The firmament is mentioned several times in the Bible, especially in the creation account in Genesis 1. The Hebrew word translated as “firmament” is “raqiya” which means “expanse.” So what exactly is the firmament?
According to Genesis 1:6-8, on the second day of creation God said “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” God called this expanse “Heaven.” So the firmament seems to be some sort of expansive space that separated the waters below (oceans) from the waters above (some sort of water in the sky).
The firmament served as a divider between different domains of water. Below the firmament was the domain of terrestrial waters (rivers, lakes, seas). Above the firmament was the domain of celestial waters (rain, snow, etc). The firmament was something solid that held up this upper reservoir of water. Some have compared the firmament to how ancients thought of the sky as a solid dome encapsulating the earth.
So in summary, the firmament was:
– An expanse (raqiya)
– Located between the waters below and the waters above
– Served as a divider between different domains of water
– Thought to be solid to hold up the celestial waters
– Associated with the sky/heavens (Genesis 1:8)
The firmament is also mentioned in Genesis 1:14-19 when describing the creation of the sun, moon and stars on Day 4. God set these lights “in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth.” This matches the idea that the firmament was a solid dome encapsulating the earth, in which God placed the heavenly bodies.
The firmament is again mentioned in Genesis 7:11-12, when it opened up to allow the waters above to flood the earth: “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.” Here the firmament seems to be almost a literal solid dome around the earth holding back celestial waters.
References to the firmament are also found in Psalms and Ezekiel. Psalms 19:1 states: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” The word for “sky” here is the Hebrew word for firmament. Likewise, Ezekiel 1:22-26 describes a vision of the likeness of a throne in heaven with a “firmament” spread out above the heads of four living creatures.
Various meanings have been attributed to the firmament:
– A solid dome encapsulating the earth
– The atmosphere or sky
– Outer space
– A metaphor for the separation of waters
Some key points about the Biblical firmament:
– Separated the waters below from the waters above
– Thought to be solid to hold up upper reservoir of water
– Associated with the heavens/sky
– Possibly a solid dome encapsulating the earth
– Served as a divider between different domains of water
In summary, the firmament was an expansive space separating terrestrial waters from celestial waters. Ancient Israelites conceived of it as something solid, like a dome over the earth, which held back an upper reservoir of water in the heavens. It was associated with the sky and heavens. Just as God seperated the waters to form the seas and dry land, He also seperated the waters above from the waters below using the firmament.
The firmament was central to the ancient Israellites’ picture of the cosmos, even if we now understand the mechanisms of the atmosphere and hydrologic cycle differently. As the heavens declare God’s glory (Psalm 19:1), the firmament too displayed His majestic creativity in establishing boundaries and domains in the act of creation. And Scripture later uses the firmament eschatalogically to describe God’s throne and the vision Ezekiel had of the four living creatures underneath the expanse of heaven (Ezekiel 1:22-26).
While we may now view the firmament differently, it still testifies to God’s imagination and ingenuity in separating and ordering the primordial waters. The firmament remains a testimony to the majesty of God’s creative acts, even if we now understand the mechanisms differently based on modern science. The core truth remains that God conceived of skies, seas and a means to divide them that highlights His matchless power and wisdom in ordering and filling creation.
Some key Bible verses about the firmament (all ESV):
– Genesis 1:6-8 – And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven.
– Genesis 1:14-19 – And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
– Genesis 7:11 – In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened.
– Psalms 19:1 – The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
– Ezekiel 1:22-26 – Over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring crystal, spread out above their heads. And under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward another. And each creature had two wings covering its body. And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters, like the sound of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army. When they stood still, they let down their wings. And there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads.
So in conclusion, the firmament was an expansive space separating waters below from waters above, conceived as something solid holding up an upper reservoir. It testifies to God’s imagination in separating different domains of water in creation. The firmament remains a testimony to God’s matchless power and wisdom in crafting the skies, seas, and atmosphere.
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