The Raqiya In Other Books: Ezekiel And Exodus
As a final effort to argue that the raqiyashould be understood as solid, Seely appeals to the use of the word in the book of Ezekiel, where it appears five times describing something that is clearly some sort of solid, crystalline canopy. As he puts it:
n Ezekiel 1 the nature of a firmament is described It was a divider of some kind over the heads of four cherubim , and on top of it was a throne with a man on it . As to the composition of the firmament, it looked like terrible crystal or ice.
Inasmuch as the throne mentioned was apparently sitting on the firmament and the firmament looked like crystal or ice, it is apparent that the firmament is solid and is certainly not mere atmosphere or space or simply phenomenal language Having then this clear definition of raqiya as a solid divider, one is hermeneutically bound to interpret the raqiya in Genesis as solid unless there is some clear reason to differentiate the one from the other.
What We Have Been Taught
My wife and I were both brought up in Yeshiva Orthodoxy. When discussing this essay with her, she told me that in her senior year of high school in an Orthodox seminary, a sizable amount of time was dedicated to the first and second days of creation. The focal point of this discussion was aimed at highlighting the magnificence of the conversion of nothingness into something-ness or matter. This series of lectures involved a great many invocations of avant-garde physics terminology as well as deeper, albeit hidden knowledge. The firmament itself was not described as a dome over a flat earth, and the waters it separated were not waters at all. It was all a metaphor for a material process of creation outside of our knowledge, and in fact, outside our imaginations, and was somehow tied to these obscure, scientific-sounding processes.
My own educational experience regarding the firmament began in ninth grade in Yeshiva while learning the Talmudic tractate of Nedarim. It was not tied directly to pseudo-science, as was my wifes training. When I asked my Rebbi what the firmament was, he replied that it was the sheath through which the sun traveled. There was no mention of the premodern beliefs about the earths dome. My Rebbi chose to describe a new force of nature, something apparently unknown to science as of yet.
Drawings Of The Firmament
Throughout history, many people have attempted the interpret the visualization of the firmament through artwork. While each distinct, they share a similar overview of the firmaments place and meaning in the cosmos.
Above is a diagram representing features in the early Hebrew conception of the Universe. Ralph V. Chamberlin. “The Early Hebrew Conception of the Universe“. The White and Blue. Vol XIII no. 11, Dec. 24 1909. pp. 84-88
The Flammarion engraving is a wood engraving by an unknown artist that first appeared in Camille Flammarion‘s L’atmosphère: météorologie populaire . The image above depicts a man crawling under the edge of the sky, depicted as if it were a solid hemisphere, to look at the mysterious Empyrean beyond. The caption underneath the engraving translates to “A medieval missionary tells that he has found the point where heaven and Earth meet…”
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What Does God Say About The Firmament
Bible 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 God called the firmament Heaven.
Scripture Verses Concerning The Firmament
firmamentmeaningfirm. firmament,the waters above itlet it divide the waters from the watersspread out the sky which is strong, and as a molten looking glassJob 37:18are the work of thy handsstretchest out the heavens like a curtainstretcheth forth the heavens alonein the firmament of the heavenspreadeth out the heavensstretched out the heavens stretcheth forth the heavens
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What Is The Common Definition Of The Word Firmament
The word firmament is commonly defined as : the heavens or the sky, especially when regarded as a tangible thing. It originates from the Latin Firmare or Firmamentum, meaning sky, fix, settle, or to strengthen or support. These original meanings reflected the ancient beliefs by many that the sky was a sort of fixed or solid dome that encased the earth. Some cultures understood it to be a solid dome with the lights of the stars and planets being fixed to it like the lighting in a theater. Others thought that it was a vast black covering that had holes in it that let light shine through.
The first American Dictionary, Websters 1828 Dictionary, defines a firmament as :
The region of the air the sky or heavens. In scripture, the word denotes an expanse, a wide extent for such is the signification of the Hebrew word, coinciding with regio, region, and reach. The original therefore does not convey the sense of solidity, but of stretching, extension the great arch or expanse over our heads, in which are placed the atmosphere and the clouds, and in which the stars appear to be placed, and are really seen.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. Gen. 1:6. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament. Genesis 1:14.
