New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures—With References, “Genesis 1:2 and its footnote”
“Now the earth proved to be formless and waste and there was darkness upon the surface of [the] watery deep; and God’s active force was moving to and fro over the surface of the waters. … “And . . . active force (spirit).” Heb., weruʹach. Besides being translated “spirit,” ruʹach is also translated “wind” and by other words that denote an invisible active force.”
The 1984 Reference Bible's wording and its footnote on ruach, which is where the organisation explains the choice of ‘active force’.
Official source (opens in new tab)
Provenance and verification note for New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures—With References, Genesis 1:2 and its footnote
Confidence note. Chapter page and footnote block opened on wol.jw.org on 19 September 2026 by the independent auditor and both read directly; wording confirmed character for character.
Corroborated by. src-nwtv-nwt2013-gen-1-2
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-nwtv-rbi8-gen-1-2