You asked

what did 'heavens' and 'expanse' mean to ancient israelites gazing at their night sky?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

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 Heaven. There was evening and there was morning, a second day.”

This passage is from the opening chapter of Genesis, part of the creation narrative. It describes God's work on the second day of creation, specifically the formation of the 'expanse' which separates the cosmic waters.

What does it mean for our understanding of the world to acknowledge ancient perspectives, rather than imposing our own scientific frameworks?

Then — the setting

To ancient Israelites, as to other cultures in the ancient Near East (ANE), 'heavens' (שָׁמַיִם, shamayim) and 'expanse' (רָקִיעַ, raqia') represented a solid, dome-like structure that separated a chaotic upper ocean (waters above) from the inhabitable earth and its waters (waters below). This 'raqia'' was not empty space but a firmament, often depicted as a hammered-out metal or solid vault, with 'windows' or 'floodgates' through which rain could fall. Their understanding was based on observable phenomena like rain, which seemed to come from 'above' a visible sky, and the stability of the celestial bodies which appeared to be set within a firm structure.

Across the Testaments

The Old Testament consistently uses this ANE cosmological framework, where the heavens are a created structure, often a 'firmament' or 'canopy,' that proclaims God's glory and power (e.g., Psalm 19). In the New Testament, while the language often reflects this inherited cosmology, the focus shifts. 'Heaven' (οὐρανός, ouranos) frequently refers to the dwelling place of God, a spiritual realm, or the eschatological new heavens and new earth, rather than primarily a physical dome. While acknowledging the physical sky, the New Testament uses 'heavens' more metaphorically and theologically to describe the transcendent reality of God's presence and kingdom, building upon the Old Testament's foundational understanding of creation but expanding its theological scope.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Psalm 19:1
This psalm proclaims that the heavens declare God's glory, echoing the idea of the heavens as a divine creation.
Job 26:7-13
Job describes God's power over the cosmic waters and the 'canopy' of the heavens, reflecting similar ancient cosmology.
Isaiah 40:22
Isaiah speaks of God stretching out the heavens like a curtain, using a different but related image for the celestial dome.

Ask your own follow-up