Flat Earth: The Firmament Cosmoloy Space And The Bible
As I continue down this most exciting journey of cosmology and figuring out how things really work out there, I am continually pulled back to the truth of the Bible on this topic. Every time someone presents a view that opposes the Biblical position on cosmology, it starts to fall apart, or does not sufficiently convince me to move away. Do I have any biases? Yes, indeed. I believe that the Bible is true. In times past I used to somewhat suppress certain scriptures to help me cope in a world that opposed them and presented weird options, but as I age, I realize this is absolutely the wrong approach and that I can confidently continue to stand on the Bible in every aspect of my life: spiritually, physically, scientifically, etc.
There are two camps of Bible believers, I have noticed: the first camp says you dont have to think about this stuff, just believe, brother whilst the other camp says Dont just believe it but inquisitively question and marvel at how all this works. An example to demonstrate the two camps would be the scripture where Jesus walks on water. The first camp would say Dont think, just believe whereas I would say Believe, then marvel at the omnipotent God who dominated the physical realm, then consider, for pure interests sake, what natural/physical laws or norms were trampled for this miracle to occur! The more I investigate what God has done, the more I marvel.
And with that background, lets continue.
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Is The Firmament The Same Thing As Heaven
Paul writes to the Corinthians that, There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies, but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another1 Corinthians 15:40, 54
The firmament and heaven are not the same thing according to the Bible prophets of the Old and New Testaments. Yet in Genesis 1:8, God called the firmament Heaven, giving it a significance beyond being the border between the earth and beyond. It is easy to confuse the two concepts.
Debbie McDaniel writes that Johns vision in the book of Revelation has glimpses of heaven. McDaniel points this out in John’s description of the city of heavens floor: The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass in Revelation 21:19-21. The firmament and its upper tier of waters may be the gateway to heaven.
How Does The Bible Define And Use The Word Firmament
The word firmament is only used 17 times in the Old Testament and it comes from the Hebrew word raqiya, which is defined as an expanse or visible arch of the sky. The root of the word is raqa, which means to pound the earth like a metalworker or blacksmith hammers or beats metal flat and thin to make a covering. This technique was often used to create the items in the Tabernacle that were covered in gold.
The New Testament uses the word formed, which comes from the Greek words plasma and plasso respectively in Romans 9:20 in the same way: Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it,Why hast thou made me thus? It is clear that these words refer to something that was forcibly shaped into something .
The Bible uses the word firmament in the following verses:
- Genesis 1:14, 15, 17, 20
The most notable use of firmament is in Genesis 1:6-8, which describes when God commanded that a firmament be created to divide the waters on the earth from a mist like covering that watered the earth . This mist persisted until the flood of Noah that was caused by rain and ground water that sprang up. This flood is referred to in Hebrews 11:7 as something that Noah had not seen. Likewise, the first rainbow was seen in Genesis 9:13 as a sign that God would never again flood the earth.
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What Is The Firmament Made Of
I propose that the firmament is composed of some transparent or at least semi-transparent crystalline stone or glass which allows observers from the earth looking upward into and through the sky, ability to perceive the waters still in place above the firmament. This perceptibility is why I believe we see the sky as blue. Some portions of Gods throne may also be composed of this same crystalline material which may be why we see various mentions of the color sapphire and rainbows in association with it. The firmaments transparency may also allow God, angels, and heavenly visitors such as the prophets ability to peer down upon the earth in observance of all of its proceedings not that God would need such capacity to know all of what is occurring here upon the earth.
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Cf Keil And F Delitzsch
On Day 2, based on the verbal root, raqa, they interpret the raqiya to be the spreading out of the air, which surrounds the earth as an atmosphere and the waters above the raqiya to be not the ethereal waters beyond the limits of the terrestrial atmosphere, but the waters which float in the atmosphere, . . ., the waters which accumulate in clouds and then . . . pour down as rain .
On Day 4, they say that the heavenly lights were created by God and placed in the firmament . But although they clearly take the days of creation as simple earthly days, and not as years or thousands of years , they reason that the primary material of the earth and the sun, moon, and stars were made in Genesis 1:1. They say the creation of the heavenly lights
was completed on the fourth day, just as the creative formation of our globe was finished on the third that the creation of the heavenly bodies therefore proceeded side by side, and probably by similar states with that of the earth so that the heaven with its stars was completed on the fourth day.
On Day 5, they translate verse 20 to read . . . let birds fly above the earth in the face of the firmament, which is close to the view I am advocating. But they make no further comment about the raqiya phrase.
