In Genesis 1, the Spirit of God hovered over the waters, preceding the acts of creation. Among those acts were the division of waters (day 2) and the appearance of land (day 3). In the days of Noah, God’s judgment on mankind was a reversal of creation: the waters above and below the earth came together, covering the land. The receding of the waters after the flood, then, was a new creation, marked by a new creation mandate to Noah (Genesis 9:1).
Cultus and Culture 