How Understanding Hebrew Concepts May Revolutionize Your Storytelling

by Donna Wichelman

In recent months, I’ve discovered the rich Hebrew concepts of Tohu V’Vohu and
Shalom, which have revolutionized how I’ve started to think about my storytelling. This
comes at a time when I’m starting to develop a World War II slip-time novel, called the
Power of the Thorn, which takes place at a time in human history when our world was
thrown into chaos. The whole world wondered if peace could ever be restored again.
Though the Hebrew word Tohu V’Vohu is often translated in English as chaos, its real
meaning is formless and void. It reflects the idea of a desert or wasteland, a place
where no water can be found. The Hebrew concept in the Jewish mind connotes a
place of emptiness that awaits cultivating and suggests conflict, disharmony,
dysfunction.

We find Tohu V’Vohu in Genesis 1:1-2: “In the beginning, God created the heaven and
the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the
deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (ESV).

But God isn’t content with a wasteland. In Genesis 1:3, He begins to create, turning the void into something astounding. It takes another twenty-nine verses or six days before the process is complete. With each phase, He calls His creation good. But when He has finished creating, culminating in the creation of mankind, He calls His creation very good.

In other words, God spent time cultivating a place where His children could live out their days in perfect harmony and in peaceful fellowship with Him—something the Jews call Shalom. Often, Shalom is translated as peace, but it is so much more than that, as well. Shalom expresses the idea of completeness, wholeness, well-being. In this state, mankind is in perfect harmony with God in a forever relationship.

As we all know, Shalom didn’t last, and the perfect world God created slid into sin and
degradation when Adam and Eve listened to Satan’s lie, believing they could be like
God. Thus, Tohu V’Vohu ensued once more as God’s relationship with his creation
broke into a million pieces. Humankind was forced to till the soil and work all the days of
their lives. What God had created transformed back into its original state—a wasteland.
Paul says in Romans 8:22 – 23, “For we know the whole creation has been groaning
together in the pains of childbirth … and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who
have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons,
the redemption of our bodies …” (ESV).

This is where we Christian writers have a vitally important role. We can bring good news
to our audience in our storytelling. We understand the wasteland very well—we often
live in it ourselves. Not only do we struggle with how to tell our stories, but some of us
live in Tohu V’Vohu in the real world. Our personal stories reflect this conflict, the
disharmony, the dysfunction. Yet despite the Tohu V’Vohu, Jesus’s love, humility, and
sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection from the grave, grant us peace by restoring
our relationships with God. We can experience wholeness, well-being, and
completeness—Shalom—once again, no matter what chaos revolves around us.

Perhaps it’s become immanently clear. If we adopt the Hebrew concepts of Tohu V’Vohu
and Shalom in creating our stories, it may add layers of richness to our storytelling. I
invite you to explore the depths with me in creating your next story project.

Donna Wichelman worked as a communications professional before turning to full-time writing. Her short stories, essays, and articles have appeared in various inspirational and secular publications. Her historical romance, A Song of Deliverance released in December 2024. She also has two romantic suspense novels in her Waldensian Series, which are heavily influenced by the history of the pre-Reformation sect known as the Waldensians. Visit Donna at https://donnawichelman.com/