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What Is The Popularity Of The Word Firmament
The use of the word firmament was highest in the early 1600s with the publishing of the King James Bible . It was also popular in the early to mid-1800s with the rise of interest in end-times prophecies and the publishing of other lesser used Bible versions. Today, it is used very little, but mostly by people who use the King James Bible.
The Meaning Of The English Sky
Before we look at the Hebrew words in the biblical text, it is helpful to consider what we mean by the English word sky. The online Oxford Dictionary in the UK says it is, the region of the atmosphere and outer space seen from the earth. 2 The online Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it this way: the upper atmosphere or expanse of space that constitutes an apparent great vault or arch over the earth. 3 Dictionary.com is helpfully more precise by giving three definitions:
From my experience, I would say that during day-light hours most people think of the earths atmosphere when they hear the word sky. At night-time, they would normally think of what we often call outer space where the sun, moon, and stars are located. Of course, astronomers also think and talk about the sky this way. So, it is an imprecise word, just as is the Hebrew word for heaven , which refers to the domain of birds , the domain of the sun, moon, and stars and the abode of God . Like most words in every language, we cannot be certain what a word means or refers to until that word is used in a specific context: a phrase, a sentence, or longer text. So now we need to turn our attention to the Hebrew word behind the translations of firmament and expanse.
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Interpreting Rashi Honestly: My Devar Torah And The Benefit Of Context
As people living in the scientific era, we make arguments about the nature of the universe based on empirical study, but, as a general rule, this is not how scientific arguments worked in premodern times. In medieval times especially, it was perfectly acceptable to argue a scientific theory based on deductions from biblical texts, as we see here. Moreover, the arguments put forth above only make sense if we accept that these scholars understood the rakia in its simple sense, a large blue barrier holding up the heavenly waters.
When we try to modernize the rakia, thinking of it as some sort of mystical energy, or as clouds or air, why these commentators are interested in a firmament or other support already present on the first day becomes inexplicable. What for? Why would the world need a cloud or some mysterious energy on day one more than on day two?
But when we see the universe in their own terms, with waters above that crash down if not held in place, then it becomes clear that having a separate heaven and earth on the first day of creation mandates some type of partition if there is a shamayim separated from earth, there must be a firmament of sorts to hold it up. This follows logically when we understand the nature of the pre-modern universe. Thus, ironically, we can only understand and appreciate the insights of our mephorshim when we view them through a pre-modern lens, and not when we force them to speak in contemporary scientific parlance.
King James Bible Dictionary
From the Vulgate firmamentum, which is used as the translation of the Hebrew raki’a. This word means simply “expansion.” It denotes the space or expanse like an arch appearing immediately above us. They who rendered raki’a by firmamentum regarded it as a solid body. The language of Scripture is not scientific but popular, and hence we read of the sun rising and setting, and also here the use of this particular word. It is plain that it was used to denote solidity as well as expansion. It formed a division between the waters above and the waters below . The raki’a supported the upper reservoir . It was the support also of the heavenly bodies , and is spoken of as having “windows” and “doors” through which the rain and snow might descend.
In Scripture the word denotes an expanse, a wide extent for such is the signification of the Hebrew word. The original, therefore, does not convey the sense of solidity, but of stretching, extension the great arch of expanse over our heads, in which are placed the atmosphere and the clouds, and in which the stars appear to be placed, and are really seen.
Webster.
FIRMAMENT, noun ferm’ament.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. Genesis 1:6.
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmamentGenesis 1:14.
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Waters Above The Heavens
In a second article, Seely goes a step further and attempts to show that the Genesis account teaches the existence of a veritable sea located above the solid raqiya. Now to begin this section, here is an analogy regarding the first of the Ten Plagues that will prove useful. We have a descriptive indication that the waters of the Nile were turned to blood, but we need not automatically believe that it was blood in the sense of having erythrocytes, platelets, plasma, etc. By the same token, when Genesis speaks of waters above the raqiya, we are hardly to suppose that it was a substance universally composed of two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen. Nor for that matter can we suppose the distribution of these waters was uniform above the raqiya, although we do not doubt that some ancient peoples, including the Hebrews, reached that conclusion of their own accord.
We are not told what becomes of these waters above the raqiyain Genesis. This is not surprising, and in fact accords with the biblical record, for as Seely rightly observes, citing Steck:
y not naming the waters above the firmament as he named the waters below God signified that he excluded them from the world made for man.
With that, we are only left with some figurative language associated with the Flood account. Seely reports: