Hebrew Word Hayah

The second difference in the Hebrew wording that gap theorist use to defend their view is the use of “hayah” and the phrase “tohu wabohu” in verse 2. The word “hayah” is translated “was” but according to gap theorists can also be translated “become” or “to be.” “If this verb is translated “became” or “to be” it would suggest a change from the original creation to a state of ruin.” However, the verb “hayah” (was) is a verb of being and to translate as anything else would be an incorrect translation. If it was meant to mean a change of state the word “haya” would have been used which usually indicates a changed state. Even though sometimes “hayah” can indicate a changed state, most of the times it is used it means “was.” Many Hebrew lexicons
In light of this one must remember that “tohu” does not always mean judgement or evil it also refers to wilderness or desert, or emptiness. The problem with translating the phrase as ruined or desolate which indicates a change of state is the use of a waw conjunction in the original Hebrew. There are two different types of waw conjunctions in the Hebrew language. They are waw conjunction and waw disjunctive. “A waw conjunction is usually prefixed to a verb and links clauses sequentially, temporally, logically and often consequentially. A disjunctive waw is prefixed to a non-verbal form and is non-sequential that it introduces some kind of a break or interruption in the narrative and it stands at the beginning of a clause.” There is a waw disjunctive that is in the beginning of Genesis 1:2. In light of this “and the earth was” this waw disjunction relates to the preceding clause in verse 1 as an introduction of a explanatory clause and could be translated as ‘now” (at the time of creation). When a waw disjunction is used in introducing an explanatory clause – it would explain something that was