Gen 1:6 God said: Let there be in the midst of the waters
see, HEAVEN, CREATION
vet, (Heb. “rãqîa”). The Hebrew term means an inconsistent extension (Gen. 1:6), and corresponds well with the term space (cf. the term “open expanse of the heavens” in Gen. 1:20, KJV). The translation “firmament”, which appears in many versions, is an unfortunate slip of Jerome’s pen in the Vulgate version. Aristotle and the classics imagined the sky to be a solid sphere. However, this is not the concept that we find in the Bible, except in figurative poetic language (cf. Jb. 26:11; 2 Sam. 22:8, and contrast instead with Jb. 26:7). (See HEAVEN, CREATION).
Source: New Illustrated Bible Dictionary
Concerning the second period or creative “day,” Genesis 1:6-8 explains: “And God went on to say: ‘Let there come to be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and a dividing occur between the waters and the waters’ ™. So God proceeded to make the expanse and make a division between the waters that should be below the expanse and the waters that should be above the expanse. And became like this. And God began to call the expanse Heaven† . Later, the record says that the lights appeared in “the expanse of the heavens,” and then the flying creatures that flew over the earth: “On the face of the expanse of the heavens.” (Ge 1:14, 15, 17, 20.)
The Greek Septuagint used the word ste·re·o·ma (meaning “firm and solid frame”) to translate the Hebrew ra·qiʹa`, and the Latin Vulgate used the Latin term firmamentum, which also conveys the idea of something solid and firm. Many versions (BJ, NC and others) translate ra·qí·a` by †œfirmament† , although some of them offer †œextension† as an alternative in their notes (Scío, TA). Along the same lines, others translate “stratum” (GDP) or “expansion” (ATI, BAS, MK, Mod, NM, Val).
There are those who have endeavored to prove that the ancient Hebrew concept of the universe was that the Earth had a perforated dome through which the rain passed, and that the stars were fixed within that solid dome. Both in biblical dictionaries and in some translations of the Bible you can see diagrams that represent such a concept. Commenting on this idea, The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia says: “But this assumption is really based more on the ideas prevailing in Europe during the Middle Ages than on any specific OT statement” (ed. J. Orr, 1960, vol. 1, page 314).
Although it is true that the root (ra·qá`) from which ra·qí·a` is derived is generally used in the sense of †˜beating†™ something solid, either with the hand, with the foot or with some instrument (compare Ex 39:3; Eze 6:11), in some cases it is not logical to rule out that the word can be used in a figurative sense. For example, at Job 37:18 Elihu asks concerning God: “Can you with him beat down the cloudy skies, hard as a molten mirror?”† . The literal churning of a solid vault of heaven can be seen from the fact that the word “heavens” used here is derived from a term (scha·chaq) that is also translated “thin layer of dust” or † œclouds† . (Isa 40:15; Ps 18:11) In view of the hazy appearance of that which is “beaten,” it is obvious that the Bible writer is merely figuratively comparing the heavens to a metal mirror whose burnished face emits a brilliant reflection. (Compare Da 12:3.)
The same is true of the “expansion” that occurred on the second creative “day”: the churning of any solid substance is not described, but rather the creation of an open space or a division between the waters that covered the Earth and other waters that were above it. This explains the formation of the atmospheric expansion that surrounds the Earth, and indicates that there was a time when there was no such clear division or open space, but the whole globe was enveloped in water vapor. This fact is also consistent with scientific reasoning about the earliest stages of planet formation and the view that at one time all the water on Earth existed as atmospheric vapor due to the great heat of the Earth’s surface. .
The warning given to Israel through Moses proves that the Hebrew Bible writers did not envision a heaven originally made of burnished metal, for the nation was told that if they disobeyed God, the result would be: “Your heavens that are on your head they must also become copper; and the earth that is under you is made of iron† , a warning that describes in metaphorical terms the effects of intense heat and severe drought on the heavens and land of Israel. (De 28:23, 24)
Likewise, it is obvious that the ancient Hebrews did not share the pagan concept of the existence of literal “windows” in the dome of heaven through which rain descended to Earth. With scientific rigor and accuracy, the writer of Job quotes Elihu’s explanation of the rain process: “For he draws up the drops of water; they percolate as rain for the mist from it, so that the clouds distill, they drip down on humanity abundantly †. (Job 36:27, 28) Similarly, the phrase “gates of the heavens” is clearly a figurative expression. (Compare Ge 7:11; 2Ki 7:1, 2, 19; Mal 3:10; see also Pr 3:20; Isa 5:6; 45:8; Jer 10:13.)
In his vision of heavenly events, Ezekiel describes “the likeness of an expanse like the sparkling of awesome ice” over the heads of the four living creatures. The story abounds in figurative expressions. (Eze 1:22-26; 10:1.)
Although the formation of the expanse, or atmosphere, did not require the “churning” of any substance, such as metal, it must be remembered that the mixture of gases that make up the Earth’s atmosphere is just as material as earth and water, and it has weight by itself (apart from containing water and countless solid particles, such as dust). It is estimated that the weight of the air surrounding the Earth exceeds 5,200 billion metric tons. (The World Book Encyclopedia, 1987, vol. 1, p. 156.) Atmospheric pressure at sea level is about 1 kg per cm2. It also exerts resistance to meteorites that collide with the immense layer of air that surrounds the Earth, so that the vast majority of those that penetrate it are consumed by friction with the atmosphere. Therefore, the force conveyed by the Hebrew word ra·qíʹa` agrees with the scientific evidence.
In the Psalms it is said that “the expanse” and “the heavens” report the works and glory of God. (Ps 19:1)
Source: Dictionary of the Bible