness. Translators typically render it as "void" or "empty," capturing the stark, uninhabited quality of the world before creation or after destruction.
This word highlights the contrast between chaos and order in biblical thought. Its rare occurrence underscores the significance of God’s intervention to fill what is empty, turning desolation into a place of purpose and life.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word bohu paints a picture of emptiness, but not necessarily hopelessness. In Genesis 1:2, it describes the earth before God’s creative work began. This void was not a permanent state of abandonment, but a canvas waiting for divine order. It reminds us that even when our lives feel barren or structured chaos, we are never beyond the reach of God’s shaping hand.
Later prophets like Jeremiah and Isaiah used this term to describe lands laid waste by judgment. Here, the void represents the consequences of sin and the loss of community. Yet, even in these stark descriptions of desolation, the text highlights a profound truth: God is the one who fills the empty spaces. He brings light to darkness and structure to chaos.
For your faith life, this word offers comfort. You do not need to manufacture meaning where there seems to be none. God specializes in turning void into purpose. Whether you are facing a season of transition or looking back at past failures, remember that the same Spirit who hovered over the primordial waters is present in your current circumstances, ready to bring order and life.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- and/ emptiness2×
- emptiness1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- וָ/בֹ֔הוּ1×
- וָ/בֹ֑הוּ1×
- בֹֽהוּ\׃1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 1:2
The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.
This occurrence establishes the baseline meaning of bohu as a pre-creative state of unformed potential rather than absolute nothingness.
-
Jeremiah 4:23
I saw the earth and, behold, it was waste and void, and the heavens, and they had no light.
Here the word shifts to describe the catastrophic result of judgment, showing how void can represent spiritual and physical desolation.
-
Isaiah 34:11
But the pelican and the porcupine will possess it. The owl and the raven will dwell in it. He will stretch the line of confusion over it, and the plumb line of emptiness.
In this prophetic vision, bohu characterizes Edom’s total ruin, emphasizing that emptiness is the final state of those opposed to God.