Was it “was” or “became” in that state?

Gen 1:2  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

It was not was but it was a was because it became a was!

What the was are you talking about? You ask?

Simple God records the CREATION of a perfect earth in Genesis 1:1

Gen 1:1  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

See also

Isa 45:18  For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; andthere is none else.

So if it was created perfect and not in vain, then it must have become without form and void after it was initially created perfect!

The word WAS used in Gen. 1:2 is from the Hebrew word HAYAH

הָיָה

hâyâh

haw-yaw'

A primitive root (compare H1933); to exist, that is, be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary): - beacon, X altogether, be (-come, accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), continue, do, faint, fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, X use.

You see it could have been written as:

And the earth BECAME…

The next time the word HAYAH was used was in the next chapter!

Gen 2:7  And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

So why did the earth BECOME  without form and void?

Due to God’s judgment on the “World (Kosmos, social order) that then WAS!

Peter tells us the story of the world that then was in the 2 verses below!

2Pe 3:5  For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

2Pe 3:6  Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

Then Peter tells us about this social order and the way God is going to deal with them!

2Pe 3:7  But the heavens and the earth, which are now (Since the 6 days of Genesis), by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

So yes, there certainly is a time gap between Genesis 1:1 and Gen. 1:2

God never revealed how long that period lasted!

That time gap deals with Lucifer the first ruler of the planet earth and his earthly subjects of His earthly kingdom that were destroyed long before Adam and Eve came onto the scene.

Science today calls that period PRE-HISTORY!

Since God created the earth to be INHABITED see  Isa.45:18 above He thus had to restore it to a habitable state, hence the 6 days of re-creation finally ending with Man as the new ruler of this second perfect earth, and we all know the rest of the story from there!

There is one more time that this earth will be re-created and that is at the end of the Millennium!

Isa_65:17  For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

2Pe_3:13  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Rev_21:1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

BTW there will be more parking spaces for the major oceans will no longer be there!