But there went up a mist from the earth
After the waters had been drained off from it, and it was warmed
by the body of light and heat created on the first day, which
caused a vapour, which went up as a mist, and descended:
and watered the whole face of the ground;
or earth, and so supplied the place of rain, until that was
given: though rather the words may be rendered disjunctively, "or
there went up" F7; that is, before a mist went up,
when as yet there was none; not so much as a mist to water the
earth, and plants and herbs were made to grow; and so Saadiah
reads them negatively, "nor did a mist go up"; there were no
vapours exhaled to form clouds, and produce rain, and yet the
whole earth on the third day was covered with plants and herbs;
and this is approved of by Kimchi and Ben Melech.