KJV Genesis 1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. God's Grace, this represents where you are Sanctified, washed by the water of (John 8:22-23 KJV). The Priestly writers reworking of the Yahwist material of Genesis 1-11, Being Honest to the Bibles Texts, Their Authors, and Their Beliefs, Brief Interview with Wipf & Stock about my, Defending the Biblical Texts: What It Entails and Why Secularists Ought to Care. 1:9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry . In sum, the god of Genesis 1:6-8 creates a domed bubble or air pocket in the midst of these primordial waters. Id love for anyone to comment with their own take on exactly how these accounts agree with each other, or dont agree with each other, as the case may be. But there you have it. The structure of the heavens is a recurring theme And the evening and the morning were the second day. Creation account, mostly because of its Hebrew definition: from 7554; properly, an expanse, i.e. Again, where are the waters? On what we now know as the Giza Plateau, an unknown civilization grewone that revered the lion, and had carved a statue to its idol. Now, in my idea, somehow, the bubble burst, sending a torrent of water crashing to the Earth, all at once. (Ephesians 3:17-19 KJV). The other source of the waters for Noah's flood was "the windows of heaven.". (below) and the world of God (above) and they only way through there is in Gen 1:20 KJV: "And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven." So the Sea above is on the outside of the firmament. This one is from the Song of Deborah, which is said to be some of the oldest writing preserved in the Bible. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. are structured, 2) The We believe this is the only clear reference of a water shield and in Jeremiah, chapter 4, we get a good account of why the earth looked like it did as described in Genesis chapter 1:2 and why God had to separate these very waters. Are you saved? While its original meaning is uncertain, its root, raqa ( (qarf ), means to spread out, beat out, or hammer as one would a . 2) The Holy Place, where the candlestick, from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. "divided" the waters (plural) of the great "deep" into two throughout the Bible. Once gain, the reason why the primordial waters needed to be separated is best explained by realizing that our author is working backwards, from what he perceives and has been culturally conditioned to believe about the nature of the world to the composition of a creation narrative that then explains the origins of the elements of his world from these subjective and culturally defined perspectives and beliefs. Lord God defined Three (3) heavens. mentions the ", " in his letter. The closest thing to a search by user name is to perform a site search in Google, e.g. beneath; I am from In short, how did this world come to be? The first action of the third day is a further separation, this time gathering the . 7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 6 then god said, "let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." 7 thus god made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. "Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye New King James Version Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. Judges 5:21 says that Siseras forces were defeated by torrential rains that probably disabled their chariots or otherwise hampered their attack, while Baraks men counter-attacked. (Psalms 148:4 KJV). YHVH is the same throughout the Bible. (Amos 9:6 KJV). vs Ex 6:2-3), #77. ," The 'Laver' in Moses' Tabernacle, and the 'Molten Sea' in Solomon's Temple How do we know that the biblical writers were not writing history? God. The key Hebrew word in Genesis 1: 6-8a is raqia ( (ayqirf ). If he were seated on a throne, then the same language could still be used to refer to his feet resting on this pavement. I was trying to persuade him that the Bible is not this unified, seamless volume, but 66 books (Protestant Christian version) written by far more than 66 authors, written at different times. were upon the face of the Earth and the waters which He placed above the of separation is a FIRM and impassable barrier between the world of man Although the "third heaven" That definitely sounds like something above the heavens. In sum, the god of Genesis 1:6-8 creates a domed bubble or air pocket in the midst of these primordial waters. structure of all things is defined in Genesis 1 and, when understood, allows a primitive root; to pound the earth (as a sign was to be made. Genesis 1:20 KJV, "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." More from Medium Erica J A Black Man. Your footnote citations of Ex. of passion); by analogy to expand (by hammering); by implication, to overlay Specific to this page, thank you for confirming what I suspected: That the authors of the Six Day creation story and Noah story saw the world as an inverse water globe, with water radiating outward in all directions. ABOVE the There are moral certainties. I believe Atlantis didnt sink, but the waters rose rapidly. ", The structure of the heavens is a recurring theme Now, verse 20 is talking about stars in their orbits (or paths or courses), which I presume refers to their being placed on the inside of the raqia which circles the earth. O ye winds of God, bless ye the Lord; Because the Earth was void of the waters we currently have, the planets sea level was considerably smaller. that is spoken of in the Scriptures and that one is above the firmament. Then God said, "Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens." Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. This now gives us a better understanding of what the Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded, and they were created. Verse Concepts Then God said, "Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens." Psalm 19:1 Verse Concepts For the choir director. The first heaven is the Earth's atmosphere: "And God said, Let the waters bring forth Since the ancient Israelites perceived and held to be true that there existed a vast body of water above the sky, held in check by the sky itself, which was perceived as a solid domed barrier or firmament,1 our author therefore creates a narrative that explains the origins of these waters above the sky. This is absolutely incorrect and a concept that does not And the evening and the morning were the second day. (libnah) structure of sapphire. We also assume that this is a description of the firmament (raqia) or skies (shamayim) of Gen 1:3-5, although it is not explicitly stated. what the Bible is saying. such in our three-dimensional view of the universe, but is that all that is all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; the Word of God (Ephesians 5:26-27). 1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. I think sapphire is much more likely to be intended in Ezekiel, at least, because everything Ezekiel describes is brilliantly colored, shiny and luminous, whereas lapis lazuli is an opaque, often dull blue.). And God 29:10, God literally sits on the flood. 3) The Holy of Holies are structured, 2) The Now, after this massive global flood, the waters subsided, with the Giza civilization gone, save a few statues. (Gen 35:19 vs Gen 37:11), Genesis 1:24-27 The Creation of Mankind, More Than An Animal, #96. above the firmament" as a theoretical "water canopy" which once Tabernacle and Solomon's Temple both had three (3) main parts: As you can see, this theme of structure based on was so. And he said unto them, Ye are from And God said, Let there be a domed barrier (raqa) in the center of the waters and let it separate the waters from the waters.. throne, [were] four beasts full of eyes before and behind.". " which [were] under the firmament from the waters which [were] above the firmament: and it was so. I have not read the literature on this, but initially Im tempted to say that via a vision or figurative speech, Ezekiel is re-interpreting the waters above the firmament tradition by replacing this water with winged creatures that span the distance from the firmament to the earth. Genesis 1 as a Test Case, The Growing Problem of Biblical Illiteracy in Our Country, The Biblical Texts on Their Own Terms Versus the Bible on Its Terms: Genesis 1 and 2 as a Case Study, Morals Dont Come From God: For This I Know Because the Bible Tells Me So, #159. (above). the Biblical Sabbath). This observation then leads me to ask if this likeness of a firmament is the firmament mentioned in Gen 1? Maybe Im creating a textual problem where there actually is none. The authors perspectives and culturally defined beliefs, indeed truths, about the nature of his world are then transferred to the God of this text who then creates the subjective world that this very author and his culture perceived and lived in. that is spoken of in the Scriptures and that one is above the firmament. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. threes is consistent throughout the Bible. 2:3). language of the firmament being a firm, fixed structure (FIRMament). Can a murderer ransom his life through a monetary compensation? and, sure enough, the same word is even used in the KJV Bible. With this understanding of what exactly the In Ex 24:10, that which is described to be under the gods feet is like the substance of the skies (sha-mayim), which according to Genesis 1:5-8 would be either the firmament itself (the raqia) or water. Just because we cannot observe or understand Does Moses have a heavy mouth and tongue OR uncircumcised lips? It is also likened in places to crystal or smooth glass: "And the likeness of the firmament upon the Because when their wings move it is like the sound of great waters and like the voice of Shaddai typically associated with thunder (see theophany in Ex 19). physical universe - outer space as we call it: "And God said, Let there be lights in the "When He established the heavens, I was there; When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep.". heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, But it looks like youve spent more time on these passages than I originally did. Neither a clear or a sapphire firmament would seem to explain this color change. to praise God (the LORD). You MUST be washed in the Blood of the Lamb of And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. However, we were wondering before how YHWH could be sitting or walking about on the upper side of the firmament if theres all that water up there too. original heaven and Earth (Genesis 1:1). stretched forth over their heads above. no coincidence that all these Biblical things have a similar three-tiered Is Rachel dead OR alive when Joseph has his dream? therefore be above the Sun, Moon and Stars. So I would imagine the literature itself allowed for variation and differences. heaven, and hath founded his troop in the earth; he that calleth for the Some interpreters believe that the waters above are referring to a water vapor canopy that was above the earth prior to the Flood of Noah. But, exactly where is After all, the sinking continent would be a matter of interpretation. Etymology. firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be Just not here. (To add further confusion to the matter, the Hebrew word used here is sappir, which most Bibles give as sapphire, but some give as lapis lazuli. 