more regular creation narrative than the Massoretic Hebrew text, which both the Latin Vulgate
1 34 Unfinished Literal Commentary on Genesis
Genesis 1:9-10: By "waters" here the basic material of the world is meant
10, 32. And God said: Let the waters which are under the heavens be collected together into one collection, and let the dry land appear. And thus it was made (Gn 1:9). From this it can in all probability be inferred, I think, that the water mentioned earlier is the basic material of the world. l mean, if the universe had been filled to the brim with water, where could the water have been collected from or to? Whereas, you see, if he called a kind of basic material mishmash by the name of "water," this collecting together can be taken as its actual formation, to become the specific kind of water we now see. And the utterance Let the dry land appear can be understood as the formation of the land, for the land to have the actual appearance we can now see. After all, it had been called invisible and shapeless when the basic material still lacked this specific form.
So then God said Let the water which is under the heavens be collected together, that is, let the basic bodily material be put into shape or form, to be this water which we perceive; into one collection—the precise force of a shape or form is suggested by the word "one"; to be genuinely formed, you see, is to be brought into some kind of unity, since the source and origin of all form is supremely one. And let the dry land appear, that is, let it receive its visible appearance, distinct from the previous mishmash. And very properly is the water "collected together" to let the dry land appear; that is, the pervasive fluidity of the basic material is held in check, so that what is obscured may be illuminated.
And thus it was made. This too, perhaps, was first effected in the thoughts of the intelligent creation, so that what is said next, And the water was collected together into one collection, and the dry land appeared, 45 should not be regarded as a superfluous addition after it has already said "And thus it was made." But it means that after the rational and incorporeal activity, we should understand the corporeal, bodily activity as following.
33. And God called the dry land earth, and the collection ofwater he called sea (Gn 1:10). This matter of names is still with us; not every piece of water is sea, or everything dry is earth. So exactly what water and what dry land was meant had to be distinguished by names. But we can still not unreasonably take it that it was God's naming of them which distinguished and formed these elements. And God saw that it was good. Here too the same order is followed; so what was said above about it can also be applied to this passage.
45. Augustine's text, we must remember, followed the Greek Septuagint, which has a slightly more regular creation narrative than the Massoretic Hebrew text, which both the Latin Vulgate and all modern versions follow. So these words are still part of Gn 1:9 in his version.