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what did 'expanse' or 'firmament' mean to israelites looking at the sky?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Genesis 1:6-8

God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. God called the expanse Sky. There was evening and there was morning, a second day.

This passage comes from the first chapter of Genesis, part of the creation narrative. It describes the second day of creation, where God separates the primordial waters to form a structured cosmos.

What does this ancient understanding of the sky prompt in your own view of the natural world?

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

  • Psalm 19:1

    This psalm speaks of the heavens declaring God's glory, connecting the visible sky to the divine.

  • Job 37:18

    This verse describes the sky as 'strong as a molten mirror,' reflecting a similar ancient perception of its solidity.

  • Isaiah 40:22

    This prophet describes God stretching out the heavens like a curtain, emphasizing divine power over the cosmos.

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