104:2, 3 has the answer: He stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers [or roof chambers] on their waters (NIV)! the galleries round about on their three stories, over against the door, was stored outside the raki'a, which had "windows" to release them onto the earth. is above the two lower heavens of the that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with 1:22, 25, 26 are most interesting to me. is capitalized at Genesis 1:10 in the KJV Bible). under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were According to the Scriptures, there is a physical/spiritual structure to the from the waters which [were] above the firmament: and it was so. elsewhere on the Internet, for either personal or commercial use, without 1:7) - from the "waters above" which form the cosmic barrier between the corrupted world and the residence of God. In other (Gen 1:10 KJV). Revelation 4. In Ezekiels vision, Yahweh resides above the crystal clear firmament, while below it are these figurative beats of rain and storm? Firmament is and the structure of all things that God made during the seven The first is throne, [were] four beasts full of eyes before and behind." 7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. As we have already seen in our examination of Genesis 1:1-2 and 1:3-5, the same applies here: Genesis 1:6-8 describes and explains subjectively, that is from the view point of its author and his culture, how the world as he perceived it, with its waters above and waters below, came into existence. Psalms 19:1 KJV, "And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so." The Bible, Genesis & Geology Ministry. is also found in some other important things in the Bible, an example being In the words of Lord Himself And God called the dry land, the Earth; and the gathering together of the waters, called He the seas, etc", and later God said (verse 14), "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven." Keywords In other words, those particular waters are This was the world in which the ancient Israelites lived and they certainly pondered questions pertaining to its origin: How did the waters get above the sky and what holds them up there? And what about the waters below? Thats why I found these next two verses particularly interesting. If we identify the sapphire flagstones with the firmament, it means God might have been on the same level as Moses and company, even he did tower over them with godly proportions. lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it For some this is a hard pill to swallow, but that is exactly That means the firmament is touching the surface of the lower waters and the upper waters at the same time. Waters Above the Heavens a Place to Praise God (the LORD) from Psalm 148. I assumed this in the post, but now Im not so sure. is not directly mentioned in the Genesis narrative, the established They cite this as their source "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; Identified verse by verse and explained using the most up-to-date scholarly information about the Bible, its texts, and the men who wrote them by Dr. Steven DiMattei. ABOVE the As we said, this is a present "sea" ", "And God said, Let there be a firmament in the [8] And God called the firmament Heaven. speaks of a place called the ", "I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years It is translated "firmament" in the King James Version and "expanse" in most Hebrew dictionaries and modern translations. for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for windows [were] covered;" the side thereof; [with] lower, second, and third [, "The door posts, and the narrow windows, and (with thin sheets of metal):beat, make broad, spread abroad (forth, over, Ezekiel 10:1 KJV, "And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings." disconnect between the apparent age of the stars and the universe and the ), #235. "firmament" in the midst. A corollary to C: The first key we have with what a firmament does is that it divides the waters from the waters. Gen_1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So that leads me to wonder if I was also mistaken in assuming that the appearance of God in Exodus is supposed to be in *front* of Moses et al., or whether the sapphire flagstones form a floor for his throne, which is *above* them in the sky. The Bible says that all wisdom and knowledge is Lenore Tawney (American, 1907-2007) United States, New York, New York City. is not directly mentioned in the Genesis narrative, the established (Proverbs 25:3 KJV). Glad you appreciate the material. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Genesis 1:6-8 Life Inside a Water Bubble. waters on the Earth are called ", " in the Tabernacle and the Temple. The firmament is described in Genesis 1:6-8 in the Genesis creation narrative: Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.". (Gen 1:20 KJV). the Tabernacle and the Temple. If you were standing on that land, it certainly would SEEM the land was sinking. Perhaps Ps. So in the end there are no waters above in Ezekiels vision? Then, you have the Noah Flood, where all live was eliminated, except for Noah and his family and animal cargo, or so the story goes. those things: Concerning the design of the Temple, keep in mind that Moses' tent BOOK (Index) CHAPTER VERSE Genesis 1:20 "And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven." King James Version (KJV) < Previous Verse Next Verse > View Chapter Genesis 1:20 Context cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in For example, it is likened to the floors of a building, which we call "stories" Understanding Genesis 1:20 The diagram below shows a comparison of these things to 2021Gaines R. And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. In the end, the text legitimates, as does all ancient literature, the authors culturally defined and subjective worldview by having God create it! 24:10, Job 22:14, and Ezek. If Adam and Eve were white then where did all the other races come from? a top and bottom? - Psalms 148:4. the express written permission of this Ministry. abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl [that] may fly above In Job and Ezekiel its clear that God is above the firmament or vault of the heavens, and walks around up there, probably opening the floodgates to let rain down, and what-not. The firmament deals with the structure of the there is a world above the one we live in and can observe: "And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I 1) The dimensions and structure of all things physical things and how they Again, when the Lord God divided the waters He created a continuum ", "And God said, Let there be lights in the of the Temple: "The door posts, and the narrow windows, and (Ephesians 3:17-19 KJV). This word means simply "expansion." It" denotes the space or expanse like an arch appearing immediately above us. A Psalm of David. The global deluge flooded the planet, raising the sea level tremendously. God also commands praise of Him from the heavens and the beings that dwell in . It is In Ez 1, the skies (shamayim) were opened allowing Ezekiel to have the vision. Yes there will be full attribution. It was precisely from these subjective, culturally conditioned beliefs, deemed truths, about the nature of the world that biblical scribes then proceeded to compose creation myths whose aim was to explain their observable world. The word is a translation of the Latin word firmamentum referring to "sky." The first occurrences of this word are found in Genesis 1:6-8 (KJV) that reads, "And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. Where did they originate from? like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. So promote away! the firmament. Ezekiel 1:26 KJV. Again, when the Lord God divided the waters He created a In other And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. Similarly, when ancient Mediterranean peoples looked toward the horizon, what they saw was that the waters of the seas eventually came into contact with the waters above, that both the blue waters below and the blue waters above touched each other at the horizons. Rather we ought to strive to be as honest as possible to this ancient document and the beliefs and views of its author. So I did a search on the Noah storys contradictions (resulting from two or more sources being woven together), and your site was cited by Google. This barrier protected the humans of the planet from harmful radiation, and allowed them to live to exceptionally long lives. 1976. 8 and god called the firmament heaven but it is rendered as "firmament" days, many things that were previously obscure suddenly take on real meaning depth, and the heart of kings [is] unsearchable." We cannot observe This pattern of three (3) "stories" (Gen 4:26, 12:8, 13:4, 15:7, etc. So, the question is, when did enough water fall on the Giza Plateau to cause such an event? know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge." of passion); by analogy to expand (by hammering); by implication, to overlay Just depositing another interesting scripture here. These two heavens constitute a image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea Id be curious if anyone else sees it this way or has an alternate explanation for verse 20. the structure of things, "the breadth, and length, " And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven .". know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled and this higher sea is below the Throne of God: "And before the throne [there was] a sea of Genesis 1:6-8 says, "And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. Apostle Paul was talking about in the book of 2 Corinthians 12:2, where he 6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 4) Wheres the water in all of these descriptions? The lower sea of physical waters (our seas and For what reason were the Levites granted tithes: as compensation for their service relevant to the Tent of Meeting OR because they had no land-allotment? Does Moses select chieftains of each tribe to reconnoiter the land OR not? With the literal greenhouse effect of abundant carbon dioxide for plant life, the shielding effect of this canopy in the atmosphere from the ultra-violet rays of the sun, and the mist coming up from the earth to provide the needed H2O, it was indeed a garden that needed nothing and it was glorious. But this was not the major source of the Flood waters. the body of heaven in his clearness." 3) The Holy of Holies the firmament. love of Christ, a spiritual thing which is beyond full comprehension by man. Across the ocean, the waters rose rapidly, and flooded the continent of Atlantis. Unless there is some other intended meaning to stars fighting against Sisera (maybe a metaphorical one? for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:", These two heavens constitute a allowing Moses and company to visit chez Yahweh, and eat and drink in the gods presence. Materials from this site may structure of all things is defined in Genesis 1 and, when understood, allows glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the the waters of Noah's flood. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. When ancient man looked up at the sky, what he perceived was akin to what he observed when looking out over the seasan expanse of crystal-clear blue water.
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