Germination and seedling elongation of soybeans [cult. ‘Williams’] were measured at two temperatures (15 and 3$0^{circ}C$), three seed water contents (30, 50, and 70%), and with and without polyethylene glycol-8000 (PEG) treatments. A split-plot design was used with four replications. Observations were made from two hours to eight days for each treatment combination. Seeds were soaked with 30% PEG solution with 0.2% thiram at 15 C for six days, rinsed with deionized water and dried at 25.5$^{circ}C$ for three days. Ten treated or untreated seeds were placed on Whatman No. I (9 cm) filter paper in plastic petridishes to which sufficient deionized water was added to adjust seed moisture content to the desired level. The dishes were then sealed with parafilm and placed in a continuous programmed temperature chamber under dark condition. Seedling growth did not occur at either temperature when moisture content was 50 percent or less. Osmo-conditioning with PEG showed positive effects on seedling moisture uptake and seedling growth at 15$^{circ}C$ but little effect at 3$0^{circ}C$. Seedling moisture content increased rapidly early in the germination period and reached 60% at 15 C for 56 hours and at 3$0^{circ}C$ for 28 hours. Seedling growth started when seed moisture reached a critical point of 60% at 15$^{circ}C$, however, growth started after 20 hours of germination at 3$0^{circ}C$. Seedlings of soybeans elongated more than four times faster at 3$0^{circ}C$ than at 15$^{circ}C$. Water uptake during germination was characterized by two phases in this experiment.