From unity to diversity

“Egyptians were not concerned with abstractions such as the eternality of matter, nor were they interested in the origin of matter per se; but the continuity of matter from the original precosmic condition to the current state of differentiated elements was of utmost importance. Creation involved the transition from primordial unity to the diversity of the world that they experienced.”—Genesis 1 as Ancient Cosmology, page 28

and
“The [Egyptian] texts are more interested in the unfolding process than the means or mechanisms by which the unfolding was accomplished. First and foremost, creation was considered to be not an account of the manufacturing of material things but a teleological account that reflected divine purpose.”—Genesis 1 as Ancient Cosmology, page 29

<idle musing>
As were the other ANE civilizations—including the Israelites. We are simply asking the wrong questions...
</idle musing>