Genesis 1:9

And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֗ים יִקָּו֨וּ הַמַּ֜יִם מִתַּ֤חַת הַשָּׁמַ֙יִם֙ אֶל־מָקֹ֣ום אֶחָ֔ד וְתֵרָאֶ֖ה הַיַּבָּשָׁ֑ה וַֽיְהִי־כֵֽן׃

way-yō-mer ’ĕ-lō-hîm, yiq-qā-wū ham-ma-yim mit-ta-ḥaṯ haš-šā-ma-yim ’el-mā-qō-wm ’e-ḥāḏ,

wə-ṯê-rā-’eh hay-yab-bā-šāh; way-hî- ḵên.

On day one the Earth was just water, on the second day it was water and air, and on the third day there was land. Step by step the Earth was coming closer to habitability. Rather than have the earth burst forth from the sea, God commanded the waters to asswage and the let the Earth appear from under it. This act was repeated during the flood (see Genesis 8:1). The waters had to be gathered together so that the land could appear. But where did this water go? Well, some of it went into the seas, of course. The rest was brought below the crust.

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