זוהר, בראשית נ״טZohar, Bereshit 59

Segment 1א׳

וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ כִּדְקָאֲמָרָן. וְהָאָרֶץ דָּא אֶרֶץ עִלָּאָה דְּלֵית לָהּ נְהוֹרָא מִגַּרְמָהּ. הָיְתָה. בְּקַדְמִיתָא כְּבָר הֲוַת כְּדְקָא יְאוּת. וְהַשְׁתָּא תֹּהוּ וָבֹהוּ וְחשֶׁךְ. הָיְתָה דַּיְיקָא. לְבָתַר אַזְעִירַת גַּרְמָהּ וְאַזְעִירַת נְהוֹרָא. תֹּהוּ וָבֹהוּ וְחשֶׁךְ וְרוּחַ אַרְבַּע יְסוֹדֵי עָלְמָא דְּאִשְׁתַּכְלְלוּ בָּהּ.

NOW THE EARTH WAS FORMLESS AND VOID, as we have explained. “The earth” here is the upper earth, which has no light of its own. It “was” at first in its proper state, but now “void and without form”, having diminished itself and its light. Tohu (formlessness), bohu (void), “darkness”, and “spirit” were the four elements of the world which were comprised in it. Hence, “the earth was formless and void and darkness and spirit”.